CSA Spring Share 2013 - Week #7 (20 November/23 November)

WHAT’S IN THE BOX The following are the items harvested this week.  Items and quantities in your box may vary depending on your harvest day and the total harvest of each crop.  The boxes are completely governed by what is ripe and ready for harvest and how much of it there is.  We endeavor to divide the harvest fairly.  A "*" next to an item indicates that this is something that is being rotated through the boxes.  "F" indicates that this item is in the full share box.   "H" indicates that this item is in the half share box.

CHANGE TO THE PICK UP SCHEDULE To accommodate those picking up their Mountain View Farm milk, Farm Pick Up times are Friday afternoon from 3pm-5pm and Saturday mornings from 8am-11am.

NOTES ON STORING THE HARVEST Please check out our Vegetable & Fruit page on the website to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies.  We envisage that many of the vegetables you are receiving this week will last for two weeks with careful attention to storing upon arrival. Although we do wash all the greens after harvest, we are washing to take the heat out of the plants and wash away some surface dirt, not to prepare them for consumption.  We also spray a seaweed/herb brew about every ten days.  While this will not harm you, it does have a taste. We do suggest washing your produce prior to eating.

NOTES ON THE SHARE *Artichokes – There are two varieties being harvested 'Green Globe' and 'Purple Jesi'.  The 'Purple Jesi' have thorns on the tops so be careful.  These are easily cut off before steaming or grilling.  The artichokes are still producing. Broad Beans – This is the last of the broad beans until next year! My children have been having contests to see who can find the smallest and the biggest broad bean.  Great way to get them to pod all of the beans! Many of these broad beans are bigger then what we have harvested in the past weeks.  Double podding them is a great way to see their great green colour. *Beetroot - Bunches of baby beetroot.  So tender you can steam them! The tops are very edible as well.  Lovely mixed into a salad or eaten like silver beet.  We were able to find bunches for the morning delivery boxes this week. *Broccoli - We harvested the last of the side shoots from the first broccoli plantings.  These were bunched like broccolini and put into the afternoon boxes.  There is another planting of 'Greenbelt' coming on with good size heads. Carrots - These are bunches of baby carrots 'Little Fingers'.  These are very tender and only need a little scrub with your hands.  You can roast  or steam them whole or have them raw.  SAVE THE TOPS!  There is a recipe below for carrot top pesto. *Cauliflower - We began harvesting 'Early Snowball'.  The heads are little...caused usually from plant stress which these plants have had with the wind and the bugs.  What we harvested was put into the morning delivery  boxes.  We hope to continue harvesting next week. Green Garlic – This is a treat for all of us who grow and use our own garlic.  The bulbs are starting to ripen...we can tell by the stronger smell when we are harvesting.  The greens are also becoming stiffer - only use the white part.  Do not cook them very long if at all.  I like to mix them into stir fries at the very end and use them raw in salads. Kale – Bunches of 'Curly Blue' kale in every box.   Kale is also in the brassica family and effected by the caterpillars. There are holes in the leaves but still plenty left for you to enjoy. Parsley – Bunches of curly parsley in every box. Rocket – Bunches of rocket in every box.  Rocket is also in the brassica family and effected by the caterpillars. There are holes in the leaves but still plenty left for you to enjoy. *Romanesco Broccoli – This is much more of a cauliflower then a broccoli.  We have not noticed the distinct spirals that are characteristic of 'Romanesco'.  We are rotating this through the boxes like the cauliflower.  You may receive 'Romanesco' or cauliflower. Silver beet –F– 'Perpetual Gator' bunches.  This is one of our favourite silver beets as the leaves are so tender and the flavour very fresh. Shelling Peas – We started harvesting shelling peas this week - young and sweet.  The sugars in these plants begin to degrade into starch after harvest - so try and eat them tonight! Fresh peas are so delicious.  We like them raw in salads as well as very lightly steamed. Spinach –H– Bags of English spinach in the half share boxes. *Zucchini – We have harvested about 10 zucchini so far with the plants filled with many more.  As the plants mature, they produce more zucchini and we begin to have a steady supply.  For now though, we are marking who has received them to ensure everyone gets these early ones.

NOTES ON WHAT IS GROWING Although there are still lots of moths in the brassica plantings, the plants are showing a much stronger resistance to their damage...which is wonderful!  We have another broccoli crop coming on, still some heads of cauliflower and Romanesco broccoli to harvest and more kale.  We hoped to have a lovely purple savoy cabbage for next week...this makes a delicious kimchi, but we are unsure if the caterpillar damage is too extensive .

We have been hand pollinating the zucchini as the field plants were filled with female flowers and the greenhouse filled with male.  Although there are heaps of bees in the field, without the male flowers, the bees can not bring the pollen necessary to the female flower.  If the female is not pollinated, the zucchini does not mature.  The results have been great with heaps of little zucchini ripening in the field.  And now there are male flowers too so the bees can do that job for all of us!

I apologise for not putting a post with photos of What's growing up yet.  I simply have not had the time.  The second planting of tomatoes is being planted on Friday.  The polytunnel tomatoes are growing bigger with lots of fruit!  There are chillies appearing and the capsicum and eggplant are full of flowers.  Small cucumbers are on the vine.  The first planting of melons went in two weeks ago and another planting with the watermelons will go in next week.  We have started hilling the potatoes to ensure potatoes for Christmas.

RECIPE SUGGESTIONS Amy Minichiello from A Mini Kitchen's recipe for Carrot Top Pesto Kale Chips Broad Bean Dip Silver Beet Fritters from Ottolenghi's Jerusalem Broad Bean Pasta Nikki Fisher from The Wholefood Mama's recipe for Beetroot, Rocket, Persian Feta and Walnut Salad Cabbage Stir-fry - Even though there are no Asian greens in the box this week, you can use the baby carrots and broccoli in this stir fry that our children love.

You can search our recipes by looking for the key ingredients on our website recipe page.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX EMAILS Expect the What's in the Box email before noon on Wednesday's.  If you do not receive it, please let us know so that we can work out why.

Please note - Photo is of a full share box.