Author Archives: Karin White

Summer CSA Week 12

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At week twelve we are about three months through our Summer CSA. So many weeks to go still – and so much bounty to be brought in from the fields. The mid-summer CSA crops are so enjoyable, and many will last through to the end. They’ll be joined by cool, end of season crops for some very colorful and full of variety (and heavy!) share boxes: winter squash, Brussels Sprouts (hopefully), maybe spinach again (though it’s not germinating well), and sweeter carrots from cooler nights!

Most of the heavy lifting that happens, harvest wise, happens in the last few weeks of the season, as we transition from harvesting what we need here and there for the CSA or our wholesale deliveries to harvesting larger and larger amounts of storage crops out of the field. Already, the crew is starting to cross some things off the list: the first planting of carrots, the first planting of red potatoes, garlic. Soon to add the whole first planting of potatoes and the onions. Bucket-full by bucket-full loaded onto the ever-in-motion trailer: all the produce will make it’s way down to the root cellar.

Getting into the rhythm of the fall harvest is one of my favorite times on the farm. I like working out the timing just right of when produce should get loaded up, and how many people should do what task so that we’re working as efficiently as possible. Sometimes that is the hardest when the most efficient thing to is to wait for a machine, and just hang tight for 2 minutes. I say getting into the rhythm, but more often I feel I have a rhythm just as we’re at the end of harvesting one crop and moving on to another. Rhythm or not, it seems to usually work out by some miracle.

This year I’ll be doing none of the harvest work- I am going to be done with my time on the farm, for now. I have my own tiny early-fall project to work on. Hint: it’s like a butternut squash that tries to kick my cup of (decaf) coffee off its new resting spot. Other hint: the little project wants me to stop bending over at work so much*. I am thinking of asking Janaki about putting in 30 acres of 4′ high raised beds. I think he might go for it.

Depending on how you count it (and I am the only one counting I suppose) this has been my 7th season on the Food Farm. The farm has grown since my first year, and many changes have happened on the farm, and in the peoples’ lives who surround the farm. I think I’ve learned a lot since starting, but the truth is I probably had to relearn it all just this past April and so it might not be a cumulative knowledge. Every spring I just start with a “green side up” mantra for transplanting and go from there. That red cabbage makes the mantra tricky… farming keeps one on their toes.

I’m not really mentally prepared to be done. Working on the farm has brought me a lot of joy, and has been a big part of my life for a long time now. The quick but odd moment in life of something going from an every-day reality to a memory is never a comfortable transition for me. Much of being on the farm; the work, the interactions with people, the little details, feels like a memorized little dance that happens each year. Some times more gracefully than others. Soon the little details in my head will become totally obsolete in my life. Then they’ll be forgotten entirely. Shall I document some for you? You won’t mind?

16 pounds of jalapenos fit in a 5 gallon pail and about 25 pounds of anything else. Our pallet boxes weigh 110 pounds. The flat trailer fits 76 buckets on it, but if you drive in 4th gear over a bump there is a good chance you could loose the bucket on the back left corner. Field 14a is Janaki’s favorite field, because the soil is so delicious, and Field 14b has a purslane problem on the whole south half. Dave wants 13 pounds of sand in a sandbag. It’s his lucky number, I guess.
Beyond the numbers it has been nice to get to know the ever changing crew each year, and of course the people who are always around too. I could probably list dozens of little quirks and traits of all the farmers (as I have no quirks of my own, I really notice other people’s) but the newsletter would get long, and I would probably cry.

It has been an honor to have grown and harvested for you these several years. Thanks for supporting the farm so that it could support me – and all the workers over these years. Some part of me, and any farmer or farm-worker anywhere, goes to be with you in your kitchen and at your table. All the more so if you’re eating potatoes we had to pick up after the bucket tipped off the corner of the trailer.

Keep eating good food, and keep reading the newsletter as “Farmer Emily” (as my son says) takes over next week.

With affection, and just for myself this time,

Karin

*my little project is a baby!

In your share this week:
Green Beans – Broccoli – Carrots – Cucumbers – Kale – Melon – Onions – Red, Green, and Hot Peppers – Tomatoes – Zucchini

Curried Carrot Soup

From the Leek and the Carrot

It was under 60 degrees this morning… time to make soup!

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 teaspoons sweet curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon hot curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon siracha hot sauce
  • 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
  • 4 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock

Add butter and oil to a large stock pot. Melt butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic as well as a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook until onions are translucent and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots, spices and hot sauce and turn the heat up to medium. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the coconut milk and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes until carrots are tender and liquid is nicely reduced.
Let cool and puree with an immersion blender. We don’t puree until completely smooth. We like some small chunks of carrot in there, but that is up to you. Taste and adjust seasoning. Top with chickpeas if you are feeling extra fun!

CUMIN ROASTED CHICKPEAS
15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-2 teaspoons Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss chickpeas with oil, cumin, salt and pepper. I use 1 teaspoon of salt if I’m making these chickpeas for my carrot soup (because it’s already a little salty) and 2 teaspoons of salt if I’m making these chickpeas as a non-soup-addition, generally-delicious snack. Roast for 20 minutes or until crunchy. Take out the pan and shake it occasionally for more even crisping.

Summer CSA Week 11

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I am sure I have said in newsletters of yore that recipes aren’t really my thing. Finding them for the newsletter – I just do the laziest thing which, depending on what I’m looking for, is either just googling “spinach recipes” or whatever, or going to a couple of my go-to sites for ideas and seeing what they say. Recipes aren’t really my thing, but I do like pretty pictures of food, and being forced to look up new ideas for the newsletter does help me snap out of a rut (re: last week’s zucchini fritters comment).

