2011 CSA Week 18

After more than a week of certain autumn the recent spate of muggy days have felt like a retreat toward summertime. This is the time of year when warm weather is equally as possible as cold, when the transition from one season to the next feels more like a series of fluctuations than a linear narrative of cooling temperatures and shortening days. Fall arrives and summer immediately asserts its lingering presence and so on in a series of interlocking days that fail to establish a middle ground between the two seasons until suddenly, one morning, it is irrevocably cold. In the midst of this unpredictability I was reminded of this time one year ago, and although the daily specifics of whatever jagged overlap of seasons characterized our work in September of 2010 are lost to me, I was aware--in the way that odd dates or events remain as arbitrary cairns in our memory--that this same weekend last September was unexpectedly warm and humid. I remembered visiting friends in Northampton on the 25th of September last year and my mild discomfort in the wet air and the difficulty I had falling asleep in an upstairs apartment, and I was struck by this unexpected annual symmetry revealing itself amidst our present discontinuous progress toward autumn: A welcome glimpse of the larger patterns in which we participate, one changeable day at a time.

The share this week:

Green Cabbage
Hakurei Turnips
Bok Choi
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Dill
You-Pick Husk Cherries

Notes About the Food:

* We had our suspicions last year that because we are farming a low, wet piece of ground it would be difficult for us to grow potatoes. We planted a small amount as an experiment, and our hypothesis was confirmed by the poor yield and small size of what we harvested. Well-drained planting beds are at a premium for us, and to successfully grow potatoes for the CSA would require a larger percentage of the most desirable parts our fields than we can spare, and the resulting space issues would jeopardize our other crops. We weighed our options and decided that even if it doesn't make sense for us to grow them, we'd like to offer potatoes in the share. So we budgeted accordingly, and this year we are happy to provide potatoes from Allandale Farm. It was truly a pleasure to arrange the purchase and to visit the farm in Brookline to pick up the potatoes. In addition to last week and this week, expect potatoes from Allandale in one more share before the end of the season.

Warm Potato Salad with Goat Cheese

For the Dressing
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the Salad
1 1/2 pounds potatoes
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 to 4 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 ounces soft goat cheese
2 to 3 sage leaves, cut into thin slivers (optional)

Make the dressing. Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, and garlic. Whisk in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings, and set aside.

Scrub the potatoes and cut into 3/4-inch dice. Steam above 1 inch of boiling water until tender but not mushy, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and toss while hot in a bowl with salt and pepper to taste, the onions, parsley, goat cheese, and dressing. Sprinkle the sage over the top and serve.

* The New York Times (the source for all of the recipes in this post) described cabbage as a "versatile vegetable for hard times," and I was pleased to search for recipes that include cabbage alongside potatoes and uncover a plethora of adjectives synonymous with "rustic," many of which referred to a bygone notion of Irish peasantry. Nothing wrong with that:

Smashed Red Potatoes with Cabbage

2 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed
Salt
1 pound cabbage, quartered, cored, and cut into thin shreds across the grain
2 tablespoons butter or extra-virgin olive oil
2 heaped tablespoons chopped scallions
2/3 cup low-fat milk (more as needed), warmed
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons minced chives (optional)

Cover the potatoes with water in a saucepan, add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover partially and cook until tender all the way through when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes. Do not drain the water, but using a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes from the pot to a bowl. Cover tightly and allow to sit for five to 10 minutes. Then, using a towel to hold the potatoes steady (because they're still hot), cut them into quarters.

Meanwhile, bring the water back to a boil, add more salt if desired and add the cabbage. Cook uncovered until tender, five to six minutes. Drain.

Heat the butter or oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet, and add the scallions. Cook, stirring, until they soften, about three minutes. Add the potatoes. Smash the potatoes to a coarse mash in the pan with a potato masher or the back of your spoon. Stir in the hot milk, and mix together well until the potatoes have absorbed all the milk. Stir in the cabbage, and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the chives, stir together until heated through, and serve.

Cabbage is also a versatile vegetable for fancy times, and such times may call for a tart:

Cabbage and Caramelized Onion Tart

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, cut in half root to stem, then thinly sliced across the grain
Salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small cabbage, shredded or chopped (about 6 cups)
Freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup, tightly packed (2 ounces) Gruyere cheese
1 pie crust (NYT recommends this recipe)

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they begin to sizzle and soften, about three minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic. Stir everything together, turn the heat to low, cover and cook slowly for 45 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are very soft, sweet and light brown.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat in another large skillet. Add the cabbage. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to wilt, then add salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until the cabbage is tender and fragrant. Stir in the onions, simmer together uncovered for about five minutes or until there is no longer any liquid in the pan, and remove from the heat.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9- or 10-inch tart pan and line with the dough. Beat the eggs and milk in a bowl and season with salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) and pepper. Stir in the onions, cabbage and cheese, and combine well. Scrape into the tart pan, and place in the oven. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until the top is lightly browned.

*Cabbage is another cool-weather crop that we grow in the spring and fall, and so is bok choi. Add it to the arsenal of greens returning after a summer's absence, and try it in an easy stir-fry:

Stir-Fried Bok Choi or Sturdy Greens

12 to 16 ounces bok choi or sturdy greens, such as collards
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
1 tablespoon Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 slice ginger, minced
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Rinse bok choi and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Bring an inch of water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer, and place the bok choi in the steamer basket. Steam 1 minute, remove from the heat and rinse in cold water. Squeeze out excess water and drain on a kitchen towel.

Combine the broth or water, rice wine or sherry, soy sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl and place within arm's reach of your pan. Have the remaining ingredients measured out and near your pan.

Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or a 12-inch skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in the oil by adding it to the sides of the pan and swirling the pan, then add garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 10 seconds, until fragrant. Add the bok choi or greens, sprinkle with salt and the sugar, and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Stir the cornstarch mixture and swirl into the wok, then stir-fry for 1 minute, or until the greens are just tender. Sprinkle on the sesame seeds. Remove from the heat and 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 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.