Tag Archives: Carrot

Summer CSA Week 5

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Most years I have felt that if you blink after the Fourth of July, you may miss summer. Fortunately we have more summer left than we’ve experienced so far. I’d like it to include more rain than it has so far. This week seems promising.

This year we have a great crew with a few new people who are figuring out the pace of work on the farm and where everything is and how to do farm tasks just so. Kelly, Madison and Nick are all new this year and started between early May and early June. Jane has returned after her first season last summer. It’s always nice to have repeat people who know the ropes. Lizzy comes out on CSA harvest days, Teri does all the deliveries and joins us on projects when not on the road or harvesting. Of course Dave is out planting, running things in the greenhouses, keeping knives sharp and a myriad of other tasks that need doing. A couple of long-term volunteers have been joining us on harvest days. Usually we throw open the gates for volunteers -but with COVID19 we’ve been keeping it to a minimum. (Now that I’m going to list them, it sounds like a lot – but believe me there used to be more that would work a day or two here and there) Joe, Ki, Rollie, Sandy and Betsy and of course Patricia who keeps us all organized. I think Janaki is still working on the Farm too. We see someone driving tractors around throughout the day and moving irrigation around constantly. There is a good chance it’s him doing all that work, but with the clouds of dust following the tractor it’s hard to see.

I’m so glad we have a good number of (and just plain good) people working on the farm. There is always a lot to do. It’s way more than just a few people could manage. My first season was 2014 and there were roughly 11 acres in vegetables with the other 11 in a cover crop. Now there are at least 15 acres in vegetables at the peak of the year. When I tell someone I work on a farm, and then they hear the size of it sometimes they seem to think it’s small. But with forty plus varieties of vegetables in fields + greenhouses there is a lot of work and every crop needs something different.

I hope you enjoy some of that variety in your share this week. I love this kind of a share box -you could just chop everything up into a big bowl and eat it! Likely, you’ll eat some of this and some of that and maybe keep some for later.
However you eat it -we hope you enjoy it. We enjoy growing it.

For the farm crew,

Karin

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Potato bug larvae -shortly before their demise.

In your share this week:

Broccoli – Carrots – Cucumber – Garlic Scapes – Greens Mix – Lettuce – Napa Cabbage – Green Onions – Snap Peas

 

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Garlic Scape Salt

From Gutsy By Nature

(After hearing that a member made some last week I thought it’d be a fun item to include!)

Ingredients
  • 12 fresh garlic scapes
  • ½ cup coarse sea salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 250° F.
  2. Roughly chop garlic scapes, then place in bowl of food processor along with sea salt and process until it becomes an even paste.
  3. Spread the paste in an even layer on a small baking sheet. Place in oven and allow to bake for 1 hour, stirring and re-spreading in an even layer every 15 minutes, until the paste is uniformly dried.
  4. Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle.
  5. Using your hands, crumble the dried salt and garlic scape mixture into fine pieces. If you find you have very hard and large clumps, you may wish to return this dried mixture to your food processor (making sure you have cleaned and dried it first) and pulverize it even further.
  6. Transfer the resulting garlic scape salt into jars for storage.

Carrot Ginger Dressing

  • 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 small shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons white miso
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
  • 1/4 cup grape seed or another neutral oil
  • 2 tablespoons water
    Whiz the carrots, shallot and ginger in a blender or food processor until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, then add the miso, vinegar and sesame oil. While the machine running, slowly drizzle in the grape seed oil and the water.

 

April Winter Share

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Welcome to

In the few years I’ve been writing the Food Farm newsletter, this spring one has usually been especially fun to write. I like noting the melting snow, the running streams, the singing birds, new greens. Now though, I am just focused on willing the weather to hurry up and get warm so I can sit outside and talk with my family without shivering. So that we all can. 

The uncertainty of life is being exemplified right now, loud and clear. Intellectually, of course, I know that life is uncertain. Death and taxes and all that. But the magnitude of this cross-(insert all boundaries here) crisis and its still-unclear, unseeable conclusion has shaken me.