A lot of the way I cook (when I’m not “cooking” eggs and toast) feels like just throwing what I have lying around together, often in one or two pots and then eating all of whatever it is in a bowl. Sometimes I don’t feel like it counts as a “meal”- the Midwest concept of what a meal is has imbedded itself in my brain. Sometimes I don’t feel like it counts unless there’s meat (duh) and two sides (one being potatoes) and dessert. I’ll skip the glass of skim milk at dinner… but thanks for offering.

With shares like this week’s especially, I feel like all the food is just waiting to be chopped up and eaten together. I do recommend cooking the potatoes first. All these veggies would be great in a grain bowl for example. Is that so 2017? 2017 BCE? I just made a salad that is not unlike the quinoa chickpea salad below, but instead of a mustardy dressing, I used a huge scoop of fresh basil-pesto in the dressing. So good.

You also don’t have to chop all the veggies and mix them all together this very night. So much chopping! So much time! No matter what I do, I don’t feel like I get any faster at processing whole veggies and working with any whole food takes time. You’re allowed to cut a zucchini in half, cover it in cheese and store bought sauce and roast the living daylights out of it. You can even call that dinner. No milk and no meat, no problem!

All of this is partially a pep talk to myself to get me to do something with the cauliflower in my fridge before another one ends up there!

For the farm crew,

Karin

In your share this week:
Basil – Beans – Cabbage (Monday), or Cauliflower (Thursday) – Carrots – Cilantro – Lettuce Mix – Melon – Onions – Sweet and Hot Peppers – Red Potatoes – Tomatoes – Zucchini

Zucchini Turkey Meatballs with Zoodles

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 cup shredded zucchini
  • ¾ cup unseasoned breadcrumbs, or you could use seasoned
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

FOR THE NOODLES
2 medium zucchinis, zoodled with a spiralizer (or…https://topwithcinnamon.com/lazy-girls-zucchini-spaghetti-no-fancy-tools-required-with-peas-creme-fraiche-and-pesto/)

Your favorite pasta sauce


Line a large baking sheet with wax paper.
Place all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. Using your hands, gently work all the ingredients together, careful to not overwork the meat.


Using a two tablespoons, scoop meat into individual balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Once all is scooped, form the meat into balls. Freeze 20 of them in a freezer-safe plastic bag or container and place 10 of them onto a plate to set aside to cook.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil.


Once the oil is hot, carefully place the meatballs into the skillet and let brown on one side then turn with tongs. Continue cooking until meatballs are all cooked through, about 7-10 minutes.
For the zoodles, you can either just blanch them in hot water and add sauce on top along with the meatballs or you can throw them into the same skillet and cook them until softened and pour sauce on top along with the meatballs.
Serve warm!

The meatball mixture makes roughly 30 meatballs. They freeze really well and I love having the ability to pull them out of the freezer during busy work weeks! 🙂

Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Summer Veggies!

From the Crowded Kitchen

  • 1 cup dry quinoa, cooked according to package directions
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup yellow onion, diced (1 small onion)
  • 2 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced (2 cloves)
  • 1 cup finely chopped spinach (or any leafy green)
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup cucumber, finely diced
  • ¾ cup grated carrot
  • ¾ cup finely diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)
  • 3 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 14.5 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed well
  • ¼ cup grated vegan parmesan (or regular)

VINAIGRETTE:

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon whole grain dijon mustard
  • 1 ½ teaspoon maple syrup (or agave)
  • 1 teaspoon fine grain kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Cook quinoa according to package directions and add ½ teaspoon of salt to the water.
  2. While quinoa is cooking, add olive oil to a small skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, until softened and slightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. 
  3. Once the quinoa is done cooking, transfer to a bowl to cool slightly (you can place in the fridge or freezer to speed this up). 
  4. Add all vinaigrette ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
  5. Prep the spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, pepper and parsley.
  6. Add all ingredients (cooked quinoa, onions/garlic, vegetables, parmesan) to a large mixing bowl and toss well with the vinaigrette.
  7. Optional: refrigerate for 30 minutes-1 hour before serving (or enjoy right away!).

Summer CSA Week 10

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We’re just over half way through the 2021 summer share! We hope you’ve been enjoying the ever more summery selection! Our item list on the white board hardly fits any more – time to write it smaller. The crew has more of a routine as the summer goes on as different people take on a different, regularly harvested crop like daily zucchini and cucumbers, and almost daily melons (for a while), peppers and broccoli (never ending!). The addition of increasingly more harvesting is butting up against some later-than normal season weeding as rains have helped both crops, and the little (and not so little) unwanted plants in our fields.

We will be getting into a more regular rhythm of harvesting large amounts of things at a time too, to have available for a week or two at a time. The first planting of carrots got harvested a week and a half ago, and we have a few bins of cabbage in the cooler waiting for wholesale orders and for CSA delivery. The garlic is out of the ground, a couple weeks ahead of usual, and is curing in the greenhouse for now. Soon we’ll trim those stalks and move the garlic to make way for onions. Bit by bit the harvest ramps up, and we can start ticking entire crops off the list.

How about all of you? Do you feel like you’re in a good rhythm of using your share, or are you stuck in a rut? Hopefully you won’t ever feel too stuck since the veggies change throughout the season, though I think my household is already ready to move on from zucchini fritters… Time to move on to my regularly occurring (but it’s been a while!) potato salad I guess!

