BGF NEWS - June 18, 2024 - VOL. 52, NO. 3

In this week’s box:

Baby Carrots

Basil Tips

Choi: Prize

Garlic Scapes (the green, curly things)
Green Garlic
Head Lettuce, assorted varieties
Lemon Thyme

Napa

and perhaps one of the following: (see **NOTE below)
Broccoli
Cauliflower: Japanese

Peas- Snow or Sugar Snap

Herb It! option: will start in a couple weeks as the annual herbs mature

Featured Recipes:  

Oven Roasted Carrots with Thyme

Garlic Basil Vinaigrette

BGF Eggroll in a Bowl **see recipe below

What’s up on the farm?
Precipitation in the past week: 0.25"

We're never really ready for the first stretch of 90+ degree days but nature is rarely accommodating enough to wait for us. The heat is on and most of the rain has continued to miss us, so we've been pushing to get the rest of the irrigation system in place and to make a couple of upgrades. We're about 3/4 of the way done.

The heat also means that it takes us longer to get tasks done as we need to take more water and shade breaks. Plus there's the ever popular alpaca "showers" to contend with.

We've also been doing a lot of cultivating this week, trying to take advantage of the dry conditions while we can. After the extended wet season, the soil has baked into a flat adobe-like surface and we've really struggled to break it up. That added to the high temperatures has made for some challenging conditions for the crew.

The higher temps are also bring our cool season crops to an end. This will be the final delivery of choi for a while and we will clear the misome later this week. But never fear, there are good things coming soon! The basil is finally putting on some growth and needed to be pinched back, so we are sending out a little "tease" of basil tips this week. The beans, peppers and eggplants are blooming and we are seeing the first little tomatoes, summer squashes and cucumbers setting on.

A little detail on your produce this week:

Basil hates the cold and will turn black with exposure. Keep long stemmed basil in a glass/vase of water on your counter top (out of direct sunlight). Stems that are too short (trimmings/tops) should be placed in a glass or plastic container with a dry paper towel. Then put inside of a paper bag (for insulation) and put in the warmest part of your refrigerator (usually the door) or on the top shelf towards the front.


Broccoli/Cauliflower: Wrap loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator for up to a week. Immediately before cooking, soak head down, in cold, salted water (1 teaspoon salt to a 8 cups of water) for 5 minutes. Any [organic] critters will float to the top where you can rescue them or allow them to suffer a salty death. (Note: If soaked in salt water before storing, it will become too rubbery and wilted to enjoy.) Slice the juicy, edible stems and use them wherever florets are called for. Peel particularly thick skin before using.

Carrots: These baby carrots are sweet and tender, we don't even peel them, just give them a quick scrub and they are ready to go! Remove the leafy green tops, leaving about an inch of stems. Refrigerate dry, unwashed carrots in a plastic bag for two weeks or longer. Peel carrots or scrub carrots well with a stiff brush just before using. Trim off any green spots, which can taste bitter. When slicing or chopping carrots for cooking, be sure to make all the pieces relatively the same size; this will ensure an evenly cooked dish. Greens can be added to soup stock for flavor.

Garlic Scapes: One of our favorite crops of the year. These curly green things are the emerging flower stalk from a hardneck garlic plant. We remove them to redirect more of the plant's energy into the bulb, but it also provides us with a delightful fresh garlic treat. These keep very well in a plastic bag in your produce drawer and can be used in any recipe calling for garlic. They would be perfect in last week's garlic salt recipe, make a great pesto and can be minced and added to room-temperature butter, which is then stored in log shape, in the freezer for a last minute dollop of goodness for vegetables, breads or meat.

Green Garlic: This is freshly harvested garlic that hasn't had time to cure yet. You will notice that the wrappers are soft and the garlic itself is very juicy. You can use it in any recipe calling for garlic. The flavor is so fresh and green that we like to use them in recipes that really highlight the flavor, like pesto or garlic butter. Store in a jar or other glass container in the refrigerator for best keeping quality.

Herbs: Generally, except for basil, set unwashed bunches of fresh herbs (with stems) upright into small jars filled with 1 to 2 inches of water, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to two weeks. Rinse fresh herbs right before use. To release their scents and flavors, rub them between your hands before mincing or chopping. If you have no idea what to do with fresh herbs, there is one great default answer "compound butter." Finely mince leaves and knead them into a stick of room temperature butter. Roll the butter into a log in plastic wrap and store in the freezer. Then simply slice off the amount you need to add delicious, ready-to-use flavor to vegetables, bread or meats.

Peas: We grow snow peas (flat pod with little bumps showing immature peas inside) and sugar snap peas (rounded pods with mature peas inside). Both have edible pods and can be used interchangeably in recipes. They are particularly good in stir-fries and salads, though we tend to eat them fresh as a snack. Peas keep best in their plastic container in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.

A few other details: All of your GREENS will keep best if stored in a plastic bag, with the top folded over and placed in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.

** NOTE: You will notice over the course of the season that some box contents listed above say "Perhaps one of the following..." These are items that we can’t harvest in sufficient quantities for the whole CSA to receive at one time. We do track who gets what and we will do our best to ensure that everyone eventually receives each item. On some items this may take several weeks, so please be patient.


Is a weekly newsletter not enough for you? Do you want to read more about our life on the farm and see more pictures? Follow us on Facebook at Blue Gate Farm or on Instagram at bluegatefarmfresh. CSA members can also connect with other BGF members to share recipes, photos or ask questions on our FB community page at Blue Gate Farm Community.
That's about it for now.
If you have any questions or comments, be sure to let us know.
Best from the farm,
Jill & Sean (and the whole BGF crew)

BGF Egg Roll In A Bowl

Yield: serves 4

• 1 pound ground pork sausage
• 4-6 cups shredded napa cabbage
• ½ - 1 cup grated or matchstick carrots
• 4 cloves garlic or 4-6 garlic scapes, minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

 

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring often to crumble, until cooked through. Do not drain.
2. Add the cabbage, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce to the skillet with the sausage. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until cabbage has softened a bit.
3. Remove from the heat and top with scallions and drizzle with sesame oil.
4. Serve immediately.

Recipe Source: Blue Gate Farm, adapted from http://www.bunsinmyoven.com