April Showers Bring May Veggies

Field Notes It has been a busy bee April. Some say April showers bring May flowers, I look forward to the May-time veggies. Our salad mix is shaping up to be sweet and delicious, while our basil has been filling the house with its summertime feel. The chives in the herb patch aspire to be shrubs, and the assortment of radishes, cabbages, beets, radicchio, carrots, and chard continue to reach for the sun. All in all, I aim to make this the most bountiful and beautiful season we have had yet. With new strawberry plants, purple and green asparagus crowns, gooseberry plants, raspberry canes, and blackberry root stock arriving this week we are teeming with visions of cobbler, shortcake, and tarts. This season has also marked the expansion of our farm crew. A close friend, and tiny home enthusiast Daryll will be joining the farm family this season. So feel free to say hello if you see him around the farm, as he will be helping out and learning with us here at Zumo Eco Farm. Some quick housekeeping...Don't forget, both the CSA distribution season and the self service farm stand begin May 24th 2016 and will run thru the first week of October. That's 20 weeks of veggies that are going to be heading your way before you know it and we can hardly wait! We have quite a range of delivery/pickup options going on, so to keep us organized I will check in with all of you as we get closer to the actual date. To smooth out the distribution process, we would like everyone who is participating in the CSA to lend two of their own reusable grocery bags. I will provide bags for the first delivery, and pick up your bags at that time for future distributions. If this is going to be an issue for you because you don't have any bags, just let me know. As a quick teaser for the upcoming season, below you will find a quick and easy recipe to help you clear out all those winter veggies and have dinner ready when you get home. Chickpea Stew 2 cups dry garbanzo beans 4 stalks celery 1 large onion 6 cloves of garlic 4 carrots 1 sweet potato 2 potatoes 1 bay leaf generous handful of thyme or other favorite herb optional (bacon or sausage) salt and pepper to taste -If you are lucky enough to have time, soaking the chick peas over night will reduce cooking time. If not, C'est la vie and just roll with it. Preheat the oven to 200 F. -If using meat caramelize with the onion and a dash of salt. Add everything else and maybe more of whatever you like. Add 8 cups of water or your favorite stock. Put an oven safe lid on it, place in the oven in the morning and take it out when you are ready to eat. Season to taste with salt and pepper, maybe some fresh herbs, and enjoy! -If you don't even have time to do this amount of prep, pull out the crock pot, toss it all in, turn the crock to medium heat for the day and head out. Remember, this is a base recipe and it is meant to initiate your own creative genius in the kitchen. Don't be afraid to make it your own. Forks up, knives out! That's a wrap this time around. I look forward to future newsletters full of bountiful pictures and hopefully inspiring recipes. If there is something that you would like to see in the newsletter, let me know. Until next time. See You In The Fields Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Our mailing address is: *|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list *|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*