Tag Archives: Red Onion

Summer CSA Week 14

Posted on by
Reply

Can you all believe it, we only have 4 more weeks of our Summer CSA season!

The final weeks of the CSA season are busy, busy, busy! Mother Nature threw quite the curve ball for us on Friday night with her far too early, danger of frost. Usually we don’t have to start worrying about the dreaded F word until later in the month. We chose the mentality that if you don’t think about it, it won’t happen (it’s actually the only thing any of us thought about all week, but we had good intentions). Things worked out well for us. It did get really chilly on Friday night, but with the exception of a few melon vines the plants appear to have been mostly unaffected. We then had to pull out our warm-ish layers to get ready for our busy Saturday.

On Saturday, we were at Bayfront for Harvest Fest. It’s always a fun event to meet so many people in the community, chat with other local farmers, and show off some new things. If you stopped by our booth, you may have seen our mini carrots in their packaging. The bags arrived just in time for Harvest Fest, and will be hitting some grocery store shelves later this season, so be on the lookout for them. You’ll be getting this variety in your shares this week, but 2 pounds instead of the little bags for market.

In preparation for the remaining few weeks of the CSA season, Janaki starts taking inventory of all the vegetables we have sent to our members so far this season, and starts planning for when we will send the remaining vegetables.  You all have gotten lots of delicious veggies so far, but there are still quite a few things you haven’t seen in your boxes yet. Spoiler Alert: we still have leeks, rutabaga, parsnips, pole beans, red cabbage, winter squash, and brussels sprouts. This week we have a new addition to the line up with Carmen peppers. These peppers look intimidating because their shape resembles that of a spicy pepper, but they are not spicy at all. They are like a sweet red bell pepper but we love the thick walls and robust flavor of the Carmens.

Along with planning what else will go in the boxes for the remaining weeks, Janaki also starts creating a plan for our big Fall harvest that happens at the end of October. A big part of this is pulling out the carrot and potato harvesters to fix anything that got broken/damaged last fall or over the winter in storage, and to dust off the machines and the crew’s sorting abilities that haven’t been used in a year. We used the carrot harvester on Wednesday to get most of the third planting of carrots out of the field, and we used the potato harvester on Thursday to get russets and red potatoes out of the field to bring to Harvest Fest. This means that for the last 13 weeks, every vegetable you’ve received in your box has been lovingly harvested by hand by our hard working farm crew. 

It’s an exciting time when the veggies are large enough and mature enough to use the full sized harvesters. We weren’t able to use the potato harvester until now because the potatoes weren’t mature enough. Their skin was still too delicate for all of the rolling, shaking, and dropping that the potato harvester puts them through. The first two plantings of carrots were large enough and mature enough that we could have used the harvester. However, due to the disease, the carrots required a lot of sorting. This would have required the harvester to go slower so we would have time to sort more accurately. If we run the carrot harvester too slow, the harvester will skip over some carrots leaving them in the field. We actually enjoy hand-harvesting, but when we’re all geared up to go fast it gets pretty irritating in a hurry when things go wrong. 

Aloo Gobi

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 red chili, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. minced ginger

1 tsp. garam masala

1/2 tsp. dried turmeric

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

3 potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1″ pieces

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 c. low-sodium vegetable broth

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Freshly chopped cilantro, for serving

    • Directions

  • Step 1:In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add chili, garlic, and ginger and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add garam masala, turmeric, and cayenne and cook until toasted, 1 minute more. 

  • Step 2:Add potatoes, cauliflower, and vegetable broth and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and cook, covered, until potatoes and cauliflower are tender, 15 minutes. Garnish with cilantro to serve.

    • Melon and Cucumber Salad

    Ingredients

    • 1 cantaloupe, seeds removed and cubed
    • 1 large cucumber , thinly sliced
    • 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
    • 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
    • 3 – 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (white wine vinegar ok too)
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil, optional
    • 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper, or to taste
    • good pinch of salt
    • fresh basil or mint, to garnish (optional)

    Instructions

    Cantaloupe: Slice your cantaloupe in half (doesn’t matter if you slice it horizontally or vertically). Scoop out the seeds with a large spoon and discard. Slice your cantaloupe halves into 5 or 6 slices. Using a sharp knife, cut from one end of the slice to the other as close as you can to the rind, slowly and carefully cutting the orange flesh away from the peel. Slice into bite size pieces.

