Week 7

I think we all tend to cook food we know how to make when we are busy.  For one, it is easy and besides there is something comforting about familiar food.  However, there are finally a lot of vegetables around and while it can be difficult to find time to cook new stuff, I feel obligated to try some new things.  Loving to cook and eat is one of the things that led me to farming.  It is still a motivator and a source of satisfaction.  Alternatively, not taking time to cook new food can start to feel frustrating.  Last week I managed to try something new and get in a rut.  A little over a week ago I had a salad with raw beets in it.  To be honest, I was a little skeptical because I am not crazy about raw beets.  However, the salad was great and when I found out it was from a cookbook I own (Jerusalem), I decided to make it myself the next night when we were having company for dinner.  I made it again last night for a potluck/house warming party we went to.  The same dish, three times in a week.  The recipe is really flexible and I just used it as a guide.  I will include a link below if you are looking for something different to do with your beets.  It is almost as easy as making a dish you prepare regularly from memory.  

Lettuce

Carrots

Cauliflower - These will not be the biggest heads of cauliflower you receive from us (those come in the fall) but they are delicious.  

Beets

Green Beans

Cherry Tomato or Raspberry - your choice until we run out of one or the other

Cucumber

Green Bells - Large Only

Root Vegetable Slaw

I adapted this recipe to what I had available to me and you should feel free to do the same.  I skipped the celery root both times because it is not in season.  I used turnips one time and kohlrabi the other.  I used all the herbs the first night but only had parsley handy last night.  One night I topped it with Labneh, one night I didn't.  Each time it came out great.  Many of you have Chioggia beets in your box.  These are particularly beautiful raw with their candy cane stripes.  As a bonus they don't bleed and are easy to deal with when raw or cooked.  They are a little milder than the dark red beets.  

Week 6

I heard two tales of beet greens from farm share members this week.  One member put the sautéed beet greens on buttered toast with an egg for breakfast and the other liked them so much he came by on Saturday to see if we had more.  Hope the rest of you enjoyed them as well.  Kelly sautéed them with onions and garlic and we had them with grilled salmon and steamed potatoes tossed with butter and parsley.  Sometimes simple meals really hit the spot.

Another farm share customer came by to pick up a few things on Saturday and asked what we thought was going to be in the box.  Kelly ran down the list of likely suspects and ended with iceberg lettuce.   She laughed.  No, really, there might be iceberg lettuce in your boxes.  Those of you who don't get it tomorrow will get to try it another week.  Will it be different?  I don't know the answer to that because we haven't eaten one yet.  My refrigerator hasn't seen an iceberg lettuce since we bought our house and to be honest I am looking forward to checking it out.  I am including a recipe for carrot dressing, similar to the kind Japanese steakhouses serve, that would be great with iceberg or the napa cabbage that is in large shares or really on just about any salad.

Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbors Porch Day aka National Zucchini Day isn't until August 8th but we will be having all you can eat zucchini early this year.  Our first planting is always the biggest and if we are going to do it now is the time.  We will pick the big, the small and the mediums.  Get out your spiralizer, your loaf pan and fire up the grill.  Last year I added a recipe for turkey zucchini burgers to the blog and since then we have also started to mix zucchini with ground chicken or pork when we make pot stickers or dumplings - so good.  I know there are a lot of jokes about zucchini in the summer and a lot of people who think it is tasteless but I never tire of eating it.

Carrots
Zucchini
Cucumber
Kale
Lettuce
Green Beans 
Bunched Sweet Onions - Yum
Napa Cabbage - Large Only
Tomatoes - Kelly thinks there are enough tomatoes for everyone if we give some slicers and some cherries.  I don't believe him but I remain hopeful.

Carrot Dressing - adapted from  Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites

I use my mini chop for this because I use my mini chop for everything but a vitamix or a powerful blender might give you a smoother consistency.  The original recipe calls for a little bit of silken tofu.  I have never tried it but I bet it makes it nice and creamy.  I love this dressing and my quantities are twice what the original called for, I also add more oil and a little less ginger.   I realize that adding oil to a low-fat recipe doesn't do it any favors in the fat department but as far as dressings go it is still better than most and I think the extra oil improves the texture.   I have added miso to it on occasion as well.  If I had just a smidgen less self control I would probably drink this stuff!  It could easily be cut in half if you are uncertain if you will like it.  The recipe below dresses four good sized salads or six smaller side salads.

