  Two very exciting developments over the last few weeks: 15 Miles Farm will have a booth at the Saturday Market at PSU in the park blocks beginning May 30th and we will also be supplying Salvador Molly’s carts at the markets with our heirloom tomatoes and cilantro all summer.
Come by and say hello.
Last Winter CSA Week!
This is our last delivery week for the Winter CSA. We’re extremely grateful to have you with us this winter and look forward to making another go at winter again in 2010. Please feel free to keep or otherwise recycle any remaining boxes you have.
The Spring/Summer CSA begins on May 17th and runs through November 8th. For those continuing on to the Spring CSA, please look for more details in your email inbox in the coming weeks. This e-newsletter will continue on every few weeks before the CSA begins, then we’ll switch to a weekly format. Stay tuned!
Winter CSA Harvest List Week of 3/1
Red Loose Leaf Lettuce
Italian Kale
Arugula
Flat Leaf Italian Parsley
Easter Egg Radishes
Escarole
Dandelion Greens
Broccolini
Eggs
Alsea Acres Cheese (basil-hazelnut flavor)
Eggs
Attention Herbalists: Fresh Comfrey Available
Comfrey leaf is used in herbal pastes, ointments, tinctures, decoctions, poultices and in cosmetics. It is a popular addition to herbal salves and ointments, which can be used for bruises, sprains, eczema, swellings and burns. We are currently swimming in comfrey leaf and have more than we could possibly use. If you’d like some certified organic comfrey leaf, please let me know and I’ll load you up in your box this week.
This Week’s Recipes and Ingredients
Bitter Greens
The little signals that spring is here are popping up all over the place. Cherry blossoms, daffodils, the first bright green tiny leaves on trees, ferns unfurling and of course, rain. Felt like I was going to grow gills today. The warm temps and rain are bringing the first wave of late winter bitter greens.
There are some new greens in this week’s box, maybe some things you have never tried before. I always look forward to the first round of bitter greens when the weather warms up. After a winter of root crops and heavy comfort food, I’m always in the mood for something light and green. Doesn’t always have to be a salad…
Bitter greens include varieties in chicory and endive family: Belgian endive (also called French endive and witloof), curly endive (sometimes called chicory or frisee), aruguala, escarole and several varieties of radicchio. Then there are dandelion greens, mustard greens and turnip greens (yes, keep the tops of your turnips).
This week, we are bringing the arugula (not really that bitter), escarole, and dandelion greens. To tame their bitter bite and bring out their amazing flavors, toss greens in vinaigrette, give them a quick sauté, or blanch them in salted boiling water.
Winter Greens with Cranberry-Port Vinaigrette
1 cup tawny Port
1/3 cup packed thinly sliced shallots
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/3 cup safflower oil
3 tablespoons raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar
8 cups assorted greens (such as escarole, arugula, red leaf lettuce and dandelion greens), torn
2/3 cup crumbled Stilton cheese
1/4 cup crumbled pistachios
Combine Port and shallots in heavy small saucepan. Boil until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 10 minutes. Add cranberries, oil and vinegar. Boil 3 minutes. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper. Let cool slightly.
Combine greens in large bowl. Pour vinaigrette over greens and toss. Sprinkle with cheese and nuts. Toss lightly and serve warm.
Escarole and Beans
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 head of escarole
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) can cannellini beans, undrained
3 sprigs fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Toss in escarole, turning to coat with oil. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes, or until tender.
In a separate skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Stir in garlic. Pour in beans with juices, and simmer until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in escarole and parsley; simmer 10 minutes more.
Tuscan Oven Grains and Greens
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
4 ounces fresh arugula, coarsely shredded
4 ounces escarole, coarsely shredded
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
3 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 ounces medium-sized shell-shaped pasta, uncooked
1/2 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1/2 cup dried quick-cooking barley
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (for serving), optional
Place oil in a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up clumps, until no longer pink. Add arugula, escarole and garlic. Cook, stirring, until greens are wilted, 2 to 3 minutes; reserve.
Place the broth and oregano in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil; reserve.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pasta in the bottom of a 10- to 12-cup covered casserole. Spoon reserved sausage and greens over pasta. Scatter rice and barley over greens. Stir in reserved broth; bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and bake until pasta and grains are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, add parsley and stir well. Serve immediately with cheese, if desired.
Dandelion Greens with Hot Olive-Oil Dressing
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced lengthwise
1/3 cup sliced almonds (1 ounce)
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound tender young dandelion greens, any tough stems discarded
Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook garlic and almonds, stirring frequently, until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Add raisins and cook, stirring, until garlic is golden and raisins are plumped, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper, stirring until combined.
Pour hot dressing over dandelion greens in a bowl, tossing with tongs to coat.
Pasta w/ Dandelion Greens, Toasted Garlic and Avocado
1/2 lb fusilli — or other short pasta
1 bunch dandelion greens
4 cloves of garlic
1 avocado
1/3 cup pine nuts
a handful of olives
enough olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Cook pasta according to instructions
Cut dandelion greens in small pieces
Bring water to boil with enough salt so it tastes pretty salty and add the dandelion. Blanch for anywhere between 2 to 7 min., according to your tolerance for bitterness. Transfer to a colander and wash with very cold water.
Bring olive oil to medium heat in a saute pan, and add the crushed garlic cloves. Lower the temperature and toast the garlic gently
Add pine nuts and olives. Season with salt and pepper
Add pasta and dandelion greens and mix
Dice the avocado and add right before serving. Mix gently. |
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