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CSA #37


Dear CSA-ers,

This week’s preassembled bag will contain Spring Mix, Beets, Bok Choy, Swiss Chard, Radishes, Chives and Parsley. For those of you placing custom orders, you may do so between now and Tuesday evening on the website at: http://magneyfarm.locallygrown.net/market

It is our intention to have CSA this week as things for the farm and the farm team have seemingly calmed down a little. We apologize for the inconvenience of last week, but we appreciate your understanding in granting us some grace to get through a difficult time. Last night’s fierce winds had us concerned about new catastrophe, though all the chicken tractors remained stable, and we suffered no other apparent damage. Nevertheless 50 MPH winds have taken all but the most stubborn leaves from our trees and the farm is beginning to look like its winter-self.

That said there are still great vegetables to be harvested and we are excited to be bringing them to you. Root vegetables and greens are staying strong in their outdoor plantings. Recall that there is to be no CSA the week of Thanksgiving, so if there are vegetables or eggs you want for any sort of Thanksgiving meal, this week is your chance to order those.

This week’s featured vegetable is the “Bok Choy.” Bok Choy is a nutritious vegetable in the mustard family that is celebrated for its large crispy petioles. Botanically the “petiole” is the stem that connects the leaf to the rest of the plant. Likewise, the whole plant is edible. Chopped up raw in salads, slices of bok choy are crisp like celery but without so much stringiness or aftertaste. Bok choy makes a good addition to soups or can even be cooked southern style like mustard greens.

However, in true Asian culinary style, Bok Choy excels in stir-fries. Chop everything you want in your stir fry to approximately the same size. Use a light oil (sunflower oil works very well) with high heat. Add the chopped ingredients in accordance with the time they need to be cooked fully, typically; meats first, then mushrooms, then dense vegetables (like carrots), then more delicate vegetables (bok choy petioles), and at the very end leafy greens (bok choy leaves). Stir-fries are often seasoned near the end of cooking with a bit of soy sauce and sesame oil. Alternatively, an oil-based salad dressing can be used as both stir-fry marinade and seasoning; some of the Asian style dressings like Annie’s Shiitake Ginger or Makoto Ginger Dressing work very well for this. Stir fry can be served over rice or noodles to good effect.

Bok Choy Stir Fry
Ingredients
sauce:
• 1 ½ tablespoons tamari
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice, plus extra lime slices for serving
• ½ teaspoon honey (or maple syrup if vegan)
• ½ teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
for the stir fry:
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil (or any high-heat oil)
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced
• ½ small head broccoli, florets chopped, stems peeled into strips
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 2 baby bok choy, sliced vertically into quarters
• ½ cup edamame
• 1 carrot, peeled into thin strips
• 4 ounces brown rice pasta *(see note)
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• sambal or sriracha, for serving
Instructions
1. Make the sauce by stirring together the tamari, rice vinegar, lime juice, honey, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. Set aside.
2. In a pot of salted boiling water, cook the noodles according to the package directions until al dente. Drain, rinse and set aside (or leave them in cold water or toss with a little oil to prevent clumping).
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shiitake mushrooms and broccoli, stir to coat then let cook 1 to 2 minutes until the mushrooms begin to soften and the broccoli begins to brown. Give the pan a good shake and stir, then add the scallions, bok choy, and edamame. Cook, stirring occasionally for another 2 minutes, until the bok choy and broccoli are tender but still vibrant.
4. Add the carrots and noodles and toss. Add the sauce, toss again. Add a squeeze of lime. Taste and adjust seasonings. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with extra lime slices and sambal or sriracha on the side.

As always, we thank you for your support of our farm. This year has been full of difficulties and hardships. We hope that it will make all of us stronger, more empathetic, and more resilient human beings. We are so grateful to be part of this community.

Sincerely,
The Magney Legacy Ridge Farm Team