Week 3
I am not sure that the weather fairy knows it is summer. I thought we were on the same page for a couple days last week when we were able to weed like mad, eat lunch under the apple trees and end our days tired and dusty while grilling up chicken wings and eating a cold noodle salad. Next thing I know I am changing into dry clothes at lunch and wishing we had remembered to grab the propane tank from the house so we could wrap our cold fingers around a hot cup of tea. Please, weather fairy send us more summer days so I can put away my down vest for at least a month!
The boxes look good today. Happy cooking and good eating to all of you. Since June is unpredictable, here is a recipe for cold spring days and one for warm summer days below. Both highlight cabbage, an often underrated vegetable. Fresh cabbage can be surprisingly delicious.
Bok Choy - We love bok choy and we want you to as well. They can get a little stringy but I think we successfully harvested you all nice tender ones. The easiest thing to do is to stir fry them. Put the choy on its side and cut off the bottom. You can then easily separate the leaves and wash them. The stems take a little longer to cook than the leaves. We also eat it raw. You will see bok choy again in the fall. We take a break from growing it in the summer.
Green Cabbage
Carrots
Scallions
Snap Peas
Cucumber - We grow these in an unheated greenhouse to get them early. Field cukes should start picking in a couple weeks.
Strawberries - Small Share Only
Salad Mix - Large Share Only
Broccoli - Large Share Only
Slow Cooked Cabbage in Gobs of Butter
After reading this recipe it will come to no surprise to you that Kelly and I sometimes grow out of our summer pants in the winter
Small shares have a about a one and a third pound cabbage and large shares have a little over a two pound cabbage.
For every pound of cabbage melt three tablespoons of butter over low heat in a heavy bottomed pan. Add some sliced onion if you have it and your cabbage which should be quartered, cored and cut into 1 inch strips. Cook partially covered for two hours stirring occasionally. Your cabbage was just harvested and will be much juicier than one you would buy in a store. I sometimes remove the cover completely for a short period to let a bit of liquid evaporate. By the end of the two hours the cabbage should be lightly caramelized and melt in your mouth.
Massaged Cabbage Salad
Massaged salads seem to be all the rage in our farmer circle. The usually include cabbage or kale and sometimes both.
Cut the cabbage in half, cut out the core and thinly slice. If you have some kale feel free to mix a bit of that in to, just remove the stems before your slice it.
Put the greens in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Gently massage the salt into the cabbage until the cabbage has softened and released some of its juices.
Let rest for 15 minutes then drain off and extra liquid. Make a little dressing with some lemon juice, olive oil and a little dijon. If Kelly was making it he would add some maple syrup or honey to sweeten it a bit. Add some shredded carrots or chopped parsley for a little color, a handful of raisons for additional sweetness if you would like, toss and serve.
See you later.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Week 2
I was telling a customer on Saturday how even though Kelly and I spend every day in the garden we are frequently amazed by something we didn't see coming. Sometimes it is a nice surprise and sometimes it makes you want to go home and go back to bed. Today's surprise was small but delightful. After checking for several days in a row last week and then giving up I finally spotted my first peas on a new variety of snow pea we are growing. They have a stunning purple flower (all the other peas we grow have white flowers) and a bright yellow pea that really stands out against the green leaves. I hope this pea tastes as good as it looks. The peas are very small at the moment but the plants are covered with them. We should all be eating some in a couple weeks. It is always nice to have something to look forward too.
We hope you enjoyed your first box of veggies. We ate garlic scapes at least three times in the past week. We try to eat them as much as possible during their short two week season. We also had some sautéed kale with polenta and poached eggs for dinner a couple nights ago. We were pleased that the kale still has a mild spring flavor. Hopefully you found it as delicious as we did.
Today's Veggies
Lettuce
Summer Turnips aka Tokyo Turnips - When you see these you might think we are giving you radishes again but they are a bit different. Don't think you like turnips? Chances are you will like these. They are sweet and tender. You can cook them but we recommend you try them raw first. We think they taste best that way although many people enjoy them cooked as well. The greens are delicious too.
Carrots
Beets - People tend to love them or hate them. If you think you hate them but haven't had them since your mother served them out of a can please give them another try. There are some cooking suggestions below.
New Potatoes - This is our first dig of the season. The variety is purple viking. It has a purple skin with pink stripes and a white flesh. It is the most unusual potato we have ever seen. New potatoes have a very thin skin that can be rubbed off with your thumb. They will not keep the way a mature potato would. You should eat them this week.
Snap Peas - They have a string but the pod is edible.
Strawberries - Today will be the first picking. There might not be many, there is a good chance you will be able to eat them all before you even get home. Hopefully the rain didn't get them too dirty.
