Winter CSA Share #6, Thursday, January 29th, 2015

 

What You’re Getting: 

 Standard Share:

4 lbs Shallots	6 lbs Winter Squash
5 lbs Potatoes	3 lbs Turnips
3 lbs Carrots	2 Green Cabbages
2 bulb Kohlrabi	4 ears Popcorn

Family Share:

6 lbs Shallots	10 lbs Winter Squash
10 lbs Potatoes	5 lbs Turnips
5 lbs Carrots	3 Green Cabbages
3 bulb Kohlrabi	6 ears Popcorn

Farm News:

Ahh, the last CSA share. How bittersweet! We hope you guys have all enjoyed your share this winter. We really appreciate all your support!

I’ve talked to a few folks who have been feeling a little bogged down with cabbage and kohlrabi, so I’ve been sure to pile on the cabbage, kohlrabi and turnip recipes this time and last time. Be sure to check out the recipes to get inspired!

The winter share may be over, but summer is coming fast! Already the wheels are turning on the farm to plan, prep, and grow your veggies for the summer months. We hope to see you at farmers markets or in the farmstand, or perhaps you’ll join us for a growing season CSA Share! Check out your many options at www.bahnerfarm.com

Thank you, thank you for being a part of our 2014 Winter CSA…. Happy Eating!

Please bring back your boxes when you come ot pick up your share! Remember, this is the last share!

Enjoy your veggies!

Christa, Mike, Lizzy and Nick

Recipes:

Ground Beef, Cabbage and Mushroom Stir-Fry

1 pound ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb cabbage, sliced thin

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 T minced fresh ginger

Pinch cayenne, optional

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 t honey

1 bunch green onions, cut on the bias (about 8 onions or 3 ounces after trimming)

In a very large skillet or wok, brown the ground beef with the garlic, ginger and a little salt and pepper. Add the cabbage and mushrooms and stir-fry until the cabbage is tender-crisp. Add the remaining ingredients and heat through. Adjust the seasoning to your taste.

   

Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Bacon

    1 teaspoon vegetable oil

    4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces

    2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

    1 medium head green cabbage, cored, cut into 1-inch pieces

    1/4 cup cider or rice vinegar

    1/4 cup sugar

    3 tablespoons soy sauce

    In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high and cook bacon, stirring, until browned and crisp, 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate. Add onion and cabbage to pot and cook, stirring, until cabbage is wilted, 10 minutes. Add vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce and cook until cabbage is crisp-tender, 10 minutes. Stir in bacon and serve.

Root Vegetable Gratin

    3 pounds mixed turnips, potatoes and kohlrabi, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices

    3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

    1 cup thinly sliced shallots

    1 1/3 cups milk, divided

    3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

    1 1/2 cups finely shredded Gruyère cheese, divided

    1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

    1 cup fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs, (see Tip)

    Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

    Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until light brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 cup milk and bring to a simmer. Combine flour and the remaining 1/3 cup milk in a small bowl to make a smooth paste; stir into the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce bubbles and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in 3/4 cup cheese, thyme, salt and pepper.

    Combine breadcrumbs, the remaining 3/4 cup cheese and 1 tablespoon oil in a bowl.

    Layer the vegetable slices in the prepared baking dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the top and top with the breadcrumb mixture.

    Bake the gratin until it is bubbling and the top is golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Winter CSA Share #5, Tuesday, January 6th, 2015

What You’re Getting:

Standard Share:

3 lbs Onions	8 lbs Winter Squash
5 lbs Potatoes	3 lbs Turnips
3 lbs Carrots	0.5 lb Salad Mix
2 bulb Kohlrabi	1 Green Cabbages
3 ears popcorn

Family Share:

6 lbs Onions	12 lbs Winter Squash
10 lbs Potatoes	6 lbs Turnips
6 lbs Carrots	0.5 lb Salad Mix
3 lbs Beets	2 Green Cabbages
2 bulb Kohlrabi	6 ears popcorn

Farm News:

Happy New Year!

So far we have really enjoyed 2015…. Mostly because of the beautiful ice for skating, and then finally some snow for cross country skiing. Let’s hope the rest of the year is just as filled with fun family activities.

Although the ice and snow makes the summer season seem far away, this is starting to be a very busy time for us. All our plantings and seeding dates need to be planned and organized for the year ahead so we can order our seeds. We try to knock off big paperwork projects like catching up on Quickbooks, taxes, entering the data from last year’s harvest and labor logs before February arrives… and along with it, the beginning of our seeding season!

At the same time, this is also a special time of year for our family, as we try to spend as much time as possible relaxing together before the spring. I hope you guys are enjoying it, too! Skating, skiing, snowshoeing…. Winter in Maine is the best.

Please bring back your boxes when you come ot pick up your share! Remember, the next share is the last share (January 27^th).

Enjoy your veggies!

Christa, Mike, Lizzy and Nick

Recipes:

Popcorn!

How to pop:

In the microwave: Remove outer husks. Place ear of corn, fully intact, in a paper bag. Fold the top of the bag closed. Place in microwave and heat on high for about 3 minutes or until all the corn has popped.

