It’s finally here!!!! Week one of the CSA share. It was a long snowy winter and because of all that snow some of the farm plantings had to be delayed because the fields were still under about 2-3 inches of snow & ice on April 1st.

April 1st and still covered in snow 🙁

Fear not we were able to start planting by April 13th and while the first few shares will be lighter than usual we are now ahead of the game planting wise. Snap Peas will be set back a week or two as will head Lettuce. Things to look forward to…..early Cucumbers, early Summer Squash and early Tomatoes all went out on time. The Garlic & Shallots are growing quickly with this summer like weather, so scapes will be here in no time.

For week 1 we are expected to have Pea Tendrils, Garlic Scallions, Kale & Spinach with the possibility of Radishes & Baby Lettuce Mix.

If you don’t already own a salad spinner, I recommend that you acquire one. It is not necessary but it will make life easier. Lettuce, Spinach, Pea Shoots, Leafy Greens don’t like to be soggy when stored and properly drying out your greens and storing them properly will help them last longer. We wash our greens and then spin the excess water out 2-3 times, empty the water from the bottom of the spinner and store our cut up greens in the salad spinner where any additional water can drain off. This keeps them crisp and fresh for at least a week.

Pea Tendrils are the top growing portion of a pea plant and taste like a snap pea, sometimes called pea shoots. They can be eaten raw in a salad or lightly cooked. To cook, place damp pea shoots in an empty saucepan over medium heat. The water clinging to the damp shoots is enough to steam them. Cover and heat just until wilted. Store dry in an open produce bag in the crisper draw of your refrigerator or in your salad spinner.

Garlic Scallions are immature garlic plants that are picked before the garlic starts to form a bulb. All the small garlic cloves that will not amount to a large garlic bulb we plant and pull them up as a spring treat. They have a mild garlic taste and can be eaten raw or used in place of garlic cloves. The white bottom portion and the lighter green portion are edible. Store in the refrigerator either in a closed produce bag or covered container.

Kale can be a substitute for any leafy green in a recipe. If you are a cabbage family fan you will like kale with it’s mild cabbage flavor. Blended into smoothies, juiced, braised, steamed, eaten raw in a salad, baked into chips, eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack. Check the recipe section for a bunch of kale recipes. We are growing three varieties of kale a green curly leaf kale, a dinosaur kale & a red curly leaf kale. This week you will be getting a mixed bunch with all three. I recommend trying each variety out separately this week as they all have different qualities.  I would recommend using dinosaur kale for eating raw as it is more tender than the curly leaf kale. The red curly leaf seems to have a finer texture to it than the green curly leaf. Store dry in an open produce bag in the crisper draw of your refrigerator.

Spinach is well it’s spinach. The kind you will be receiving is neither baby nor full grown and is best served raw in a salad or lightly cooked. Store dry in an open produce bag in the crisper draw of your refrigerator or in your salad spinner.

Sauteed Pea Tendrils

1 bunch of pea tendrils (washed and trim the ends)

2 cloves of garlic or 3 garlic scallions, minced

1 tablespoon of oil

Salt to taste

Heat the saute pan. Once the pan gets hot, add the oil and garlic for a minute. Add the pea tendrils, saute until wilted and tender for a few minutes. Add salt to taste and you’re done.

Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips

5-8 large kale leaves

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350°. Cut away the inner ribs from each kale leaf. Tear the pieces into uniform size, about the size of a potato chip. Wash and dry thoroughly. Add oil to the kale and mix thoroughly to ensure all pieces are well coated. Repeat with the vinegar. Spread the kale chips in a single layer on a ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10-15 minutes until crisp and browned. Check periodically to prevent burning.