CSA #1 (5/26/26)
Beautiful Spring Spinach!
Welcome to Henry’s CSA!
Farm Notes: So far, So good!
We had a very good spring, hitting the sweet spot with precipitation—not too little and not too much. So we’ve been able to get all your vegetables planted and transplanted into the fields, with the one exception being winter squash — but we hope to do that soon. We even got a nice little surprise rain early last Saturday morning, with about 1.5 inches falling on the upper field and 2 inches on the bottom field just a quarter mile away.
With more minutes of sunlight each day, the plants are growing like crazy — vegetables and weeds alike. And that means Henry works every minute of sunlight to keep up with them. He even gets 3 more hours of daylight to work in after the farm hands go home to eat and rest.
On a recent evening, I found him down in the bottom-land fields making and repairing the many electric fences — tall ones at the edge of the woods and shorter ones around individual fields — all designed to keep the deer from eating the spinach and lettuce meant for you. It is a never-ending task as the deer routinely breaking through our lines, undeterred by an electric shock as they run through or try to jump over the fences for a gourmet meal.
But all in all, things are looking good so far this season!
IN YOUR SHARE THIS WEEK
BEETS, with lovely greens — so you are actually getting 2 vegetables, a root and a green!! Both are easy to prepare. Just bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the beet roots and cook until tender. Then take take them out and add the beet greens (and stems!). Scoop them out when tender (3-4 minutes) and enjoy with a little butter or olive oil.
SPINACH — a great big bag of it! Henry is giving you a lot this week because the heat has caused all his successive plantings to mature at the same time. And because spinach is a cool-season crop, there may not be much left after this unseasonably warm week.
Since relatively tasteless “baby” spinach is all you see in the store these days, please do not be afraid of this “adult” spinach with its large leaves and stems — both are tender and delicious! Even if you have a recipe that says to discard stems, DO NOT DISCARD THE STEMS! They are the tastiest part, and highly prized in most Asian and South Asian cuisines.
LETTUCE — Many varieties, all fantastic!
ARUGULA — Spice up your salad, or make it into pesto for pasta or crackers or toast!
DILL OR CILANTRO — Take one or the other, not both!
SUNCHOKES —These delicious tubers overwinter and Henry digs them in early spring. They can be eaten raw or cooked and are like 2 different vegetables — super mild and crunchy when raw, and sweet and creamy when cooked. Check out some of the recipe links in the Food Notes below, and also look for recipes in your Henry’s Farm Cookbook.
BURDOCK is another root vegetable that overwinters and is definitely in the “can’t judge a book by its cover” category. It looks tough and unappetizing, but is actually mild and light. It is also full of anti-oxidants, and super good for you!
Food Notes: Overwintered Burdock and Sunchokes
Despite their somewhat rough appearance, Burdock (above) and Sunchokes (below) are mild-tasting, nutrient-dense, delicious roots!
BURDOCK is great in any simple stir-fry, or you can make the traditional Japanese carrot-burdock stir-fry called Kimpira Gobo. It’s simple to make, and addicting to eat!
In Ayervedic medicine, Burdock is highly prized, said to aid digestion, clear toxins, and reduce inflammation.
SUNCHOKES are versatile and you can either eat them raw — they are crunchy like water chestnuts! — or cook them up in many different ways. Just add them to other roasted root vegetables, or try a delicious Sunchoke Soup, or snack on these irresistable Sunchoke Chips!
Slice the sunchokes thinly, then either fry them in hot oil or bake them using the simple recipe below.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scrub the Jerusalem artichokes clean with a brush or a clean sponge. You don't need to peel them. If you have a mandoline, use it to slice the Jerusalem artichokes thinly. Or just use a sharp knife.
Toss with olive oil to coat, then place in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt, and bake until golden and crisp, about 15-20 minutes. Check on them after 12 minutes, as baking time can vary based on your oven and how thin you sliced the chips. Remove from oven, allow to cool, and enjoy!
