This is not the exact recipe that was in Farmer John's Cookbook, but it's similar.
Kohlrabi Hash Browns
4 medium kohlrabi bulbs, washed, peeled
1 small onion, chopped
2 eggs slightly beaten
2 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes crushed
Black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Shred kohlrabi; squeeze out excess moisture.
Combine all ingredients except oil in a large mixing bowl; stir until well blended.
Heat oil in a large skillet. Fry kohlrabi mixture in batches; sautéing until golden, about 4 minutes per side.
Drain on paper towels.
Serves 4 to 5.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Braised Chard
This super easy side dish goes well with just about anything.
Saute chopped onion and garlic in olive oil until golden.
Add chard that has been cut into bite-sized pieces, and saute for another minute or so.
Add stock to cover the bottom of the pan, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch depending on how much chard you have.
Season with salt and pepper, stir, and cover. Stir occasionally under chard is tender.
Saute chopped onion and garlic in olive oil until golden.
Add chard that has been cut into bite-sized pieces, and saute for another minute or so.
Add stock to cover the bottom of the pan, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch depending on how much chard you have.
Season with salt and pepper, stir, and cover. Stir occasionally under chard is tender.
Cole Slaw
Borrowed from The World-Famous Ratner's Meatless Cookbook: Including Complete Gourmet Menus Prepared in the Grand Jewish Tradition (how can you not love that name?)
Ratner's was a well-known dairy restaurant on Delancey Street on New York's Lower East Side. I love this cookbook from 1975; its binding is split in half because I use it so much and conveniently, it's split right at the page with the cole slaw recipe! This recipe takes no time if you prep all of the vegetables in a food processor.
Cole Slaw
1 medium head green cabbage
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 c. white vinegar
2/3 c. water
2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise (I only use about a cup of expeller-pressed mayonnaise, which has no hydrogenated fat)
1. Remove outside leaves of cabbage and discard. Cut cabbage into quarters, removing hard cores. Shred.
2. Add all remaining ingredients except mayonnaise to the cabbage. Let stand for 2 hours and then drain thoroughly.
3. Stir in mayonnaise and chill until ready to use.
Ratner's was a well-known dairy restaurant on Delancey Street on New York's Lower East Side. I love this cookbook from 1975; its binding is split in half because I use it so much and conveniently, it's split right at the page with the cole slaw recipe! This recipe takes no time if you prep all of the vegetables in a food processor.
Cole Slaw
1 medium head green cabbage
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 c. white vinegar
2/3 c. water
2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise (I only use about a cup of expeller-pressed mayonnaise, which has no hydrogenated fat)
1. Remove outside leaves of cabbage and discard. Cut cabbage into quarters, removing hard cores. Shred.
2. Add all remaining ingredients except mayonnaise to the cabbage. Let stand for 2 hours and then drain thoroughly.
3. Stir in mayonnaise and chill until ready to use.
Game Plan for Week Four
This week is tough for me - I always have a hard time with all the greens.
One evening, when it gets a little cooler, I'll braise the chard - my recipe is off the back of bag of chard from Trader Joe's.
When I picked up my produce tonight, I flipped through the Farmer John's Cookbook and found a recipe for kohlrabi hash browns. That sounds like it would make a delicious dinner with some of Vicki's eggs.
I have been making pizza with a Trader Joe's pizza dough about once a week; I think I'll just steam the broccoli and put it on top of a pizza one night.
As for the lettuce and cabbage, I am bringing lunch for a group to work on Tuesday, and I think I'll bring a favorite sandwich that I discovered at a restaurant in Kansas City, called the Mr. Green Jeans sandwich, that will use the lettuce, and I'll make a big batch of cole slaw to go with it. The sandwich is pesto, brie, asparagus, lettuce, tomato and sprouts on crusty bread. It sounds simple but the combination is perfect.
The recipes for the chard, kohlrabi and cole slaw are posted separately; I am feeling a little uninspired and would love to hear any great ideas that other members have.
One evening, when it gets a little cooler, I'll braise the chard - my recipe is off the back of bag of chard from Trader Joe's.
When I picked up my produce tonight, I flipped through the Farmer John's Cookbook and found a recipe for kohlrabi hash browns. That sounds like it would make a delicious dinner with some of Vicki's eggs.
I have been making pizza with a Trader Joe's pizza dough about once a week; I think I'll just steam the broccoli and put it on top of a pizza one night.
As for the lettuce and cabbage, I am bringing lunch for a group to work on Tuesday, and I think I'll bring a favorite sandwich that I discovered at a restaurant in Kansas City, called the Mr. Green Jeans sandwich, that will use the lettuce, and I'll make a big batch of cole slaw to go with it. The sandwich is pesto, brie, asparagus, lettuce, tomato and sprouts on crusty bread. It sounds simple but the combination is perfect.
The recipes for the chard, kohlrabi and cole slaw are posted separately; I am feeling a little uninspired and would love to hear any great ideas that other members have.
An intro to your Jewish CSA – Hazon’s Tuv Ha’Aretz
Welcome to the Hazon CSA network! Our Hazon CSAs follow the traditional Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project structure with regards to weekly vegetable delivery and a strong commitment to supporting local agriculture. And like some other CSAs, Tuv Ha'Aretz works to build community and educate its members about food, nourishment, and small-scale organic agriculture. What makes Tuv Ha'Aretz different is that in 2009 it is a network of 32 Jewishly-rooted CSAs in North America and Israel.