    Cucumber: Slice off each end and using a vegetable peeler remove the outer skin (leave skin on for extra nutritional value and fiber). Slice the cucumber into 1/8 – 1/4 inch slices.

    Bell Pepper: Wash and core your bell pepper. Slice into 1/4 – 1/8 inch slices. Cut the slices in half.

    Onion: Slice the onion in half lengthwise. Cut off both ends of one of the halves and remove the outer layer. Place the sliced onion, end cut down and slice into 1/8 – 1/4 inch slices. If onion slices seem too long for you, cut them in half.

    Assemble salad: Place ingredients in a large bowl. Add apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper and mix well to coat. Cover and set in the refrigerator for an hour or so to chill and marinate, mix occasionally if you like

    Summer CSA Week 8

    Posted on by
    Reply

    Last week the crew spent most of their time in the fields across the road. Most of our storage vegetables are across the road. These are the vegetables that we will keep in the root cellar to feed our Winter CSA members all winter, such as potatoes, carrots, beets, and winter squash. We’ve already given lots of love and attention to our potatoes in previous weeks, so it was time to focus on the carrots and beets.

    The crew spent last week doing what we call close weeding. This is actually the third type of weeding these plants will receive. The first type of weeding is called flame weeding. This is where Janaki puts on a tractor attachment that is about the same power as 9 handheld blowtorches. He drives the tractor over the beds right before the carrot seeds germinate to burn off all the tiny weeds that germinate more quickly. This is a fast way to get rid of all the weeds in the entire bed to give the carrots a jump start. At this stage, we have a pretty good idea where the plants will pop up, but it’s always best to be cautious.  Once the seeds germinate and plants start popping up through the soil, either Janaki or crew member Catherine will do what’s called basket weeding. This is where the tractor gets an attachment that looks like a few rolling wire baskets. Catherine or Janaki will then drive the tractor down the beds getting as close to the plants as possible. This is beneficial because it breaks up all the soil which disrupts any weeds that might be about to germinate, while also pulling out any weeds in between the rows that have already germinated. The downside of the basket weeder is that it leaves an untilled area about an inch and a half on either side of the row. This is where the crew steps in and performs the close weeding. We’ve taken old butter knives and steak knives, and bent the blades at a 90° angle. The crew members use the knives to scratch the soil around and in-between the plants to remove any current weeds, and disrupt any weeds that were about to germinate. This is very effective, but also quite time consuming. It’s effective because every single plant in every single row gets love and attention. However, it’s very time consuming because we are crawling along, giving every plant, in every bed, on 300-500 foot fields, love and attention. The crew can work pretty fast, this task takes a while for a farm of our scale.

    Cue the crew’s excitement (and immense gratitude) last Wednesday when some friends from the UMD Land Lab showed up to check out the farm, and spend the morning helping us weed all of the carrots. Almost doubling our usual farm crew allowed us to get through many beds in record time! We were able to close weed all of our storage beets and carrots last week.

    We will close weed these crops two to three times depending on how quickly the plants grow, and what the weed pressure is. We start weeding when the carrots are about an inch tall, with the goal of making sure we can finish before weeds begin to out-compete the vegetables for sunlight and nutrients. Once the plants are 3-4 inches or tall, Janaki can use other tools like rubber finger weeders to kill small weeds that are in the row without killing the crop. The crew gets the few weeds that survive this cultivation by spot weeding the field by walking through before harvest. We really focus on good weed control at the farm because it makes for a nice consistent crop, and it makes our harvesting equipment work better.

     Fun fact for all of you, it is estimated by the end of the week, the farm crew had crawled through and close weeded 56,760 row-feet of carrots and beets. That’s nearly 11 miles! 

