We’re setting sail on a new season to ports unknown. It takes faith each year to launch and hope all the necessary pieces line up well enough to make for a solid 16 weeks of CSA boxes. This is season #20, which is hard to believe. For 20 years we’ve been assembling a crew, putting seeds in the ground, and hoping for the best. We’ve had super rocky starts, terrible weather, and a range of farm mishaps, but we’ve also seen glorious harvests, perfect rains, and near flawless vegetables.

Each year, it’s difficult to know what’s in store. I do think of it like a voyage, but not like a cruise in the Bahamas, more like a whaling expedition circa 1750. We push off shore and labor on the ship for days on end. Some days are boring where we’re handweeding for hours in the sun. Other days we see some action, batten down the high tunnels and hope the hail stays north or reel in a huge harvest of potatoes. To take this stupid sailing metaphor a bit further (honestly, where am I going with this?), I know we have a very capable chief mate in Mason Berube, who has two seasons of farming under his belt. The family crewmates have dropped off since Sylvia’s gone off to college. This summer she’s working at a music camp in Wisconsin and the boys are not much for farming.

Lots of things are on the verge of getting ready, but not quite there yet – makes for a box lighter than I like, but that seems to be the nature of the first box of the year.

In the box:

• 2-3 garlic scapes: These are shoots that come off the top of hardneck garlic -chop up and use wherever you’d use green onions…got a mild garlic flavor. I put in eggs.
• Radishes
• Mizuna: Red-banded green with frilly leaves. See recipe below.
• Cilantro
• Arugula: Red-banded greens with oakleaf shape. Commonly used in a pasta or as a salad – think Italian with parmesan.
• 1-2 Sprigs of Basil
• Fresh mint: Mojitos?
• Bunch of kale: Big bunch of greens with a blue band. This is young and especially tender as the first kale of the year, so maybe try your hand with kale salad.

SIMPLE MIZUNA SALAD

from https://dishingupthedirt.com/recipes/simple-mizuna-salad/

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES    COOK TIME: 0 MINUTES    SERVES: 2-4

• 1 large bunch of mizuna
• 2-3 radishes, very thinly sliced
• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice + additional to taste
• flakey sea salt
• 2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds, lightly toasted on the stovetop for  a few minutes
• a few thin slices of fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)
• a few pinches of micro greens (optional)

Preparation

1. In a large bowl toss the mizuna with the radishes and drizzle in the olive oil and lemon juice. Toss well. Sprinkle the salad with a few healthy pinches of flakey sea salt, the toasted sunflower seeds, shaved parmesan (if using) and micor greens (if using). Serve immediately.

Notes*Use this recipe as a guide *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary