I’m going to keep it brief this week because — holy cow! — it’s sunny and I’m really itchin’ to get back out and get a few things done.

The past couple of weeks have seen some larger than average shares. Last year, giving out larger shares meant that we could end the share a week ahead of the end date — which was good since we didn’t have a whole lot left in the field at the end anyway. This year, though, I started bulking up the shares now because I’m a little nervous about having enough to put in them for the next month or so. The past six weeks of rain and below average temps has not just delayed growth, but prevented a lot of planting. Actually, I’m not concerned so much about having enough to put in the shares as I am about having enough variety for the shares. But then again I should also clarify that I tend to be afflicted with a peculiar mix of optimism and pessimism: optimism keeps me farming and working toward some beautiful agrarian vision while pessimism tells me that we’re always in the middle of the worst case scenario. That said, there’s two possibilities for the next month or so; you’ll get your share every week and think either “great. more kale, potatoes and onions” or “great! he was so full of it when he said he might not have enough”. As usual, let’s hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

The hens are definitely on the upward curve of their laying, so we’re getting plenty of eggs and we’re planning to start giving out egg shares next week. If you’re already getting a veggie share, just look for note next to your name on the check off list and find the box of eggs. If you’re not getting a veggie share, then I’ll call you this week to go over the details.

Detailed share information, notes about the veggies, storage tips and recipe tips are all inside the full post.

Please remember to return your tote bags every week.

All shares contain:

• cut Lettuce
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Parsley

“Full” shares also contain:

• Fava beans
• more Lettuce
• Swiss Chard

Bread shares: one loaf of our “80/20 sourdough” (whole wheat) and one loaf of our “Brooklin sourdough” (plain, or “white”)

Veggie Notes

Again, I won’t go into detail about veggies we’ve had before.

Celery – Fresh celery has a richer, sweeter flavor than the store bought kind. Obviously, these slender stalks won’t stand up to the peanut-butter-and-raisins treatment, but their richer flavor will more than make up for that. Use the leaves, too!

Fava beans – For putting these in the share, you may love me or you may hate me. They’re delicious, but they’re a lot of work. Don’t eat them like green beans; they must be removed from their pod first and beans larger than a fingernail need to be blanched then have their tough skin removed. After that, though, they’re great…

Storage Notes

Everything can be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge. A note about freezing: greens — such as kale and Swiss Chard — are especially easy to freeze for winter. Just chop them up, pack them loosely into bags and put them in the freezer. When you’re ready to use them, just open them up and drop them right into the pan — they’ll defrost as they cook.

Recipe Ideas

Parsley – Shareholder Sonya Skoog wrote in a few weeks ago about a parsley pesto: “I made a parsley pesto…….it was almost as good as basil pesto. I used toasted walnuts and added lemon zest. I usually use lemon juice, but this time I also added zest and it was amazing!” She tossed it with some stir-fried pac choi. Sounds good!

Favas – We love these things braised in butter (a lot, like a half stick) with a giant pinch of chopped parsley, then poured over boiled new potatoes. We love them this way so much that we simply never even try to make them any other way. If that doesn’t sound interesting to you, there seem to be plenty of great recipe ideas out there.

Cauliflower – We linked to a few cauliflower recipes in last weeks newsletter.

As always, we welcome your feedback. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns or problems. Also, please send along any recipes you’d like to share.

We hope you enjoy the share!