Thanks to everyone for your outstanding participation last weekend! We had a blast visiting with you all on Sunday morning, and we're looking forward to round 2 tomorrow!
The strange weather continues, and while our greens and lettuces are rocking and rolling, the summer veggies have been but limping along.
We've faced some serious pest pressure so already, including cabbage worms on the brassicas and potato beetles on the tomatillos and potatoes. Overall though, the garden has held up well despite the wet, and perhaps the nice weather this weekend will give a boost to the zucchinis and cucumbers. Hoophouse tomatoes are coming nicely, and we are hopeful for beets, beans, peppers and other goodies in the not-so-distant future...
Here are the details for Week 2:
Reminders: Please return your empty baskets when you come to pick up, and we will trade you for a full one. The 1/2 bushel baskets aren't a perfect system, but the best we've come up with yet. They're rigid enough to keep things from getting smooshed, but hopefully still light enough and, with handles, easy to carry.
The Goods:
- 1 Whole Chicken. Pasture raised. On fresh grass daily with 100% locally sourced, GMO-free grain and sunshine. As clean as it gets.
- Lettuce
- Mixed Salad Greens
- Radishes
- Garlic Scapes (the last of them)
- Escarole
- Swiss Chard
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Parsley
- Garlic Chives
Ideas for your share:
Our first recommendation, for the first weekend of Summer, will always be beer can chicken. Although there's some controversy around this method in the BBQ pundit world, I've yet to find a more foolproof way to prepare a whole chicken that's so consistently tender and flavorful ... if you haven't already, I hope you give it a try. Alternatively, check out these instructions from Mother Earth News on how to break down a whole chicken into parts you could use for smaller meals or package and freeze for later.
For our Sunday dinner, we'll be rubbing a chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and diced garlic scapes. We'll set the bird over a half-empty can of beer onto an indirect-heat charcoal grill until internal temp reaches about 170-180 degrees. Remember, these chickens get a lot more exercise than the grocery store ladies; they are going to be leaner, firmer and more flavorful than what some folks are accustomed to. Low and slow is always a good way to go.
With the leftovers, try a Monday lunch of chicken salad sandwiches with fresh lettuce and sliced radishes for crunch. Add what's left of the chicken carcass into a crockpot full of water on Tuesday morning, and come home to your own chicken stock later that evening. Maybe add some white beans and escarole for a nice beans and greens soup. Or, freeze the stock in mason jars or ziplock bags for later use.
I know many of you have different and better ideas - for everyone's benefit, please share your thoughts and recipes below!
Again, thanks to all for being such active participants! Please let us know if you run into any issues or concerns with pick-up times, location or anything else. We will do what we can to make sure you get the best value from your share. Looking forward to seeing you Sunday, 9-11am, front porch, 135 Crystal Lake Road.