We're knee high into July bounty!

braising mix.

In this week's box, you'll find the start of some exciting summer vegetable bounty! We've harvested our first round of tomatoes, which to us symbolizes the heart of the summer. There's just a sample on your box this week - more tomatoes to come!

Some other items that we hope you'll enjoy this week:

Arugula - We put ours in grilled sharp cheddar cheese sandwiches this week - yum!

Braising Mix - An excellent, beautiful addition to stir-fry! The mix includes items such as Hon Tsai Tai, Komatsuna, Red Russian kale, Southern Giant and Red Giant mustards, and Tatsoi. Also great wilted as a bed for fish.

Cucumbers -

Hungarian Cucumber Salad

1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
1/2 cup regular or low-fat sour cream
Paprika for garnish

Sprinkle cucumber slices with salt, stir to coat, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Mix vinegar, sugar, paprika, white pepper, and garlic; set aside. Squeeze liquid from cucumbers and discard liquid. Fold vinegar mixture, onions, and sour cream into cucumbers. Sprinkle additional paprika over top and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Serves 4 to 5.

From recipes.robbiehaf.com

Crunchy Cucumber Spread

Combine 8 ounces softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 tablespoon milk, 1 teaspoon grated onion, and 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Mix until well blended. Stir in 1/3 cup finely chopped cucumber and chill well.

From www.hugs.org

Cabbage

Romano Green Beans - Also known as Italian Green Beans, these are a little meatier than regular green beans.

Use them the same way you would any other green bean or try them tossed w/ olive oil and garlic roasted in a 450

deg. oven for 15-20 min. turning once.

Cippolini Onions - Small, flat Italian onions. Perfect for roasting whole in the oven or on the grill.

Garlic

Tomato (a taster/preview)

French Fingerling Potatoes - Silky-smooth, cranberry-red skin covers moist yellow flesh marbled with red, especially just under the skin. Fingerlings are ideal for roasting, particularly in the juices of other foods, and give cooks sometimes subtle, sometimes dramatic variations on the potato theme. Also try parboiling and then grilling them, or use them in salads. Or simply dice and fry them and eat them as a snack food.

Chives - Add to your fingerling potatoes dish!

Broccoli - Thanks to our friends at the Learning Farm for this delicious broccoli! Stems are delicious too, peel and cook just like broccoli.

**EGGS NOTE: We have eggs! This week, our Lake Bluff and Grayslake CSA members will receive a dozen eggs with their share. Next week, Deerfield and Milwaukee CSA members will receive eggs. After next week, we'll have eggs for sale at our farmers markets in Lake Bluff and Deerfield.

Happy 4th of July CSA Box!

Here's the latest edition of what you'll find in your box this week (apologies for not sending sooner!).

SPECIAL NOTE: Today, we had an unpleasant surprise at the farm. Our cooler froze overnight and was a chilly 28 degrees this morning. We lost a significant amount of our harvest, so you may notice that although the box is heavy this week, it's not as densely packed as we'd like.

In exchange, we'll be offering you, our CSA members, first dibs as pastured eggs this season. They'll be available starting mid-July and you'll be the first to know to place an order. Any extras will make their way to the markets.

Thank you for your understanding,
J&J



Cabbage - Perfect for your 4th of July potluck coleslaw (well, that's how we intend to use it this weekend!). We'll be giving this recipe a try, from our fellow farming friends at Sandhill Organics:

Name:	Crunchy Ramen Coleslaw
Ingredients:	2 to 3 cups shredded cabbage 2 green onions, diced 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds 1/2 cup slivered almonds 1 package crumbled Oriental Ramen Noodles 3 tablespoons mayonnaise or veganase 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon minced ginger 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper salt to taste
Directions:	Combine cabbage, green onions, sesame seeds, almonds and crumbled noodles in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Mix well and pour over the cabbage mixture. Toss well so that everything is coated with the dressing. Serve immediately for a crunchy salad or refrigerate for less crunch.

Squash - Try this grilled squash and zucchini recipe a summer time treat: http://tinyurl.com/2eqdzjg

Broccoli

Lacinato Kale

Beets - We ate our beets this week roasted (our recipe from last week) with some feta and coarsely ground black pepper. Could anything be better?

Scallions - From stir fry to salad, these make a great addition to just about anything!

