VIVA LOCAL FOOD!
We had a wonderful time at our first Field to Table Thankfulness Dinner. Starting in the hoop with cocktails at the Potluck Bar, we served 35 outside between sprinkles. Seven Courses of yummy.
Don’t forget to email us and sign up for July 19, Aug 23 or Sept 20.
This was a forage week for us. We like to keep our eyes out on the fields and hedgerows to spy what we might be able to bring you that's growing wild in our neighborhood. We started too late this year for nettles and watercress, unfortunately, but we are having a banner year for Elderberry Blossoms! They are the pretty bouquet at the top of your box. Put them in a vase in your fridge and try to use them soon in the amazing Elderberry Flower Fritter recipe we've posted at the Recipe Blog. We had them for crew lunch last week and they were a tremendous hit. Such a fleeting lovely treat. Got to grab these sorts of things while you can!
Speaking of grabbing – while we were out and about in the meadows, we also picked up some other short-season treats. Milkweed buds! We love these sautéed in olive oil and garlic, but lot’s of folks lightly sauté or steam and then blend them up into soups. They taste a lot like asparagus. Maybe asparagus mixed with broccoli, which they resemble. Try one of the recipes on our Farmer Kriss Pinterest Page, and if you enjoy them, head out to your nearest bike path and pick away! We took a ride on the Cap City trail last week and there were a ton ready. In your fruit bags, you’ll find blackcaps, black mulberries and white mulberries. From the farm, we added our cultivated currants (little red berries) and gooseberries (green berries) and the very last of the strawberries.
Everything else is a bit more recognizable as food - mixed greens, the first kale and YIPPEE! snap and snow peas! Enjoy. Remember, you want to try to eat the first things listed first, as they are the most perishable.
Elderberry Flowers - A wonderful treat fried up with a lightly sauteed tempura batter. See our recipe on the Recipe Blog page or lots of other ones at the Farmer Kriss Pinterest Page.
Fruit of the Woods – Mulberries, Currants, Gooseberries, Blackcaps and Strawberries. So delightful to have enough mulberries to pack for you – both black and white! We very much enjoy shaking the trees to harvest these off sheets on the ground. Beats the bending over that must be done to get those strawberries! Also in the bag: red currants, green gooseberries, black wild raspberries and the last of the strawberries. My recommendation is that you gently pour the whole bag into a colandar and rinse, then eat them right out of there with a little yogurt or lightly sweetened whipping cream. We had this mix for breakfast with unsweetened crème fraiche. The taste of the berries, each so unique and special, is what you want to experience.
Nasturtium Salad - We are calling this Nasturtium Salad because in addition to lettuce, arugula, frizzy endive and sorrel, we've also packed nasturtium leaves in here. Though mostly grown for ornamental purposes here in the US, nasturtium leaves are grown for salad greens in South America and it's easy to taste why. They are lightly peppery and delicious, in addition to being very pretty. It's a good thing, too, since the actual lettuce in our fields is pretty sparse at the moment - last week's heat was a bit much and then there was lots of damage to the tender leaves from two tornado-y storms!
Lots of flowers in this mix. If you don't enjoy eating them, remove from the salad fill with a cream cheese dip and serve as an appetizer like we did at our Field-to-Table Dinner.
Lemon Balm - This wonderful fresh herb we've bunched for you is a terrific addition to tea, baked goods and is absolutely awesome in salad dressing. Try this recipe for dressing, or try the wonderful Lemon Balm Pound Cake we made for the Lambs and Lettuces Festival.
Milkweed Buds – These are the immature tops of the meadow plants, which will eventually become the pink fragrant flowers and finally the fluffy hair-filled pods that explode toward fall and send seeds off into the wind. Monarchs love the flower nectar and will lay their gorgeous cocoons on the plants several times a season.
Garlic Scapes - One of the most fun crops of the year until the kohlrabi comes in. We’ve got just a few more of these for you this week. Use just like scallions.
Thyme and Chives - So many great uses for these fresh herbs. We hope to give you more as the season progresses. This is just a trim to keep the plants producing. The small purple flowered stalks are thyme and we use it cut with a scissor into absolutely everything. Wonderful in soups. Essential! Chives are an absolutely fabulous pairing with eggs, fish, cream cheese and veggie dips. Snip into everything.
