2011 CSA Week 14

We went to sleep on Saturday night expecting a hurricane and we woke Sunday morning to a tropical storm. Our scant meteorological training doesn't allow us to parse the difference, but through the window it had the appearance of nothing more than a very blustery day, and we felt lucky that our worst expectations were not met. We spent a pleasant day indoors and at night I enjoyed using a headlamp to navigate my room. And this morning, although my bike ride to the farm was significantly re-routed by fallen trees, the air was clear and lovely, blown clean by the weather, and we returned to a farm that showed few effects of the tumult. We made note of the standing water in many of the fields, we replanted some broccoli and cauliflower plants that had been uprooted and laid on their sides, and we then continued with work as we would on any Monday. The only casualty has been my ability to include pictures alongside what is written here, but I'll add them as soon as my computer access is no longer limited by power outages. It may take a few days, but check back if you want to see onions drying in the greenhouse, or what a few quarts of cherry tomatoes look like close-up. We hope that you and your family weathered the day safely, and that you have experienced no greater storm-related inconvenience than this small delay.

The share this week:

Red Beets
Carrots or Parsnips
Tomatoes
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Eggplant
Edamame
Italian Basil
Storage Onions
Sweet Corn

Notes about the food:

* For a long time I didn't enjoy working with tomato plants. They are fragile and susceptible to disease and they require extensive support in order to remain upright, and I felt that maintaining a large crop of them was picky, delicate work fraught with potential failure. I still think those things are true, but as I've spent more time working with tomatoes my confidence has improved, and as I become less reluctant to involve myself with the things I have become increasingly convinced that they are always worth the effort.

Our tomato plants were certainly battered by yesterday's weather, but despite my ongoing concerns about their fragility they fared better than we might have expected. Which is to say, they are still alive. Their stems were not snapped in the wind, and their fruit was not blown to the ground. They were not helped, though, by the rain: The greatest current threat to their longevity is the consistent precipitation that has kept their soil wet. In it, they show signs of a suffering that is probably irreversible, and our best hope is that it will be prolonged by as many warm and dry days as we can get. Until they succumb, we hope that you'll enjoy the continuing abundance of tomatoes, and consider each week that does not bring their complete demise a success.

Farro Pasta with Tomato Vinaigrette

2 garlic cloves, peeled
salt
2 1/2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes (heirlooms, Roma or cherry)
1/2 cup torn basil leaves
1 pound farro or whole-wheat tagliatelle or spaghetti
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra as needed

Pound garlic, with a pinch of salt, into smooth paste with mortar and pestle. Stir in vinegar.

Core tomatoes and cut in 1/2-inch dice. If using cherry tomatoes, remove stems and quarter, or halve if small. In a large bowl, toss tomatoes with vinegar-garlic mixture and half the basil. Cover and marinate 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 7-10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid and then drain well.

Add oil to tomatoes, and season to taste with salt. Toss pasta with tomato vinaigrette. Stretch sauce with a few tablespoons reserved cooking liquid until sauce turns juicy and coats the noodles. Taste and, if desired, add salt and an extra splash of oil or vinegar. Toss in remaining basil leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.

* That recipe was printed in The Wall Street Journal, the Sunday food section of which I continue to stumble across and then cite on this website. This edition was a particularly fortuitous section of newspaper to find on the ground because it included an article about basil, and we have fielded a lot of questions recently about how to best store basil. I'll quote the article on that point, and I'll transcribe one of the several recipes it provides:

"Basil is happiest when it's treated like a delicate hothouse flower. As soon as you get your bunch home, trim about 1/2 inch off the stems, put the basil in a glass of cold water and put a plastic bag over the setup. Leaving plenty of air around the basil leaves, tie the bag closed around the glass with twine or a rubber band and refrigerate; change the water daily. Encased in it's greenhouse, really fresh basil will keep for five days or more. Alternatively, you can wrap the trimmed stems in a wet paper towel and store the basil in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator. For long-term storage, make a thick puree of basil and olive oil and freeze the almost-pesto in an ice-cube tray. When the basil is solid, pop the cubes and seal them in airtight plastic bags."

Basil, Mozzarella and Plum Salad

Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in 1/3 cup packed basil leaves, cook for 30 seconds, then drain and run under cold water to cool. Squeeze as much water as possible from the leaves, then chop finely. Put basil and 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil in food processor, add pinch of salt and process until well blended. Let rest 15 minutes, then pour through a fine-mesh strainer. Discard the solids and reserve the oil.

Toss 2 handfuls mixed salad greens with 1 tablespoon basil oil, salt and pepper, and divide among 4 plates. Slice 8 basil leaves and toss with 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cubed, 2 black plums, pitted and cubed, 1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped, the juice of 1/2 lime and 2 tablespoons of the basil oil. (Refrigerate remaining oil for another use.) Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lime juice and spoon equal amounts of the mozzarella mixture over the greens.

