2011 CSA Week 17

At some point in recent weeks, while I was preoccupied with the overabundance of rainfall and the fact that the viability of several of our crops was threatened by the inability of our fields to dry, September began, and the season turned to fall. The rain and its attendant stress distracted my awareness from what are usually milestones of relief, and when it cleared last week I was surprised and happy to be reacquainted with cool mornings and the softening light of a Massachusetts autumn. Our days unencumbered by precipitation, we have been able to take stock of our fields and prepare ourselves for the season's homestretch. It is true that the lifespan of some of our crops was shortened--you will receive the last of our beleaguered tomatoes this week--but not tragically so. The rest of what we will harvest this year is in the ground, and those crops are enjoying the same gentle conditions as those of us who tend them. As they ease toward maturity and we ease toward October and the last weeks of the CSA season, we are careful to appreciate the dual reprieve from summer's heat and its persistent inclemencies.

The share this week:

Tomatoes

Eggplant

Sweet Peppers

Hot Peppers

Dandelion Greens

Kohlrabi

Tomatillos

White Onions

Leeks

Potatoes

Sage

Notes About the Food:

* There are many days when I feel like I am underwater and the people around me are on dry land and I am talking to them and they are talking to me but we are not communicating, and on those days I think that one of the greatest tragedies of our lives is the fact that all of our joys are private. On those days I think perhaps we are all submerged and isolated and that it is impossible to express the truth of any of the things we feel. In this way our sadnesses, our anxieties, our periods of contentment are all private, and alongside them our genuine fondness for the things we love wells within us until we overflow, at which point it enters the world diluted by language and inflection, a watery and imperfect representation that keeps us separate from those with whom we would share our happiness.

Of course I am thinking of dandelion greens. Back in the share after a summer's absence, they are still bitter, they are still nutritious, and I love them. Alone, mostly. And if I despair of effectively sharing my affinity for the things, that's okay, it's among the least important of all that will remain permanently incommunicable between us.

You might prefer them with eggs and bacon. From Earth to Table:

Dandelion Salad with Poached Eggs and Bacon

For the croutons

2 cups stale bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons minced herbs, such as thyme or rosemary

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the salad

8 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

canola oil, as needed

1 tablespoon minced shallots

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

4 cups dandelion leaves

For the eggs

4 large eggs

6 cups water

1/4 cup white vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350. Toss the bread with the oil, herbs, and salt, and spread on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, start the bacon cooking in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until the fat renders and the bacon is chewy and starting to crisp, about 7-10 minutes. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels, then add a little canola oil (if necessary) to make about 1/3 cup of fat, depending how much fat the bacon rendered. Add the shallots, vinegar, and mustard, and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits in the pan. Stir quickly to bring together into a dressing and keep warm.

While the bacon is cooking, bring the water and vinegar for the eggs to a simmer, then crack the eggs into a small dish or ladle. Slip them carefully into the water and simmer until the whites are just set and yoke is still runny, about 3-4 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the dandelion greens with the bacon, croutons, and dressing. Toss to combine, then plate and top with the poached egg. Serve immediately while the egg and the dressing are still warm.

The following recipe was published in a 2007 New York magazine, with a note about the New York chef and restaurant from which it was taken. It pleases me because of my interest in Greece and for its use of the word "midribs" to describe a part of the leaf I had always thought of as "veins." I like midribs better:

Warm Dandelion Greens with Fingerling Potatoes and Cherry Peppers

"Pesky weed to some, seasonal delicacy to others, the jagged, bitter dandelion green is on of those Mediterranean peasant foods newly embraced for their health-giving properties--in this case a preponderance of iron, calcium, and vitamin A. Delicate young greens are terrific in raw salads, but in the Greek kitchen the mature leaf is often used in the generic "horta" preparation, (over)boiled and simply dressed with olive oil and lemon, the way Anthos chef Michael Psilakis's mother made it. Psilakis prefers to preserve the plant's bitter bite by blanching it quickly just to tenderize, then sauteing it with garlic and hot peppers, as in this warm spring salad."

2 bunches mature dandelion greens, washed, thick stems removed

12 pickled cherry peppers

Extra-virgin olive oil

6 cloves garlic, crushed and coarsely chopped

18 fingerling potatoes, roasted

1 1/2 cups pitted Thassos olives (Kalamata may be substituted)

Juice of 3 lemons

1 1/2 cups crumbled Greek feta

salt and pepper

Add dandelion greens to a large pot of boiling salted water, and cook just until the midribs (the part of the stem that extends into the leaf) are malleable. Immediately remove and shock in an ice bath. Lay greens on a dish towel to dry thoroughly. Stem and quarter the cherry peppers, discarding the seeds if a milder degree of heat is desired.