    In your share this week:

    Basil – Carrots – Lettuce – Cucumbers – Napa Cabbage 

    Onions – Snap Peas – Tomatoes – Cilantro – Zucchini

    Swiss Chard Summer Roll

    Wraps and Filling:

    16 to 18 sheets of rice paper

    One bunch of chard, leaves only, thinly sliced 

    One bunch of basil, torn into bite-sized pieces

    Two avocados sliced

    Two carrots cut into 2 inch match sticks

    One cucumber cut into 2 inch match sticks

    Dipping Sauce:

    1/2 cup hoisin sauce

    1/4 cup soy sauce

    1.5 tbsp sugar

    1.5 tbsp sesame oil

    Finely sliced green onions

    To make the dipping sauce, combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl.  Whisk.  

    In a large bowl with warm water, dip the rice paper into the water for a few seconds until the whole sheet is moistened carefully lay the rice paper flat on your work surface and wait a minute for the sheet to become soft and pliable. Layer the chard, basil, avocado, carrots, and cucumbers on the bottom third of the rice paper.  Fold the bottom edge over the filling and roll the paper away from you folding the sides in towards the middle about halfway up to roll.  Repeat with the remaining rice papers and filling.   Serve roles with dipping sauce.  The rice papers will start to stiffen if left out for too long, so it’s best to wrap as you eat.  This is a great dinner to make with kids!!!

    Frittata with Napa Cabbage

    8 large eggs
    1/2 c creme fraiche
    1 c finely chopped napa cabbage
    1/2 c finely chopped red onion
    4 green onions, thinly sliced
    2 garlic cloves, minced
    2 T chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
    1/2 t curry powder
    1/4 t cayenne pepper
    1/2 t fine sea salt
    1/2 t fresh ground pepper
    2 T butter
    1/2 c crumbled feta

    Position a rack in upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350.

    In a large bowl, combine the eggs, creme fraiche, cabbage, both onions, garlic, cilantro and spices. Beat with a fork to incorporate.

    Heat the butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, tilting the pan to coat all surfaces thoroughly as the butter melts. When the butter starts to foam, pour in the egg mixture and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Top with the crumbled feta and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve warm.

    For the farm crew,

    Jennifer

    Summer CSA Week 7, 2023

    Posted on by
    Reply

    In our region, July is known for claiming the title of the hottest month of the year. Last week you wouldn’t have guessed it as the crew enjoyed slightly cooler temps. We won’t be so lucky this week, however, with the forecast pushing 90° for the next few days. Such high temps may be hard on the farm crew, but many of the vegetable varieties are going to love it!

    This weeks box brings a few new additions in cilantro, dill and even a couple of salad tomatoes 🙂

    Dill is an especially exciting one for me. While it is often associated with dill pickles and potato salad, its culinary significance spans centuries across Europe and Asia, enriching a wide array of cuisines. Due to its distinct and potent flavor, even a small quantity of dill can make a significant impact, making it an excellent choice as a garnish. The delicate, feathery texture of dill leaves adds a touch of beauty, while a mere sprig can infuse a dish with a noticeable and delightful aroma. Moreover, dill finds its place in salads and serves as a crucial component, along with buttermilk, in bestowing homemade ranch dressing with its unique and flavorful character.

    When considering planting dill, it’s worth noting that this annual herb, related to celery, possesses a natural tendency to self-replant and propagate extensively, adding to its appeal as a versatile and abundant addition to your garden space.

    In your share this week:

    Beets – Broccoli – Carrots – Chard – Cilantro – Cucumbers

    Dill – Lettuce – Tomatoes – Green Onions – Snap Peas – Zucchini

    Dilly Ranch Dressing, from Feasting at Home

    Yield: 1 1/4 Cup

    1/3 cup mayo
    1/3 cup buttermilk
    1/3 cup sour cream
    1-2 garlic cloves, finely minced
    1/2 cup fresh dill
    2 tablespoons tarragon
    1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
    1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
    1 teaspoon pepper
    1 tablespoon lemon juice, more to taste
    1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

    1. Whisk the mayo, buttermilk, and sour cream in a medium bowl until smooth.
    2. Stir in the remaining ingredients: garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and vinegar.
    3. Taste- you want this slightly salty and tangy- so adjust salt and lemon juice to bump up the flavor.
    4. Place in a sealed jar and chill. You want this cold!

