Strawberries: These gorgeous fruits should be eaten soon as we pick them ripe, but to store, leave in little green basket inside of paper bag in fridge and wash only before consuming.  Please return the baskets to your delivery site so they can be reused.  Enjoy! Flowering Chives OR Chives:  You may receive chives this week with edible blossoms.  These pretty little blooms pair nicely with pasta, shrimp, fish, eggs, or atop a fresh salad.  They are sweet and mild at first taste, with a stronger onion flavor to follow.  Keep in a plastic bag in fridge and rinse lightly before using.  You can cut the blossoms from the greens for better storage, and both should be used rather quickly.  Remember:  fresh herbs are tender and heat will destroy their flavor;  they should be added toward the end of the cooking time or sprinkled over the top of a dish just before serving.  Enjoy!

Italian Flat Leaf Parsley: The beautifully clean, crisp flavor adds depth to many a dish!  Store in a plastic bag in the fridge and use rather quickly.

Lemons:  These juicy dreams add a great touch to many a dish and salad.   They are  from Twin Girls Farm near Fresno and are QAI certified organic.  Store in fridge.

Mixed Lettuce:  Enjoy this new crop of fresh greens for salads & sandwiches!  It is a young and tender mix of curly, red leaf and romaine lettuces.  Store in plastic bag in fridge and wash well before consuming.

Sugar Snap Peas: A sure sign of Spring, these protein-packed goodies are super tasty raw or cooked.  First remove the stem, then peel down the string and eat both the pea and the pod. Store in plastic bag in fridge. Eat soon for best flavor!

Fava Beans:  Our fava crop became home to lots of black aphids (they are still function as a great cover crop helping to increase our soil fertility so not a total loss!), so the lovely beans in your box this week are from our friends at Riverdog Farm in Guinda and are certified organic. They are wonderfully tasty, but do require a little work.  To eat, open the pods, remove skins from the beans, and pop them out!  They are delicious on their own, but can be added to many dishes.  Store in fridge and wash before consuming.

Red Russian Kale:  This beautifully ruffled leafy-green is full of calcium and iron and will turn bright green when perfectly cooked (if it’s brown, it’s overdone).  Slice leaf from stem and store in plastic bag in fridge.  If you find any unwanted visitors on the kale, soak in a bowl with salted water and rinse.

Green Garlic: This young garlic has a milder and less bitter bite than garlic cloves and sweetens when cooked.  Can also be eaten raw!  It has flat leaves with v-shaped cross sections.  Store in fridge and use within a week.  Delicious!

Spring Onions:  Enjoy these scallions raw in salads and add to omelets, soups, curries, stir-fry, and sandwiches for a milder onion flavor.  It has hollow, round leaves.  Wash well and remove bottom quarter-inch before consuming.

Carrots: Enjoy these sweet and crunchy certified organic treats from our friends at Terra Firma Farm in Winters.  Store in plastic bag and wash well before eating.