August in Minnesota always feels so full and so fast with late summer camping trips, or weddings and planning for the fall and school season ahead. Even if school isn’t a part of your life any more, there seems to be a different pace to things come September. I hope you are all finding satisfying ways to spend these last summery weeks. Perhaps in a couple of weeks, on the 21st (3-5pm), you’ll find yourself out here at the Food Farm for our farm gathering, or up the road for the Free Range Film Festival (7pm)! What could be more summery than an afternoon drive out to Wrenshall?

For the busy crew,

Karin

In your share this week:
Green Beans – Broccoli – Carrots – Cucumber – Dill – Melons! – Sweet Onion – Green Onions – Sweet and Hot Peppers – Potatoes – Tomatoes – Zucchini

Cream of Broccoli Soup, By Farmer John

One large head of broccoli “the biggest you can find”, chopped
One large onion, the biggest you can find, chopped (not a sweet onion… sorry)
One large carrot, also the biggest you can find, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic
2 Tbsp, (but he uses 3) butter
2 Cups chicken or veggie broth
Salt to taste
1 Cup milk

Cook veggies in broth until quite soft, and then blend the living daylights out of it with an immersion blender. Add milk, stir and taste.
We talked about the option of freezing the soup – perhaps freeze it before blending, and adding the milk, so as to simplify the reheating. Then thaw, heat, blend and add milk when you’re ready to serve.

Ultimate Zucchini Bread

From The Smitten Kitchen

I have been making this like it’s going out of style… but it never will in my house! If you want a fun little description about how she got to this recipe from other less satisfying versions, look it up on her website – all her complaints about plain old zucchini bread were also my own- but I love this recipe! Disclaimer… it is basically eating cake for breakfast.

  • 2 cups (13 ounces or 370 grams) grated, packed zucchini, not wrung out, grated on the large holes of a box grater
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2/3 cup (160 ml) of a neutral oil (I use safflower), olive oil, or melted unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup (95 grams) packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons (25 grams) raw or turbinado sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 6-cup or 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Place grated zucchini in a large bowl and add oil, eggs, sugars, vanilla, and salt. Use a fork to mix until combined. Sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and baking powder over surface of batter and mix until combined — and then, for extra security that the ingredients are well-dispersed, give it 10 extra stirs. Add flour and mix until just combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the raw or turbinado sugar — don’t skimp. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick or tester inserted into the middle cake but also into the top of the cake, closer to the dome, comes out batter-free.

Let cool completely in the pan. Leave in pan, unwrapped, overnight or 24 hours, until removing (carefully, so not to ruin flaky lid) and serving in slices. Zucchini bread keeps for 4 to 5 days at room temperature. I wrap only the cut end of the cake in foil, and return it to the baking pan, leaving the top exposed so that it stays crunchy.

Summer CSA Week 9

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Janaki is gone this week, along with the family, to their summer get away in Illinois. He’s probably full up on sweet ice tea and peaches right now. Meanwhile, back at the farm, we’ll just be making things up as we go. Who will tell us to do otherwise? So we’re taking this opportunity to change a few things up – just a few basic improvements that have been needed for a while. Here’s a few of them:

We’ve contacted our organic certifier to let them know we are renaming all the fields. None of us can keep our field no. 15c straight from our 16f or our Z2b. So we’ve renamed them all after our exes. We do have 4 Michael- fields now, but we’ve arranged them alphabetically (north to south) by the brand of the guitar they played. And they all played guitar.

We have added “this side up” stickers to all the tractors, hoes, CSA boxes, fork lifts and to farmer John. If Janaki comes back feeling rusty, he should be able to catch back up with helpful signs like that.

Janaki had been spending so much time irrigating, and while there are aspects (like solar panels!) that make running a pump somewhat sustainable – we think we could take it a step further. So… we will be doing nightly showings of the Titanic followed by the Notebook and we’re inviting you, and all the surrounding communities, to watch in our fields and cry your eyes out into the soil. Please, no tissues. That would be a waste.

Our potatoes are pretty scabby this year- but we don’t think they should go to waste. We have contacted a vaping company and are developing plans for a vapeable (sure, it’s a word) potato essence. Do you love the taste, and that sort of content fullness and slowness that the feeling of eating potatoes offers, but you’re too busy to cook? No worries! Coming fall 2021, you can grab a whatever-they-call-those-canisters of your own local, organic potato essence and vape away for dinner!

Your CSA share might look a little different this week. We know that you, our members, like a fast pace of change, and are always looking out for the next best thing. How many times have you gotten your share just to see… carrots… again. Ugh – no thank you! That’s why this week, you each will get a bag full of MICRO carrots- that’s right! We’ve harvested our ENTIRE 4th and 3rd plantings of carrots to offer you this exciting new treat! And, we think Janaki will be happy that we will save so much time and STORAGE later on in the season since we’ve harvested them all now!

I could go on and on with other changes we’re making this week, but these are just some of the highlights! I can’t wait to see Janaki’s face when he sees how great things are when he comes back.

