Circle M Farm

People ask me all the time, “How do you do it?” Meaning, how do I take care of all the animals and gardens here at Circle M? Well, I don’t! I have a fabulous crew of family and Work Share Farm Members who do the lion’s share of labor around here. Three of my children (that’s Jake and Emma in the picture) and nine crew members who work for produce and meat (that’s Cherie behind Emma) are what it takes to get our CSA boxes out every week. Sometimes we get extra help from neighbors who pitch in when something crazy happens, like June’s flood. And of course, Shannon, my husband, holds a full time job and then wraps up his evenings by running and repairing the fencing that is the constant challenge of a rotational grazing system. My main job is to keep it all organized and think about what crops come next! Here’s what’s in the box this week.

Summer Squash Once the heat of summer arrives, there is just one thing that helps us wait patiently in the garden for that first ripe tomato: Squash Blossoms! They are an early perk of planting plenty of summer and winter squashes. These were harvested from our zucchini, pumpkins, cukes, yellow squash and patty pans, which are flowering like crazy and starting to set their fruit. But they’ll make us so much food, they can spare a few flowers on a harvest day. See the Stuffed Squash Blossom recipe below to see how delicious they can be.
Radichetta This pretty salad green grows with long thin stems that sprout ragged or serrated green leaves, similar to dandelion greens. With a soft texture and mildly bitter flavor somewhat like escarole, Radichetta is a common European salad green used for a variety of Italian food dishes. Use as a salad green or serve as a cooked vegetable lightly sauteed in olive oil.
Canasta Head Lettuce Crisp and fresh. The last spring lettuce.
Scallions/Green Onions I love these young onions raw on buttered bread for a sandwich. But they are great in Asian dishes, added to salads, or sprinkled over an omelet.
Baby Beets – So sweet and delicious! Use both the greens and the roots. See our delicious Roasted Beet and Greens Salad recipe below.
Broccoli We’re still harvesting our bumper crop of broccoli. Now our plants are making these tender side shoots rather than large heads, and we find the stalks sweeter than ever.

Carrots We are SO proud of these stunning carrots. And no, you don’t eat the greens, they were just so pretty we had to include them! We also included the beet and turnip greens, both of which you should eat, and the kohlrabi greens, which are pretty tough.
Snap Peas and Snow Peas So terrific! We just love these here at Circle M. In fact, we have snaps for breakfast lunch and dinner. Simply remove the strings from the Sugar Snaps, which are the fatter peas, and enjoy raw dipped in hummus or cut up into a salad. The Snow Peas, which are flatter, are good raw or stir fried.
Kohlrabi Like a cabbage apple, this crazy-looking early season treat is something we enjoy right out in the garden. Wash or peel, then eat raw or add to soup. Or try Farmer John’s Simple Sauteed Kohlrabi below.
Turnips and Turnip Greens Don’t forget to eat the greens on these! A Circle M ham slice or smoked hock would be just the thing to cook up with some traditional Southern style greens. These turnips are still so sweet and tasty, even though they look pretty bug-raided. Simply peel and eat raw, or use to boost the cabbage quotient in a soup or stir fry.
Herbs: Chocolate Mint, Parsley, Cilantro We bunched these all separately this week because we had so much of each. The Cilantro, also known as Chinese parsley, is much finer than the Italian parsley.
Wildflower Bouquet: Please enjoy this bunch of wildflowers: yellow Yarrow, green Bupluerum and blue Sea Holly.

Simple Sauteed Kohlrabi
2 medium kohlrabi bulbs, grated
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter or light oil
1 medium onion, diced (1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TBSP chopped fresh thyme, chives or sage

Mix the kohlrabi and salt in a colander and let stand for 30 minutes to drain. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat, add onion and saute 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute one minute more. Stir in the kohlrabi and reduce heat to low, cover and cook 10 minutes.
Increase heat to medium, uncover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in herbs. Let sand for a few minutes to let flavors develop. Serve with grilled meats, or on a bed radiccheta.

Roasted Beet and Greens Salad

Dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel

Salad
4 2- to 3-inch-diameter beets, unpeeled, scrubbed, all but 1 inch of tops removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 head radichetta or other baby frisee lettuce
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted
4 ounces chilled soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet), coarsely crumbled
Thin strips of orange peel

Directions:
For dressing: Whisk all ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

For salad: Preheat oven to 400F. Toss beets with 1 tablespoon oil in 11×7-inch metal baking pan. Roast beets until tender, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool beets; peel and cut into 1/2-inch wedges. (Dressing and beets can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately; chill. Bring both to room temperature before continuing.)

Mix lettuces, walnuts and dressing in large bowl; toss. Divide among plates. Arrange beets around greens; sprinkle with goat cheese and orange peel.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms
Shake the blossoms to dislodge any beetles hiding inside. Do not wash, as the blooms are fragile. Set aside and make filling out of 1 C ricotta cheese, 1/4 C parmesan cheese and 1/4 C goat cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper and basil or parsley. Use a knife to insert 1 to 2 teaspoons of mixture into each blossom. Don’t worry about tearing them. As they cook, the blossoms wilt and tears will disappear. Saute in olive oil briefly, about 1 minute on each side. Remove with slotted spoon to serving dish. Enjoy!