The sun has finally decided to come out for more than two days in a row and it is truly glorious out at our little farm.

The gray, damp spring made planting hard but we somehow stayed on schedule through it all (I think our kick ass new hires may have had something to do with it), kept things well weeded, and just completed the first harvests of the season (spinach and arugula). Those spring goodies will be tilled into the ground later this week, late summer carrots planted in their place.

Yes, yes, the crazy cycle of summer has begun. Plant, weed, harvest, sell, rework the soil, plant the next round of veggies. We’re not just planting anymore. We’re managing four acres intensively with a wide variety of tasks every single day.

And for the first time ever, it feels like we have some pretty robust systems to stay on top of it all. We’ve always had systems and tried to stay organized, but it has always been a struggle to find a comprehensive way to keep track of all the moving parts inherent in CSA vegetable production.

Now, we have a purple binder filled with field maps, record keeping spreadsheets, and a weekly “docket” that my Carrot and I create together every Sunday. Our Google spreadsheets flow into that weekly docket. We’re rocking our Asana game, assigning each other tasks every week and coordinating schedules accordingly.

Late May and early June are always a totally wild ride, but it’s the sanest we’ve ever felt this time of year. The workload is massive but it’s feeling largely manageable and we’ve even taken some evenings and weekend days off which is honestly unheard of in the springs of our past.

The CSA begins this Wednesday and since we’re pretty on top of our field work, we’ll be racing to get the pack shed tidied and arranged for a washing and packing flow (as opposed to a construction zone) for that first big CSA harvest on Tuesday. In the spirit of that first CSA box, I want to share a beautiful spring recipe inspired by a couple of the goodies we’ll be giving our members (green garlic and radishes!).

I hope you enjoy this lovely little weeknight meal that relies heavily on two of my favorite kitchen gadgets: the crock pot and the food processor. It’s spicy, herbaceous, bright, and comforting; everything I love about these simple spring meals.

In gratitude of this sunshine,
Your Leek

SPICY PORK TACOS WITH SCALLION GREEN GARLIC CHIMICHURRI & RADISHES

Serves 4-6
Takes 15 minutes

2-3 pounds pork shoulder, bone-in or out are both fine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12-ounce lager of your choice (does not need to be fancy; I usually keep a bunch of Miller Lite around for this purpose)
2 teaspoons favorite chili powder (the spicier the better)
3 green garlic, white and pale green parts only, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil
Tortillas
3-4 radishes, julienned
1-2 ounces microgreens, optional
1-2 avocados, optional

1. Season pork shoulder well with salt and pepper. Place in crock pot. Pour beer into crock pot and cover. Turn on low for 8 hours (longer is fine) or high for 4 hours.
2. When you get home, remove the meat from the crock pot and allow it to cool while you make the chimichurri.
3. Combine green garlic, scallions, vinegar, honey, red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt in food processor. Process until combined and finely chopped. Drizzle in olive oil with processor running until smooth.
4. Shred the pork, toss it with chili powder and serve on tortillas with chimichurri and julienned radishes as well as microgreens or avocado if using.