The first CSA week has finally arrived!  Things have been busy on the farm for months now, but the farm really comes alive when the CSA begins.  Instead of dropping off our greens in the produce room of the Co-op, all of a sudden we know exactly who is eating the food that we’ve been working so hard to grow.  We know that our friends, new and old, will be eating better and healthier because of the farm.  And as the pace of the work increases, so does our appreciation for every minute of the happy, stressful, satisfying chaos of it all.  Thank you to all the people who make it possible:  our members, our apprentices, our families.  We feel very lucky to be able to farm the way we do!

The rhythm of the season means that, as usual, we’ll be starting off with a lot of leafy greens.  The cool, wet spring this year has meant that while many plants were delayed, some—including the greens—are thriving.  The pea shoots are a spring favorite.  Enjoy them chopped up in salad or in a stir-fry, or munch on them in the car on the way home!  Remember that in addition to the recipes in the newsletter, our website houses many more recipes for the items included in this week’s share.  Click on the vegetable name on the left hand side of the website and it will bring you to numerous tried-and-true recipes.

The mustard bunch in this week’s share is called ‘Ruby Streaks.’  You may find a tangy baby version if it in your mesclun mix, but when it gets larger it has a great spicy kick, so we usually cook it up to moderate the flavor.

You’ll be meeting all our awesome 2014 apprentices before long, but I just want to give you a quick introduction.  Hannah Court, Brandon Burley, Katie Moeller and Brandon Gordon have joined us for the season to live on the farm and learn about farming firsthand.  We couldn’t do this without them and we look forward to our members getting a chance to meet them. They’re great!

If you have any questions about the CSA or about your share in particular, please get in touch!  And enjoy your greens!

~ Reba and the HCF crew

CSA Week One Veggies:   Spinach, Arugula, “Braising” Mustard Greens, Mesclun Mix, Pea Shoots, Bok Choy

This is a duck egg week

This week’s recipes:  Warm Chickpea Salad with Arugula, Mustard Greens with Sweet Potato and Coconut,Sesame Soy Braised Bok Choy

Apprentice Hannah Court knows that getting geared up in mosquito netting is sometimes the only sane way to make it through a buggy morning!