In the share this week:
1 bunch salad turnips
1 bunch green garlic
1 bag pea shoots
1 bag spinach
1 bag salad mix
1 double bag baby kale
Thoughts from Farmer Anna:
I love this quote about farming from the late and very funny, down-to-earth farmer, Chris Blanchard:
"I think farms. . . . are kind of like two-year-olds. They're very loud and insistent about what they need and what they want from you. If you don't set some limits, you're going to be a slave to the two-year-old."
May is the month that the farm feels like peak toddler to me. Everything is happening at once - lots of harvest and so many greens, the start of CSA shares, many crops still waiting to be planted, new farm hands starting, plant sales, farmers markets, etc! These days are very full of work on the farm. And yet, they are also full of joy. Joy in doing this meaningful and gratifying work, joy in seeing your smiling faces at CSA pick-up or the farmers market, joy in working outside in the sunshine and hearing so many birds singing to us as we harvest, joy in feeling the strength of my body grow year after year, joy in sharing what I've learned about farming in the last 9 years with someone new. This work may be relentless some months of the year, but it is incredibly rewarding too.
The share this week is fairly similar to last week's share. This is often the case through the season for a couple of reasons. One, most crops are harvested for at least a couple of weeks from a single planting. And two, I like to have both weeks of half shares get to try the different crops we grow through the season. The new item in the share this week is baby kale and we have so much of these beautiful greens this week! These smaller kale leaves are the red russian variety and they are more tender than some other types of kale, making it great for salads. My 8-year old prefers a baby kale salad to a lettuce one (with a good dose of ranch dressing of course!). Here's a recipe idea for a caesar salad with your baby kale:
If you are not sure what to do with your pea shoots this week, and you love pesto, try using the pea shoots and your green garlic in a pesto recipe such as the one below:
What kinds of things are you thinking of cooking this week? We'd love to have you share recipe ideas here with us, just comment below! Have a great week everyone!