CSA basket: Week of 7/18

Happy mid-season!

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Lettuce, basil, parsley, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash or cucumbers, green beans, cabbage or kale, radicchio or frisee, garlic

CSA basket: Week of 7/11

Expect the following in this week's basket:

Lettuce, frisee, chard, basil, parsley, eggplant, peppers, garlic, carrots, green beans, squash or cucumber

We're handing off some garlic early this year. It was harvested 2 weeks earlier than normal (remember that mild winter?) and we are giving you some heads before they are completely dry. That just means it's a bit harder to pull the cloves apart from the heads. But we are so proud of how big the bulbs are and are anxious to share.

CSA basket: Week of July 4

This is when we turn the corner on vegetable production! Summer solstice has passed and summer is here. We harvested the biggest heads of garlic we have ever grown, the onions are bulbing up, beets and carrots are ready, and the greens keep getting bigger and more nutritious. Oh, and sweet green beans and tomatoes are on their way.

Expect the following in this week's basket:
Green beans (hopefully), lettuce, arugula, chard, kale, cilantro, parsley, basil, beets or carrots, garlic, scallions or baby onions, endive or cabbage.

Recipe for pestos

Pestos (not sure this is ever written in the plural) are a good way to turn herbs and greens into raw, nutritious foods.

The basics: something green + some protein + something sweet (just a touch) + something salty + something acidic + something oily + (optional) something spicy

The preparation is as simple as can be: Whirl everything together in a food processor. Usually I first whirl the greens, proteins and garlic or chili together; then add the oil; then add the parmesan and salt and acid. Then I add more oil to get to the perfect consistency (which is not-too-runny; not-too-thick; spreadable, but not soaking through; oily, but not too oily).

Here are our favorite pesto combinations:
Fennel fronds + slivered almonds + honey + parmesan + lemon juice + olive oil + garlic clove
Garlic scape + roasted pepitas + honey + parmesan + lemon juice+ olive oil
Cilantro + cashews + honey + parmesan + lime juice + olive oil + 1 hot chili
Basil + walnuts + honey + parmesan + lemon juice + olive oil + garlic clove

We've even made arugula pesto, kale pesto and turnip green pesto. The consistency is not as pleasing as the others, but they still are delicious, and if mixed with pasta or put on a pizza, you definitely don't notice.

Recipe w/ cilantro

Cilantro. You either love it or you hate it.

We love it. It's on top of almost everything we make all summer long; great with fish and meats; fresh in salads; necessary for tacos... and our favorite way to use it is as a sauce or chutney.

Ingredients: Cilantro (leaves and tender sprigs), scallions or white onion, mint (fresh), lime juice or white wine vinegar or rice vinegar (some acid), hot chilis or peppers (if you like spice), dash of sugar or honey, salt

Preparing: Whirl everything together in a food processor. In general our ratio is 2 parts cilantro to 1/2 part scallion or onion to 1/2 part mint (sometimes adding more mint). If the sauce/chutney is too thick for your liking, add some water (others might add a bland-tasting oil, too). If it's garlic season, consider adding a clove or two.

Eating: I dip my sourdough bread in this. We baste ribs, fish and steaks with this. I drizzle it on tacos or use it as a soup garnish. We mix it in eggs for omelettes.

Dish history: We love cilantro (see above). And when you plant cilantro, there comes a day when it all wants to bolt and start to develop its flowers/seeds. We have no other choice but to give big bundles of it in our CSA baskets and to harvest the rest for sauces.

Here are a few links to similar recipes for inspiration:
here
here
and here.