Category Archives: What to expect

October 15, 2012 · 9:54 pm

Week 21 – Survived the First Frost!

Hello members!

25° here in Gardiner on Friday night!  What was the lowest that you saw? And now it was close to 70° today!

Well, the expected average first frost date is October 15 for this area, so it was to be expected.  We spent a hurried Friday bringing squash, onions, and garlic inside (we cure them in the unheated greenhouse, where they’d have been frost-damaged).   We covered all the plants that had a chance of surviving with floating row cover, but some of the most temperature-sensitive crops were destined to meet their end. The champion of our fields, the mighty tri-color beans, no longer dominate the farm, having succumbed to the chilly night.  We salute their drooped, darkened branches.

We’ve got a lovely share this week, with our fall succession of cabbages ready to hop onto your plates, joining with the tried-and-true favorites (don’t forget the kimchi recipe that we posted earlier in the season).  We’ve been relishing the Fall greens in our own kitchen, so we’re excited to have a nice selection this week.  This share’s new treats are pie pumpkins (see below for an easy pumpkin pie recipe) and parsnips.  The pie pumpkins are primo eating pumpkins – not the type you’d carve on Halloween, which tend to be watery and stringy.  Pie pumpkins have a firm, sweet flesh and are perfect for pies, roasting, and soups.  One 6” pumpkin is about equivalent to a 15 oz.  can of pumpkin puree.

Enjoy!

  • Peppers
  • Carrots
  • Bok Choy
  • Kale
  • Braising Mix
  • Chinese (Napa) Cabbage
  • Parsnips
  • Head Lettuce
  • Pumpkin
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Parsley
  • Dill

 FRESH PUMPKIN PIE

  •  2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 2 cups mashed, cooked pumpkin
  • 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  1.  To prepare mashed pumpkin, halve pumpkin and scoop out seeds and stringy portions. Cut pumpkin into chunks. In saucepan over medium heat, in 1 inch of boiling water heat the pumpkin to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain, cool and remove the peel. Return pumpkin to the saucepan and mash with a potato masher.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  3. Prepare pie crust by mixing together the flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour, add 1 tablespoon water to mixture at a time. Mix dough and repeat until dough is moist enough to hold together.
  4. With lightly floured hands shape dough into a ball. On a lightly floured board roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. With a sharp knife, cut dough 1 1/2 inch larger than the upside down 8 to 9 inch pie pan. Gently roll the dough around the rolling pin and transfer it right side up on to the pie pan. Unroll, ease dough into the bottom of the pie pan.
  5. In a large bowl with mixer speed on medium, beat pumpkin with evaporated milk, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. Pour into a prepared crust. Bake 40 minutes or until when a knife is inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean.

ROASTED PUMPKIN SOUP

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 apple, peeled and diced
  • 2 cups fresh pumpkin
  • 1 tablespoon sage leaves
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup cream
  • Salt and pepper
  1. To roast pumpkin, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut whole pumpkin in half and then cut each half into several pieces. Discard seeds or reserve for another use. Place pumpkin on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven until tender but not falling apart, about 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool, peel away skin, and dice.
  2. In a stockpot over medium heat, melt butter and saute onion, carrot, apple, roasted pumpkin, and sage until all are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Puree the mixture in a food mill, food processor, or blender.
  3. Return the puree to the stockpot, add the chicken stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Then add the cream and simmer for 5 more minutes, lowering the heat if necessary so it does not boil. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
  4. Divide soup among 4 soup bowls and serve immediately.

CURRIED APPLE PARSNIP SOUP

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
  • 6 cups low-salt chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 pounds parsnips, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 medium Granny Smith apples
  • 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, whisked to loosen
  1. Melt butter with olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add curry powder; stir 30 seconds. Add broth and parsnips. Bring to boil.
  2. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered until parsnips are soft, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat; cool 15 minutes.
  3. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return to pot. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
  4. Peel, quarter, core, and coarsely shred apples. Stir apples and yogurt into soup.
  5. Warm soup over medium heat, stirring occasionally (do not boil). Season with salt. Divide soup among 6 bowls. Garnish with fried apple peel. 

APPLE PARSNIP MASH (A GREAT ALTERNATIVE TO MASHED POTATOES!)

