Sunday, June 30, 2013

CSA Share #4, Tuesday, July 2nd, 2013

 

What You’re Getting: 

Standard Share:

1 bunch kale
2 heads lettuce
1 bunch Hakurei summer turnips
1 bunch scallions
1 Kohlrabi
1 pint sugar snap peas

Family Share:
 
1 bunch kale
1 bunch chard
3 heads lettuce
1 head green cabbage
2 bunches Hakurei summer turnips
1 bunch scallions
2 Kohlrabi
1 pint sugar snap peas


Farm News:

Everyone do their sun dance! We have had enough rain! We are feeling pretty soggy over here, and the plants all need SUN! The weeds, of course, are still growing gangbusters, the clever bastards.

We are excited to be starting construction on a new packing and processing building, with multiple coolers and indoor and outdoor wash areas. We will be able to better store vegetables for the winter CSA, have more refrigerated storage space overall, and better clean and organize our wash area and packing materials. We can’t wait for it to be finished!

Hope you have all been enjoying the week and are looking forward to the 4th. Need a pie for your celebration? Lindsey of Let Them Eat Cake Bakery in Belfast is taking pie orders for the holiday! There is a choice of mixed berry or apple with either a lattice or a crumb topping, and pies would be available for pickup at the farmstand on Wednesday after 3:00 pm. Let us know if you’re interested!

Thanks and Enjoy!
Christa, Mike, and Lizzy

Recipes

Roasted Kale Chips

·       1 bunch kale
·       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.

Easy-Peasy Hakurei-Kohlrabi Tuna Pasta Salad

1 bulb kohlrabi
2 large hakurei turnips
2 cans chunk light tuna fish, drained
½ lb spaghetti, cooked
¼ lb salad mix
3 T mayonnaise
1 T rice vinegar (or balsamic, if you prefer)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Peel kohlrabi and wash turnips. Dice finely. Combine vegetables in small mixing bowl with tuna, mayonnaise, vinegar, and ground black pepper to taste. If you don’t like mayo, try using an Italian salad dressing instead.
Arrange salad mix on two plates.  Place pasta over salad, and tuna mixture over pasta. Light and delicious!

Monday, June 24, 2013

CSA Share #3, Tuesday June 25th

Lizzy loves Hakurei Summer Turnips!




What You’re Getting:

Standard Share:

1 head lettuce
1 head Pac Choi (Bok Choy)
2 bunches Hakurei summer turnips
1 bunch scallions
1 Kohlrabi
1 head broccoli (Or 2 small heads)

Family Share: 

2 heads lettuce
2 heads Pac Choi (Bok Choy)
2 bunches Hakurei summer turnips
2 bunches radishes
1 bunch scallions
2 Kohlrabi
2 heads broccoli (Or 4 small heads)


Farm News:

Whew, it’s sticky today!

We hope you guys have been enjoying your veggies! Despite the crazy temperature fluctuations earlier, most things are doing fine. Our late spring spinach, a lot of arugula, and our first few plantings of beets and carrots bit the dust in those heavy rains a few weeks ago, but there are lots of other things doing beautifully. There will be more spinach in the fall, and we’ll just have to be more patient than usual for carrots and beets, but we’ll have lots of other things to keep us happy.
We should have peas, chard, bunching onions and cukes soon, and zucchini and summer squash soon after that. The green beans and tomatoes are growing beautifully, and the peppers and eggplant are looking good – I can’t wait! Of course, there will be lots of radishes, kale, kohlrabi, cabbage, head lettuce, salad and other fun things between now and then. Yum!
Stay cool this muggy week, and stay out of all these thunderstorms coming our way!

Thanks and Enjoy!
Christa, Mike, and Lizzy

Recipes:

Scallion Pancakes

This is one of my all-time favorites – a very simplified version of the amazing Korean scallion pancakes a friend used to make for us.

1 bunch scallions                      
1 t salt                                               
1 ½ cups flour                                    
4 eggs                                               
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup water
red wine vinegar
soy sauce
lemon juice

            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.