    Cucumber Salsa, from Lemon Tree Dwelling

    The farm peppers will be in your shares soon enough, but for now store bought will have to do for this recipe…

    Yield: 8 servings

    1 large English cucumber, about 2 1/2 cups chopped
    1/4 cup red onion, chopped
    1/3 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped
    1/3 cup green bell pepper, chopped
    2 tomatoes, chopped
    1 jalapeño, minced
    1/4 cup cilantro, minced
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    juice of 1/2 lemon
    juice of 1/2 lime
    1 teaspoon salt

    1. Chop the cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and onions into small pieces, about 1/4 inch. Add them to a medium mixing bowl.
    2. Mince the jalapeño (remove seeds for less heat as desired), cilantro, and fresh garlic. Add it to the chopped veggies in the bowl. 
    3. Squeeze in the fresh citrus juices and add the salt.
    4. Stir well; enjoy immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.

    Carrot, Date and Feta Salad; from Food Network

    Yield: 4 servings

    3 medium carrots
    2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro
    1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    2 teaspoons honey
    Kosher salt
    Juice of 1 lime
    1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
    2 tablespoons chopped toasted almonds
    2 tablespoons finely chopped dates

    1. Thinly slice the carrots into ribbons using a vegetable peeler or mandolin, including any remaining “stubs” of carrot. Soak in ice water until the ribbons firm up and curl, about 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry. 
    2. Whisk together the cilantro, olive oil, honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the lime juice in a medium bowl. Add the carrots along with the feta cheese, almonds and dates, and toss until evenly combined. Serve immediately, or let the salad marinate a bit before serving. 

    When I first started working at the farm, a little over a year ago, I thought that all of the job would be directly dealing with plants or dirt. I quickly learned, however, that there are many tasks we do that don’t necessarily pop into your mind when you think farming. A lot of the equipment we use here is quite old. The thing about old stuff is that it tends to break. It would be really nice to just replace something when it breaks, but new stuff is rather expensive. We will usually opt for the fix it yourself mentality – something Janaki and Dave are rather good at.

    Above you can see Dave hard at work as he repairs our flail mower.

    For the farm crew,

    Charlie

    Summer CSA Week 14, 2022

    Posted on by
    Reply
    The whole crew picking green beans.

    It has been an exciting week! Saturday was Harvest Fest at Bayfront Festival Park. It was great seeing all of you that stopped by our booth. We have also had a new crew member join the gang and an old crew member move on to great new things.

    A note about peppers: The large pointy red peppers are a SWEET pepper variety named Carmen. The smaller yellow pointy pepper are a HOT pepper variety.

    In your share this week:

    Green Beans – Carrots – Celery – Cilantro – Cucumber – Garlic – Onion – Red Pepper – Green Peppers – Hot Peppers – Potatoes – Tomato – Zucchini

    Here are pictures from our Harvest Fest booth! We moved a lot of produce on Saturday. Thank you to everyone who came out. Harvest Fest is hosted by the Lake Superior Sustainable Farming Association.

    Tomato and Pepper Chunky Salsa

    Salsa is one of the joys of summer. It’s great as a snack with tortilla chips or on top of eggs. Luckily, salsa is very easy to make!

    Ingredients

    • 7 medium tomatoes
    • 1 red bell pepper (the long pointed one)
    • 1 small diced red onion
    • 1 hot pepper
    • ½ cup fresh cilantro
    • 1–2 garlic cloves
    • juice of 1 lime
    • ½ tsp pepper
    • ½ tsp cumin
    • 1 tsp salt, or to taste

    Instructions

    1. Finely dice the tomatoes, red bell pepper, red onion, hot pepper, garlic and cilantro. Combine in a large bowl and add lime juice and seasonings.
    2. Alternatively, process all ingredients in a food processor for 30 seconds.
    3. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

    Recipe based off the green creator..

    Congrats to our former crew member, Emily, who is moving on to a great new job in her field. Emily has been with the Food Farm for two years and wrote last year’s newsletters.

    This beautiful key lime pie was made in Emily’s honor by Charlie, a fellow crew member.

    A great morning for spiders!

