csa share – week 6 {june 26}

Welcome to the 6th week of the Pitchfork & Crow CSA!

Here’s what’s in the share:

  • Snap Peas or Snow Peas
  • Garlic Scapes
  • Kohlrabi
  • Carrots
  • Head Lettuce
  • Broccoli
  • Madeley Kale – a kale/collard cross, we suggest sauteing and tossing with pasta, eggs, or rice

The rain held off long enough for us to enjoy a fun evening hosting the first of the season’s CSA potlucks at the farm  Sunday.  Many thanks to all the folks who made it out.  Hopefully you enjoyed getting a look at the farm, getting to know other CSA members, and picking strawberries!  If you missed out, don’t worry.  We’ll have two more events at the farm later in the season.

As anticipated this week has been all about playing catch up on the farm.  With the major plantings in we’ve been focusing our attention on the weeds and other maintenance activities that need doing.  We never quite get to all of them, but we do attempt to prioritize to ensure the most important things get checked off the list.

The number one thing folks like to remind us of is how much work we’ve taken on.  Perhaps we don’t emphasize it enough here in our messages or at market but it seems to become obvious upon visiting the farm that we have a lot happening for just the two of us to manage.  Of course we appreciate everyone who acknowledges how much continuous effort we’re putting in to bring veggies to your table.  We also like to think we have most of it under control.

Each season we’ve learned new ways to manage our time, focus our attention, and be more efficient overall.  When we walk through the fields we still see our small failures but they are becoming fewer.  We’re also able to admire crops that we found the time to give enough attention to.  When we talk about the future of our farm, we often end up discussing time and labor.  For now, we’re happy to be doing this work and can’t imagine adding the stress of managing employees to our already crazy lives.  We know it will probably happen at some point in the future but we’re hoping it won’t be for some time.

Enjoy this week’s vegetables!

Your farmers,
Jeff Bramlett and Carri Heisler
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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Kohlrabi Greens with Toasted Sesame Oil and Soy Sauce

1 large bunch kohlrabi with greens
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
~ Good-quality soy sauce, to taste
~ Shichimi, to garnish (see note)

Steps

  1. Tear the leaves away from tough ribs and stems. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the kohlrabi leaves, and boil until tender, 1 to 3 minutes, depending on the age of the leaves. Fish out a leaf and taste it after 1 minute to determine cooking time.
  2. Drain the greens in a colander and push on them with a spatula to remove as much water as possible. Roughly chop the cooked greens and place them on a serving plate. Toss with the sesame oil and soy sauce to taste. Sprinkle with shichimi and serve as a side dish with rice and steamed fish or a meat stir-fry.

From Culinate.com via Ivy Manning, http://www.culinate.com/recipes/collections/Contributors/Ivy+Manning/Kohlrabi+Greens+with+Toasted+Sesame+Oil+and+Soy+Sauce

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Sautéed Kale with Kohlrabi

  • 1 1/4 pound kohlrabi, bulbs peeled
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 pounds kale (2 bunches), stems and center ribs discarded
  • 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped (try garlic scapes here)
  • 1/3 cup salted roasted pistachios, chopped
  • Equipment: an adjustable-blade slicer

Very thinly slice kohlrabi with slicer.

Whisk together lime zest and juice, 2 tablespoons oil, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss kohlrabi with dressing.

Finely chop kale. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Sauté garlic until pale golden, about 30 seconds. Add kale by the handful, turning and stirring with tongs and adding more kale as volume in skillet reduces. When all of kale is wilted, sauté with 1/2 teaspoon salt until just tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Toss kale with kohlrabi and pistachios.

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Kohlrabi Sandwiches

unsalted butter, softened
thick-sliced kohlrabi
pumpernickel bread
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Generously butter 2 slices of bread and make a sandwich with the kohlrabi as the “meat”.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

From “From Asparagus to Zucchini, A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce,” Madison Area CSA Coalition

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South-of-the-Border Kohlrabi Snacks

peeled kohlrabi
chili powder
fresh lime juice

Slice the kohlrabi into rounds (not too thick).  Dip the lower third of each round into lime juice, then into chili powder.  Makes any number of servings.

From “From Asparagus to Zucchini, A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce,” Madison Area CSA Coalition