Share 2, June 26, 2010

In the box:

Curly Kale
Scallions
Beets - new!
Radishes
Garlic Scapes
Spinach
Sweet Basil - new!
Purslane - !
Strawberries - last time :-(
Salad Mix or Red Bibb/Parsley

Well, the only item that might need some explaining is Purslane, which probably looks suspiciously like a weed. But we call them "wild plants" now and find that these sturdy volunteers offer high amounts of vitamins and minerals. Purslane is known for containing alpha-linoleic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid we usually get in fish or flaxseed oil. Purslane is also a source of calcium, potassium, iron, essential amino acids, and vitamins E, C and A.

Purslane’s leaves are tender and succulent; its flavor has been described as peppery cucumber. Experiment with it and see what you think!

For a flavorful salad, toss raw purslane with other lettuces, like arugula, butter lettuce, spinach, mache or romaine. Add a lightly sweet and tart dressing, such as honey mustard.
• Enhance ordinary mayonnaise-based salads — chicken, egg, tuna, shrimp and turkey — by replacing celery with chopped purslane sprigs and stems.
• Use purslane in sandwiches instead of lettuce.
• Raw purslane makes an attractive garnish.
• In recipes that call for watercress, try purslane instead.
• Stir purslane into soups and stews, just as you would use spinach.
• To cook, steam purslane for one to two minutes. Or sauté it in a hot pan with olive oil until it’s lightly wilted. Serve as a side dish.

You can see there are many way to enjoy purslane, and maybe you'll discover new ones. Let us know! And if you need more, just look out in your garden. Purslane loves to show up in the garden rows right about now, and this is the time of summer when purslane is at its succulent best!

Here is a tasty recipe using garlic scapes and spinach - from Diana Dyer, MS, RD, the new Ann Arbor garlic maven!

Spinach and Scape Frittata

3 Tbsp. olive oil

10 eggs

1 cup (1/2 lb.) chopped raw spinach

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley or basil
1/2 c. finely chopped garlic scapes
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl mix all ingredients except oil and scapes. Heat oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet on the stove. Add the scapes and saute until tender on medium heat for about five minutes. Pour egg mixture in skillet with garlic and cook over low for three minutes. Place in oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until top is set. Cut into wedges and serve warm. Serves 6 generously. A half recipe can be made if desired.

And another recipe we enjoyed around the Frog Holler table this week:

Chickpea with Spinach Soup
modified from Food and Wine Cookbook 2001, serves 8

4 c. cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/4 c. olive oil
2-3 scallions with greens, chopped
3-6 garlic scapes, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1-2 quarts water or vegetable broth or soup stock
1/2 lb. spinach, chopped - (your share spinach stems are tender!)
salt to taste
2 T. fresh seasonal herbs - optional but tasty - maybe the basil?

Heat olive oil and saute chopped scallions over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add garlic, bay leaves, salt, red pepper flakes and cook for two minutes. Add the water or broth and bring to boil. Add the chickpeas and cook over medium heat until very tender, about ten minutes or more. Remove the bay leaves. Add the spinach and cook a few minutes to wilt. Puree with a hand-held blender in the saucepan or in batches in the blender or food processor. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes: Using two quarts of liquid made a thin soup. Reduce liquid or thicken with cooked grains or a roux.

Coming up soon:

Sunday, July 4 - Welcoming Summer Party

2:00 PM - CSA work party

4:00 PM - Games, farm tours, swimming

6:00 PM - Potluck

8:00 PM - Music

Campers welcome - Yoga in the Barn on Monday morning

If you're coming to weed, bring a hat and gloves, if you have 'em. Last year's member weeders (pictured above) cleaned up the new strawberry patch, and we all enjoyed the fruits of their labors this year. Thanks a bunch! (If you think you're coming out for the work party, we would love to know in advance.)

Salad Share vs. Non-Salad Share

In the early 90's, Cathy King kept reading about a mixture of salad greens gaining popularity in California and called "mesclun". Frog Holler Farm was already known for its steady supply of lettuce and cooking greens at the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market, but Cathy was intrigued by the idea of this mixture and she ordered some seeds. It was complicated to grow so many varieties and make them mature evenly, but once Ken King applied his engineering skills to growing the 15-20 different salad items, a system was formed and the Frog Holler salad mix was born!

We called the mix "mesclun" in those early days, but nobody could pronounce it (including us) and the name encouraged too many bad jokes. The name"mesclun" actually comes from Provencal (Southern France) and literally means mixture. French gardeners would gather all the greens that were coming up in the early spring and make their first salad "mixture" from what was available.

Long before plastic clamshells of "baby greens" appeared in every corner store, the King family was serving up their signature mixture of leafy greens, savory herbs and edible flowers at the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market. Now we simply call it Frog Holler Salad Mix , and if you haven't seen it before, look in the little glass bowl (okay it's a fishbowl) on the corner of the table.

Some things to know about the mix is that it is always always made the day before market.
Since 1995, we have stayed with a winning formula of 3-5 different lettuce varieties, along with endive and radicchio, many different flavorful herbs including sorrel, arugula, bronze fennel, chives, chinese leeks, parsley, purslane (!), and edible flowers. The blend of ingredients will change with the seasons - a leafier mix in the spring, more flowers in the summer, more hearty crunch in the fall. The lettuce is passed through three rinses before coming to market and keeps best if spun dry before refrigerating (if you have any left to keep!). Other than that, it's ready to enjoy!

So...salad share vs. non-salad share - what's the difference? "Salad share" members get 1/2 pound of our salad mix with every box. Non-salad share members do not get the mix, but will get a little more salad items to make their own salad with. Everyone gets the same amount of cooking vegetables.

Some week when we make a lot of mix, we'll put some in every share so all can sample this unique and special treat. It will be difficult to go back to the clamshell!
Frog Holler Salad Mix