P I C K L I S T
tomatoes - corn - carrots - celery - arugula - blueberries - garlic - purple pepper - shiso - cucumber
EDGEWATER update: All the mid Summer specials this week! And with the convergence of tomatoes, corn, and blueberries- which is basically my holy trinity- it's impossible to go hungry around here. As these three crops enter the group chat, they are met with high fives, bathing suits and watering holes. As in, do as your farmers do- and always bring these three items with you everywhere you go- to every single swim spot, every single time. All your buds will be so pumped to snack with you, just add potato chips.
In other news, the garlic is all harvested! And you CSA fam, get first dibs. It is a pretty impressive harvest this year, we are thrilled with the size and quality of the bulbs. For anyone looking to grow their own, this crop is prime for excellent planting (come fall)... Obviously, I am getting a head of myself here- who needs to think about garlic planting in July, BUT when the time comes, reach out- we should have some for your home gardens. Until then, keep the vampires away and add to all your savories.
It was near impossible to keep me out of the arugula patch this week. I got a text from ray that said, “cleanest arugula i’ve grown, somebody got to cut it.” Which is pretty much the most romantic thing we can say to each other this time of year. This is our version of summer sexting. A love language of snapping pics of good looking veg or weed free fields and texting with a kissy face wink emoji. A suggestive message of, “go get that harvest, it’s all yours.” That's romance baby!
And as for your carrots this week, a perfect glimpse into all the weeds we battle can be found in your carrot tops. Ray and Tim spent an entire afternoon digging through the brush bunching the CSA carrots. It is worth eyeing the carrot tops with a fine tooth comb to see all the other ecosystems that got bunched in there as well. This is a result of weeds getting ahead of us. That said, these carrots are as sweet as you can get before a frost ups their sugar content. So feel free to remove green tops immediately and store carrots in a plastic bag in your fridge to keep em crunchy.
Also this week, hello sweet corn my old friend! And what the hell is shiso anyway?
Shiso is an herb typically found and eaten in East Asia and Southeast Asia. I love it. I find the flavor so unique, earthy, and fresh. Kind of like a mint/annise hyssop/ tulsi basil/ cilantro cross… I can't quite name the flavor, it's just shiso and it’s awesome. its worth adding fresh to salads or stuffing and frying (as per Mitchell’s recipe inspo below). My plan for din tonite, is to chop it real fine, mix it with a little mayo and a little sriracha and smear it on my ear of barely boiled sweet corn. I am so excited about this meal plan, I’ve been daydreaming about it all day, I can’t wait to tell you how it goes.
FARMY FOODIE PRO-TIPS: The following recipes were crafted specifically for this week’s CSA by our friend and hyper local chef (he lives just up the road), Mitchell Davis. if you are curious about alllll the recipes he has to offer, check out his substack:
Tomato Vinaigrette
1 large ripe, red tomato, cored and cut into chunks
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
Handful basil or shiso leaves
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the tomato, vinegar, garlic, basil, maple syrup, Dijon mustard and olive oil in a blender. Add a generous pinch of salt and couple of healthy grinds of black pepper. Pulse to get a good blend going and then purée until smooth.
Grilled Corn Salad with Sesame Miso Dressing
The secret to this salad is dicing all the vegetables quite small, about the same size as the kernels of corn.
2 ears corn, shucked
2 stalks celery, diced
1 cucumber, diced
1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon white miso
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste or tahini
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch arugula
Char the shucked corn over an open flame on a gas burner or on a barbecue until some of the kernels are black and others are in various stages of brown. Cool. Using a sharp knife, cut the kernels off the cobs into a mixing bowl. Add the celery, cucumber, bell pepper, and carrots and toss to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the miso, vinegar, and sesame paste or tahini until smooth and blended. Slowly beat in the vegetable oil to create a nice emulsified dressing.
Add the toasted sesame oil, a generous pinch of salt, and some black pepper. Toss the mixed vegetables with about 1/4 cup of this dressing. Arrange the arugula on the base of serving plate and spoon the chopped vegetables on top. Drizzle more of the dressing around the arugula and season again with salt and pepper.
Stuffed Shiso Leaves
This is a recipe from the fabulous Korean cookbook writing by my friends JP Park and JY Choi. It falls into the Korean category of jeon, often translated as “pancakes,” but containing so much more. These sound complicated, but they aren’t. And they always impress anyone I’ve served them to. I like to prepare them as an hors d’oeuvre.
2 ounces tofu
7 ounces ground beef
1/2 small shallot or 1/4 small onion, minced
Small handful minced garlic chives or 3 finely chopped garlic scapes
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 medium clove garlic, minced
White part of 1 scallion, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Freshly ground black pepper
12 large shiso leaves
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
Cooking oil, for frying
To prepare the filling, in a small bowl, break up the tofu into crumbs. Add the beef, shallot, garlic chives or scapes, carrot, garlic, scallion, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch and some freshly ground black pepper. Mix in one circular direction until the ingredients are well blended and have developed a smooth texture.
On a small plate, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda, and mix well. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and egg yolk until blended. Dip the back of a shiso leaf in the flour mixture and dust off any excess to very lightly coat. Lay the leaf floured side up on the work surface. Cover half of the shiso leaf vertically with a thin layer of the filling. Fold in half and press lightly to seal. Repeat with the remaining leaves until they are all stuffed. Using a fine sieve, very lightly dust both sides of the stuffed leaves with the remaining flour
Heat a thin layer of oil in a over low heat. Dip 3 or 4 of the stuffed shiso leaves in the egg, drain off any excess, and set in the frying pan, frying each side for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, until nicely browned and set. Transfer to brown paper or paper towel to drain and repeat with the remaining leaves, adding more oil as necessary, until all are fried.