Week 10, September 12

Both boxes have: Celery, baby dill, Lacinato kale, pears, leeks, bulk table carrots

The Small box also has: Garlic, Napa cabbage

The Standard box also has: Dried field peas, baby bok choi, runner beans, green cabbage

Nash’s celery crop this year succumbed to blight. Celery is a long season crop that takes a great deal of effort to grow, so needless to say we are pretty disappointed. The good news is that our friends at the Johnston Farm in Agnew have beautiful celery this year, which we’ve included in your box this week.

Fresh Dill

Fresh dill, with its wispy and fernlike green leaves, has a soft, sweet taste, and distinctive aroma and flavor. It is available during the summer and early fall, and provides an aromatic addition to pickles, salad dressing, chicken and fish, soups and salads. You can also dry dill by putting it in the dehydrator or hanging it in your kitchen, upside down.  Store in glass jar, away from light, and you’ll have this aromatic herb to enjoy all winter.

Dill has anti‐oxidants that help protect the body against free radicals. Its volatile oils also help neutralize particular types of carcinogens, especially those carried by smoke, like cigarettes or charcoal grills. The oils also have been studied for their bacteria‐regulating effects. Dill is an excellent source of calcium, dietary fiber, manganese, iron, and magnesium.

Great ways to use fresh dill

• Add sparkle to a tuna sandwich.
• Enhance a cold gazpacho soup.
• Mix ¼ cup fresh dill with ¼ cup vinegar, 1 tsp. sugar, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. black pepper, and 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Add 2 sliced cucumbers, 1 cup sliced red onion, and 2 cut-up tomatoes. Toss, and let stand at least 15 minutes before serving.
• Got a favorite pureed carrot soup recipe? Be sure to garnish it with some delicate dill fronds for a treat that’s not only tasty, but visually appealing.
• Dill with salmon is a marriage made in heaven. Add finely chopped garlic, too!
• Add to Greek green salads, with romaine, sliced scallions and crumbled feta.
• Next time you make sourdough bread, throw in some olives and dill.
• Finely chop ½ cup dill and mix with 2-3 Tbsp. butter, salt, and pepper. For an incredible roasted chicken, use a spoon to get it under the skin of the breasts, thighs, and legs, and massage it around the meat before roasting. Stuff some into the cavity of the chicken with some lemon slices and garlic.
• Add to potato soup, or potato salad with lemon and green onion.
• Add to cole slaw, omelets, lentil dahl, borscht.
• Make dill sauce with 1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream, 1.5 Tbsp. Dijon-style mustard, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, and 2 tsp. chopped, fresh dill. Chill before serving.

Lacinato Kale

Lacinato kale has a long tradition in Italian cuisine, and goes by several names, including dinosaur kale (because of its bumpy texture), black or Italian kale.

To prep kale, rinse the leaves. If you want to separate the stems from the leaves, grab the base of the stem, pinch the leaf between your fingers, and pull up the leaf. Chop the stems into sautés with onions at the beginning of the cooking process, as they may require a few more minutes to soften, but are tender when cooked. For less work, just take entire kale leaves, stems and all, and chop them into soups, stir-fries or pasta dishes.  They can also be enjoyed raw in a salad, as in the recipe above.

Lacinato is high in vitamins A and C, as well as calcium, iron, and manganese, and is rich in easily digestible dietary fiber.

Try this Lacinato Kale and Ricotta Salata recipe.

Dried Field Peas

Please rinse the peas thoroughly and inspect them for any small pebbles that may have gotten through the seed cleaner. Soaking them overnight in water will reduce cooking time; then drain, add fresh water and boil until soft. Use field peas as you would any dried bean in your favorite recipes, such as hummus, bean dip or cold salads. You can also simmer peas on the stove top or in the crock pot for soups, stews and chilies.

We have several delicious recipes that call for Nash’s versatile dried field peas. You’ll find them at nashsorganicproduce.com/recipes/ingredient/field-peas/

Week 8, August 29

Both boxes have: Leeks, garlic, carrots, green kale, cucumber
The Small box also has: Red beets
The Standard box also has: Corn, spinach, red cabbage, curly parsley, purple beans

Nash’s Green Kale

Like the red kale in your box two weeks ago, Nash’s green Kale was selected over many years of classical breeding work on the farm. Nash wanted a winter-hardy kale that had good stature and sweet taste, and this curly green kale certainly fits the bill! It makes great kale chips (see nashsorganicproduce.com, Recipe Blog), and holds its flavor and texture well in soups and stews.