  • 1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 pound apples (such as Honeycrisp or Fuji), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • salt and ground pepper
  1. In a medium saucepan, combine parsnips, apples, and water. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, until parsnips are completely tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
  2. Transfer mixture to a food processor, add unsalted butter, and process until smooth. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.

COLE SLAW WITH PECANS AND SPICY DRESSING

(Note, this is a more complicated cole slaw recipe that we wanted to give for inspiration.  There are plenty of more basic recipes out there if you’d prefer something simple.)

  • 1 head napa cabbage, shredded
  • 4 carrots, shredded
  • 2 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
  • Leaves from 1 bunch fresh mint, for garnishDressing:
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground chipotle
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1. Combine the cabbage, carrots, apples, onion, and pecans in a large bowl. Mix well with your hands and set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together the mustard, sugar, mayonnaise, ground chipotle, and lemon juice until blended. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss well to coat. Taste again for seasoning, then mound onto a platter and garnish with mint leaves.

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October 8, 2012 · 10:29 pm

Week 20 – With Autumn’s Beautiful Colors Spread Over the Valley…

Aloha, everyone!

(*note* There wasn’t a post last week for Week 19, since we were on vacation.)

We are back from a whirlwind trip to California for Wes’ brothers’ wedding, and we want to thank Sam and Erin again for taking care of everything during our absence. After 10 days of bizarrely consistent sun, warmth and lack of precipitation, we have returned to a nearly frosted and quite sodden Hudson Valley.  (But what beautiful Fall foliage!)  There was a scare that a frost might do in some crops on Sunday night, but luckily that event remains postponed. The usual time for that is mid-October.

Celeriac in the field

Celeriac in the field

This week, we step almost completely into autumn fare, but we still have one toe in summer with a few tomatoes and peppers hanging in there. Also, we have some cilantro, generally considered a summery herb, but below we’ve posted a few fall recipes incorporating it.  New this week is celeriac, which is the knobby stem of the celeriac plant (closely related to celery). Some of you are familiar with it, but for those who aren’t, your taste buds may make a new friend this week. We love celeriac–it tastes like a mixture of celery and pineapple to us, and makes a delightful addition to soups and stews. It’s not the prettiest veggie you’ll have gotten this season, but with a little peeling (easiest to just use a sharp paring knife, not a peeler) and cubing, you’ll be in for a treat. There is a recipe below, and here is a site with some extra info about celeriac and other meal possibilities.

The idea behind including kohlrabi and celeriac together is to allow you to explore with some less traditional root-bakes; you can also include onion, garlic, and/or beets (as well as any other root-type veggies you have around).

wes picking beans

Wes picking tri-color beans

Your share this week:

  • Beans
  • Carrots
  • Beets
  • Bok Choy
  • Spring Raab
  • Salad Mix
  • Chard
  • Kohlrabi
  • Celeriac
  • Peppers
  • Tomatoes (probably one each)
  • Onions
  • Garlic
  • Cilantro

CARROT AND CILANTRO SOUP (from Country Living)

1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 small Onion, chopped
1 teaspoon Coriander Seeds, crushed
1 pound Carrots, sliced
3 cups Vegetable Stock
1 bunch Fresh Cilantro, chopped, saving some for garnish

In a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onion and coriander. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until onion is softened but not browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots. Cook, covered, until softened, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a separate pot, bring stock to a boil. Add onion-carrot mixture and bring back up to a boil. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend (in batches, if needed) until smooth. Season with sea salt. To serve, return soup to pot, stir in chopped cilantro, and reheat on low. Ladle soup into warmed bowls and garnish with cilantro.

HONEY-GLAZED CARROTS WITH CILANTRO (from Martha Stewart)

This is well-matched to roasted chicken, pork or braised beef.

6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons dry white wine, low-sodium chicken broth, or water
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

In a large skillet, combine carrots and olive oil; add just enough water to cover carrots (about 2 cups). Cook over medium-high until water is evaporated and carrots are tender, 15 minutes. Cook, tossing often, until carrots are light golden, 2 minutes. Add honey and wine, broth, or water; cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, until carrots are glazed, 2 minutes. Stir in cilantro.

