Week #3 - 2014 FFF CSA - What's in the Box - Herb-alicious

What a week of wild weather! Wind, rain, heat and then cold... our poor plants (and animals) don't know what season it is! So far we've been managing with no major losses but it would be helpful to get some consistently warm and drier weather pattern. 

Each week you've been given a bundle of various herbs in your CSA box.  For some these are familiar items that you use every day, for others you may be less aware of each herb and what you can use them for. This week, I thought I would spend some time identifying each herb that you might find in the box and some its potential usage.

Basil:

Basil comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, we will have a few varieties but the ones that you are getting right now and is the most popular is the Genovese Basil.
Basil has a wonderful aroma and is very versatile. Throw it in pasta sauce, chop it with garlic, nuts and olive oil for a quick pesto, and of course you will need it to make wonderful salsas when our tomatoes begin to ripen.


Oregano:


This leafy friend can be thrown into anything Italian. You will likely be familiar with the dried variety as it is commonly called for in many recipes. However, you can't compare the zip and zest you get from using fresh oregano with the dried variety!


Cilantro: 

Cilantro and Coriander are actually the same plant. Eat the leaf as you will find in your CSA box right now and its Cilantro, while later when it goes to seed, those little
pods when ground up make the spice called coriander. Both are yummy! I find you either love cilantro or hate it. If you enjoy the taste, there isn't much you can't add it to. We throw it in salad, salsas, tacos, pasta sauces, soups, you name it. You don't need a lot as it is quite intense however, if you really enjoy the flavor... a lot won't ruin a dish either! Cilantro is difficult to grow. It goes from a small undersized plant to a large plant that has bolted and flowered overnight. It dislikes the heat and is generally finicky. 

Parsley:

We have tucked both the curled version as well as the flat Italian into your boxes lately. Parsley is well known and in my opinion wasted as a garnish! It again is often called for in recipes and can be added to almost all dishes to add flavour, colour and zest. Parsley is very good for you, delivering a significant dose of Vitamins K and C - amongst others. Parsley also is very easy to grow both inside and out. A small pot on your window sill will provide parsley all year round for your table.


Chives:

Chives are essentially small edible onions. They have beautiful flowers making them a great perennial to add to your flower bed which has the fringe benefit of provide tasty leaves (long hollow tubes) that you can add to many dishes. Cut some into your salads, soups, garnish that baked potato with a few bits of chives, or eat as my children do... plain from the garden. The plant will endure quite a bit of pruning of leaves and still grow quite well. 

A little later in the year we will tuck in some rosemary and sage... these are so pretty in the garden, I hate to pick them! The sage flower is really quite lovely and the rosemary plant provides such wonderful texture to your garden. Add to that, they taste wonderful! 

So... What's in the Box this week?

• Swiss Chard
• Zucchini - for full shares only this week. (new)
• Lettuce
• Beets 
• Broccoli (new)
• Turnip
• Rhubarb
• Kale
• Peas (new)
• Basil, Oregano, Chives, Cilantro, Parsley

We pick the vegetables within 24 hours of the box being delivered. We do rinse the produce but it would be prudent to wash all vegetables when you get them home. Keeping the herbs (ends) in a cup of clean water will keep them fresh longer.

Please return your empty box along with all re-usable containers (ice cream pails, plastic containers, etc) so that we can reuse them all over again. 

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