CSA Newsletter

Ken moving up peppers and planting tomatoes seeds

Greetings from the Garden!  This special early box has potatoes, beets, carrots, celery root, potato onions, freshly dug parsnips and sunchokes, and braising and salad greens.

Field Notes.  The weather has brought us this special box.  Many things are earlier this year due to the unseasonably warm weather. It has been very bad for some things - maple syrup for example.  Ken did some pruning during the warm spell in January, but other tasks took priority in this hot weather, and now it is simply too late for this season.  The trees are leafing out.

Peppers just moved up  - will perk up in a day or two

In spite of the warmer than average temperatures, Ken has been planting the hot weather crops like peppers and tomatoes about the same time as he did last year.  Etched in our memories is the frost on Mothers Day 2010 or the 18 degrees on May 18th a few years back.  One can never accurately predict the weather a month in the future!

Tomato seeds

Ken is also getting ready to fire the pottery kiln this spring - he is a master at juggling the many tasks there are to do. 

From the Kitchen.  Each spring there is a period of transition as we move from roots dug last fall to roots overwintered in the ground.  Parsnips over wintered in the garden are much sweeter.  Parsnips, related to carrots are usually scrubbed, sliced, parboiled , drained and then sauteed in butter just to the caramelizing stage.  Delicious! 

Ken loves parsnips and makes them into pies.  He uses a pumpkin recipe, but uses much less sweetener.  Many people add parsnips to soups and stews.  I like a creamed curry parsnip soup - saute sliced onion, add a bit of curry, add soup stock and diced parsnips and potatoes, cook to tender and either run through a blender or food mill.  Re heat, serve with cream, milk, yogurt and a green sprig such as chives.

Sunchokes are also called Jerusalem artichokes - they are not from Jerusalem, nor are they related to artichokes.  They are related to sunflowers.  Scrub between the "scales" to remove any soil.  Use raw in salads, sauteed in stir fry dishes, or in any recipe that calls for water chestnuts.  Last year I made a great spinach dip with sunchokes in place of the water chestnuts.  My favorite is saute with minced garlic and add a splash of tamari just before serving.  Tamari is a natural soy sauce available in natural food stores.

Weekly CSA Newsletter

July 7 & 8, 2010 - Week 13

Greetings from the Garden! This week we have the following in the box: lettuce, Chinese cabbage, mizuna, radishes, green onions, garlic scapes, shell peas, carrots, broccoli,the first summer squash and green peppers, and shiso.

Field Notes. We are so glad to get more rain; the plants look great - and the weeds are growing, too. The top 1 inch of soil is like a seed bank, and in it are weed seeds. One of the reasons Ken gets out early and often to cultivate small weeds that are more easily killed, and so it doesn't disturb more weeds in the soil.


Ken has been hauling manure. This year we have a huge compost pile with llama, sheep, and horse manure with straw bedding and leaves. For Ken, compost is like money in the bank. As we grow and harvest vegetables, we are mining the soil and we need to put back those nutrients that we harvest off in the vegetables people eat. Compost is a major portion of what Ken adds back to the soil. He also adds minerals so the plants can take up minerals and make vitamins.

From the Kitchen. We have two wonderful Asian vegetables this week - a tall michillini type Chinese cabbage - great for braising or soup or stir fry, or tasty in salad. Mizuna is a mild Japanese mustard often found in baby mixes. Some people add mizuna to salads for a little zip. I usually saute an onion and wilt the mizuna then add dressing or we add mizuna to soup or stir fry just before serving. Add some shiso and you will amaze your family and friends with your authentic Asian cooking! For more shiso recipes, check the last blog entry.




Also this week we have shell peas - the traditional English pea that is shelled for the little round peas inside. And since I hate throwing anything out, I boil down the shelled pods for soup stock.


Farm Tour is Sunday, July 11th at 2 p.m. Please RSVP so I know how much food for snacks to prepare.

Til next week,
Ken and Judith