Welcome new (and old) members!
For those members who renewed, welcome back to the Laughing Earth Farm Share! And we also welcome all of our new members for this year. In this weekly newsletter I keep you up to date with what’s going on around the farm, draw your attention to anything notable in this week’s share or the picking garden, and provide a few new recipes to help you use your share.
In this week’s share is a bunch of green garlic. This is immature garlic that has not yet formed a bulb. It looks like a leek and you can cut it the same way. It has a fresh somewhat mild garlic flavor that’s nice in salad dressings or anywhere you’d use garlic.
Napa cabbage is also in this week’s share. It is pleasant in a salad where it adds crunch and volume, and softens quickly when cooked, practically melting into soup or stirfrys.
The picking garden (included in your share) is looking lush; do take a stroll and pick yourself some fresh dill or garlic chives! Many herbs have just been planted, so please pick lightly if the plants are very small. I list which herbs are ready for picking under Herbs of note to the left.
-Farmer Aaron, CSA manager
Vegetables
Napa Cabbage
Green Garlic
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Red Russian Kale
Spinach
Herbs of note
Mint (Chocolate, Apple, Mountain, Spear-), Chives, Garlic Chives, Oregano, Lovage, Sage, Thyme, Dill, Bronze Fennel
Farmer’s Salad
1/2 head napa cabbage
3 stalks green garlic
handful cilantro
few sprigs broccoli raab
1 large bunch kale
assorted sprouts
lemon juice
rice vinegar
olive oil
salt
Slice the green garlic into thin rounds and sauté them in oil for a few minutes to soften. Set aside.
Chop cabbage into thin ribbons, add to serving bowl. Chop the raab, tear the cilantro leaves and chop the kale into thin slices. Add the green garlic.
Drizzle on a few tablespoons lemon or lime juice, a few teaspoons vinegar and a few tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and toss to combine. Top with some colorful sprouts or microgreens.
recipe based on the salad Annie made for lunch today
Chinese Noodle Soup with cabbage
8 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce to taste
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or sherry
6-12 dried wood ear mushrooms, chopped if large
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic minced (or green garlic)
3 scallions finely chopped
salt and pepper
3/4 lb Chinese egg noodles
1 tbsp dark sesame oil
2 cups cooked chicken or 1 lb tofu, cubed
4-6 cups chopped Napa cabbage, pac choi or other Chinese green
1 carrot, julienned
Chinese chili paste with garlic (optional)
Combine broth, soy sauce, rice wine, mushrooms, ginger, garlic and scallion in a large saucepan. Simmer 25 mins.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add noodles and sesame oil and cook until noodles are barely tender. Drain and return to pot to keep warm. Add chicken, cabbage and carrots to broth and simmer 10 minutes.
To serve place a nest of noodles in each bowl. Ladle over the broth, veg and chicken. Top with chili paste if desired.
recipe from Serving up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman