Monthly Archives: June 2012

The coy arrival of the first wave of summer squash

Hi, Folks!  Hope everyone’s enjoying cooling down a bit from last week.   I spent the weekend in Vermont with a friend for her bridal shower, while Wes labored away here in the fields.  I did make sure to check out the Montpelier farmers’ market, though, to investigate what farmers up there have to offer right now–all sorts of greens, some radishes here and there, and some beets.  Naturally, they have a cooler growing zone and are thus a little behind us in terms of production, but yet it is still astounding how far ahead we are in terms of what we are harvesting right now.  This week we have some typically summer delights that we are looking forward to giving out to you all.  This week’s share is quite large, due to a fine combo of factors accelerating some veggies’ ripening!  We hope the size isn’t intimidating to anyone.

This week’s share:

• Sugar Snap Peas
• Green Beans (a mix of purple, green and wax yellow)
•  Cucumbers
• Summer Squash (not a large amount yet, but a taste!)
• Lettuce
• Green Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Turnips or Radishes (the last week!)
• Spring Raab
• Baby Bok Choy
• Komatsuna (a mustardy-spinachy Asian green)
• Basil
• Dill (goes well with the cukes)

SIMPLE STEAMED SQUASH

• Summer squash, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
• Small amount of water
• Balsamic vinegar
• Salt

Ninety percent of the time, we eat squash the simplest way possible next to eating it raw, which you can do if it is a smaller squash.  Just slice it up into 1/2 inch slices (cut again into half-moons if you like), and steam in a steamer basket or simply boil a small amount of water in the bottom of a pan–just about covering the bottom and a little more, but not enough to cover the squash–and toss in the squash for about a minute.  Scoop it out and drizzle with balsamic vinegar, then sprinkle with a little salt.  Add any other spices you like, such as red pepper flakes.

WINE-DRENCHED CABBAGE-SAUSAGE-ANISE DELIGHT (Or, The Meal That We Could Eat Every Single Day)

• A Cabbage
• A few links of sausage, preferably Italian spiced style (OPTIONAL – this tastes great with tempeh as well, or just with cabbage)
• White or Apple Cider Vinegar
• Red Wine
• Anise/Fennel Seeds
• Butter — a few pats, or however much you like
• Salt

This is a meal in a pan, and takes about 15 minutes total.  My measurements are not highly precise, and they don’t really need to be, since it depends on your taste and how much liquid is needed to keep the skillet simmering.  Thinly slice the whole cabbage and set aside.  Slice up and brown the sausage in a large skillet–don’t cook it all the way, though.  Then throw in the cabbage and pour in about a quarter cup of the vinegar.  Let the cabbage soften, mixing every now and then, for about 5 minutes.  Now pour in about a half cup of wine, or however much suits your fancy.  Add a healthy sprinkle of anise seeds and a few pinches of salt.  Then add in a few pats of butter and mix all well.  Let simmer until the cabbage is nicely softened and the sausage fully cooked.   It’s fine to add water, too, if you need more liquid but don’t want more vinegar or wine.

SPICY BOK CHOY (AND KOMATSUNA) IN GARLIC SAUCE 

I am straight up stealing this recipe from allrecipes.com, because this is how we love to eat Asian greens, and it actually has precise measurements for you.  Original is here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spicy-bok-choy-in-garlic-sauce/

• 1 pound bok choy
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

ALMOND-PARMESAN GREEN BEANS

• 3/4 pound green beans
• 2 Tblspoons olive oil
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• Parmesan cheese
• Salt
• Pepper

Cook green beans in a small amount of water until they are tender and crisp, about 5-10 minutes.  Drain.  In 2 Tblspoons olive oil saute the minced garlic and slivered almonds.  Add cooked beans and season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

CUCUMBER SALAD VARIATIONS

Salad 1:

• Thinly sliced cucumbers
• Thinly sliced onion (about 1/4 as much volume as the cukes)
• 1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice
• 2 Tblspoons oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tblspoon sugar

Mix together and add to the cukes and onion

Salad 2:

• Thinly sliced Cucumbers
• Thinly sliced Onion
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 Tblspoon fresh dill weed or mint

Place cucumbers and onion in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt.  Let sit for 1 hour.  Drain.  Then combine with the dill (or mint) and yogurt.  Very soothing.

That’s it for this week!  See you at distribution.

Bryn

A little mid-season compost application for some new crops (yes, Wes is wearing shorts)

Hello, everyone!

Everything is rolling along just great, and perhaps *this week* we will vanquish our ever-growing to-do list.  …  Well, we can dream, can’t we?  We look ahead with a little trepidation at this brief heat wave coming our way, with temperatures in the mid-90s on Wednesday and Thursday.  Hopefully, some of our cooler-weather-loving crops will emerge unscathed, or at least not too traumatized.  Other crops will be quite happy about it, no doubt.

I’m still trying to work out the best format for these posts, and so the usual list of veggies will be below, and those highlighted in green will have a recipe below.  We are working on trying to put a recipe page together, so they are all together and hopefully searchable.  There is a search bar in the sidebar here on the blog, so you can always search a veggie to find a recipe.

What to expect in your share this week:

• Salad Mix
• Arugula
• Radishes (normal-sized these days!)
• Kale
• Turnips (large and small)
• Basil
• Broccoli or Cauliflower
• Kohlrabi
• Cabbage (Chinese for Tuesday [see kimchi recipe from last week], Green “regular” for Wednesday)
• Mustard Greens
• Tatsoi (similar to spinach) or Komatsuna (spicy) Greens
• Hopefully the first appearance of the delightful Sugar Snap Pea!

RAW KALE-IN-A-JAR SALAD

This is a very simple and surprisingly addictive way of eating kale.  Don’t fear the raw factor!  It becomes quite tender–just needs to be sliced into thin strips and marinated a bit.  You could even be daring and throw in some of those mustard greens for a spicy element.

Bunch of kale

Nuts of your choice

Olive oil

Lemon juice

Apple cider vinegar

Salt

First, remove the stems from the leaves of the kale.  You probably have your own method, but for those of you unused to this process, make an “ok!” symbol with your dominant hand, then shrink the “o” by sliding your pointer down into the web of your thumb.  Slide this “o” over the stem of a leaf of kale and pull the stem through, ripping the leaf off the stem.  Do this to all the leaves and make a nice, flat pile of them.  Then, grabbing them all as if one, roll them up like a cigar.  Now, slice this “cigar” thinly.  Stuff all the kale confetti into a mason jar (or a tupperware of some sort, if you don’t own any jars)–really pack it in there.  Toss in the nuts.  Now splash with oil, lemon juice, vinegar, and sprinkle with salt.  The amounts of these will vary according to your taste, but my warning is to go easy on the lemon juice, because it can become overpowering.  Then, close the jar, shake it up, and let it sit for twenty minutes or so before eating.  Shake it a couple times, if you can remember, in the meantime.  We threw a few jars of this in Wes’ backpack and enjoyed snacking on it at Gertrude’s Nose in Minnewaska, as we gazed down on the lovely valley we live in.

RAGOUT OF TURNIPS, KOHLRABI AND PEAS (FROM “LOCAL FLAVORS”)

Several of this week’s veggies, combined!  Bam!  Feel free to adapt the recipe to what you have, of course.  Unfortunately, there will be no more spinach from us until fall.

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

6 spring onions or shallots, halved

6 or more small turnips, scrubbed and quartered

2 or 3 kohlrabi, about golf ball sized, peeled and quartered

1 thyme or lemon thyme sprig

sea salt and freshly ground pepper (or, you know, pepper from the ol’ shaker)

1 pound pod peas, shelled (*the peas we may have this week are NOT shelling peas)

a few handfuls baby spinach

dollop creme fraiche

4 large basil leaves, slivered

1.  Melt the butter in a skillet and add the onions, turnips, kohlrabi and thyme.  Add water to cover halfway and a teaspoon of salt.  Simmer while you shuck the peas.

2.  As soon as the vegetables are tender, after 12 to 15 minutes, add the peas and spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted down, a few minutes more.  Stir in the creme fraiche and add the basil.  Taste by itself.  With a starch (puff pastry, ravioli, even buttered toast), it can be offered as a vegetarian main dish.

WHOLE LITTLE CAULIFLOWERS WITH CRISPY BREAD CRUMBS (FROM “LOCAL FLAVORS”)

4 small cauliflowers, about 5 inches across

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

2 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon Dijon or coarse mustard

salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

1.  Wash the cauliflowers well.  Toast the bread crumbs in the oven or in a skillet until crisp and golden.  Melt the butter.

2.  Steam the cauliflower, the curds facing down in the pot, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.  Set them on individual plates or a platter.  Mix the melted butter with the parsley, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper flakes.  Pour it over the cauliflower, then add the bread crumbs and grate a little cheese over all.

BROCCOLI ON BRUSCHETTA

Broccoli is always wonderful steamed, with a little salt.  If you’re feeling a little adventurous, you could try this–it would taste great with diced kohlrabi in it, too.

1 pound broccoli florets (or however much you have)

salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, one minced, one cut in half lengthwise

several pinches red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon chopped oregano

red wine vinegar

4 slices hearty bread

1/4 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced (I suspect cheddar would do fine as well!)

1.  Thickly peel the broccoli stems.  If longer than a few inches, coarsely chop them.

2.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add salt, then the broccoli.  Cook until tender, about 5 minutes, then scoop into a colander to drain.  Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.

3.  Warm the tablespoon of oil in a skillet.  Add the broccoli along with a 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, the minced garlic, pepper flakes and oregano.  Turn with tongs to mix in the garlic, then lower the heat.  Make sure there’s ample liquid in the pan.  Taste for salt, then season with a few drops of good, strong vinegar.

4.  Preheat the broiler.  Toast the bread, then rub it with the halved garlic clove.  Immediately lay the cheese over the top, then broil just until it begins to droop or bubble a little.  Transfer the toasts to plates, then cover them with broccoli and its juices.  Add a few drops of olive oil to each, as well as any remaining pan juices.

Happy eating!

Bryn and Wes

The golden promise of future cucumbers!

Well, hello, members!  This past week has been a whirlwind.  Wait,  I feel like we’re always  saying that–and it will just get more whirlwind-y as the season carries us along on its merciless wave of activity.   And  speaking  of waves, we’re starting to feel the ebb and flow of the crops  as they are fully harvested, or bolt and flower, and must be pulled out and their former space replanted with the next crop.   Other crops, such as the squash, cucumbers and peas are now starting to flower and bear bold little fruits.  It’s a rare joy greater than walking through our fields and catching a glimpse of a smidge of yellow or purple or orange tucked away under a sheltering leaf.   We’re looking forward to harvesting them for you all.

Don’t worry, the radishes are Utah Approved.

This week, we have several new veggies to tempt your palates.  Garlic Scapes are the elegant, long skinny flower stalks that burst from certain types of garlic this time of year, and you should use the whole thing, up to the pointy tip to add a garlicky kick to any of your meals.  Another newbie is particularly thrilling to us, and that is Kohlrabi!  Now, you may be familiar with this funny-looking ball of delight, or it’s extremely likely that you’ve never, ever in your life seen or heard of it.  It’s named after the German words for “cabbage” (kohl) and “turnip” (rabi), and it’s a member of the brassica family, along with cabbage, kale, broccoli and many other vegetables we have been and will be feeding you this season.  It looks like a root, but it’s actually the plant’s enlarged stem.  People taste different veggies when they eat it, but Wes and I think it tastes most like an especially delicious broccoli stem mixed with cabbage and a bit of radish.  It’s very versatile, and can be sliced thin and eaten raw with a little salt or dip (maybe part of a crudite platter), or tossed in a stir-fry, or cubed and roasted, used in soup, grated and used as a base for cole slaw…I could go on.   In addition to the culinary aspect of this veggie, we also had a bit of a battle with a clever groundhog to preserve the kohlrabi crop.  We hope you enjoy!

