Week 5: May 29, 2018 – May 31, 2018

Helpful information on share contents can be found in the produce information booklet

Produce Tips and Information:

Rhubarb
Keep rhubarb in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for a couple of days Wash when ready to use. Remove the leaves and discard, these leaves are never eaten – they are poisonous.

Kohlrabi
Remove the leaves, store in a separate bag. Prepare leaves within 2-3 days. Kohlrabi will keep up to 2 weeks.

Catnip Tea
Place 1-2 tsp of dried catnip flowers and leaves in a teacup and pour a cup of hot, not boiling water, and cover. Wait 10-15 minutes and sweeten with honey and
lemon. If you use fresh catnip leaves, double the amount of leaves used.

Tools
Consider getting a salad spinner and a herb stripper to use in your kitchen. One will help you quickly clean and dry leafy greens. The other will make removing stems from herbs, kale, and similar crops quick and easy.

“Food For Thought” by Jennifer Borealo

I hope you all had an enjoyable and relaxing Memorial Day Weekend! This week you will receive an anise plant. Anise is actually a member of the parsley family. It is an annual. It is a delicate plant that likes full sun but should be protected from the wind. It will develop white clusters of flowers in the summer. The flowers can be cut and dried. The seeds that have a licorice flavor can be used in baking. Biscotti and some Italian sweetbreads are recipes that come to mind. The greens can be chopped into salads and are sometimes added to soups.

Catnip will also be in the shares. I like to plant this directly into my garden as it is a perennial Catnip has been used since the 1700’s as a medicinal plant. The tea can be used to settle your stomach and it can also be brewed giving a calming effect we need to sleep. It has been said that the catnip leaf can be considered natures band-aid, held against a minor cut it can stop the bleeding. It can lower a temperature and it can help with migraines. Prepare catnip as a mosquito repellent, recipe follows. For those of you with cats, plant the catnip where the cat can find it and can roll around without damaging other plants around it.

You will receive broccoli crowns this week. We know that there is no need to discard any part of the plant. The flower and the stems are edible. If the broccoli comes to you with the leaves attached they are edible as well. They can be compared to a collard green and they can be chopped and cooked with a little garlic and oil or you can just add them to a stir-fry.

We here at the farm all love creamed spinach, Jennifer Niederhoffer posted a link on Facebook with a healthy version. Joseph Brown used his cider and some herbs in a pulled pork recipe, Michelle Zanzonico I think wins for using the most vegetables in one recipe or meal that included lettuce soup and an Asparagus Spinach Frittata. Cathie Hall, Jennifer Criso, and Beverly Hansen among others attended the Fresh Discoveries class this past week. We hope that they are preparing the recipes we used including Rhubarb Bars and Asparagus Pesto. CSA members are welcome to attend any Fresh Discovery Events. Mark your calendar for the next one, June 14th, check the website for details and directions to RSVP.

Some of you keep in touch through Facebook. I recently heard from several members including Tamar Bacon who sent recipes to me through email,  jenn@alstedefarms.com. If any of you visit for our first seasonal pancake breakfast you will see me and Maggie there and bring recipes in person as well. Mark your calendars for Sunday, June 3rd for our Strawberry Pancake Breakfast. I hope to see you there! Until next week, enjoy the freshness.