Circle M Farm

I went foraging for our Circle M CSA members this week, since the elderberries are blooming in profusion along my swamp and in hedgerows all over the countryside. In Madison, too! These tiny white blooms make a great cordial to add to summer drinks, and fantastic traditional British fritters. Try these, then hurry and go pick some more if you like them! They’ll only be in bloom for another week or so, and then you’ll have to wait for the berries. We’ve included the fritter recipe below, but check out this whimsical site for a great picture blog of how to make them.

Here’s what else is in the box:
Snap Peas – Alas, it is the end of the snaps! We are taking down the vines and putting in cucumber transplants and late-season beans. The last taste of spring…
Summer Onions – This variety would size up for storage, but it’s fun to enjoy the fresh taste of onion and we left plenty in the field to harvest later.
Broccoli Spears – These are side shoots from the spring broccoli, and they are so tender and delicious. Try gently steaming them whole and serving them with a tiny seasoning of butter and savory.
Kohlrabi – One of the early season’s oddest delicacies. If you like cabbage, you’ll love kohlrabi. It’s like a cabbage apple. Peel shallowly , slice and eat raw, or try our Baked Kohlrabi recipe below.
Carrots – Wow! We (today’s crew of six) could not stop exclaiming about how unbelievable these carrots are. Sometimes you get lucky, and we really did with this year’s carrots. Here’s a great way to enjoy them in simplicity, suggested by Farm Member Cherie: Scrub and slice thinly, then sauté in butter. Cook til desired tenderness, add several teaspoons of honey, toss some finely chopped dill leaves in, and enjoy!
Cabbage – This Golden Acre cabbage has been a stand-out in our brassica garden. We will miss the giant leaves that are like mammoth green roses strewn about the rows. But when they are all out – we’ll put in the fall red cabbage transplants! Look for Farm Member Becky’s Curried Cabbage recipe here
Herbal Bouquet: Summer Savory – This herb, which looks like large-leaved thyme with it’s stiff pointy leaves, is often used interchangeably with sage – great in poultry dishes and sausages of all types. Wonderful with eggs. Chop finely. This herb dries well when simply bunched and hung in a dry space. Chocolate Mint – The heat is on and,now it’s time for Mojitos! See recipe below. Our favorite summer mint treat! Cilantro is very happy now, and very quick to bolt when it’s warm enough for the ripe tomatoes we love to pair with it. So leave some out in a thin layer to dry for later.
Dill and Sweet Peas – We’ve put these together as a bouquet just because they look great and both want to be in water to stay fresh. Put them in a vase. The dill is to cook with now and to dry for cucumber season, but the pretty sweet pea flowers are actually POISONOUS!

Elderberry Flower Fritters
The sweetest flowers will be those that are fully opened. Don’t wash as that will remove the pollen, which provides the flavor.
1 cup sifted flour
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
½ C milk
Oil for frying.
Combine all ingredients into a batter. Dip flower clusters in batter by holding onto stem. Transfer cluster to a skillet or pan with hot (375 F) oil, and fry for 4 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper, and snip off all stems. Serve hot with granulated or powdered sugar.

Cuban Mojitos
This recipe is adapted from tasteofcuba.com. They claim it’s the original authentic Havana recipe Hemingway would have enjoyed at it’s birthplace, La Bodeguita del Medio. All I know is, anything connected with Hemingway seems to involve excellent food. I was starving all the way through The Sun Also Rises. However, I was introduced to this drink by Cuban friends in Chicago. Wherever you drink it, it’s thirst-quenching and irresistible.
1 teaspoon powdered sugar (My Cuban friends prefer to use raw sugar can. I actually like Raw Sugar, but powdered sugar is a bit easier to mix in)
Juice from 1 lime (2 ounces)
4 mint leaves
1 sprig of mint
Light rum (2 ounces)
2 ounces club soda
Place the mint leaves into a long mojito glass (often called a “collins” glass) and squeeze the juice from a cut lime over it. You’ll want about two ounces of lime juice, so it may not require all of the juice from a single lime. Add the powdered sugar, then gently smash the mint into the lime juice and sugar with a muddler (a long wooden device pictured below, though you can also use the back of a fork or spoon if one isn’t available). Add ice (preferably crushed) then add the rum and stir, and top off with the club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig.
I personally think these are much easier to prepare in a pitcher (you’ll want more than one anyway). Just multiply times 4 or 8, and prepare the whole thing at once.

Parmesan Baked Kohlrabi
This recipe is from From Valley to Bluff: The Featherstone Farm Cookbook.
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
3 cups of 1/4 inch slices of kohlrabi
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter an 8-inch round pan, and dust with 1/2 tablespoon of the breadcrumbs.
3. Boil the kohlrabi until they become just tender, about 7 minutes; drain. Toss with melted butter. Place the kohlrabi in the prepared pan, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, the remaining breadcrumbs, and pepper.
4. Bake 1 hour until browned.