Through Tuv Ha'Aretz members can expand their understanding of what it means for food to be kosher – food that is not only “fit” for to eat according to Jewish tradition, but “fit” for the Earth, for the health and sustainability of our own bodies and our broader communities.
Tuv Ha'Aretz suggests a double meaning: Tuv Ha'Aretz is both good for the land and the best of the land: good for the land because it encourages and supports small organic farmers who grow their crops using sustainable methods on agricultural land near the city that would otherwise be threatened with development, and best of the land because the produce -- often picked the morning of delivery! -- is fresh, sustainable, sweet, pesticide and chemical free, healthy, beautiful and delicious.
Through Tuv Ha'Aretz members can expand their understanding of what it means for food to be kosher – food that is not only “fit” for to eat according to Jewish tradition, but “fit” for the Earth, for the health and sustainability of our own bodies and our broader communities.
Tuv Ha'Aretz suggests a double meaning: Tuv Ha'Aretz is both good for the land and the best of the land: good for the land because it encourages and supports small organic farmers who grow their crops using sustainable methods on agricultural land near the city that would otherwise be threatened with development, and best of the land because the produce -- often picked the morning of delivery! -- is fresh, sustainable, sweet, pesticide and chemical free, healthy, beautiful and delicious.
Recent Hazon CSA programs have included:
- Fifty people learning about bikkurim, first fruits, while on the farm for Shavuot in Portland, OR
- Hundreds of people across the country attended Tu Bishvat Seders in California’s Bay Area; Boulder, CO; Rockville, MD; Seattle, WA; St. Louis, MO; St. Paul, MN; Washington, DC; New York, NY; and Long Island, NY (which was maple syrup themed!)
- A Gleaning Day Sukkot farm trip that sites in the New York area have done for years
- A beet haiku competition in Scottsdale, AZ though the day school that hosts the CSA
- Brunches, movie screenings, strawberry picking farm-trips, and potlucks that sites around the country have been organizing.
And the list of events goes on and on!
Shehecheyanu – we celebrate this special occasion -- for your new CSA season with Hazon and TuvHa’Aretz, for all of the first fruits and veggies you will eat as a part of your share and for the new communities you will be a part of this season.
You are invited to take a moment, as you begin your CSA journey, to offer words of thanks, either the traditional ones below or the ones you feel moved to say.
Shehechiyanu
Blessed are You, O Lord, our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has caused us to live, and has sustained us, and has enabled us to come to this time.
Barukh ata Adonai, Eloheinu melekh ha-olam, she-hecheyanu, ve-kiyemanu ve-higiyanu la-zeman ha-zeh.
The CSA Season Begins
by Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster
Member, Hazon CSA Tuv Ha’Aretz in Tenafly, NJ
"How great are Your works, Oh God, How very profound Your designs!"
(Psalm 92:6)
In Michael Ableman’s book Fields of Plenty, there is a moment when he describes looking across a field planted with more than 70 varieties of summer squash, all in bloom. It is a picture of abundance, but what I remember thinking when I read this passage was, “There are how many varieties of squash? I’ve only ever seen 3 or 4!!! Where would I find 60+ more? And how would you cook them?”
Every spring and summer, I am amazed by the new varieties of fruits and vegetables I discover from local farms, expanding my palette beyond the year-round supermarket staples. They serve as milestones in my life: that happened during the August we discovered heirloom tomatoes, or that was the summer I started eating beets and kale. Each new taste leaves me just a little bit more in awe at the wonders of God’s world that I could easily take for granted.
One bracha that is familiar to many of us is the Shehecheyanu, which we say at significant moments in our lives, such as wearing new clothes, lighting the first night of Chanukah candles, or a conversion. One time when say this bracha is when we eat a new fruit or vegetable, either for the first time altogether or for the first time this year.
Imagine, if you are like me, and you only eat strawberries when they are local and in season. When you finally get your hands on a ripe, tasty strawberry, you feel lucky to be able to eat it in its proper time and place. It makes sense to take a moment to translate that gratitude into thanks to God for the blessing of a small, perfect morsel of fruit.
We are just at the beginning of the CSA season, a season when we will be blessed with beautiful produce that tastes the way food should taste. Some of what we find in our boxes every week will be new to us this year; other produce we will encounter for the first time in our lives. Each piece of food will be the result of the partnership between the farmer who grew the food and the Creator who thought to design that carrot or those 70 varieties of summer squash. I invite each of you to take a moment, as you begin your CSA journey, to offer words of thanks, either the traditional ones below or the ones you feel moved to say.
Shehechiyanu
Blessed are You, O Lord, our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has caused us to live, and has sustained us, and has enabled us to come to this time.
Barukh ata Adonai, Eloheinu melekh ha-olam, she-hecheyanu, ve-kiyemanu ve-higiyanu la-zeman ha-zeh.
Member, Hazon CSA Tuv Ha’Aretz in Tenafly, NJ
"How great are Your works, Oh God, How very profound Your designs!"
(Psalm 92:6)
In Michael Ableman’s book Fields of Plenty, there is a moment when he describes looking across a field planted with more than 70 varieties of summer squash, all in bloom. It is a picture of abundance, but what I remember thinking when I read this passage was, “There are how many varieties of squash? I’ve only ever seen 3 or 4!!! Where would I find 60+ more? And how would you cook them?”
