Well folks, it feels like Christmas Eve around here! Taylor and I haven't slept much the past couple nights because of all the excitement and anticipation. We've actually been sleeping out in the fields (our version of sleeping next to the fireplace waiting for santa to come!) just so we can keep an extra close eye on crops that are the most susceptible to hungry deer. In fact, it's been lovely sleeping under the stars and thankfully our dog is scaring the deer away at night.
During the daylight hours we've been busy weeding, planting summer crops, weeding, irrigating, weeding, spreading compost and weeding. It's a busy time around Tumbleweed but it's also a great time of the year to be farming in the Pacific Northwest. There's nowhere else we'd rather be!
We hope you all enjoy your first CSA harvest of the 2015 season. The fields are cranking with spring greens just waiting to be shared around your dinner table. If there is ever a questions about an item in your box please shoot us an email. We only grow things that we're pumped on eating ourselves and that grow well in our area.
With all that being said, we hope you're hungry! Below is a list of the contents of your veggie boxes and a "recipe of the week" suggestion followed by a few photos from the fields. Happing cooking!
1. Garlic Scapes- This is one of our favorite spring treats! With a milder flavor than garlic cloves each scape is easy to chop, throw into pestos, pasta, grilled, fried or added to salad dressings. The season is extremely SHORT for this novelty crop so enjoy them while they're here!
2. Spinach- you know what to do!
3. Radishes- the variety we harvested this week is French Breakfast. They have a nice mild peppery bite and taste best when eaten with a little good quality butter and sea salt. Be sure to remove the greens before storing in your fridge so they stay crisp! Save the greens for stir fries, pestos, or add to spring soups.
4. Bok Choy- One of our favorite asian greens to grow. We love tossing bok choy on the grill, dicing it up and adding to stir fries or adding it to egg scrambles with a little sriracha and soy sauce for a simple breakfast.
5. Micro Greens- These tender greens are a great addition to any dish. Toss onto hot pasta, into sandwiches, served with eggs or simply add as a garnish to any dish you are making.
6. Salad Turnips- If you haven't had the pleasure of eating a salad turnip yet, slice one up and eat it raw before cooking! We love adding raw turnips to everything from salads to sandwiches and even soups. However, they taste really good sliced thinly and thrown onto the grill!
7. Tatsoi -another one of our favorite asian greens to grow at the farm. Tatsoi is a mild green that can be served the same way you'd serve and eat spinach. It tastes great raw but also benefits from a light steam, stir fry or tossed on the grill
Recipe of the Week-
Grilled Bok Choy & Turnip Rice Bowls with Soy-Sesame Sauce
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 heads bok choy, large leaves trimmed and sliced in half lengthwise
- 1 bunch turnips, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds (reserve greens for another use)
- 1 cup cooked edemame
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 3-4 radishes, thinly sliced
- handful of micro greens
- 3 Tablespoons sesame seeds
Soy Sesame Sauce
- 3 1/2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Directions
- Heat the grill to medium. Rinse the chopped bok choy under cold water to remove any dirt. Set aside.
- Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce. Taste test and adjust seasonings if need be.
- Lightly brush the bok choy and turnips with a little bit of the sauce. Place the bok choy cut side down on the grill; cover and cook until tender. About 5-8 minutes. Place the turnips directly on the grill and cook, covered for 2 minutes per side.
- Serve the grilled veggies with the cooked rice, edemame, radishes, micro greens and a few tablespoons of sesame seeds. Drizzle with remaining sauce and enjoy.
We'll leave you all with a few photos from the fields. See you next week!