My feelings have been yo-yo-ing a lot this past month. I’ve been angry (my personal go to), sad, restful, indignant, needy, munchy, introspective, the opposite of introspective, blessed feeling, stressed feeling and most of the other ones except confident.

My thoughts, similarly, go round and round: I wonder about the lasting impact economically, socially. I think I should stop listening to MPR. I think I should never stop listening to MPR. I wonder if this will change the way my generation is treating the planet. I wonder if my generation can change.

In my own discombobulation, it’s hard to feel like I have much to offer you in a newsletter.

I can only say we are connected. We’re so wonderfully connected.

Of course we know that on some level day to day, but now the necessity of our separation makes it so…real, but unreachable. We’ve been together in stores, and on sidewalks and at funerals and concerts and on the beach and on airplanes and in meetings. I’ve driven past you with my windows down, I’ve handed you a shopping list you dropped. I’ve bent down to check on your kid who fell of her bike. I’ve breathed in the air you’ve breathed out. I’ve touched the food you’ve eaten from the farm for years, at planting, weeding, and harvest, and I’ll do it again this summer.

It feels amazing to be back on the farm after weeks of cocooning with my little family. Replacing those mixed-up thoughts and feelings with good, solid work that is for a purpose. Thinking of all of you, most of whom I’ve never met, gaining sustenance from what I’m doing helps get out of my head and chill out. The separation we’re participating in is abnormal, temporary, and a reminder of the power in human closeness, from necessary care to those everyday moments.

There’s no telling exactly what the coming weeks and months will bring. Some of us will get sick. Perhaps a lot of us. All of us will miss friends and family and walking down a sidewalk without side-stepping each other.

I wish you all well in this time.

For the masked farm crew,

Karin

In your share this month:

Beets – Carrots – Onions – Parsnips – Fingerling, Russet, and Baby Yellow Potatoes – Rutabaga – Spinach, Greens Mix and Thyme!

I’m trying to include recipes that are either flexible, or use a lot of staples that I hope you all have!

Carrot Cake Bread 

Ingredients

1/2 cup canola oil 

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs 

1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 

½  tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ginger

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt (scant)

2 cups finely grated carrots 

1/4 cup raisins (optional soaked in brandy or rum)

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  3. Place the canola oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, applesauce and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Whisk vigorously until smooth and combined.
  4. Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt to the bowl. Continue whisking until the mixture is just combined. Do not over-mix.
  5. Fold in the grated carrots, raisins and walnuts and then pour the batter into the loaf pan.
  6. Bake the bread for 55-65 minutes on the middle rack until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  7. Check to see that bread is done. Remove from oven or add time as needed.
  8. Allow the bread to rest in the pan for 10 minutes and then release the bread from the pan onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.

Vegetable Pancakes +sauce

I have found this recipe to be very flexible. You could use parsnips, beets or rutabaga easily, just keep the ratio of veggies to flour and egg about the same and shred everything finely.

Pancakes
1/2 small head cabbage, very thinly sliced (1 pound or 5 to 6 cups shreds) which will be easiest on a mandoline if you have one
4 medium carrots, peeled into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
Canola, safflower or peanut oil for frying

Tangy Sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (note: this is not vegetarian)
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon rice cooking wine or sake
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey (use 2 if you like a sweeter sauce)
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Make the pancakes: Toss cabbage, carrot, onions and salt together in a large bowl. Toss mixture with flour so it coats all of the vegetables. Stir in the eggs. Heat a large heavy skillet on medium-high heat. Coat the bottom with oil and heat that too.

To make a large pancake, add 1/4 of the vegetable mixture to the skillet, pressing it out into a 1/2- to 3/4-inch pancake. Gently press the pancake down flat. Cook until the edges beging to brown, about 3 minutes. 30 seconds to 1 minute later, flip the pancake with a large spatula. (If this is terrifying, you can first slide the pancake onto a plate, and, using potholders, reverse it back into the hot skillet.) Cook on the other side until the edges brown, and then again up to a minute more (you can peek to make sure the color is right underneath).

