Welcome to the 2018 CSA season!

All of us at the farm are excited to start off another season, which really seems to kick off this week with the beginning of both CSA and Saturday Farmer’s Market. Although the weather is dreary, and the fields never seem to dry out fast enough, luckily we have a few tricks up our sleeve to be sure everyone experiences spring through our produce and tulips.

Spring has traditionally been the time for cleansing and lean eating. Although it seems like nature is bursting forth, most of the edible items available now are low in calories. Ideally, one would have stored up large quantities of higher calorie foods to sustain until there was more to eat. Luckily for us in this modern time, we have freezers and grocery stores and don’t need to plan ahead to sustain ourselves through seasonal variations in our food stream. But when you start to focus your diet on eating local, it is interesting to take note of what is available during each season.

Your share this week is divided between fresh spring items (salad mix, chives, raab) and storage items (potatoes and carrots), and other course the other “food” group: food for the soul (tulips)! This balance of fresh and storage produce is about what to expect for this first month of CSA. As the days lengthen and the weather warms, we will say goodbye to storage crops and start to harvest more and more from the fields.

I look forward to a delicious season of sharing produce with you. From all of us at Red Dog, we hope that you enjoy eating seasonally and locally this spring and all seasons!

~Karyn

PT Farmers Market starts this Saturday

Come join us for opening day at the Farmers’ Market this Saturday (April 7th). We will be there from 9 am – 2 pm. Reminder that all current CSA members get 10% off at our market booth (as well as at Red Dog Farm Stand). Just be sure to remind us that you are an April CSA member.

What is Raab?

Raab is the flower bud of any brassica plant. In the spring when over-wintered cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, or collards plants begin to grow tall with flower buds, we come along and bunch them up because they are so delicious! They have a similar flavor to broccoli – nutty, sweet and tender. You eat the entire stalk, perhaps cutting off the bottom inch if the stems seem tough. I think of them like asparagus, preferring to roast them whole and eat them out of hand. They can also be substituted for kale or other greens in any recipe and are delicious sauteed, steamed, in soups, etc. Raabs come in so many varieties and there are subtle flavor variations between every one. Perhaps a spring goal is to try at least a couple different ones to see what you think!