Week 1: May 1, 2018 – May 3, 2018

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

Produce Tips and Information:

Asparagus – To store asparagus: wrap the ends in moist paper towels and place the bundle into a plastic bag. Asparagus will keep up to 3-4 days
To Clean Asparagus: Rinse the spears under cool water to remove any grit. Snap off the bottom inch or so using your fingers; the stems will naturally break where the tough woody part ends and the tender stem begins. Dry the spears by rolling them very gently between 2 kitchen towels

Cooking with Scallions – Slice the white and into the pale green. Slice very thin if you are serving raw in salads, salsa or a garnish. Slice up to an inch long for a stir-fry. Save the dark green top for stock.

Cleaning Mushrooms – Clean mushrooms when you are ready to use them. Gently wipe with a damp paper towel or mushroom brush or run under cool water and
dry on paper towels, do not soak mushrooms.

Preparing Leeks – Slice the white and into the pale green. Slice very thin if you are serving raw in salads, salsa or a garnish. Slice up to an inch long for a stir-fry. Save the dark green top for stock.

Kale – Wash when you get home in cold water. Dry thoroughly
Storage: store wrapped in paper towel in a plastic bag in your refrigerator, ideally in your crisper drawer.

Mushrooms – Storage: keep them in their original packaging and put them in your refrigerator as soon as you get home OR place them loosely in a brown paper bag and again refrigerate immediately. Should keep up to 5 days

Scallions – Storage: Place in a plastic bag or to stand in an inch of water and then place the jar into a ziplock bag. They can last with very little care for over a week.

Leeks – Storage: Refrigerate leeks unwashed with roots attached for up to two weeks. Wrap tightly in plastic so the flavor isn’t absorbed by other foods.

“Food For Thought” by Jennifer Borealo

Here we are again. A little later than expected. I have had the pleasure of seeing so many of you at some of the events and classes we have had over the winter. The message is always the same, “I cannot wait for my first share” Everyone was tired of winter and even more tired of the supermarket! So welcome back and of course, a very warm welcome to all of you who are new to us this year.

Early in the season some of the produce in the shares will have been wintered over. Those of us who are seasoned realize that the spring is time for leafy greens. This week the spinach in the shares comes to us from the organic fields having survived the extreme cold!

In this first share, you are going to find something from the last season. We will have homegrown popcorn. Packaged microwave popcorn is one of the foods that should really be avoided because of all the processing, additives, chemical coating in the bag, and last but not least, artificial butter flavoring. This preparation is simple however you should not leave the microwave when preparing the popcorn. Place the cob into a paper lunch bag fold to close the bag. Place the bag into the microwave, then you have a couple of options. You may use the popcorn button and stop when the popping slows down or you can set the timer for 2 minutes (you may need to add a little more time) and again, listen for the popping to slow down. Don’t walk away, don’t leave the room. Corn should have popped off the cob and filled the bag. Open the bag and pour corn into a bowl and top with melted butter or olive oil and salt or toppings of your own choice.

We are once again going to be gardening. Some of you may already be prepared. The perennial herbs we planted last year are starting to come back. We should have herbs in our shares for the first six weeks and possibly a few more as we progress into early June. Dill and Chives are ready this week. Chives are a perennial and dill one of the most delicate of herbs. The dill can be kept on a window sill in the small pot for a while. When you are ready to bring it outside it will pair well in the same pot as rosemary and thyme. The chives can be planted with parsley. We should have both flat and curly parsley in the next few weeks so they can be added to that pot.

I am so happy to be back with all of you for this new season. I will continue to watch and see what is happening on Facebook. I look forward to hearing from you during the season. Please keep in touch with me jenn@alstedefarms.com. Until next week, “be inspired by the freshness!”