Every spring and summer, I am amazed by the new varieties of fruits and vegetables I discover from local farms, expanding my palette beyond the year-round supermarket staples. They serve as milestones in my life: that happened during the August we discovered heirloom tomatoes, or that was the summer I started eating beets and kale. Each new taste leaves me just a little bit more in awe at the wonders of God’s world that I could easily take for granted.
One bracha that is familiar to many of us is the Shehecheyanu, which we say at significant moments in our lives, such as wearing new clothes, lighting the first night of Chanukah candles, or a conversion. One time when say this bracha is when we eat a new fruit or vegetable, either for the first time altogether or for the first time this year.
Imagine, if you are like me, and you only eat strawberries when they are local and in season. When you finally get your hands on a ripe, tasty strawberry, you feel lucky to be able to eat it in its proper time and place. It makes sense to take a moment to translate that gratitude into thanks to God for the blessing of a small, perfect morsel of fruit.
We are just at the beginning of the CSA season, a season when we will be blessed with beautiful produce that tastes the way food should taste. Some of what we find in our boxes every week will be new to us this year; other produce we will encounter for the first time in our lives. Each piece of food will be the result of the partnership between the farmer who grew the food and the Creator who thought to design that carrot or those 70 varieties of summer squash. I invite each of you to take a moment, as you begin your CSA journey, to offer words of thanks, either the traditional ones below or the ones you feel moved to say.
Shehechiyanu
Blessed are You, O Lord, our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has caused us to live, and has sustained us, and has enabled us to come to this time.
Barukh ata Adonai, Eloheinu melekh ha-olam, she-hecheyanu, ve-kiyemanu ve-higiyanu la-zeman ha-zeh.
Learn More About the 2009 New York Jewish Environmental Bike Ride
This summer join Hazon on the 2009 New York Jewish Environmental Bike Ride! The Ride is two day retreat followed by a two-day bike ride, September 4-7, 2009.
The Retreat is a multi-generational and inclusive event. Learn, celebrate and relax at the beautiful Shabbat retreat, while enjoying kosher, local and organic food. If you think your CSA veggies are wonderful now, imagine the fresh from the farm produce in early September. The weekend is filled with educational and recreational programming for children, teens and adults. The Retreat is held at Camp Kinder Ring on majestic Sylvan Lake. Shabbat services are organized for every movement.
The NY Ride offers cycling routes for all cycling levels, from 30 to 100 miles. Fun for the whole family! You will experience a beautiful, scenic route in the Hudson Valley of New York, with fully supported bike mechanics, rest stops, and luggage transportation.
Registration is $399. This includes all your meals, lodging, luggage transfer, snacks, bike and medical support and a weekend filled with environmental programming. All participants have a fundraising minimum.
The money raised from the bike ride will go to support a wide range of outstanding and innovative programs in the U.S. and in Israel, such as Hazon’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs in North America, and the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, a premier environmental teaching and research program in the Middle East that brings together Jewish and Arab students.
This ride will provide you with a physical challenge, an empowering experience and a welcoming and warm Jewish community. Join The People of the Bike! Register now at www.newyorkride.org.
The Retreat is a multi-generational and inclusive event. Learn, celebrate and relax at the beautiful Shabbat retreat, while enjoying kosher, local and organic food. If you think your CSA veggies are wonderful now, imagine the fresh from the farm produce in early September. The weekend is filled with educational and recreational programming for children, teens and adults. The Retreat is held at Camp Kinder Ring on majestic Sylvan Lake. Shabbat services are organized for every movement.
The NY Ride offers cycling routes for all cycling levels, from 30 to 100 miles. Fun for the whole family! You will experience a beautiful, scenic route in the Hudson Valley of New York, with fully supported bike mechanics, rest stops, and luggage transportation.
Registration is $399. This includes all your meals, lodging, luggage transfer, snacks, bike and medical support and a weekend filled with environmental programming. All participants have a fundraising minimum.
The money raised from the bike ride will go to support a wide range of outstanding and innovative programs in the U.S. and in Israel, such as Hazon’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs in North America, and the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, a premier environmental teaching and research program in the Middle East that brings together Jewish and Arab students.
This ride will provide you with a physical challenge, an empowering experience and a welcoming and warm Jewish community. Join The People of the Bike! Register now at www.newyorkride.org.
Top 10 CSA Must Haves
The wonderful Tuv Ha’Aretz Community-Supported Agriculture group at the JCC Houston came up with this Top-10 list of must have kitchen items in order to maximize the produce from your CSA share.
Turns out, the list is pretty handy for any Jewish food enthusiast - feel free to share with friends and family.
Top 10 CSA (& Jewish Food) Must Haves
1. Evert-Fresh Green Bags - The best bags for storing fruits and vegetables. Possibly ever?
2. Slow Cooker - Slow cook your veggies into a delicious Shabbat dinner (or lunch!)
3. Salad Spinner - A handy salad spinner makes your weekly influx of lettuce and leafy greens a snap to clean - or at least a lot easier.
4. Freezer Bags - Freeze those fresh, local corn kernels to enjoy all winter long.
5. Food Processor- Pesto, butternut squash puree, homemade soup…mmmmm
6. A Food Steamer - Steam your raw veggies into a delicious dinner in no time.
7. An (Immersion) Hand Blender - The best thing to happen to soups since the spoon.
8. An Ice Cube Tray - For freezing that pesto (or tomato sauce, butternut squash puree…) into easy-to-store-and-reheat cubes.
9. Space to put everything (yes, this can even be done in the city!)
10. A Large Stock Pot - For soups, sauces, boiling pasta…you can never have enough big pots around.
Turns out, the list is pretty handy for any Jewish food enthusiast - feel free to share with friends and family.
Top 10 CSA (& Jewish Food) Must Haves
1. Evert-Fresh Green Bags - The best bags for storing fruits and vegetables. Possibly ever?
2. Slow Cooker - Slow cook your veggies into a delicious Shabbat dinner (or lunch!)
3. Salad Spinner - A handy salad spinner makes your weekly influx of lettuce and leafy greens a snap to clean - or at least a lot easier.
4. Freezer Bags - Freeze those fresh, local corn kernels to enjoy all winter long.
5. Food Processor- Pesto, butternut squash puree, homemade soup…mmmmm
6. A Food Steamer - Steam your raw veggies into a delicious dinner in no time.
7. An (Immersion) Hand Blender - The best thing to happen to soups since the spoon.
8. An Ice Cube Tray - For freezing that pesto (or tomato sauce, butternut squash puree…) into easy-to-store-and-reheat cubes.
9. Space to put everything (yes, this can even be done in the city!)
10. A Large Stock Pot - For soups, sauces, boiling pasta…you can never have enough big pots around.
Summer CSA, Week 4
We were so fortunate this week that the major rains missed us. We got a half inch while just 3 miles from here they received 1 1/2. Then 6 miles south they received 3 1/2. We would have been out of the field for a week if we had been hit hard. As it is, we got a nice watering. Today we were back in the field. We are almost caught up on planting. We are almost caught up on cultivation. Now we have to conquer the irrigation.
With cultivation we run the tractor and hang hoe. Almost every time we cultivate, it rains, rooting the weeds back in. yesterday and today the weeds actually perished in the sun and heat. (As did we.) We have made so much progress, I am thrilled. Granted, new planting will take the place of the old, new weeds will do likewise. But, that is just the nature or things on the farm.
Since I am hot, tired, want a shower and have to get up early, I will sign off.
Your box
Broccoli
Swiss chard
Lettuce heads (some of you got our one planting of iceberg, some got our Boston Bibb, the reminder got other varieties)
Kohlrabi
Cabbage
With cultivation we run the tractor and hang hoe. Almost every time we cultivate, it rains, rooting the weeds back in. yesterday and today the weeds actually perished in the sun and heat. (As did we.) We have made so much progress, I am thrilled. Granted, new planting will take the place of the old, new weeds will do likewise. But, that is just the nature or things on the farm.
Since I am hot, tired, want a shower and have to get up early, I will sign off.
Your box
Broccoli
Swiss chard
Lettuce heads (some of you got our one planting of iceberg, some got our Boston Bibb, the reminder got other varieties)
Kohlrabi
Cabbage
Friday, June 19, 2009
Jewish Food Jewish Life: Practicality vs. Deliciousness
by Eve Quarrendon Jochnowitz
Member Tuv Ha’Aretz Hazon CSA at the 14th Street Y in New York City
In this week’s (6/20/09) sedre, shelakh-lekha we read the famous story of the spies sent by Moses to reconnoiter the land of Israel. The accounts brought back are not contradictory but they highlight two very different but equally accurate views of the situation: first, that it is unlikely that a rag-tag group of desert-bedraggled wanderers could overthrow an entrenched military power, and second, the produce there is just so good, you have to try it! The Israelites faced with the two reports contemplate a seemingly impossible undertaking that might yield up some really good food. In a way, this story is the mirror image of the episode in last week’s parshe, in which the flavorful vegetables of Egypt are remembered in the context of the seemingly endless and impossible sojourn in the desert.
But challenging undertakings are by no means as impossible or impractical as they seem before you try. It is hard to believe now, but people my age will recall that for decades organic agriculture was dismissed as impractical, inefficient, and an actual threat to the world food supply because of lower yield. The opposite has proved to be the case as the careful land-management by organic farmers like our CSA partners has in fact resulted in more food (and vastly more delicious food) produced on sustainably cultivated land.
The giant, fat, juicy, fragrant, and irresistible grapes carried back by the spies tell their story more eloquently than any words: Strive for deliciousness and accomplish the impossible.
This post comes to Tuv Ha’aretz Chicago courtesy of Hazon's office of Food Programs. Visit www.hazon.org
Member Tuv Ha’Aretz Hazon CSA at the 14th Street Y in New York City
In this week’s (6/20/09) sedre, shelakh-lekha we read the famous story of the spies sent by Moses to reconnoiter the land of Israel. The accounts brought back are not contradictory but they highlight two very different but equally accurate views of the situation: first, that it is unlikely that a rag-tag group of desert-bedraggled wanderers could overthrow an entrenched military power, and second, the produce there is just so good, you have to try it! The Israelites faced with the two reports contemplate a seemingly impossible undertaking that might yield up some really good food. In a way, this story is the mirror image of the episode in last week’s parshe, in which the flavorful vegetables of Egypt are remembered in the context of the seemingly endless and impossible sojourn in the desert.
