Newsletter #2

"The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings."

-Masanobu Fukuoka, The One-Straw Revolution

Happy Friday Everyone! 

Greens, on greens, on greens in this weeks share! As easy solution for all the braising greens (spinach, kale, broccoli leaves, chard, etc.) is to throw them into a stir fry, add them to a smoothie, or chop them up and mix them into an omelet. I know that all the leafy matter can be a bit overwhelming BUT Y'ALL, next weeks shares are looking exciting! We've got peas on the vines and strawberries turning red which means spring is in full swing!

One thing I'd like to offer, especially for those new to CSA, is some helpful resources around how to store your weekly bounty. For example, did you know that separating the greens (don't throw them away though, you can eat those too!) from your root crops will extend their freshness and preserve their crunch? Here are some helpful places to check out how to store, cook, and preserve the harvest:

Local Chef Katherine Deumling from Cook With What You Have

Half Your Plate's Home Storage Guide

CSA Share: How to Store, Cook, Pickle, and Freeze CSA Vegetables

National Center for Home Food Preservation

Additionally, this week is the start of our Egg Shares! As mentioned previously, our colorful egg layers aren't producing yet and won't begin to lay their first eggs for about another four weeks. In the meantime, your eggs will be coming from the happy, healthy, free-range hens from my moms farm in Central Oregon. They are fed the same Organic feed as our birds with the added bonus of an acre of pasture grass and High-Desert sunshine. We took the opportunity of a long weekend to head down there to visit family, collect eggs, and deliver our rooster to his new home. Our sweet, but loud, rooster is going to be an absolutely stunning bird but we're not legally able to have roosters in the city. Farming in a suburban environment means that we must take extra care to maintain our neighborly relationships, and while it would have been fun to allow him to mate (baby chicks, y'all!) the crowing would certainly not be embraced by everyone. While we were sad to see him go, he's now living with a new flock of ladies on 10 acres in Lapine, so it worked out to his advantage!


Your Farmers,
Shannon, Taylor and Juniper Kane
Wild Grown Farm

"Any Kind of Greens" Pesto

We use these general guidelines to make seasonal pesto out of whatever greens, nuts, oils, and cheese we have on hand! Pesto is delicious over both warm and cold noodles, used as a pizza sauce, or simply tossed with vegetables. We'd love to know what combinations you try!

Ingredients:

• 1 garlic clove

• 2 cups of fresh herbs or leaves (Lots of green things work! Don’t be afraid to experiment with a combination of basil, carrot tops, kale, arugula, oregano, spinach, mint, cilantro, etc)

• ½ cup oil (Experiment here, too: olive oil, walnut oil, pumpkin seed oil or a combination)

• ¼ cup toasted nuts (Pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, pistachios, etc.)

• ½ cup cheese (Again, there are lots of options – use a hard grating cheese like parmesan, pecorino, asagio, manchego, romano, etc.)

• Salt and pepper

• A squeeze of fresh lemon (optional)

Directions:

1. In food processor, pulse garlic clove until roughly chopped.

2. Add all the green leaves to the food processor and chop until leaves are in small pieces.

3. Add the oil slowly and process until combined.

4. Add the nuts and process until they are finely chopped.

5. Add the cheese and blend until everything is incorporated.

6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

7. A squeeze of fresh lemon is great to really brighten up the flavors. Add more oil if you want the consistency to be thinner.