Full Circle Farms CSA

Ahh, much beloved rain! My chance to dash inside and keep you up to date on whats’s going on at Full Circle Farms!

Memorial Day is my traditional weekend to plant tomatoes and peppers – and although I did start transplanting those a couple of weeks ago, many more got planted yesterday morning. It is perfect to have an overcast, rainy day after transplanting, as it gives the plants a chance to get settled in and recover before being blasted by the hot sun once again.

Fields are looking good! Lush green wherever the eye takes you.

We got to experience some history this year when we purchased an old horsedrawn potato planter from the late 1800's - minor adaption to be pulled by our tractor. It made potato planting so much more fun, although I did have to be careful of my knees and fingers (no safety features included in this early edition!). I noticed that out potato planter looked a lot like some of the old cannons we saw at the Boalsburg Memorial Day Re-enactment!

Greens Reminder:

Although I wash greens here at the farm, that is purely to hydrocool them and to remove field dirt. They may still include some dirt/bugs etc.
If you don’t already have one, go and buy a nice salad spinner NOW! All greens should be washed and spun before using.

Also, any greens that you may get bunched, instead of bagged, such as large chinese cabbage, swiss chard etc. should be placed into a plastic bag in fridge as soon as you get home. laying greens loosely in the fridge without a bag causes rapid wilting.

CSA veggies so far include:

Garlic greens - yum! A rare chance to try these. Next in line are the actual garlic scapes! Garlic greens are delicious chopped in salads, stir-fries, fritatas - anywhere you would use garlic. don't use the greens all the way to the leafy tips,as they can become a little fibrous. The stalks are a delicious garlic crunch!

Beet Greens - these are the thinnings of our beet planting. beautiful, nutritious greens, with miniature beets attached. Just scrub, remove the hairy roots, and chop raw into salads for beautiful color. Don't add too many leaves though, as they can be over powering. Greens can also be chopped and steamed/cooked down.

Chinese Cabbage: Michihili - A popular variety with a sweet, mild flavor.

I had never grown these before, but these beauties grew quickly and will be delicious in a stir-fry. Please ignore the holes in the outer leaves, something else must have found them tasty too! I’d use the outer leaves in stir-fries – and the pretty inner ones in salads.

Chinese Cabbage Salad

4 cups thinly chopped Chinese cabbage


¾ cups diced radish


1 ¼ cup noodles (Asian, old pasta, crispy chow mein, whatever)


1 cup crushed peanuts


¼ cup toasted sesame seeds (the black ones look cool if you can get them)


2 Tablespoons rice vinegar


4 Tablespoons sesame oil


3 Tablespoons soy sauce


1 tablespoon honey


1 teaspoon dry mustard (*not essential)

Combine cabbage, radishes, noodles, peanuts, and sesame seeds in a bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients and toss with the vegetables a little at a time. Add only enough of the wet mixture to suit your taste.

Baby Rainbow Swiss Chard – these can be chopped raw and added lightly to salads, or sautéed with some olive oil, salt and heaped onto toasted sourdough bread. Hmmm.

Lettuce - not baby lettuce, but teenage lettuce….Make lots of salads! We’ve been making lots of “chopped” salads, and enjoying adding all the other greens and herbs. Garlic scapes and greens are great crunchy bits to add.

Our favorite dressing - continues to be extra virgin olive oil and Tait farm raspberry Shrub, both just lightly drizzed over the top, along with a shake of salt and pepper. We’ve got a lot of greens coming along, so make sure you’ve got it all used up before next weeks bag shows up.

Spinach – wonderful raw addition to salads, or chop and add to lasagna or other pasta dishes. Talk about packed with vitamins!

Cilantro/Parsely – please keep these stored in a plastic bag when in fridge to keep them from wilting.Sometimes you’ll get bunches of parsley from me rubberbanded together, sometimes they’ll be in a bag; it all depends on the length of the stem.

Rhubarb – again, please store this in a plastic bag in the fridge. Although we don’t raise strawberries, rhubarb and strawberries are a perfect combination.

To freeze rhubarb, wash and cut into 1" pieces. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add rhubarb to water for 1 minute. Pour into colander to drain. Then soak in ice water in sink until cool. Place in freezer bags, being sure to remove excess air. Freeze for up to one year.

Rhubarb Crisp / Crunch


1 cup flour


1/2 cup melted butter


1 1/4 cup uncooked oats


3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed


1 tsp. cinnamon


1 dash to 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (freshly ground is best)


5 cup of rhubarb or other tart fruit (apples, gooseberries, or combination)


1 cup sugar


1 cup water


2 Tbsp. cornstarch


1 Tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix first six ingredients together in a bowl.

Press half of mixture into a greased 8" x 8" baking dish.

Cover with fruit. Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan and heat until thickened. Pour over fruit.

Bake for one hour.

Rhubarb Muffins

1 ½ cups flour (can use all whole wheat)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

combine thoroughly

1 cup buttermilk, sour milk or plain yogurt

¾ cup brown sugar

½ cup canola oil

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix these well in separate bowl. Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened. Don’t overmix.

Stir in:

1 ½ cups diced rhubarb

Optional: 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full.

Combine ingredients below and sprinkle on top of batter in muffina tins.¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon flour

Bake in preheated oven at 375 F until toothpick inserted comes out clean. – about 20 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on wire racks.

Yields 1 dozen.

From “Simply in Season” Cookbook.