Here’s my description of the contents of your box, and some suggestions on how to prepare them.
This week:
Mesclun/salad mix: This week we are cutting back on the amount of mesclun (1/4lb.) to allow for more little gems. The green little gems are peaking in the field, and it’s a perfect time for you to get more of them. As I mentioned earlier, think of wedge salads, Caesar salads, and blue cheese salads, with these thick and crunchy leaves. I like to cut the little gems in half to grill them, then coat the flat, cut side with Caesar dressing. My favorite recipe is equal parts lemon juice and red wine vinegar, maybe a tablespoon or two of each, about one teaspoon of powdered mustard, 1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, one egg yolk, a few anchovy fillets, and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. Wisk all these ingredients in a bowl, until smooth. Then drizzle olive oil while whisking, to create an emulsion. Add grated parmesan cheese.
Another favorite recipe that is super simple is blue cheese vinaigrette. First, put 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl. Take a lemon and zest it with your micro planer into the oil. Ideally, let it sit for 5-10 minutes to allow the zest flavor to soak into the oil. Then add equal parts lemon juice and red wine vinegar. Then crumble blue cheese into the bowl, and whisk to desired texture. Add salt and pepper to taste. You will discover a wonderful marriage of the lemon and blue cheese. Best with croutons but not necessary.
The bag of cooking greens is half filled with broccoli di cicco, and the other half is green chard, which is a new crop, and thus the leaves are on the tender side. The stem should not be too tough, so feel free to cook as is.
White Cauliflower is the signature item this week. Grown by our friend Louie Iacopi, these vary in size. Some of you will be greeted by rather large specimens, others will get two smaller ones. They are often roasted, whole or cut up, usually with garlic, olive oil, and chili flakes. Cream of cauliflower soup is a very different approach. Steaming or boiling cut up pieces, then offering them as a cold salad item is wonderful.
The mixed citrus is some combination of red grapefruit, oro blanco grapefruit, navel and valencia oranges, lemons, gold nugget mandarin, all grown by Bernard Ranch in Riverside. You are getting 2lb. instead of the usual 3lb. to make room for the very first stone fruit of the year. There will be one or two white nectarines in the box from Balakian Farms. Certified organic, their stone fruit will be a rotating fruit for the next few months, and it might be a yellow or white nectarine, or a yellow or white peach, depending on which one I think is particularly good that week.
As always, please note that substitutions happen and you may not receive every item listed. When we are short something, we’ll either replace it with another farm item or increase the quantity of existing ones. If you’re shorted with no sub, please do let us know so we can issue a small refund for the missing item.
Enjoy!
Martin