Any share changes must be submitted to lucsa@theurbancanopy.org by Monday at noon!!!
In your box this week:
- RHUBARB - RADISHES
- GREEN GARLIC - RUSSET POTATOES-
- ASPARAGUS - MUSHROOMS -
- BABY GREENS -
- COFFEE BEANS - EGGS -
WEEKLY ADD-ONS FOR YOUR BOX
Locally-sourced food and home goods to round out your CSA box! Save trips to the grocery store and get what you need delivered inside your LUCSA share.
For returning LUCSA members, we’re doing Add-Ons a little differently these days… you will access the Shop through your very own member portal! Link below…
Add-On Order form must be submitted by noon on Monday!
NOTES FROM THE FARM:
This week, we transplanted chard seedlings in some of the empty radish beds. Beets and chard belong to the same species but have been cultivated for different features. Beets and chard can tolerate cool spring evenings but don't bolt (go to seed) quickly once the days get warm, which some brassicas like radishes and mizuna do.
Once evening temperatures consistently reach 60 degrees, we will be transplanting peppers and eggplant which are members of the heat-loving solanaceous family. Our peppers and eggplant have been seeded and are waiting out the last of the cool weather in a greenhouse.
ADD-ON ITEM SPOTLIGHT:
FOCACCIA: PICKLED ASPARAGUS & FETA
Another new flavor combination for the focaccias from the processing kitchen!
Natural sourdough, hand-rolled and beautiful.
Fully cooked and amazing. Just toss it is the oven still frozen and will be crispy and ready in like 20-25 minutes.
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
If you missed a week and want to see what was in a previous share, we archive a PDF of all our previous newsletters here.
You can also use it to look at previous seasons if you are interested to see what crops are coming!
VENDOR HIGHLIGHT: River Valley Ranch
ITEM HIGHLIGHT: ASPARAGUS
Asparagus is a member of the Liliaceae family and is considered a perennial herb. Grown for it’s edible young stems, called spears, asparagus has a sweet and mildly grassy flavor and a texture that is firm at the base and tender at the tip.
Asparagus is typically a spring and summer crop with its peak happening during spring. This makes it a delicious springtime treat that pairs well with red radishes and potatoes. Look out for asparagus from Mick Klug in your next LUCSA share!
Recipe Links: ~ Asparagus and Potato Soup ~ Asparagus and Radish Salad ~ Hummus with Asparagus and Radish ~
COMPOST CLUB MEMBER REWARDS
To celebrate the newly warm weather, LUCSA is giving our Compost Club members a special treat for the next two weeks. Beginning next week, all of our LUCSA members who are also members of Compost Club will receive tortilla chips from El Molcajete Sauces and a jar of Roasted Tomato Salsa from our own Urban Canopy (UC) Processing Kitchen.
Bring your chips and salsa to a picnic to share, enjoy them lakeside, or simply crack them open in your home cooled by the AC. If you are a Compost Club member, look out for El Molcajete tortilla chips and UC salsa in your next LUCSA share!
ITEM HIGHLIGHT: RHUBARB
Rhubarb is a member of the buckwheat family. Rhubarb is botanically a vegetable, but because it is most often cooked down with sugar for pies and jams, it is thought of as a fruit and is nicknamed the pieplant. Rhubarb is the edible stalk portion of the rhubarb plant and range in color from light pink to ruby red, or even shades of yellow or green. The appearance and texture of Rhubarb is comparable to that of celery, while the flavor is tart and astringent, hence it is often cooked down with sugar to make the flavor more palatable.
Rhubarb is available in the spring through summer and early fall. Great for all your pie and jam needs. Look out for rhubarb from Seedling in your next LUCSA share!
Recipe Links: ~ Pork Belly with Gingery Rhubarb Compote ~ Strawberry-Rhubarb Tres Leches Cake ~ Straight-Up Rhubarb Pie ~
Share Contents
Refer back to this page for updated share contents and photos to help you identify produce!
Please keep in mind that share contents may vary due to market availability so contents may vary slightly from this list. Farming is never 100% predictable. We appreciate your flexibility!!!
Pro-tip: When your share arrives, immediately unpack your produce and move into proper storage containers!
ALWAYS wash produce before eating!
Remember to return your wax box, egg cartons, and pint containers during your next delivery…we re-use all of these items!
