CSA Week 3! Welcome Summer Members!

Vegetable List

Orion Fennel
Some Kale?
Kossac Kohlrabi
Muir Head Lettuce
New Red Fire Lettuce
Gold Frill Mustard Greens
Pink Delight Radishes
Some Kind of Zucchini and/or Summer Squash
PYO Flowers
PYO Herbs

Notes from the Farm

What a great start to the growing season... it's been a great start.
The food is coming on so hard. We're so close to tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, corn... I mean, even the onions look good.
Farming, like essentially everything I suppose, is an inexact science... The lazy line about insanity being the act of repeating behavior and expecting different outcomes does not track here... I repeat the behavior of farming, every year, and then catch myself staring (cosmically) at the farm, frozen in wonder, kind of astounded at the unique mandala, the unimaginable totality, of a farm in a given year... it's always different, and my ability to predict how a farm season will unfold is more laughable than my ability to grow carrots (which is, objectively, hilariously, laughable).
I get asked all the time when a particular crop will be ready... corn, I get asked when the corn will be ready, some other things too... but it's the corn... it's always the corn. Letting you behind the curtain, I have 3 canned timeframes I always give: A couple of days, a week to 10 days, or 10 days to 2 weeks.
A couple of days, I know we'll be picking the food that was asked about, or we've already picked it but it's not processed... it's a relative sure thing.
A week to 10 days, seems like it's on the edge, almost ready, but I need to give just a little buffer... a lot can happen in 10 days.
10 days to 2 weeks... that food is nowhere near close to being harvested, and I don't want to be a jerk or crush anyone's dreams, so we say 10 days to 2 weeks... long enough to send the message that they shouldn't ask about it next week anyway.
Because the honest truth, I have no idea what's going on... it doesn't matter how many seasons I do this... I feel like a knuckleball pitcher, ya know? Once it leaves my hand, once the plan is made and the crops are planted, it's anyone's guess as to what's going to happen... and that's the real power and importance of the farm crew here... they're here to catch the ball, a concourse of knuckleball catchers, and they always do... they always find a way to get some halfway decent food to all you all... even if I have no idea what's going on.


Recipes

Fennel and Orange Salad

1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
5 navel oranges
3 to 4 fennel bulbs (about 2 pounds total), ends trimmed, quartered lengthwise, cored, and thinly sliced, crosswise, plus 1/4 cup roughly chopped fennel fronds (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar and oil; season with salt and pepper.
Using a sharp knife, slice off both ends of each orange. Following the curve of the fruit, cut away the peel and white pith. Halve orange from top to bottom; thinly slice crosswise. Transfer oranges, along with any juices that have accumulated on work surface, to bowl with dressing. Add fennel and, if desired, fronds. Toss to combine.


Kohlrabi, Apple, and Shiso Slaw

3 ½ cups peeled and julienned kohlrabi (from 2 pounds)
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice, plus 1 teaspoon finely grated zest (from 1 lime)
1 tablespoon thinly sliced Fresno chile
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1 ½ cups julienned sweet, crisp apple (such as Fuji)
¼ cup fresh shiso leaves, roughly chopped
¼ cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Soak kohlrabi in a bowl of ice water until crisp, 10 minutes. Drain well.
Whisk together lime juice and zest, chile, and oil. Season with salt. Toss with kohlrabi, apple, and herbs. Season with more salt, if desired; serve.


Candied Shiso (egg and eggless versions)

Egg Version
15 shiso leaves, rinsed and patted dry
2 tbsp egg whites or aquafaba
3 tbsp cane sugar

Eggless Version
15 shiso leaves, rinsed and patted dry
3 tbsp cane sugar
1 1/2 tbsp water
1/4 cup cane sugar

Egg Version
Using a small pastry brush, brush a very thin layer of egg whites or aquafaba on to both sides of the shiso leaf. Dip the shiso leaf into a shallow bowl of sugar and coat each side.
Carefully place on a wire rack and allow them to dry for 24 hours, flipping them halfway throughout the day.

Eggless Version
Add sugar and water to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Using a small pastry brush, brush the leaves with the syrup on both sides and then dip in sugar (in a separate shallow bowl) to coat. Place on a wire rack or parchment paper and leave them to dry for 24 hours, flipping them half way throughout the day.


Sugared Basil Leaves

1 large egg white
24 basil leaves
½ cup sugar

Whisk egg white with 1 teaspoon water until frothy. Working with one leaf at a time, brush a thin layer of egg wash onto basil; sprinkle with sugar. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool until firm and dry, about 1 hour. Leaves can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day.