Rising River Farm CSA Newsletter
Box 1 *** June 21st 2006
13208 201st AVE SW -Rochester, WA 98579
(360) 273-5368
www.risingriverfarm.com risingriverfarm@yahoo.com

Hello,

Welcome to Rising River Farm CSA! First and foremost let me start by thanking you for joining our CSA. We hope you enjoy the months ahead. If at any time you have questions, concerns, praise, recipes to share-whatever-don’t hesitate to call, email, or come by the Olympia Farmers Market. We are typically in the fields all day, so after 7:00 p.m. is a good time to reach something other than an answering machine.
We do still have a few shares available. If you have friends who may be interested, show them the contents of the box and/or direct them to the website listed above. There is a registration form on the site and late sign-ups will be pro-rated.

Every year I start the first newsletter out by remarking about how “odd” the spring has been. Last year it was winter drought followed by excessive spring rains. This year, our winter was made exciting by 2 good-sized floods. (Jim and Cylas actually canoed over the brussel sprouts!) A wonderfully dry April/early May got us off to a great start, but our typical northwest (cold and wet) June has everything in somewhat of a holding pattern. Each year is so different. We have to be really flexible and creative to work with the conditions we are given and not let the lack of control over the weather drive us to madness!
Thanks to a dry April/early May, we got a good solid start. All the plantings were on time and evenly spaced and we were able to prep our ground in a timely fashion. Most years we have to cram 5 days of plowing, tilling, and fertilizing into 2 days due to weather. The fields are filling up quickly. Now we just wait for sun to coax it all into ripening!

In This Week’s Box:
Strawberries: Slugs and deer have jaded us in terms of growing our own strawberries (though our past failures are becoming a distant memory and we are being tempted to try again.) Thankfully there is an organic farm down the road that has strawberries coming out of their ears, so we decided to include this one- time special treat of organic strawberries freshly picked this morning!
Lettuce: We grow 5 types of lettuce and will rotate them around to keep your salads interesting. They are red leaf, green leaf, red oak leaf, green romaine, and red romaine (a little later in the season)
Garlic Tops: Also called “scapes”. These squiggly garlic-smelling things in your box are the seed head of the garlic plant. Breaking the seed stalk of the plant forces it to put more energy into making a bigger bulb. They taste like garlic, though a bit milder. Chop them up and add them to any savory dish you make for additional garlic flavor and interesting texture. You can also steam them like asparagus.
Garlic: This is called Chinese early. It has a medium pungency and is such a treat this early in the season. It isn’t fully cured yet, but no matter. Use it up and keep the leftover in an open, airy place in the kitchen until you need it.
Peas: Due to lack of sun they are slow to ripen. There is not enough for all this week, so some of you will get them this week and some will get them next week. We grow 3 types. Shell peas are long and plump. Break them open and eat the peas inside. Snow peas are long, flat and wide. Eat the whole thing cooked or raw. Sugar snaps are plump like shell peas but have a smoother skin. Eat them pod and all. I think they are best raw in salads or as “while dinner is being cooked” snacks.

***Important note here: Rest assured everyone will get the same amount of everything eventually. We keep careful records of who gets what and implement a rotation system for crops that are low in yield and/or ones that folks would get sick to death of if they got them every week.

Dill: A lovely aromatic herb. Dill is great in salad and goes well with potatoes, eggs, fish and such.
Kohlrabi: It is the shockingly beautiful purple thing in your box. Kohlrabi is in the broccoli family and tastes a lot like sweet, tender broccoli stalks. Peel it and eat it raw or cooked. Grate it in salad or slice on a veggie tray. Add to a stir-fry. There are many possibilities.
Radish: This variety is called “Easter Egg”. The colors are just lovely we think. Sadly, the flea beetles were out in force this spring and seem to have fed entirely on radish leaves which is why they look like Swiss cheese. We like to pride ourselves on high quality so we feel conflicted when faced with produce that looks less than ideal-even when the funky part is not the edible part. Rest assured that less-than-perfect greens in no way effect the flavor of the radishes themselves. Most of us just compost the greens anyway.
Green Onions: a.k.a “scallions”. These can be eaten raw or cooked. During the window of time when our storage onions have sprouted and before the Walla Wallas are ready, I use scallions instead of buying onions.
Beets: Beets are one of the rotational items. If you don’t see them this week, you’ll see them next. I say this every year and I’ll say it again. If you think you hate beets (esp. due to childhood traumas of being force-fed canned beets) you MUST try them again. Beets fresh from the field are amazing. Sweet, earthy, and so good for you. Slice in rings and steam until fork-tender then taste with an open mind. If you are still not converted, make the chocolate beet cake on page 30 of your farm cookbook. I know several beet haters who cannot get enough of this cake! We serve it at our kids’ birthday parties and the kids love it. Also, EAT YOUR BEET GREENS!. They are especially good right now. Steam them, stir-fry, or add small amounts to your salads.
Artichokes: Also a rotational item. Northwest artichokes are smaller than their California counterparts. Steam them until you can pierce the stem end with a fork. Peel off the first layer or so of leaves and discard. The remaining leaves will be meaty and tender and the heart is wonderful. Dip leaves in melted garlic butter or the dip of your choice. Don’t forget to scrape out the “hairy” choke part of the heart before you eat it!

Cookbooks: all new members get one cookbook. We have extras available for $4.50. If you need additional cookbooks or if I forgot to leave one for you, call me and I’ll leave one next week. Mail a check or leave it in the nametag envelope.

*Carrots are sooooo close. We hope to have them by the next box. Sun has been a bit lacking lately.

We hope you enjoy this first box. Again, if you have any questions, concerns, need a cookbook, etc. call us!

Jennifer