Glazed Hakurei Turnips

Simple and delicious. Check out http://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/2011/07/16/hakurei-turnips-recipes-and-tips/ for more Hakurei ideas!

2 bunches baby hakurei turnips trimmed, greens reserved
    1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
    3 tablespoons sugar
    Kosher salt

    Place turnips in a large skillet; add water to cover turnips halfway. Add butter, sugar, and a large pinch of salt; bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is syrupy and turnips are tender, about 15 minutes. (If turnips are tender before liquid has reduced, use a slotted spoon to transfer turnips to a plate and reduce liquid until syrupy. Return turnips to pan and stir to coat well.)

From: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/11/glazed-hakurei-turnips#ixzz1yEE4lLTH


CSA Share #2, Tuesday June 18th, 2013

 

What You’re Getting: 

 Standard Share:

1/4 lb bag Salad Mix
2 heads Pac Choi (Bok Choy)
1 bunches Hakurei summer turnips
1 bunches Radishes
1 Kohlrabi

Family Share: 
 
1/2 lb bag Salad Mix
4 heads Pac Choi (Bok Choy)
2 bunches Hakurei summer turnips
2 bunches Radishes
2 Kohlrabi
1 head Napa cabbage


Farm News:

We are so excited that this week’s weather looks like it will be sunny (Or, at least, not rainy.). The heavy rains we got over the last few weeks and the generally cooler temperatures this spring have really slowed some things down, so we are really looking forward to a nice stretch of sunshine and warming temperatures (We hope.)!
            Mike and the crew are out planting our melons today. I can’t WAIT for them to ripen, usually in mid to late August.  I also can’t wait for peas, carrots, beets, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, green beans…. Jeeze, it’s a long list!
            We hope that you and your friends and family find ways to enjoy the beautiful weather as well. Isn’t a Maine summer day something special?

Enjoy!
Christa, Mike, and Lizzy

Recipes:

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 simply roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper. More recipes can be found on the blog!

'Carpaccio' of Kohlrabi with Radishes and Blue Cheese

2 small, young kohlrabi
6 young radishes
4 Tbsp (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
4 tsp (20 ml) white wine vinegar, or white balsamic vinegar
a pinch of mustard powder
blue cheese (Gorgonzola, Roquefort, or whatever you fancy)
flaky sea salt
freshly milled black pepper

Strip the leaves off the kohlrabi and cut off the tops and bottoms. Using a mandolin, cut the bulbs into paper-thin slices (Note from Christa: We don’t have a mandolin, but the slicing blade on our food processor works well, or just slicing it by hand). Do the same with the radishes. Arrange the kohlrabi and radish slices on a platter, or on individual salad plates. Whisk the olive oil, white wine vinegar and mustard powder together in a small bowl, and drizzle the dressing over the slices. Season well with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese.

Serve immediately. From http://whatsforsupper-juno.blogspot.com/2009/05/carpaccio-of-kohlrabi-with-radishes-and.html

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.

Monday, June 10, 2013

CSA Share #1, Tuesday June 11th, 2013

What You’re Getting:

Standard Share:

2 heads Pac Choi (Bok Choy)
2 bunches Hakurei summer turnips
1 bunch kale
1 kohlrabi

Family Share:
 
4 heads Pac Choi (Bok Choy)
2 bunches Hakurei summer turnips
2 bunches radishes
1 bunch kale
2 mini heads lettuce
2 kohlrabi



Farm News:

Hooray, It’s the first CSA share! Although the first share is always smaller then the many shares to come, it’s still an exciting start to the CSA season. With the cold temperatures in May and the rain in the last few weeks, some things are slow to start this year, but the sun WILL come out, and things WILL grow! All things with patience.
            We have a wonderful crew of apprentices this year. Eitan, Laura and Jess have been a great help, and Lizzy is starting to get in on the action too, seeding her own flat of seeds in the greenhouse and using her tiny hoe.
Our exciting news is that Lizzy will have a baby brother or sister in November! Please forgive me if I am slow returning an email or the like, as I am definitely not operating at 100%. Good thing everyone else is!

Enjoy!
Christa, Mike, and Lizzy

Recipes:

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 cooked 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.

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.