    The first spider is a funnel-weaver spider with in her name-sake funnel web beautifully outlined in morning dew. This spider was found next to our celery rows. The picture doesn’t do justice to the unique 3D tunnel structure this spider builds. The second spider is a black and yellow argiope, also called a black-and-yellow garden spider, which may be the largest web-building spider in the northern United States. She was a big one! She was found feasting on a fly in her web that spanned one of the green bean paths. (We made certain not to disrupt her.) Many think because this spider is so colorful and large it must be dangerous, but in reality, they are shy and rarely venture off their webs. We appreciate these spiders eating the more annoying bugs for us!

    For the farm crew,

    Starr

    Summer CSA Week 16

    Posted on by
    Reply

    Howdy food sharers,

    This past week was the week of squash. To be honest, I’ll probably never see that much squash again in one place. On Wednesday we harvested around 8,000 pounds of Delicata alone. As much as it feels like it will never end when we are in the middle of harvesting, the end results are very satisfying to look at. 4 tons of Delicata sitting on drying racks is a sight for sore eyes (and arms). It is also very funny to be using old bakery racks as storage racks. They sure do get the job done though.

    Delicata are not the only variety of squash we are growing this year. The others include: Winter Sweet, Acorn, Kabocha and Sunshine. To be honest I think I would name my pet after these squashes. Maybe not Delicata though… I sometimes think that squash is such an interesting crop so I decided to do a little research to spice up this newsletter. Here are some fun facts about squash:

    • The name “squash” comes from a Native American word “askutasquash” which means “eaten raw or uncooked” which is….ironic. Or at least I have always cooked my squash.
    • Squashes are some of the oldest crops. Some estimates are at 10,000 years old. 
    • The regions of Mexico and surrounding Central American countries are where squash is originally thought to come from. 
    • We grow both summer and winter squash here at Food Farm. Summer squashes are harvested when they’re immature and their skins are still soft. For example, zucchini is a well-known summer squash. Winter squashes are harvested when their skin is hard, making them suitable for long term storage.

    Pretty soon your summer CSA will be over and your household may start to accumulate more and more squash. Pumpkins will be on their way to you soon. Jack-o-lanterns will be carved. Pies will be baked. Although this is the beginning of the end of our time being your summer farmers, we still have a LOT to get done on the farm before freeze-up. Best of all, the autumn equinox is on Wednesday. According to the MN DNR Fall Color Finder, between 10-25% of our trees in the area are turning color. Fall has quickly become my favorite time of the year since I started farming.

    I’m keeping this newsletter short and sweet, just like our acorn squash.

    Thanks for tuning in,

    Emily 

    In your shares this week: Arugula – Beans – Carrots – Cucumbers – Red Russian Kale – Leeks – Onions – Parsley – Peppers – Potatoes – Acorn and Sunshine Squash – Tomatoes – Zucchini

    Chinese Chard with Almonds by TasteofHome

    Ingredients

    1 bunch chard (about 1 pound), chopped (the Red Russian Kale this week is tender enough to use in place of Chard)

    1 tablespoon olive oil

    1 large sweet red pepper, cut into strips

    1 large tomato, diced

    1 small red onion, diced

    3 garlic cloves, minced

    1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot

    1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

    3/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

    3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

    Dash crushed red pepper flakes

    2 tablespoons lemon juice

    1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

    Directions

    In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring 2 in. of water to a boil. Add chard; cook, covered, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain; set aside.

    In same saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pepper, tomato and onion; saute until pepper is crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute more. Stir in next five ingredients; add cooked chard. Cook and stir until pepper is tender, 3-4 minutes ; add lemon juice. Top with almonds.

    Kale and Leek Gratin by Food & Wine

    3 pounds kale, de-stemmed

    3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

    5 medium leeks, white and tender green parts only, sliced 1/4 inch thick

    Salt

    3 garlic cloves, minced

    6 tablespoons unsalted butter

    2/3 cup all-purpose flour 

    1 quart whole milk

    1/2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

    1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 

    1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

    Freshly ground pepper

    Directions

    In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the kale in batches until wilted, about 1 minute. Drain, squeeze dry and chop it.

