Hi everyone, Jess here with the third Spring, aka “Jumpstart” CSA of the 2020 Spring Season. What a lovely week it’s been! Before I start sharing some of the highlights from the 2nd share bag, let me show you what we’ll be working with this week in our 3rd pickup!
Spring Garlic– Ooooh this is a treat! See below for more details! Maybe a simple and filling Spring Garlic Pancake?
Lettuce – Have I mentioned lettuce wraps? Because these leaves make for great lettuce wraps.
Asparagus– Looking for some creative ideas for all this ‘Grass? Might I suggest this Asparagus Tart using puff pastry, brought to my attention a few seasons back by fellow Springdellian Dawn DeMeo. If you’re feeling super creative, this Asparagus and Potato “Cake” may be the prettiest thing I’ve ever made. Or, try my absolute favorite, this Creamy Spring Soup, which uses leftover asparagus steps for a delicious stock!
Spinach – The favorite veggie standby in this house, my boys only eat it plain and raw. Two Little Popeyes here…. Click the link for some other ideas. With the spring garlic it’d be a great time for Spinach Dip!
Spring Garlic is a whole different thing from the big-bulbed kind. These are the smaller garlic bulbs thinned out of the farmer’s row to make room for the hardiest bulbs to grow larger.
Spring garlic, is incredibly sweet and tender it is compared to the larger bulbs that come later. Don’t get me wrong, mature garlic bulbs are amazing as well, but there’s something about the taste of spring garlic that is not easily duplicated, hence when they come along I’ll preserve what I can.I start by cleaning the garlic and separating the whites and light greens from the darker tougher parts. The stalks up top will end up flavoring stocks and soups (I’ll be using for this Creamy Spring Soup), while the chopped bits on the bottom will be used in place of minced garlic or scallions.These will be frozen in a single layer on parchment before being placed into a container back in the freezer. This keeps them from sticking together when the time comes to spoon a few out. Use these interchangeably with chives, chive flowers, and scallions.
Let’s take a peek at some of our goodies from last week!
In an attempt to keep the fiddlehead season going for as long as possible, I pickled these Crunchy Bread and Butter Fiddleheads Alan Bergo style. What a yummy crunch! I’m glad I’ll have some of these on hand after the fiddles leave the farm stand until next year.This meal is made using all of Jumpstart CSA #2’s ingredients, minus the egg on top of the burger, which was an oversight on my part. A Memorial Day treat!Speaking of Memorial Day, I caught 2 generations of the farm family in this action shot. How grateful are we that Farmer Jamie and fam spent their Memorial Day working on the Summer CSA PYO herb garden? It’s shaping up to be the best one yet!A reminder for the gardeners out there, now is the time to plant, and there are still some hearty seedlings available over at the stand, including some great varieties of eggplant, cauliflower, celery, squash and zukes. Don’t forget to say hi to the goats!
That’s about it for me for this weekly post. As always, please feel free to drop me a line with questions or comments. I always love to hear how you’re enjoying your veggies at home, or support you if you could use a little boost! Meanwhile, stay safe and healthy, and I’ll see you back here next week for the next installment of the Springdell Show and Tell.
