Solstice share

Happy Summer Solstice! These long, lingering evenings we get in June are some of my favorite parts of the year. The sun sets behind the Boston skyline and the light on the crops in the field is just downright buttery.... yum. To celebrate these delicious evenings, we're delighted to host another Farm Fresh Yoga class this Thursday at 5:30 with Maureen St. Croix. Meet us in the CSA

Curled tendril on our greenhouse cucumbers.
Photo: Sophie Shillue

room of the Yellow House with your mat (if you have one--I have a few extras, but a mat isn't really necessary anyway), some water, and a sheet to spread out on the grass. Farm Fresh Yoga is FREE for CSA members and sliding scale donation (to benefit our Food Access Fund) for friends, family members, and neighbors---bring them all! Yoga on the farm is awesome--you'll love it!

Our share is a bit lighter this week, as we say goodbye to the spinach and lettuce--they've finally succumbed to the heat. But it hasn't been hot enough to bring on our summer squash and cucumber crop, so there's a bit of a gap. Next week is shaping up to bring us some new crops, but we'll have to wait for them 'til then. 

In your share this week: more garlic scapes (see culinary tips

Chard seedlings in the greenhouse back in April.
Photo: Meg Wilson

below), a box of microgreens, a greenhouse cucumber, kale, salad mix, a choice of chard or beet greens, popcorn, a potted herb plant for your window sill or garden, and Pick Your Own dill and sage. The popcorn is last year's crop and has been drying next to the heater in my office all winter. It's finally ready! Check the recipe section below for how to work with it. Choices for the herb plant include parsley, oregano, thyme, chives, rosemary, tarragon, and peppermint. If you choose peppermint, make sure to plant it somewhere it's OK to spread--it will grow vigorously and multiply quickly!

Recipes of the Week

Our popcorn this week was harvested back in October and has been sloooowly drying ever since. The longer you let it dry out, the better pop percentage you get. I think it's ready to go now, but if you want to keep it somewhere warm and dry for another few months, it won't spoil. There are two methods to pop--you can either push the kernels off the cob with your thumb and then place the kernels in a paper lunch bag, or you can skip that step and stick the whole cob right into the bag with the kernels still on. Fold the end of the paper bag over several times to ensure it's very firmly closed--this is important! Place the bag in the microwave and set for 3 minutes on high (or whatever setting you usually use for microwave popcorn). When you hear 3 second pauses between pops, it's done! If you chose the whole cob option, some of your kernels will have popped off the cob and some will have popped on the cob, which you can now eat like poppedcornonthecob. Butter and salt are all you need to add, or you can try some of the flavoring ideas below (from Food & Wine, Feb. 2013 issue):

Ranch Dressing Popcorn
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs buttermilk powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tbs onion powder
1 Tbs kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a food processor, pulse all of the ingredients to a fine powder. Toss with buttered popcorn. 

Spicy Japanese Popcorn
2 sheet nori (dried seaweed), crumbled
2 Tbs toasted sesame seeds
1 Tbs togarashi chile seasoning
1 Tbs kosher salt 

In a food processor, pulse all of the ingredients to a fine powder. Toss with buttered popcorn.

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A garlic scape--the stem and bud of the garlic plant--is a late spring treat that doesn't last for long. This might be our last week to enjoy them until next year, so don't miss out! You can use the scapes in place of regular cloves of garlic in any dish--sauteed, roasted, salsa, guacamole, and my most favorite of all, in eggs. The scapes are a little milder than a regular clove of garlic, so I always add a little extra when I'm subbing them in another recipe. The whole scape is edible, including the bud, but I usually don't eat the last few inches beyond the bud--too fibrous. 

Grilled Garlic Scapes
So easy and so yummy!

1 bunch garlic scapes
olive oil or another tasty oil 
fresh lemon juice
sea salt

Preheat your grill. In a bowl combine 1 bunch of garlic scapes with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Toss to coat. Cook the scapes directly on the grill, or on a piece of foil on the grill, until tender in some spots and charred in others. Remove from the grill when tenderness is achieved in the thickest part of the scape. Dress with a few healthy squeezes of lemon juice and sprinkle with a touch of sea salt. 

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Chard and beet greens can almost be used interchangeably in recipes, although the beet greens don't have the hefty stems that chard does (which may be a positive or a negative, depending on your taste). My favorite way to make these is just to saute them lightly in a 50/50 butter and olive oil mix, sprinkle with salt, and wait until they're wilted in the pan. Melt another pat of butter over them, dress them very lightly with lemon juice or vinegar (a flavored balsamic is my favorite) and serve. 

Enjoy your veggies this week!

Our tomato crop is looking healthy and setting fruit! We still have weeks and weeks between us and the first juicy, ripe tomatoes, but they're coming!
Photo: Sophie Shillue