This week in your share, you can expect:

• Baby Beet Greens
• Kohlrabi
• Chard
• Cabbage (Tues: Regular Green Head, Wed: Napa/Chinese, and next week it will switch)
• Arugula
• Mesclun
• Head Lettuce
• Garlic Scapes
• Saute Mix
• Spinach

KOHLRABI & APPLE SLAW with CREAMY COLESLAW DRESSING

DRESSING
1/4 cup cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon good mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt & pepper to taste – go easy here
Fresh mint, chopped

1 pound fresh kohlrabi, trimmed, peeled, grated or cut into batons with a Benriner
2 apples, peeled, grated or cut into batons (try to keep equivalent volumes of kohlrabi:apple)

Whisk cream into light pillows – this takes a minute or so, no need to get out a mixer. Stir in remaining dressing ingredients, the kohlrabi and apple. Serve immediately.

ROASTED KOHLRABI

1 1/2 pounds fresh kohlrabi, ends trimmed, thick green skin sliced off with a knife, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic (garlic is optional, to my taste)
Salt
Good vinegar

Set oven to 450F. Toss the diced kohlrabi with olive oil, garlic and salt in a bowl. (The kohlrabi can be tossed with oil and seasonings right on the pan but uses more oil.) Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and put into oven (it needn’t be fully preheated) and roast for 30 – 35 minutes, stirring every five minutes after about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with a good vinegar (probably at the table so the kohlrabi doesn’t get squishy).

NAPA CABBAGE IDEA – KIMCHI

Wes and I are going to preserve some of the abundant napa cabbage available right now by turning it into kimchi, which is a spicy pickled delight.  You can add a variety of vegetables in with the cabbage, and some of the ones you are getting in your share this week would be great–radishes, garlic scapes, kohlrabi.  You can look up different recipes online, many of which are less complicated than the one below.  But I am going to post this one in particular, from “Wild Fermentation” by Sandor Katz, because it’s a lot of fun.

Cabbage Kimchi

Timeframe: 1 week or longer

Ingredients (for 1 quart):

sea salt

1 pound Chinese/napa cabbage

1 daikon radish or a few red radishes

1 to 2 carrots

1 to 2 onions

3 to 4 cloves of garlic (or try scapes)

3 to 4 hot chilies (or more, depending on how hot you like things)

3 tablespoons (or more) fresh grated gingerroot

Process:

1.  Mix a brine of about 4 cups of water and 4 tablespoons of salt.  Stir well to thoroughly dissolve salt.  The bring should taste good and salty.

2.  Coarsely chop the cabbage, slice the radish and carrots, and let the vegetables soak in the brine, covered by a plate or other weight to keep the vegetables submerged, until soft, a few hours or overnight.  Add other vegetables to the brine, such as snow peas, seaweeds, anything you like.

3.  Prepare spices: Grate the ginger; chop the garlic and onion; remove seeds from the chilies and chop or crush, or throw them in whole.  Kimchi can absorb a lot of spice.  Experiment with quantities and don’t worry too much about them.  Mix spices into a paste.  If you wish, you can add fish sauce to the paste.  Just check the label to make sure it has no chemical preservatives, which function to inhibit microorganisms.

4.  Drain brine off vegetables, reserving brine.  Taste vegetables for saltiness.  You want them to taste decidedly salty, but not unpleasantly so.  If they are too salty, rinse them.  If you cannot taste salt, sprinkle with a couple teaspoons of salt and mix.

5.  Mix the vegetables with the ginger-chili-onion-garlic paste.  Mix everything together thoroughly and stuff it into a clean quart-size jar.  Pack it tightly into the jar, pressing down until brine rises.  If necessary, add a little bit of the vegetable-soaking brine to submerge the vegetables.  Weight the vegetables down with a smaller jar, or a zip-lock bag filled with some brine.  Or if you think you can remember to check the kimchi every day, you can just use your (clean!) fingers to push the vegetables back under the brine.  Cover the jar to keep out dust and flies!

6.  Ferment in your kitchen or other warm place.  Taste the kimchi every day.  After about a week of fermentation, when it tastes ripe, move it to the refrigerator.  Yum!

See you at distribution!