April 29th Whole Farm CSA

Full Share: Spinach, Kale, Broccolini, Lovage, Red Long Tropea, And Choice of Two Micros!

Half Share: Kale, Broccolini, Lovage, Red Tropea, And Choice of one Micro!

In the GVB fields this thursday and friday, we’ll be transplanting rainbow chard, collards, kale, and broccolini. The bunching green patch will look like this in no time!

Also this week at the Farm! On the Rocky Creek side of the farm we got a fresh wave of baby chicks to look after. The little birds are full of energy, which is always good to see during these colder days we’ve been having. For the first week we have the chicks, we try to keep them in an environment of 95 degrees F. Every week after we can bring them down 5 degrees until they reach room temp, and are safe to put out into the fields. Our first wave of chickens have sized up well, and getting pretty close to being strong enough to handle Montana's dramatic weather.

The new chicks are all Freedom Ranger Broilers. FRB’s are a breed of chickens selectively raised for meat production on pasture. It’s amazing to see how quickly they can grow, especially when compared to our laying breeds. It fits with their size, but I'm also always surprised by how much food those little guys can go through.

For this weeks CSA members, we have our spring Lovage. Lovage, Levisticum officiale, is a perennial herb closely related to Celery. It is one of the first things to start thriving in the early Spring

I recommend a Lovage Garlic Aioli Sauce. This sauce is great on grilled steak, potatoes, fried fish, vegetables, and pretty much anything else you can think of.

Instructions: Lovage Garlic Aioli Sauce

  • Bring a pot of water to a boil large enough to accommodate the herbs, Cook the lovage for a few seconds or until just wilted, then remove to cold water, squeeze dry, chop roughly and reserve.

  • Add the herbs directly to the blender.

  • Add the egg yolk, herbs water, salt, lemon juice, garlic, and any optional ingredients like hot chilis and ginger to the blender.

  • Working slowly, carefully drizzle in the oil in a thin, steady stream. Once the blades get moving and the mixture starts to puree you can add the oil in a thicker stream.

  • Don't over blend the mixture by pouring the oil too slow. You want an even, steady stream here. If the aioli gets warm in the blender you'll lose the bright green color.

  • When all the oil has been added the sauce should be thickened, but still pourable. If you want a thicker aioli to use a dip you can add up to half a cup of additional oil.

  • Transfer the sauce to a mason jar or other container, using a flexible spatula to get out as much as possible. Put a lid on the jar and refrigerate.

  • For extra credit and to keep the color bright, put the jar of sauce in a bowl of ice water for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until cold before refrigerating.

An additional suggestion came today from a WFCSA member and lovage enthusiast! Lovage Butter while lovage is in season: Quickly blanche, dry, and chop some lovage. Add to a whipped butter and split into 1oz portions or an ice cube tray, and freeze. This is lovely on shellfish among other things.

Jacy Rothschiller