Monthly Archives: June 2019

Summer CSA, Week 4

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Let’s think about the joy in life.

NPR is not currently broadcasting about the member drive and I find myself still not able to turn the news on. Between the debates and the eminent war updates I quickly fall under a rain cloud. So this week I went searching for some joy.

Periodically throughout the week I asked folks where they found some joy. These are their thoughts:

Sandy told me he enjoyed going to the Huskies game with Annie, Truman and Ellis. Sandy also caught a skunk in a live trap and re-homed it away from their property. I assume that brought him some bittersweet joy.

Dave himmed and hawwhed then finally said he was very grateful for the water that fell from the sky this week.

Teri eagerly listed off turnips, radishes, and lettuce as things that brought her joy. But ultimately finally getting to wear shorts and a cold glass of lemonade brought her the most joy.

Jane initially said going to the beach after work with her kids one night was wonderful. Later in the week she got out of going to the mall with her parents and decided that was more joyful.

Garrett expresses some frustration in the carrot field about being under a rain cloud. But the carrot field is a magical place where worries wash away after you talk about them. And through much reflection and venting Garrett said he was reminded to be at peace with the world.

Karin said Joel has started talking to their baby (in utero) more! Maybe by the time you read this she will have had her baby! [editor’s note: nope]

Patricia thought for a moment and gleefully said she saw some work being done to her house. This is very exciting!

Sam told me carrots. I did not wish him a Happy Friday, he does not enjoy that.

As for me the heartwarming feels I got from all the farm crew leading up to my race have been wonderful. Dave making lunch on Friday brought me so much joy. Sam made me granola bars!

I left the farm Friday with a happy heart knowing our farm crew is a joyful bunch.

Tiffany

In your CSA box:

Carrots – Green Top Beets – Green Onions – Radishes – Lettuce – Turnips – Pac Choi

*This is likely the last week your carrots will have green tops on them. You can wash and use those greens! We recommend a carrot top pesto.

Roasted Beet and Carrot salad with Burrata Cheese

For the salad

  • 5 or 6 Red Beets with tops
  • 6 carrots halved lengthwise
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt to taste

For the dressing

  • 3 Tbs Olive Oil
  • 2 Tbs White Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Tbs Honey
  • 1 Garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 tsp minced rosemary
  • Sea salt to taste
  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Cut the tops of the beets, reserving the beet greens. Scrub the beets clean, half and slice. Clean ribs off the beet greens and tear the greens into pieces. 
  3. Set aside. Keep the red beets separate from the rest of the vegetables if you don’t want the colors to bleed. Toss beets and carrots in olive oil with salt. Spread in one layer on sheet pan. Again keeping red beets separate from the rest of the vegetables if you don’t want the colors to bleed. 
  4. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until tender and browned.
  5. Combine dressing ingredients and whisk until well combined.
  6. Right before the vegetable are read from the oven heat a skillet over medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. 
  7. Quickly sauté the beet greens, about 2 minutes or until lightly wilted. Transfer to platter. 
  8. Top with roasted vegetable, burrata cheese and drizzle with dressing. Garnish with fresh rosemary.

Crispy Turnip Fries

  • 4 Turnips, peeled and cut into fries (our turnips are smaller and don’t need to be peeled, so add in the ones from last week if you have them still)
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or cooking spray.
  1. Toss the turnips with olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
  1. Place in one layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, flipping after 10 minutes until nice and crispy. If needed you can broil them at the end to help crisp them up.

Summer CSA, Week 3

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How do you prepare for something you’ve never done before; Knowledge, hydration, relaxation and one metric ton of good faith?

I’m participating in a 100 mile bike race next week and I’m kind of freaking out. I’ve never biked that far before. I’ve raced my bike countless times but never that far.

Thankfully I’m finding a bit of solace in the farm. During lunch Sam whipped out a couple of cookbooks. One stood out to me: From Asparagus to Zucchini. According to Sam this book came to fruition when CSAs started becoming more popular around the US. People were excited to get a CSA box but were left overwhelmed with what to do with all the veggies.

How do you all prepare for a CSA box every week? Mix up lots of dressings for salads I hope! Perhaps clear shelves in the refrigerator? I feel that committing to a Summer CSA share is more impressive that completing a 100 mile bike race. Summer CSA share season is a marathon not a sprint.

Thank you for eating veggies you might not have tried before and experimenting with recipes new to you. Thank you for reminding me a 100 mile bike race is a walk in the park compared to eating a farm load of veggies, you are the real athletes!!!

Also if you are having trouble eating all of those mixed greens some fun ways to use them up could be:

  • Put them on a sandwich
  • Mix in with scrambled eggs
  • Add to lentil or miso soup

The carrot field is a beach where the carrots soak up the sun all day. This past week more cucumbers went into the ground, more potatoes went into the ground and the onion field got a cozy layer of mulch. Weeding continued throughout the farm; the bright sunny days have been prime weed killing weather.

The deer fence across the road got one step closer to being finished. Garrett and I post-pounded many T-posts. Additional support wood posts were added to the fence lines. The next step is to hang the gates and roll out the fence!

