Circle M Farm

Our first box of 2009! Frankly, I am always really nervous in the weeks leading up to the first CSA delivery. Will everything be ready on time? What if we have a hailstorm the night before and everything I planned to pick is destroyed? What if I pull up a root crop only to find bugs have burrowed through it? (This did actually happen with our salad turnips and radishes yesterday.) Of course, we never, or rarely, end up picking all the things I had planned, but other things end up being ready and somehow it always comes together like a beautiful gift. That is what we aim for, and that’s what we hope you feel like when you get your box. Putting the boxes together is my absolute favorite part of market farming.

And now, a word about holes: “Don’t panic, it’s organic!” We use no chemicals whatsoever on our veggies, so whatever bugs we can’t pick off with our hands or hide the plants from with row covers, will make holes in the produce. Holes are your guarantee that our stuff is pesticide-free. Sometimes we do abandon a crop to the bugs, but usually we harvest the veggies if they still taste great. The arugula this week is a good example. The flea beetles got to it early, and I actually intended to pull the whole crop and toss it to the pigs. But I tasted and found it was fabulous, so there you go!

Every delivery, I’m going to try to list each item on the harvest list in order of fragility. In other words, when possible try to eat the first things listed first. Special handling instructions will be listed with the vegetables and recipes will follow the list.

Circle M Spring Salad Mix - Fresh as it gets, folks. These multi-colored leaves are larger than baby greens, but they taste the same and will hold longer in your fridge. The flowers are violas, and they are edible.
Arugula – Very flea-beetle-bitten, but so delicious. Spicy and nutty with no bitterness. We love a few leaves of this crisped on top of pizza. Try it wilted over pasta, or fresh in our Spring Arugula Pesto recipe listed below.
Baby Bok Choi - Tender and delicious. Use in stir fry or Asian soups.
Chive Blossoms – These are a spring alternative to garlic, which won’t be ready until it’s hot out. But these flower heads off the chive plants are terrific in their own right, either blended up in a recipe like garlic, or used to garnish a salad or fish dish. Madison chefs deep-fry them in tempura.
Spinach – This is the absolute best spinach of the year. It loves to grow in the cool weather and won’t last long in the garden. We mostly eat it raw in salads, but try my friend Lisa’s Spinach Ball recipe listed below.
Chocolate Mint – One of our favorite herbs around here. Try it in our signature Circle M drink: Ginger Mint Lemonade. (We’ll introduce you to our Chocolate Mint Mojitos when it gets a bit closer to summer!)
Nettles – No, we are not crazy, though some of you thought we were when you found nettles in your boxes last spring. But most of you tried them and were pleasantly surprised. DON’T TOUCH THEM! We’ve washed them for you so you can use them directly in a recipe like spinach. Wear gloves to chop them, if you want. Farm member Cherie says they rock in quiche. Easier yet, stuff them into a large jar and cover with boiling water. Leave overnight, then strain off the liquid and you’ll have a fabulous spring tonic tea. Once they are cooked or steeped they have no more sting and they are safe to handle and eat. The benefits of nettles are too many to list, but I’ll just say they are great source of calcium, vitamin C and minerals, and are great for hair, skin, hay fever and energy levels.

“It’s like a super vegetable. More super than kale,” says J.D., who is our nettle expert and picked them – barehanded! – for you this week.
Pea Tendrils – These are the trimmings off the tops of our quite rambunctions pea vines. Eat these sprinkled in with a salad. Try just alone as a beautiful snack. Or chop and saute in olive or sesame oil and eat over pasta or rice.
Frozen Rhubarb – This all came ready before delivery time, so I picked and froze it for you. There are two cups in each box, enough to make the muffin recipe I’ve included below from my friend and farm member Bryn.
Ground Beef - This is a one-pound sample of our Circle M grass fed beef. Happy cows make good eating. Order more to come with your next delivery and you’ll have amazing lean burgers when the heat hits!
Oregano To Plant – Find somewhere to pop this in your yard or a pretty pot and you’ll have a mature plant ready to use when the tomatoes are ready.

Arugula and Chive Blossom Pesto
2 C young arugula, stems and leaves
1/2 C grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
4 chive blossoms
1 chive blossom for garnish

Combine all in a food processor bowl and process until combined and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over warm pasta or toss with roasted potatoes, pulling apart the final blossom and tossing the pink bulb-lets over the top of the food. This also makes a great alternative to mayonaise on sandwiches.

Ginger Mint Lemonade
Dissolve 2 cups of sugar in 1 gallon of hot water. Add several slices of fresh ginger. Add 1 C lemon juice or the juice of 2 to 3 lemons and 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar. Add one gallon of cool water and 4 sprigs of chocolate mint. Stir.

Spinach Balls
From Edible Earth, a cookbook by local authors Lisa Kivirist & John Ivanko, featuring recipes from their award-winning green B&B, Inn Serendipity, showcasing local and seasonal produce. www.innserendipity.com
2 C. cooked, cooled spinach or Swiss chard, finely chopped and packed. Squeeze out the water.
2 C. seasoned stuffing mix
1 C. grated Parmesan cheese
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 C butter (1 1/2 sticks) softened
1/2 t. salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until blended. Roll level tablespoonfuls into balls about the size of walnuts (about 40 total) and arrange them on an ungreased jellyroll pan or cookie sheet, close but not touching. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Freezes well.

Rhubarb Streusel Muffins
This recipe comes courtesy of farm members Bryn and J.D. who modified a Joy of Cooking recipe. Yum!
Combine in large bowl:
2 C. flour
2/3 C. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp lemon zest

Combine in small bowl:
2 beaten eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 C. buttermilk
4 Tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 400. Add contents small bowl to large, mixing just until combined. Scoop into buttered muffin tin. Chop 1/2 lb (about 2 cups) rhubarb and sprinkle over muffins. Make streusel and top muffins, press into tops. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Streusel: Combine 2/3 C. flour, 1/3 C. brown sugar, 1/3 C. sugar, pinch salt, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 5 Tbsp butter.

Please do return your boxes and the large plastic liners to us. We will re-use those. Also – we will take back all smaller plastic bags that don’t have rotted vegetable matter in them.