Despite the dreary weather, we were able to harvest some pretty nice veggies for the first spring shares: leeks, scorzonera, thyme, parsley, and a mix of brassica raab.
We’ve had scorzonera in the winter share, but it’s not a usual vegetable so I’ll say a few words about it here – it’s primarily used for the root, but the greens are also edible. I usually peel it and it turns brown very quickly so when you peel it you might want to put it in acidulated water right away (water with a little lemon juice). I usually boil it for a minute or two, but it’s also excellent roasted or sautéed.
The brassica raab is from collards, turnips and two types of kale. This time of the spring these plants start to send up flower shoots and the tender stems and flower buds are absolutely delicious, as are the remaining leaves – and they can be cooked many ways, or eaten raw. Raab season is short and we don’ have a lot of it so enjoy it while it’s here – it’s one of the reasons we’re starting the spring season extra early this year, so we could share this special seasonal treat.
We put a good bunch of thyme in the share. I don’t expect anyone will use all of it in two weeks, but you could. I usually take bunches like this and tie them up and hang them in my kitchen to dry. The thyme will basically last indefinitely this way if you don’t use it. I just strip the leaves off as I need them by pinching the stems and running my pinched fingers down the length of the stem. If you need more at any point in the season it’s in our you pick area.
Not only were we able to harvest in the rain today, we even managed to get some beds of lettuce, beets and parsley planted! Conditions were less than ideal, but I think the plants will be ok with it. It looks like we might get some drier weather next week, we could definitely use a bit of that!
Cully Neighborhood Farm 