Add 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. In rapid succession, cook garlic and peppers until garlic begins to brown, add potatoes and stir to coat with oil, add dandelion greens and olives to warm, and deglaze with lemon juice, giving the pan's contents a quick toss. Take care not to overcook the greens and potatoes.

Transfer to a large serving bowl and add crumbled feta. Dress with olive oil and season to taste.

* As the weather cools you'll notice several crops that we grew in the spring--dandelion greens among them--return to the rotation. We schedule two plantings of much of our cool-weather produce, the first timed for early-season harvest, the second for autumn harvest. Kohlrabi is another example of a crop that does not tolerate the full heat of summer but with which we choose to begin and end our growing season. When we last saw kohlrabi it was pale green; this fall we are growing a purple variety. The color extends from the skin of the bulb through the stems and midribs, but you will recognize the crisp white interior as the same refreshment we saw in the spring variety. Here's a recipe from the BBC (why not?), which also calls for leeks:

Smothered Leeks and Kohlrabi

"Smothering is a way of cooking vegetables with a little fat and the least possible amount of water in a covered pan until very, very tender. Kohlrabi holds together well, adding its own natural sweetness."

3 leeks, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch lengths

2 kohlrabi, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

3 large carrots, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

6 garlic cloves

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs fresh thyme

water, to cover

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 ounces butter

Place the leeks, kohlrabi, carrots, and garlic into a wide shallow pan that will take them in a single layer. Tuck the herbs among them.

Pour in enough water to come 1/2-inch up the sides of the pan. Season with salt and pepper, and dot with butter.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to the absolute minimum. Cover the pan with a lid and leave to cook very gently for about an hour, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn't catch. If necessary, add an extra splash of water, or if it ends up to watery uncover and boil the water off. Either way, your aim is to end with meltingly tender vegetables, perhaps slightly patched with brown toward the end of the cooking, with little more than a few tablespoons of syrupy liquid left in the pan. Serve warm.

2011 CSA Week 2

While assembling this post I inadvertently defiled the formatting of most of the previous posts on this website, and it has taken me a long time to correct the mistake. So, this week, instead of a paragraph about the weather and other immediate concerns of the farm, I am typing this short apology and then removing myself from the presence of the computer. Which is too bad: There were certain to be sentences about tornado warnings, lightning that filled the evening sky like a strobe light, and rainfall that cleared the heat from the air and refreshed the plants in our fields. I woke the morning after the storm feeling rested, but with the sense that my dreams had been tumultuous in accordance with the tumult outdoors. Of this and more I'll squander the chance to write because of computer-induced fatigue. Massachusetts is rarely subject to anything tornado-related: Our thoughts are with those communities in our state more severely affected by the storm.

The share this week:

Lettuce
Spinach
Green Curly Kale
Rainbow Chard
Bok Choi
Red Komatsuna
Kohlrabi
Spring Onions or Scallions
Sugar Snap Peas

Notes about the food:

* Please note that at the bottom of every post there is a list of "labels." These are what I was editing and streamlining when I damaged the website. Each label is a link to every post that shares the label. This means, for example, that you can click kohlrabi below and you will be redirected to every post from this year or last year that includes a recipe for kohlrabi. If you are feeling baffled by a vegetable and want more information or cooking tips, follow those links!

* Kohlrabi is one of my favorite things we grow. It's a relative of broccoli, and you can think of the bulb as a swollen broccoli stem that is sweeter and more refreshing than you might expect. The greens, including the stems, can be cooked as a substitute for or alongside any of the greens we are distributing this spring, but I do think the bulbs are best eaten raw. As the plant matures in the ground, the bulb will continue to grow and the skin will become tough; when that happens it is best to peel the bulb, but at their current stage of growth I don't think peeling is necessary. Try this recipe for slaw that was published in The Washington Post in 2010:

Asian Kohlrabi Slaw

3 medium kohlrabi bulbs, grated
2 carrots, grated
2 scallions, white and light-green parts, chopped
Leaves from 10-15 stems of parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sweet red chili sauce

1 tablespoon Sriracha hot chili sauce

Combine kohlrabi, carrots, scallions and parsley in a large bowl. Whisk together the sesame oil, vinegar, sweet and hot chili sauces in a small bowl to form an emulsified vinaigrette. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the vegetables and toss to combine. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

For a variation, mix the kohlrabi slaw with soba noodles, blanched snap peas, and broccoli florets.

*Last week I mentioned that the bok choi and red komatsuna make an appealing stir-fry when sauteed together. Here is how I've been doing it:

Chop 1 spring onion or the white and light-green parts of 2-3 scallions, and saute in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Chop the bok choi and komatsuna, separating the stalks and the leaves. Add the stalks when the onion or scallions have been in the oil for a few minutes, and stir constantly. If you want additional greens (I usually do), add some chopped kale or kohlrabi leaves shortly after the stalks; when those greens have begun to wilt, add the leaves of the choi and komatsuna. These will cook down fast; I add a handful or two of peanuts as they do, and a few dashes of sesame oil just before taking the pan off the heat. I serve these stir-fried greens alongside brown rice --to which I add a dash of soy sauce and a dash of rice wine vinegar once it is cooked--and some spears of uncooked asparagus.

