New greens this week

Every week the array of produce that we're harvesting out of the field shifts a little bit. Some crops carry over from the week before, new crops make their first appearance, and others drop off as their harvest finishes for the season or there's a gap between different

The baby cuke is the spiny little thing between the
yellow flower and the stem.

successions of the same crop. Cucumbers are in a succession gap right now, as the first succession we've been babying in the greenhouse for over 3 months finishes its run before our first succession of field-grown cucumbers is ready. The good news is that the field cukes are not far off! Right now the plants have 2 or 3 baby cucumbers on them, each about the size of my fingernail. Some sunshine and some warm weather is all they need to grow big enough to harvest. 

All the way back in March, on a blustery, chilly day, we seeded some escarole in our bright, warm greenhouse. Escarole is in the lettuce family and looks very similar to the green leaf lettuce we've

been harvesting lately. Slightly bitter by nature, I've heard escarole described in a beer analogy--lettuce is to escarole what Bud Light is to Guinness. Chefs often pair escarole with sweeter salad dressings and sometimes fruit toppings to play up the flavor differences, but you can also make different variations of beans and greens, or just chop it and add it to your salad mix. Store it in the fridge like lettuce (I wrap mine in a wet paper towel or thin kitchen towel and put it in a plastic produce bag) and use within a week to 10 days. 

In your share this week: lettuce, spinach, hakureis, chard or kale, beets!, mustard greens, garlic scapes, salad mix, escarole, and Pick Your Own dill, cilantro, or oregano (choose 2). 

Enjoy your veggies this week!

Recipe of the Week 
Escarole Salad with Apples and Pecans
from Martha Stewart's great online collection of escarole recipes

1 Tbs olive oil 
1 Tbs white wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
coarse salt and ground pepper to taste
1 head escarole, cored, trimmed, and torn into bite sized pieces
1 apple, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup pecans, toasted

In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, Dijon and 1 Tbs water; season with salt and pepper. Add escarole, apple, and pecans. Toss and serve immediately.