* Edamame are green soybeans, and you'll receive them on the plant. To prepare, simply remove the pods from the stem and steam them until they are dark green, 10-20 minutes. For a snack or hors d'oeuvre season the pods with salt and fresh lemon juice and suck the beans from the pods directly into your mouth. (They are also good seasoned with soy sauce.) To incorporate as part of another dish, simply squeeze the beans from the pod once they are steamed.

* You'll certainly hear more from us about parsnips, so for now I'll mention them only in the context of a recipe that a CSA member recently shared. The timing is good, because this salad pairs them with beets, also in today's share:

Shredded Parsnip and Beet Salad in Pineapple Vinaigrette

For the pineapple dressing, put in the blender:

1 15 oz can of pineapple chunks, or 2 cups pineapple juice
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup grapeseed or olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave or honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the salad:

1 pound beets peeled and shredded (best shredded in a food processor)
1 pound parsnips peeled and shredded (best shredded in a food processor)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped mint

Mix the salad and dressing with tongs. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

2011 CSA Week 11

It's true, I was in Iceland last week, and it's likely that as Joshua wrote the blog, or performed the harvest, or weeded the beans, I was doing something more along the lines of sitting in a thermal hot spring or looking at a puffin. This time of year requires an especially large amount of work on the farm, and to leave for six days felt like a bit of a coup. It's truly thanks to Joshua's redoubled efforts and the help of several friends and volunteers that I was able to travel, and I returned to the farm jet-lagged but refreshed, and grateful for the rare opportunity to spend some time away during the summer. If you haven't tried a work situation in which your co-workers are so fully supportive of your most inconvenient extracurricular activities that they will perform their own job and yours while you remove yourself to some fjord near the arctic circle, you really should.

Welcome to the halfway point of the 2011 CSA season. After eleven weeks of ascent toward this mid-point we find ourselves once again at the time of year when all things seem to accelerate, and we are preparing for a swift descent toward October. Now more than ever our sense of time is confused by long days that accumulate into short weeks, and milestones that seemed distant yesterday are upon us today. We are creeping toward a thing that is itself rushing toward us: halfway is followed by the end, and now is an appropriate time to pause and remind ourselves to enjoy all good things while they last. Starting with the tomatoes, maybe. I'd suggest starting with the parsley, but I've been enjoying that excessively for what seems like ages.

The share this week:

Green Curly Kale

Summer Squash

Red and Golden Beets
Carrots
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Sungold or Black Cherry Tomatoes
New Girl Slicing Tomatoes
Bunching Onions
Italian Basil
Parsley

Notes about the food:

* The light reflected on each of the tomatoes pictured to the right is the camera's flash. A short, intense thunderstorm crossed the farm this afternoon, and as I stood in the sunlight and sorted our tomatoes I could see it raining on the far side of our fields. You've seen our fields--the far side is not too far away, and the rain moved toward me as I moved the tomatoes to a sheltered place so that by the time I was ready to photograph a few the sky had fully darkened and rain was general over all our fields and the flash was activated. It was sunny again within a few minutes.

Please enjoy these first tomatoes of the season. The plants have been laden with fruit for a few weeks, but the tomatoes have been slow to color. We expect their productivity to increase as August continues, and as it does I'll provide a more thorough primer of the varieties we grow. Until then, please note that we harvest at a few stages of ripeness. Some of the red slicing tomatoes in this week's share will be a full, deep red-- these are the most ripe, and are ready to eat now. Others are less thoroughly red-- their shoulders will be an intermediate yellow or orange. We recommend selecting tomatoes based on when you think you will eat them. Those not fully colored will continue to ripen if stored in a warm, dry place (a brown paper bag on the kitchen counter works well). In general, the paler the color the longer you can store them before use.

* The following recipe calls for golden beets, but no one will stop you if you use those in combination with another beet variety. I'll go ahead and admit this is from Martha Stweart Living:

Golden Beet Salad

6 golden beets, trimmed
6 ounces green beans, trimmed
coarse salt
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallot
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 loosely packed fresh torn basil
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wrap beets in parchment, then foil, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 60 minutes. Let cool completely. Peel and cut in 1/2-inch cubes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Prepare an ice-water bath. Cook green beans in boiling salted water until bright green and crisp tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to ice-water bath, and drain. Cut beans diagonally into thirds and add to beets.

Mix vinegar, shallot, and mustard in a small bowl. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified. Toss with vegetables, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in torn basil and goat cheese. Garnish with additional basil leaves.

