CSA week 3

The gardens sucked up that rain, and the plants are reaching toward the sun. The summer squashes are leafing out into each other and their aisles. The melons, loaded with flowers, have extended their vining tendrils into the adjacent beds, threating to overtake the neighboring lettuce. The peas and cherry tomatoes are over six feet tall, flowers turning into fruit overnight. It has become a miniature jungle out there, especially from the perspective of a toddler or a cat. Joni walks behind us as we check the broccoli heads, enjoying pushing down on the big waxy brassica leaves and watching the water droplets slide off. The cats wander in and out of the plants, popping up suddenly near where we are weeding or working, only to dart back out of sight after some flicker of movement that could be a rodent or maybe fiction. Homer bends the early season no dogs in the garden rule, sensing my strictness has relaxed as the plants have become bigger and more sturdy. He follows us waiting for a dropped sugar snap pea or discarded carrot. I marvel at the explosion of energy that has taken place in such a short time by both the plants and ourselves. The plants breathe in at night and early morning and breathe out each day. This is most clear early in the season when they are small and delicate. The kales, cabbages, and broccolis are the most visually obvious as they often droop in the sun, the pores on the leafy surfaces exhale water to conserve energy, only to perk back up again when the sun starts to set. At night their roots inhale, taking a drink of water and nutrients from the soil below. Biodynamic farmers believe the earth functions in a similar way but on a seasonal time table. Breathing out during the spring and summer with the outpouring of growth and activity, and inhaling in the fall and winter as the organic matter dies back and returns to the ground. Working the farm, I often feel like we follow these same energy patterns. I wake in the mornings standing tall and moving quickly, expelling sweat and air slowly drooping throughout the day, falling into bed when the sun has set to rejuvenate. Seasonally, the same. We start strong, eager to work the gardens, planning, planting, weeding, and harvesting, but by fall we are tired, ready to rest and relax reflecting on the season over the winter.

In the share:

• Green Cabbage

• Broccoli -or- Cauliflower

• Summer Squash/Zucchini

• Sugar Snap Peas

• Romaine Lettuce

• Basil

• Sungold Cherry Tomatoes

• Fennel

  A note on the Romaine- My friend Joann over at Mountain Heartbeet grows the most amazing greens, always. I think of her as the lettuce queen. Her greens are always 10x the size of our, and she often gives us some out of pure generosity and because she has SO much. I think just this once, this batch of Romaine will give her a run for her money. Its big!

Summer Cabbage and Kohlrabi Slaw

INGREDIENTS  

• 1/2 pound kohlrabi about 1/2 a medium kohlrabi, peeled

• 1/2 pound cabbage about 1/2 a small head of cabbage, cored

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons spicy mustard

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Use a food processor to prep your kohlrabi and cabbage. Use a shredding disc for the kohlrabi and a slicing disc for the cabbage. (Alternatively, you can grate the kohlrabi on a manual grater and thinly slice the cabbage, but the texture will be somewhat different.)

• Place the kohlrabi and cabbage in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise and both kinds of mustard. Mix well, using a fork to help separate the pieces of vegetable and spread out the mayonnaise and mustard.

• Serve and enjoy, or refrigerate for up to 3 days.