The health benefits are over the top:

• Kale is low in calories (only 33 in a one-cup serving) but brimming with stuff your body requires for health—134% of the RDA for vitamin C, 206% of vitamin A, and 684% of vitamin K. It’s also a good source of calcium, copper, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus.
• It has lots of those hard-to-pronounce but vital phytonutrients and antioxidants that help your body fight cancer.
• Its fiber content helps lower blood cholesterol levels. It  binds to bile
  acids, reducing the risk of heart disease, especially when eaten lightly steamed. Kale also helps combat inflammation and prevents arterial plaque formation.
• It’s a great source of alpha-linoeic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid that enhances brain health.

Many of kale’s excellent phytonutrients  require some fat to become readily available to the body. Eat kale in combination with olive oil, avocado, cheeses, legumes like kidney or fava beans, or lean meats.

Spicy Kale/Purple Bean Parmesan

Red Cabbage—Hearty and Versatile

Lock in the red color by adding a teaspoon of vinegar to any cooking liquid. Please don’t overcook! It will lose lots of its health benefits, let alone its rich flavor.

Red cabbage can stand up to many other strong flavors:

• Try it sautéed with ginger, garlic, and onions in sesame oil. Garnish with sesame seeds and finely chopped green onion. Add some chili flakes, if you like a bit of a kick.
• It is a perfect partner with apples, raw in a salad, or braised with onions, cinnamon, star anise and bay leaves.
• It goes well with anything pork! Finely slice and cook with pork chops. Add a little rosemary and thyme. Apples would be good here, too, or sauté lightly in bacon grease and serve with crumbled bacon, bleu cheese and raisins.
• Toss ½  red cabbage, thinly sliced, ½ cup chopped curly parsley, 2 shredded carrots, ⅓ cup rice vinegar, 1 Tbsp. honey, 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper in a bowl and chill one hour before serving.

Week 7, August 22

Both boxes have: Walla Walla onion, baby bok choi, Romaine, Russet potatoes, Nash’s soft white flour
The Small box also has: Lemon cucumber, red chard
The Standard box also has: Red beets with greens, tomatoes, scarlet runner beans, basil

Nash’s Soft White Flour

The flour in your box this week is pretty unique in that it was grown and milled in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley. Sequim used to grow wheat and other grain for shipping to Seattle and beyond, and the grain elevator that still stands in town was a bustling enterprise. Built next to the railway line in the early 1940s, it fell out of use as agriculture ceased to be the major economy.

But some farmers continued to grow barley, oats and some varieties of wheat here. The team at Nash’s started raising grain almost 15 years ago, initially to grow our own cover crop seed, and then for animal feed. Grain manager Sam McCullough and Nash have worked hard to find varieties that thrive here, and in that effort they have gotten lots of help from the Washington State Research Station in Mount Vernon.

About 7 years ago, Nash bought an old stone mill (below) in Olympia. Dave Roberts refurbished it and it milled your flour in a special milling room adjacent to the Farm Store.  Please note that it is WHOLE grain. We did not remove the bran or the germ, where all the good protein is. It is wonderful for all kinds of baking.  Don’t forget Nash’s Hard Red flour, too, perfect for making bread.

Kia’s Buttermilk Pancakes

Scarlett Runner/Purple Beans

Long, tender scarlet runner beans are beautiful to grow, as the plants get over 10′ tall and have brilliant red and coral-colored flowers. The fresh, young beans are delicious raw, and great for veggie platters, lunch boxes, or quick, satisfying snacking.  Trim the tips of the beans, and eat them as you would a traditional green bean: raw, steamed, stir-fried, roasted or even grilled.  The purple beans can be prepared in the same ways. They will turn bright green when cooked. Please don’t overcook either kind to enjoy their great flavor and nutritional benefits.

Baby Bok Choi

Bok choi, also known as leafy Chinese cabbage, is popular in Southeast Asia. This humble brassica has become well‐known in the West for its sweet, succulent, nutritious leaves and stalks.

Not only is baby bok choi a good source of phytonutrients and antioxidants, it also is rich in vitamin K for healthy bones, B‐complex vitamins, and minerals such as calcium, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, iron and magnesium.

Your crispy-crunchy baby bok was planted in June in the 24-Carrot Field, adjacent to the Delta Farm. It suffered significant flea beetle damage early in its tender life, but has out-grown the worst of it and is sooo tasty right now. We suggest preparing baby bok choi raw as a salad green or similarly to scarlet runner beans (see the tips above).

Bok Choi Sauté

Week 6, August 15

Both boxes have: Leeks, Nash’s red kale, bulk cylinder or golden beets, basil
The Small box also has: Diana fava beans, curly parsley, juice carrots
The Standard box also has: Lemon cucumbers, red chard, sugar snap peas, globe artichokes, broccoli

Quick note—

Small box members should check last week’s newsletter for tips on how to clean, soak and prepare Diana fava beans. These beans are nutritional powerhouses and one of the best sources of vegetable protein you can find. If you don’t still have last week’s newsletter, check out our new Farm Share Blog or nashsorganicproduce.com.

