Monday, December 17, 2012

WInter Share # 4, Tuesday, December 18th

Butternut squash curing in the greenhouse

What You’re Getting:

1 bunch kale                       ½ lb salad mix
1 head cabbage            2 lb turnips
4 lb carrots                   2 lbs leeks
5 lbs potatoes               5 lbs onions
1 lb kohlrabi                8 lbs mixed winter squash

Farm News:

Snow! Finally it looks like winter around here. Lizzy and christa are spending a cozy morning bagging up veggies for tomorrow’s share. Hope you guys all enjoy it! Less news, more recipes this time!
Thanks!
Christa, Lizzy, and Mike


Recipes:

Butternut Squash and Leek Soup

1 butternut squash
3 Tbs unsalted butter or vegetable oil
2 large leeks
4 tsp ginger, peeled and minced
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 tsp salt

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Place face down on an oiled baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until squash can easily be pierced with fork, about 1 hour. Let cool a bit, then scoop pulp from squash skin and discard skin.
Carefully clean leeks and chop. Melt butter in a soup pot. Cook leeks and ginger 5 to 10 minutes, then stir in the squash. Add 4 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a simmer, cooking for 20 minutes. Use a spoon to periodically stir and to break up squash clumps. Puree or mash until smooth. Then add 2 cups of stock and salt.

Garnish with cream or sour cream, croutons, and/or toasted squash seeds. From The Joy of Cooking.

Turnip and Potato Patties

    1 ½  cups turnips, diced small (About 1 lb.)
    1 ½ cups potato, diced small (About 1 lb.)
    2 1/2 Tbsp thinly sliced scallion greens, optional
    1 egg, beaten lightly
    1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    Grapeseed oil, peanut oil, or canola oil (high smoke point vegetable oils)
    Salt and pepper

In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the turnip and potato cubes for 10-15 minutes, until they are tender, and drain them. In a bowl, mash them with a fork and stir in the scallions, the egg, flour, and salt and pepper to taste.
Coat the bottom of a large, heavy bottomed skillet with about 1/4-inch of the oil. Heat the pan on medium high heat until the surface of the oil begins to shimmer, but not smoke. Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of the turnip potato batter into the pan, flattening them into 1/2-inch thick patties with the back of a spatula. Fry the patties until they are golden, turning them once, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the patties to paper towels to drain off excess oil.
From:http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/turnip_and_potato_patties/

Massaged Kale Salad with Apples

Due to its cold survival technique of converting starches to sugars, winter grown kale is much sweeter than summer kale…. Very delicious raw!

    1 bunch kale
    1 teaspoon sea salt
    ¼ cup diced red or green onion
    ¾ cup diced apple
    ¼ cup olive oil
    2 tablespoons unfiltered apple cider vinegar

De-stem kale by pulling leaves away from stems. Wash leaves. Spin or pat dry. Stack leaves, roll up, and cut into thick strips. Put kale into a large mixing bowl, add salt, and massage kale with your hands for about 2 minutes. Stir onions & apples into kale. Dress with oil and vinegar and mix.

An edited version of http://www.columbiaheightscommunitymarketplace.org/recipe-massaged-kale-salad-with-strawberries

Winter Share #3, Tuesday, December 4th

Our winter salad mix in one of our wash tubs
What You’re Getting:

5 baby pac choi                       1 lb salad mix
1 head cabbage            2 lb beets
4 lb carrots                   2 lbs leeks
5 lbs potatoes               5 lbs onions
1 lb kohlrabi                5 lbs mixed winter squash

Farm News:

It’s beginning to feel a lot like winter around here! Most of our buildings and farm paraphernalia have been shut down and shut up for the winter months. The chickens are in the freezer, all the root veggies, cabbages, and squash are stored for the winter, and all the most important end-of-season jobs have been finished. The hardy greens in the hoophouse are still green under their double layers of extra plastic. The varieties we grow are specially chosen for their winter hardiness, and they can freeze solid at night and still be green, happy, and alive the next day… up until a certain point, of course. We should have greens through January, and we hope to have them through the final share in February, but you never can tell when the temperatures will stay cold enough to finally kill them.
Thanks!
Christa, Lizzy, and Mike

What is it? Kohlrabi!
Kohlrabi, that green bulbous looking round veggie with the tough skin, is a delicious treat in disguise. Peel off the skin to get at the crunchy, slightly sweet broccoli flavored yumminess! Wonderful for eating raw in a salad or slaw, it can also be roasted. More recipes can be found on the blog!

