Monday, January 23, 2012

Winter CSA Share #5, January 17th

Family Share
10 lbs potatoes, Keuka Gold or Red Dale
10 lbs onions                                         
2 head garlic                        
1 small bunch kale             
1 small head cabbage               
15 lbs squash, mixed varieties
10 lbs carrots
1 ¼ lb salad mix
2 lb leeks
1 kohlrabi

Standard Share
5 lbs potatoes, Keuka Gold or Red Dale
5 lbs onions                                         
1 head garlic                        
1 bunch kale                             
1 small head cabbage               
10 lbs squash, mixed varieties
 5 lbs carrots
¾ lb salad mix
1 lb leeks
1 kohlrabi
Farm News:

Hope everyone had lovely holidays! We had a wonderful time seeing family and friends. Now we are starting to get ready for the 2012 season, which is coming faster than we’d like to think about! Seeds need organizing and ordering, crop plans need to be finalized, finances organized, and a million other little projects that make the season so much easier if we get them done ahead of time. We are also trying to squeeze a few home improvement projects in while we can.
The cold, cold nights this past weekend have put an end to the greens, so enjoy these! I went out and harvested them on Saturday so that they wouldn’t get completely blitzed. The kale was not so lucky – if it seems a little limp, it’s because it was frozen solid when I harvested it today. It will not have a great shelf life, so eat it soon or freeze it for later.
Hope you all enjoy!
Thanks,
Christa, Mike and little Lizzy

Recipes:

Christa’s “I’m sick of winter cooking!” Squash and Bean Salad

2 cups winter squash, cooked, cooled, and cut into ¾” cubes
2 cups cooked kidney beans
1 cup diced onion
1 diced apple
1 kohlrabi, peeled and diced
Your favorite Vinaigrette dressing (I prefer a simple olive oil and balsamic vinegar mix)

I like this cold salad because it reminds me of the corn-and-bean salads of summer. I love winter, but I also love a little variety in our meals!
Toss everything together in a large salad bowl with the vinaigrette dressing. I usually put in about ½ cup of dressing, but you can add it to your own taste. You can eat it alone or serve it over a bed of salad mix.

Garlic Carrot Potatoes

  • 1 ½ pounds potatoes, diced
  • 1 ½ pounds carrots, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 4 tbsp butter (half of a stick)
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 ½  tsp. sea salt, to taste (less if using refined salt)
  • ½ tsp freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 2 tbsp milk

Place potatoes, carrots, and garlic in a medium-sized saucepan and cover with plenty of water.  Bring water to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-high and cook until vegetables are tender and can be easily mashed, about 20-25 minutes.  Drain the water.  To the pot of cooked vegetables add butter, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Mash well with a potato masher. Once the veggies are mashed, stir in the milk until they reach your desired consistency.  Enjoy!

From: http://thepurposedheart.com/garlic-carrot-potatoes/ (Personally, I’m not into this blog, but this recipe is great!)

Winter CSA Share #4, December 20th

Family Share

10 lbs Katahdin potatoes   
10 lbs carrots                              
2 heads garlic                            
Extra large bunch kale              
2 small head cabbage               
15 lbs squash, mixed varieties
10 lbs onions
1 pie pumpkin
1 lb salad mix
2 lb leeks
1 kohlrabi
 
Standard Share
5 lbs Katahdin potatoes    
5 lbs carrots                              
1 head garlic                            
1 bunch kale                           
1 small head cabbage               
10 lbs squash, mixed varieties
5 lbs onions
1 pie pumpkin
½ lb salad mix
1 lb leeks
1 kohlrabi

Farm News:

These past few weeks have finally started to really feel like winter – frosty and cold in the mornings. Winter always makes me thankful for our little house. As much work as it needs, it is always warm inside this time of year, thanks to the woodstove! We’ve been working up the soil inside the new greenhouse so we can seed spinach for the spring – the seed will be dormant until the days begin to lengthen once again, and then will produce beautiful, sweet spinach for our earliest markets.
Speaking of sweet, the kale this week is incredibly sweet and delicious! As the weather gets colder, the plant converts it’s starches to sugars to protect itself from freezing. The result is amazing! Hope you all enjoy!    Happy Holidays!
Thanks,
Christa, Mike and little Lizzy

Recipes:

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. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Remove leaves from stems, and 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. 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 .

Winter Squash Lasagne
  • tbsp olive oil
  • 3 lbs winter squash
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
  • 21⁄2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Halve and seed squash. In a large saucepan, steam the squash until soft. Scoop the soft flesh out of the skin, and discard the skin.  Add salt and pepper (2 tsp. each, or to taste), and mash with a potato masher, or blend in a food processor. Add water and combine until smooth.
Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a low boil over medium- high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Add the nutmeg. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly butter a 13-by-9-by-2- inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Cover the bottom of pan with one layer of lasagna noodles. Spread half of the squash purée over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the cheese. Repeat layering once more, finishing with a layer of noodles covered only by white sauce.
Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove cover, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna and continue baking until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/squash-lasagna-zmrz10zgri.aspx#ixzz1gzVg1T3l