Peppermint – You’ve had the sweet chocolate mint in the last box, and now you’ll get a chance to experiment with this slightly stronger, less sweet, more savory mint. Wonderful in main and side dishes, like snap pea salad, pesto and taboulet. Wonderful with lamb. Lots of great ideas on the pinterest page.
Snap and Snow Peas - Yay! Who doesn't love pea season!!!!??? We have eaten so many in the field we are sick some days! This is an every-day picker for us. They just keep coming and coming wonderfully. Zip the strips of tough fiber from the sides by snapping the little stem hat and zipping downward. Eat raw dipped in a Thai peanut sauce or Yogurt Ranch Dressing, or sautee lightly and they'll get even sweeter, if possible! Terrific with either thyme or chives or mint!
Kale - First kale of the year so tender and sweet, I recommend slicing into ribbons and adding it to your salad. But we are happy for you to cook it lightly with those garlic scapes, too. Great in soup. Zip the sturdy stalk from the middle of the leave and eat it like celery dipped in ranch or goat cheese.
Bunched Baby Beets - These lovely delicate baby beets are at the perfect size to make a beautiful side dish. Simply cut the beets off the bunch and leave about one inch of stem. Rinse well in a sink of cold water, but there is NO NEED TO PEEL. The skins are tender and tasty at this age. Saute covered in a skillet with olive oil and garlic for a few minutes while you wash and chop the greens and stems. Throw the greens and stems into the skillet once the beets are fork-tender. Saute for just a minute or two. Serve warm with salt, pepper, chunks of goat or feta cheese and a sprinkle of thyme. The greens are every bit as nutritious and tasty as the beets, so enjoy!
Rhubarb - More! If you didn't get to try every Pinterest recipe you wanted to, now is your chance!
Horseradish – The lumpy knob at the bottom of your box is in fact, food. And it comes just in time, because you’ll want to have your own fresh horseradish sauce to enjoy all summer long on brats and wraps. Terrific with smoked fish of all kinds! Follow the directions on our Recipe Blog page to learn how to do it. And keep a window open when you do.
Basil to Plant - We'll be packing basil soon, but we want you to have a TON of it, because that's how we are with herbs:) Plant it in a big container and pinch back (by that I mean use some leaves) regularly, and you will have a bushy herb fountain all season until frost. You can pinch some off and top a pizza tonight.
DO GO to the Recipe Blog to see how to make Elderberry Fritters and Horseradish Sauce and find lots more recipes on the Farmer Kriss Pinterest Page!
Speaking of grabbing – while we were out and about in the meadows, we also picked up some other short-season treats. Milkweed buds! We love these sautéed in olive oil and garlic, but lot’s of folks lightly sauté or steam and then blend them up into soups. They taste a lot like asparagus. Maybe asparagus mixed with broccoli, which they resemble. Try one of the recipes on our Farmer Kriss Pinterest Page, and if you enjoy them, head out to your nearest bike path and pick away! We took a ride on the Cap City trail last week and there were a ton ready. In your fruit bags, you’ll find blackcaps, black mulberries and white mulberries. From the farm, we added our cultivated currants (little red berries) and gooseberries (green berries) and the very last of the strawberries.
Everything else is a bit more recognizable as food - mixed greens, the first kale and YIPPEE! snap and snow peas! Enjoy. Remember, you want to try to eat the first things listed first, as they are the most perishable.
Elderberry Flowers - A wonderful treat fried up with a lightly sauteed tempura batter. See our recipe on the Recipe Blog page or lots of other ones at the Farmer Kriss Pinterest Page.
Fruit of the Woods – Mulberries, Currants, Gooseberries, Blackcaps and Strawberries. So delightful to have enough mulberries to pack for you – both black and white! We very much enjoy shaking the trees to harvest these off sheets on the ground. Beats the bending over that must be done to get those strawberries! Also in the bag: red currants, green gooseberries, black wild raspberries and the last of the strawberries. My recommendation is that you gently pour the whole bag into a colandar and rinse, then eat them right out of there with a little yogurt or lightly sweetened whipping cream. We had this mix for breakfast with unsweetened crème fraiche. The taste of the berries, each so unique and special, is what you want to experience.