* Summer is a good time for a constant supply of recipes that make use of summer squash. From Eating Well:

Creamy Gorgonzola Polenta with Summer Squash Saute

2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth, divided
1 cup water
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 small summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Combine 2 1/2 cups broth and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in cornmeal and pepper until smooth. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until very thick and no longer grainy, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in Gorgonzola; remove the polenta from the heat and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in zucchini and squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften and brown in places, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables; stir to coat. Stir in the remaining 1 cup broth and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and the vegetables are tender, 1 to 3 minutes. Stir in basil; serve the saute over the polenta.

2011 CSA Week 7

The heat and dry conditions felt sudden last week, but we have since had a decent rainfall and time to come to terms with the fact that it is, after all, July. Before last week I had since March 1st ridden my bike to the farm every workday but one. Riding not without a significant tendency toward distraction and wobble, laden with soil from the farm and wearing a backpack over-filled with vegetables, singing top-40 radio hits in my head and sort of out loud, thinking of myself as a solitary, begrimed counterpoint to the spandex-clad pelotons that populate Dover roads, it could be obstinacy--a simple pleasure congealed to compulsion--that kept me uncovered on the occasionally cold and wet days of our extended spring, but whatever the reason you'll know that the single day I chose to drive was particularly inclement. I think of it now because it was the day in early April on which we planted the beets that were in the share this week and last. We worked that morning in a cold, unremitting rain, transplanting the beets one at a time into soil saturated by water enough that we could call it mud and watch it harden in the following days to a slick crust hardly conducive to the production of healthy plants. We dried ourselves at intervals by the woodstove and completed our work with a semi-useful stubbornness, and the beets eventually overcame their disadvantageous origin and found their way in the compacted ground. Their harvest during this first week of summer weather reminds me of their beginning, and of the fact that however jarring the sudden arrival of this season may feel it is inextricable from the season past, stitched to it by the work we began in April and continue today. We've followed a thread through sucking a mud and a cold day that would keep anyone off their bike, and here we are: a warm month and an abundant harvest.

The share this week:

Lettuce

Red Russian Kale

Rainbow Chard

Collard Greens

Red Beets

Napa or Green Cabbage

Summer Squash or Zucchini

Fennel

Green Beans

Sugar Snap Peas

Cinnamon Basil

Parsley

Spring Onions

Raspberries

Notes about the food:

* Parsley, which for the purpose of this week's photo shoot I have inexplicably situated on top of a toy wooden bus, is another one of my favorite things we grow. Although it is often relegated to the role of garnish, I insist there is no shame in enjoying it--stems and all--as a stand-alone snack or prominent component of any meal. But, because I suspect you are unlikely to share with me the lonely joy of eating a full bunch of parsley like it's a candy bar, I am including two recipes that are not shy about the fact that parsley is an intensely nutritious, intensely flavorful dark leafy green that deserves better than use as a neglected scrap alongside your hamburger. The first is from The Food Network, the second from a 2003 issue of Gourmet:

Parsley Salad

4 ounces Italian parsley

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons lemon zest

6 tablespoons walnut oil

2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

1 teaspoon honey

salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Wash and dry the parsley. Remove leaves from stems and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, walnut oil, sesame oil, honey, and salt and pepper, to taste. Add the parsley and sesame seeds and toss to combine. Allow the salad to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving so that the flavors to meld.

Beet and Parsley Salad

2 medium beets without greens

1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon sugar, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Trim and peel raw beets, then cut into very thin slices. (If you have one, a mandoline is the best kitchen tool for this.)

Toss beets with parsley, salt, sugar, and pepper in a serving bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle vinegar on salad and toss again. Serve immediately.

* The first thing to know about fennel is that its taste is reminiscent of black licorice. When used as a garnish, the fronds will imbue any dish with this flavor, and a small amount of them will go a long way. The licorice taste is more subtle in the bulb, and will be affected by cooking. The bulb is versatile: it adds crunch when chopped into salad, it is easily sauteed or baked, and it is delicious when lightly glazed with olive oil and grilled. I hope you'll experiment freely. For more involved recipes that incorporate fennel, as well as beets, chard, and kale, consider the following soups:

Beet and Fennel Soup with Kefir

From Bon Appetit, January 2011

Note: Kefir is a drink that looks and tastes like yogurt, usually made from cow's milk or goats milk. It's in the dairy section. Can't find it? Substitute plain yogurt. I think this soup is also good served cold.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped fennel bulb

1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds

2 large beets, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 cup unflavored kefir

Additional unflavored kefir

Fennel fronds (for garnish)

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, chopped fennel, and fennel seeds. Saute until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add cubed beets and stir to coat. Add chicken broth and bring to boil. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until beets are tender, 18-20 minutes. Puree soup in batches in blender. Return to same saucepan. Whisk in 1 cup unflavored kefir and season soup with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Rewarm soup, but don't boil.

Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with additional unflavored kefir; garnish with fennel fronds.

