Half Shares:

Strawberries – 1 pint – $3.50

Escarole – 1 head – $2.50

Garlic – 1 bunch – $2.00

Radishes – 1 bunch – $2.75

Lettuce – 1 bunch – $2.50

Parsley -  1 bunch – $2.00

Full Shares:

Strawberries – 2 pints – $7.00

Escarole – 1 head – $2.50

Garlic – 1 bunch – $2.00

Radishes – 1 bunch – $2.75

Lettuce – 1 bunch – $2.50

Parsley -  1 bunch – $2.00

Bok Choy – 1 bunch – $3.00

Carrots – 1 bunch – $3.00

Escarole and White Bean Soup (My favorite way to eat escarole!)

(NOTE: I have made this without the canned tomatoes, and it came out quite tasty….)

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 head escarole (about 1 pound), washed, dried, and torn into pieces
8 cups chicken stock
2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, drained
1 small chunk Parmesan rind
coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add escarole and sauté until wilted, about 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock, Parmesan, beans, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer on medium low heat until escarole is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Yield: 8 servings.

Half Shares:

Strawberries: 2 pints – $7.00

Turnips – 1 bunch – $3.00

Bok Choy – 1 bunch – $3.00

Rainbow Chard – 1 bunch – $3.00

Full Shares:

Strawberries – 2 pints – $7.00

Turnips – 1 bunch – $3.00

Bok Choy – 1 bunch – $3.00

Rainbow Chard – 1 bunch – $3.00

Escarole- 1 head – $2.50

Lettuce – 1 head – $2.50

Green Onions – 1 bunch – $2.00

Green Garlic – 1 bunch – $2.00

We will have plenty of extra strawberries at market (or in Saxapahaw if I know in advance) if you would like to buy extra, just let me know. They are $3.50 a pint, and getting sweeter every day. Enjoy!

Half Shares:

Strawberries – 1 pint – $3.50

Lettuce – 1 head – $2.50

Spinach – 1/2# – $3.00

Parsley – 1 bunch – $2.00

kale – 1 bunch – $2.50

Chard – 1 bunch – $3.00

Full Shares:

Strawberries – 2 pints – $7.00

Lettuce – 2 heads – $5.00

Spinach – 1# – $6.00

Kale – 1 bunch – $2.50

Chard – 1 bunch – $3.00

Parsley – 1 bunch – $2.00

Half Shares:

Cilantro – 1 bunch – $2.00

Green onions – 1 bunch – $2.00

Bok choy – 1 bunch – $3.00

Spinach – 1/2# – $3.00

Turnips – 1 bunch – $3.00

Radishes – 1 bunch – $2.75

Full Shares:

Cilantro – 1 bunch – $2.00

Green onions – 1 bunch – $2.00

Bok choy – 1 bunch – $3.00

Spinach – 1/2# – $3.00

Turnips – 1 bunch – $3.00

Radishes – 1 bunch – $2.75

Lacinato Kale – 1 bunch – $3.00

Green Garlic – 3 – $3.00

Arugula – 1/4# – $2.50

Lettuce mix – 1/4# – $2.50

What’s in your box:

Full Share:

Kale – 1 bunch – $2.50

Lettuce mix – 1/2# – $5.00

Radishes – 1 bunch – $2.75

Beet Greens – 1/3# – $2.50

Green Garlic – 3 – $3.00

Turnips – 1 bunch – $3.00

Spicy Greens Mix – 1/2# – $5.00

Arugula – 1/2# – $5.00

Half Share:

Kale – 1 bunch – $2.50

Lettuce mix – 1/4# – $2.50

Radishes – 1 bunch – $2.75

Beet Greens – 1/3# – $2.50

Green Garlic – 2 – $2.00

Spicy Greens Mix 1- $2.50

Arugula – $2.50

What’s going on:

A few cool days to remind us that it’s still spring until June 21. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of hot, humid 90+ days in our future, we relish the cooler weather for as long as we have it. As you may have noticed, the cool spring has resulted in very slow growing for all your favorite spring veggies like greens and roots. Plenty planted in the fields, everything will catch up in the next few weeks.

So, yes, it’s greens season, which will be evident when you look in your boxes. This is the time of year I cook with bacon. A lot. Dice up a few slices of bacon, and fry until crispy. Don’t pour off any of the rendered fat, add some chopped up green garlic (use the whole stalk for a milder flavor than a garlic clove) and add a  few handfuls of greens (spicy mix,  kale, arugula, beet greens or a mix) and stir until wilted. I usually add a touch of vinegar and viola! Dinner. The fat/acid combo of the bacon and vinegar (you can also use olive oil or butter and lemon juice) helps to cut the bitterness greens tend to have.