2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons mirin (when I don't have this I usually add a little more rice vinegar and a touch of honey)
4  tablespoons rice vinegar (also good with cider vinegar)
3  tablespoons mild tasting veggie oil.
2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
4 to 6 thin slices of ginger

Put everything in a food processor or blender and blend until it is as smooth as you can get it.

Week 20

Well, there is no mistaking what time of year it is now, is there?  Our typical wet and cold fall is in full swing.  We experienced a beautiful, mild fall and we are ready for a little rain.

We have three major tasks left on the farm along with a lot of little clean up chores.  Still on the docket are garlic, carrots and dahlias.  Yesterday we sorted through the remaining garlic.  We tossed what was rotten and then divided the rest into garlic to sell and garlic to keep for seed.  In the next week we will divide all the heads up into individual cloves and hopefully plant them the first few days of November.  They will grow very slowly at first, focusing their energy on developing roots and then will begin to grow more noticeably in February.  It will be many months before they shift from growing foliage to developing a head of garlic.

Early November is also when we start digging carrots for storage.  Up until then all the carrots are harvested with in a couple days of selling them.  We grow several successions of carrots but our fall carrot planting is our largest.  We sell 25 pound bags at the stand for our hard core carrot fans and store some for whole sale as well.  Carrots store incredibly well out of the ground.  My birthday is in early April and usually we still have carrots for carrot cake.  We have experimented with leaving them in the ground but have not had much luck.

Dahlias are the last chore.  The tubers are dug, cleaned, divided and stored for the winter.  Planting them and enjoying the flowers are the funnest part of the process.  But, dividing and thinking about how many you might have next year makes the end of year process seem a bit better.

It is hard to believe looking around in the dead of winter that this land produces so much food and is so vibrant with life and color for the better part of the year.  The land needs a bit of rest as do the people who tend it.  Hope you all find a way to enjoy the quiet dark of winter.

Alright, this is it, your last box!

Leeks
Carrots
Butternut Squash - This is not the sweetest squash we grow and that is one of the things I love about it.  It is also easy to peel and cube.  It has a small seed cavity and you get a lot of good squash meat from one squash.  I like to put the roasted squash cubes in lasagna with a cream sauce.  Like many of the things we eat in winter it is really rich.  The roasted cubes are also excellent in risotto.
Bok Choy
Choice of Root Veggie...Turnip, Parsnip or Rutabaga
Butterhead Lettuce
Romenesco - For the couple of you who skipped last week - it is too tasty and too beautiful to miss out on.
Broccoli - For those of you who had Romenesco last week
Coriander - We harvested this coriander from cilantro plants we let go to seed.  You had cilantro in your boxes out of this bed on July 2nd.  Kelly kept threatening to mow it down to prevent any weeds from going to seed but fortunately there is just not enough time in the day to do everything we want to do and the cilantro had a chance to mature and make seed.
Cilantro 
Watermelon Radish - This was our first year growing these and apparently we planted them a bit late. They should be bigger.  When you slice one you will see where they get their name.
Shallots - Large Share Only


Carrot and Corriander Soup

This soup is popular in the UK and is quick and easy to make.

Olive oil or butter
1 medium chopped onion
1 chopped garlic clove
1 pound of sliced carrots
1 tsp coriander seed- toasted then ground
1 quart veggie or chicken stock
S & P
chopped cilantro for garnish

In a dry skillet toast the coriander seed until fragrant.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool then grind.

Heat oil or butter in a pan and then add the garlic, onions, and carrots.  While the veggies are cooking grind your coriander in a pestle or grinder.  Once the veggies have softened add the coriander and salt and pepper.  Stir for a minute and then add the stock.  Cook covered until veggies are soft.  This should take 20 minutes or so depending on how thick your carrot slices are.

