CSA Share #2, Tuesday June 17th, 2014

What You’re Getting:

Standard Share:

1 bunch kale

1 head lettuce

1 bunch hakurei summer turnips

1 bunch radishes

1 head pac choi

1 bunch baby carrots

1 kohlrabi

 

Family Share:

1 bunch kale

1 head napa cabbage

2 heads lettuce

2 bunches hakurei summer turnips

1 bunch radishes

2 heads pac choi

2 bunches baby carrots

2 kohlrabi

Farm News:

Happy Father’s Day! We hope you all got to spend a relaxing day with the Dads in your lives. Mike spent with day with the kids while I took our goods up to Bar Harbor for our weekly farmer’s market there.

Summer is here (almost, anyway!) and the plants are starting to respond to the warming soil with more growth and production. Our crew is out everyday working hard to get things seeded, transplanted, weeded and otherwise healthy for you. This year we have 4 apprentices, our biggest crew ever. With their help we’ve gotten all of the important planting projects in for 2014 and we’re moving into the time of year better known as weeding season with a good handle on things.

Enjoy! See you next week!

Christa, Mike, and Lizzy

Recipes:

How to eat: Kohlrabi (Light green bulb with long leaves)

Ok, last year we got way too carried away and gave our CSA WAY too much kohlrabi, so we promise to cut it way down for 2014… you’ll only be getting it twice.

Peel the touch skin to expose the crisp, juicy bulb beneath. SO good grated into coleslaw or sliced thin to dip in sauces… or just eat it whole, like an apple.

How to eat: Hakurei Summer Turnips

These are SO different from storage turnips that you may be used to. Juicy, tender and slightly sweet, they are meant to be eaten raw. The greens can also be used in salads!

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!

  Kale, Radish and Avacado salad

    1 medium bunch kale (any type), shredded

    1 avocado, pitted and flesh removed

    1 lemon, juiced

    ½ medium onion, red or yellow, thinly sliced

    ½ bunch radishes, sliced thinly

    ½  tsp sea salt (optional)

   Seed and spice blend:

    1/4 cup sunflower seeds

    1/4 cup sesame seeds

    1 T nutritional yeast

    1 teaspoon chili powder

    1/2 tbsp ground cumin

    1/2 tbsp onion granules

In mixing bowl combine the kale, avocado and lemon juice. With your hands, press to cream the avocado until thoroughly mixed. Mix in the onions and some of the radishes, reserving a bit of the radishes for garnish.

Finish with sea salt as an option. Sprinkle with seed and spice blend.

CSA Share #1, Tuesday June 10th, 2014

What You’re Getting:

Standard Shares:

2 heads Pac Choi (Bok Choy)

2 bunches radishes
1 small head broccoli

1 small bunch carrots

Family Shares:

3 heads Pac Choi (Bok Choy)

2 bunches radishes

1 small head broccoli

1 bunch kale

2 small bunches carrots

Farm News:

It’s that wonderful time of the year again…. CSA season!

We are so glad you’ve joined us this season, and we hope you enjoy every bit of the veggies you receive in your CSA bags. If you ever need some ideas on how to prepare anything, don’t hesitate to check out our blog at bahnerfarm.blogspot.com for a list of hundreds of recipes by vegetable.

So far our spring is going well here – The frost we got a few weeks ago didn’t kill the tomato plants, and everything is recovering from the cold April and May temps. We are a few weeks behind, but if the weather stays this warm we’ll be catching up fast!

Enjoy!

Christa, Mike, and Lizzy

Recipes:

Roasted Radishes with their Greens

People seem to be on one side of the fence or the other with radishes, but if you’ve never liked them, this dish has changed many minds! The roasted radishes are juicy and slightly sweet… not spicy!

    2 bunches medium radishes

    1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

    Coarse kosher salt

    2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

    1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush large heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Cut off all but 1/2 inch of green radish tops; reserve trimmed tops and rinse them well, checking for grit. Coarsely chop radish tops and set aside. Cut radishes lengthwise in half and place in medium bowl. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and toss thoroughly to coat. Place radishes, cut side down, on prepared baking sheet; sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Roast until radishes are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Season to taste with more coarse kosher salt, if desired.

Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add pinch of coarse kosher salt to skillet and cook until butter browns, swirling skillet frequently to keep butter solids from burning, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in fresh lemon juice.

Transfer roasted radishes to warmed shallow serving bowl and drizzle brown butter over. Sprinkle with chopped radish tops and serve.

From Bon Appetit, April 2011

Pac Choi and Garlic Sausage Stir Fry

Pac choi, 2 heads

1 medium onion

1-2 inches hot pepper

½ cup vegetable oil

1/2 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.

If you’re not a sausage fan, this recipe also works well with crispy fried tofu.

Serve over rice. Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

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.

Share # 1 Tuesday, June 12th

 

What You’re Getting:

Scallions, 1 bunch           

Radishes, 1 bunch

Head lettuce, 1 head           

Pac Choi, 2 heads

Summer Turnips, 1 bunch

Mint, 1 bunch

Farm News:

We’ve loved these warm, sunshiny days that are helping dry the farm out after all that rain! Large volumes of heavy rain wash fertility out of the soil and increase the chances of soil borne diseases, so a wet May or June can be frustrating, but with the sunshine things are starting to bounce back.

Mike and our three apprentices, Kirsten, Thomas and Kenny, have been spending long days out in the field to get caught up after the cool, wet weather, and this week will be our last big planting week, although we will still be planting our successional crops throughout the season. Lizzy and Christa have been helping out as much as they can, running the greenhouse, the office, and keeping Lizzy out of trouble. She’s a mover and a shaker these days!

Enjoy, see you next week!

Christa, Mike, and Lizzy

Recipe of the week:

Roasted Radishes with Radish Greens

People seem to be on one side of the fence or the other with radishes, but if you’ve never liked them, this dish has changed many minds! The roasted radishes are juicy and slightly sweet… not spicy!

• 2 bunches medium radishes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush large heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Cut off all but 1/2 inch of green radish tops; reserve trimmed tops and rinse them well, checking for grit. Coarsely chop radish tops and set aside. Cut radishes lengthwise in half and place in medium bowl. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and toss thoroughly to coat. Place radishes, cut side down, on prepared baking sheet; sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Roast until radishes are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Season to taste with more coarse kosher salt, if desired.

Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add pinch of coarse kosher salt to skillet and cook until butter browns, swirling skillet frequently to keep butter solids from burning, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in fresh lemon juice.

Transfer roasted radishes to warmed shallow serving bowl and drizzle brown butter over. Sprinkle with chopped radish tops and serve.

From Bon Appetit, April 2011

If you’ve never had them before…

Hakurei Summer Turnips

            If you think you don’t like turnips, think again! These turnips are juicy, nutty and a little sweet, excellent for raw eating. Slice into a salad or dip in a sauce! Their tops are also great for sautéing. 

Pac Choi (Also known as Bok Choy)

            These crisp Asian veggies are our favorite springtime treats. Fantastic in a stir-fry. Use the whole head – the juicy crunchy stems are the best part!

Remember, the shares start out slightly smaller and get bigger as the season builds. Enjoy spring salads now, and look forward to summer bounty!

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 9^th. 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

From Spark Recipes, June 2011 (http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=333996)

• 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.