Week Five, 2009

Greetings friends and members,
Welcome to Week Five of our summer CSA!  I'm a little bit at a loss for where to go with things this week, so bear with me.  I'm sure I'm not alone in my feelings about the weather.   Has anyone else noticed that it seems to rain nearly 100% of the time that there's a 50% chance of showers?  Math has never really been my thing but still something seems a little fishy here.
 
The good news is that it did finally dried out enough on Saturday morning to get a tractor back into the field and get some things seeded and planted.  It had been a few weeks and we really needed that dry slot, brief nonetheless as it was.  It's really been the same scenario in that regard all season:  waiting waiting for it to dry out, then rushing to get things done before the puddles get topped off again.  At least then when it does rain, we're somewhat happy that it's watering in the new transplants and seeds.  I'm sure you know the old expression about lemons and lemonade.  It's interesting and hopeful to note that at this point last year, which was one of the wettest summers on record, it had not yet started to rain in earnest.  It all started around the 15th of July.  I say "hopeful" because maybe this summer will be the opposite- we'll start to dry out and enjoy a beautiful and well deserved respite beginning on the 15th.
 
Another funny thing of note:  you know how seed packets have "Days to Maturity" printed on them?  I'm just wondering how exactly they calculate that.  (Again with the math!)  This year I was determined to have a few things earlier than usual.  One was zucchini and squash, so we seeded them ten days earlier than last season.  Despite this, we started picking them almost exactly ten days later than last year.   So much for planning.  The weather variable is clearly boss.
 
This week's share:  lettuce, greens, scapes and scallions, new Red Norland potatoes, baby carrots, french breakfast radishes, arugula, bok choy and a few more kohlrabi, squash, zucchini and maybe a few cukes
 
U-pick:  snap peas, herbs looking strong, first of the flowers.  Please read the early season flower guidelines below.  They'll be posted in the pick-up stand as well.
                            

Recipes

Roasted New Potatoes Recipe   Ingredients1 1/2 lb of new potatoes (red or yellow skinned), cleaned, cut in half or quarters
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced(or ~3 scapes chopped)r
1-2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
Method1 Preheat oven to 450°F. Place potatoes in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle on salt and pepper. Add olive oil, rosemary, and garlic. Toss until potatoes are well coated.
2 Spread potatoes out on a single layer of a baking pan. Roast for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through and browned. Serve immediately.
Serves 4-6.
 
And here's a tasty-sounding suggestion from one of our members:

Asian Chicken Salad with Snap Peas and Bok Choy Bon Appétit  | May 2008

by The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen
Ingredients

• 2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
• 5 fresh cilantro sprigs plus 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 whole green onion plus 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 8-ounce package sugar snap peas
• 3 baby bok choy, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 English hothouse cucumber, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 red jalapeño chile, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup ponzu*(substitute miso if need be) 
• 2 1/2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

PreparationFill medium skillet with salted water; bring to boil. Add chicken breasts, cilantro sprigs, and whole green onion; reduce heat to medium and poach chicken until just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer chicken to plate; cool. Add snap peas to same skillet; increase heat to high and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute.
Drain; rinse snap peas under cold water to cool. Discard whole green onion and cilantro sprigs. Coarsely shred chicken. Toss chicken, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, snap peas, and next 3 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk ponzu, vinegar, oil, and ginger in small bowl. Add dressing to salad; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
* Available in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets and at Asian markets.