Welcome to July! The cooler temps are nice for our crew, but the plants are screaming “Bring on the heat!”. For those of you who are traveling and/or vacationing this week, enjoy your time off and your 4th of July celebrations.
What’s in Box #5?
Salad Mix: We are hoping to provide salad greens as often as possible. For best storage, keep greens in the fridge, in a plastic bag or other covered container with just a little bit of moisture to prevent wilting.
Little Gem Lettuce: These are new for us this year. If you have any feedback on you’ve used them, we’d love to hear it.
Spinach: These leaves are great keepers and can easily last more than a week. Keep them in a plastic bag or other covered container with just a bit of moisture to prevent wilting. Keep them out of pooling water.
Green Onions: Parade variety. These are on a nice rotation for us which is why you are seeing them so often this season.
Carrots: A Nantes-style called Nelson. These roots are very sweet and will stay fresh longer if you remove the greens.
Basil: This herb will be a continuous crop for us during the season, since we can make multiple cuttings on the same plants. Basil can turn black if too wet or kept in the coldest part of your fridge. If you aren’t able to use it all right away, consider drying it or making pesto so that you can enjoy this herb even after the CSA season is done!
Radishes: Cheriette variety. Another staple on our farm. These are excellent additions to any salad, tacos, etc. Eat raw with a dab of butter and some salt to really bring out the flavor.
Recipes:
Blueberry Balsamic Dressing
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/242194/spring-salad-with-blueberry-balsamic-dressing/
For mid summer when blueberry harvest is in full swing, try this dressing to add a sweetness to your salad mix. Balsamic vinegar has always been my favorite dressing base to play around with! Try adding other fruits throughout the summer as they are available. I’ll also be looking forward to substituting blackberries in once they begin popping up around the farm. ~ Derek
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Riso filante con la mozzarella (Rice with fresh basil and mozzarella)
Contributed by CSA Member Debra Anyu Savelle
From The Classic Italian Cookbook by Marcella Hazan.
This is nothing more than boiled rice and fresh basil enmeshed in the fine tangles of melted mozzarella. It is another example of how, in Italian cooking, simple handling of the simplest ingredients results in a dish interesting in texture, lovely to look at, and best of all, delicious.
For 4 persons
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
6 tablespoons butter, cut up
2 tablespoons fresh basil
1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded on the largest holes of the grater
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil, add the salt, then the rice, and mix with a wooden spoon. Cover the pot and cook at a moderate but steady boil until the rice is tender but al dente (depending on the rice, it should take 15-20 minutes). While cooking, stir the rice from time to time with the wooden spoon.
2. Drain and transfer the rice to a warm serving bowl. mix in the cut up butter, then add the basil and mix.
3. Add the shredded mozzarella and mix quickly and thoroughly. The heat of the rice unravels the mozzarella, forming a soft, fluffy skein of cheese and rice flecked with basil green.
4. Add the grated Parmesan cheese, stir two or three times, and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
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Asian Quinoa Slaw
If cooked carrots aren’t your thing, check out this recipe that calls for raw, shredded carrots! Making this Slaw is like creating a piece of beautiful, delicious art. Check out the colors of this dish! ~ Taylor