The Worm's Voice: Red Wiggler's CSA Newsletter
NOTES FROM THE FARM
We Need to Talk About Garlic
Garlic is making its CSA debut this week (yay!). We’re low-key famous (as the kids would say) for our garlic, so I thought I’d say a few words before the roll out.
Returning CSA members might notice a little difference between the garlic of past years and this year’s crop. Bad weather and wet conditions in parts of the Midwest caused localized crop losses for seed garlic producers, which led to shortages for many distributors.
Our distributor had a shortage of our typical garlic variety, Music, so we had to shift to a similar variety called German White. Both varieties are porcelain hardneck types with excellent storage life. Music and German White are two of the most popular garlic varieties for home gardeners and small farmers like us.
You’ll notice that the head size of the German White is smaller than Music, but the cloves are also smaller too, which some might find advantageous (the Music cloves are sometimes so big that one is even too much for a recipe!). The biggest difference one might find is the taste. Both have a potent garlic flavor, but some find Music to be smoother and German White to be sharper. However, the sharpness of German White should mellow and sweeten with cooking, as is usually the case with garlic.
As with every aspect of the CSA, we want to know your thoughts! Please give us feedback on the flavor, size, and quality of this season’s garlic. Who knows? We might have found a new favorite!
German White
Music
Dew Tell: Relative Humidity vs. Dewpoint
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it has been downright drippy this past week! The air has felt so heavy and sticky, even on days when the number on the thermometer seems like it shouldn’t be that bad. This is because of humidity–the amount of water vapor present in the air. Humidity is often measured in one of two ways: relative humidity and dew point.
Relative humidity is commonly what you see in weather forecasts. It tells you how close the air is to being saturated at its current temperature. So, if it’s 84 degrees and 59% humidity outside, it means that the air is 59% saturated with moisture at 84 degrees. Dew point, on the other hand, is a direct measure of the moisture in the air. Specifically, it’s the temperature to which the air would have to cool before becoming saturated and producing dew. If that same 84 degree day has a 69 degree dew point, it means the temperature would only have to drop by 15 degrees for the air to be fully saturated with moisture. Since hotter air can hold more moisture, a day with high temps and low relative humidity can still feel really muggy because that hotter air has more capacity to hold moisture than cooler air. This is represented (through a complex calculation) in the dew point, which measures the actual amount of moisture in the air. The higher the dew point, the less perspiration evaporates off your skin (since the air has less capacity to hold it), and the hotter you feel.
At this time of year, dew points often hang out in the 60-70 degree range–spiking up to 75-80 during dangerous heat waves–giving us our classic, humid Mid-Atlantic summer. Low dew points are why folks out West can be outside comfortably on a 100 degree day. High dew points are why us Easterners often can’t! Bottom line, if you want to know how hot and sticky you’re going to feel (and how careful you need to be) when you go outside this summer, check the dew point.
IN THE SHARE
- Squash/Cukes
- Nightshades Choice
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Tomatoes
- Garlic!
PICK-YOUR-OWN
PICK-YOUR-OWN AVAILABILITY
Look for the BLUE flags on items ready to pick!
RED
Marigolds, Cilantro Flowers, Sunflowers, Lovage, Oregano, Chives, Lavender, Russian Sage, Thyme, Blanket Flowers, Bee Balm, Zinnias, Peppermint, Spearmint, Tarragon, Nicotiana, Tithonia, Zinnias
ORANGE
Lamb’s Ear, Pincushions, Snapdragons, Sunflowers, Shiso, Statice, Basil, Lemon Basil, Thai Basil, Tulsi Basil, Nigella, Ground Cherries
PINK
Zinnias, Cosmos, Strawflowers, Marigolds, Gomphrena, Sunflowers, Dill Flowers, Celosia
YELLOW
Nicotiana, Calendula, Lemon Balm, Bee Balm, Sage, Tithonia, Marigolds, Yarrow
PURPLE
Heliopsis, Anise Hyssop, Fennel, Coreopsis, Rudbeckia
Need help or ideas? Just ask a RWCF Staff member or volunteer. We’re here for you!
RECIPES
VEG – Vegetarian DF – Dairy Free GF – Gluten Free
QUICK PICKLES GF DF Veg
Reed and Cece made these super easy and delicious pickles from the Recipe Index as a team snack this week. I had forgotten how tasty they were! They have a bit of a bite, but you can always leave out the hot pepper if you prefer a milder flavor.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced (about ½ pound)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1 hot pepper, roughly chopped
- 2 medium cloves garlic, roughly sliced
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons whole yellow mustard seed
- 2 sprigs fresh dill
DIRECTIONS
- Place cucumber slices in a bowl that just fits them.
- Heat water, vinegar, salt, sugar, hot peppers, garlic, black peppercorns, mustard seed, and dill in a saucepan over high heat until salt has dissolved and mixture is simmering.
- Immediately pour brine over cucumbers.
- Place a small plate on top of the bowl so that it presses against the surface of the liquid to keep cucumbers submerged. Let cucumbers sit submerged in brine at least 30 minutes before serving (do not drain brine).
- Pickles can be eaten immediately, or stored in their brine in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a month.
CREAMY EGGPLANT AND CARMELIZED ONION DIP VEG GF
If you haven’t noticed, I am pushing eggplant this season. Long-time members may remember past eggplant shortages. But not this year–we’ve got eggplant coming out of our ears! I know it’s not everyone’s favorite, so I won’t MAKE you take it, but I will try and entice you will lots of tasty recipes!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
- 2 cups diced onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (optional)
- Pita or crudities for serving
DIRECTIONS
- Sprinkle the eggplant with salt on both sides and place in a colander in the sink to drain.
- After about 10 minutes, lightly rinse with water, then press dry between two towels.
- Preheat oven to broil and position a rack at the top of the oven. Arrange eggplant rounds on a baking sheet drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.
- Roast for 5-7 minutes, turning once or twice until eggplant is softened and golden brown. Remove from pan and let cool to the touch.
- While eggplant is roasting, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2-3 Tbsp olive oil. Add onion and stir often until caramelized (turn heat to low if browning too quickly). Add minced garlic in the last few minutes so it doesn’t burn. Set aside.
- Peel away the skin of the eggplant and add flesh to a mixing bowl. Add onion-garlic mixture and mash with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To make the dip extra creamy, add 1/4 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream, and stir once more.
- Serve immediately with pita or crudities. Best when eaten fresh, but will keep in the fridge covered for a couple days.