The green garlic is just that- immature garlic. We pull them this time of year before they have formed cloves, and they aren’t cured which creates the papery covering to the cloves. Just clean, and chop up like a scallion or leek and use like a clove of garlic. I also mince the garlic stalk, and add it to my favorite salad dressing.

Beet Greens- we are in the process of thinning the beet planting. Since each seed will germinate multiple beet plants, we have to go through and take out the extras so the ones left will form nice roots. Beet greens are tasty like chard and spinach and cook similarly. My grandmother used to steam them and top with butter and vinegar. Yum!

Have a great week, and eat those greens! It can be a short season here in North Carolina.

Hey, Alamance County! We just confirmed a new CSA drop off at Company Shops Market in Burlington. We will be delivering boxes there on Wednesdays for 20 weeks starting in mid April. For more information and to download a sign-up sheet, click here. Since this is a new addition, Burlington isn’t included as a pick-up choice so please just write in that you want to pick up there. And let’s all give Company Shops Market a big thank you for supporting small, local, Alamance County farms!

Half Shares:

Radishes – 1 bunch – $2.75

Arugula – 1/4 pound – $2.50

Sweet Potatoes – 3# – $6.00

Shishito Peppers – 1 pint – $3.00

Sweet Peppers – 1/2# – $2.00

TOTAL – $16.25

Full Shares:

Radishes – 1 bunch – $2.75

Arugula – 1/2# – $5.00

Turnips – 1 bunch – $3.00

Sweet Potatoes – 3# – $6.00

Eggplant – 1# – $3.00

Shishito Peppers – 1 pint – $3.00

Sweet Peppers – 3/4# – $3.00

TOTAL – $25.75

Well, believe it or not, 20 weeks later, the CSA produce has come full circle. As we head into late August, we start to see the return of cool season greens and roots. My favorite time of year!

You are receiving sweet potatoes this week. This is the first year we have offered them in our CSA, and I need to explain a few things. Generally, in this area, we start to harvest sweet potatoes in mid to late August through frost. Once they are dug, they need to be cured to enhance their sugars and overall flavor. This means they need to sit in a 90 degree room with high humidity for about a week. We dug these sweet potatoes a little over a week ago and they have been in our greenhouse. Since the temperatures have been a little cooler than ideal, they may need a little longer to fully cure. So, if you just let them sit on your counter/pantry (NOT the refrigerator!) for a week or so, they should be good. Like tomatoes and most summer crops, they will be cold damaged if stored below 55 degrees. The variety is Carolina Ruby, and truly beautiful!

Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and support throughout the growing season. I have a lot of fun growing your food and hearing about your experiences. I know getting the weekly box can be overwhelming and intimidating, and you all have been a really fun bunch to work with. I enjoy seeing and talking with you all every week, and I really appreciate your support. If you have any concerns or comments, feel free to email them to us. For those of you who may want to join again next year, we will start taking members in December. We will most likely deliver to Saxapahaw and Carrboro just like this year, and are planning to add a pick-up at the Durham Farmers Market on Wednesday afternoons next season. So if you or anyone you know is interested, feel free to pass along our info. Again, thank you all so much, we look forward to seeing you at market through the winter!

Half Shares:

Arugula – 1/4# – $2.50

Mizuna – 1 bunch – $2.50

Winter Squash – 2# – $4.00

Sweet Peppers – 1# – $4.00

Potatoes – 1.5# – $3.00

TOTAL – $16.00

Full Shares-

Arugula – 1/2# – $5.00

Mizuna – 1 bunch – $2.50

Winter Squash – 2# – $4.00

Sweet Peppers – 1# – $4.00

Poblanos – 1/2# – $2.00

Potatoes – 1.5# – $3.00

Japanese Eggplant – 1.5# – $4.50

TOTAL – $25.00

Mizuna Greens – these are a mild Asian mustard green (their flavor resembles bok choy to me). Stir-fry, sautee or braise them, or I love to add them to soups. Wait until you are serving the soup, put some of the mizuna on the bottom of the bowl and pour the hot liquid on top, so they cook a little, but not too much.

Next week will be the final delivery (wow!). If you have any boxes lying around, please try to bring them back. We will deliver your final produce box in a plastic bag, so you won’t have to worry about chasing me down over the winter with your last box. Thank you so much for your support, we’ve had a great time growing your food for you, and we hope you’ve enjoyed your weekly shares. Time flies when you’re having fun!