Hi all,
It's hard to believe it's the last week of June & first week of July already! We hope your summer has been enjoyable, relaxing, and fun so far.
Mild temperatures last week prevented our beautiful broccoli rabe from bolting, thank goodness! We started harvesting last week for markets and crossed our fingers that it would hold on for you all this week.
Stani now makes 4 new flavors! We should have ample supply for this coming week if you'd like to try: key lime, coconut, cherry, and raspberry. Stani 4-packs are always 4 for $7.
Please don't forget to bring your reusable bags to pickup. The CT Bag Tax came back last summer, and unfortunately we need to start charging $0.10 per plastic bag used.
Our afternoon crew planted 7,000 leeks last week! This is definitely the most tedious early season task because each one is pulled out of a tray with 512 tiny cells and planted by hand. A few years ago we started planting our leeks on reflective plastic to help with moisture retention, weed control, and deterring pests (they think they're looking at the sky and fly away!) In the past, when we've planted into dry raised beds, it's been impossible to get the leeks to stand up. Our goal is to finish about 10,000 leeks, which will be used for harvest this fall and in the spring of 2022.
Last week, we sent out a tour of Booth Hill, and this week here are some pretty shots of Waverly.
Do you follow us on Facebook and Instagram? You'll find more daily content: videos, photos, quizzes, stories, polls, and more. We're @laurelglenfarmllc.
This week you're all receiving hakurei salad turnips in your share. These are very similar to radishes, but sweeter! You can eat them raw as you would a radish, but when you cook them (roasted, sautéed, air fried, or even grilled), they become even sweeter. One very important tip: Don't toss the greens! You can chop them up and throw them in with any other greens you're eating in a salad or cooking. Definitely make sure you remove the greens before you store them. Root and bulbs can be stored in Ziploc bags, and removing the greens keeps the bulbs firm (this tip goes for all root crops with greens!)
Surprise! 10 lucky winners on each pickup/delivery day will find a bonus bunch of mint in their shares. Mint is an incredible addition to salads and water to give it a boost of flavor. Will it be you?!
If you liked the garlic scapes last week, we recommend snatching them up before they're gone. We have a little bit left, but anticipate selling the majority of what's left over the course of the week.
On Tuesday, we'll be sending out an email to our mailing list with information about our Bulk Boxes, but we wanted to tell you all first! Cucumber bulk boxes will be ready in mid-July, and tomato and pepper bulk boxes will be ready in mid-August. If you'd like to get on the list to receive one so you can pickle, can, and preserve this summer, you can order yours by following this link: 2021 Bulk Box Waiting List
The following bulk boxes will be available this season:
Cucumbers: 25 lb. boxes for $25 (Makes 12-13 quarts)
Plum tomatoes: 25 lb. boxes for $30 (Makes 8-9 quarts)
Imperfect Peppers for Freezing (some blemishes to cut around, in assorted colors): 25 lb. boxes for $30 (Makes 8-9 quart bags)
Cherry Peppers: 10 lbs. for $30 (Makes about 10 pints)
On Wednesday night, I sent out an email about the "Week of Choice" we are planning for August 1st through the 7th to change it up and have a little extra fun. If you're reading this on Sunday night, here's the text of the email about how you can vote for how you'd like us to structure the week:
Last year, we polled all of our members and an overwhelming majority said that you were interested in having a week with more choice to pick out your veggies. We are scheduling this week of choice to be August 1st through the 7th, once the summer crops really start rolling in. It is a biweekly pickup week. We'd like to ask for your input about how we should structure this.
Some farms that don't have traditional subscription programs structure their farm membership programs to be complete free choice; you get a "voucher" worth the price of your share. Some farms structure their programs to be a build your own box with a "this or that" component (for example, you choose from a table: hakurei salad turnips or radishes, squash or zucchini, etc.) Which idea do you prefer?
To make response collection easiest for Randy and I, please cast your vote in our 2021 Subscription Members Facebook group where I have posted a poll. Please only respond to this email with your input if you do not have Facebook.
By Monday 6/28, we'll make a decision about how to best structure the Week of Choice and let you know our next steps.
(P.S. If you are NOT interested in a week of choice, I'm going to send out an email in the coming weeks where you can let me know in advance and we'll pack you a box as usual. Weekly delivery shareholders will have the option to switch to pickup that week if interested. Many more details to come...)
In Your Share (In approximate order from shortest to longest shelf life)
Small:
1 bunch of broccoli rabe
1/2 lb. of cucumbers
1 pint of snap peas
1 bunch of hakurei salad turnips
1 lb. of squash or zucchini
1 head of cabbage
Large:
1 bunch of broccoli rabe
2 heads of broccoli (There's a large chance we may need to make a substitution, and if this is the case, the value of your share will always remain the same. What it will be is TBD.)
1/2 lb. of cucumbers
2 pints of snap peas
1 bunch of hakurei salad turnips
1 lb. of squash or zucchini
1 head of cabbage
Caring For Your Share:
Store cucumbers, squash, and zucchini in the crisper drawer of the fridge for up to approximately a week. Wash when ready to use.
