In the CSA share this week:
- Pac Choi
- Rainbow Chard
- Bunched Spinach
- Radishes
- Micro Mix
- Red Beets
- Purple Sprouting Broccoli
- Leeks
- Shallots
- Potatoes
- Cebollitas
A spring rainbow awaits you in your CSA tote this week! We have some new items making a splash: lime green pac choi (a mild, lettuce-like variety that can be eaten as salad or cooked); big bodacious bunches of spinach; a double-up on radishes (make quick pickled radishes and add zing to your next meal); a big ol' bag of micro mix; and the last round of cebollitas (cuz our onion seedlings start going in the ground tomorrow so this was their final haircut!).
I made a Japanese-inspired dinner last night that involved Miso Salmon, steamed Japanese sweet potatoes, and Spinach Gomaae, which I can't recommend enough as a must-make with your big bunch of spinach this week. Here's the recipe, poached from the New York Times cooking app (one of my faves):
Spinach Gomaae:
- 3 Tbs toasted white sesame seeds (dry toast in a pan on the stove, shaking often, about 5 minutes until light brown and fragrant with nuttiness)
- 1 Tbs soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 bunch of mature spinach, 8-10 oz, ends trimmed
Step 1: In a spice grinder or mortar, grind the toasted sesame seeds into a coarse powder. Add to a medium bowl along with the soy sauce and sugar. Stir to combine.
Step 2: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a kettle or saucepan. Wash and drain the spinach in a colander. With the colander in the sink, carefully pour the boiled water over the spinach to wilt it. Drain, let cool a little, then squeeze out any excess water by hand, with a big spoon, or wrap the spinach in a clean kitchen towel and wring it out (I have ridiculously calloused hands, which means they can double as oven mitts in the kitchen and I was able to squeeze out my spinach bare-handed...not sure I recommend that if you have "normal" hands :).
Step 3: Add the spinach to the bowl with the sauce and toss to combine. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Making Headway on Flood Repairs!
For the past ten dry days we've been in a full-throttle sprint, catching up on much-delayed transplanting and making headway on all the flood repairs. A week ago we had an excavator on site for two days to tear out the downed fence, push in new posts, remove debris, and bring in gravel to repair the footing of our equipment shed. Tomorrow we'll be stretching wire, in hopes that by tomorrow evening we'll have a deer fence again, and not a moment too soon! We've had to protect everything with floating row cover over the past few weeks because the deer were enjoying all those tasty new lettuce transplants a little too much. Can't wait to breathe easy knowing that all our seedlings are safe inside the fenced perimeter again.
Thanks for all your kindness and support!
