To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here. (Please read about the bulk tomato option in this week’s update. If you are interested, please let Shana know by replying to this week’s update email and she will keep a list.)

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: lettuce, squash, garlic, carrots, peppers, sweet corn, kale, leeks, tomatoes, beans, melons, goldenberries, and choice of an herb (dill, cilantro or parsley)  (“B” group for half shares)
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: peaches and ginger gold apples
  • Flowers: paused this week
  • Mushrooms: no mention in John’s email but should be every week

Serving suggestions:

• I love getting leeks with the CSA. They pair well with the garlic, onions, potatoes and corn we get in our shares to make great soups. You don’t really need a recipe — sautee your aromatics, add potatoes and broth, cook until everything is soft, then blend — but this one I found roasts the potatoes first which is a new twist I have never tried.
• When cleaning leeks, I like to slice them lengthwise, then cut the halves into thin half-moon ribbons. I find it easier to rinse them thoroughly that way, rather than trying to clean a whole leek. Use your salad spinner and do at least 2 soaks to get all the sediment off. Rinsed and sliced leeks will freeze well so you can save half for future soup making (they’ll be too mushy for any applications where you want them whole though).
• Here are a few ideas for topping or serving alongside your leek soup:
  • Crisp some pancetta (or bacon) in the pot before cooking the soup. Use the rendered fat to sautee the aromatics. Top with the crispy bits when serving.
  • Spruce up a boxed cornbread mix by adding some sour cream for richness and jalapenos for heat (bonus points if you have candied jalapenos, they go great with cornbread).
  • Buy small boule style bread loaves at the farmers market and have your soup in personal sized bread bowls.
  • Go for a loaded baked potato flavor by topping with some shredded cheese, sour cream and some minced leek greens.

To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here.

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: squash, peppers, tomatoes, rainbow carrots, sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, beans, yellow onions, green cabbage, gold potatoes, eggplant, choice of an herb (cilantro, dill, parsley or basil) and some type of melon.. (“A” group for half shares)
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: Barlett pears & Dapple Dandy pluots
  • Flowers: yes this week (probably sunflowers!)
  • Mushrooms: no mention in John’s email but should be every week

Serving suggestion:

• For the quickest, no-cleanup BLT here’s my trick: substitute kettle cooked barbecue chips for the bacon. There are times when I don’t mind the time and mess of frying bacon until it is shatteringly crisp (lazy weekend mornings), but Tuesday nights after picking up the CSA is not then. Barbecue chips give you the smokiness that you get from bacon, as well as a reliable crunch. It also turns this summer staple vegetarian (and maybe even vegan if you swap mayo for a different spread). The most time consuming part of building these faux BLTs is spreading mayo on each side of the bread, so they can be on the table for the family in minutes. Pro tip: put the chips on top of the mayo on both sides of the bread, it will hold them in place a bit, otherwise they might slide out as you start to crunch. (I can’t take credit for this idea, I read it online somewhere years ago but cannot remember where!)

To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here.

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: squash, peppers, red cabbage, white onions, eggplant, tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, beans, peppers, fingerling potatoes, sweet corn, cherry tomatoes and choice of an herb (basil, thyme or parsley) and watermelons or other types of melons as supplies allow. (“B” group for half shares)
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: paused this week
  • Flowers: yes this week
  • Mushrooms: no mention in John’s email but should be every week

Serving suggestions:

• If you’re running out of ideas to use up our plentiful eggplant, try Lidia Bastianich’s “Eggplant and Rice Parmigiana.” This eggplant parm/lasagna/risotto hybrid sounds strange but is ultimate comfort food. It’s a great make-ahead meal that you can prep over the weekend and enjoy as a weeknight dinner that needs nothing more than 30min in the oven to reheat. If you’re only feeding 3-4 people, you can transfer half of the cooked “lasagna” to foil and freeze for next month (it truly is one of those dishes that gets better when you reheat it). If you have other CSA regulars like zucchini or summer squash, slice those thin like the eggplant and add to your layers. When I made this last week I cut some major corners (i.e. leftover jarred sauce, pre-shredded mozzarella) and it still came out perfect.

To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here.

Today’s share will include:

• Veggies: cauliflower, lettuce, kale, rainbow carrots, eggplant, celery, string beans, summer squash, choice of cherry tomatoes or ground cherries, shallots, and choice of an herb- parsley, summer savory, mint, or thyme.  (“B” group for half shares)
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: paused this week
  • Flowers: yes this week
  • Mushrooms: no mention in John’s email but should be every week

Serving suggestions:

• If you happen to miss out on the cherry tomatoes, don’t be disappointed by the ground cherries, they are sweet and tart, and are a great topping for salads or for snacking. My daughter loves them and eats them for breakfast instead of other fruits.
• My favorite treatment for cauliflower is from Alison Roman in Nothing Fancy. Cut the head into small bite-sized florets, toss with oil and seasonings, and then roast at 450 for 30min tossing midway through. It sounds like overkill, you will be tempted to take them out or lower the temp, and they will look burnt and crisp, but that is the point! A hard roast like that brings out their natural sweetness and makes them melt in your mouth. Roman’s recipe uses garlic, chili flake and Indian spices; it’s great as written but sometimes I like to switch it up and use other flavors to pair with whatever else I’m cooking that week.

To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here.

Today’s share will include: kale, lettuce, squash, cucumbers, beets, sweet onions, eggplant, cauliflower,
beans, broccoli, and choice of cilantro, parsley, or dill. There will be tomatillos as an extra. (Flower shares will return this week. Fruit shares will receive cherries and pluots.)

Serving suggestions:

• I tried a new strategy to use up the bundles of spinach and kale from last week: spinach artichoke dip. I had everything but the canned artichokes in the fridge/pantry and it came together easily so I will definitely keep it in mind for the next time I am craving something different with our abundant leafy greens. Don’t bother using expensive oil-marinated artichokes here, a drained can of Cento or Goya will do just fine. I threw in some leftover chopped CSA broccoli and onion which faded into the background proving that this might be my new go-to fridge clearing recipe. Served with a mix of crackers, sliced CSA carrots and tortilla chips, it was a family-friendly dinner loaded with veggies (and cheese).

To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here.

Today’s share will include: summer squash, choice of spinach or Swiss chard, kale, lettuce, broccoli, sweet onions, carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, and choice of an herb (cilantro or dill)

Serving suggestions:

• This week we will get our first batch of kale. If you want to use the kale in a raw preparation where you’ll be dressing it, here is a tip: after thoroughly washing and drying the kale, drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle with some salt, then massage the kale leaves well, then roughly chop. The massaged kale will be softer and slightly wilted, making it better to serve as salad greens. (Don’t forget that you already salted the kale when adding dressing and other seasonings)
• Broccoli can handle a hard roast very well which brings out a concentrated flavor. Roast some simply seasoned florets — oil, salt, pepper — at 450 degrees until they start to char in spots. Toss with some finely minced raw garlic while still piping hot, and toss on some red pepper flakes if you’d like.

To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here.

Today’s share will include: Lettuce, spinach, arugula, radishes, garlic scapes, summer squash, kohlrabi or Napa cabbage, peas (more sugar snap and snow peas now), and parsley.

Serving suggestions:

• It’s easy to tire of raw radishes so I’m looking forward to trying this recipe for roasted radishes that includes one of my favorite pantry items: caraway seed
• It’s definitely project cooking but making potato pancakes/latkes using kohlrabi instead of (or in addition to) potato is one of my favorite spring traditions

To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here.

Today’s share will include: spinach, peas (mostly English or shell types), lettuce, summer squash
choice of arugula or tatsoi, salad turnips, fresh garlic, bok choy, and choice of an herb (cilantro, dill,
chervil, marjoram or summer savory).

Serving suggestions:

• Spring CSA peas are best eaten raw or barely cooked so their freshness and sweetness come through. I like to smash them with some herbs (mint, dill, cilantro, all of the above), olive oil and flaky sea salt. Then I spread some high quality (or homemade) ricotta on top of toast and top with the smashed pea mixture. One of the best spring dinners, and it only takes a few minutes after shelling the peas.
• Bok choy is a good addition to soup because you can get two textures from one ingredient. I like to cook the dark green leaves for longer so they wilt and melt into the broth. And then the crunchier stems I will add just before serving so they soften a bit but keep their snap. Any soup with greens can work, think Italian Wedding Soup or Caldo Verde and use the bok choy instead.

To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here.

Today’s share will include: lettuce, radishes, spinach, summer squash, garlic scapes, choice of arugula or tatsoi, choice of cilantro or dill

Serving suggestions:

• Make a pesto with the garlic scapes (NYT Cooking)
• Mix dill in with your greens for an herby spring mix like they sell at the grocery store
• A favorite in our house… lightly wilt spinach in some rendered bacon fat then top with the crispy bacon, a soft boiled egg and some quick-pickled red onion