To make small pancakes, you can use tongs but I seriously find using my fingers and grabbing little piles, letting a little batter drip back into the bowl, and depositing them in piles on the skillet easier, to form 3 to 4 pancakes. Press down gently with a spatula to they flatten slightly, but no need to spread them much. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the edges brown. Flip the pancakes and cook them again until brown underneath.

Regardless of pancake size, you can keep them warm on a tray in the oven at 200 to 250 degrees until needed.

If desired, make okonomiyaki sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until smooth and thick.

Serve pancakes with sauce and any of the other fixings listed above, from Japanese mayo to scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

Do ahead: Extra pancakes will keep in the fridge for a couple days, or can be spread on a tray in the freezer until frozen, then combined in a freezer bag to be stored until needed. Reheat on a baking sheet in a hot oven until crisp again.

Summer CSA, Week 16

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Honey Boat is a new variety of squash we grew this year. With their dusty orange hue they look a little different then the bright yellow torpedo shaped Delicata.

Standing alone they appear rusty orange but among the old faithful variety the honey boat looks like pink lemonade. Claiming to be sweeter and more fun the honey boat added a bit of pizzazz to the trays of delicata. An intermingled splash of summer to be enjoyed in the coming winter.

We were slinging squash around all week. We harvested the Delicata in Wednesday. We brought in the Winter Sweet, Kabocha, Acorn and Sunshine on Thursday. And we brought in the pumpkins on Friday.

Also the process of tossing squash to someone on the hay wagon is delightful. We were a well oiled squash slinging machine.

As the daylight diminishes, as we continue to harvest veggies, I think about you all. I think about the people who will enjoy this food come the fall and winter months. I think about the enormous amount of food that is grown here. In one single root cellar we can store enough food to feed shareholders, send food to restaurants, and stock co-op shelves.

The world needs more root cellars and more Fisher-Merritts and more Food Farms.

From our rockstar farm crew,

Tiffany

In your CSA box:

Green Beans, Celery, Carrots, Cilantro, Cucumber, Leeks, Yellow Onions, Sweet Red Peppers, Yellow Potatoes, Tomatoes, Turnips, Acorn squash!

Potato Leek Soup

  • 2 large leeks
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 4 cups veggie broth
  • 4 cups of potatoes-chopped
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • Fresh chopped onion for garnish
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Chop leeks and place in pan with butter, stir until coated in butter. Cover pot and reduce heat to low. Cook leeks 8-10 minutes or until soft. Stir in broth, spices and potatoes.

Increase heat and bring to slight boil. Reduce heat and let simmer 20 minutes. If you desire a creamy consistency add to blender.

Otherwise enjoy chunky.

Acorn Carrot soup

  • 1 acorn squash
  • 2 lbs carrots
  • 2 sticks of celery
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 medium onion
  • 4 cups veggie broth
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 cups water

Prepare squash, carrots, celery and onion by chopping each.

Add olive oil and butter to stock pot and melt together. On medium heat. Add onion and celery. Cook 5 minutes.

Add the veggie broth, water, squash and carrots. Bring soup to boil and let simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and garlic powder.

Let soup cook for 15 minutes. Working in batches blend the soup in a blender. Re heat and serve!

Summer CSA, Week 14

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Much of this week was spent conversing around the carrot box. Filling an infinite amount of bags. Some for you, our trusted CSA members. Some for the co-ops and some for Harvest Fest.

I met many a wonderful faces at Harvest Fest this year. I was lucky enough to stand next to John Fisher-Merritt most of the afternoon. To my perception everyone knew John and those who didn’t found themselves buying peppers from him. After he sliced them a sample with his pocket knife of course.

This week I listened. Chose to speak less and absorb more. I gathered from my listening around the carrot box and reading this or that before bed that we are Earth.

Everyone that I talk to and experience daily knows this. Everyone that went to Harvest Fest knows this. Perhaps even those who disagree with us understand this as well.

We are Earth. Everything we created came from Earth. Everything we use today is derived from Earth.

This very broad statement can send you into a head spin. It can make you think of all the ways humans are ruining Earth and causing her pain. Or you can think of all the ways humans can be kind to the Earth and show our appreciation everyday.

