Farm-ily,
I had a delicious slaw recipe bookmarked for dinner the other night. Red cabbage, apples, carrots, and a yogurt dressing. It was going to be the perfect compliment to my fried chicken. Halfway through shredding the cabbage, I looked at the produce spread out on the counter and realized I was missing something: scallions. I’d had them in my CSA share, but already used them several days ago in a stir fry. I started scrolling through other recipes for slaw, looking for alternatives, but without luck. Every singe one called for scallions!
Very few good meals are prepared without an allium of some sort, and alliums are rarely interchangeable. There is simply no good substitute for the mild bite of scallions. They are quick to grow and nearly pest-proof. Unlike larger onions, they are easily cut and easily eaten raw. I love their harvest days as much as their signature flavor! These tender bulb-less onions permeate the whole farm with their scent as they are cut. The work has an almost choreographed appearance. Each crew member repeats the same motions: pull, clean, trim, step. The soft slice of the harvest knives through stalks provides a rhythm to the dance. For as long as this unseasonable warmth lasts, I’ll savor the harvests, and the slaws, stir fries, and vinaigrettes.
When the warmth finally recedes, we’ll move on to the true Winter crops, and to harvesting for Winter CSA. There are 4 weeks left in what we call our “summer season”, thanks to Virginia’s many months of friendly weather. It’s been a season of both challenges and triumphs. As we continue to see record levels of interest in CSA, we continue to adapt our plans to grow more and feed more families. You may have seen on our Facebook page that we’ve added 25 new slots to our previously sold out Winter CSA program. If you just missed our signups in September, now is the time! We’d love to have your company in the coming months, and the coming year. Knowing your farmers never goes out of season. Thank you for celebrating local food with us, all year long.
Eat Well and Be Well,
Ashley, Collin, John, Alexandra, Rory, Gabe, and the hens, hogs, and dogs