For the farm re-envisioning committee,

Karin

In your share this week, for real:
Basil – Beets – Napa cabbage – Carrots – Cilantro – Cucumber – Garlic – Kale – Peas – Potatoes – Green Pepper – Hot pepper – Tomatoes – Zucchini

Roasted Cabbage with Walnuts and Parmesan

From The Smitten Kitchen

  • 1 medium-large (1 3/4 pounds) Napa (original calls for savoy…) cabbage
  • 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Scant 1/2 cup (1.75 ounces) walnut halves and pieces
  • 1 large or 2 smaller garlic cloves
  • 1 large lemon
  • Red pepper flakes, such as Aleppo (optional)
  • Grated parmesan, to taste

Heat oven to 475ºF. Remove any damaged outer leaves of cabbage and cut 8 (for small ones) to 12 (for a large one) wedges. Coat a large baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Arrange cabbage wedges in one layer, drizzling or brushing them with 2 more tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, until charred underneath (don’t panic if you see a few thin black edges; they’re going to taste amazing). Use a spatula to flip each piece over and roast for 5 more minutes, until the edges of the cabbage are dark brown.

Meanwhile, while cabbage roasts, place nuts on a smaller tray or baking dish and roast them next to the cabbage for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove and scatter them, still hot, onto a cutting board and coarsely chop them. Scoop into a bowl and finely grate the zest of half a lemon and all of the garlic over it. Add remaning 3 tablespoons olive oil to walnuts, a few pinches of salt and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. If you’ve got a couple minutes to let it all infuse as it cools, let it rest. When ready, squeeze the juice of half your lemon in and stir to combine. Adjust flavors to taste, adding more lemon if needed; you want this dressing to be robust.

The moment the cabbage comes out of the oven, spoon the walnut dressing over the wedges. Grate parmesan all over, to taste. Serve immediately, while piping hot. There will be no leftovers.

We wanted to send enough basil so that you could make a small batch of pesto. You may want to look at a recipe to get the quantities you want to make based on how much of your basil you want to use for the pesto. I have always found pesto to be very forgiving, so ratios aren’t the most important, but it is nice to have a ball-park amount.

Summer CSA Week 8

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We’re grateful for the half inch of rain we got on Saturday- and we’d like to place an order for more on Monday… but no hail this year please! It is hard to know the total of what damage the hail did last year exactly – but it definitely made the 2020 season feel more Biblical than ever- and not in a nice way.

I am excited for potatoes this week. New potatoes are so extra tasty, tender, and fresh feeling. You could do anything you want with them and it would be delicious. However – if I were you, I’d keep it simple with the potatoes the first few weeks. You have all winter to cover them up with mayonnaise, cheese, or gravy. These first potatoes are so good roasted and then smashed with herbs and butter, or in a potato salad with a bright dressing as opposed to something creamy. Of course- if you’ve been waiting months for local-cheesy hashbrowns, I won’t stand in your way.

Potatoes are such a great vegetable. Even people who don’t like vegetables like them, that’s how great they are. And, while fries and potato chips are not sustainable every day options, potatoes really are quite nutritious as an every day food. They are such a staple of so many recipes from European countries, but they really only made it from the Americas to Europe around five hundred years ago, give or take. In some ways, that isn’t really so long ago.

The share is moving in a particularly American direction this week with the addition of potatoes, peppers and of course the tomatoes and zucchini. What a tremendous amount of work and attention must have happened to breed otherwise poisonous plants into what would become near-global staples. I feel grateful, but of course the how and why these vegetables made it halfway around the world and back is not a happy one for the people who originally bred and worked over plots of potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and squashes. I wish there was a word that mixed joyful gratitude with un-payable debt.

Whatever that word would be, perhaps it will hover over you as you prepare meals from your share this week. I am sure they will all be delicious.

For the farm crew,

Karin

In your share this week:
Broccoli – Carrots – Cauliflower – Cucumbers – Dill – Lettuce – Green Onions – Parsley – Peas – Peppers – Potatoes! – Tomatoes – Zucchini

How to Freeze Broccoli

Janaki is feeling super guilty for sending so much broccoli, so here’s a quick tutorial on how to freeze it so it’s not so overwhelming. You can certainly find videos on YouTube for how to do it, but a lot of them seem too fussy. We like to get things done fast here at the farm, so here’s the farmer way:

Supplies:

1 large stockpot or saucepan, ideally with a steamer basket

Colander

Ziploc quart freezer bags

Ice (optional)

Salad spinner (optional but awesome)

Broccoli (not optional)

Cut the broccoli into smallish similarly-sized pieces, I usually shoot for around 1.5-2″ diameter. Stems can be used as well, though they’re more dense so should be cut smaller/thinner so they blanch in the same amount of time. I only use the tender part of the stems, but you can use the lower part as well if you want to peel to remove the tough skin.

Once your pot of water is boiling well, fill the steamer with broccoli pieces. (Boiling also works, but I prefer steaming). If you cram it really full they don’t cook evenly, so you’ll have to judge the right amount based on the size of your pot. For mine it’s about enough for 1 1/2 bags.

Set a timer for 3 minutes and fill both sides of your sink with water. Put in ice on one side. When the timer is done, dump the steamer basket into the colander. Put that into the side without ice. Refill the steamer basket and reset the timer.

After about 90 seconds, move the colander to the ice bath. Just before the timer goes off, dump the colander into the salad spinner and take the broccoli out of the pot, into the sink, etc.

Spin the broccoli in the spinner to remove excess water. If you don’t have one, just shake the excess off in the colander. Some people pat it dry with a towel but I don’t think you need to be that finicky. Take it out of the spinner and stuff it into bags. Put the bags in the freezer.

Label the bags first so you know what year it’s from. If you forget that part, don’t worry just eat it faster. If you only have a single basin sink, don’t worry, just use more ice. If you don’t have ice, don’t worry. The faster you cool it down the longer it keeps, but I’ve eaten broccoli that’s several years old and it’s usually fine.

If you get really fast/impatient like me, you can have two steamers going at once and still keep up as long as you don’t have any “helpers” in the kitchen.

