Hi everyone,
We hope you enjoyed your first share of the season! It’s been wonderful getting back into the swing of things. I’ll admit—at the start of every season, I feel a little stress about whether we can meet the demands of our ambitious growth goals (sometimes, I even turn into a bit of a curmudgeon). But the moment the vegetables start rolling in, it’s nothing but joy for me.
I follow a number of local farms—Nichols and Otter Oaks of course, but others as well—because I love hearing different perspectives on the growing season. One of my favorite newsletters is from Tracey from Three Sisters Garden, whose recent one really resonated with me. She wrote about the challenges of quality standards as a small business, and I loved how she put it:
We don’t have an advertising department, using only social media, and word of mouth to attract new customers. That means we must be brutally critical of what we do here. Keep the bar high, and do everything we can to cleanly make our way over that bar with each bag and box we pack, every time. With many of you, I do not necessarily meet you, so our relationship develops entirely with your satisfaction after receiving your order….
We want you excited to look into your box or bag, anticipating all the goodness inside. We know you could be purchasing from other, larger, more diverse, farms, but the vast majority of you have chosen to stay with us since the very beginning. That says to me that we are doing something right.
Gard Mo and the CSA Club have been incredibly fortunate to have steadfast support from the beginning, and we’ve always strived to deliver the highest quality produce to you. But once it leaves our hands, we don’t always know how it holds up—or whether it fully meets your expectations. That’s where you come in!
Your feedback is invaluable to us. If something isn’t quite right—whether it’s produce that doesn’t last as long as it should, a share that feels a little light, or even just a preference for how things are packed or prepared—please let us know. We’re always looking for ways to improve and make the CSA Club an experience you’re excited to share with friends and family.
We hope you love this week’s veggies, and as always, don’t hesitate to reach out.
—Ben
The cooler weather has been great for arugula. Sometimes you also see it called Rocket or Rucola, it’s also a brassica (Eruca sativa), but an odd ball and not part of the two major groups. The pungency is due to enzymes that can be deactivated with heat. If you find arugula a bit intense, try giving it a quick sauté.
Crisp and refreshing Romaine. When we clean greens, its easiest to have all of the leaves separated since dirt typically collects in crevices near the base. Often though in recipe photos or restaurants you’ll see intact bok choy or romaine hearts. I think that offers a pretty picture, but is often impractical. A grilled romaine salad for example, rather than grilling an entire half, I find it much more enjoyable to grill a few of the lighter colored leaves to bring the grilled flavor, but leave the rest uncooked and then chop it all for the best overall texture and ease of eating.
Oh boy, are we lucky to get these. Last season, Nichols experienced significant pest pressure on their strawberries and weren’t able to include them in the shares. Despite the slow start, the strawberries are looking great this year. You’ll notice how deep red these strawberries are. That’s because Nichols doesn’t irrigate them. Overwatering strawberries (all berries really) just waters down the berries themselves. Industrial ag does this because it increases yield, essentially just selling water in berry packaging (mind you, usually from water scarce areas: California, Texas, Mexico). These strawberries from Nichols are concentrated deliciousness.
An early seasonal feature, sugar snap peas are about as good as it gets. If you’re going to cook them, keep it brief with high heat so that they keep a little bit of that crunch. Otherwise, they’re pretty great for just snacking on them as they are (a tasty dip would take them next level).
These were some big ‘ole bok choy bunches. Bok choy is part of the cabbage family, formally called Brassicas. Brassicas include a huge number of vegetables (cauliflower, brussels sprouts, turnips, radishes etc.) but most of those fall under just two species, Brassica oleracea and Brassica rapa, and are just varieties of the species, like granny smith and red delicious are varieties of the same species; apple. Bok choy is part of the Brassica rapa group which also includes turnips, rapini, and napa cabbage.
Kohlrabi translates from German to “turnip cabbage” and I think that is perfect. It’s part the other large group of brassicas that includes kale, cabbage and cauliflower, Brassica oleracea. Kohlrabi is like one big broccoli stem. Its peel is fibrous and can sometimes be pulled off like an orange. Try out this Sweet and Sour Kohlrabi recipe from last year if you’re looking for inspiration!
Shelled like this, peas are super easy to add to just about any dish. These ones are firm and sweet and do well quickly sautéed. Peas also freeze really well. Best practice is to blanch first before freezing, but in a pinch you can just toss them in the freezer raw.
This is my favorite variety of kale. Dark green, with bumpy looking leaves, it’s often called “dino kale.” It’s hardy with a crisp texture that holds up well to sautéing or roasting.
