Our Annual Farm Tour and Festivities are just a month away, and the location this year is Henry’s upper field, 1446 County Road 475 North, Eureka, IL. Stay tuned for further details, including live music by CSA member Bob Broad and his band!

**TOUR DETAILS** are up on the website, and you can purchase your meal tickets now (optional, but highly recommended!) They are only $25 (adults) and $12.50 (kids under 12). The buffet-style meal is cooked on site by Chef Christopher Sullivan (pictured above with his boys who foraged those puffballs in Henry’s woods), with many vegetarian and vegan dishes featuring Henry’s vegetables, plus some grilled chicken or salmon for the onmivores.

Get Meal Tickets

In Your CSA This Week

Onions
Peppers
Radishes

Arugula
Choice of: Mint or Shiso
Choice of: Potatoes or Tomatoes
Choice of Greens: Mixed Chois or Rutabaga Greens or Broccoli Raab — see Food Notes below.

*The Rutabaga and Broccoli Raab Greens are young and tender, and may be substituted in recipes calling for kale or collards.*

Food Notes: Rutabaga (and other) GREENS!

Chances are you’ve never had rutabaga greens, so this is your chance! Henry says they are like really rich turnip or collard greens, and this is your one-time opportunity to enjoy them!

The reason you get rutabaga greens this week is that the seeds had excellent germination, and came up way too thick to allow for nice big rutabaga roots to develop. So instead of thinning them and throwing away the thinnings, Henry harvested them as greens and bunched them up for you! (Ditto for the Broccoli Raab greens, which are young and have not yet formed their florets.)

Like all greens in the brassica family (kale, collards, turnip greens, etc), these Greens are super-good for you. They are rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and B vitamins. They also contain important minerals like calcium and iron, and many anti-inflammatory phytochemicals.

Try this quick and easy recipe, which you can have as a side dish on its own, or over rice or noodles.

SAUTEED RUTABAGA (or other) GREENS

1 Tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil

1/2 onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 bunches Rutabaga Greens, rinsed well and roughly chopped - you may also use the Broccoli Raab greens, or the mixed chois)

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until soft.

Add garlic and cook one minute.

Add greens, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper and cook for another 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may cook for a shorter or longer time, depending on how soft you like your greens.

Henry’s mint patch is pollinator heaven right now. I took this photo last Friday, and you can see that the small clusters of dense flowers attract a wide variety of pollinators, including many species of wasps, flies, butterflies, and bees.

Food Notes: MINT

Mint is delicious and also really good for you, having been used medicinally long before it became a culinary herb. It contains vitamin A and C as well as iron and other minerals. It is said to aid digestion and reduce inflammation. Mint tea is great for respiratory issues, and can open airways and relieve congestion. It is also said to promote alertness and focus.

Culinary Uses

Use in place of parsley in grain salads (tabouleh), vegetable salads, and in fruit salad
mint tea or mint soda
classic cocktails, e.g. mint julep, mojito
or even a refreshing bath additive

The simple recipe for mint soda below showcases the complex flavors of Henry’s mint. Raw sugar adds deeper flavor than white sugar, but you may use any sugar or other sweetener (maple syrup, honey, etc) you have on hand. And feel free to add the alcohol of your choice if you want a delicious cocktail!