    Heat the oil in the pot. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until tender, 7 minutes. Uncover, add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the kale, season with salt and remove from the heat.

    Preheat the oven to 425°. Butter a 10-by-15-inch baking dish. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour over moderate heat to form a paste. Gradually whisk in one-third of the milk and cook, whisking, until the mixture starts to thicken. Repeat two more times with the remaining milk. Bring the sauce to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking often, until thickened and no floury taste remains, 15 minutes. Whisk in the cheeses and the nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Mix the sauce into the leeks and kale. Season with salt and pepper.

    Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 25 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown on top. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

    Summer CSA Week 14

    Posted on by
    Reply

    This week was a big week for our dear friends the alliums. Alliums are a genus of plants that include onions, garlic, leeks, and shallots. Onions! Enough to make a grown man cry. To say that these crops are the very backbone of savory dishes in the Midwest is an understatement. Not only do they provide great flavor and texture to our food, they also make the air smell great when you harvest them for several hours. And what do you say to a small onion that has helped you? Thanks shallot. We also started to sort out seed garlic which involves picking out the most perfect heads of garlic to use for next years garlic crop. This process, over the course of years, helps us yield the best looking heads of garlic to give to our dear members and the community.

    Soup season is just around the corner, unless you’re like me and believe soup shall not be limited to colder weather. Either way, I feel compelled to throw in a decent soup recipe in these newsletters each week. They’re great for many things but amazing for using up random veggies in your fridges. Great for budgets and your stomachs. This may very well be the beginning of canning season for your household, for which soup is a fantastic candidate. Our dear friend the leek has been patiently waiting it’s arrival in your shares. And you had better believe there’s a soup recipe in this newsletter whose sole intention is to use a decent amount of leeks. Personally, I think the leeks this year look way bigger than last years. This is probably due to the warmer temperatures we have been experiencing.

    This weekend you’ll find the Food Farm crew at the Sustainable Farm Association’s annual Harvest Festival at Bayfront Park in Duluth. Have you been wishing to have just a few more heads of broccoli this year? Perhaps you’re wishing for some more tomatoes? Fear not, as we will likely have a wide variety of food available to you. My favorite thing about these festivals as a consumer is seeing the value added goods that people create. Every year there is something new to try and it’s even better knowing it’s local. The annual Harvest Festival is a fun and great way to connect producers directly to consumers. Aside from these newsletters, there are only a handful of ways in which we are able to directly connect with our share members and the general public. We hope to see all of you there! We’ll be there from 10am – 4pm.

    Some exciting news from our newest farm hens, they’ve laid their first eggs! These relatively tiny eggs will not be included in the egg shares yet. However, they are a reminder that these chickens play a valuable role on the farm. They provide our members with food and our fields with fertility. Plus they’re cute and full of personality – what more could you ask for in your coworkers?!

    If anyone has a soup recipe suggestion, please do not be shy. We must all prosper in the richness that is liquid food.

    Your local soup enthusiast,

    Emily

    In your shares this week:

    Broccoli – Carrots – Cilantro – Cucumbers – Garlic – Greens Mix – Leeks – Onions – Hot Pepper – Red Peppers – Potatoes – Tomatoes – Zucchini

    Bumble bees are fond of our bean plants and their flowers. I call this photo: “Bumble Bean”

    Potato Leek Soup from Tasty

    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 3 large leeks, chopped
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 2 lbs potato, cubed
    • salt, to taste
    • pepper, to taste
    • 6 cups vegetable broth
    • 2 cups water
    • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
    • 1 bay leaf
    • ¼ cup fresh chives, chopped
    • hot sauce, to taste
    1. Melt butter on medium heat in a large pot. Add the chopped leeks and stir until coated with butter.
    2. Cover the pot and lower heat, cook for around 10 minutes until the leeks have softened.
    3. Increase to medium-high. Add garlic, potatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, then add vegetable broth, water, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil.
    4. Lower heat and cover pot with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and easily speared by a fork.
    5. Uncover and remove thyme and bay leaf.
    6. Use an immersion or countertop blender to blend the soup until smooth.
    7. Stir in chives and hot sauce (optional).
    8. Allow to cool 2 minutes and serve