Puree with a blender, food processor or immersion blender until smooth.  Garnish with a generous amount of cilantro.


Bok Choy Recipe

This is our favorite way to eat Bok Choy.   I have never included the recipe because it is a little long and calls for ingredients you might not have in your pantry.  But, once you make it a time or two it is very quick and easy.  I buy fermented bean paste at the Halal/South East Asian market on Martin Way but I believe the market on College Street also sells it.  Your best bet is to look for it at a market that specializes in South East Asian goods instead of Korean or Japanese products.  Fresh noodles are great but I almost always use dried because I have them on hand.  I think using stock creates a much tastier dish than water and we often substitute chicken for pork or make it without meat.  It is amazing how everything can be found on the internet.  This recipe is from one of my most treasured cookbooks but I googled the recipe and it popped up on a couple blogs.  Here is a link to the recipe.

Noodles with Greens and Gravy

If you have done any traveling in South East Asia or just enjoy that kind of food you should check out the cookbook the above recipe comes from.  Hot Sour Salty Sweet:  A Culinary Journey through South East Asia is a beautiful book that really captures everything I love about the area.

Have a warm and cozy winter and come see us at the stand.  

Week 16

Happy Autumn

 A couple of you have asked about winter squash. Next week will be the first week of winter squash.   We will probably start with acorn.  They came out of the field last week looking good and should be cured properly by next week.  

This past week was the week of the pepper for us.  We have been roasting, drying, hot saucing and freezing like crazy.  We have a nice pile of peppers for you today as well.  Most or all of the peppers in your box are a variety called Antohi Romanian.  In my opinion they are the most beautiful pepper we grow.  They start off a creamy yellow color and gradually turn red.  They are named after a Romanian acrobat, Jan Antohi, who brought the seed to the U.S.

Leeks
Peppers
Potatoes
Carrots 
Cukes
Arugula
Slicing Tomato
Cherry Tomatoes - Large Share Only
Swiss Chard - Large Share Only


Carrot Quinoa

This recipe is adapted from The Grains Cookbook by Bert Greene.  It introduced me to quinoa many moons ago and is my favorite way to eat quinoa.  

2 tbsp  butter
1/2 cup or so chopped orange carrots 
1/4 cup chopped onion, shallot or leek
1 2/3 cup chicken stock
2/3 cup quinoa
1/4 tsp cumin

Rinse quinoa and set aside to drain.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add your onion/shallot/leek and cook for a minute.  Add carrots and cook for another couple minutes.

Add 2/3 cup broth, stir and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes or until carrots are soft.

Transfer carrot mixture to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Rinse your saucepan and then return carrot mixture to pan with the rest of the stock. Heat until boiling and add the quinoa.  Lower the heat and cook covered for about 15 minutes until quinoa is tender.  

Feta Stuffed Peppers

This recipe is from Saveur magazine.  I made a couple minor changes to the recipe.  The recipe called for Fresno chiles but we made this using the sweet peppers you have in your box today and it was fantastic.  While everyone gets the same amount of peppers in weight there is quite a bit of size variation among the peppers.  As a result you will have to use your own judgement of how many peppers to use. 

5 - 10  sweet peppers
9 oz feta, cumbled
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp greek yogurt
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp dried oregano
2 egg yolks
ground pepper

Set oven to broil.  Put peppers on a baking sheet under the broiler (not too close).  Turning once or twice cook about 5 minutes until peppers have softened.  You don't want the skin the char.  Let the peppers cool until ready to use.

Mix everything but the peppers in a bowl with a hand mixer.

Carefully cut each pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.  Stuff each pepper with some of the feta filling and put in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up a little. Broil peppers until cheese is golden brown and bubbly, about 6 minutes. Transfer peppers to a platter and serve hot.  

Other recipes call for the top to be cut off the pepper, the pepper stuffed and then the tops tooth picked back on the pepper before cooking.  I opted for the easy way out but even the easy way requires you keep the shape of the pepper so you have a little boat for your filling. 

Hope you all have a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather. 

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.