Recipes:

Roasted Kohlrabi with Garlic and Parmesean

1 lb kohlrabi bulbs, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

    Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F. Cut the kohlrabi into 1/4 inch thick slices, then cut each of the slices in half. Combine olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss kohlrabi slices in the olive oil mixture to coat. Spread kohlrabi in a single layer on a baking sheet.
    Bake in the preheated oven until browned, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally in order to brown evenly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven to allow the Parmesan cheese to brown, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
From: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-kohlrabi/

Creamy Cabbage and Potatoes… yummy comfort food!

Olive oil
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 largish onion, halved and sliced
1 pound green cabbage, cored and sliced thinly
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 pounds potatoes, baked
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
 Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat a glug of olive oil in a pot (large enough to hold the cabbage) over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter, and when its foam subsides, add the onion slices. Toss to coat with fat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and just beginning to color, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and then toss in the cabbage. Continue to stir until the cabbage and onions are completely mixed and the cabbage is beginning to wilt. Pour in the vinegar and a tablespoon of water, cover the pot, and turn the heat to low. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the cabbage is tender enough to eat.
Peel the potatoes and mash them roughly with a fork or your fingers. Melt the remaining tablespoon butter in a 10- or 12-inch skillet over. Add the flour all at once, turn the heat to medium low, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes. Stir in the milk, raise the heat a bit, and cook until the mixture thickens, a few minutes. Stir frequently to break up lumps and prevent the mixture from sticking to the skillet.
Turn the heat off under the skillet and stir the potatoes into the sauce. Stir in the cabbage and onions. When the contents of the skillet are thoroughly mixed up, smooth the top with your spoon and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
From : http://www.seriouseats.com

Winter Share #2, Tuesday, November 13th

Our pumpkins on display at the Common Ground Fair in September

What You’re Getting:

1 bunch kale                ½ lb salad mix
1 head cabbage            2 lb turnips
4 lb carrots                   2 lbs leeks
5 lbs potatoes               5 lbs onions
1 Long Pie pumpkin    8 lbs mixed winter squash

Farm News:

    Last week we spent 4 beautiful days on what we call our annual family “summer” vacation that is, 4 days on the island that Christa used to spend her childhood summers on. These days leaving the farm in the summer is unthinkable, so late fall is usually our get-away time. It’s always relaxing to get away from the farm and the endless to-do lists, but we also love coming back home!
We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving next week. There are lots of things in the share this week to add to your family’s feast. Pumpkin pie, glazed carrots, mashed potatoes? Yum!
In keeping with the spirit of the holiday, we would like to let all of you know how incredibly thankful we are to have such wonderful support from our customers and friends. Thank you!

Christa, Lizzy, and Mike

Recipes:

Maple Glazed Carrots
2 pounds carrots, halved
4 slices bacon, each cut into 4 pieces
1 T fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
    1/4 cup pure maple syrup
    Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

    Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with rack in lower third. Place carrots, bacon, and thyme in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
    Drizzle with syrup; season with salt and pepper. Toss well to combine.
    Bake until bottoms of carrots begin to caramelize and turn dark brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and toss carrots carefully. Return to oven, and bake until all sides are well browned, about 25 minutes more. Serve immediately.
(Originally from Martha Stewart, but edited heavily)

Mashed Potatoes with Leeks and Kale
1 bunch kale, chopped, about 4 to 6 cups chopped
3 medium leeks, trimmed, washed, and thinly sliced
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
 2 1/2 pounds potatoes, russet or baking
 1 cup milk, light cream, or half-and-half

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the leeks over medium heat, stirring, until wilted. Add the kale and chicken broth. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, until greens are very tender. Add the salt, to taste, and the pepper. Add milk or cream; remove from heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, cut potatoes into quarters; rinse well. Put potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Heat the kale and milk mixture until hot. Add to the drained potatoes and mash by hand or with an electric mixer until well blended.

Making pumpkin pie from a fresh pumpkin:
What is that weird, orange zucchini thing? It’s an heirloom pie pumpkin called Long Pie. It’s my favorite for pumpkin pies, with it’s smooth, flavorful flesh.
I don’t like to give a pumpkin pie recipe, since most people already have a favorite. However, I do like to give simple directions for turning that hard orange pumpkin into puree. Many recipes call for peeling and chopping the raw pumpkin, which can be a real pain. Here’s an easier way for lazy cooks like me:  Pre-heat your oven to 350. Halve your pumpkin lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Lay the two halves on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the pumpkins are very soft and easily poked with a fork. Let them cool, and then scoop the soft flesh out of the skin. Hand-mash or puree in a food processor, and voila! Pumpkin puree! Most pie recipes call for 2 cups, and you should get between 3 and 4 cups from your Long Pie pumpkin.