2016 CSA Week 6

Hi everyone! 
I hope you had a really great 4th of July Weekend. I got to attend multiple picnics and see fireworks, so I feel very satisfied with my holiday. 
Of course, farm work never really takes a holiday, and Sue and Claude were busy making more hay  over the weekend. The fields are getting pretty crispy at this point (hot and DRY) but it's been good for making hay. Actually, it's been so dry that for only the second time in 20 years or so, Sue and Claude had to put irrigation on the peas! It's not really possible to irrigate all the crops, but hopefully we'll be getting some rain later this week. 

But things are still hanging in there, and we have some new veggies this week. Here's what's in your bags:
Salad Mix
Arugula
Garlic
Garlic Scapes
Pearl Onions
Yellow Snow Peas
Swiss Chard

The arugula is getting pretty spicy, so be aware. When the weather gets really hot, so does the arugula ... 
This year we're trying out these yellow "Golden Sweet" snow peas. Because of the dry conditions, they aren't quite a large as they might have been, but they are an interesting color and have a nice flavor. I always enjoy trying out new varieties of our staple vegetable crops. You never know if you might be growing a new favorite! Some of the seed companies we use at the farm are Johnny's Seeds, Fedco Seeds and the Seed Savers Exchange. It's always interesting to see what colorful new creations or rediscovered heirlooms they present in their catalogues each year. 

Here are some recipes to consider for this week:

Swiss Chard with Chick Peas (aka Garbanzo beans) and Fresh Tomatoes 

from Allrecipes.com 

Serves 4

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 shallot or small onion, chopped

2 scallions, chopped

1/2 cup chickpeas, drained

salt and pepper to taste

1 bunch Swiss chard, rinsed and chopped

1 tomato, sliced

1/2 lemon, juiced

1) Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Stir in shallot/onion and scallions. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes until soft and fragrant. Stir in garbanzo beans, season with salt and pepper, and heat through.

2) Place chopped chard in the skillet, and cook until wilted. Add tomato slices, squeeze lemon juice over greens and heat through. Serve immediately. 

Baked Swiss Chard and Spinach w/ Chickpeas and Feta Cheese

4-6 servings

4 Tbsp olive oil

10 oz Swiss Chard, heavy stems removed

1 Lb Spinach, heavy stems removed

One 15-oz can of chickpeas, drained

4 scallions (white and green) chopped

4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped dill

salt and pepper to taste

3 oz feta cheese, crumbled

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spread 1 Tbsp oil around a 12x9x2- inch casserole dish

2) In a steamer pot, steam Swiss chard until it wilts, about 4 mins. Add the spinach to the steamed chard and steam another 4 minutes until the spinach wilts, too. Remove both greens and drain, squeezing out excess water once they are cool enough to handle.

3) Chop greens and toss with remaining 3 Tbsp of oil, chickpeas, scallions, garlic, dill and season w/ salt and pepper.

4) Transfer to the casserole dish Push the feta cheese down into the mixture and bake until it's sizzling, about 35 mins. Serve hot. 

Here's a recipe from one of my favorite authors, from one of my favorite books. And that would be Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. It's a great summer read if you're looking for something... if you think it's not your kind of book, I thought so too, at first. Give it a try- I'm really glad I did! On the book's website, she lists some other recipes, separated by season. Check it out here.

Eggs in a Nest - From 

(This recipe makes dinner for a family of four, but can easily be cut in half.)  

2 cups uncooked brown rice 

Cook rice with 4 cups water in a covered pot while other ingredients are being prepared.  

Olive oil – a few tbsp

1 medium onion, chopped, and garlic to taste

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil in a wide skillet until lightly golden.  

Carrots, chopped

½ cup dried tomatoes

Add and sauté for a few more minutes, adding just enough water to rehydrate the tomatoes.  

1 really large bunch of chard, coarsely chopped 

Mix with other vegetables and cover pan for a few minutes. Uncover, stir well, then use the back of a spoon to make depressions in the cooked leaves, circling the pan like numbers on a clock. 

8 eggs 

Break an egg into each depression, being careful to keep yolks whole. Cover pan again and allow eggs to poach for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve over rice.