Spring into Summer Recipes

This week’s box pays homage to the best spring ingredients—rainbow Swiss chard, ruby-red rhubarb and bright green garlic—all while looking forward to summer with colorful sweet pea blossoms and the first locally-grown strawberries of the season to enjoy with freshly-baked shortcakes and silky crème fraîche. In addition to this sweet sampling, other provisions in this bright lineup include: Jewish rye bread, fresh eggs from the henhouse and soft, spreadable sheep’s milk cheese from Harmony Fields, plus Meyer lemons and tender Little Gem lettuce greens.

Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:

Rainbow Swiss Chard with Meyer Lemon Citronette
A light, lemony dressing adds bright appeal to tender Swiss chard.

Green Garlic Salad Dressing
Flavor-packed ground mustard, vinegar and green garlic stalks mix beautifully in this easy vinaigrette; try drizzling it over this week’s Little Gem lettuce greens.

Rye Bread Toasts
This week’s loaf makes for excellent crostini to pair with creamy sheep’s milk cheese and some Meyer lemon relish.

Meyer Lemon Relish
This fresh-and-tart spread from Food & Wine is wonderful served alongside chicken, halibut or freshly-toasted rye bread.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Coffee Cake
We love this moist coffee cake morning, noon or night!

Strawberry Shortcakes with Crème Fraîche
Topped with our housemade crème fraîche and ripe strawberries, these shortcakes are moist, crumbly and just a touch sweet.

Strawberry Shortcakes with Crème Fraîche

Topped with ripe strawberries, these shortcakes are moist, crumbly and just a touch sweet.

Ingredients:
Farm & Larder shortcake mix
¾ cup heavy cream, plus 1 tablespoon
4 cups strawberries, washed, stemmed and sliced
½ cup sugar
1 cup Farm & Larder crème fraîche

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Add the shortcake mix to a large mixing bowl. Measure ¾ cup cream; set aside 1 tablespoon. Add the remaining cream to the dry mixture, and stir with a fork until the mixture just comes together.

2. Lightly knead the dough a few times in the bowl, turn it out onto a lightly floured board, and roll out about ¾-inch thick. Cut six 2½-inch circles or squares out of the dough. Reroll the scraps, you should be able to get 2 or 3 more shortcakes out of it.

3. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment, and brush the tops with the tablespoon of cream. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to slightly cool.

4. In a second bowl, mix the sliced strawberries with sugar. To assemble, split each shortcake in half and top both halves with a serving of berries. Finish with a generous dollop of honeyed crème fraîche.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Coffee Cake

We love this moist coffee cake come morning, noon or night!

Ingredients:
For filling:
3 cups sliced fresh rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 quart fresh strawberries, mashed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup sugar
⅓ cup cornstarch

For cake:
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, cut into small pieces
1½ cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For topping:
¼ cup butter
¾ cup flour
¾ cup sugar

Method:
1. In a large saucepan, combine rhubarb, strawberries and lemon juice. Cover and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes. Combine sugar and cornstarch; stir into saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt from the cake ingredient list. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat buttermilk, eggs and vanilla; stir into crumb mixture.

3. Spread half of the batter evenly into a greased 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Carefully spread filling on top. Drop remaining batter by tablespoonfuls over filling.

4. For topping, melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; stir in flour and sugar until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over batter. Place coffee cake on middle rack; bake 40-45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

Summer Solstice Recipes

The longest and lightest day of the year is upon us this week, which (hopefully!) means the days of sun-soaked afternoons, leisurely evenings and produce-filled meals on the patio are officially here. Fittingly, this week we’ve captured the tastes of early summer, from juicy strawberries and edible flowers to locally-foraged mushrooms and beautiful garden greens. Also included in this bright lineup: Cainspring Mills Expresso bread flour, buttery Castelvetrano olives and farm-fresh eggs, plus a bevy of fragrant herbs. Enjoy!

Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:

Farro, Arugula & Strawberry Salad
Bright with summery strawberries, radishes and asparagus, this salad is a real stunner.

Herb-Shallot Dressing
This flavor-packed vinaigrette is fantastic with both grains and greens.

Grilled Nebrodini Mushrooms
A fantastic side to grilled chicken, pork or steak!

Grilled Asparagus with Lemon Vinaigrette
A fresh blend of lemon juice, olive oil and garlic adds big flavor to grilled asparagus stalks.

Kale Chips
These crispy chips are wonderful for snacking!

Apple Mint Simple Syrup
This easy method is a fantastic way to use up any extra mint you may have. Once prepped, splash a dash into your next glass of lemonade, or add to a cocktail!

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