In the Share - Week 1

Hey there, it's farmer rebecca. Every week for the next 24 weeks, I will be letting you know what is in the shares plus a brief farm report. Here's the letttuces you will eating this week.

That's (clockwise from top left) New Red Fire (ruffled red and huge right now), Forellenschluss ('trout-back' in German, green romaine with red speckles), Quattro di Stagioni ('four seasons' in Italian, red butterhead) and Regina di Maggio (another of our Italian beauties, the 'May Queen', green butterhead with a hint of pink).

The farm crew is proud to bring you the following:

LEEKS (F/P) these lovely ladies need no introduction to our renewing members, but if you have never savored the buttery goodness of the leek see Tom's post for our favorite recipes. We have a good harvest this spring of our over-wintered varieties. Full shares get 2 lbs., partials 1.5 lbs.

LETTUCE (F/P) It is lettuce season and boy, we've got some monsters out there! Full shares get 2, partial shares 1.

GREEN GARLIC (F/P) Another early spring CSA share regular. It's a garlic that looks like a spring onion. Same idea, different allium. Chop it up, saute it with your favorite meal or eat it raw for the tenderest kiss of garlic.

CHERRY BELLE RADISHES (F/P) Bright jewels of spring bring color and crunch to the shares.

BOK CHOY (F/P) One of my favorite spring veggies. I could eat Tom's stir fry with bok choy every night and never tire of it. See his post for the recipe. Full shares get 2, partials 1.

ARUGULA (F) A little peppery kick to your salads. Partial shares get a choice of herbs or arugula.

ASPARAGUS (F) We have enough for a 1/2 lb. per full share this week. We just planted 600 ft. of a new patch, so hopefully in a few years we will have plenty. Partial shares will get asparagus next week.

HERB CHOICE (F/P) Cilantro, dill or lovage. We'll also have some bunches that have a bit of all of the above.

CHIVE FLOWERS (F/P) A little extra treat for your bellies or a vase. We like to sprinkle the chive flowers on top of our salads. Avoid the tough stems of the flowers, but the tender leaves are well, they are chives so you can eat them as such.

ALSO THIS WEEK: Bread of Life bakery shares

NEXT WEEK: More lettuces, arugula, radishes and herbs. Green onions and Hakurei turnips. Tatsoi and kale.

FARM REPORT

The day has arrived. We are at the starting line of the 8th Fair Share Farm CSA season. On your mark, get your salad spinner ready and eat!

The farm crew has been anticipating this day since February 9th when we planted the first seed in the greenhouse. Actually, you've got to go back further than that to November 2010 when we planted the garlic. No, that's not right either. Really you've got to go back to February 2010 when we seeded the over-wintered leeks that are in your share now. Alot has happened in the meantime. The rain has fallen, the sun has shone and the farmers have been lovingly tending the crops. When all of those factors come together well, you get a share that is bursting with springtime tenderness and beauty. We hope you all enjoy eating it as much as we have enjoyed growing it. Dig in!

The Fair Share Farm CSA Core Group met last Sunday at the farm. We had a great afternoon preparing for the season and looking ahead to some long-range planning. It was a bit cold and wet but we took a short stroll amongst the vegetables and out to the orchard where we planted an apple tree in honor of our dear friend and core group member, Kathy Brock. Kathy was a FSF CSA member for 6 seasons and was a vital and much-loved member of the Liberty distribution team. She will be dearly missed, but we will remember her whenever we bite into one of her apples. Ha! That would make her laugh, I think.