The rain and the cold delayed the start of the crops but not the excitement. Today we picked up our very first shares from the farm. The dry erase board listed our goodies. First off...were the herbs. We went with lemon thyme and oregano since mint is never at a shortage in our yard. Next, we grabbed the beautiful leeks. I have to say I am the most excited about them because they are one of my favorites. Then it was a bag of mixed greens and another bag of spinach followed by the most tender bundle of asparagus. Don't forget the green onions.
Now....the fun part...two things I've never dealt with before. First off - garlic scapes. I have done some research so I now know that they are the trimmed parts from hardneck garlic and are a special treat in the spring. After some recipe searches I think I am staying as pure as possible and throwing them on the grill with some sea salt and olive oil to bring out their natural sweetness. Finally, stinging nettle. What is stinging nettle you ask? Well, I have seen this name many times in my homeopathic remedies but have never done anything with the actual leaves. The warning to wear gloves while picking them up sort of worried me. Apparently they leave a stinging sensation...hence the name. Ahhh, it's all coming together now. When blanched they can be used for pesto and other things but I think I am going with the stinging nettle and leek soup. Tomorrow will be a fun day of adventure in the kitchen. I have herbs to play around with as well as a bottle of garlic vinegar to make into some delicious dressing to top off my fresh greens. I might even slip some chickweed into the mix. So much to do and it's only the first week when crops are tiny but oh so special. Ok, back to research and recipe searches!!!
lucky! i have always wanted to be part of a csa..mike and i agree that if we ever had enough land, we would start one ourselves. in italy, they eat stinging nettles...blanched, then sauteed with some garlic and olive oil...or you can cook the dicken's out of it, mix it with roasted garlic, ricotta, parmesan, 1-2 eggs and some nutmeg and get a couple of cans of crescent roll dough--roll out 1 can and seal all the gaps, put the filling in, and take the other can and cover--brush with egg, sprinkle more parm on top and bake.
ReplyDeletecan you tell i want to be in your kitchen right now? :)
ooo, that little recipe above sounds yummy.
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