The First Box of the Season!
By Sarah Stone

Thank you for signing up this season! We hope you enjoy this first taste of spring. This is my first year at Featherstone, and it’s been wonderful, exploring the fields, and watching the different types of crops we’ve planted begin to grow.

I love the idea of CSA and hope the movement continues to spread and grow. Supporting local farmers, and being able to experience first hand the different types of produce Minnesota can provide is terrific. CSA, in my opinion, is the next best thing to having a personal garden.

We love to know who’s eating our food. Because of our delivery program, direct farmer to member contact is pretty limited. With our farm events we’re hoping to give you the opportunity to get to know your growers, and fellow CSA members better. I have several plans in the hopper for this season, (Strawberry Social and Salsa Making) but I would love to organize a couple of neighborhood potlucks at member homes. It would be a chance for some of us to get together and share our favorite dishes made from farm fresh produce. If you would be interested in hosting such an event at your home, in your backyard, at your church, etc, please let me know. We simply need a place to gather and share our love of good food. The whole idea of CSA is community. And with our members spread out from Winona to Minnetonka, we need to double our efforts to remain connected.

Also, if there is a certain topic you’d like to see covered in the newsletter. How to grow heirlooms tomatoes, the history of the farm, etc please let me know. I’ll try to cover the topic myself, or finagle Jack or Rhys to lend their expertise.

Thanks to everyone who came out to our Greenhouse Tours last Saturday. It was fun to meet some members while munching on some tasty rhubarb treats! If you didn’t make it out, I hope you come down for our next event, The Strawberry Social! (Coming in Mid-June: details in future newsletters)

Produce Info, Storage and Tips

A NOTE ABOUT DIRT: Many CSA farms promise that your box will be dirt free. Your box from Featherstone won’t contain clumps of dirt, but a small layer of dirt on produce can be a good thing. Many items in your box become more perishable when they get wet. We recommend not washing your produce until you’re ready to use it. The thin coating of dirt will actually keep your produce fresher longer. Only wash what you’re going to use that day. Things like asparagus and green garlic, in this week’s box, break down faster when they get wet. If you keep your garlic dry, it will last for many many weeks!

Green garlic: Green garlic is the juvenile stage of regular garlic you’re all probably familiar with.  The green garlic has a pungent flavor that is milder with a slight onion flavor.  Use these the same way you’d use shallots or garlic. 
Chives- Chives add a mild onion flavor to salads and casseroles. Sprinkle 1 tbs chives over an omelet before cooking or into 2 eggs to be scrambled. Add 1 tbs with each cup of milk in a white sauce to add flavor and color. To dry chives: Spread a layer of leaves on a cookie sheet and place the herbs in a warm (up to 180°F) oven for 3 to 4 hours. Leave the door open and stir the herbs periodically until they are thoroughly dry.  Remove the best leaves from the stems and arrange on a paper towel without touching. This layer is covered with a towel and another layer of leaves is added. Five layers may be dried at one time using this method. A microwave oven can also be used for small quantities of herbs. Place 4 or 5 herb branches in the microwave between paper towels. Heat for 2-3 minutes on high. If not brittle and dry when removed, repeat microwave drying for 30 seconds more. The heat generated during microwaving not only removes moisture, but some of the oils, so these herbs may not have as intense a flavor as herbs dried by other methods.

Storing Dried Herbs
When the leaves are dry strip the leaves from stems, discarding the stems. You can crush the leaves if you want, but whole herbs retain their flavor longer than crushed, ground or rubbed herbs.

Place dried herbs in airtight containers. Examine the containers for a couple of days after filling to make sure they are completely dry. If you see any moisture in the containers, remove the herbs and dry them longer. Store in a cool, dry, dark place away from sunlight to protect the color and fragrance of the dried herbs. Dried herbs will keep for years, but for best flavor use within a year. Most herbs will diminish in flavor with age and a larger amount will be needed to achieve the desired flavor in cooking. Sage is the only herb that will grow stronger in flavor during storage.

(Chives info from: Susan Mahr, Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison)

CHINESE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP WITH SPINACH AND CHIVES
(adapted from epicurious.com, makes 8 cups)

3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken
8 thin slices fresh gingerroot
1 bunch scallions, cut crosswise into thirds
(Use your green garlic instead of the scallions!)
10 cups water
3/4 cup Chinese rice wine or medium-dry Sherry
2 ounces dried rice-stick noodles (rice vermicelli)
1/2 pound fresh spinach, coarse stems discarded and leaves washed, drained, and chopped coarse
3/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives

With a cleaver or heavy chef's knife cut chicken into large pieces. Cut chicken through bones into 2-inch pieces. In a large kettle of boiling water blanch chicken 1 minute. In a colander drain chicken and rinse under cold water. With flat side of cleaver or knife lightly smash gingerroot and scallions.
In cleaned kettle bring 10 cups water to a boil with chicken, gingerroot, scallions, rice wine or Sherry and simmer, uncovered, skimming froth
occasionally, 2 hours. Pour broth through colander lined with triple thickness of cheesecloth into a large heatproof bowl, reserving chicken for another use. Broth may be made 3 days ahead, cooled completely, uncovered, and chilled, covered.

In cleaned kettle bring broth to a boil. Add noodles and boil, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Stir in spinach and simmer, stirring once or twice, until spinach turns bright green and is just tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in chives and salt and pepper to taste and simmer 1 minute.

Additional recipes can be found at:
www.vegetariantimes.com
www.homecooking.com
www.gourmetsleuth.com