Final step: make someone else clean up, you’ve done your part. (I still haven’t figured out that step yet.) That’s it, good luck!

Tzatziki Sauce

From Cookie and Kate

  • 2 cups grated cucumber (from about 1 medium 10-ounce cucumber, no need to peel or seed the cucumber first, grate on the large holes of your box grater)
  • 1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint and/or dill
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 medium clove garlic, pressed or minced
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  1. (Karin’s side note on straining: I would use either cheese cloth, a clean flour-sack towel or a sturdy strainer you could push against to strain water out… or, do it her way): Working with one big handful at a time, lightly squeeze the grated cucumber between your palms over the sink to remove excess moisture. Transfer the squeezed cucumber to a serving bowl, and repeat with the remaining cucumber.
  2. Add the yogurt, olive oil, herbs, lemon juice, garlic, and salt to the bowl, and stir to blend. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Taste and add additional chopped fresh herbs, lemon juice, and/or salt, if necessary (I thought this batch was just right as-is).
  3. Serve tzatziki immediately or chill for later. Leftover tzatziki keeps well, chilled, for about 4 days.

Summer CSA Week 7

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It isn’t an easy summer to be a plant – or someone trying to grow plants. All the trees around town look tired and soft, like a sweaty brochure being used as a fan. Janaki is spending his time running irrigation around to keep vegetables alive in their turn, constant triage ensuring that every crop has what it needs. There are around 42 fields now, some quite large. Wow, I had never counted. No wonder I still get “lost” with the field numbers.

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There is something daunting about the weather this year. It’s not a good rain year. Last year wasn’t a good rain year, nor particularly snowy. Who can say if this is a trend, but who can say what a trend is other than unusual and more intense. It feels unsettling to know that the rest of my life will be marked by these changes. Perhaps some more “normal” feeling seasons or years will still happen- but I fear for more winters with little snow (what is the point of winter if there is no snow!?) and more growing seasons that are hot and dry. And what all will that change? In my life time will pine trees become more rare, will more invasive pests and plants make their way north, will all the ash trees die? Probably. Maybe I’ll find myself accepting change and growing a patch of lavender in my 70s. Or maybe I’ll move somewhere I can still ski.

Going down either an emotional or intellectual rabbit hole of climate worry will drive anyone insane after a while. Beyond my worry is grief, which is easier to be with than worry in the long term, but still not easy.

The other day I found myself thinking how hard it would be to plan and build for these changes we see. From air conditioning in schools to making changes to river banks – a lot could get done and some of it is a guessing game.

On the farm Janaki is continually making those guesses as well as he can in an attempt to mitigate risk and maintain some level of sanity in our work. We can’t make it rain, but he is in the market for a more sustainable and efficient irrigation system. And when (not if) the 5 inches of rain in a weekend fall, he has drain-tile now throughout the fields, to give the water somewhere to go instead of sitting and rotting carrots. We use refrigeration in the root cellar now, instead of solely relying on cold fall air to cool the old cellar for winter storage. Many changes in the past 8 seasons I have known the farm – and many of them just in time. We’re trying, folks. Thanks for coming with us on the journey.

For the farm crew,

Karin

In your share this week:
Broccoli – Carrots – Cucumbers – Lettuce – Green Onions – Peas – Tomatoes

Carrot and White Bean Burgers

From The Smitten Kitchen

  • Olive oil
  • 1/2 cup panko-style breadcrumbs
  • 3 shallots, or 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 cup packed grated carrot (from 2 medium carrots)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • Two 15-ounce cans cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Burger accompaniments, as you like

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add the panko and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer crumbs to a large bowl, then return the pan to the heat.

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet, followed by the shallot or onion. Cook until softened and lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, salt, and carrots and stir frequently until the carrots are soft and a bit blistered, another 8 to 10 minutes. Add the vinegar, scraping up all the browned bits until the pan is dry. Remove from heat and add the bowl with the toasted panko. Add beans and use a wooden spoon or spatula to very coarsely mash the mixture until a bit pasty and the mixture coheres in places—there should still be plenty of beans intact. Add pepper, and more salt if needed, to aste. Stir in the egg. Shape into 6 patties (I used a 1/2 cup measure as a scoop) for the size burger you see here; 4 patties for really large burgers (to warn, I found this size a little unwieldy), or 8 to 10 for slider-size.

To cook the veggie burgers, heat a thin layer of olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat and carefully cook until browned and slightly firm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes per side. It may be necessary to cook in batches. Serve hot or at room temperature, with whatever you like on or with veggie burgers.

Quinoa Broccoli Salad

From Cookie and Kate

Slaw

  • ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • ½ cup slivered or sliced almonds
  • 1 ½ pounds broccoli (about 2 large or 3 medium heads)
  • ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil

Honey-mustard dressing

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons smooth Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or more lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • Red pepper flakes, optional (for heat)
  1. To cook the quinoa: First, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water. In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 ½ cups water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer the quinoa until it has absorbed all of the water. Remove the quinoa from heat, cover the pot and let it rest for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool.
  2. Meanwhile, toast the almonds: In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds, stirring frequently, until they are fragrant and starting to turn golden on the edges, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a large serving bowl to cool.
  3. To prepare the broccoli slice the florets off the stems into manageable pieces. Feed the broccoli florets through your food processor using the slicing blade, then switch to the grating blade to shred the stems. Alternatively, you can shred the broccoli with a mandoline or by hand with a sharp knife.
  4. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a liquid measuring cup and whisk until emulsified. The dressing should be pleasantly tangy and pack a punch. If it’s overwhelmingly acidic, add a little more honey to balance out the flavors. If it needs more kick, add a bit more mustard or lemon juice.
  5. Add the shredded broccoli slaw, cooked quinoa and chopped basil to your large serving bowl. Pour the dressing over the mixture and toss until well mixed. Let the slaw rest for about 20 minutes to let the flavors meld.

