Sunday, June 26, 2011

2011 CSA Share #4, June 28th

1 bunch kale                         
1 bunch scallions           
1 bunch garlic scapes
1 bunch Hakurei summer turnip
½ lb salad mix
2 head pac choi

Farm News:
I spent most of this week wondering if I was going to have to set up irrigation, and after yesterday’s downpour, the answer is definitely not! Mike and I both got poured on at the farmers markets in Bath and Camden yesterday. Luckily, plants need water too, and we’re hoping to see them make good use of it this week.
            Things here have been going wonderfully – with the help of our fantastic apprentices, we have been able to add an additional farmers market, enlarge the CSA, and are still feeling sane! Lizzy comes out to the fields with us for at least part of each day, and entertains us all. Although some of our crops will be later than last year due to the wet, cool April and May weather (Namely peas, carrots, and a few other things), most of our crops are looking beautiful. Green tomatoes are on the vine… we’re excited!

Thanks so much!
Christa, Mike, and little Lizzy

Recipes of the Week:

Roasted Kale Chips
·       1 bunch kale, washed and spun dry
·       3 Tablespoons olive oil
·       1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
·       Sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray with nonstick pan coating.
Use a sharp knife to cut along each side of the central rib; remove ribs. Tear leaves into 2-inch pieces and place in large mixing bowl.
In a small bowl, stir together olive oil and vinegar with a fork. Drizzle over kale leaves; toss to coat evenly. Use tongs to lay kale leaves in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper to taste.
Roast kale for 5 minutes in preheated oven. Remove from oven and gently toss leaves with tongs or spatula; return to oven. Roast another 5 minutes, or until the kale is crispy and browned. The leaves with crisp further on standing, so don’t allow them to get too dark in the oven or they’ll be bitter. Let stand one minute on baking sheet, then remove to plate and serve.

What are garlic scapes?
Garlic scapes are the stalk and flower bud of the garlic plant. Some people believe that removing them from the plant encourages the garlic bulb to grow larger. Whether it does or not, we’re not sure, but they are delicious either way. They have a fresh garlic flavor, milder than the garlic bulb. They can be used as a replacement for garlic in any dish, or can be prepared on their own. They are delicious on the grill, chopped up into stir fry, or pureed and added to tomato sauce. Our favorite way to eat them, however, is as flavorful pesto.

Garlic Scape Pesto
  • 1 bunch garlic scapes

  • ¼  cup grated parmesan cheese

  • Olive oil (about ¼  cup)

  • Pine nuts if available (Walnuts do fine, too)

Chop the garlic scapes into 3 inch lengths. Put it in the food processor and process until pureed. Add the parmesan and nuts and process until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil as the food processor runs and continue until all the oil is combined into the garlic.  Serve over pasta. Will store well in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator. Also freezes excellently for winter use! Makes enough for 1 lb pasta.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

2011 Share #3, June 21st

1 bunch radishes            2 head pac choi
1 kohlrabi                        1 bunch scallions
1 head lettuce           
1 bunch Hakurei summer turnip

Farm News:

Harvests are starting to get a little more interesting, with our first scallions and head lettuce this week! Also our first Hakurei turnips, which were a big hit last year! The next few weeks will see more and more new things added to the list.
            The last few weeks have been a frenzy of planting, and now that the biggest planting projects are done, the weeding frenzy begins! Luckily we’ve got a bigger crew this year to help us stay on top of things (Although Lizzy hasn’t really mastered weeding quite yet… maybe in a few weeks, once she’s got this rolling-over thing down).

Thanks so much!
Christa, Mike, and little Lizzy

Recipes of the Week:

Scallion Pancakes
Our spring favorite…. We’ve been looking forward to these! They are a simplified version of the amazing pancakes a Korean friend used to make for us.

  • 1 bunch scallions                       
  • 1 ½ cups flour                                               
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup water                       
  • 1 t salt
  • 4 eggs
  • soy sauce
  • lemon juice
  • red wine vinegar
Remove the scallion roots and dice the whole bunch (use all the green, right up to the tips!).  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. In a smaller bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and water, mixed thoroughly. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture, and mix well, until there are little to no lumps. Stir in chopped scallions. Oil the surface of a large skillet or griddle, and heat until water flicked onto it pops and fizzles. Pour the batter on, about 1 cup per pancake, spreading the mixture out with your spatula to achieve a nice thin pancake. Fry until golden brown on each side. Serve with a sauce made from ½ soy sauce, ¼ lemon juice, and ¼ red wine vinegar.

How to eat Hakurei:
Hakurei summer turnips are very different from fall turnips you may be used to. Hakrurei are delicious raw, slightly sweet and nutty. They’ll make a turnip lover out of anybody! They are perfect sliced into salads or dipped into a tangy sauce. The greens can also be used for any recipe calling for turnip greens. Hakurei do not need to be peeling before eating. If you’d like to try cooking these spring treats, here’s one idea:

Hakurei Turnip Gratin
    • 1 Tablespoon butter
    • 1 bunch of Hakurei turnips
    • 1 teaspoon dry thyme
    • 3/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
    • 1/8- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 1/2 cup heavy cream
    • 1/2 cup chicken stock
    • 1/2 cup of fresh parmesan cheese

Melt butter in a non-stick 12 inch skillet (make sure you have a top to fit the pan.) Wash turnips well, top and tail them, and slice them in 1/4 inch slices. Layer the slices in the pan.  Sprinkle the sliced turnips salt and herbs. Cook for 3 minutes over medium heat, then pour cream and 1/2 cup chicken stock over the top.  Cover and cook the turnips over medium heat for 20 minutes.  The turnips will be completely cooked through, but there will be considerable liquid left in the pan.  Remove the cover and cook to reduce the liquid.  When most of the liquid has reduced (about 5-10 minutes), and the sauce is thickened, grate finely parmesan cheese evenly over the top. Watch closely as the cheese melts and make sure that the liquid does not entirely cook away.

