2011 CSA Week 15

I have already used the Fourth of July as an excuse for a foreshortened update; may I do the same for Labor Day? Our calendars are not attuned to such holidays, but the roads were quiet as I biked to and from the farm, the mail was not delivered, and the prevailing atmosphere was of a second consecutive Sunday. On the farm we performed the weekly pre-harvest and prepared for imminent days of undesired rain. It was a typical workday, so please consider reduced attention to this paragraph as my way of involving myself in the the three-day weekend. And if I'm eliding the fact that, as on the Fourth of July, I may have attended an after-work cookout and eaten a hamburger and played some clumsy ping-pong, and in so doing left myself with a deficit of time to spend in front of the computer, you'll forgive me. Look at that garlic!

The share this week:

Tomatoes

Sweet Peppers

Hot Peppers

Eggplant

Edamame

Tomatillos

Sweet Corn

Garlic

Mixed Herbs: Cilantro or Dill or Lemon Basil

You-Pick Husk Cherries

Notes about the food:

* You may have noticed that color has been creeping into the peppers. We began harvesting green peppers several weeks ago to lighten the load of each plant, and since then we have watched the remaining peppers become splotched, then streaked, then fully overtaken by color, and we are now able to offer red peppers alongside green, and those alongside yellow and orange. Purple is well represented too, and we are growing one variety of sweet pepper that is ripe when brown. It's not a color of the rainbow, but it's delicious, and I was pleased to recently overhear Joshua rightly ennoble its appearance by describing the coloration to a customer not as brown, but as mahogany. The following recipes, both from Gourmet, are a good way to try different varieties in one dish.

Roasted Peppers Stuffed with Cherry Tomatoes, Onion, and Basil

4 sweet bell peppers

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 medium onion

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves

3 garlic cloves

3 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 and lightly oil a large shallow baking pan.

Halve peppers lengthwise and discard seeds and ribs. Arrange peppers, cut side up, in baking pan and lightly oil cut edges and stems. Halve tomatoes and chop onions and basil. Finely chop garlic and in a bowl toss with tomatoes, onion, basil, 2 tablespoons oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Divide mixture among peppers and roast in upper third of oven until peppers are tender, about 20 minutes.

Roasted Peppers, Onion, and Eggplant

3 large sweet peppers

2-3 small Italian eggplant, about 1 pound, halved lengthwise

2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large sweet onion, halved through root end and cut into 1/2-inch wedges

sea salt

Preheat oven to 400.

Place whole peppers in one third of an oiled, large 1-inch-deep baking pan. Brush cut sides of eggplants with 1/2 tablespoon oil and arrange next to peppers in pan. Toss onions with 1 tablespoon oil and place in remaining third of pan.

Roast vegetables, turning peppers occasionally, until skins of peppers blister on all sides, about 40 minutes. Transfer peppers to a bowl, cover, and let steam for 10 minutes. Continue roasting eggplant and onion until tender and browned, about 20 minutes more, and keep warm, covered.

Peel peppers and cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips, discarding stems and seeds. Season vegetables with sea salt and pepper. Serve eggplant topped with peppers and onion. Drizzle with remaining oil and season with sea salt.

* A CSA member sent us a recipe that makes prominent use of tomatillos. Well timed, because it also includes cilantro, an option among the herbs in this week's share:

Chicken with Tomatillo and Cilantro Sauce

1 pound tomatillos

3 serrano or jalapeno peppers

2 skinless chicken breasts, about 2 1/2 pounds

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Set broiler to medium-low. Place tomatillos in broiler and turn twice ever five minutes. Once the are blackened, remove from oven and puree in food processor until smooth. Set aside.

Set broiler to high. Broil chicken until brown, approximately 9 minutes, then turn and broil the other side.

Heat oil in pan and saute onion and garlic until golden and soft. Add tomatillo sauce and simmer 2 more minutes. Add cilantro and salt.

Place chicken in pan and simmer 20 minutes, until chicken in cooked through.

CSA Notes:

* We have been growing flowers on the farm, and although we have sold some at the farmstand and made them available to a few CSA members who have asked for cut flowers, they have mostly served to add beauty to our workplace. This week we'd like to invite all of you to cut a few stems while you are collecting your share. We'll provide scissors at the distribution stand-- If you're interested, ask us for details and we'll point you toward the flowers.

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.