Nasturtium Salad - We are calling this Nasturtium Salad because in addition to lettuce, arugula, frizzy endive and sorrel, we've also packed nasturtium leaves in here. Though mostly grown for ornamental purposes here in the US, nasturtium leaves are grown for salad greens in South America and it's easy to taste why. They are lightly peppery and delicious, in addition to being very pretty. It's a good thing, too, since the actual lettuce in our fields is pretty sparse at the moment - last week's heat was a bit much and then there was lots of damage to the tender leaves from two tornado-y storms!
Lots of flowers in this mix. If you don't enjoy eating them, remove from the salad fill with a cream cheese dip and serve as an appetizer like we did at our Field-to-Table Dinner.
Lemon Balm - This wonderful fresh herb we've bunched for you is a terrific addition to tea, baked goods and is absolutely awesome in salad dressing. Try this recipe for dressing, or try the wonderful Lemon Balm Pound Cake we made for the Lambs and Lettuces Festival.
Milkweed Buds – These are the immature tops of the meadow plants, which will eventually become the pink fragrant flowers and finally the fluffy hair-filled pods that explode toward fall and send seeds off into the wind. Monarchs love the flower nectar and will lay their gorgeous cocoons on the plants several times a season.
Garlic Scapes - One of the most fun crops of the year until the kohlrabi comes in. We’ve got just a few more of these for you this week. Use just like scallions.
Thyme and Chives - So many great uses for these fresh herbs. We hope to give you more as the season progresses. This is just a trim to keep the plants producing. The small purple flowered stalks are thyme and we use it cut with a scissor into absolutely everything. Wonderful in soups. Essential! Chives are an absolutely fabulous pairing with eggs, fish, cream cheese and veggie dips. Snip into everything.
Peppermint – You’ve had the sweet chocolate mint in the last box, and now you’ll get a chance to experiment with this slightly stronger, less sweet, more savory mint. Wonderful in main and side dishes, like snap pea salad, pesto and taboulet. Wonderful with lamb. Lots of great ideas on the pinterest page.
Snap and Snow Peas - Yay! Who doesn't love pea season!!!!??? We have eaten so many in the field we are sick some days! This is an every-day picker for us. They just keep coming and coming wonderfully. Zip the strips of tough fiber from the sides by snapping the little stem hat and zipping downward. Eat raw dipped in a Thai peanut sauce or Yogurt Ranch Dressing, or sautee lightly and they'll get even sweeter, if possible! Terrific with either thyme or chives or mint!
Kale - First kale of the year so tender and sweet, I recommend slicing into ribbons and adding it to your salad. But we are happy for you to cook it lightly with those garlic scapes, too. Great in soup. Zip the sturdy stalk from the middle of the leave and eat it like celery dipped in ranch or goat cheese.
Bunched Baby Beets - These lovely delicate baby beets are at the perfect size to make a beautiful side dish. Simply cut the beets off the bunch and leave about one inch of stem. Rinse well in a sink of cold water, but there is NO NEED TO PEEL. The skins are tender and tasty at this age. Saute covered in a skillet with olive oil and garlic for a few minutes while you wash and chop the greens and stems. Throw the greens and stems into the skillet once the beets are fork-tender. Saute for just a minute or two. Serve warm with salt, pepper, chunks of goat or feta cheese and a sprinkle of thyme. The greens are every bit as nutritious and tasty as the beets, so enjoy!
Rhubarb - More! If you didn't get to try every Pinterest recipe you wanted to, now is your chance!
Horseradish – The lumpy knob at the bottom of your box is in fact, food. And it comes just in time, because you’ll want to have your own fresh horseradish sauce to enjoy all summer long on brats and wraps. Terrific with smoked fish of all kinds! Follow the directions on our Recipe Blog page to learn how to do it. And keep a window open when you do.
Basil to Plant - We'll be packing basil soon, but we want you to have a TON of it, because that's how we are with herbs:) Plant it in a big container and pinch back (by that I mean use some leaves) regularly, and you will have a bushy herb fountain all season until frost. You can pinch some off and top a pizza tonight.
DO GO to the Recipe Blog to see how to make Elderberry Fritters and Horseradish Sauce and find lots more recipes on the Farmer Kriss Pinterest Page!
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