Thyme (herb) - Depending on how it is used in a dish, the whole sprig may be used (e.g. in a bouquet garni), or the leaves removed and the stems discarded. Usually when a recipe specifies 'bunch' or 'sprig' it means the whole form; when it specifies spoons it means the leaves. Leaves may be removed from stems either by scraping with the back of a knife, or by pulling through the fingers or tines of a fork. Leaves are often chopped. Fresh thyme should be stored in the refrigerator wrapped in a slightly damp paper towel.

Variety...the spice of life!

There are many times during our winter planning that we get a little giddy.

One of those times is when we put all of seed orders on one table and take in the ~150 varieties of vegetables we'll plant the coming season. The picture below is our coffee table full of very tiny seasons in very large packages!

As you'll see more and more, we plant in three main categories:

- Staples (carrots, broccoli, squash, etc.)

- Specialties (that we plant in smaller quantities but anxiously await each season, e.g. spigariello liscia)

- New experiments (which this year = pastured eggs! Available at a market near you soon....more to come)

Jeff and the crew seem to manage this variety in a stride -- understanding what each crop needs to best thrive (that is, their specific planting, watering, pest control, harvesting needs). It always seems to amaze me how that table of seeds turns into 7 acres of delicious veggies feeding our 50+ member families for a whole season. Enjoy!

Week 3: CSA Box

Below are the veggies that made their way into your CSA box this week!

We've included a few links to pictures and a some ideas:

Spinach - One easy way to preserve spinach is to blanch and freeze. We do this by dunking spinach in a large pot of hot water several times, removing from water and squeezing out access liquid. Put into tightly sealed bags or storage containers.

Chard - We all know our greens are delicious and healthy, but did you know Swiss chard as an excellent source of vitamin A on account of its concentrated beta-carotene content. Once inside the body, beta-carotene can be converted into vitamin A, so when you eat Swiss chard, it's like getting both these beneficial nutrients at once. One cup of Swiss chard contains just 35 calories, but provides 109.9% of the daily value for vitamin A.

Spigariello Liscia - Also known as leaf broccoli, it's a favorite amongst Italian chefs and has a flavor somewhere between broccoli and kale. Simply Remove the leaf's center rib — it's as easy as removing the string from a sugar snap pea. The rib's toughness detracts from the delicate texture of the leaves. It is great lightly sauteed w/ a little olive oil and garlic and a little lemon juice at the end (maybe some toasted pine nuts too!)

Beets - We have been anxiously awaiting their arrival! They are tasty roasted at 400 deg., covered in foil until tender (30 min. - 1 hr.), drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar.

Escarole - This recipe just sounded delicious, give it a try: http://tinyurl.com/2fugvxe. Last week for escarole!

Bibb Lettuce

Summer Squash & Zucchini

Broccoli

Garlic Scapes - Last week for scapes for the season - please enjoy your spring delicacy!

Veggies are ready for eating!

Welcome to the first week of the CSA program! We are very excited to finally start the season. The first week of harvest is a highly anticipated time around the farm. We have been working for months planting, weeding & tending to fields of vegetables and now is when we get to see the payoff from all our hard work.

Food is why we started farming, we have a deep respect for the food we eat, how it is grown & where it comes from. Over the years we have come realize that it wasn't just the food that we loved so much about farming but being able to share the food we grow with others; this is really what we enjoy the most. We look forward to sharing the season with you!

In this weeks box you'll find:

• Red or Green Kale - First cut the center rib from the leaf then chop. Lightly simmer kale until it is tender. Serve with diced scapes or green garlic and drizzled in olive oil and a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar.
• Salad mix
• Hakurei Turnips - we also call these salad turnips. More mild & sweeter than a regular turnip. Try them raw, chopped in a salad or lightly sautéed in butter.
• Red & Green Bibb lettuce - sweet and tender
• Green garlic - Also called garlic scallions, this is baby garlic before the cloves are fully formed and the papery skin has developed. Use it like you would regular garlic.
• Garlic Scapes (pictured here) - These are a true spring treat! Immature garlic flowers, the whole thing is edible. The lower part tends to be more tender and we like it in salad in place of scallions. It is also delicious sautéed with vegetables.
• French Breakfast Radishes - A little sweeter and more mild than a regular radish. Tasty on their own or in a salad or chopped finely and mixed with soft butter as a spread for bread.
• Spinach - Steam sauté or boil - throw into just about anything!

P.S. Please remember to return your box each week, thank you!