A friendly reminder the Free Range Film Festival is this weekend. See you at the big red barn!

From a film hungry farm crew,

Tiffany

In your share this week:

Green Onions – Carrots – Greens Mix – Kale – Butter head Lettuce – Pac Choi – Radishes – Turnips

Carrot and Beet Kale Salad with Roasted Potatoes and Tofu

For the roasted potatoes

2 russet potatoes chopped (about 1 cup chopped per salad) seasoned with salt and pepper, olive oil and chili powder (if you’re into that)

Roast potatoes at 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes

For the Tofu

1 package of firm Tofu cut into cubes and seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Bake Tofu along side potatoes at 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes

For the salad (per serving)

  • 1/2 cup Grated Carrot
  • 1/2 cup Grated beet
  • 2 cups finely chopped kale
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Tahini sauce

  • 6 Tbsp Tahini
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp maple syrup

Whisk sauce ingredients together and top over salad, potatoes and tofu!

Pac Choi stir fry with Turnips and Carrots

  • Pac Choi chopped into even square pieces
  • Turnips and carrots chopped into quartered pieces similar to pac choi

Cook veggies over medium heat in olive oil with soy sauce and fish oil until veggies are tender. Top with mixed greens and enjoy!

 

Summer CSA, Week 2

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Summer Solstice is days away and the sunlight feels infinite.

This time of year everything looks so vividly green. The woods are thick with lush leaves and grass seems to grows back over night after its been mowed. The farm is fast paced here on out till after fall harvest. So it’s easy to get caught up in the work and forget to take a moment and breathe it all in.

I’ve seen three different mama ducks on the pond in the back with little babies. I always update the farm crew after I’ve seen them. I saw a great horned owl this past weekend fly in front of me and perch in a tree around dusk.

We’ve had a handful of sweltering day in June so far. But for the most part it’s been a mild end to spring. I keep saying I’m waiting for those hot days, those sleep with the windows open and run around in a tank top and shorts kind of days. But of course when those hot days do come a knocking I’ll be ill prepared without a hat or sunscreen. Inevitably getting oddly placed tan lines all across my body. So this is my public service announcement to be prepared, summer is coming.

Karin will be taking a baby sabbatical this summer starting hopefully on the solstice (then I win the pool) while the rest of us on the farm crew attempt to fill her shoes. I’m confident we will make her proud.

This week the farm crew began the season of weeding, the first planting of carrots got weeded along with many other rows, beds and aisle ways. The fields across the road have irrigation now and a mountain of seed potatoes was conquered.

Food is starting to leave the ground and enter your homes! I’m constantly amazed at just how much food we harvest in a season and how many people get to eat these wonderful veggies.

So thank you for being the consumer and thank you for putting up with me writing the newsletter in Karin’s absence. I’ll try to be as witty and well spoken as she is.

With fists fulls of greens,

Tiffany

In your share this week:

Green Onions – Greens mix – Rhubarb – Lettuce – Radishes – Spinach – Turnips

Spinach and Quinoa Patties

1 cup – uncooked quinoa OR 2 ½ cups pre-cooked quinoa, (black, white or red)
¾ cup – rolled oats
4 eggs
7 oz – feta cheese
4 cups – fresh spinach, chopped
sea salt & pepper
coconut oil, butter, olive oil or ghee for frying

Cook quinoa: Place 2 cups water, rinsed uncooked quinoa and a pinch of salt in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a bare simmer and gently cook for about 15 minutes, or until you see small tails on the quinoa seeds. Set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, place cooked quinoa, oats, eggs, feta cheese, chopped spinach, salt and pepper and combine until all is mixed. Place in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
Take out the mixture and form 10 to 12 patties with your hands. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add the patties and fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, soft boiled eggs, beans and sprouts or micro greens. The patties keep for 3-5 days in the fridge and freezes well.

Garlic Roasted Turnips (also works with radishes)

Turnips from CSA box! 2 Tablespoons olive oil or butter (melted) 1 teaspoon garlic power 1 teaspoon Oregano Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove greens and ends of turnips. Quarter turnips. In a mixing bowl mix ingredients together. Place turnips on baking sleet cut sides down. Roast 30-35 minutes or until fork tender and golden brown.

Summer CSA, Week 1

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Here it is – the first Summer CSA Share! How nice that it actually looks and feels summery to be starting things off for the harvest season. This morning, I found myself eyeing up pants that I might cut into shorts – I am always aspiring for that 7-year-old scraped knee look.

Anyway, here we stand at the beginning of what I think will be a fantastic season. We img_20190602_145959574_hdrhave a rock star crew with Garrett, Sam and Tiff (from a few seasons back) returning, and a new face, Jane, who is not new to farming and is game for whatever we seem to throw at her. Of course Teri and Patricia and Dave are all back and in full swing planting for the CSA and keeping us organized in the pack shed. Now we’ll see less of Teri, since she’ll be running (sometimes literally) around delivering the shares on Mondays and Thursdays. Of course, with the harvest season we’ll see familiar faces of volunteers returning to help us a few different days a week. I’m excited to start this routine back up -it’s like going to summer camp, only with more lifting.