On the stovetop: Remove outer husks. Remove kernels from cob using a twisting motion. Pop kernels on stovetop just like any other popping corn!

Each ear makes about 1 large bowl of popped corn.

Yum!

Potato and Turnip Cakes

    1 pound  potatoes (about 2 medium)

    1 pound turnips (about 2 large)

    1/3 cup olive oil

    1 teaspoon coarse salt

    1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

    Coarsely grate (with a box grater or a food processor fitted with the grater attachment) potatoes and turnips, all scrubbed and trimmed. Squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible; transfer vegetables to a medium bowl. Toss with coarse salt and ground pepper.

    Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Form potato mixture into four tightly packed patties; place in skillet, flattening gently with a spatula to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cook patties, turning once, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes per side (reduce heat if patties start to brown too quickly, and add more oil to skillet if necessary). Transfer to paper towels; sprinkle with salt.

Kohlrabi and Turnip Gratin

    1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional), plus more for baking dish

    1 1/2 cups heavy cream, plus more if needed

    3 sprigs robust herbs such as thyme or sage

    2 pounds (total) kohlrabi and turnips, peeled and thinly sliced

    Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 375 degrees, and butter a 2 1/2-quart oval gratin dish or 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring cream and thyme to just under a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and let stand 30 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve and discard solids.

Arrange the vegetable slices in an overlapping fashion in the baking dish, alternating them and seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Dot with butter, if using. Pour cream over top (it should almost cover the vegetables; add up to 1/2 cup more if necessary) and cover tightly with parchment-lined foil.

Bake until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes, then remove foil and bake until golden brown and bubbling, about 15 minutes more. Serve at once.

Kohlrabi and Apple Slaw

    Kohlrabi, cut into matchsticks

    Apple, cut into matchsticks

    Olive oil

    Fresh lemon juice

    Salt and pepper

    Mix kohlrabi and apple matchsticks (both peeled or not) with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Kohlrabi and Turnip Asian Slaw

1 pound kohlrabi (1 large), peeled

1 medium turnip, peeled and quartered

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon peanut oil

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 scallions, thinly sliced (Can be substituted with slivered onion)

    Fit a food processor with a shredding blade (or use a box grater) and shred kohlrabi bulb and turnip.

    In a medium bowl, whisk together lime juice, peanut oil, honey, and sesame oil; season with salt and pepper. Add scallions, kohlrabi leaves and bulb, and turnip to bowl; toss to coat. Let stand at least 15 minutes.

Spiced Chicken Stew with Carrots

Throw this in the crock pot in the morning, come home to a delicious dinner just right for a cold winter’s night.

    2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths

    8 skinless chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds total)

    1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

    1 cinnamon stick

    1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

    Coarse salt and ground pepper

    1/4 cup golden raisins

    1/2 cup cilantro leaves

    1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted if desired

    Couscous, for serving (optional)

    Place carrots in slow cooker. In a bowl, toss together chicken, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; add to slow cooker. Cover, and cook on high, 4 hours (or on low, 8 hours), adding raisins 15 minutes before cooking is done.

    Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken and carrots to a dish (remove cinnamon stick); top with cilantro and almonds. Season cooking liquid with salt and pepper; spoon over chicken. Serve with couscous, if desired.

   

Winter CSA Share #5, Tuesday, January 20th

 

What You’re Getting:

Standard

1 kohlrabi

2 head cabbage

5 lb onions

6 lb potatoes

6 lb carrots

6 lb winter squash

3 lbs turnips

0.5 lbs leeks

Family  

 

1 kohlrabi

3 head cabbage

10 lb onions

12 lb potatoes

12 lb carrots

9 lb winter squash

4 lbs turnips

1 lbs leeks

Farm News:

Hi all,

Another day, another CSA share! Nicky and I are hanging out in the kitchen writing in front of the fire this while every one else sleeps. We’ve tried some great new recipes lately that I’ve included here today – Hope you enjoy them!

Hard to believe, but the next share (February 10^th) will be our last! Enjoy those sweet, crunchy carrots while you can.

Thanks,

Christa, Mike, Lizzy and Nicky

Recipes

Roast Turnips

2 lbs. turnips

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt

    Preheat oven to 400°F. Trim and peel the turnips. Cut larger turnips into large-ish bite-size pieces. Put turnips into a baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Use your hands or two large spoons to toss the turnips to coat them thoroughly with the oil. Sprinkle with salt. Add pepper, dried rosemary, parsley or thyme (Optional)

    Roast turnips until tender and browned, start checking on them after about 30 minutes. Depending on the size and age of the turnips, it may take them up to an hour or more to get completely tender.

Clapshot with Bacon and Nutmeg

A flavorful, slightly spiced potato and turnip dish from North/Northeast Scotland. Perfect with roast meat, or double up the helpings and serve as a tasty supper.

    1 1/3 pounds potato, peeled and quartered

    2/3 pound turnips, cut into chunks

    3 tablespoons butter

    1/4 cup milk

    8 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

    1 pinch ground nutmeg

    Salt and ground black pepper to taste

    Place the potatoes and turnips in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes.