Talking nice to the carrots as we put them in their bags. Telling the beans they are growing great and we are happy to be harvesting them in the rain. Listening to the coyotes and wolves roam in the distance. Choosing in any certain moment not to add your own two cents but rather to absorb what others have to say.

We are Earth. Our journey with Earth to grow and evolve has not always been beautiful. But I’m grateful.

I’m grateful someone invented a carrot harvester and that we used it this week. I’m grateful the mini-Food Farmers went back to school and are enjoying learning! I’m grateful the new laying hens are starting to lay little eggs.

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But most of all I’m grateful I get to spend each day working with people who make me smile and laugh.

From an Earthly farm crew,

Tiffany

P.S. The Thyme would enjoy it if you hung it in a place in your kitchen with airflow. Maybe a window or such. It would enjoy making your kitchen smell lovely and not being in your refrigerator.

In your CSA Box:

Yellow Beans, Carrots, Cucumbers, Leeks, Onions, Green Pepper, Hot Wax Pepper, Potatoes, Thyme, Tomatoes, Zucchini

Zucchini Muffins

  • 2 Small zucchini
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • Chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Chop zucchini into small pieces and purée in food processor. Combine zucchini purée with sugar, eggs, vegetable oil. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Combine wet and dry mixtures together. Add chocolate chips for pazazzz.

Line a muffin pan with cute liners or grease. Place batter in pan and cook 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Roasted Carrot Soup

  • 1-1/2 pounds of carrots
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1-1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 cups peeled tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp minced basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and cumin two cooking sheets. Enduring the veggies do not crowd each other roast carrots, onion and garlic for 25-30 minutes.

Working in two batches add half the veggies to a food processor. Add half the tomatoes and purée until smooth. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Add both batches into a large pot. Add basil and remaining salt. Bring to a simmer and let sit for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Summer CSA, Week 13!

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This year was a late spring and what seems like an early fall. The actual start to fall isn’t for another couple weeks but with the crispness in the air why not start the festivities early?

The fall equinox is an important event for Pagans around the world. During the fall equinox the hours of daylight and and night are completely equal. There is no single tradition of celebration, more like themes to live by.

These themes coincide nicely with our work on the Food Farm. The themes to live by during this autumn time include:

Balance, think about what in your life is out of balance. Sleep, work, exercise? Perhaps you haven’t had enough candy corn yet this year?

Gratitude, for the bountiful harvest. We are beginning to harvest actual tons of food from our fields. Waves of gratitude wash over me when I imagine how many people will get to enjoy this harvest.

Letting go, because winter is coming. Autumn marks the turn towards the dark time of year. A time when we all look inward. Discard what will hold you back on the journey through the darkness….aka -30 degree winter days.

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Summer came and went in the blink of an eye. Now it’s time for long sleeves, long pants and rubber boots. It’s time for soup and baked potatoes and warm bonfires. It’s almost time for watching the leaves change and apple cider.

From our farm family to yours,

Tiffany

This is a gentle reminder the Food Farm will be at the Harvest Festival in Bayfront park this Saturday from 10-4!

Come talk to us and come get some veggies!

In your CSA box: Green Beans, Beets, Red Cabbage, Carrots, Cilantro, Cucumbers, Dill, Red Russian Kale, Greens Mix, Sweet Onions, Green and Hot Peppers, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Zucchini

Borscht Soup

Beef stock

  • 2 lbs stew beef
  • 1 lb beef bones
  • 2.5 quarts of water
  • 2 large bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp coriander
  • 1/2 tbsp peppercorns

Soup

  • 3 medium beets
  • 1 medium sweet onion
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 1 head of red cabbage
  • 2 to 4 red potatoes
  • 8 oz baby Bella mushrooms
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 tbsp fresh dill

Preheat pot over medium high heat with a little bit of canola oil. Add beef and bones to pot and seat for a few minutes.

Add water to pot and bring to simmer. Add bay leaves, coriander and peppercorns and reduce heat to low.

Loosely cover with lid and let cook for 2-4 hours.

About half way through cooking the meat add whole unpeeled beets. Cook until done and set aside.