2011 Share #2, June 14th


1 bunch radishes            2 head pac choi
1 bunch fresh sage         1 kohlrabi
¼ lb salad mix                       
Farm News:

What a drizzly Sunday! Luckily, we have a lot more planting to do this week, and plants love to be plated in damp, cool weather – it’s much less stressful to them. Last week we planted eggplant, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, winter squash, peppers, more scallions, parsley, chard, head lettuce, and much more – this week: celery, celeriac, flowers, more head lettuce, Brussels sprouts….

The baby is crying and bed is calling, so this will be short this week. Hope you’re all doing well out there, and enjoying the fresh veggies!

Thanks so much!
Christa, Mike, and little Lizzy

Recipes of the Week:

Tempura Spring Veggies with Sweet and Sour Sauce

While at Hannaford a few weeks ago, I found a Tempura mix in the Asian section. Tempura is an Asian-style batter-frying technique, and is very easy to do, especially with the boxed mix. We sliced radishes and cut the pac choi into big chunks, and basically followed the directions on the box to make the tempura. It was delicious! We served it with this sweet-and-sour sauce from allrecipes.com:
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup white vinegar
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

    Place the sugar, vinegar, water, soy sauce, ketchup and cornstarch in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Stir continuously until the mixture has thickened.

Grilled Pac Choi
In case you were wondering….Pac Choi is Bok Choy (Just like Beijing is Peking)

  • 2 head of bok choy
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon seasoned
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

    Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
    In a bowl, mix butter, garlic powder, paprika, and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper. Slice the bottom off the head of pac choi, and remove and clean the stalks. Sprinkle seasoned salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper over both sides of the stalks.
    Lay the pac choi stalks on the preheated grill. Brush with seasoned butter mixture, cover the grill, and cook until the pac choi stalks show grill marks and the leaves are crisp at the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the pac choi, brush with butter mixture, cover, and grill the other sides. Brush with any remaining butter mixture, and remove to a platter to serve.

Buttered Noodles with Fresh Sage

(From www.food.com)
  • 16 ounces egg noodles
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 6 fresh sage leaves, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4-1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Melt butter in the empty pot; simmer onion and sage leaves 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Toss with noodles. Top with parmesan cheese just before serving.

How to eat Kohlrabi:

Kohlrabi is a delicious member of the cabbage family. Crisp and sweet, it is delicious in salads and slaws, or dipped in sauces. Peel the tough outer skin with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler to get at the yummy insides!

2011 Share #1, June 7th


2 heads pac choi                 1 bunch radishes
1 bunch kale                       1 bunch fresh oregano

Farm News:

Hello and welcome to the 2011 CSA! We are so excited for this upcoming eason. It’s been a slow start, what with the rain and cooler weather in May, but June is off to a very promising start. These first few shares will probably be a little smaller than we had hoped, but we’ll definitely make it up to you later on.
            Our big news this winter was our daughter Lizzy, who was born March 9th. Since then we have been getting a crash course in parenting! She’s been great, and we love the new addition to our family and farm. Farming with a new baby has also been quite the adventure so far. There are lots of cute pictures of her on our Bahner Farm website and Facebook page.
            Luckily for us, we have some helping hands this season in our two apprentices, Hope and Carisa, who are living here with us for the summer. What a big difference it makes to have the help!
            We hope you enjoy this first week’s share, and we look forward to bringing you many more delicious veggies as the season progresses!

Thanks so much!
Christa, Mike, and little Lizzy

Recipes of the Week:

Grilled Chicken with Oregano, Cinnamon and Paprika
(from Bon Apetit, June 2000)

  • 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves

Whisk first 7 ingredients to blend in 13x9x2 inch baking dish (or something similar). Add chicken to dish and turn to coat with marinade. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, turning occasionally. Spray grill with non stick spray; prepare barbeque (med. high heat). Grill chicken until cooked through, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Pac Choi and Garlic Sausage Stir Fry

  • Pac choi, up to 4 heads (We recommend at least 1 head per person)
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1-2 inches hot pepper
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 lb garlic sausage
  • Ginger (a piece about as big as your thumb)
  • Soy sauce

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Dice the onion and add to hot oil. Add minced ginger, minced hot pepper, and sausage. Sautee, stirring every few minutes, until sausage is coked through. In the meantime, chop pac choi into large chunks and rinse in cool water. Shake off water, and add to dish with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Cook for about one minute, or until leafy portions are wilted and lightly cooked, while the stem portions remain juicy. Serve over rice.

Radish Sandwiches

  • Pumpernickel bread (or any rye bread)
  • Plain Chevre or other soft goat or cow cheese (cream cheese works too)
  • Chives or green onions, chopped
  • Radishes, thinly sliced
  • Sprinkle of salt and pepper

Spread cream cheese on bread. Chop chives and/or green onions and sprinkle on cream cheese. Thinly slice radishes and put on sandwich. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.