    Drain the potatoes and turnips, return them to the saucepan and mash until creamy. Add the butter and milk and beat until fluffy. Stir in the crumbled bacon and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Lemony Cabbage Avocado Slaw

A summery tasting dish for a winter meal.

6 cups finely shredded cabbage

1 small red pepper, chopped (Optional)

1 ripe avacado, diced

1 Tsp finely chopped red onion (or yellow)

3 Tsp lemon juice

¼ cup hemp or flax seeds

3 Tsp chopped cilantro leaves

¼ tsp sea salt

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl, mix until avocado is creamy throughout.

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 CSA Share #2, Tuesday, Nov. 15th!

Standard Share

5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes

5 lbs onions

5 lbs carrots

10 lbs squash, mixed varieties

1 head garlic

½ lb salad mix

1 bunch kale

2 lbs turnips

1 lb leeks

1 small head cabbage

2 kohlrabi

2 bunches fresh herbs (sage, thyme)

1 “Long Pie” pie pumpkin

Family Share:

10 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes

10 lbs onions

10 lbs carrots

15 lbs squash, mixed varieties

2 head garlic

¾  lb salad mix

1 extra-large bunch kale

3 lbs turnips

2 lb leeks

2 small head cabbage

3 kohlrabi

2 bunches fresh herbs (sage, thyme)

1 “Long Pie” pie pumpkin

Farm News:

Happy almost Thanksgiving! Our garlic is planted and covered in straw for the winter, all the crops are harvested (except for the greens in the greenhouse, of course), and the new greenhouse is getting skinned on Saturday. We’ll be able to relax next week while visiting Mike’s mother in Indiana for turkey day, and we’ll have plenty to be thankful for. We are looking forward to cooking up a big feast  with all of out favorites. We hope you can put lots of your veggies from this week to good use!

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday with your families!

A few notes:

Long Pie pumpkin looks funny, like a giant orange zucchini, but is actually a heirloom pumpkin with great flavor and smooth flesh that makes WONDERFUL pies.

For those of you who haven’t tried Kohlrabi yet, it is wonderful grated into coleslaw, sliced up for dipping, or roasted coated in olive oil and salt and pepper. Just peel off the tough skin to get at the crunchy flesh.

Thanks,

Christa, Mike and little Lizzy

Recipes:

Thanksgiving Day Creamed Turnips

• 1 large turnip, peeled and diced
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

 Place the turnip in a saucepan with enough water to cover the cubes; place the saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 5 minutes; drain water and return turnip to saucepan.

    Return the saucepan to medium heat. Pour enough fresh water over the turnips to cover; add the sugar. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until turnip pieces are fork tender; drain.

    Melt the butter in a separate saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir the flour into the butter to make a roux. Whisk in the milk until the mixture thickens. Add the turnips and stir gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Cabbage, Carrot and Kohlrabi Slaw

This slaw is delicious by itself but I most often make it as a topping for fish tacos. Try adding shredded chicken to the slaw. With chicken, this slaw makes a great wrap sandwich.

• 3 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1 large kohlrabi, shredded

Dressing:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• juice of one lime
• sea salt and pepper to taste

    To prepare slaw, combine the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. To prepare dressing, all ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Pour dressing over the slaw; toss to coat. Cover and chill 1 hour. From http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/2972191-Cabbage-Carrot-and-Kohlrabi-Slaw

Butternut Squash 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.

Roasted Root Vegetables

This is one of our favorite recipes, and we probably eat it 3 times a week or so until we run out of the ingredients. This is a very simple recipe – you can make as much or as little as you want. This makes enough to roast on a large cookie sheet – I would cut the amounts in half if you want to roast them in a roasting pan.

2 cups diced potatoes

2 cups diced onion

1.5 cups cubed squash

1.5 cups diced beets or turnips

1.5 cups diced carrots

1 or two apples, diced.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the veggies in a liberal amount of olive oil – I usually use about ½ cup – as well as salt and black pepper to taste. Spread them evenly on a cookie sheet, and cover with aluminum foil. Roast at 400, covered for about 20-30 minutes (until veggies begin to soften). Remove foil cover, and continue to roast until veggies are soft on the inside, but browning on the out side. Yum!

Leek-Potato Pancakes

5 large potatoes

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 large leeks, white and pale green parts, sliced in small rings

salt & freshly ground black pepper,

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Grate potatoes into mixing bowl and cover with water. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in medium skillet. Add leeks and cook stirring until softened but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Drain potatoes and dry them well in kitchen towel.

In skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. When the butter/oil is hot, spread half the potatoes in the pan and press down with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, nutmeg and half the thyme. Over potato layer, spread leeks in a thin layer and sprinkle with flour. Cover that with the rest of the potato mixture and press down. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, nutmeg and remaining thyme. Cook for 8-10 minutes on one side, then carefully slide pancake out onto plate. Invert plate and put uncooked side down in skillet. Saute for another 8-10 minutes or until very crusty. Serve with sour cream, creme fraiche, or plain yogurt. Thanks to http://www.recipezaar.com/Potato-and-Leek-Pancake-170466