Week 1

Simcha Weeding Cabbage and Broccoli

Harvesting Kale

Chana and Robert clean debris off of last season's heirloom dry beans using this high tech method.

Harvesting Kale

 Harvest Notes 
This is the time of year when leafy greens rule the farm. They are the quickest crops to grow when we start planting in spring and like these cooler temperatures. In the coming months leafy abundance will segue into a bounty of fruiting crops and roots.

The only blemishes we allow on the produce we bring you are aesthetic.You may notice small, clean holes or brown marks on some of the leaves which do not compromise the quality, storage life, or taste of the greens. Rather, they serve as proof that we do not spray harmful insecticides nor do we waste food that is otherwise excellent.

Kale This smooth leaved variety is called Red Russian Kale. This is the first harvest on these plants and the spring weather has made the leaves especially tender. They are easily succulent enough for raw salads but can also be steamed, sautéed, or added to just about any cooked dish.

Bok Choi This Asian green is almost like two vegetables in one. The dark green leaves function similarly to kale while the white ribs are crunchy like celery. I’ve watched kids just chow down on the ribs plain, or dipped in any kind of spread. Bok choi is a classic stir-fry dish and would go well with scallions.

Spinach These dark green leaves are great for salads or for cooking into soups, dips, sautes, or casseroles.

Lettuce Heads This week we harvested two varieties of lettuce. Magenta is the taller variety and it is a ‘summer crisp’, which means that it lies somewhere between a romaine and a leaf lettuce on the crispness spectrum. The ‘New Red Fire’ lettuce is a leaf lettuce and it is more tender.

Pea Shoots Another ingredient to toss into the stir fry with bok choi and scallions. These are a flavor preview of the sugar snap peas to come.

Radishes If you don’t like the sharp bite of raw radishes, try sautéing or roasting them.

Mint The black spots you see on some of the leaves are only an aesthetic blemish. Add these sprigs to water, hot or iced, for a delicious tea!

Oregano  Mince this fresh herb and add it to savory dishes or sauces. Hang it upside down in a well ventilated area and dry down for weeks until it flakes for oregano that will store for months.

Scallions These green onions can be used in stir-fries, salads, savory pancakes, baked potatoes, or eggs.

Dry Beans We grew these heirloom black beans last year and stored them all winter. We thought you could use at least one substantial item to round out the abundance of leafy greens. You should wash these beans and scoop out any of the dried plant debris that we didn’t quite manage to get out.