Beverage:
Coffee beans- Bridgeport Coffee (Bridgeport, Chicago, IL)
Storage Tip - Coffee beans should be stored in an air-tight and opaque container to avoid light and oxygen. Coffee beans are best used within a month of the roast date. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Backup Beverage: Wisco Pop (Madison, WI)
Storage Tip - Store in the refrigerator.
Bread:
Wednesday: Round Whole Wheat Boule FranHer Bakery (Pilsen, Chicago, IL)
Thursday: Challah (contains egg) Zeitlin’s Delicatessen (Chicago, IL)
Friday: Ciabatta Publican Quality Bread (Fulton Market, Chicago, IL) Storage Tip - Keep your bread cut side down in a bag on your counter for two to three days. At that point you will want to slice or rip/cut your bread into pieces and freeze for future toast, croutons, or panzanella! If it’s particularly hot, you may want to move it to the refrigerator after a day or two (the only time we will tell you to refrigerate bread).
Mushrooms:
Wednesday: Portabella River Valley Ranch (Burlington, WI)
Thursday: White Button River Valley Ranch (Burlington, WI)
Friday: White Button River Valley Ranch (Burlington, WI) Storage Tip - Open the paper bag to reduce moisture, and keep mushrooms out of plastic. Smoke, dehydrate, or par-cook and freeze for longer storage.
Eggs - Finn's Ranch (Buchanan, MI)
Storage Tip - You can freeze your eggs to make them last longer. Crack and scramble in a container, or crack whole into oiled muffin tins, and keep frozen for up to 6 months.
Rhubarb - Family Farm Fresh (Rockville, IN)
Storage Tip - You can keep rhubarb stalks wrapped in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few days. If you snip off the base, place it upright in a jar with an inch of water and cover the tops with a plastic bag, it will last for a week or more. Rhubarb also does really well when frozen and can store for an entire year.
Asparagus - Mick Klug Farm (St. Joseph, MI)
Storage Tip - Trim any woody ends from the stems, stand upright in an inch of water in a jar or glass, cover tips with a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator. Change the water if it starts to discolor
Baby Greens - The Urban Canopy (Auburn Gresham, Chicago, IL)
Storage Tip - Your greens will come in a green compostable bag, remove your greens from the bag and store them in a plastic container or bag with a paper towel covering them for up to a week in the fridge.
Green Garlic - The Urban Canopy (Auburn Gresham, Chicago, IL)
Storage Tip - Keep green garlic and garlic scapes in your refrigerator's crisper drawer in loose plastic or mesh bags so that air circulates around them. They should stay fresh for at least one week and up to two weeks. You can always just use green garlic and garlic scapes the same way you do regular garlic!
Radishes - The Urban Canopy (Auburn Gresham, Chicago, IL)
Storage Tip - Remove greens, keep in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper for up to a week. Keep root or stem dry in a plastic bag in the crisper for up to three weeks.
Russet Potatoes - Okray Family Farms (Plover, WI)
Storage Tip - Keep cool, dry and out of direct light, on your counter, in a cupboard or in a perforated paper bag, for a few weeks.
Substitutions
Items for those already opting out of beverage, bread, mushrooms, or eggs OR having a conflicting allergy; subject to change, even if specified. Please refer back to this newsletter throughout the week for updates!!!
Rutabaga, scallions, microgreens, ramps & celeriac
Bok Choy - Global Gardens (Chicago, IL)
Storage Tip - Store in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator - unwashed and in a perforated plastic bag - and use within a few days. When you do use it, remember that its cluster of stalks hides dirt, so wash it well.
Kale - Global Gardens (Chicago, IL)
Storage Tip - Remove from compostable green bag. Make sure greens are good and dry. You can wrap the greens in a paper or cloth towel to cut down on extra moisture. Then store in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to a week. Or keep on counter in a glass of water like a bouquet!
Cilantro - Global Gardens (Chicago, IL)
Storage Tip - Loosely wrap in a paper towel and place in an airtight container in the fridge for around 2 weeks.
Parsnips - Frillman Farms (Berrien Springs, MI)
Storage Tip - Keep in a plastic bag in the crisper for up to a few weeks.
For more recipe ideas, follow us on Instagram! Our recipe reels provide additional information on how to use produce and processing items each week!