Weed Exchange

Do you have a friend or neighbor who might be interested in exchanging their time weeding for farm fresh veggies?  Please pass the word about our Weeding Work Exchange Program. The details are online at Nash’s website. After a brief orientation, weeders can come and go on their own time.

How to Clean Leeks

Leeks are related to garlic and onions, but have a unique flavor all their own. Don’t believe recipes that claim you can only use the white part of the leek. Nash’s organic leeks are sweet and tender from white root to green tip. If you find cutting the upper part of the green leaves difficult, discard just the outer ones and use the tender inner ones.

Because of the way leeks grow, dirt sometimes gets in between the layers. Slice the leek lengthwise and pull it open under running water. Let the water get into all the layers to flush out any dirt particles.

Leeks go incredibly well with chicken, veggies  and eggs (think quiche!), and also partner beautifully with mushrooms. Potato-leek soup is a classic, but how about roasted cauliflower-leek soup? Check  our  Recipe Blog for more leek recipes.

Cylinder Beets

Bred for restaurant and canning kitchens, cylinder beets are ideal grated raw on salads, in juices, as quick refrigerator pickles, roasted, and in soups. You can also cut them lengthwise  and steam until al dente, and finish them on the grill.

Lemon Cucumbers

These fist-sized cukes don’t have a lemon taste, but their outside lemony color might fool your eyes so your imagination tastes something lemony! They are milder than regular cucumbers and a perfect single serving. They don’t get bitter as they mature, and the skins are so thin, you don’t need to peel them.

Sugar Snap Peas

These wonderful scions of summer have edible pods. Just pull the string on the side and eat them raw. They are great for dipping in Fava Bean Hummus.

Chilled Sugar Snap Pea Soup

Baby Artichokes

The baby artichokes in your box this week were seeded in the greenhouse in March in 4-inch pots, and transplanted into the Wilson field in mid-May. These perennial plants have taken off in the warm weather and are pumping out baby chokes a few weeks sooner than we expected this summer!

Baby artichokes don’t have that thistley fuzz in their center like the bigger globe artichokes do, but the best part is still the heart. Steam them for about 10 minutes, or until you can easily pull off one of the outer leaves. You can also trim the top 1/2″ of the choke, slice them in half and pan sauté them with white wine and fresh herbs. Or steam them until they are al dente and finish them up on the grill, halved and drizzled with marinade. The stems on these little chokes are delicious, too!

You can add the cooked stems and hearts to a salad with tomatoes, olive oil and mozzarella, or cut them up to put on a pizza.

Eating artichokes may take a little work, but the nutrients, minerals, and phytochemicals found in this extraordinary vegetable are well worth it. Amazingly, the leaves are actually the source of a vast majority of the health benefits!

Artichokes help protect us against many diseases, including cancer, heart disease, liver dysfunction, high cholesterol, and diabetes. And they’re fun to eat!

Artichoke Dipping Sauces

Week 4, August 1

Both boxes have: Baby dill, Red Russian kale, rainbow carrots, spinach, green onions
The Small box also has: Zucchini, edible flowers, garlic
The Standard box also has: Green beans, green cabbage, cherry tomatoes, Italian parsley, cucumber

Green Beans

Green beans are a vegetable that even a lot of picky kids like, maybe because they are fun to play with. Studies have shown that they contain impressive amounts of carotenoids, important antioxidents usually associated with carrots and tomatoes. We don’t see these carotenoids because of the beans’ concentrated chlorophyll content. Green beans also provide the mineral silicon, very important for bone health and for healthy formation of connective tissue.

Check the Recipe Blog for a Fresh Green Bean Saute Recipe.

Zucchini

Zucchini is very low in calories, with only 17 calories per 100 g, and it has no saturated fats or cholesterol. Always eat it unpeeled because the peel has dietary fiber that helps reduce constipation and offers some protection against colon cancers.

Zucchini is a good source of potassium, and also has vitamin C and moderate levels of the B-complex group of vitamins, plus minerals like iron, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc.

Check the Recipe Blog for a recipe for Zucchini Chips

Edible Flowers

Flowers are a distinct part of cuisines in many parts of the world, especially in Asia. The Italians love to use squash blossoms and in India, rose petals figure prominently. Flowers may not be as nutritious as veggies, but something beautiful and delicate to the eye can be just as beneficial!

Not all flowers are edible, of course. If you are on the lookout for edible ones, take a look at http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/42-flowers-you-can-eat.html for tips and a list. They recommend NOT eating flowers from a florist because they will have been treated with chemicals. Roadside blooms have dust and auto exhaust on them. But if you have grown them yourself, or know the source, they can add whimsy and delight to any meal.

Keep your edible flowers fresh by placing them on moist paper towels and refrigerate in an airtight container. They will last several days. If they do go limp, ice water may help revitalize them.