Summer CSA Week 6

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It’s time to harvest pea-pods again – one of my favorite times of the year! There is just a small bag today, but there should be more by next week. Pea season seems to go by quickly, so I try to soak it up. By soak it up I mean I let myself eat a few while picking. There aren’t many other things we harvest that are conducive to eating as we go. At least, I keep myself from taking big bites out of the cucumbers and red peppers and things like that. You’re welcome.

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Eating while working is one of my favorite ways to eat. When harvesting head lettuce, I love grabbing a few lower leaves that have fallen off and doing a taste test. Some cilantro, sweet peppers, tomatoes, a broccoli bit here and there: it all adds up to a salad or so on the go. It is nice to be able to eat the freshest food – one of the perks of working at the farm!

Another perk is the conversations that happen, especially on CSA harvest days with extra people helping. Picking the peas is a prime spot for talking – as long as people speak up and keep up. I love walking up to a field of peas with people already harvesting and hearing bits of conversations going on. Because peas are rather putsy to harvest, it’s an all hands on deck sort of event that happens twice a week for 3 or 4 weeks. Maybe this is the year we’ll solve the world’s problems while harvesting and talking. We’ll probably just talk about that guy who was in that movie a while ago, or what we didn’t get done over the weekend.

As you pick up, put away, and prepare your share this week, I hope you enjoy all the steps: whether you find yourself eating a cucumber like an apple, or working through an involved recipe you can’t pronounce the name of – hopefully the end result is joy. Perhaps some good conversations will happen in your world over the food this week too. Food and conversation sit well together. And, if there’s no one there but you, maybe the peas will pass on what they heard in the field this week.

For the farm crew,
Karin

In your share this week:

Broccoli – Red Cabbage – Carrots – Cucumbers – Greens mix – Green Onions

Peas – Juliet Tomatoes

Tahini Sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons tahini
  • 2 tablespoons white miso paste
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • Fresh ground black pepper

Use this to top steamed or roasted broccoli over a grain of your choice! …You are also allowed to put it on other veggies.

Carrot-top Pesto

  • 1 cup lightly packed carrot leaves (stems removed)
  • 6 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Toasting pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews and pumpkin seeds brings out their flavor. Spread the nuts or seeds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, place in a preheated 350-degree oven and toast until fragrant and lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the nut or seed. Alternatively, nuts and seeds can be browned in a microwave. Spread in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high power, stopping to stir once or twice, until fragrant and lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Watch them closely so they don’t burn.

In a food processor, combine the carrot leaves, oil, garlic, and salt and process until finely minced. Add the pine nuts and pulse until finely chopped. Add the Parmesan and pulse just until combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Summer CSA Week 5

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It looks like it will cool down this coming week- and maybe bring a little rain (fingers crossed). As I write this however, it is in the mid 80s and it’s late evening… so I have the heat on my mind. Hot days, and warm evenings, make it hard to predict when vegetables will be their best. Broccoli and greens especially don’t want to be this hot. How crazy it is to have the number of 80 degree days we’ve had at the early part of our season. I also have a harder time predicting when I’ll be my best in this heat – but it is probably when both my hands are submerged in the dunk tank with bins of lettuce!

This heat also has me looking at today’s share list and thinking: you can eat all this stuff just how it is, you don’t even need to stand over a stove! This will obviously read differently on a 70 degree day later in the week–hold on future self, I’m coming! Truly though, I do love the weeks where the share can almost all be chopped up and served together in a big, colorful heap of verdant goodness. Add some dressing, nuts, and maybe (definitely) feta and you’re good to go! Disclaimer: I wouldn’t eat all the garlic scapes at once…

Picking up your share on hot days (should you be picking up Monday) can also be a bit more work. I have the luxury of raiding the cooler or fields on the farm on an as-needed basis. But getting veggies out of the heat and into cool water or the fridge to freshen back up is important for peak quality. Pick up your share as early as possible on days like this, and don’t hesitate to fill a side of your sink and let things like broccoli, chard and head lettuce rehydrate and cool for a bit if they seem warm. Even if your kitchen feels hot to you, the cold tap water will bring the heat back out of them much more quickly than just going into the fridge dry.

I hope this week’s share finds you all well. And I hope that the abundance of produce brings extra joy to your table- maybe someone else’s table too!

For the farm crew,
Karin

In your share this week:
Beets – Broccoli – Carrots – Cauliflower – Chard – Cucumbers – Garlic Scapes – Lettuce – Napa Cabbage – Green Onions

Mango Slaw with Cashews and Mint

From The Smitten Kitchen

2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and julienned
1 to 1 1/4 pounds Napa cabbage, halved and sliced very thinly
1 red pepper, julienned
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons of fresh lime juice, from about two limes
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons oil of your choice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste (or omit this and whisk in a chile paste to taste)
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup toasted cashews, coarsely chopped

Toss mangoes, cabbage, pepper and onion in a large bowl. Whisk lime juice, vinegar, oil, salt and red pepper in a smaller bowl and pour over slaw. You can either serve this immediately or leave the flavors to muddle for an hour in the fridge. Before serving, toss with mint leaves and sprinkle with cashews.