But challenging undertakings are by no means as impossible or impractical as they seem before you try. It is hard to believe now, but people my age will recall that for decades organic agriculture was dismissed as impractical, inefficient, and an actual threat to the world food supply because of lower yield. The opposite has proved to be the case as the careful land-management by organic farmers like our CSA partners has in fact resulted in more food (and vastly more delicious food) produced on sustainably cultivated land.
The giant, fat, juicy, fragrant, and irresistible grapes carried back by the spies tell their story more eloquently than any words: Strive for deliciousness and accomplish the impossible.
This post comes to Tuv Ha’aretz Chicago courtesy of Hazon's office of Food Programs. Visit www.hazon.org
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Moroccan Turnip Stew
In case you still have turnips rolling around in you vegetable drawer…
Ingredients:
2 onions
4 carrots
3-5 turnips
handful of raisins
1 can chickpeas
1 can diced tomatoes
1 T garam masala
1 t ground coriander
dash of cinnamon
Directions:
-Chop onions, carrots and turnips into chunks (I like them on the big side for this dish).
-Saute onions in some vegetable oil until they are softened but not brown. Use a pot so you’ll be able to cover this dish and simmer.
-Add garam masala, coriander, and cinnamon and stir for another minute. You can season this to taste. I love these spices so I’d actually add more.
-Put in the rest of the vegetables, raisins, chickpeas, and tomatoes. Bring to a bubble, then cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until carrots and turnips are tender.
-Serve over couscous or rice.
-My friend Denise would make sure there’s a garnish. Add a few sprigs of cilantro and/or a dollop of plain yogurt for a burst of fresh color and balance to the heat.
Ingredients:
2 onions
4 carrots
3-5 turnips
handful of raisins
1 can chickpeas
1 can diced tomatoes
1 T garam masala
1 t ground coriander
dash of cinnamon
Directions:
-Chop onions, carrots and turnips into chunks (I like them on the big side for this dish).
-Saute onions in some vegetable oil until they are softened but not brown. Use a pot so you’ll be able to cover this dish and simmer.
-Add garam masala, coriander, and cinnamon and stir for another minute. You can season this to taste. I love these spices so I’d actually add more.
-Put in the rest of the vegetables, raisins, chickpeas, and tomatoes. Bring to a bubble, then cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until carrots and turnips are tender.
-Serve over couscous or rice.
-My friend Denise would make sure there’s a garnish. Add a few sprigs of cilantro and/or a dollop of plain yogurt for a burst of fresh color and balance to the heat.
Rhubarb/Strawberry Applesauce
In case you still have rhubarb or old apples and your strawberries are looking a little wilted, cooking fruit is a forgiving process. Making something healthy and delicious with the added benefits of avoiding waste is like making soup with all the fridge leftovers.
Ingredients:
4-5 apples, any kind
2-3 stalks rhubarb
½ pint strawberries (optional)
½ C water
sweetener to taste
Directions:
Peel, core and chop the apples into chunks. Put them into a pot with a bit of water.
Wash and chop the rhubarb, and add that as well strawberries if you like. The second time I made this recipe I left out the strawberries and put in a cinnamon stick instead, very good. Bring the fruit to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium low and simmer for about 30-45 minutes. If it looks too watery, let it simmer uncovered until it’s a consistency you like. Add sugar, honey, Splenda, or enjoy it natural. You can use a hand blender if you like it really smooth, but quick fork mash works well. I have liked packing this applesauce into 1 C containers for lunches or snacks to go.
Ingredients:
4-5 apples, any kind
2-3 stalks rhubarb
½ pint strawberries (optional)
½ C water
sweetener to taste
Directions:
Peel, core and chop the apples into chunks. Put them into a pot with a bit of water.
Wash and chop the rhubarb, and add that as well strawberries if you like. The second time I made this recipe I left out the strawberries and put in a cinnamon stick instead, very good. Bring the fruit to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium low and simmer for about 30-45 minutes. If it looks too watery, let it simmer uncovered until it’s a consistency you like. Add sugar, honey, Splenda, or enjoy it natural. You can use a hand blender if you like it really smooth, but quick fork mash works well. I have liked packing this applesauce into 1 C containers for lunches or snacks to go.
Game Plan
What the Gutsteins Might Be Eating This Week - Summer Week 3
Wednesday
Soup from the deep with a fresh burst of Kale
I am no gourmand and I rely heavily on my stockpile of banked freezer items like soups. Whenever I take something out of the freezer, I like to add at least one fresh ingredient. Kale is a great green to add to soups and is versatile. I’ve dumped it into potato soup, yellow split pea, vegetable or minestrone and it has been well received. Then again, Josh will eat just about anything. To add the kale, I just cut out the thickest parts of the stem, chop it up and add it to my pot. A nice benefit of this is that all the good nutrients from the kale stay in the soup instead of being steamed away.
