Bill has written a new post at The Season he describes the pre-spring activities on the farm and explains the CSA model. Most importantly, he say’s that spring is just over the horizon. We’ll it can’t come soon enough, this winter has been harsh, wet and cold. The mention of planted pea shoots gives me hope. I look forward to a bountiful season of fresh veg from the farm. And so it’s time to sign up for the 2011 CSA.
News: CSA
Fava Bean Bonus
As Persephone split share subscribers, we got a bag of fat fava beans for the second week in a row. These are mysterious, possibly magical beans. Until last year I only knew of fava beans as the side dish favored by Hannibal ‘The Cannibal’ Lecter in the oscar winning “The Silence of the Lambs“. Creepy! Don’t let that turn you off to fava beans, turns out they are delicious and it’s a treat to get them fresh from the farm down the street. A bit of googling and chatting with apprentices, Caitlin and Greg inspired my fava bean lunch…
Fava Beans with
Walla Walla Onions
Shell the beans, drop into boiling water and boil for 2 minutes. Drain the water and, so you can handle them, rinse a bit with cool water. Then remove the outer skin of each bean. Just pinch the fat end of the bean and cut the small end with a paring knife. Pinch a bit more and the bright green inner bean slides out. Easy enough. Although you can eat the outer skin, the inside is the good stuff. Heat up a bit of good olive oil, add some sliced Walla Walla onions (also in this week’s box) and gently saute until they soften a bit. Add the fava beans and heat them up. Then you’re done. I added some of Judith’s fresh chèvre, and salt and pepper (oh and some Parmesean cheese too). It was lovely.
Here’s some more info on fava beans. Did you know they were the only beans Europeans ate before they discovered America and all its legumes? So says this NPR article by Bonny Wolf.
CSA orientation
All of our subscribers are requested to attend our CSA orientation on Wednesday, June 2 from 5:30 until 7:30 at our farm in Indianola. Important information regarding how our CSA operates and how to pick up your veggies will be covered in a presentation. You will be asked to pay the balance of your share, and will be given the opportunity to sign up for add on shares on a first come first serve basis. You will pick up your bag of delicious food at our farm orientation, note, no pick up at the Johnson farm the first week. You have an opportunity to look around the farm and meet our new interns. To make the whole thing even more enjoyable, we will provide farm fresh appetizers. We are looking forward to seeing you there.