About the mango: This salad will work with almost any variety or ripeness of mango, whether sour or sweet. Use the one you can get, or that you enjoy the most. In general, a firmish not overly ripe mango (unlike the very ripe, sweet one I used) holds up best but all will be delicious in this salad.

Easy Caesar Dressing

From Cookie and Kate

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced (or you could try a scape!)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, to taste
  • ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
  • ⅓ cup (1 ounce) finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  1. In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon, and Worcestershire sauce, and salt. Stir to combine.
  2. Stir in the Parmesan, followed by the water. Season generously with black pepper, to taste. I usually think the dressing tastes just right, but if you’d prefer a more bold dressing, add another ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, or for more zippy dressing, add up to 1 teaspoon additional lemon juice. Serve as desired. Keeps 5 days.

Summer CSA Week 4

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When I was somewhere between a child and an adult, I always felt like summer really started with the Fourth of July, but would also be over in a blink of an eye. We didn’t have many 80 degree and dry Junes in my childhood, I guess, to kick-start summer with. It’s the time of year to soak it up!

When living in Texas, I came home one August for a visit, and was thrilled with the 80

something degree weather Duluth was experiencing. What a nice 20 degree dip! So I made bread, to my mother’s horror upon arriving back home after work. Oops. Though I don’t run the oven “unnecessarily” it is such a short summer and pies and summer quiches can’t bake themselves!

At some other point between childhood and now, the Fourth of July was my second favorite holiday. I loved everything summery about it, the cookouts and the stay-up-late night and the careful clothing selection to find the reddest, bluest and whitest combinations I could muster out of my closet.

My relationship to the coming holiday is more complicated these days as, more and more, America feels like a child whom I will love no matter what, but who can also break my heart. Despite that, it is still nice to gather with friends and family. Soaking up the nice parts of the day is my goal. Maybe a nice part of the day will be a fantastic salad you make to impress all your friends with!

Whatever you make of the coming weekend, and whatever you make of your CSA share, I hope it is good despite any imperfection you feel in the mix.

For the farm crew,

Karin

P.S.
Dave wanted me to note that our first greenhouse cucumbers are not quite as glamorous as we usually expect. Hot winds from the south has brought added pest pressure, and consequently mesh screens have been put up around the openings to keep them out. That also cuts way down on air circulation so they are feeling the heat! We don’t know if the cosmetic issue will go away as the plants grow, or if it’s with us to stay.

In your share this week:
Broccoli – Cucumber – Garlic scapes – Lettuce – Green Onions – Pac Choi – Radishes – Parsley

Dave’s garlic scape recipe:

Dave recommends prepping your scapes this way to preserve them, and make them easy and fast to use for flavor in you meals for the week and beyond.

  • All your scapes (loosely chopped)
  • 1/2 cup (or more for consistency and/or longer storage) oil of your choice
  • 1/2 tsp or more salt to taste
  • Optional add ins: pepper, nuts (to make a pesto) any spices you’d like

    Blend all together in a food processor until smooth. If you use nuts in your batch, put them in after you’ve partly blended the other ingredients together.

    Store in a jar and use as a spread, or tossed into salads, with pasta, in eggs, mixed into rice or grain dishes, or as a facial scrub (wanted to see if you were paying attention).
    The possibilities are almost endless.
  • You can also freeze some to throw in dishes in the coming months!

Creamy Avocado Dressing

For all that lettuce salad! Keeps 3-4 days. Try using some chopped garlic scape instead of a clove!

  • 1 large avocado
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
  • water, as needed (I add up to 1/4 cup)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a mini food processor add the peeled clove of garlic, avocado, lime or lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
  2. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides a few times. Thin the salad dressing out with a little bit of water (1/4 cup or more) until it reaches a desired consistency.
  3. Keep in an airtight container for at least a week, but 3 to 4 days is best.

Summer CSA Week 3

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Happy astronomical summer to you all! And what a nice start- with some rain and some cooler weather! We will need more rain than this to make a dent in what we’ve been lacking, but we can’t complain. And the cooler weather helps crops like broccoli and cool-loving greens stay sweet, and stay more predictable in their maturing (i.e., harvesting time!).

Hopefully you are getting into the swing of summer and in the rhythm of picking up and using your share. We’re getting into the rhythm of harvest on the farm. It’s a learning curve for new crew members as they learn what sorts of veggies we harvest into what sorts of bins and what gets banded, or bagged, or dunked to cool, or not. Those of us who aren’t new mostly remember how to do *most* of the things correctly- but there are many conversations to check in and make sure we’re not wrong (and by we, I mean me).

We trellised our snap peas last week. I don’t think it was anyone’s favorite project and I was trying to remember how to do it at the same time as telling the crew what to do. I commented that trellising peas is like riding a bike after getting amnesia and two prosthetic legs. But the peas are so tasty, and better off the ground than on. Worth it!

When people ask me how big the farm is, and I say we have about 15 acres in production a season, some people react in a way that I can tell they think that’s small. Perhaps they don’t know what an acre is -that’s not unlikely, but I think most people have a corn and soybeans sort of idea of all farms, regardless of what they grow. 15 acres in corn or soy would be tiny, why bother? But with the multiple varieties of multiple species of vegetables that we grow it is plenty to keep up with! Anyone with corn and soy on their mind wouldn’t be thinking of hand weeding, or hands-on pest management (potato bugs, ugh!). Or trellising once a year-only to forget how by the next season. Not to mention the added work of maintaining soil health and fertility as opposed to adding synthetic fertilizers each year. There is a lot to keep up with! And it’s all much tastier than feed corn and soy!

