Hi everyone,
This newsletter is going out a little later than normal – partly because I procrastinated, and partly because these shares took a little long. The nature of CSAs with veggies being different each week is that the work it takes to prep shares can shift considerably. There’s probably always more we could do to make the shares as easy for you to use as possible, but we only have so much time and lots of veggies to get through. Yet we persist. For most things, it’s a matter of functionality. The fava beans this week have to be shelled from the pod, but there is also a tough skin around the bean that we removed so it’s really nice for cooking. For some things, there are quicker ways to prep, but sometimes we bend over backwards to make it the prettiest version of itself at a single moment of the season. The carrots for example are stunning this way with a little tuft of green left. That takes some time to do, when it would be much easier to just cut the whole top off. The eyes eat first though.
Lots of tasty stuff in the shares this week. We’re also including the first round of CSA Club stock in the shares. This is stock made from the CSA Club scraps throughout the season. The recipe below utilizes it for a risotto, but you could swap it in for any stock or water in any recipe.
Hope you all enjoy the share!
-Ben
We trim the broccoli up into nice florets for you all. This way they’re ready for snacking, roasting, or whatever ambitions a broccoli might have. Don’t skip out on the stems. We peel away the fibrous parts so they’re tender and perfect sautéed with other veggies (maybe in fried rice?).
Last week Nichols was calling these “baby carrots” but now they’re more like toddler carrots. When we remove the greens from carrots, we like to leave a little bit on the carrot mostly because we think it’s super cute (it also makes the greens easier to clean). I like to roast or grill early season carrots whole to really lean into the adorableness. There’s a bit of variety in sizes, so simply halve or quarter the larger ones lengthwise.
More celery. We’ve been using ours as a vehicle for hummus and other dips. But it’s also nice for adding an earthy base for just about any dish.
We had chard in the shares back in the first week. Here it is making a reappearance as the lone greens in the share as summer starts to yield fruiting vegetables like summer squash, cucumber, and beans.
Zucchini is the most popular of all summer squashes, but they can pretty much all be used the same. At the beginning of the season when they are small, I like to grill them whole, leaving nice char marks along the outside and a savory juicy interior.
Most people are probably more familiar with fennel seed than fresh fennel. With a characteristic anise or black licorice flavor and a surprising sweetness, fennel is crisp and refreshing when raw, but can also fit well into savory dishes. Fennel caramelizes really well, and benefits from high temperature cooking to develop color. Bulb, stocks and fronds are all usable. The fronds can be used as an herb for garnish or by the handfuls.
Fava beans are a seasonal treat. We’ve gotten all the hard work of shelling out of the way for you, so they don’t need much more than to be a tasty dish. A quick sauté, blanch or steam with any fun herbs or seasonings will make these a perfect side.
These are some cute little guys. Crisp and refreshing. Also called pickling cucumbers, they would be perfect for that. But would also be great in a salad or on a sandwich.
Nichols noted last week that all of the greenhouses ripened at once, and now they are flush with tomatoes. It definitely showed at their West Loop GCM stand over the weekend, and now we all get to help by providing good homes for them.
These are very different than sweet cherries, with a puckering level of sourness. They would work great in a cobbler or another sweet dish. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, tart cherries are typical in the Persian rice dish Abaloo Polo (the fennel would pair nice here).