Barley Soup with Greens, Fennel, Lemon, and Dill

From Bon Appetit, February 2010

4 cups water

8 cups vegetable broth

1 cup pearl barley, rinsed

1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus additional for sprinkling

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling

3 cups chopped onion

8 cups coarsely chopped kale leaves (one 7-ounce bunch)

6 cups coarsely chopped chard leaves (one 7-ounce bunch)

5 cups spinach leaves (about 5 ounces)

3/4 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup chopped fresh dill

1/2 cup chopped fresh fennel fronds

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 7-ounce package feta cheese, crumbled

Bring 4 cups water, 2 cups broth, barley and 1 teaspoon sea salt to boil in a large pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, sprinkle with sea salt, and saute until golden brown, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Add sauteed onions and remaining 6 cups broth to pot with barley.

Add kale and chard to soup. Simmer until greens are tender, about 15 minutes. Add spinach, green onions, dill, fennel fronds, and mint; simmer 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Season soup with sea salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice, thinning with more broth, if desired.

Divide soup among bowls. Sprinkle each with feta cheese, drizzle with oil, and serve.

* We are introducing the summer squash and zucchini slowly. The plants have begun to produce enough for the CSA, but barely. Beginning this week we'll harvest everything and divide it among the shares, and as the summer continues the plants will produce more and they will be joined by a second succession of everything squash-related, so don't feel antagonized if you receive as few as 1 squash per share this week--more are on the way. I'll provide further notes about the varieties we are growing as their abundance increases.

Miscellaneous Notes:

* Have you been to the movies recently? I saw The Tree of Life last weekend, and I've hardly stopped thinking about it since. If you think that ours might be a world in which gain and loss are constant and simultaneous, and that any accounting of such things must consider equally the cosmically-scaled and the infinitesimal, you might enjoy this movie. Anyway, it's something we can talk about while you collect your vegetables, if you want.

2011 CSA Week 6

It's a holiday but the plants don't know that; they didn't take the day off so neither did we. We staked our second succession of tomatoes, and we hoed carrots and beans, and it was hot, but although it was a regular workday I am still going to use the Fourth of July as an excuse to write an update of meager length and scant information. Rather than coming home from a full day of work and dwelling on my usual fixations both fleeting (the weather) and morbid (that fact that in the beginning of every object and living thing is its end) and then cobbling those thoughts into an overly earnest wet-blanket of a paragraph, Joshua and I and some friends who are farmers celebrated the holiday with a swim and a cookout. Which means, actually, our afternoon was not unlike that of many Americans who didn't begin the day by hoeing carrots, and I trust you'll forgive the fact that it leaves me with time only for a brief note and one recipe.

The share this week:

Lettuce

Lacinato Kale

Rainbow Chard

Dandelion Greens

Red and / or Golden Beets

Kohlrabi or D'Avignon Radish

Hakurei Turnips

Sugar Snap Peas

Scallions

Cilantro

Notes about the food:

* I have lost track of whether I grow vegetables because I love to eat them or if I love to eat vegetables because I grow them. Either way, I eat a lot of vegetables, and I rarely leave the farm with a backpack that isn't full of the things we grow. The first thing I do when I get home is rinse what I have harvested in cold water and then cut the stems of any greens and arrange them in a dish of cold water so that every day there is a bouquet of greens at my house. I recommend that to increase the shelf-life of your summertime produce you do these things too, especially as the days get hotter. We harvest as early in the morning as possible and we rinse what we harvest in cool water, but as the day continues the recently harvested produce will return to air temperature, which means that on a hot July day it may be warm by the time you arrive at the farm to collect your CSA share, and the greens may appear limp. A rinse in cold water at your home will take the heat off the vegetables, and by cutting the tips of the stems of the leafy greens and placing them in cool water you allow the leaves to draw water through the fresh cut and rehydrate themselves. After taking these steps, everything is best stored in the refrigerator, loosely wrapped in a breathable plastic bag or in the crisper drawer.

* We have time to continue the beet primer we began last week. Red and golden beets are in this share; you'll receive a bunch of one or the other, or a mixed bunch that includes both varieties. And there are many more beets in the ground--red, golden, and chioggia--and you'll be seeing more of all of them as the season continues. (Any combination of the three makes a lovely presentation when prepared together.) Here's a quick recipe that is refreshing in the summertime. It calls for more beets than are in the bunches we are making this week, but more are on the way, and until then the quantities of the other ingredients can be modified. From Bon Appetit:

Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges and Beet Greens

6 medium beets with beet greens attached

2 large oranges

1 small sweet onion, cut into wedges

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

Preheat oven to 400. Trim greens from beets. Cut off and discard stems. Coarsely chop greens and reserve. Wrap each beet in foil. Place beets directly on oven rack and roast until tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes. Cool. Cut beets into wedges and place in a medium bowl.