We hope you enjoy this week’s share, and the variety it brings to your table. As we delve into summer shares will have more variety, and your box will get heavier! We hope you enjoy it all -maybe even by bringing some to a friend to share! Remember sharing food with people? How fun!

For the farm crew,
Karin

P.S. There is a lot of lettuce in your share this week – don’t be afraid to dress it up, chop it up, and change up your dressings to use it all up and make it tasty! Maybe bring some lettuce wraps to work, just tell them it’s national lettuce wrap day or something.
There is also a lot of turnips, if you didn’t try last weeks recipe, check it out!

In your share this week:
Green-top Beets – Greens Mix – Kale – Lettuce – Green Onions – Turnips

Beet Salad

From Cookie and Kate
The recipe calls for spinach, but you could use the green tops from the beets -they’re related!

Salad

  • ½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 cup frozen organic edamame
  • ⅓ cup slivered almonds or pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
  • 1 medium raw beet, peeled
  • 1 medium-to-large carrot (or 1 additional medium beet), peeled
  • 2 cups packed baby spinach or arugula, roughly chopped …or the tops!
  • 1 avocado, cubed

Vinaigrette

  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint or cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup or agave nectar
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  1. To cook the quinoa: First, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander. In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 cup water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then cover the pot, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the quinoa from heat and let it rest, still covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot, drain off any excess water and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool.
  2. To cook the edamame: Bring a pot of water to boil, then add the frozen edamame and cook just until the beans are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  3. To toast the almonds or pepitas: In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds or pepitas, stirring frequently, until they are fragrant and starting to turn golden on the edges, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large serving bowl to cool.
  4. To prepare the beet(s) and/or carrot: First of all, feel free to just chop them as finely as possible using a sharp chef’s knife OR grate them on a box grater. If you have a spiralizer, you can spiralize them using blade C, then chop the ribbons into small pieces using a sharp chef’s knife. If you have a mandoline and julienne peeler (this is a pain), use the mandoline to julienne the beet and use a julienne peeler to julienne the carrot, then chop the ribbons into small pieces using a sharp chef’s knife.
  5. To prepare the vinaigrette: Whisk together all of the ingredients until emulsified.
  6. To assemble the salad: In your large serving bowl, combine the toasted almonds/pepitas, cooked edamame, prepared beet(s) and/or carrot, roughly chopped spinach/arugula (see note above about leftovers), cubed avocado and cooked quinoa.
  7. Finally, drizzle dressing over the mixture (you might not need all of it) and gently toss to combine. You’ll end up with a pink salad if you toss it really well! Season to taste with salt (up to an additional ¼ teaspoon) and black pepper. Serve.

Mushroom and Greens Sheet-pan Quiche

From the Leek and the Carrot

Pie Crust:
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup water
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Filling:
2 tablespoons butter
2 green garlics (3-4 garlic cloves will work if you don’t have green garlic), white and pale green parts only, minced
12 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 cups arugula, roughly chopped
3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
3 cups other spring greens (turnip greens, beet greens, chard, kale, etc), roughly chopped
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
2/3 cups whole milk
6 large eggs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan

  1. Begin preparing your crust (if you plan to make it; if you don’t skip to step #8). Cut the butter into small cubes and place in the freezer until ready to use. Fill measuring cup with 1 cup cold water and place in the freezer.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. If you have a food processor, combine flour, sugar and salt in there. This is my favorite way to make pie crust and it whips up in a snap!
  3. Add butter to bowl and use your fingers to incorporate the butter into the flour (or add it to the food processor and pulse until the butter is mostly broken up). You will pinch the butter cubes into smaller pieces until they are about the size of peas and uniformly incorporated. Some pieces of butter will be small and some will be larger; that’s absolutely fine!
  4. Remove the water from the freezer and pour in half. Use a rubber spatula to press the dough together. If it’s still dry (it likely will be) continue to add water until the dough comes together. You may need to knead with your hands a little bit. (Here is where a food processor comes in great, turn the food processor on as you pour in about 3/4 cup of water and just leave it running until the dough begins to come together. It should take about 30 seconds, add a little more water if it seems to not be coming together).
  5. Wrap pie dough in plastic wrap and place in freezer for 20 minutes or in the fridge overnight.
  6. Remove dough from the freezer and roll out to an approximately 12×16-inch rectangle. Carefully, fold it in half and then in half again. Move the dough to a 10×14-inch baking sheet and unfold. Press gently into pan. Remove any excess dough from the edges. Prick the crust with a fork and place pan in the freezer.
  7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and while you wait for it to preheat, begin slicing your mushrooms and chopping your greens!
  8. Once the oven is preheated, line your pie crust with foil and fill with pie weights (or dried beans or rice you don’t plan to cook). Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake 5 minutes longer. If using store-bought crust, follow package directions for pre-baking.
  9. While the crust bakes, melt the butter for the filling in a large, deep saute pan (the larger the better, you’re going to be throwing a lot of greens in here– if you don’t have a large saute pan use a soup kettle) over medium low heat. Add the green garlic and cook for a couple minutes until fragrant. Add mushrooms and saute until soft, about 10 minutes more. Add all the greens, water, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to your pan. Saute until the greens are well wilted.
  10. In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the eggs, two at a time, again whisking until smooth after each addition. Stir in sauteed mushrooms and greens along with the cheeses.
  11. Pour filling into the prepared, prebaked crust and bake until filling is set, about 30 minutes.