Week 3: The First Tastes of Summer

It looks like we may get a break from this dry heat towards the end of the week. Phew!

The vegetables are responding well to the weather for the most part, thanks to the miracle of rotating sprinklers.

Irrigating in the peas among cover crop stubble earlier this spring. The process
is pretty much the same this time of year, except the plants are much bigger.

One crop that is doing particularly well for us this week, despite conventional wisdom's assertion that it shouldn't stand up to the heat, is head lettuce.

Members (and market customers) will have their choice between two excellent varieties of lettuce, prizehead and della catalogna radichetta.

Prizehead, a loose headed, relatively mild, and richly colored lettuce.

Della catalogna radichetta, an Italian heirloom lettuce with
sturdy leaves and lots of flavor.

In addition to lovely lettuce, this week's share will contain: Kale, Braising Mix, Spicy Salad Mix (arugula and mustard), Radishes, Kohlrabi, Sorrel or Parsley, Baby Pac Choi, Jalapenos, Bunching Onions, and Basil.

There won't be a lot of basil in the shares this week, just a taste (the first taste of summer!). We'll be pinching the tops off of our basil plants this week, both sweet and Thai, to encourage the plants to fill out and produce better so that later season shares will see more basil. 

Lots of little top sprigs like this one add up to just enough basil for everyone
to have a little.

You'll probably notice a bit of grit on your basil (more than you find on most of our other produce). That's because we won't be cleaning the basil at all. If basil gets wet before it goes into the cooler it will quickly turn limp and black. For that reason we recommend that you don't wash it off until just before you plan to use it.

The jalapenos, unlike the basil, could be doled out in massive quantities, far exceeding the needs of all but our spiciest members.  

One of about 50 similarly laden jalapeno plants in the hoophouse.

Because we know that not everyone likes jalapenos, we will not be forcing a flood of them upon you. The plan is to harvest them on the light side and offer them as an option with everyone allowed to take none to three peppers. If anyone knows now that they will want more than that let us know and we will take that into account during harvest.

The bunching onions are simply baby storage onions, something we actually never thought to harvest until Eva at Northwinds Co-op requested them. I'm glad she clued us in, because they're a very versatile vegetable. The small bulbs can be used like any cooking onion and the green tops can be used like scallions. They're handy to have around, as you'll see if you try out the recipe below.

Sesame Noodles with Basil and Onion

This dish is light enough to enjoy in the most oppressive heat and features the lovely summer flavors found in this week's share. It works equally well with sweet and Thai basil. It makes about four servings.

• Approximately 8 ounces of dry rice noodles (I used half a 16 ounce package of extra wide noodles)
• 3 Tablespoons plus 1/2 Tablespoon peanut oil
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 Tablespoon sugar, or other sweetener of your choosing
• Jalapeno peppers, minced, to taste (optional)
• 1 large handful of greens of your choosing (braising mix, mustard/arugula, or kale would all work well) chopped into bite sized pieces
•  6 large eggs
• 1-2 spring onions, greens and bulbs chopped finely
• 1 handful (about three sprigs) basil, cut into ribbons

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, remove from heat, add rice noodles and soak until the noodles are tender. My noodles take about 10 minutes of soaking but this will vary by noodle size and brand.

Combine the 3 tablespoons of peanut oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and optional jalapeno in a small bowl. Stir very well so that the ingredients are thoroughly combined.  Poor this sauce over the rice noodles immediately after draining to prevent them from sticking. Toss the noodles to coat them with sauce and set them aside.

Heat the remaining half tablespoon peanut oil in a frying pan over medium/high heat. Scramble together the chopped greens and eggs. Cook them in the peanut oil, forming large dry curds of scrambled egg.

Combine the sauce covered noodles, eggs, onion, and basil.

Early Summer Soup with PEAS!

The fields have officially switched from spring to summer. The greens will be tapering off (they certainly won't be gone entirely - what's a CSA share without a few greens?), and the non-leafy vegetables will begin filling up the share bags. This week includes three new to 2011 non-leafy items for members to enjoy, along with lots of greens to keep things interesting.

