The Textures of our Lives

While harvesting turnips this morning I heard the cicadas for the first time this summer. Their amazing sound can fill the air so that nothing else is heard. By being outside every moment of the day our lives are filled with so many textures and sounds and smells and sights. From one second to the next we can be searching the grass for the tiniest bug to looking up to the sky to study the direction of the clouds. Throughout the day we can hear the call of swallows and tree frogs and crickets and identify each truck by the sound of its engine. Through our different tasks we touch hot soil and cold water, soft leaves and prickly thorns. We pull hardy beets out of the ground, but oh so gently clip the squash blossoms. We smell flowers and the heat rising from the ground, on harvest mornings the barn is filled with the smell of fresh onions. It’s amazing to be part of such a world where each of our senses are so engaged and our lives are made up of the incredible textures of the farm.

In the spring we were surrounded by green and leafy things, and now we start to pick the literal fruits of summer. Our harvest bins become heavier with cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes (soon!). We need more water in the heat and our summer crops are filled with juice to sustain us. We are starting to transition to our summer fields but still spend quite some time picking through the last of our spring beds. We can feel the transition coming!

Here is the share!

beets

carrots

summer squash

cucumbers

kale

collards

swiss chard

radicchio

cabbage

napa cabbage

kohlrabi

hakurei turnips

arugula

salad mix

head lettuce

fennel

parsley, dill, cilantro, basil

spring onions!

this is where we all wish we could hide in the heat.

Natalie's amazing 4th of July flowers,

The new truck! No more double trip in the van for CSA Pickup!

Recipes!

The Crisper Whisperer: Grilled Spring Onions

About This Recipe

This recipe appears in:

The Crisper Whisperer: 10 Secrets for Making the Most of Your CSA

Ingredients

• 2 bunches spring onions
• Olive oil for brushing
• Salt and pepper
• 2 ounces feta cheese
• Lemon wedges

Procedures

1. Heat a grill or grill pan to low heat. Trim off and discard just the inedible portion of the root of each onion, making sure to leave enough at the bottom to hold the onion together. Then trim off the dark green tops of the onions and reserve. Slice the bulb and light green portion of each onion in half lengthwise from root to tip.

2. Brush each onion half and the greens on all sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the onion bulbs on the grill, cut-side down. Grill for about 5 minutes, depending on the size of the onion, until lightly charred on the underside and beginning to soften. Turn and grill 2 to 5 minutes more, until the whole onion is softened and nicely charred. Remove the bulbs to a plate and place the dark greens on the grill. Cook for just a minute or so per side, watching carefully, until nicely charred but not burned. (Alternatively, you can reserve the greens to use raw in another dish.)

3. Plate the onions and sprinkle with a bit of additional salt, a drizzle of lemon juice, and some crumbled feta cheese.

Grilled Buffalo Steak with Radicchio-Beet Skewers

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/grilled_buffalo_steak_with_radicchio_beet_skewers.html

From EatingWell:  June/July 2006, EatingWell Serves Two

Richly flavored buffalo steak is complemented by the bite of radicchio, mellowed a bit by the grill, the earthy-sweet beets and a creamy goat cheese dressing. Buffalo is a tasty option but, because it's so lean, is best cooked rare to medium-rare.

4 servings | Active Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese, or feta cheese
• 4 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 small heads radicchio
• 1 15-ounce can baby beets, drained (the liquid can be reserved for Pickled Eggs)
• 1 pound buffalo or beef New York strip (loin) steaks, trimmed of fat and cut into 4 portions

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to high.
2. Place cheese in a medium bowl and mash it with the back of a spoon until creamy. Add vinegar, dry mustard, shallot, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; whisk to combine. Continue whisking and slowly drizzle in 1 tablespoon oil until blended. Set aside.
3. Cut each radicchio head in half, core and quarter each half. Thread radicchio chunks and beets onto skewers. Drizzle the skewered vegetables with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil. Rub steaks with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil. Season the steaks and skewered vegetables with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.
4. Grill the steaks 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Grill the vegetable skewers, turning frequently so the radicchio doesn't burn, until the radicchio is wilted and lightly charred, 5 to 7 minutes total. Transfer the steaks to a plate; let rest for 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the skewers. Serve the steaks and vegetables drizzled with the sauce.

See you on Wednesday!!