Share contents:  2 pints of strawberries, 1 bunch of red scallions, 1 bunch green garlic, 1 bunch carrots, 2 heads of lettuce, 1 bunch of kale, 1/2 pound Chinese broccoli.

The strawberries are waning but we have some for you this week!  As it heats up out here the squash is starting to ripen and cucumbers are blooming.  There are a few tomatoes starting to show on the plants and the corn is germinating.  Yeehaw!  Now, though I can’t believe I’m saying it, we could use a little rain.

Broccoli Salad

1. 1/2 pound of Chinese broccoli cut into bite sized pieces (use stem and leaves too), blanched and cooled.
2. 4 red scallions sliced in thin circles.
3. 1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries or currants.
4. 1/4 cup sunflower seeds.
5. 1/2 cup bacon broken into small pieces (optional).
6. 2 tablespoons cider vinegar or lemon juice.
7. 1 teaspoon sugar or honey.
8. 1/2 cup mayonnaise, sour cream or plain yogurt (or a combination of the 3).

   Instructions

   1. Whisk together cider vinegar, sugar, mayonnaise, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside.

   2. In a large bowl, combine broccoli, onion, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and bacon bits. Pour the prepared dressing over and mix well.

   3. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

We would like for you to bring a bag every week to transfer your share into and leave the empty wax box with us.  Any pint containers or buckets that vegetables are packed in can be re-used if you bring them back to us in good shape.

We do not pack special boxes for individuals.  If there are things in your box that you don’t like or can’t eat you can exchange them for something in the “exchange box”.

If you miss a pick-up, we bring your box back to the farm and put it in our cooler.  You need to make arrangements to come get it or have it brought to the next market.  It will be the same veggies, not a new box packed for you.

If you know you are going to miss a week you have a couple of options:

1. Let me know by email NO LATER THAN 6am Tuesday for Wednesday pick-ups or 6am Friday for Saturday pick-ups to tell me you don’t want a box that week.  You can have credit for up to 2 missed boxes that has to be spent in $24 increments by the end of 2019.
2. OR, you can give your box to a friend.  Be sure they bring a bag with them and that they know our farm name and your name when they come to pick up.

The first share of this year includes: Strawberries!  4 pints of them, 1/2 pound chinese broccoli, 1/4 pound garlic scapes, 1/2 pound spinach, 2 heads of lettuce, 1.25# of red turkey wheat flour, 1.25# of Coroico cornmeal.

The corn and wheat were both grown on our farm last summer and milled by Farm and Sparrow last week.  Both are heritage varieties.  The flour makes great bread, pie dough, biscuits.  The cornmeal is awesome for polenta or cornbread.

Strawberries are picked ripe and need to be eaten or frozen right away.  They will not keep more than 1 day.

Garlic scapes are great used anywhere that you would use garlic.  Their flavor is milder than cured garlic but stronger than onion.  The broccoli is very tender and quick cooking.  Eat the leaves and stems too!  It’s great stir-fried or briefly steamed.  The garlic scapes and broccoli are in the same bag together.

I am going to do a separate post with details related CSA that will hold true throughout the season.  As far as this weeks’ share goes, if you take the berries in the bucket, please return the bucket.  And if you take home a wax box, please return it next week.  If you do not have a large cloth bag to unload your share into, let us know and we will get you one!

There is 1 more share after this week for the 2018 CSA season.

This weeks’ share includes:  2 butternut squash, 4 pounds of burgundy sweet potatoes, 3 small heads of lettuce, 1 bunch of Italian parsley, 1 small fennel bulb, 1 bunch of baby carrots, 1 bulb of garlic, 1/2 pound of aji dulce peppers.

We tested the sweet potatoes yesterday and the ones we saved taste good so here they are.  I recommend eating them in the next couple weeks.

The aji dulce peppers are producing loads of peppers right now so I wanted to give you enough to make the following recipe.

Puerto Rican – Style Aji Dulce Sauce (Ajilimojili)

12 -20 aji dulces, 7 garlic cloves, 1 small yellow onion, 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 bunch of cilantro (about 2 cups), salt to taste, 1/2 teaspoon dries oregano, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, optional: 1 hot chile.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and grind to a course sauce.  The sauce will keep in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for 2 to 3 days.

Serve with boiled or roasted sweet potatoes and / or irish potatoes.  In Puerto Rico it is served with boiled yuca.  It is also good with beans and rice or with chicken or beef.