Hoping for rain today, with the heavy grey clouds and humidity, our gardens are thirsty. We are on full time irrigation duty now, with most of the spring gardens growing and producing or new summer garden transplants searching for water in their new homes. Yesterday found us busy with another big transplanting and we can't remember every having our summer transplanting stretch so far into june. We planted the celery root, brussels sprouts, purple cauliflower, white cauliflower and the next round of cucumbers and zucchini. We are excited this week to begin picking strawberries! It has been a rough year for them, from the deer pressure of the early spring(we cover them with reemay to protect and encourage them, but the deer shredded the reemay and munched on the plants). Fortunately, they were able to recover and the have regrown amazingly. Then, as they were putting out their first berries, the cold nights( specifically the night it was down to 25 degrees) damaged many of the first fruits. We uncovered earlier this week and lo and behold are happy to find beautiful, delicious red berries happening! If you have purchased a fruit share, we hope that you will enjoy your pint of berries today. These berries need to be eaten in the next day or so. We grow them using organic practices and they have never been sprayed with anything, organic or otherwise so they are extremely fragile. Don't stick them in your fridge and expect them to taste as good as they will tonight. Also, we are excited to say that the first flower shares are ready. If you have purchased a flower share, there will be a bucket at your drop off site and bouquets inside. Please take a bouquet(if you have a flower share only) and enjoy......on the not so distant horizon we will have sugar snap peas happening(eli and I ate a few last night) and broccoli too. Today's box includes: salad mix, spinach, a big bunch of kohlrabi(the purple/green spaceship), hakkurei turnips with greens,scallions for all, garlic scapes(the green snakes in your box), a bunch of dino/ lacinato kale, a head of lettuce, cilantro and for premium shares the first broccoli, a bag of first basil, a huge kale bunch and extra greens.

Do you know about garlic scapes? These snakes or scapes are the flower stem of the garlic. We snap them off to encourage the energy of the growing plant into the bulb instead of the flower and eventual seed. These stalks are delicious, edible and we hope that you will use them as you would garlic cloves in cooking. They stand alone as well; delicious sautéed in olive oil, grilled or roasted they taste reminiscent of asparagus. Also new in your box this week are the kohlrabi. These sputniks are an old time garden favorite that tastes like a cross between turnips, broccoli and cabbage. You can grate it raw in salads, braise it, or sauté it Chinese stir- fry style. Try some raw to get a sense for the many ways kohlrabi can find it's way into your meals this week. Here is a recipe to try using some ingredients from your box :

KOHLRABI AND GREENS PATTIES WITH CILANTRO YOGURT SAUCE

For the sauce: 1 bunch cilantro, juice of 1 lime, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp honey and 5 oz plain yogurt. Mix together and let sit 30 minutes. Meanwhile:

Patties: 1 TBL Dijon mustard, 1 TBL minced ginger, 1 TBL minced garlic scapes, 1 TBL curry powder, salt and pepper to taste, ½ c. packed chopped greens(kale, spinach, etc.), 3 medium kohlrabi, grated, 2 TBL flour, 1 egg, ¼ c. veg. oil, 1 c. bread crumbs

Mix all patty ingredients together except bread crumbs and veg. oil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Form kohlrabi mix into small patties, squeezing hard to extract moisture. Roll patties in bread crumbs and fry on both sides until golden brown, 4 minutes/side. Drain on paper towels and then serve with cilantro sauce. Makes 6 patties

Thanks for returning your boxes and remember to get your order in for honey from Greg at 231-651-0682. Orders due b y june 30^th with delivery in early july. Enjoy and have a lovely week. Love, the meadowlarks

This page last updated on 6/19/2009.

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