Week 8

In the Bag
Beets (Early Wonder)
Radish (Easter Egg)
Broccoli (Di Cicco & Limba)
Carrots (Scarlet Nantes)
Peas (Oregon Sugarpod)
Cilantro
Basil (Sweet)
Chard (Bright Lights)
Lavender (Provence)
Strawberries (Seascape)

Today's harvest had some wonderful surprises that come with this time of year when spring becomes summer. The peas and radishes this week are the last you'll taste until fall, but with the late spring we had this year they are still mild, sweet, and crunchy. We are very excited about our first Scarlet Nantes carrots of the year, our favorite variety with the very best flavor for fresh eating. All of the lavender has begun to bloom, and can be enjoyed for its fragrance as well as for culinary uses! To preserve your lavender hang it upside down to dry, and the dried flower buds can be used to make the lavender tea cookie recipe below. This week is the first of the season that we have not put lettuce in your bags, but it will be back on next week as the last of our spring romaines and the first of our summer batavian lettuces are heading up.
Photographer Aliza Eliazarov visited our farm this spring, and you can find some of her photos of our chickens and garden on her website: www.alizaeliazarov.com

Lavender Tea Cookies
After you have allowed your fresh lavender flowers to dry, try out this recipe:

1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender flowers
1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Juice from one lemon
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Lavender Frosting (see recipe below)
Grind or finely chop lavender flowers. In a medium bowl, cream together ground lavender flowers, butter, honey, vanilla extract, and lemon. Add flour and salt; mix until combined (dough should be soft but not sticky.) Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until dough is firm.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove dough from refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough approximately 1/4-inch thick. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters and place onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks. When cool, frost with Lavender Frosting.
Makes 2 dozen cookies.
Lavender Frosting:
1 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar
2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender flowers
2 tablespoons milk
In a small plastic bag, combine powdered sugar and dried lavender flowers. Let stand at least 1 day before using. When ready to use, sift the mixture into a medium-size bowl; discarding lavender flowers.
Add milk, mixing well. NOTE: Additional powdered sugar or milk may need to be added (enough milk to make frosting easy to spread). Spread on cooled cookies.