    Cucumber Avocado Salsa by To Simply Inspire

    • 1 large cucumber peeled, seeded and finely chopped
    • 1 avocado finely chopped
    • 1 medium tomato finely chopped and seeded
    • 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
    • 2 – 3 tablespoon fresh cilantro finely chopped
    • 1 garlic clove minced

    For the sauce:

    • 1/4 c reduced-fat sour cream
    • 1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
    • 1-1/2 tsp lime juice
    • 1/4 tsp ground cumin
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    1. In a medium bowl, combine the first six ingredients and gently toss
    2. In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and salt.
    3. Pour over cucumber mixture and gently toss to coat.
    4. Serve with tortilla chips.

    Summer CSA Week 5

    Posted on by
    Reply

    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.

    November Winter Share

    Posted on by
    Reply

    farm to table (1)

     

    Welcome to the first Winter Share of the season! The warm and colorful part of the autumn is very much past, the evenings are dark and it is time to start getting in the wintery culinary mood!

    I love this time of year, and I know I’ve said so every winter newsletter for a couple of years now. It’s still true. I love the subdued colors of everything, and cold wind on my face and snow falling in the sunshine. I love planning exactly what I should wear outside, and thinking about how I’m so great at planning outfits for winter activities… until I start shedding extra layers along a trail to retrieve on my way back.

    I love eating as many potatoes as I want (job perk!). I love getting into a different “breakfast rut” each winter. Two years ago it was hash browns. Last year it was carrots, parsnips (stay tuned for them in later shares!) and potatoes all cooked in a pan with yogurt or ketchup on top.

    This year my favorite part of the season will be coming up in just a couple of months: my infant son’s first bites of food. I am so excited for him to eat with me out of the root cellar at the farm. I haven’t decided which of the veggies will be his first. Probably carrots or squash. Or parsnips. Or potatoes. Or rutabaga. I feel so lucky to start him off with such wholesome, good quality food. What a blessing.

    Thinking about my boy, and what and how I want him to eat as he grows has been fun, and also challenging for me. It has required me to look at how I eat and my imperfect relationship to food. I want him to have good food, the best food. Healthy and as much organic as possible. But that’s not really all of it. Not at all. I also want food to be something that he sees is worth spending time planning, preparing, and sitting down for.  I want to show him that there is value in investing time and money in food. I don’t want to treat the preparation of food like an inconvenience that just needs to be got over as quickly as possible. And by the time he’s taking his first bites I want to do less eating above the kitchen sink, and more sitting down. Even if it’s just for a fried egg sandwich in the morning.

    I say that now. But I recognize that our meals won’t always be balanced, or include a complete protein, or be organic or mostly local. Maybe sometimes they’ll be mostly take-out pizza. And, I want him to see that too, and not see it as a thing of shame. There should be so much LESS shame and embarrassment around familial and personal food choices. Because it isn’t easy to always make the ideal choices we’d like to imagine ourselves making.

    At the end of it all, I want him to learn joy- the joy of food in our lives. Food is work, fun, tasty, beautiful, communal, and sustaining.

    So thank you for taking on a counter-cultural approach to food with us this winter season. Thanks for being willing to slow things down a bit and put your money down on something of quality.

    Whether this is your first or tenth Winter Share with us, welcome or welcome back! I hope this season of local produce finds you well, and keeps you trying new ways of cooking with old staples.

    With joy,

    Karin

    Potatoes with Shaved Celery Salad

    (I think in newsletters of yore, I have mentioned that I don’t tend to be much of a recipe follower. Perhaps some of you are though, and perhaps you also got celeriac instead of celery. Ah! If I were you, I’d still give this recipe a whirl, but I would roast scrubbed and halved celeriac until tender (an hour or so) and chop it after that to toss with the salad. But I am not you, so perhaps you’d like to simply roast it with oil and salt and enjoy as is!)

    • 2 1/2 pounds red potatoes, cubed
    • 2 cups cider vinegar
    • 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
    • 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
    • 1/2 cup light sour cream
    • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
    • 1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
    • 1 1/2 tablespoons grated red onion
    • 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
    • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 2 cups thinly diagonally sliced celery
    • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    Bring 12 cups water and potatoes to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Add vinegar; simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Drain. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet; cool.