Garlic Scapes
Cauliflower - Large Share only
Spinach - Large Share only
Cooking Beets
Beets take quite a while to cook. We like to cook a bunch and then store them in the fridge. They are great tossed in a salad. Because they take a while to cook I often forget about them until the pot boils over or runs out of water. Since I am so easily distracted I like to cook them in the oven. I toss them with oil, a little salt, wrap in foil and pop in a 375 to 400 degree oven until tender. If they are small this might take 30 minutes. Larger beets will take up to an hour. Once they are cool I slip the skins off in a bowl that I set in the sink. Kelly's favorite way to cook beets is to mix them with carrots and roast them. In the fall we often include other veggies but this time of year it is usually just beets and carrots.
Roast Beets and Carrots
Carrots
Beets
Olive Oil
Garlic Scapes or Garlic
Salt and Pepper
Heat your oven to 400 degrees
Wash your beets and carrots. Cut them up so they are about the same size - around one inch pieces/wedges. You don't need to peel your carrots and if the beets are small there is no need to peel them either. We do half carrots and half beets.
Toss them with oil, salt, pepper and and spread them out on a cookie sheet. You don't want them to crowded or they won't caramelize.
Cook for about a half an hour. Take them out of the oven and add some chopped garlic scapes. Mix with a spatula and pop back in the oven until tender and brown on the edges. If they start to brown before they seem to be getting tender you can put a little foil over them.
Once they are done you can eat them as is or toss them with some fresh parsley or thyme. They are also delicious tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette and topped with a bit of goat cheese or feta.
See you later.
I was telling a customer on Saturday how even though Kelly and I spend every day in the garden we are frequently amazed by something we didn't see coming. Sometimes it is a nice surprise and sometimes it makes you want to go home and go back to bed. Today's surprise was small but delightful. After checking for several days in a row last week and then giving up I finally spotted my first peas on a new variety of snow pea we are growing. They have a stunning purple flower (all the other peas we grow have white flowers) and a bright yellow pea that really stands out against the green leaves. I hope this pea tastes as good as it looks. The peas are very small at the moment but the plants are covered with them. We should all be eating some in a couple weeks. It is always nice to have something to look forward too.
We hope you enjoyed your first box of veggies. We ate garlic scapes at least three times in the past week. We try to eat them as much as possible during their short two week season. We also had some sautéed kale with polenta and poached eggs for dinner a couple nights ago. We were pleased that the kale still has a mild spring flavor. Hopefully you found it as delicious as we did.
Today's Veggies
Lettuce
Summer Turnips aka Tokyo Turnips - When you see these you might think we are giving you radishes again but they are a bit different. Don't think you like turnips? Chances are you will like these. They are sweet and tender. You can cook them but we recommend you try them raw first. We think they taste best that way although many people enjoy them cooked as well. The greens are delicious too.
Carrots
Beets - People tend to love them or hate them. If you think you hate them but haven't had them since your mother served them out of a can please give them another try. There are some cooking suggestions below.
New Potatoes - This is our first dig of the season. The variety is purple viking. It has a purple skin with pink stripes and a white flesh. It is the most unusual potato we have ever seen. New potatoes have a very thin skin that can be rubbed off with your thumb. They will not keep the way a mature potato would. You should eat them this week.
Snap Peas - They have a string but the pod is edible.
Strawberries - Today will be the first picking. There might not be many, there is a good chance you will be able to eat them all before you even get home. Hopefully the rain didn't get them too dirty.
Garlic Scapes
Cauliflower - Large Share only
Spinach - Large Share only
Cooking Beets
Beets take quite a while to cook. We like to cook a bunch and then store them in the fridge. They are great tossed in a salad. Because they take a while to cook I often forget about them until the pot boils over or runs out of water. Since I am so easily distracted I like to cook them in the oven. I toss them with oil, a little salt, wrap in foil and pop in a 375 to 400 degree oven until tender. If they are small this might take 30 minutes. Larger beets will take up to an hour. Once they are cool I slip the skins off in a bowl that I set in the sink. Kelly's favorite way to cook beets is to mix them with carrots and roast them. In the fall we often include other veggies but this time of year it is usually just beets and carrots.
Roast Beets and Carrots
Carrots
Beets
Olive Oil
Garlic Scapes or Garlic
Salt and Pepper
Heat your oven to 400 degrees
Wash your beets and carrots. Cut them up so they are about the same size - around one inch pieces/wedges. You don't need to peel your carrots and if the beets are small there is no need to peel them either. We do half carrots and half beets.
Toss them with oil, salt, pepper and and spread them out on a cookie sheet. You don't want them to crowded or they won't caramelize.
Cook for about a half an hour. Take them out of the oven and add some chopped garlic scapes. Mix with a spatula and pop back in the oven until tender and brown on the edges. If they start to brown before they seem to be getting tender you can put a little foil over them.
Once they are done you can eat them as is or toss them with some fresh parsley or thyme. They are also delicious tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette and topped with a bit of goat cheese or feta.
See you later.
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