CSA Newsletter April 4th

Greetings from the Garden! This box has three types of potatoes, shallots, parsnips, sunchokes, and a mix of greens - pea shoots, young spinach, lettuce and brassicas like tatsoi, bok choy and mizuna.

Field Notes. This has been a cool and snow covered spring. That means some crops are slower than usual - this is the latest we can remember digging the parsnips. Ken and Cole dug just enough for this week through the snow. There have been real advantages to all this snow: the frost did not drop deep into the ground since the snow acted as an insulating blanket over the soil. The melting snow has added water to streams and rivers at a slower rate. so the flooding has been less severe. And the snow usually seeps into the soil rather than running off. And we hope that means our low lake levels will rise.

Ken has been planting and moving plants from 3/4" soil blocks to 2 " soil blocks. The house and studio are full of plants. This week the onion seedlings will go into one of the low hoopettes to start hardening off before they are transplanted out in the field. And greens will be filling hoopettes.

Ken has also been running tests in the high tunnel to see what germinates and grows well there. Once these early crops are harvested, new ones will get transplanted - particularly heat loving species.

From the Kitchen. Ah, spring! It is great to get freshly dug roots. Parsnips dug in spring are sweeter than those dug in the fall. Parsnips are high in minerals especially potassium, and they have more vitamin C than carrots. They have as much carbohydrate and vegetable protein as potatoes. We often scrub, slice, parboil for 4 - 5 min, drain and then saute in butter just to the point of caramelizing - the traditional way to serve them. Some people Slice and brush with oil, bake at 400 degrees on parchment paper for about 15 min and toss with sea salt. Parsnips are wonderful au gratin like potatoes or rutabagas. And I like to make a cream of parsnip and potato soup with a bit of curry. Ken cooks, purees and makes parsnip pie similar to squash pie - but with little or no sweetener.

Sunchokes are also known as Jerusalem Artichokes. They are not from Jerusalem, nor are they related to artichokes. They are related to sunflowers, and have a lovely crunchy, slightly nutty taste that shines when braised or quick stir fried, used raw in salads or pickled. Just don't overcook them to grey mush! We like to saute in sesame oil with garlic and add tamari just before serving. One of us usually makes a batch of pickles with a brine, garlic, hot pepper, and some turmeric. They are nice as a substitute for water chestnuts in Asian recipes. Sunchokes are gaining popularity due to their high inulin content. This cousin of insulin helps balance blood sugar. Sunchokes also have iron and niacin. No need to peel, just scrub where the skin overlaps to remove any soil.

The greens in this box are all young and tender. I usually rinse them and add to salads. These young greens are like a spring tonic. Ken read two winters ago that spinach loses most of its nutrition after eight days. We are happy to bring you these greens harvested the same day you receive them. Enjoy.

Logistics: Please return your box and towels, so we can reuse them. Our next harvest is in two weeks. Call or email us with any questions. Thank you for your support!