Lloyd Craft Farms Fresh Produce, Locally Grown

GREETINGS!  We have worked really hard the last few days harvesting, and today assembled YOUR Special Boxes.  If you are Groups BR12, BL12, and BL2 your boxes are on their way!  (That’s Riverton and Lander Weekly’s and the first half of the Lander Leap-Frog’s)  BR1 and BL1 will start next week!

Boxes will be stacked toward the front of the store under an insulated quilt, no names on boxes, but look for the clipboard to sign next to your name that you have taken possession of the box of deliciousness!  This is our record of retrieval–Merchant is not responsible for your box or reminding you that it is there.  (They have been generous enough to provide a drop point but no more–a missed box is a donation to your community!)

RIVERTON Drop is at Graham’s Gluten Free on main street around noon.  If possible try to pick up your Box before 3:00, but the store closes at 5:30.

LANDER Drop is at Lander Bake Shop on main street around 1:00.  Box must be picked up before 5:00–that’s when the bake shop closes.  If that is difficult because of your work schedule, give me a call before 10:00 a.m. Wednesday and we can discuss an option.  307-431-1219

The Special Box (your share of the garden) contents for this week are Greybull Valley Produce Butterhead or Green Leap Lettuce, a candy bag of topped Red Radishes and a Hakurei Salad Turnip with a long top (both last of the season from the high tunnel), Barese Swiss Chard (also high tunnel grown), a bundle of Lacinato Kale, a generous bag of Summer Squash (Zucchini, striped Costa Romanesco, and yellow Zephyr), 1/2#  bag of Broccolini Galion X, Asian Eggplant, and a small bag of Basil and Garlic Scapes.

THINGS TO NOTE: 

The lettuce is not a regular but we made arrangements for the first of the season as things were light, and the garden was slow.

The tops from the Hakurei are good to eat–check out some recipes on-line!  I think they’re best cooked, not raw.  Radishes and turnips are in the same family, and share ‘blood lines’ with broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.  All are Brassica’s and loaded with nutrition.  Even funnier, Brassica’s are also known as Cruciferous vegetables, that hail from the Mustard Family. (You know–that beautiful yellow weed adorning our fields and roadsides!) If you ever saw Broccoli Raab in full bloom the family resemblance is STRONG!  And so is the flavor–Brassica’s are best eaten fresh.  I prefer them slightly steamed or cooked to take the edge off.  If you like radish flavor, no problem!  The longer they are off the plant, the stronger the flavor.  Also, hot weather sometimes brings out the radish ‘hot’…

Broccolini Galion X is also a Brassica, but it is sweeter and more tender than regular broccoli or European Broccoli (which is usually sold as Broccolini in the stores).  Galion X is a cross of the European Broccoli and Galion greens (Asian Greens).  If you eat it raw, you might want to cut the leaves off so you don’t feel like a cow chewing your cud.  But if you steam it, bake it, grille it, or cook it in the cast iron skillet LEAVE them leaves on!  They will cook and develop a nice sweetness–I like them slightly charred which makes me think they are caramelized!

The Basil is from our garden:  Genovese (large green leaves, most common), Citrus (small leaves), or a purple basil.  We have paired the Basil with Garlic Scapes from our friend Zach (FarmTableWest in Cody).  This is the stalk of the spring garlic and is removed so the bulbs will fill out.  The scapes should be trimmed so any woodie ends are left behind.  Cooked in butter and turned into a cream sauce is how I like them!  Mild garlic flavor, stores well in the fridge–

We have some limited recipes at http://www.lloydcraftfarms.com under the Recipe tab.  There’s a tasty recipe for Squash Casserole (I make my own cream sauce, as mentioned above, but you can cheat with cream of chicken–additional ingredients to pick up at the store are Stove top stuffing and sour cream, carrots and onion.)

Enjoy and thanks for signing up for this Special Box treat of locally grown goodies!  If you are in Worland, stop in and visit The Farm.  If you are in Worland on a Thursday from 4:00-6:00 stop in at the CSA Pickup…Diamond S Delights is there with raw milk products and you can make purchases from The Store.  

The Farmer’s Wife–