SMASHED CELERIAC (from Jamie Oliver)

• 1 celeriac, peeled
• olive oil
• 1 handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3–4 tablespoons water or stock

Slice about 1cm/½ inch off the bottom of your celeriac and roll it on to that flat edge, so it’s nice and safe to slice. Slice and dice it all up into 1cm/½ inch-ish cubes. Don’t get your ruler out – they don’t have to be perfect. Put a casserole-type pot on a high heat, add 3 good lugs of olive oil, then add the celeriac, thyme and garlic, with a little seasoning. Stir around to coat and fry quite fast, giving a little colour, for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to a simmer, add the water or stock, place a lid on top and cook for around 25 minutes, until tender. Season carefully to taste and stir around with a spoon to smash up the celeriac. Some people like to keep it in cubes, some like to mash it, but I think it looks and tastes much better if you smash it, which is somewhere in the middle. You can serve this with just about any meat you can think of.

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September 24, 2012 · 11:23 pm

Week 18 – Surprise Guests Next Week!

Hi everyone!

Just-picked carrots in the field

The down comforter is on the bed, the slippers are on the feet, and we’re starting to drink a lot of hot tea and crave hearty soups.  But not just yet!  Our local weatherman warned of temperatures up north of the Capital District in the 32-42 degree range tonight, which frightened me a little, but around here it should stay in the forties.  This is what a lot of farmers in the area are talking about now, and we need to keep an eye on the last of those frost-sensitive crops still in the ground and producing, however slowly.  Frost usually comes around mid-October, but who knows what this crazy year will bring.

Fall Sugar Snap Peas

We planted a fall crop of sugar snap peas, which although delicate, we hope will make it to at least one distribution.  We will see how much longer our eggplants, peppers, beans and tomatoes will be able to hang out before their fatal wilt.  We are including the cilantro and hot peppers this week to make sure you get an opportunity to make salsa, if you haven’t already!

A bit of exciting news — as some of you know, Wes and I are going away for a week-and-a-half to California for Wes’ brother’s wedding (hopefully the leaves won’t all turn and fall off before we get back).  So, while we’re gone, we’re so happy that Erin and Sam – Second Wind CSA managers from the past three years – will be taking care of the farm.  You’ll be seeing one or the other or both of them at next week’s distribution.  Thanks, guys, you’re the best!

This week’s share:

  • Tomatoes (maybe the last)
  • Cherry Tomatoes (those Sungolds are champs!)
  • Lettuce
  • Carrots
  • Kale
  • Arugula
  • Peppers
  • Eggplant
  • Potatoes
  • Tri-color beans
  • Garlic
  • Onions
  • Cilantro
  • Hot Peppers (habanero, jalapeno, thai hot)

KALE RECIPES

You’ve all been getting kale just about every other week, and we figured it’s a good time to add a few new ideas to the mix.  In general, it can be simply sauteed with onions and garlic and splashed with a little vinegar, or lemon juice and soy sauce, or chicken broth.  You can also boil it briefly in salted water until it’s tender, and then add it to the pan with onions, garlic and/or other veggies for a less chewy version.

CALDO VERDE – PORTUGUESE KALE SOUP (FOUND HERE) (NON-VEGETARIAN VERSION)

Absolutely, utterly delicious.

Considered by many to be Portugal’s national dish, caldo verde is found everywhere — in the dining rooms of Lisbon’s most luxurious hotels to the humblest of country homes. It’s a versatile dish: Serve it as a one-course meal at lunch or as a light supper in the evening. What’s crucial when preparing it is that the kale is cut into extremely fine slices; that’s what creates the soup’s distinctive character.—John Villa

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 ounces chouriço (aka chorizo), diced
6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups cold water
1 pound kale or collard greens, cut into very fine julienne
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are translucent. Add the garlic and half the chouriço and cook for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cover everything with the water, bring to a boil and lower the heat, simmering until the potatoes are almost done, about 15 minutes.

2. When the soup is cool enough to handle, purée it in the food processor and return to the pot. Add the greens, bring everything back to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls, and garnish with the remaining cubes of chouriço.

