Week 11 Beauties

The Garlic has been unearthed and drying and it's the one finest crops we've grown! A robust collection of bulbs rich in oil, vibrancy and aroma. We couldn't be happier. My two co-conspires in garlic planting last fall humored my weighing and selecting of every single clove and I have to say, as tedious as it was for all of us, it was well worth it.
The seven varietals of hops we grow are starting to make their magic. For the home brewers, tea drinkers and dreamers out there we'll have fresh whole hops, dried hops and fresh frozen hops again this year.

This week the share includes a flavorful collection of kale, chard, garlic, shallots, cilantro and basil.  

Week 7 Heat Wave and Week 8 Garlic Pesto

The warm weather crops are loving this weather especially the night time lows in the 50's. This is the earliest year the tomatoes are starting to turn. And can you believe we didn't watered during the heat wave? Highs in the 90's and the mulch is doing it's job, lettuce isn't bitter and we're saving water in the inter-mountain west. We've gone from 3 times a day to not once in the 7 days since it rained. Sustainability at it's finest.

We've been cutting and wrapping garlic scape bundles in between eating homemade Strawberrry-Coconut Ice Cream. Each garlic bundle makes 2-3 batches of pesto. They are great on pizzas, in stir fry, grilled and juiced. We have pounds and pounds of tender garlic scapes available to choose from by the bundle or pound. They freeze great so if you'd like to eat garlic pesto anytime during the year-YES! plan ahead and contact us for pickup or 5$ delivery. We also priority mail order in flat rate boxes.

Last weeks share included a stunning heirloom salad mix, stir fry bundles, heirloom red celery, garlic scapes, kale and herbs. This week we're enjoying kohlrabi, heirloom salad mix, kale, garlic scapes, herbs, bunching onions, strawberries, stir fry mix and snow peas.

Week 4 CSA Vegan Lasagna

It's another delicious week of specialty stir fry greens, arugula, spinach, radishes, shallots, heirloom lettuce mix, and herbs

Vegan Lasgana

Rice Lasgana Noodles

Soaked Cashews

 Sprigs of Marjoram 

Teaspoon of Thyme

Olives and Capers

Garden Stir Fry Greens

Spinach

Shallots

Tomato Sauce

Prepare your Lasagna by pre-cooking the noodles and chopping the veggies. Add the minced thyme and marjoram to the soaked cashews and puree with a little olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper. Begin layering noodles, veggies, sauce and cashew cheese (this is your ricotta). Finish with vegan cheese and bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve with heirloom lettuce this week. Enjoy the food share. The garlic is soaring and scapes are just around the bend. 

Week 3 CSA Weather Warmer

Week 3 is filled with specialty spring greens, shallots, herbs, radishes and early garlic clusters. This week's recipes are honey mustard vinaigrette and bok choy with lime dressing. Also, one of my new favorite creations is Russet Mashed Potatoes with Coconut Oil and a hint of dill and raw shallots served with Hungarian Herb Fish and our fresh salad mix.

Squash Blossom Farm CSA Food Share 2013

The rain is welcoming in our first food share of the season and after the last few spells it is finally hydrating the dry spring ground. You can see the plants and garlic growing before your eyes.

Besides the enduring nature of garlic I'm always an admirer of spring greens in Montana. Germinating early in spring they taste and feel highly energetic and so fresh after winter in the snow. This weeks share includes an assortment of our garden's greens, spring herbs, flowers and nettles which is highly nutritious in vitamin and minerals. You'll be cart wheeling after eating them. So in honor of jumping around the nettle patches and welcoming them into our lives we have a superfood soup recipe this week. 

Spring in your Step Nettles Soup

grapeseed oil

6-10 shallot greens

1/4 lb nettles

2 cups water
1.5 cups cooked quinoa

2.5 cups hemp milk

salt-pepper-thyme 

Heat oil and gently stir fry chopped shallots for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully add several cup of water. I fill my 3.5 qt about half way. Return to high heat and toss nettle tops in (just tip the bag without touching the greens-the sting is inactivated in boiling water). Bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Add cooked quinoa and milk and reduce heat to simmer. Add 2 tsp thyme and salt and pepper to taste. 

Nettles is a nourishing and replenishing herb loaded with calcium, Vitamin A, C, D, E, F, K, P chlorophyll, b vitamins, selenium, zinc, iron and magnesium. It also makes a great tea or hair rinse. Enjoy Spring!

Drifting Trees

Week 19

Shallots

Kohlrabi

Lemon Cucumber

Sweet Peppers

Hot Peppers

Basil

Tomatillos

Brussels Sprouts

Cabbage

Try the lemon cucumber soaked in lime juice and a dash of salt or for a winter warmer pickle with some hot peppers, dill and coriander.

The Kohlrabi makes a great dish thinly sliced and marinated in a little olive oil, aminos, minced garlic and basil.

The other half of the tomato share goes out this week. Enjoy the possibilities-salsa, chutney, sauces dehydrated and frozen. We've been eating a simple dish of thickly sliced hungarian heart tomatoes drizzled with olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and draped with a basil leaf or two.

    

Week 12 and 13 Food Share

Last weeks share

 Parsnips

 Heirloom Egyptian Beets 

Purple Top Turnips

Heirloom Tomatoes

 Mint 

Basil 

Northern Lights Chard, 

Red Russian Kale

Zeno Fino Fennel

Shallots

*Mint Chutney Recipe*  

This weeks share

 Hot Peppers

Red Russian Kale

Fordhook Chard

Potatoes

Chives 

Basil

Red Cabbage or Radicchio

Asian Greens

Garlic

Garlic Season is upon us. A 10 month crop I love. The hardneck garlics are being pulled over the next couple of days and so far it's looking great. We'll have plenty of bulbuls for oil and hardnecks and softnecks will also be available as they cure out. 

The Garlic Team last year of Talus, Mela and I put in some days harvesting the crop and planting it out for seed. As much as I wanted Mela to really see this crop through her commitment and purpose for emerging hope and growth was channeled among many of her projects including growing garlic.

~Here's this weeks recipe with plenty of local in season delicacies~ 

Garlic Stuffed Radicchio with a Huckleberry Vinaigrette

Soak 1 cup Cashews for 2 hours then puree with minced Garlic

Rinse each leaf of Radicchio and Hand Oil with Grapeseed

Dice Red Pepper or other vegetables of choice for stuffing

In a bowl combine garlic cashew paste and diced vegetables with quiona 

Add a few tablespoons to each leaf and roll

Grill 

For the vinaigrette mix 

equal parts (1/2 cup each) oil and vinegar

half a cup of huckleberries

tablespoon of spicy mustard 

tablespoon of flathead honey

Blend

Drizzle over grilled radicchio. We've also stuffed the radicchio with grilled chicken. The huckleberry vinaigrette is delicious over salads too.