Dear Shareholders,

Apologies for some communication breakdown this week, we've been dealing with some untimely crises here at Hunters' Greens.

If you haven't figured it out already, Today (Wednesday, June 2) was our first delivery.  Shares at the farm will be in the coolers until Friday noon.  Shares in Vancouver will be on the porch of 112 W. 28th St. until noon Thursday.

To our Uptown Vancouver customers, we'd like to announce a change in pick up hours this year.  We will be in front of 112 W. 28th St. between 5:00 and 6:30 p.m each Wednesday.  Late shares will be on the porch as just mentioned.

TODAY'S SHARE. Your shares should include:

A few butter crunch lettuces and most shares will have one small De Morges Braun lettuce,
A quarter pound of arugula
A quarter pound of pea shoots
15 leaves of mustard greens
A pound of spinach
Ten radishes

THE SILVER LINING?  Everyone seems abhorrent at the recent spate of torrential down pours, but Jim is taking it to the bank.  The spring greens at Hunters' Greens have never been happier.  Hunters' Greens has never been greener, or should we say greenier.  There is one dark tinge to the silver lining.  We haven't had slug problems to speak of in ten years, but they too LOVE the rain.  You are certain to find them, large and small in your share.  Boo hoo, the price of eating "organically".

ARUGULA.  Arugula has a pretty strong flavor, a few leaves torn or chopped and tossed in your salad is the best way for those of us with tender palates.  Robin Coleman, a customer years ago at the farmers market told us that Capril puts it on a turkey sandwich she serves.  The mouse in Mouse Hunt toasted his sandwich on the side with cheese to melt it, but not on the arugula side, so it wouldn't wilt.

For more hearty palates, Brenda Millar contributed this recipe that include arugula and other items from your list:

SPRING RADISH SALAD:

1 bunch fresh radishes
2-3 Med sized carrots (or lots of baby carrots)
2 bunches arugula or baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
2Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Lemon wedges

Trim the radishes and slice thinly.  Peel the carrots and cut them on the diagonal into very thin slices.  Snap off tough stems from the arugula.  Gather the arugula into a bunch and cut into crosswise strips.
Arrange the arugula on a platter.  Scatter the sliced radishes and carrots over the arugula.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle with enough olive oil to lightly mosten the vegetables.  Sprinkle Parmesean over the top if desired.  Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the salad.

MUSTARD GREENS (U.S. Digital customers substitute "baby bok choy" here, you should get your chance at mustard greens next week, vice versa Hunters' Greens folk)

Raw mustard greens have a "mustardy" bite that the tender palate may experience as pain.  Diane, on the other hand, wants it in her salad.  We compromised, and Jim chopped the juicy and milder stems into the salad.

One of the favorite dishes Jim enjoyed in Chinatown of the other Vancouver as a child was mustard green soup.  Prepare a chicken or other broth, chop some ginger, garlic and green onions or chives and add to the broth, simmer some sliced pork, chicken or tofu, and float some chopped mustard greens in the broth.  Serve.

Another standby recipe for Jim is to adapt a creamed chinese cabbage recipe to mustard greens or baby bok choy:

CREAMED CHINESE CABBAGE

1 pound chinese cabbage (baby bok choy or mustard greens)
1/4 cup cold milk
1teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 slice cooked ham, chopped (or peanuts?)

Chop cabbage into 1x2 inch peices stir fry cabbage in oil for one minute.

Add sugar, salt and stock; bring to a boil. Turn to low and simmer until
tender -approx 10 minutes.

Remove cabbage with slotted spoon, bring the remaining liquid to a boil.

Stir the cornstarch into milk and pour into the boiling liquid.  Stir
until thickened.

Pour sauce over cabbage and sprinkle with ham.

From  Time-Life Chinese Cooking