The share includes: Head Lettuce, Salad Mix with arugula and mustard, Braising Mix, Chard, Green Onions, Snow Peas, Shelling Peas (probably, we might give the Saturday folks shell peas this week and the Tuesday/Wednesday folks shell peas next week), Cauliflower, Mint, and a Green Pepper from the hoophouse. A few of you may get a couple jalapenos, a handful of cherry tomatoes, or a Japanese eggplant if we run low on peppers.

New Ace Peppers in the Hoophouse. On July 11th.
In the Upper Peninsula. Astounding!

First, I gotta say it blows my mind that we have so many peppers ready in the same week that the peas are coming in. The peppers are coming from the plants we planted in the hoophouse on our member work day way back on May 1st. We were actually a little worried about the peppers a few weeks ago because they were kind of slow to take off, but now that they have, they are going strong. A few varieties seem to be exploding with peppers. Season extension is an amazing thing.

An Oregon Giant Snow Pea. These things really do get giant,
but they remain sweet and tender, even when they're huge! 

Second, I have to say Hooray For Peas!!! The peas went in the ground around mid May. If you remember, the spring was cold and wet this year and we had to wait a little longer than we wanted to get our seeds in the ground. Well, the peas didn't mind getting in late. They have grown like gangbusters and they're starting to come on around the same time they have in years past.

As mentioned earlier, all members will receive snow peas this week (and hopefully for the next couple of weeks) but we are not quite sure about the shelling peas. If they plump out enough by tomorrow everyone will get them this week, otherwise the Tuesday/Wednesday members will get them next week. The window of perfection is slim for those little guys and we want to make sure that no one gets teeny or mega giant shelling peas.

Cauliflower and Chard, glowing in the afternoon sun. 

My guess is that no one will have trouble figuring out how to use the new items in the share this week. I wouldn't be too surprised if many of you find your snow peas are all eaten up before you even make it home from pick up.

The only new thing that some of you may not be very familiar with is the chard, which has shown up already in its baby form in the braising mix. Chard is the same plant as the beet, bred for large greens rather than a plump root. When it is tender it can be sliced up and added to salad, but it is generally eaten cooked. Try using it similarly to the braising mix or kale you have received or, if you haven't eaten all of your snow peas yet, make a pasta salad. Slice snow peas, green onions, and chard in bite sized pieces (include the chard stems, sliced into quarter inch pieces). Marinate the vegetables in a dressing made with white wine vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs (thyme, mint, or basil would be good) for about a half an hour. While things are marinating, prepare a box of farfalle, rotini, or macaroni according to the directions on the box. Cool the pasta and toss it with the marinated vegetables.

If you would rather cook your chard, and feel like spending a bit more time in the kitchen, try the following soup recipe.

Early Summer Soup

This is a very light and delicate soup with no cream, or even stock to distract you from the fresh flavors of the vegetables. Paired with toasted ham and cheese sandwiches, it made a perfect dinner for the three of us (with a little soup left over) on this oppressively hot evening.

• 6 cups water
• 3 cups (or more) shelling peas, measured in the shell
• 1 small bunch green onions (8-10 onions)
• 4 chard leaves
• 10 peppercorns
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 small head cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint

1. First make a vegetable stock by simmering the following ingredients in a covered pan for about 30 minutes: water, the shells from the peas (but not the peas themselves - reserve the peas), the chopped green portions of the green onions, the chopped chard stems (but not the leaves), the pepper, and the salt.
2. While the stock is simmering, separate the cauliflower into very small florets, slice the white portions of the green onions thinly, and slice the chard leaves into very thin strips. 
3. When the stock has finished simmering, strain the liquid, and return it to the pan.
4. Add the cauliflower and onions to the stock and simmer until the cauliflower is just tender, about fifteen minutes.
5. Add the peas and chard leaves to the soup, stir for one minute.
6. Remove from the heat, stir in the chopped mint.
7. Taste for salt and pepper before serving.