Tuesday, July 12, 2011

CSA for July 12, 2011

Carissa bagging lettuce!
It feels like it has been a long time coming, but today is the first CSA share for our members!  We look forward to seeing old friends and meeting some new ones; since much of our advertising and communication is done online (you know, save a tree!), we haven't even met some of our new members yet!  It won't be a very large share today, the cool wet spring means everything is late, late, late!  But, with warm weather the last week and this week, things are just exploding in the garden and the shares will just get better and better!  We looked back on our records and in the six years we've been on the farm, we've always been picking raspberries by this date. This year, we're still at least a week away - but they're looking good!  Keep your fingers crossed for next week.

One of the most interesting things in the box this week is garlic scapes.  I blogged about them here, they are a short-lived treat for anybody who likes garlic, with a mild, fresh garlic taste.  One of our favorite things to do is garlic scape pesto, here's the recipe.  They are great chopped for stir fries and sautes, chunks tucked into chops or chicken before grilling or baking, or mashed up into cream cheese for a great dip/spread!

The herbs are doing well this year.  Everyone is getting marjoram or garden oregano in their box.  This is the perfect time to harvest: the flower buds have formed but not opened!  Marjoram is mild, and goes well with meats and poultry, beans, chilies, garlic and onions.  As it is fresh, if you are following a recipe calling for dried oregano, use 2- 3 times the recommended dry amount and add it towards the end of cooking.  This herb will also be great chopped fine and added to salads.

So, for the FULL SHARES:  2 lbs. new potatoes of 'Caribe', a purple skinned, white fleshed potato.  1 bag 'Esmeralda' butter lettuce, 1 bag baby Romaine, 1 bag 'Grand Rapids' loose leaf lettuce, small bunch of radish, bunch of baby yellow onions (more 'kick' than green onions), bunch of garlic scapes and a bunch of marjoram.

For the PART SHARES: 1 lb. new potatoes of 'Carlton', a white potato.  1 bag of 'Grand Rapids' loose leaf lettuce, 1 bag of baby Romaine lettuce, a bunch of baby yellow cooking onions, a bunch of garlic scapes, bunch of marjoram.

There are plenty of the garlic scapes, so if you love garlic, if you are interested in making pesto - help yourself to more!  And enjoy!
Posted by Aagaard Farms
Labels:

4 comments:

  1. AnonymousJuly 13, 2011 at 1:24 PM

    Sounds like you're off to a good start. When does the squash start? Will you have any ready for me to flog when I arrive?

    Kelt

    ReplyDelete
  2. MargueriteJuly 13, 2011 at 3:39 PM

    A question, I just planted oregano this year and am not sure how to dry it. Do you dry yours to save it? is there another way to preserve some of this plant for later in the year?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aagaard FarmsJuly 13, 2011 at 6:05 PM

    Hey, Keltie! We may have baby zucchini for next week, certainly for the week following! Marguerite: I just hang bunches to dry it, I elastic the bunch, then tie a string through the elastic and hang it on the shower curtain in the back bathroom that doesn't get used much. Dark and dust free is good for drying. You can also make herbal vinegar - I blogged about it, it's easy. Cover the herbs in vinegar, store in a cool, dark place and shake daily for about a month. Great base for marinades or salad dressings! How about herbal pesto, frozen in ice cube trays?

    ReplyDelete
  4. BomJuly 17, 2011 at 11:52 PM

    I've never heard of garlic scapes. Seems like I will need to grow my own garlic to enjoy them. I'm imagining that they will be a good addition to chimichurri sauce for grilled seafood.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)