Herb & Flower Garden

Quite a few more varieties of flowers are starting to bloom now.  I saw blooms on the snapdragons, verbena, calendula, even a few sunflowers!   Certainly feel free to pick a bouquet while you are here.  We also will try to have a bouquet or two picked at all times and available for purchase under the CSA pavilion.

Herb of the Week: Parsley

At the farm, we have two types of parsley, flat and curly. The flat parsley tends to have a stronger flavor than curly. Parsley pairs well with foods like tangy eggs, fish, lemon, lentils, rice, tomatoes, and most vegetables. Other spices it works well with are basil, chives, garlic, mint, oregano, rosemary, and tarragon. Keep fresh parsley in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. (PSU herb pairing guide)

Cutting Instructions:  Look at the base of the plant to find the thicker, older stems towards the outside of the plant. Snip of that stem, one at a time, at the base of the plant. Only take one or two sprigs from each plant. Do not cut the lighter, smaller growth in the middle of the plant. Do not grab the whole plant and chop.

Chimichurri Recipe

Chimichurri is well served on steak, chicken, salmon, shrimp, and veggies like potatoes and corn. It can also be used as a marinade.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups well packed fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup well packed fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
• 1/4 small red onion or one small shallot
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, more or less to taste)
• 3/4 cup olive oil

By Hand: Finely chop parsley, cilantro, oregano, onion (should have 1/4 cup minced red onion) and garlic (1 Tbsp). Add to a mixing bowl along with all remaining ingredients. Stir to blend.

Food Processor Method: If using a food processor no need to pre-chop herbs and you’ll only need to roughly chop onion and garlic. Add red onion, garlic, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and salt to a food processor. Pulse, stopping and scraping down sides occasionally until finely minced. Add in parsley, cilantro, oregano and red pepper flakes then pour in olive oil while pulsing several times until herb leaves are finely minced (they should have some body and texture). Original Recipe

Recipes

We love hearing from CSA members who want to share their recipes!  Another great way to get yummy recipes out to others is by posting in the TFF Community Facebook group. You can request to join this group by clicking here.Sugar Snap Peas With Yogurt, Feta, and Dill

Ingredients:

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for water and to taste
• About 3 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated or minced
• 1 ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
•  Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup thinly sliced fennel, radish, or cucumber
• ½ packed cup roughly chopped fresh dill
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup plain whole-milk yogurt (if using Greek, thin it down with milk or water until pourable)
• ½ cup crumbled feta
• ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
• Torn soft herbs, such as mint, basil, parsley, tarragon, chives, cilantro or a combination, for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Have ready a bowl of well-salted ice water and a slotted spoon next to the stove. Drop peas into boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Use the spoon to transfer peas to ice water to cool completely. Drain well and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.

When cool enough to handle, put the peas on a cutting board and slice them in half, crosswise.

In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic and lemon juice. Stir in salt and pepper. Whisk in 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the halved peas, fennel (or radish/cucumber), dill and scallions, and toss well. Taste and add more lemon juice, olive oil or salt if needed.

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, 1/4 cup feta, lemon zest, and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, to taste.

Spread the yogurt on a serving platter, and spoon the peas on top. Scatter remaining 1/4 cup feta on top, drizzle with more oil, and top with herbs. Serve as a side dish or scooped onto crusty bread as an appetizer. Original Recipe: You can modify this recipe easily as well, based on how many peas you have.

Click here for a Shrimp and Snow Pea Salad and Pickled Radishes and Scapes Recipe!

Garlic Sesame Snow Peas

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil (or other mild-flavored oil)
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 8 ounces snow peas
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• salt to taste

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the coconut oil to melt, followed by the sesame oil. Saute the garlic, 1 minute, until fragrant, but not brown. Add the snow peas and sesame seeds and continue to saute, stirring and tossing frequently, about 3 more minutes. Pour in the soy sauce and toss until well coated. Season with salt to taste (if needed). Remove peas from heat and pour into a serving dish. Serve promptly while hot (can add more sesame seeds on top prior to serving). Original Recipe

Garlic Scape Pesto

10 garlic scapes

1/2 cup pine nuts or walnuts

1/3 cup Parmesan (optional)

1/2 lemon juiced

1/3 cup olive oil

1/8 teaspoon salt

a couple grinds of pepper

Trim the tails of the scapes off, keeping the bulb. Roughly chop the scapes into chunks. In processor, add scapes, nuts, cheese and lemon juice. Pulse blend until the food begins to break down. Scrape sides down and add oil, salt and pepper. Process for another minute. Can be kept in the refrigerator for a week.

Helpful tip!
Pesto can be eaten on pasta, pizza, toast and sandwiches, and as a dip!
To keep pesto longer you can freeze it in ice cube trays or freezer friendly containers (pesto will expand in freezer). After frozen in ice cube trays you can pop them out into a container or zip lock to be kept in the freezer, able to be used small amounts at a time.