Strain off the stock and remove bones, coriander, bay leaves and peppercorns. Set meat and beets and stock aside.

Prepare the veggies! Slice thinly: onions, shrooms, cabbage. Grate carrots. Cube potatoes. Mince garlic.

Using same pot on medium high heat add a little canola oil. Add onion and carrot and sauté until soft. Add garlic and stir well.

Add potatoes and mushrooms stirring occasionally.

Add cabbage, stir until cabbage softens.

Add tomato paste, sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Stir until tomato paste is evenly mixed.

Break apart beet and add to pot, now start adding stock! Add enough stock to completely cover veggies. Add more if you desire more broth.

Cook over medium heat for 25-30 minutes. Taste, make sure there is enough pepper and salt. Stir in dill.

Peel beet and grate into soup.

Garnish with sour cream and more dill!

Dilly Vegetable Dip

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 3 tbsp sweet onion
  • 1 tbsp dill
  • 1 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients well in a medium bowl. Best served with fresh Food Farm carrots or topped on Borscht Soup!

Summer CSA, Week 6

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What a week!

The weather is scorching hot and vegetables are growing like crazy. The bounty of food we harvest everyday takes my breath away.

You want to know what else takes my breath away? More or less out of primal hunger …LUNCH and how good everyone on the Food Farm is at cooking! It’s kind of a job requirement.

Each day someone on the farm crew is designated to make lunch. And each day the arrangement of vegetables grows more and more impressive. On a hot, hot day caring for cabbage or carrots it is so wonderful to eat a cold salad with cold dressing and drink a glass of ice cold water.

So the salad bar has become a staple during lunch. It is common place to lay out a cornucopia of choices so we can all free range. Shredded turnips or beets, chopped cucumber and carrots, sun gold tomatoes and a pile of greens mix. Of course one cannot survive the rest of the day purely off of a salad.

Sam likes to bring bread he made over the weekend. He is an incredible baker and the bread does not last long. Jane makes kombucha and a delicious hard boiled egg. Teri often dazzles us with a quinoa dish she prepared the night before. She sometimes will even bring homemade ice cream! I constantly want to make cookies. And Garrett made an impromptu tofu beet salad this week that was stellar. Oh and Patricia likes to bring watermelon or mango from her backyard.

The possibilities of what to do with a refrigerator full of vegetables can be overwhelming. Attempting to create a new and exciting dish to please the masses can be challenging. Luckily out here when we file in for lunch no one is picky and we are all purely grateful food is made and it’s time to relax.

When food tastes this good who needs fancy sauces and spices. Wash that carrot off and start munching!

Above is Garrett, who landed a hitchhiker while hoeing in the squash field. Also in the squash field are a lot of rouge milkweed plants. Bless their hearts they didn’t realize they were growing in a field so now Janaki will have to drive around them when cultivating. Thankfully everywhere you look around the farm is milkweed. And if you look close enough you might find a caterpillar enjoying their lunch.

From a lunch happy farm crew

Tiffany

In your CSA box:

Broccoli – Carrots – Swiss Chard – Cucumber – Napa Cabbage – Garlic Scapes – Green Onions – Lettuce

Spring Rolls!

You can make spring rolls with so many different ingredients. Now that napa cabbage is ready though mmmmmm they sure sound delicious.

Thinly slice into small elongated pieces

  • Carrots
  • Cucumber
  • Napa Cabbage

You could also add

  • Avocado
  • Rice Noodles
  • Tofu
  • Beets

The list goes on and on….

Place hot water in a bowl or cake pan, submerge one spring roll rice paper at a time for about 20 seconds. Take out and apply vegetables, roll like a burrito. Don’t forget to tuck the ends in!

Add a tasty peanut sauce for dipping and you’ve got yourself a delectable summer meal.

Garlic Scape Hummus

  • 2 cups cooked chickpeas
  • 1/3 cup chopped garlic scapes
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt

In a food processor pulse scapes, lesson juice and salt

Add chick peas and blend, adding olive oil as you go

Top with herbs and spices such as dill and sumac

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!