Leave the outer leaves on and store the head of cabbage in the fridge. The outer leaves will keep moisture in the head and prevent it from drying out.
Store broccoli rabe in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the fridge (you can use two bags, one on each end, if needed due to size). Wash and spin out; use within the week.
Most sources will recommend wrapping a head of broccoli in a damp paper towel in the fridge. We think the less air it's exposed to the better. Open air causes it to wilt fast. You can try putting your broccoli in a plastic bag in the fridge and using it within the week. Wash when ready to use.
Store snap peas and in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the fridge. Remove stems from peas and wash peas and scapes when ready to eat, within the week.
Remove the greens from the salad turnips and store them in separate plastic bags. Wash and eat the greens within a few days; the roots will keep for a couple of weeks if stored properly.
LGF Cooking Club (The Library of Resources is filled with TONS of ideas about all of these veggies!)
Snap Peas with Cucumber and Ginger https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/snap-peas-recipe
Cabbage and Cucumber Salad https://www.valyastasteofhome.com/cabbage-and-cucumber-salad/
Snickerdoodle Zucchini Bread https://snugandcozylife.com/snickerdoodle-zucchini-bread-with-coconut-oil/
Or, Lemon Poppy Seed Summer Squash Bread https://thewanderlustkitchen.com/summer-squash-bread/
Grilled Bread Salad with Broccoli Rabe and Summer Squash https://food52.com/recipes/18288-grilled-bread-salad-with-broccoli-rabe-summer-squash
Turnips with Dill Olive Oil https://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/recipes/243/turnips-with-dill-olive-oil
Broccoli Rabe Pizza https://leitesculinaria.com/103460/recipes-broccoli-rabe-pizza.html
Grilled Cabbage with Bacon https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/grilled-cabbage-with-bacon
Here's a variation: Grilled Cabbage "Steaks" https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a27544267/grilled-cabbage-steaks-recipe/
Biweekly Catch-Up:
Hi all!
This week you're receiving these wacky, curlicue garlic scapes in your share. Here's a photo of how they grow on the plant.
The garlic scape is a seed pod that shoots up from the garlic plant. When we cut the scape off of the plant, it will refocus the plant's energy. Instead of using all of its energy reserves to create a seed pod, the plant will then use its energy to make the bulb underground larger. We typically harvest garlic around mid-July. Read all about garlic scapes in the Library of Resources. You can use it as you would regular garlic, by chopping it up (it's got a mild garlic flavor), or you can cook them whole, which has a texture similar to that of asparagus. Garlic scape season is a one-time event because scapes are only cut once, so we enjoy garlic scape season while we've got it. My favorite thing to make every year is garlic scape butter: recipe in the cooking club section!
The Monroe Farmers' Market started up on Friday, and there was an incredible turnout. There are quite a new vendors this season, and it's back on the Monroe town green this year. It was so nice to see friendly faces and catch the breeze that always seems to be at the green. Crew member Nick and our brother-in-law Eric are going to alternate attendance at the markets from now on. Here's Nick on Friday. Say hi when you see them!
In this week's newsletter that's going out to our email list, we're giving a photo tour of Booth Hill (our additional property up the street). 6 of our 20 acres are at home on Waverly Rd., and the other 14 are about 3 minutes away on Booth Hill Rd. We run trucks (and tractors!) back and forth all day to harvest and plant. I'll explain what you're seeing in greater depth in the email, but here's a sneak peek of the photos:
Squash and zucchini are here!
We harvested the first batch on Wednesday, and it's been steadily trickling in. This week you're all receiving a pound of one or the other. Please be aware that when the newsletter says _____ or ______ in the list of share contents, it means that it's dependent upon availability on the day we pack your share. Though you won't be able to choose which you get, the swap table in the store may have additional offerings for you to make a trade. (More on this to come: but remember that in our calendar of events for the season, we're planning an upcoming week of "choice." We aren't 100% sure what that entails yet, but we are considering the logistics of having you build your box that week.)
Hi, Susan! Susan V. was the winner of our photo contest! Thank you to everyone who submitted a photo of themselves cooking over the course of the first couple of weeks of the program. We loved seeing your excitement. Susan wins either a free package of Southbury Baking Company BrewCraft crackers in the flavor of her choice, or a small bottle of flavored oil or vinegar from Dash 'N Drizzle. Keep up the fun, everyone! A similar grilling contest is taking place the week before the 4th of July; stay tuned for details.
Here's what's on deck soon: cabbage, carrots, beets, and cucumbers. I checked on the cucumbers on Saturday and there were a few small pickling cucumbers ready. Here's Randy with the first cabbage and a peek at the carrots.
Last, but not least, a few members have asked if it would be possible to provide a list of what's in the store that week to help with their shopping plans. Unfortunately we aren't staffed to provide a fully accurate list every day, but I try to keep the "Our Store" tab on the website updated with what's more on less in the store that month. Here it is if you'd like to check it out and make a loose shopping plan: Our Store
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