Cook beet greens in large saucepan of boiling water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Cool. Squeeze greens to remove excess moisture. Add greens to bowl with beets. Cut and peel white pith from oranges. Working over another bowl and using a small sharp knife, cut between membranes to release segments. Add onion and orange segments to bowl with beet mixture. Whisk oil, vinegar, garlic and orange peel in small bowl to blend; add to beet mixture and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Serve.

2011 CSA Week 5

The farm is nearly full. After months of starting seeds and transplanting seedlings the season has turned to summer and the only corner of our fields unoccupied by vegetable crops is that in which a puddle precluded us from planting cucumbers at the beginning of this week. At times of great activity on the farm, when there is no planting bed that doesn't require attention and to weed or harvest or trellis one crop is to do so at the temporary expense of another crop of equal need, I am reminded that all such work is precipitated by the relatively calm act of planting a seed. But to plant a seed is to commit to the lifespan of the plant it produces, and in the way that work begets work we now find ourselves caring for a crowd unruly compared to the kernels we introduced to the soil during the first days of March. Each seed contains not only the potential of a plant and its vegetable crop, but the map our work that will follow its sowing. The hustle and care and attention that structures our days in this part of the season was present in each seed we sowed during a quieter time, and if we are surprised to find that they have grown to fill the ground around us it is because we remember that time, and it was not long ago.

The share this week:

Lettuce

Green Curly Kale

Rainbow Chard
Dandelion Greens
Chioggia Beets
Napa Cabbage
Purple Top Turnips
Baby Bok Choi
Sugar Snap Peas
Strawberries
Scallions

Notes about the food:

* The Napa cabbage is adding some heft to the share this week. It is excellent either cooked or raw, and each head is large enough that you have the opportunity to try it both ways. I'll include a recipe for basic sauteed Napa cabbage, and two recipes for raw cabbage salads, but the variations are endless. From The New York Times, Food and Wine Magazine, and The Seattle Times, in that order:

Sauteed Napa Cabbage

1 large or 2 small Napa cabbages (about 2 pounds), cut horizontally into 1 1/2-inch chunks
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a sink filled with cold water, wash the cabbage, lifting it in and out of the water, and drain in a colander. Heat the oil in a saucepan until hot, add the butter, and as soon as it melts add the wet cabbage. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, until the cabbage is wilted and tender but still slightly firm. The cabbage will sizzle initially and then will stew as the water emerges from it. Mix in the pepper and salt and serve immediately.

Napa Cabbage Salad

1/2 cup slivered almonds
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 pound Napa cabbage, chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350. In a pie plate, bake the almonds for 5 minutes. Let cool.

2. In a bowl, mix the oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar. Add the cabbage, scallions, and cilantro and toss. Add the almonds and season with pepper. Toss again and serve.

Napa Cabbage Slaw

8 cups shredded Napa cabbage
3 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 fresh mint leaves

In a large bowl, toss together cabbage and carrots. In a small bowl, combine sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Stir until sugar dissolves, then pour over cabbage mixture. Toss until slaw is coated and top with mint leaves.

* It is not a summer crop, but we planted a late bed of bok choi just to see what would happen. What is happening is the plants are beginning to flower while small, so we are harvesting them this week, bunching several together, and calling them baby bok choi. You'll notice their appearance is slightly buckshot. Unlike their springtime counterparts, we didn't cover the plants in this succession with floating row cover (they wouldn't have made it even to this size with the additional heat), and as a result they were preyed upon by brassica-loving insects. Be assured that the taste isn't compromised. Try this recipe from a magazine called Real Simple (and note that it includes cilantro, which is not in the share this week but will soon enter the rotation of herbs we offer):

Bok Choi and Pineapple Slaw

1 pound baby bok choi, thinly sliced
2 cups thinly sliced pineapple
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper

In a medium bowl, toss the bok choi, pineapple, and cilantro with the oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Let sit 15 minutes before serving.

* I like white vegetables. Two weeks ago I visited the Harvard Museum of Natural History for the first time, and in a special exhibit called The Language of Color I enjoyed looking at an arctic fox and some other white mammals, but nowhere was it mentioned how refreshing it is to cut into a vegetable such as a turnip and be greeted by a pristine round of the color. To do so has a cooling effect on a warm day, and I think some of that refreshement translates to their taste when eaten raw. Grate them over a salad or chop them into matchsticks to enjoy with hummus or another vegetable-friendly dip. Or, if you can bear to sully their arctic complexion (and turn on the oven during summer), try them roasted. A friend of the farm recently improvised a pan of roasted turnips sweetened with maple syrup, and a quick internet search led me to something similar, with embellishments. From Fine Cooking:

Roasted Turnips with Maple and Cardamom

3 1/2 pounds purple top turnips, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
kosher salt
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Generous pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 475, and line baking pan with foil. In a mixing bowl, combine turnips, oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Toss to coat well. Place turnips in pan, and roast for 20 minutes. With a large spatual, flip the turnips, and continue to roast until tender and nicely browned on a few sides, about 15-20 more minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in maple syrup, vanilla, and red pepper flakes, and then the coriander and cardamom, until sauce is heated, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat.

