CSA Week 2, welcome summer members

Vegetable List
Astro Arugula
Garlic Scapes
Lacinato Kale
Muir Head Lettuce
New Red Fire Head Lettuce
Flatleaf Italian Parsley
Pint 'o' Peas
French Breakfast Radishes
Some Kind Of Zucchini Or Summer Squash


Notes from the Farm
What a week... so much sun.
We are behind and falling behind this year, sort of, compared to last year. It's been a little wet and cold, not crazy wet and cold, but certainly more so than last year... and that wet and cold really whoas back the full season crops. The good news is that they are getting good and watered in, they look beautiful and when it's time to trot them out to the debutante ball, well, they'll be the collective belles of the ball... they just need a minute or two.
In many ways this spring and early summer feels like the most middle-of-the-bellcurve season I've ever grown in... it's not too hot or dry, and we've seen colder and wetter, it's just been a good mix of cool, wet, hot and dry... landed almost perfectly in the dead center of a four parameter analysis grid... man.
And I don't worry about the weather usually anyway, I don't pretend to be a weather expert, opine on the new normal, or even really think about it at all...
I typically only think about weather when I get the opportunity translate the relationship of a given year's weather pattern on the performance of different vegetables... turns out I'm biologically wired to not give a flying eff about social norms withing a conversation. I can see your eyes glazing over as weave back and forth between tangentially connected concepts, and my brain says “keep going, go deeper, the truth is deeper”... go ahead sometime, if you dare, ask me how the crops are effected by this year's climate, I'll likely end up talking about the history of agriculture...


Recipes
Garlic-Scape Toasts 4 French-bread rolls (about 4 inches long), halved horizontally
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 garlic scapes, thinly sliced diagonally
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh chives
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Heat grill to medium-high. Place rolls, cut sides down, on the grill; toast until golden brown. Spread with butter. Scatter the scapes and chives on top of each, and season with salt and pepper.

Creamy Kale Salad
1 ripe avocado, halved, seed removed
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons walnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 bunch kale (8 ounces), stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 small red beet, peeled and thinly sliced
1 sweet, crisp apple, cored and cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
Combine avocado, vinegar, mustard, and oil in a food processor. Pulse until smooth. (It will be thick.) Season with salt and pepper.
Combine kale, beets, apple, and walnuts in a large bowl. Toss with avocado dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Kale Lemonade
1 3/4 pounds kale with stems, chopped
2 apples, such as Honeycrisp, chopped cored
1 lemon, peeled
sugar, maple or honey to taste
Put kale, apples, lemon and 2 to 3 cups water in a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Stir to combine; run through a strainer to collect any unblended chunks; add sweeter to taste; serve.

Arugula Pesto
4 cups firmly packed arugula, washed and drained
1 cup (3 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup slivered almonds
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Place arugula, cheese, almonds, garlic, salt, and pepper in the jar of a blender or bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to chop. Add lemon juice and pulse until pureed. With the motor running, add olive oil and puree until smooth. Use immediately or store in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 1 week.