Thursday
Stir Fry with Daikon Radish
Also featuring: Red peppers, broccoli, onion, ginger, garlic and tofu
Sometimes we like our stir fry with a little something different. This carmelizing stir fry sauce, adapted from Canyon Ranch Cooks: More Great Tastes is rich and delicious:
2 T low-sodium tamari sauce (I usually just use whatever soy sauce I have)
2 T brown sugar (I could use 1 T per recipe and be just fine)
pinch red chili flakes
2 t sesame tahini
In a small saucepan, combine tamari sauce, brown sugar, chili flakes and tahini. Simmer until sugar is melted and mixture bcecomes a syrup, about 5 minutes, and set aside. This sauce is for about 4 sensible servings. Serve the vegetables and tofu over brown rice or soba noodles.
Friday
Grilled Salmon and Asparagus
The grill is already heated, so why not use it to cook up the vegetables,too? My brother-in-law Jon is especially good at grilling asparagus, and he recommends brushing them with olive oil, grilling, and then finishing with lemon and a sprinkle of kosher salt.
Sunday
Cilantro Pesto Pasta
Salad with farm lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and balsamic and olive oil dressing
This recipe is from the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home. I've never actually made it, but always thought it sounded novel to use something other than basil. For the other dairy-free people out there, it's also a no cheese version:
1 C loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 C loosely packed fresh parsley leaves
1/3 whole amonds
1 small fresh chile, or 1/4-1/2 t cayenne
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 T fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
salt and ground black pepper to taste
To make the pesto, whirl all the ingredients, except the oil, in a food processor. When everything is well chopped, add the oil in a thin stream to form a smooth paste. If you try the pesto and it's too strong for your tastes, I have found adding a handful of raw spinach works wonders to mellow the flavors.
Monday
Spinach Mushroom Omelettes
Oven Potatoes with last week’s oregano
There’s at least one egg night in our house each week, and it’s usually Monday. After a busy day at work, it’s nice to have an easy go-to-meal.
I didn't feature a suggestion for strawberries because they are one of the first things to get eaten, sometimes on the way home from a Tuv Ha'aretz pick-up. If you haven't used your strawberries and they are looking a little wilted, see our recipe for Rhubarb/Strawberry Applesauce, which could certainly be made without the rhubarb.
Enjoy!
Wednesday
Soup from the deep with a fresh burst of Kale
I am no gourmand and I rely heavily on my stockpile of banked freezer items like soups. Whenever I take something out of the freezer, I like to add at least one fresh ingredient. Kale is a great green to add to soups and is versatile. I’ve dumped it into potato soup, yellow split pea, vegetable or minestrone and it has been well received. Then again, Josh will eat just about anything. To add the kale, I just cut out the thickest parts of the stem, chop it up and add it to my pot. A nice benefit of this is that all the good nutrients from the kale stay in the soup instead of being steamed away.
Thursday
Stir Fry with Daikon Radish
Also featuring: Red peppers, broccoli, onion, ginger, garlic and tofu
Sometimes we like our stir fry with a little something different. This carmelizing stir fry sauce, adapted from Canyon Ranch Cooks: More Great Tastes is rich and delicious:
2 T low-sodium tamari sauce (I usually just use whatever soy sauce I have)
2 T brown sugar (I could use 1 T per recipe and be just fine)
pinch red chili flakes
2 t sesame tahini
In a small saucepan, combine tamari sauce, brown sugar, chili flakes and tahini. Simmer until sugar is melted and mixture bcecomes a syrup, about 5 minutes, and set aside. This sauce is for about 4 sensible servings. Serve the vegetables and tofu over brown rice or soba noodles.
Friday
Grilled Salmon and Asparagus
The grill is already heated, so why not use it to cook up the vegetables,too? My brother-in-law Jon is especially good at grilling asparagus, and he recommends brushing them with olive oil, grilling, and then finishing with lemon and a sprinkle of kosher salt.
Sunday
Cilantro Pesto Pasta
Salad with farm lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and balsamic and olive oil dressing
This recipe is from the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home. I've never actually made it, but always thought it sounded novel to use something other than basil. For the other dairy-free people out there, it's also a no cheese version:
1 C loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 C loosely packed fresh parsley leaves
1/3 whole amonds
1 small fresh chile, or 1/4-1/2 t cayenne
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 T fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
salt and ground black pepper to taste
To make the pesto, whirl all the ingredients, except the oil, in a food processor. When everything is well chopped, add the oil in a thin stream to form a smooth paste. If you try the pesto and it's too strong for your tastes, I have found adding a handful of raw spinach works wonders to mellow the flavors.
Monday
Spinach Mushroom Omelettes
Oven Potatoes with last week’s oregano
There’s at least one egg night in our house each week, and it’s usually Monday. After a busy day at work, it’s nice to have an easy go-to-meal.
I didn't feature a suggestion for strawberries because they are one of the first things to get eaten, sometimes on the way home from a Tuv Ha'aretz pick-up. If you haven't used your strawberries and they are looking a little wilted, see our recipe for Rhubarb/Strawberry Applesauce, which could certainly be made without the rhubarb.
Enjoy!
News from the Farm
Summer Week 3: On Being a Locavore, Weeds, and Planting Winter Squash
This was written by one of our members in response to my dismay over having slow (and therefore late) crops this year - and that a member dropped out due to a lack of produce. I appreciated it so much I thought I would pass it along to you.
This week we have worked, worked, worked. Not only are we still short on farm workers, but we are trying to deal with planting and weeding issues. The wet fields have kept us out as far as planting goes, but causes the weeds to really sprout up. And sice we are unable to get the tractors into the field we have to watch them grow - and much faster than my crops. The rains have been good for the crops, but bad for planting and cultivating.