Transfer the turnips to a large mixing bowl. Gently reheat the sauce, if necessary, and stir in the lemon juice. Toss the suace with the turnips. Add half the cilantro and salt to taste and toss again. Garnish with remaining cilantro and serve.

* We can't discuss pigmentation without mentioning the chioggia beets that are in this week's share. The red and white bullseye pattern of their flesh will blend to a uniform pink when they are cooked, but take a minute to enjoy their unique pattern before subjecting them to heat. Their light-red skin is pleasing too, and is matched by a set of leaves that are a lighter green than those of standard red beets. Be sure to eat those greens as well as the root (beets are closely related to chard, so beet greens combine well with that crop), and note that the beet itself will have a milder, less "beety" flavor than their solid red counterparts.

CSA Notes:

* The landscape of the farm is not the only thing that is nearly full. Our CSA is five shares away from being fully enrolled, and we expect those shares to sell soon. If you are one of the several members who has asked about the availability of additional shares, and if you or a friend are still interested in purchasing one, please act quickly.

CSA Week 9

Your farmers went camping this weekend. Along with some other friends who are also farmers we hiked in the woods and we built a fire and at night we fell asleep to the sound of a gentle rain against the canopy of trees and against our tents. It was a good weekend, and it was significant because it is rare that we both take two days off in a week, and it is rare that we so fully leave the context of the farm during the season. We spend a lot of time here, and I was reminded this weekend that it is easy to lose perspective of your surroundings while you are immersed in them. To leave--to walk away into the woods--provides an opportunity to return with refreshed awareness and see the place you left as if it is new. Growth and change are constant on the farm, but they are easy to miss when they are constantly before your face. Leave for a weekend, though, and the profusion of new plant life--weeds and flowers and vegetable crops alike--is startling. Its like when you were younger and your grandmother would visit from the midwest and even though you didn't feel any taller she would always greet you with her favorite pun: You gruesome! We're back, refreshed, and most things on the farm grew some in our short absence. The squash harvest was particularly epic this morning, but do you think those plants noticed how large and profuse they'd become? Probably not, they didn't leave themselves for a minute.

Here's what is in the share this week:

Beets, red

Onions, ailsa craig

Broccoli, gypsy

Summer Squash

Zucchini

Cucumbers

Lettuce

Cilantro

Parsley

Notes about the food:

*Friend of the farm Sadie Ryn Miller made a delicious beet salad, and she shared the recipe:

Trim, salt and oil one bunch of beets. Add a centimeter of water to a baking dish, add beets, cover with a lid or aluminum foil, and roast at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Peel the beets under running water while they are still warm so that the peels slide off between your fingers. Marinate in vinaigrette (red wine vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper). Serve with fresh greens, nuts and goat cheese. Fresh figs and pistachios are perfect additions.

*Sometimes I would like to spend all day eating baked goods. If you'd like to incorporate some vegetables into dessert, try these recipes--One uses summer squash for something sweet, the other uses beets:

Summer Squash "Apple Crisp" (From another friend of the farm.)

6-7 cups zucchini or other summer squash

3/4 cup lemon juice

Peel, seed, and chop squash into slices. Combine with lemon juice and cook on the stovetop until slightly translucent. Remove from heat and add:

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Stir and pour into a baking dish. Top with:

1 1/3 cups brown sugar

1 cup flour

1 tsp nutmeg

1 cup oats

2/3 cup butter

Bake at 375 until golden and bubbly.

Chocolate Beet Cake (From Farmer John's Cookbook.)

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 cups beets, cooked and pureed

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Coat a 10 cup bundt pan with oil and dust with flour. Partially fill bottom of a double boiler with water and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Put the chocolate and 1/4 cup of the oil in the top half of the boiler. Heat just until the chocolate melts, then remove from heat and stir until combined. Combine eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly beat the remaining 3/4 cups oil, chocolate mixture, pureed beets and vanilla. Sift the all-purpose flour and whole wheat pastry flour into a bowl. Stir in baking soda and salt. Gently stir the flour mixture into the egg and chocolate mixture just until the flour is mixed in. Don't over mix. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan and continue to cool on wire rack. When completely cool, dust with powdered sugar.

*Broccoli, like other vegetables in the brassica family (kale, cabbage, etc.), is a cool weather crop, and the fact that we successfully grew well-formed heads of the stuff in the middle of this hot summer is somewhat baffling to us. We planted it without real expectation, and then watched as it thrived. Remember to eat the stem and leaves along with the florets: much of the plant's nutrition is contained in those parts, and they are just as tasty.

