CSA Pickups -- Week 6

Roots Farm CSA
Week 6: June 1 & 4

-Purple Kohlrabi
-Winterbor Kale
-Bright Lights Swiss Chard
-Head Lettuce: Nevada (red) & Cherokee (green)
-Carrots: Napoli, & Bolero
-Beets: Chioggia & Detroit Dark Red
-Summer Squash: Zephyr, Magda, Flying Saucer, Jackpot Zucchini, Cocozelle Zucchini
-Cucumbers: Suhyo Long & Mideast Prolific
-Garlic
-Herbs: Parsley & Basil

Saturday Workday, June 12, 8am-noon

Hey folks, just another reminder that if you want to come out to the farm and get your hands dirty growing the veggies that grace your plates, we've got another weekend opportunity available for you. The second weekend in June we'll be out here, weeding and trellising, mulching and weeding, planting, thinning, and processing. Come join us for a lovely morning on the farm. Get up close and personal with the plants that produce the veggies that fill your baskets from week to week. We'd love to have you out!

Last of the Lettuce

Enjoy your lettuce now, folks, because even though we're moving into the summer season where salads are just what you want to eat, growing lettuce in the summer time is a real challenge. Lettuce is a cool season crop that wants to bolt to flower and get bitter in the summer time. We've provided several successions of lettuce to try to extent the number of weeks we can offer it, and this last succession is supposed to be particularly bolt-resistant. Still, we're at the end of the line for lettuce. Savor the salad while it lasts.

Welcome Cucumbers!

Finally, cukes are coming on. I was in the hoop house harvesting squash last week when what do I see but cukes nestled in their vines, ready to pick. I've eaten half a dozen already and I can tell you, they are yummy. Juicy, crunchy, cool, and delicious. Suyho Long is an Asian variety that I find particularly sweet and that slices beautifully for salads. Mideast Prolific is smooth, crunchy, and much like your standard cucumber. We've got more varieties coming your way soon, but we're very excited to offer these two treats this week.

Squash Abundance

Well the summer squash really blew up (in a good way) last week! They're finally growing to some really respectable sizes and are coming in in good quantities. Which makes me excited in particular. We had a terrible squash year last year and summer squash were in slim supply for us for most of the season. As we move into summer, I'm not sure how it's going to go for us this time around, so I am super psyched that we currently have a lovely squash abundance. I encourage you to enjoy them now as I can't guarantee that the abundance will continue. We're doing our best and we've got more successions planted than ever before, so hopes are high. I want an avalanche of squash, so much so that I'm pickling them, grating and frying them, making zucchini cake, and eating them two meals a day. We'll see what the season brings us.

Kohl-what?

Kohlrabi. "Kohlrabi shares its botanical name, brassica oleracea, with its close realtive, broccoli. But kohl, meaning 'cabbage,' and rabi, meaning 'turnip,' better describes this delicate but unusual vegetable. Many botanists believe kohlrabi is actually a hybridization of these two vegetables. Kohlrabi resembles a root vegetable, but actually the edible globe is the modified swollen stem. The edible leaves jut from the globe portion of the kohlrabi like sparse hairs on a head, giving this vegetable its distinctive look. . . . Kohlrabi also mimics its brassica relatives nutritionally. It offers generous amounts of vitamins A and C, and emphasizes the minerals potassium and calcium." From Asparagus to Zucchini. Kohlrabi's sweet crunch is excellent cooked or raw (peel it first if you want to eat it raw). I find it to be somewhat like a water chestnut in texture, with a mild, brassica-like flavor. Ideas: grate it raw into salads or coleslaw, peel it and eat it raw like an apple or with dip on a mixed vegetable plate, saute it in butter with herbs, add cubes into soups or a mixed veggie stir-fry, mash cooked kohlrabi together with cooked potatoes, chill and marinate cooked kohlrabi, scoop out the center and stuff (then simmer, covered for 20 minutes), steam it and thinly slice and eat with dressing or batter and fry it. The options are really endless. The greens are edible, too, and can be used like any other cooked green (like kale or collards or mustards). Storage: cut off the leaves and store separately from the globes. The globe will last for 1 month refrigerated in a plastic bag. Use the greens as soon as possible.

RECIPES

Simple Sauteed Kohlrabi

2 medium kohlrabi bulbs, grated
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter or light oil
1 medium onion, diced (~1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed (~1/2 tsp)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme, chives, or sage

Mix the kohlrabi and salt in a colander and let stand for 30 minutes to drain. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute more. Stir in the kohlrabi. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium, uncover the skillet, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the fresh herbs. Let stand for a couple of minute. Enjoy!

Kohlrabi Hashbrown Cakes with Yogurt Mint Sauce

Sauce:
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tsp lemon juice
pinch of salt or more to taste
Hashbrowns:
4 kohlrabi bulbs
1/4 cup chopped green garlic (or green onions and 1 clove minced garlic)
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp dried bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
black pepper to taste
oil cooking spray

Mix sauce ingredients in a bowl and chill at least 30 minutes before serving. (I think the sauce would also be good with grated cucumber in it, like a tzatziki sauce, but do what you will.) Meanwhile, peel and shred the kohlrabi. Transfer to a mixing bowl by fistfuls, squeezing out excess moisture as you go--this is ESSENTIAL. Combine kohlrabi with green garlic, eggs, bread crumbs, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper; stir until blended. Heat a large skillet and spray it generously with cooking spray. Drop mixture by large spoonfuls into the hot pan and fry the cakes in batches until golden brown, 3-4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with yogurt mint sauce. Makes 4-6 servings. From the From Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook.

Kohlrabi with Couscous & Chermoula Dressing

1-2 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp minced cilantro
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oi
l2-3 cups cooked couscous
2 cups peeled, diced kohlrabi
1/2 cup diced radishes
16 kalamata or oil-cured black olives, chopped (opt)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (opt)

Mix garlic, cilantro, parsley, paprika, cumin, and salt to taste. Stir in lemon juice and olive oil. Toss the mixture with couscous. Bring to room temperature. Gently toss with kohlrabi, radishes, and olives (if desired). Serve as is, or sprinkle with feta cheese. Makes 6 servings. From the From Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook.

Kohlrabi & Carrot Slaw

1 lb kohlrabi (~4 medium bulbs), peeled & grated
2 medium-large carrots, grated
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small red onion, chopped (~1/2 cup)
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 large clove garlic, minced (~3/4 tsp)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cups wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Toss the kohlrabi, carrots, bell pepper, onion, thyme, and garlic in a large bowl. Whisk the sour cream, oil, vinegar, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Makes 4-6 servings. From Farmer John's Cookbook.

Chilled Curried Kohlrabi & Chickpea Soup

1 quart buttermilk
1 large or 2 medium kohlrabi, peeled and diced
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic, mashed to a paste
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp each of ground cumin, coriander, and ginger
dash of cayenne pepper
salt to taste
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
thin slices of lemon

Mix all ingredients except lemon slices in a glass bowl; cover and chill well. Ladle into bowls. Serve each bowl garnished with a lemon slice. This unusual, cooling concoction was inspired by a recipe from Deborah Madison, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Makes 4-6 servings. From the From Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook.

Happy Cooking!