Hello everyone! Jess and Sarah here for the 4th Springdell Spring CSA pickup of the season. It’s almost time for the Summer CSA to start, and we, like many of you, are looking forward to it! Meanwhile, the flavors of spring provide the gift that keep on giving. The dark greens of early spring are beginning to give way to more of the summer colors and flavors. Short and sweet are the seasons of fiddleheads and asparagus, and though we may feel overwhelmed in the moment, we are reminded of how fleeting a veggie’s season can truly be. Let’s take a quick peek at the highlighted produce of the week:
- Spinach
- As-is
- Wilted with onion and tossed with pasta
- Spinach and Strawberry Salad
- Spinach Frittata
- Spinach Salads
- Omelettes
- Asparagus
- Quick blanched as-is, and on pasta
- Hard stem ends into the freezer for a spring veggie stock
- Roasted with fresh garlic cloves
- Chives & Chive Flowers
- Jonah Crab Cakes
- Chive Pancakes
- Tossed with oven fries
- Added to Pasta sauce
Let’s sneak a quick peek into Jess’ kitchen:
After last week’s crazy asparagus experiment, I stuck with a simple blanch for this week’s bunches of asparagus. I tossed them on pasta, and brought some to a barbecue that I was invited to. Sometimes simple is best!
While the asparagus remained simple this week, the focus was on the chives on my counter! Some were enjoyed in this simple crab cake from Jordan Brother’s Jonah crabmeat.
The Black Footed Mule Pig provided the cut of Boneless Pork Butt that went into our pulled pork sandwiches. Feel free to visit Veggiescope to learn more about this fabulous cut!
We also had lots of fun experimenting with Johnny Putt Farm shoots, including corn shoots and sunflower shoots. The sunflower shoots have a nutty flavor, and the leaves are succulent, similar to purslane. We enjoyed them as-is and paired with a dressing of rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy and red pepper. The corn shoots are a work in progress, as we’ve tried shaking the bitter and saccharin taste that precedes a sweet and delicious fresh-corn finish. Lime butter and creme vinaigrette were helpful, but there is a 2.0 version to be had here somewhere. Gerry from Johnny Putt Farm continues to experiment with these, and will next be trying some lightless conditions to see if that changes the taste. Gerry’s passion for these fresh sprouts is a wonderful thing to witness!
Finally, these chive pancakes were wonderful! Special thanks to Alissa W for providing us with a link to a delicious gluten-free version as well (click here to learn more)!
Thats about it for me this week, it’s been tasty! Let’s head over to Sarah’s and see what she’s been cooking up!
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Hello all! We had a quick but delicious week at the Buck house, let’s take a look.
We had an awesome cut of Springdell beef for dinner, nothing Iike a grilled steak.
I’ve been using up the last of the summer tomato sauce from the freezer, so why not brighten it up a bit with some fresh chives? Yum.
…And sprinkle them on top of some chili cheese fries.
This is a pic from last week that didn’t make it into the post. Springdell burgers (bunless) and a fiddlehead salad.
Asparagus and spinach salad with some leftover steak – nothing wrong with leftovers, especially when they are this tasty!
We have a couple of quick announcements for the next couple of weeks. Sunday, June 11th at 9am, there will be a yoga class starting on the farm. If you take the yoga class, you also will enjoy a 10% discount at the farm stand! Click here to learn more and register for the class.
Secondly, mark your calendar for the 42nd annual Strawberries ‘N Arts Festival happening on Saturday, June 17th on the Westford Town Common. I just confirmed today that Springdell’s strawberries are coming in ripe enough where they’ll be joining us with some tasty fresh ones to sell! Meanwhile, have a piece of freshly baked Donelan’s shortcake covered in freshly picked and hulled Parlee Farm berries, topped with a scoop of freshly whipped cream. You’ll even enjoy a cup of fresh lemonade with your shortcake, all for only 6 dollars! Grilled food is available, there will be entertainment throughout the day in the bandstand, and over 90 local crafters will be showing off their wares. Admission is free to all, and it’s a quintessential New England event that you won’t want to miss. We hope you’ll join us for a warm and sunny fun day on the Common! Visit the Strawberry Festival’s Website or Facebook page to learn more!
Thank you for reading this short and sweet trip through our kitchens this week, and as always, feel free to share what you’ve been cooking as well in the comments. If you come across an especially tasty dish, feel free to share it so that we may add it to the growing CSA-Pedia known as Veggiescope! The more ideas, the merrier for all of us in the Farm Family!