We had a full crew starting earlier than normal this season. Start times were a bit 20190605_095057staggered, but not by much. Even though things have been off to a cool and wet start, the crew has been getting some good projects rolling. The barn roof has been replaced, and the inside cleared through in preparation to remove the side wall so we (i.e., Janaki) can park more tractors and implements in there. All of the carrots are being planted across the road this year. If they get water on them, they’ll like that sandier soil. Or that’s the idea. The deer of Wrenshall also seem to like it over there, and the crew has been in a race against the clock to get a deer fence up. Wooden posts are in at the corners, H braces made, T posts in progress… if nothing else the activity around there must be a turn off for a curious herd.

I am in my own race against the clock every day. Any time now, my project of 8 1/2 months will be joining me in the outside world. I’ll be missing almost an entire farm season, but starting my own season of sorts -and we’re delighted.

I am leaving the newsletter, and probably other projects I haven’t thought of yet, in the capable hands of Tiff. She’s a kick -you’ll all like her I’m sure.

As some of you know (hopefully) from seasons and newsletters past, we’re glad you’ve chosen to plan your meals and your time around getting our CSA share. Your investment in our farm makes the season, the hiring of the amazing crew, and all the projects for sustainability possible.

If you’re new to all of this, welcome! Thanks for seeking out a new way to get food onto your table. Sometimes aspects of getting a share can be daunting. If you’re new (or even not so new) and find yourself with questions about how to use things, or tricks about storage or how to put some things away, reach out and we can connect you with other members who are pros at using up a share. Personally, I just cook most things in butter and put an egg on top – but that’s not for everyone.

Thank you for slowing down some of your meals, and being outside norm of the constant “grab and go” way we treat food in this culture.

For the hall of famers and farmers crew,

Karin

 

In your share this week:

Greens Mix – Green Onions – Romaine and Bibb Lettuce – Pac Choi – Rhubarb – Spinach

Pac Choi with Ginger and Garlic

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 8 cups chopped fresh pac choi
  • 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • Ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute. Add bok choy and soy sauce cook 3 to 5 minutes, until greens are wilted and stalks are crisp-tender. Season, to taste, with black pepper.

 

Rustic Rhubarb Tarts, from The Smitten Kitchen

  • 1 cup corn flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup fine cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher or coarse salt
  • 1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 batch Rhubarb Vanilla Compote (recipe below)

In a food processor: Combine the dry ingredients in the work bowl of your food processor. Add the butter and pulse in short bursts, until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add heavy cream and egg yolks and pulse until combined; it will look crumbly but it will become one mass when kneaded together.

In a stand mixer: Whisk the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, add the butter and turn the mixture speed to low (you’ll want to lock the top, so the mixture doesn’t fly about) and mix to break up the butter. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the butter is as coarse as cornmeal. Add the heavy cream and egg yolks and mix until combined. The dough will look crumbly but when pinched between your fingers, it will come together.

By hand: The butter can also be blended into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender, or you fingertips. The cream and egg yolks can be mixed into the butter mixture with a wooden spoon. You’ll likely want to turn the dough out onto a counter to gently knead it into one mass.

Shape the tarts: Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Lightly flour a work surface and using the heel of your hand, flatten the dough into a rough circle. Continue flattening until it is approximately 5 inches in diameter. Try to work quickly, so the dough doesn’t get too warm and soft, making it harder to handle. For more elegant edges, gently flatten the outer edge of the circle with your fingertips, making it thinner than the rest of the dough.

Spoon 3 tablespoons of the Rhubarb Vanilla Compote into the center of the dough. Fold the edge of the dough toward the compote and up, to create a ruffled edge; continue around the perimeter, letting the ruffles be their bad irregular selves. Slide a bench scraper or spatula under the tart and transfer it to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Continue with the remaining dough. Freeze the tarts on their tray for at least 1 hour or up to 2 weeks, wrapped tightly in plastic.

Bake the tarts: Preheat over to 375°F. Bake tarts, still frozen, for about 35 minutes or until the edges of the tarts are brown and the rhubarb is bubbling and thick. Serve warm or at room temperature. The tarts keep in an airtight container (or not, as I forgot to wrap mine and they were still awesome the next day) for up to 2 days.

Rhubarb Vanilla Compote

1 1/2 pounds rhubarb stalks
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar (i.e. 15 tablespoons, if you want to drive yourself mad)
1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

Rinse the rhubarb stalks and trim the very ends. Cut them in half lengthwise (unless they’re very slim) and then on the diagonal into 3/4-inch chunks. Leaving the last 1 1/2 cups aside, put 3 cups of the rhubarb into a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the brown sugar, vanilla bean seeds and pods and turn the heat to medium low. (You want to start at a low temperature to encourage the rhubarb to release its liquid. Unlike most compotes, this one adds no water.) Cook the rhubarb mixture, covered, for about 15 minutes, or until the mixture is saucy. Remove the cover and increase the heat to medium, cooking an additional 15 to 17 minutes, or until the rhubarb is completely broken down and thick enough that a spoon leaves a trail at the bottom of the pan. Discard your vanilla bean pods and add remaining rhubarb chunks to the compote. Pour the compote out onto a large plate to cool.