When you look across the farm at the pastures, they can look like a monolith of grass. The few rocks and trees that dot the landscape become landmarks to which we venture, observing the pasture and more along the way. Teddy and I stopped at the rocks and stumps for a few rounds of “butter beer” while running through the fields. The pasture is definitely growing more slowly and differently this year due to the lack of rain.
We are wrapping up a lot of our winter projects this week: finishing the plastic on the tunnels, cleaning the squash bins, and more. With the unfortunate heat wave that is coming, we are covering two of the tunnels with shade to keep the temperatures inside much cooler so that the crops do not bolt!
This Week’s Pick List:
Eggs
Rhonda Beets
Cortland Yellow and Monastrell Red Onions, Matador Shallots
Kossack Kohlrabi
Purple Top Turnips
Bora King and Cheong Du Radish
Watermelon Radish
Balena Celeriac
Hablinge Parsnips
Joan Rutabaga
Finale Fennel
Green Garlic
Dazzling Blue Kale
Champion Collards
Ruby Red Chard
Mei Qing Choi
Treviso, Castelfranco, and Rosalba Radicchio
Parsley
Regiment Spinach
Esmee Arugula
Mustard Greens
Lettuce Mix
Tea Blends (We will offer a bag of tea each week!)
Saltonstall Olive Oil
Revolution Bread (Eli is away this week but we will have his frozen bread for sale.)
Roasted Onion Salad with Arugula and Walnut Salsa, from food52.com
For the salad:
4 medium red onions
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup arugula
1/2 cup parsley leaves
2 ounces soft goat cheese, broken into 1/2- to 1-inch chunks
Flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper
For the walnut salsa:
2/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 pinch red chile
1 clove garlic, minced (you could substitute chopped green garlic as well)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt
Preheat the oven to 425° F. Peel the onions and remove their tops and tails. Slice each one crosswise into 3 slices, about 3/4 inch thick, and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (You can skip the parchment, but you'll spend more time cleaning.) Drizzle the slices with olive oil and smoosh the oil around with your (clean) hands to coat evenly. (You can also use a pastry brush; I don't own one.) Sprinkle with a big pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Roast for 40 minutes, until the onions begin to brown and caramelize, and are soft but not totally slouchy. (If you want more color out of them, stick them under the broiler for a minute or two.) Set them aside to cool just a bit.
While the onions cook, combine all of the salsa ingredients in a small bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon salt, stir, and set aside.
To serve, put the arugula and parsley in a large bowl. Toss with about half the salsa, then nestle in the onion slices, dollop on the cheese, and top with the rest of the salsa. Serve.