CSA Week 8

I know that summer begins the third week of June and lasts until the third week of September, but my mental calendar conforms more closely to the school vacation period that has not been a part of my life for many years. By that reckoning summer neatly occupies the three months June-August and now, mid-July, is the season's halfway point. We're a ship in the doldrums, or a ship that is moving, but is moving across open sea, from a horizon of water toward a horizon of water, so that our motion is imperceptible and repetitive. Spring and fall are times of palpable change, and it is true that alongside these summer can feel like a static season, but I would do the garden a disservice to ascribe to it my own interior summertime state. There are buoys in this ocean: they are colorful and flavorful and impossible to miss. Our tomatoes have begun to ripen--not enough to fill a week of CSA shares, but enough that we were able to put the first sungold cherry tomatoes at the farmstand today. And the first deep-purple globes of eggplant have made their appearance. As these crops mature, the last of our spring crops have slowed in the heat. Once they are certified moribund, we rototill them, and our first plants of the season are returned to the soil. The effect on the farm's landscape is instantly noticeable: beds that were full of crops and their accompanying weeds are erased, and their green height and texture are replaced with the level brown of unplanted soil. Change on the farm is constant. For those of us stalled in the midst of an ongoing summer, it's an important thing to remember.

Here is what's in this week's share:

Cabbage, farao -or- napa
Beets, red -or- chioggia
Carrots
Radishes, easter egg
Lettuce
Kale, red russian
Summer Squash
Zucchini
Scallions
Dill
Specialty Basil, cinnamon -or- lemon
Raspberries, pick your own

Notes about the food:

*The cabbage took its time forming heads. As the weather got hotter and the cabbage still wasn't ready to harvest, we began to think that the crop would be killed by the heat before it fully matured. But it's ready this week, and not a day too soon; not even at our most optimistic would we expect cabbage--a cool weather crop--to survive another seven days of summer. Try this easy-to-prepare cabbage salad, which Epicurious recommends serving alongside a beet salad, the recipe for which is also below:

Cabbage salad:
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp safflower oil
6 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage
2 tbsp fresh chopped mint

Whisk vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Mix in cabbage and mint. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand 30 minutes (and up to 2 hours) at room temperature, tossing occasionally.

Beet salad:
2 tbsp sherry wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
5 tbsp safflower oil
3 large raw beets, peeled, coarsely grated

Whisk vinegar and mustard in large bowl. Gradually mix in oil, then mix in beets. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes (and up to 2 hours), tossing occasionally.

*This is the last kale of the summer. One of the three kinds of kale we grow has been in every box so far, and it will return in the fall, but like cabbage (to which it is closely related) kale is not a warm-weather crop, and we've harvested it for as long as we can into the summer. We planted our first round of fall kale last week, and the second round has just germinated in the greenhouse.

CSA Week 5

The weather has wasted no time becoming fully appropriate for summer. It will be July before this week is over, and it has been hot. For many of our crops this is a good thing: squash, tomatoes, eggplant, and other things evocative of the season should grow well in the heat. Other produce--especially the brassicas (broccoli and cabbage, as well as kale) are less tolerant of the heat. Those crops will eventually succumb to the temperatures, but we have already begun sowing their fall successions. In the coming weeks we'll plant more of everything in the cabbage family, and they'll be ready for harvest when cooler weather returns. Such is the cyclical nature of the farming season. As for right now, we're pleased with today's harvest--it's the largest of the season thus far. Here's what's in the share:

Kohlrabi -or- Turnips
Beets, red -or- chioggia
Radishes
Broccoli
Kale, lacinato
Lettuce
Summer Squash, zephyr
Sugar Snap Peas
Green Garlic

Dill

Notes about the food:

*Green Garlic refers to garlic harvested before the bulb is fully formed. You'll notice that skin hasn't developed over the bulb, and that it hasn't segmented into cloves. These things will happen in the next few weeks, at which time we'll harvest the entirety of our crop. At that time we'll cut off what's left of the green leaves and let the bulbs dry before distributing them. For now, we're offering the entire plant, leaves and all. Use it as you would a green onion--chop the bulb as well as the stalk and include in your cooking as you would a regular clove of garlic. Keep in mind that it won't store as long as a fully developed garlic plant, so use it soon.

*We've harvested the broccoli with some of the stem and some of the leaves. Please eat them as well as the florets--they contain a lot of the nutrition that is in the crop, and they are similarly flavorful. We have worked on farms in the past that harvest the broccoli leaves and sell them separately, bunched like kale. The florets--the part of the plant that you are probably most accustomed to eating--are the part of the plant that will flower. If left unharvested, each of the tightly bunched kernels in the head of broccoli will produce a yellow flower.

