What's in the Store
- purple cabbage
- savoy cabbage
- gold swiss chard
- green swiss chard
- red swiss chard
- castelfranco chicory
- collard greens
- lacinato kale
- lacinato blossoms
- baby bibb lettuce
- devil's ears lettuce
- tom thumb lettuce
- leeks
- baby leeks
- onions
- beets
- carrots
- purple-topped turnips
- artichokes
- asparagus
- cardoons
- celery
- lemons
- oranges
- ground beef
- beef cuts
- cheese
- eggs
- fresh-cut flowers
Farm News
Everything around the farm is looking cheerful these days, with the bright yellow of mustard flowers on every hill and field, and the blue skies of almost-spring. We've got a new batch of interns starting this month, our baby chickens are almost big enough to escape their enclosure, and everything is bursting with new life!
Asparagus, the most loved of spring crops, has been making appearances in the farm store. We don't have quite enough supply to keep up with demand, so we tend to sell out almost as soon as it's picked. On the bright side, this means that if you're lucky enough to make it home with some spears, you know they're truly fresh.
Courtney, former intern and part-time farm store clerk, is spearheading an exciting new business venture for Green String -- cut flowers! We'll have a small selection of bouquets available in the farm store in the coming weeks, with plenty more to come later on.
Featured Veggie: Swiss Chard
Recently, our red Swiss chard has been getting all the "oohs" and "ahhs" at the farm store. The scarlet stems and deep green leaves stand out against the rest of winter's hearty greens. We also have green Swiss chard (with white stems and veins) and golden-stemmed Swiss chard for stunning contrast.
Chard can be steamed, boiled, braised, sautéed, or even baked into crisp chips. The leaves seem to hold up to long cooking better than other greens, which makes them ideal for adding to casseroles, gratins, and rice and other grain dishes.
You can substitute chard for spinach in many recipes, as in the Creamed Chard recipe included in this month's newsletter. Chard also goes very nicely as a last-minute add in for a variety of dishes -- chop the stem finely so it cooks quickly, slice the leaves into 1-inch ribbons, and stir into a dish two or three minutes before serving.
Events
Farm tour
First Saturday of each month
noon - 1:30
Family Day
Third Saturday of the month
2pm - 3pm
Community Workday
every Thursday
9am - noon
more information: greenstringfarm.blogspot.com
ingredient available at farm store
Creamed Chard
Our take on the classic dish is just as creamy and comforting as the original. Serves 2.
- Ingredients
- 1 bunch Swiss chard (about 10 leaves), stems sliced finely and leaves roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- freshly grated nutmeg
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the chard, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour and whisk to combine. Cook about 2 or 3 minutes, stirring constantly, then add milk and whisk vigourously. Add salt and, stirring frequently, bring to a simmer.
- Drain chard and press in a seive to remove excess water. Chop rough or fine, according to your preference, and add to sauce. Stir in grated nutmeg and serve.
Couscous Pilaf with Beets
A quick farm-fresh meal for weeknights. Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 1 T butter
- 4 small beets, cut into small bite-size pieces
- ½ C broth or water
- 2 T butter
- ¾ C couscous
- 1¼ C boiling broth or water
- salt
- greens of 4 beets, cut into strips (substitute 1 or 2 red Swiss chard leaves if your beets are green-less)
- In a small to medium saucepan, melt the first tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the beets, and enough broth or water to almost cover the beets.
- Cook, stirring occassionally, until liquid has evaporated. Beets should be just tender.
- Pushing the beets to the sides, add the second installment of butter to the center of the pan. Once it's melted, add the couscous and stir everything together. Continue to stir for a couple minutes, until you smell the nuttiness of the toasted couscous.
- Add the boiling broth or water, salt, and stir. Dump the beet greens on top, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and remove from heat. In 10 minutes, fluff with a fork and serve.
Broiled Asparagus
As luck would have it, the best way to cook asparagus is also the easiest. The broiler's flames bring out the sweet tenderness of the spears and lightly crisp them on the outside. Serves 2
- Ingredients
- 12 spears asparagus, tough bottoms removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- pinch salt
- Preheat the broiler. Place asparagus on a sheetpan or broiler-safe dish and toss with olive oil and salt.
- Into the broiler it goes! Check on the asparagus every couple minutes, as timing varies widely depending on your oven. (It takes about ten minutes in ours.) When tops begin to brown, flip and cook for another couple minutes, until the second side browns.
- Broiled asparagus is delicious on its own, cut up and added to another dish, topped with hollandaise or a poached egg, or even chilled and eaten cold the next day.