I’m not usually a raw kale person, but our kale is SOOO tender right now, and I’m needing a break from lettuce, so I found this deliciousness. Recipe below. I admit, I scarfed down half of the batch. (I didn’t have radishes, or time to make granola, and it was still delicious.)
THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
• Torpedo Onions
• Fresh Garlic
• Salad Kale or Swiss Chard
• Green Romaine Lettuce
• “Mayan Jaguar” or “Midnight Ruffles” Lettuce
• Zucchini or Fava Beans
• Snow Peas
Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.
COMING SOON: Broccoli, Summer Squash, New Potatoes, Carrots
Broccoli crowns coming to the CSA next week! This is the extra-early, take-a-chance, gamble crop that usually never works out.
I don’t have a lot to talk about, or the time to it, so this is a short post. Here’s the gist of what’s going on right now:
1. It’s hot and dry. Like California. Everything is a month early, and so is the departure of rain, which means we’re working really hard at keeping water moving around the farm to keep things alive and growing, and start new crops constantly.
2. While we’re working much harder than normal to keep existing summer crops alive, we’re also working very hard to stay on track with our fall and winter planting. New crops need even more water consistently than established crops.
3. The U-Pick garden will be ready next week. Peas, flowers, and a few strawberries will be available starting Tuesday.
4. We hope you’re enjoying everything so far!
The main planting of Sugar Snap Peas destined for CSA customers has gone rapidly downhill with all the extreme heat. We picked the first few for market, and then the rest either dried up or got sunburned after we watered them to keep them alive. There are lots in the cool shade of the CSA-only u-pick garden, and you can start picking them next week.
Strawberry Kale Salad with Nutty Granola Croutons
- 8 ounces Tuscan kale or regular curly kale (one medium bunch)
- ½ pound strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 4 to 5 medium radishes, sliced thin and roughly chopped
- 2 ounces chilled goat cheese (or about ⅓ cup cup goat cheese crumbles)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 small lemon)
- 1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
- 1½ teaspoons honey
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- ½ cup raw shelled pistachios (or walnuts or pecans)
- ½ cup whole almonds
- ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup raw sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 large egg white, beaten (optional, see note for vegans)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
- To make the granola: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, toss the oats, pistachios, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, fennel seeds, salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir in the beaten egg white, oil, and honey or agave nectar until well blended. Transfer mixture to a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring halfway, until golden, about 16-19 minutes. Let the granola cool on the baking sheet.
- To make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and honey until emulsified. Season with a dash of sea salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.
- To prepare the kale: Use a chef’s knife to remove the tough ribs from the kale, then discard the ribs (or feed them to your dog!). Chop the kale leaves into small, bite-sized pieces. Transfer the chopped kale to a big salad bowl. Sprinkle a small pinch of sea salt over the kale and massage the leaves with your hands by lightly scrunching big handfuls at a time, until the leaves are darker in color and fragrant.
- To assemble the salad: Drizzle in the salad dressing (you might not need all of it) and toss well, until all of the kale is lightly coated in dressing. Add the sliced strawberries and chopped radishes, then use a fork to crumble the goat cheese over the salad. Toss again, then sprinkle with a couple handfuls of granola. For best flavor, let the salad rest for 15 minutes before serving (this gives the dressing time to soak into the kale).
Whistling Train Farm 