*Risotto has a reputation for being difficult, but it isn't. It requires your presence at the stove for a period of constant stirring, but otherwise it is not hard to make well. I recommend the following recipe for beet risotto, which I've taken from a cookbook called Almost Vegetarian.

2 medium beets, topped
1 bay leaf

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 tbsp orange zest

1 cup arborio rice

2 tbsp raspberry or lemon vinegar

pinch of sugar

1 tbsp sour cream or yogurt cheese

1. Put beets and bay leaf in a saucepan and add 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, over medium heat, until the beets are cooked through, about 40 minutes.

2. Remove the beets with a slotted spoon, then strain the cooking water and discard the bay leaf. Pour the cooking water back into the saucepan. Slip the skins off the beets.

3. Chop 1 of the beets and set aside. In a food processor puree the other beet and stir into the strained broth. Cover the broth and keep it at a gentle simmer over low heat.

(The portion of the recipe above--the beet broth--can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator, and used as a base for things other than the risotto that follows.)

4. In another large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onion and orange zest, and saute over medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the chopped beet, and stir well. Add the rice and stir until it is well coated with the seasonings and is glistening, about 2 minutes.

5. Add the vinegar and stir until it evaporates, about 2 minutes.

6. Using a ladle, add about 1 cup hot broth. Stir constantly over medium heat until the broth has been absorbed. Add another ladleful of broth and keep stirring until it has been absorbed.

7. Continue the process, adding broth 1/2 cup at a time and stirring in this way until the kernels are plump and no longer chalk white in the center. This should take 25-30 minutes altogether. the rice is almost done when the kernels are still separate but starting to bind, and there are pools of broth on the surface. It is done when the liquid had been absorbed, and the kernels are bound in what looks like very ricey, yet somewhat creamy, rice pudding.

8. When the risotto is done, stir in the sugar, cream or yogurt cheese, and stir well to blend. Serve at once.

*Are you watching World Cup soccer? I think Spain and Portugal are playing as I write, and on my imaginary calendar I've highlighted the Germany-Argentina match that will be played next Saturday.

CSA Week 4

The first day of summer is behind us, we are into the fourth week of the CSA season, and your farmers have begun to settle into a routine with the twice-weekly harvests and distributions. We hope that the CSA has become part of your routine, too--that the pick-ups are easy and familiar, and that you've begun to rely on the weekly supply of vegetables. Please remember, if you ever have any questions during pick-up and neither Joshua nor I are near the stand, please find us in the fields--we're nearby, and we'd love to say hello and answer any questions that you have. Here's what's in the share this week:


Beets, chioggia
Swiss Chard, bright lights
Kale, starbor
Lettuce, red and green varieties
Arugula
Summer Squash, zephyr
Spring Onions
Sugar Snap Peas
Strawberries

Notes about the food:

*Chioggia Beets are one of three beet varieties that we grow. They're distinguished by their light-red skin and by the bullseye pattern of red and white stripes in their interior. Definitely cut one in half and take a look--they're beautiful. The stripes will usually blend to a uniform pink when cooked, but consider trying these beets uncooked as well. They are sweeter, with a less intense "beet" flavor than their standard dark-red counterparts, and they are delicious sliced thinly (a mandolin is the perfect tool for this) and lightly dressed. And don't neglect the greens: The food value of a bunch of beets is superb, because the greens are as edible and nutritious as the root. Lightly steamed, then dressed with balsamic vinegar and fresh-ground pepper, the beet greens make an excellent side dish.

*We are growing (or trying to grow) at least 45 distinct fruit and vegetable crops. When planning what to grow we make decisions based on what will be successful in our region and climate, and also on other, more subjective, criteria. Which is to say, we tend to grow food that we like to eat. Such is the case with kale, of which we are growing an abundance, and which you can expect to receive in a majority of this season's distributions. The variety this week is starbor, a type of green curly kale, one of three varieties that we grow (the others, which have already appeared in shares, are red russian and lacinato). Because it will be prominent throughout the season, we'll continue to provide notes and cooking suggestions about kale. This week, because it is officially summer and a cold drink is a nice way to start the day, I'm going to suggest that you consider it as an addition to any smoothie that you might make in a blender. Take my word for it: kale's not as odd an addition as it might sound, and it will add vitamins A, E, and C, as well as iron and protein to your drink. Try this (but we're talking about smoothies, so whatever. Be creative.):

Put 1 banana, 2 cups chopped kale, 1 tsp maple syrup, 1-2 tbsp ground flax seeds, and 1/2 cup rice milk (or soy milk, or almond milk, or milk milk, or yogurt) in a blender, and blend until smooth. The smoothie will be a rich green color. On a hot day, add a few ice cubes before blending.