Week 5: Charcoal is in the Air

For your Wednesday, a little agricultural humor:

What kind of socks does a farmer wear?

                                                             Garden Hose!

Anyway, the extended forecast is looking great and we're feeling like summer is finally knocking on our greenhouse door, most likely inspired by the scent of neighborhood grills  wafting through the farm.  This week in your share you can expect the greens train to continue delivering, among these other wonderful veggies:

• Spinach
• Parsley
• Chard
• Fennel
• Beets
• Salad Greens
• Celery
• Pak Choi
• Collard Greens 

Happy Eating!

Mushroom Identification

We cultivate a lot of familiar vegetables on the LVE Farm, but sometimes interesting things pop up that we like to identify, like these edible mushrooms. Don't worry Mom, even after we determined they were safe, I still didn't eat them!

Two Recipes this Week!

This first one is a wonderful sauce to compliment a wide variety of greens.

Soy Peanut Sauce
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Hot Water
2 Tbs. Soy Sauce
2 Tbs. Vinegar

In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients and whisk until smooth. This goes great if you toss it with kale, swiss chard or collards that have been quickly sauteed with garlic and olive oil. Combine it with rice and you've got a meal!

Carrot and Fennel Soup
An overdue soup recipe!
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
2 1/4 pounds / 36 ounces farmer market carrots, thickly sliced
2 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 cups good-tasting vegetable broth or water
salt to taste
3 cups / 12 oz cooked wild rice
5 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Heat the olive oil in your largest soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the fennel and cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened a bit. Stir in the carrots and cook another 10 minutes, just long enough for them to soften a touch and start taking on a bit of color. Stir in the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Stir in the broth. Bring to a simmer and simmer, covered, until the carrots are very tender, another 15-20 minutes or so. Stir in the wild rice, bring back to a simmer, taste and add more salt if needed Remove from heat and stir in the orange juice. Taste and add more if needed. Serve dusted, generously, with freshly grated Parmesan, or any variety of saltier cheese.
Great served warm, or chilled and of course with a salad!
from 101cookbooks.com