    Combine buttermilk and next 8 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl. Stir in potatoes. Stir in celery and pepper. Chill at least 1 hour.

     

    Curried Carrot and Coconut Soup

    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
    • ¾ pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch coins
    • 1 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin, to taste
    • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, to taste
    • ½ teaspoon ground coriander, to taste
    •  Pinch of cayenne pepper
    • 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
    • 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
    •  Juice from ½ lime
    •  Salt and freshly ground pepper
    •  Cilantro, if you have it
    1. Heat the butter until the foam subsides. Add the diced chopped onions, sprinkle with salt, stir to coat with butter. Add the chopped carrots along with the spices. Stir and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
    2. Add the stock; there should be enough to cover the vegetables. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until the carrots are cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.
    3. If you have an immersion blender, purée the soup in the pot. If not, wait until the soup cools slightly, and purée in a food processor. Add enough coconut milk (and a little more stock or water if necessary) to bring the soup to the consistency you want. Adjust the seasoning (depending on the stock you use, you may need more or less salt), and lime juice to taste. Garnish and serve.

    Summer CSA Week 5

    Posted on by
    Reply

    Here comes summer

    Here comes summer

    Chirping robin, budding rose

    Here comes summer

    Here comes summer

    Gentle showers, summer clothes

    Here comes summer

    Here comes summer

    Whoosh–shiver–there it goes.

    –Shel Silverstein

    I was laid up for a few days this past week recovering from a tick born illness. When I came back to work on Wednesday I felt like I’d been gone a week!

    The tomatoes in the green house are taller than I am. The cucumbers have become wildly prolific. All the row cover is off the cabbage and the broccoli are beautiful.

    This season is what I live for. The warm air when the breeze blows. The sweltering heat when the sun is high in the sky. Sun burnt shoulders and tan faces. Bare feet in warm fields.

    Summer can fly by in the blink of an eye if you aren’t careful to pay attention. We all get caught up in the work, because we are farmers and can’t help ourselves. There is a mile of cabbage to weed. There are tomatoes to trellis and boxes to wash. There is grass to mow and sunscreen to apply and water that needs to be drank.

    I have to remind myself to pay attention, to stay conscious of what’s going on around me. Sam started harvesting a ton of cucumbers each day. I noticed that. But I had to pay attention to see it. The sun golds started turning yellow. I bet a I’ll get to eat a handful in a few days.

    Dave planted basil in every nook and cranny of the green houses. But you have to look down for just a second to appreciate that.

    We farmers do a special kind of dance. We all have different roles to play, different songs to sing. I like to imagine us from a birds eye view. Little objects floating around the farm, accomplishing so, so much.

    From a tender loving farm crew

    Tiffany

    In your CSA box:

    Carrots – Beets – Cucumbers – Broccoli- Green Onions – Romaine Lettuce – Garlic Scapes!

    Broccoli Fritters

    • 8 oz broccoli including stem cut into small pieces
    • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (if you’re into that)
    • 2 large eggs, beaten
    • 2 Tbs flour
    • 1 Tbs olive oil
    • 1 tsp cayenne

    Steam broccoli until tender. Drain excess water and pat dry. Toss broccoli in flour and cayenne. Combine egg to broccoli, then the cheese. Mix completely.

    Place pan on medium heat. Add oil. Divide mixture into fourth and spoon into pan in patty form.

    Cook on one side for 2-3 minutes or until bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes

    Asian Cucumber Salad

    • 4 cups VERY thinly sliced cucumber
    • 1/4 cup finely sliced red onion
    • 1/4 cup finely sliced red pepper
    • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
    • 1 tsp honey
    • 1 tsp sesame seeds
    • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
    • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
    • 1/2 tsp salt

    Add cucumber, onion, red pepper and sesame seeds to medium bowl. Set aside

    In small bowl mix rice wine vinegar, honey, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and salt.

    Add dressing to veggie mix, serve immediately raw let sit in fridge for a while to let the flavors meld