VEGETARIAN CALDO VERDE – PORTUGUESE KALE AND POTATO SOUP (HERE)

1 large onion, chopped
5 large cloves garlic, minced
pinch of crushed chilies (or to taste – we like it HOT!)
4 medium potatoes – abt. a pound – cubed (I leave skin on)
4 or 5 cups low sodium vegetable stock (or mix of water and stock)
1 small carrot, very finely chopped
6 ounces kale, washed, tough stems removed
1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
Dash of tabasco
salt and pepper if needed
Garnish – your choice (parsley, green onion, etc.)

Use a large pan. Over medium-high heat, ‘saute’ the onion in a little water until translucent. add garlic and chilies and cook a minute or two longer.  Add potatoes and carrots to soup pot and add the water or water and stock. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer until potatoes are soft.  Mash the potatoes very very slightly (just crushing them, not turning them into mashed potatoes!).  Roll the washed and de-stemmed kale up into tight bundles and slice as thinly as you can with a sharp knife.  Add kale to soup pot and add in the reduced sodium soy sauce. Bring back to the boil, then lower heat to simmer to cook the kale. When the kale IS soft, add tabasco and freshly ground pepper and taste for seasoning, correcting if needed. (Note, depending on the size and shape of your pan and the heat you use to cook the soup, you may need to add a little more liquid to bring it to the desired consistency.)  Garnish, if you like, and serve.

SIMPLY DELICIOUS SAUTEED GREENS (FROM NOURISHING WISDOM NUTRITION)

1 bunch kale
1 small onion sliced into half moons
1 apple diced
2 cloves garlic diced
2 t olive or sesame oil
1 T soy sauce
½ C chicken or vegetable stock
½ can chick peas or other favorite beans (drained)

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until fragrant (7-10 min).  Add kale, stock, and soy sauce and simmer until greens are almost tender, but not too soft. Add chopped apple and beans and continue to simmer 10 minutes.  Taste and adjust, adding more soy sauce if desired. Serve over rice for a perfect dinner.

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September 17, 2012 · 10:44 pm

Week 17 – Cozy up!

Greetings members!

We have probably already exhausted all available superlatives about autumn both in this blog and in person, so we won’t bore you with more of that.  If you do need more glowing reviews of the season, however, feel free to ask at distribution!  Walking through the fields today, we were hit by a strong feeling, stated succinctly by Wes – “Whoa, we have a ton of food out here.”  On that note, some of you have been asking about the schedule for the rest of the season.  Distribution will continue until the very end of October, with pickups on the 30th (Thurs.) and 31st (Wed.).  Then, we take a break for a few weeks, and you all get your Thanksgiving shares on November 20th (Tues.) and November 21st (Wed.).  As Erin has done in the past, we will send out the list of what to expect in that share earlier than usual, so you know what to shop for for your big meal!

This week, you will all need to find ways to come to terms with the sad, but expected farewell from the tomatoes.  You will get some this week, but you probably won’t be making any gazpacho with them.  However, it’s a pretty hefty share this week, so there’s lots to enjoy.  It’s time to get cozy with squash, so get the old baking pan ready if you haven’t been using it this summer.  Tri-color beans are back, though the green one in the group is a flat-podded variety this time around.  We’ve really enjoyed eating them fresh, and bet that you’ll like them, too.  You’ll be getting “normal” radishes this week, as opposed to the daikon battering rams you got last week.  By the way, we’re looking forward to hearing stories about how people have used the daikons, and if you haven’t yet tried them out, don’t worry that it’s too late, they should have lasted just fine.

Recipes for this week focus on the squash.  You can, as always, bake them, halved, seeds scooped out and face up on a baking sheet for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  Drizzle them with butter or maple syrup (or both); sprinkle on salt and cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or other warming spices.  Or, go somewhere different altogether!  Here is a recipe that uses the baked squash along with gorgonzola and arugula to top homemade pizza.  And here is an idea that’s more out there, for those of you itching for a little culinary adventure this week–Miso Sesame Winter Squash with Tofu.

This week’s share:

  • Acorn or Buttercup Winter Squash
  • Tomatoes
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Arugula
  • Spring Raab
  • French Breakfast or Plum Purple Radishes
  • Peppers
  • Eggplant
  • Carrots
  • Beans
  • Chard
  • Basil
  • Onions
  • Garlic

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