In The Box 2: Farm Pickup and New Glarus Delivery

Whew! It is a scorcher out there! But inside the eating is cool, crunchy and sweet. It is snap pea month! We’ve had a ridiculously perfect pea year and the vines are positively dripping with pods. We harvest every day – and eat our fill each time. Yum. DO NOT SHELL THESE PEAS, PLEASE! Eat the whole pod. Here’s what else is in the box:

Salad Mix w/ Johnny Jumps

Dragon Mix This is a more mature version of the sauté mix we packed last week. These leaves should be rinsed, chopped or ribboned, then sauted lightly in wok and sesame oil. Delicious! We added the milkweed pods at the end of this sauté and served the whole thing over rice. Big hit with the crew, including pre-teens and veggie-phobic husbands!

Milkweed Pods This foraged prairie treat is a tasty first bite of summer. Saute very lightly or steam. Use in Asian dishes or enjoy with olive oil and garlic. See Ashley’s post earlier today on the interesting properties of milkweed as food. Because the spring was so early and hot this year, we missed the opportunity to pack a lot of our favorite foraged crops, like nettles and watercress which were finished and bitter by June. But the milkweed couldn’t be nicer.

Cilantro Fragile but amazingly flavorful. Use quickly or dry.

Chocolate Mint The best way to store this bunch is upright in a tiny bit of water in a glass in the fridge. Water will turn the leaves black that it touches, but everything above will stay fresh. WE LOVE this herb. Sweet and minty, so very different from the spicy nature of peppermint. We throw a few sprigs in our lemonade and it flavors the whole gallon recipe. We use this in baking, in fruit salad, and most especially – cocktails! This makes amazing mojitos and check out this link for a “Shady Porch with Chocolate Mint”:http://boozedandinfused.com/2012/05/24/mint-bourbon-and-an-amazing-cocktail/. Or make Emeril’s “Mint Julep Sorbet”:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/mint-julep-sorbet-recipe/index.html. If you don’t use it in a week, hang it up, as is, and let it dry in your kitchen.

Oregano We love fresh herbs here at Circle M and we hope you agree, or will learn to love them by the end of the year☺ Fresh herbs will literally transform your meals. Chop these leaves, flowers and tender stems into tomato sauces or over meats. Throw away woody stems. If you don’t use in a few days, hang in your kitchen to dry, and crumble into a glass jar to use later.

Snap Peas Oh joy, oh crunchy sweet joy! These are amazing to munch, as it. Simply zip the strings off of each side and eat whole. We’ve also been enjoying these chopped in one inch pieces and sautéed. We took some to a friends house for a dinner party and he made a terrific potato salad with lightly steamed snaps, cilantro and olive oil. Link to this recipe for “Salmon with Snaps and Cilantro”:http://karistaskitchen.com/2010/08/15/salmon-stir-fry-with-fresh-cilantro-bean-sprouts-and-sugar-snap-peas/ More recipes below.

Spinach

Easter Egg Radish This multi-colored mix is SPICY. Many of these varieties are versions of the huge Chinese daikon radish. Use for pickling or try in a sauté. Spicy radishes mellow out a bit when cooked. Greens are great to save for stock, but apparently quite a few people use them in other ways. The Iron Chef show recently did a radish challenge and the chefs concluded that the greens might be the best part of the plant! Check out these “ideas”:http://www.thekitchn.com/dont-toss-those-radish-greens-145724.

Garlic Scapes These flower buds from our fall-planted garlic can be used just like a scallion. Chop and sauté where you’d use garlic flavor.

Flower Bouquet A lovely unusual combo of maroon and green ninebark, yellow and sunset yarrow, and crazy Armenian basket flower.

Potted Herb: Celery We’ve got a row of celery planted, but we will probably only pack the stalks once or twice in the box. If you like celery, we recommend you plant this in a sunny spot and use the outer leaves as they get big. Sometimes you only need a stalk or two to give you the flavor you need. Try using the immature leaves for flavor, too. If you don’t like celery – try putting this in a pot surrounded by flowers in place of the ever-present spike! We used dill and kohlrabi in our flower pots this year.

Fried Rice with Snow Peas and Asparagus

4 eggs, beaten
salt
ground white pepper
3 Tbs. canola oil, divided
1 bunch asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 1/2″ pieces
2 cups snow peas, trimmed, cut into 1/2″ pieces
4 cups cooked brown rice (leftover rice is the best way to go for fried rice)
3 scallions, sliced diagonally
1 tsp. soy sauce

Directions: Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a wok or large, heavy pan over high heat. Pour in the eggs, sprinkle with salt and white pepper, and gently stir once or twice with a wooden spoon. When the eggs are just cooked through, transfer them to a bowl.

Pour a tablespoon of oil into the pan and add the asparagus and snow peas. Sprinkle with salt and a tablespoon of water. Cook, stirring occasionally, over high heat for 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are crisp-tender and bright green. Transfer to a bowl with the eggs.

Heat the last tablespoon of oil in the pan and add the rice and soy sauce. Stir to break up the clumps and cook to heat through. Cook without stirring for a minute or two to allow the rice to lightly brown.

Return the scrambled eggs, snow peas, and asparagus to the pan. Fold in the ingredients until combined. Heat through and adjust the seasoning if needed. Sprinkle with scallions and serve piping hot. Makes 4 servings.

Sugar Snap Peas with Lemon-Chili Breadcrumbs

3 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1/2 c. breadcrumbs
1 garlic clove, minced
zest of 1 lemon
large pinch dried chili flakes
salt
3 cups sugar snap peas, washed and trimmed

Directions: Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy saute pan. Add the breadcrumbs and stir until well-coated in oil. Toast, stirring frequently until golden-brown, about five minutes. Stir in the garlic, saute for 1 minute, then stir in the lemon zest, chili flakes, and a generous pinch of salt. Transfer the breadcrumb mixture to a dish and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan over medium-low heat. Add the sugar snap peas, a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender and bright green, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, fold in the breadcrumbs, and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Golden Thai Curry
We are digging this recipe from CSA member Alison Finseth.

1 lb. Yukon gold or baby red potatoes, peeled and cubed (2 1/2 cups)
1 pint sugar snap peas, snapped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 tbsp yellow curry paste (or more to taste)
1 tbsp butter
1 13.5-oz can coconut milk (biggest tip: don’t use light coconut milk!)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups pea shoots, chopped
2 tbsp thinly sliced basil leaves
1 tbsp lime juice

Directions: Bring large pot of water to boil. Cook potatoes 7 minutes; drain, reserving 1/2 cup water. Heat oil in deep pan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 7 minutes or until starting to brown. Stir in garlic, curry paste, and butter; cook 1 minute. Add coconut milk and 1/2 cup water; bring mixture to a simmer. Stir in potatoes, peas, and bell pepper; simmer 10 minutes. Add pea shoots and basil, and cook 2 minutes more. Add lime juice just before serving. Excellent over brown rice.

We found this tiny nest in the snap pea vines. Any idea what sort of bird this is?