In this week's CSA share:
- Baby Bunch Carrots
- Purple Kohlrabi
- Baby Arugula
- Broccoli or Broccolini
- Spinach
- Butterhead Lettuce
- Strawberries
- Fresh Onions
"It's All About the Dip"
All of the farm crew members get a CSA share each week, so I often check in with them when I'm trying to decide what we're putting in the CSA share. They're my proxies for all of you - our larger CSA membership - when I need to take a pulse. My burning question for them this week was kohlrabi. Are you sick of it, can't get enough of it, is it forgotten at the back of your fridge? Long-time VF'er, Jen Nelson, looked up from her harvest mission in the broccolini and said matter-of-factly: "I don't get how you could have too much of it. I mean, it's all about the dip." Peel it, cut it up, drag it through some tasty sauce, and voila! Kohlrabi Evanesco!
Well that decided that! And we promptly harvested another round of kohlrabi for you this week.
So what are our go-to dips of choice these days?
- Toom: this is Jen's favorite right now - a lebanese garlic sauce that she buys at the Port Orford Coop. You can also make it yourself if you're a scratch kitchen purist; it's non-brand name is "toum."
- Homemade Ranch: for years I was on a quest to figure out how to make a good homemade ranch without buttermilk or a lot of mayo, since I never have buttermilk on hand and I'm not a big fan of mayo. It eluded me until some friends came to visit one summer. They're big on store bought spice blends and showed up with a jar of McCormick Garlic Herb Black Pepper Sea Salt Seasoning. They used a teaspoon and then left the jar behind. Somehow, months later, it randomly turned out to be the magic ingredient in what is now my easy go-to ranch recipe.
- Toby's Feta Cheese Dressing: This is a good one if you want to grab and go. The Langlois Market carries it, as do lots of other stores.
- Hummus, of course hummus. Make it yourself, or not.
In a Landscape Returns to Valley Flora August 30th!
We're thrilled to announce that Hunter Noack and his grand piano are returning to Valley Flora this year for a concert in the field on Sunday, August 30th. If you haven't been to an In a Landscape concert before, find out what you're missing (and don't miss it!): https://inalandscape.org/
It's truly a musical experience like none other.
You can get your tickets here for the Valley Flora event, or chase Hunter around the beautiful West all summer as an IAL groupie (I confess that's one of my alternate reality fantasies if I wasn't farming 12 hours a day). A portion of the proceeds from the concert at the farm will benefit our local Wild Rivers Land Trust.