Vicki
This was written by one of our members in response to my dismay over having slow (and therefore late) crops this year - and that a member dropped out due to a lack of produce. I appreciated it so much I thought I would pass it along to you.
Let them shop Wal-Mart. Part of the larger danger, culturally speaking, is that so very many of us are entirely urban folks descended from entirely urban folks--as I am!. I have never been on a working farm in my entire life, and I'm going on sixty. I saw my first cow up close in a zoo when I was 15: I had no idea they were so big. I think part of what this locavore movement is about is people like me trying to reconnect to what has been missing (at least in my family) since some time in the mid-1800s. Some folks are not going to get it, but that's okay. You are not just growing vegetables. You are also educating all of us--educating us about weather v. harvest, educating us about (good heavens!) what really fresh greens can taste like. I had no idea. Absolutely no idea. I sauteed that bok choy with onion, garlic and ginger, a little soy and rice wine, and served it over broiled salmon. My husband commented three times that it was good. And (after 35 years) that brings his total comments on my cooking to maybe 9 or 10 remarks.
Peace,
Cate
The worst spot for weeds are the carrot and parsnip patch. The crops start out slow and it gives the weeds time to take over. Sunday Jon and myself spent our whole day working on them. We managed to totally clear out three 600 foot lines of carrot. Now we have 78 more lines to go. Daunting? Yes, it is. But,it is also a nice field to work in, with the birds singing and the breezes blowing. And, I managed to clean that field last year, so I know I can do it again this year. If anyone wants to volunteer, let me know. We have plenty of weeds to spread around!
Yesterday and today we worked hard to plant winter squash. We managed to get over half of them planted before it began raining. Now we have to see when we can get back into the field again. Winter squash have a week long window for planting. May the sun once again shine on us!
Your box
Lettuce heads
Strawberries
Kale
Asparagus
Cilantro
Daikon radish - try a stir fry or add to a soup. It also is a great addition to a veggie broth.
SpinachVicki
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
From Vicki -
Reminder: Please return your empty CSA boxes to your drop off site so I can reuse them. Return egg cartons also.
With CSA, you share with me in the ups and downs. I hate the downs, but this year have had many of them - all due to the cold and the rain. Please know if you are frustrated, I am even more so. If we go by the Farmer's Almanac, the rains are due to end and the year is going to warm up. Here's hoping. Unfortunately,some crops may be a week or two weeks later than normal this summer beacuse we could not plant as normally scheduled. These are tiems like cucumbers, peppers, watermelon, tomatoes, etc. They will come in, and perhaps they will play catch up and not be late after all.
My workers are still away, but I did find some temporary workers to fill in, so this week has been a little better, even though seven of us were out on Monday night until 8:45 PM picking the berries. Whew!
Your box
Boc choi
Lettuce head - various types, as we were able to find big enough ones to pick
Strawberries
Rhubarb - the stalks are big and everyone got a over a pound
Hakurei salad turnips - the greens are edible also. Eat them raw, are lightly steam or saute
Oregano
Vicki
I hope you all enjoyed last week's box of produce; onward to week 2.
Game plan, week 2:
The first thing I will do with this week's box is wash my lettuce which I will rip into salad size pieces, spin dry, and then store in a plastic bag with a paper towel. I know - why do this first when there are other things to deal with? The reason - if I don't, I may put it off and then instead of having amazing lettuce to enjoy all week, it will be limp at best.
Next up - I will supplement this week's box a bit. I am going to saute some onions, garlic and mushrooms. While these are melding, I'll wash and chop the boc choi and toss it in the mix. I'll season it with a bit of soy sauce. I will serve these with tofu and rice.
The strawberries and rhubarb will be put to utilized in a dish Chris described to me while we were working last week. I will put about 1/2 cup of sugar in a medium sized pot with a 1/4 cup water, a shot of citron liqueur, ground cardamon, and vanilla. Once the sugar has dissolved, I will add the rhubarb which I washed and chopped while things were warming up. I will let the mix come back to a boil and then simmer for about 4 minutes while I wash and chop the strawberries. I'll add them and cook for another minute or so. I'll take it off and let the mixture cool. When it is about room temp, I will make yogurt parfaits in glasses, layering plain (or vanilla) yogurt, rhubarb-strawberry mix, yogurt, mix, and a layer of yogurt on top. I will cover each glass and put them in the refrigerator.
I will be making a pot of vegetable soup - I'll saute the greens from the turnips along with onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms. Once these have softened, I will add vegetable stock and a can of diced tomatoes, bring it to a boil and then simmer. While this is going on, I will grate the turnips and toss them in the soup. I'll add some spices (including some thyme that I dried from last week's box) and salt along with a handful of barley. Once the barley is cooked, I'll turn the pot off, let it cool and then refrigerate.
Last of all - wash and spin the oregano. I'll then hang it up to dry. After a few days, once it is dry - I'll store it on the stalks in a brown paper bag.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Jennifer's Dillicious Radicious Dip
The name is a little silly, but I have heard rave reviews of this dip.
Liquefy in food processor, then drain for one hour in strainer:
- 1 small onion
- 6-12 radishes, depending on size
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled
- fresh dill to taste, about 1/2 bunch
- season salt, to taste
- cayenne, to taste
Mix above with:
- 2 (8 oz.) blocks cream cheese
- 2 tbsp. mayonnaise
Chill 2 hours or more.
