Is this week 4 already? Time goes by way too fast!

Shares this week:

Strawberries
garlic
dill
radish
green onion
chard

Don't forget... if you don't have a use for an herb now, freeze it or dry it, for when you DO need it! Dill, basil and cilantro do especially well frozen into baggies.

People just don't eat beets anymore. I know I never did. Until last year. Then, I just tried out this recipe, and have now decided beets are my new favourite veggie. Holy, delicious!! I had no idea beets were so tasty! And, they are one of the single most nutritious foods out there. I love simple, easy recipes that take little time to prepare. This one is done and in the oven in less than 5 minutes. Faster than minute rice;-) Try it, and you may fall in love with beets, too.

slice beets and potatoes, drizzle with olive oil, and add herbs (basil, oregano, parsley). Bake for about 1/2 hour at 300 F. Take out of oven, add feta cheese, and EAT. So scrumptious and simple to make!

Ever wonder what to do with radish, other than using them as a garnish in a salad? I found this recipe today on the Nourished Kitchen Blog. You will hear a lot about this blog from me... it is one of my favourites. I have spend the last couple of years learning about eating and preparing 'Real Food'. Surprisingly, I think I have actually become a foodie! This is a surprise, because before I moved to my farm, I really had no clue as to how our food was produced, grown, raised or prepared. I ate processed foods almost exclusively, not really realizing what I was doing. What an eye opener! I now try really hard to not have any processed foods. In fact, the only thing I buy at the grocery store these days is my one vice... chocolate! Other than that, I raise my own chicken, turkey and duck, I get my pork and beef from local farms that pasture raise their animals, and I eat all my own veggies. Food has never tasted so good!! I haven't tried this recipe yet, but I am going to do so tonite!

• 2 Bunches French Breakfast Radishes
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• Fresh Parsley
• Real Salt and Pepper

Too often radishes are relegated to the salad plate – eaten forever raw, but they’re delightful cooked as they are in this simple dish.

First, trim the radishes of any rough wisps of root as well as any leaves.   Heat the butter in a pan over medium until it is melted.   Add radishes and stir until they’re tender and begin to brown a bit.   Remove from heat and garnish with fresh parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

That’s it.   Simple.   Easy. Delicious.

www.nourishedkitchen.com

This spring went by WAYYYYY too fast! Summer is officially here. Shares are changing already.

This week:
radish
arugula
green onion
garlic scapes
new potatoes
beets

Stay tuned for a couple of new recipes!!

Shares this week!!

Beet greens (you can eat raw in a salad, or wilt them for stir frys, etc. Beet greens
                        and kale are actually more nutritious when they are slightly cooked)
Red Russian Kale
Green garlic
Green onions
Radish
Lettuce (these are just 'thrown in'. After I cleaned up after all the slug damage,             there wasn't much left, but I don't want to waste some good lettuce!!)
Herb sampler (herbs aren't huge yet, but this is a sample of some things to come... enough to season a meal or two! Includes: basil, thyme, savory, oregano, parsley

I am going to try to start posting recipes for people to help them use the veggies they get from the CSA shares. This first recipe is my own 'no measure' Kale and Chirozo sausage soup recipe. It is scrumptious! I usually make a big batch, and freeze some for days when I just don't have time or don't feel like cooking.

Chicken soup stock (homemade is best)
chirozo sausage
kale
carrots
onion or leeks
broccoli
green pepper
can tomato paste
celery salt
garlic
pinch chili peppers
pinch garlic powder
black pepper
paprika
parmesan cheese rind

Just cook in a big pot or a slow cooker, and EAT!!

First CSA shares went out last night and the rest tonight! Everything looks good (what the slugs didn't devour, anyway!). Shares start out small this time of year, then in early/mid August, they explode and get HUGE. I made a chart of what I had each week last year, so I can compare it to what I have this year, so I can see how I improve, and how I can make things better in the following years. So far, definitely better than last year!

First shares this year:
Mesculin
lancinato kale
arugula
basil
green garlic
green onions

I can hardly believe how time flies around the farm. Tomorrow, my first CSA shares of the year go out. I made a chart with what I had for last year, and what I will have for this year each week, and already my shares are looking way yummier! Last year, it was even colder and crappier for longer, and nothing would grow. This year, I really held back in planting things out, and it seems to have paid off. Plus, I have my fall crops that I planted last year, ready to harvest now. That's paid off, too.

Tonight, I am 'taste-testing' what will be in the shares for tomorrow. I just threw everything into a stir fry. I LOVE stir frys. They require almost no thought, you just throw in whatever random veggies you have around, and it always tastes delicious! Tonite, it was a base of home grown turkey from the freezer, with kale, arugula, green garlic, basil, and purple sprouting broccoli. Scrumptious!

I lost a couple of early crops due to the biggest slug infestation EVER. I have declared war on slugs. I will prevail, even if it kills me! Sometimes, I will go out just after a rain, and easily pick up over 1000 of the beasties. Gross.

I am still planting like mad, as it's only just warmed up this week. I've got in 400 of my 1200 tomato plants so far, and am working on the cuc's and zucc's and canteloupe, and other yummy things. I ran out of garden space the other day, so I am also working on making new gardens, and planting as I go. The only stumbling block is collecting enough cardboard to lay down on the grass and weeds, before I make my new lasagna beds. I'm determined to just keep plugging away at it, and hopefully everything will get planted on time.