* We are extremely happy with the rainbow chard. It's a lovely plant in the field, and our beds of it are healthy beyond expectation. Try this recipe from Farmer John's Cookbook:

Mediterranean Swiss Chard

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch swiss chard, coarsely chopped (leaves and stems)
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt
pepper

Heat 3 Tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the chard in batches, adding more as each batch wilts. (The only water you'll need is the water clinging to the leaves from rinsing.) Keep the pan covered between batches. When all the chard is added and the leaves are wilted, stir in the raisins, pine nuts, lemon juice and the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

CSA Week 2

Our crops have responded well to the recent warm and humid weather, and so have the weeds. The heat and regular intervals of rain (rain that is sometimes pummeling) have resulted in renewed vigor for everything that grows, and we have officially entered the part of the season during which we will engage in the regular and assiduous excavation of our food crops from the ever-encroaching pressure of weeds. By this morning, when the heavy thunderstorms of last evening had washed the air clean and the temperature was cool and the light was clear, it was apparent that several of our recently planted beds were subject to the green occlusion of those small and numerous plants that share the soil with those we have deliberately sown. Between now and the fall season we're prepared to spend significant time with hand and hoe to see that they don't succumb. That said, we're pleased with the harvest for the second week of the CSA:

Lettuce, green forest -or- winter density
Dandelion, catalogna
Kale, lacinato
Spinach
Arugula
Kohlrabi
Bok Choi
Garlic Scapes

Some food notes and recipes for this week's share:

*Kohlrabi is one of the loveliest vegetables we grow, even if it looks like it is from another planet. It is a brassica, related to kale and broccoli, and the entire plant can be eaten. Think of the bulb as a swollen broccoli stem, but sweeter and more refreshing, and of the leaves as tender kale leaves. Many people peel the purple outer skin of bulb, but I like to grate the entire thing over salad greens. To use all of the kohlrabi in a single dish, try an easy casserole:

1 lb. kohlrabi, including greens
1/2 lb. onions, chopped small
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel kohlrabi and cut into small chunks. Saute in oil with onion until onion is golden. Add kohlrabi greens, cut into ribbons, and continue cooking until wilted. (To add more greens--and I am always in favor of adding more greens--cut some of this week's kale into ribbons and use it as well.) Meanwhile, grease a baking dish. Put cooked kohlrabi mixture in to dish, top with breadcrumbs and cheese, and cook 10-15 minutes.


*The bok choi and dandelion greens will be familiar from last week. We had hoped to save the bok choi to harvest for next week's box, but because of the recent heat the plants are beginning to bolt (go to seed). By next week they'll be too bitter to be considered palatable, so we're harvesting them while we can and offering the crop for the second consecutive week. The dandelion greens are the result of our desire to never have too little of a crop, and our corresponding tendency to sometimes grow too much (if there is such a thing when it comes to healthy and delicious greens). We have a lot of dandelion greens right now, and we'll continue to offer them until we run out. To keep yourself interested, consider these recipes from Elizabeth Schneider's cookbook Uncommon Fruits and Vegetables:

Dandelions with Green Garlic
3 tbsp bacon fat
2 stalks minced green garlic (or use this week's garlic scapes)
1 bunch dandelion greens, cleaned and cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup stock
salt and pepper to taste

Heat fat in large skillet; add garlic and stir. Add greens and stock and cook over moderate heat, partly covered, for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with hot sauce or vinegar.

Dandelion and Goat Cheese Salad
1 bunch dandelion greens, cleaned and dried
1/4 lb. goat cheese, cut into cubes
1/3 cup chopped red onion or scallions
2 tbsp sherry or other light vinegar
2 tbsp walnut or other nut oil (good olive oil if that is what's available)
1/2 tsp sugar
3-4 tbsp chopped walnuts

Cut dandelion greens into 2-inch pieces. Place on serving dish; intersperse with cheese. Sprinkle with onion. In a small non-aluminum pan combine vinegar, oil, and sugar; bring to a boil, stirring. Pour over salad and toss lightly. Sprinkle with nuts and serve at once.

*Garlic Scapes are the flowering part of the garlic plant; the small bulb at the end of each scape would flower if left on the plant. Most growers remove the scapes so that the plant will redirect its energy toward forming a strong bulb below ground. We remove them for that reason, and also because we think they're delicious. The scapes are milder than fully developed garlic, so they can be chopped and eaten raw, or cooked with anything to which you wish to impart a light garlic flavor.