Serve with warm bread, crackers or veggies.
Game Plan for Week One
This is a new feature on our Tuv Ha'aretz blog, a game plan for using the week's produce, since it can be daunting to figure out what to do with everything.
The radishes and asparagus in my box today were a nice surprise that I'm excited to use. Here's what I'm planning:
The radishes and asparagus in my box today were a nice surprise that I'm excited to use. Here's what I'm planning:
- Tonight I had scrambled eggs (from Vicki) and kale chips for dinner. Definitely try Vicki's recipe for kale chips. I drizzled a little olive oil and sprinkled a little kosher salt on bite-sized pieces and baked them for about 10 minutes. This dinner was so easy and good that it might be on the menu tomorrow night too.
- For Shabbat, I am going to make a fritatta with the spinach and any other vegetables that I have, a salad with the mesclun mix, and either roasted asparagus or a cold asparagus soup. (I saw this recipe for a soup that can be served hot or cold in the Tribune recently.) And then rhubarb crisp and vanilla ice cream for dessert; the recipe is posted here.
- On Saturday night, I'll use the radishes in a friend's Dillicious Radicious dip. That recipe is also posted here.
Please post any other recommendations or plans that you've got for this week's recipes!
Advice on storing produce that you can't use
THE MINIMALIST; FREEZE THAT THOUGHT
By MARK BITTMAN, The New York Times
Published: May 6, 2009
IF I tried to sell you a new appliance that could help you save money, reduce food waste and get meals on the table faster, the only thing you'd ask would be How much? The answer is Nothing. You already own it. For just as the stove comes with a hidden and often overlooked bonus -- the broiler -- so does the refrigerator: the freezer. Why not use it?
By MARK BITTMAN, The New York Times
Published: May 6, 2009
IF I tried to sell you a new appliance that could help you save money, reduce food waste and get meals on the table faster, the only thing you'd ask would be How much? The answer is Nothing. You already own it. For just as the stove comes with a hidden and often overlooked bonus -- the broiler -- so does the refrigerator: the freezer. Why not use it?
Kale Chips
From Vicki
Sprinkle or shake in olive oil. Season with any herby seasoning. Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 until just crunchy. Yum!
Sprinkle or shake in olive oil. Season with any herby seasoning. Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 until just crunchy. Yum!
Joan's Rhubarb Crisp
Your recipe for week one - a rhubarb crisp passed along by a former colleague who has lots of rhubarb growing in her yard in Naperville.
Enjoy!
1 c. flour
3/4 cup oatmeal
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
3 tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp. vanilla
4 c. sliced rhubarb
ice cream (optional)
Combine flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, brown sugar and butter. Press half of the mixture into a greased 8x8 pan.
Cook water, sugar, corn starch and vanilla in a saucepan until very thick. Add rhubarb and mix thoroughly.
Spread into pan and top with remaining oatmeal mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
Serve warm or cold; delicious with vanilla ice cream.
** I have never tried this, but you could probably mix some sliced strawberries in when you add the rhubarb for a delicious strawberry-rhubarb crisp!
Enjoy!
1 c. flour
3/4 cup oatmeal
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
3 tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp. vanilla
4 c. sliced rhubarb
ice cream (optional)
Combine flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, brown sugar and butter. Press half of the mixture into a greased 8x8 pan.
Cook water, sugar, corn starch and vanilla in a saucepan until very thick. Add rhubarb and mix thoroughly.
Spread into pan and top with remaining oatmeal mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
Serve warm or cold; delicious with vanilla ice cream.
** I have never tried this, but you could probably mix some sliced strawberries in when you add the rhubarb for a delicious strawberry-rhubarb crisp!
Summer CSA, Week One - June 3, 2009
From Vicki:
Wow! What violent weather systems we have had as of late. We did not get hit too badly, but when the wind came up, we had to run for cover. I had to wonder if a tornado was heading our way. The crops are fine, but my neighbor told me just south of us they were hit with extremely damaging winds and rain. That is a tough thing for a farmer for whom everything lies at the mercy of nature.
This week, weather permitting, we will finally be planting our final warm weather crops. Cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe, etc go in this week. They are looking very nice and ready for a new home. I held off starting these crops because when they are ready, they are ready. There is no holding back on them. We have a three or four day window for transplanting and then they are too "leggy" to transplant nicely. So, let us hope for little rain so we can get them into the field.
I noticed the first flush of cucumber beetles this week. There are five flushes in a year. This first flush is about two weeks late, so we may have two flushes right on top of each other. I dislike the little holes they put in the crop, but even more I dislike the fact that they are disease vectors, the truly bad thing about these guys. Disease control is the area of my pondering this year. Disease is what nature uses to control vegetation, so one variety does not take over. It is all part of nature's overall plan to keep the earth in balance.
My goal is always balance. So, how much intervention should I take in controlling disease? I find if I kill bad insects, I can upset the balance of good insects. My quest is to discover how to keep naturally occurring disease in balance with beneficial fungi that helps to balance harmful pathogens. Any insight is appreciated. I am sure I will come to a conclusion over the course of the summer.
This week's critter tale. The yellow finch are back in significant numbers. How beautiful! As many of you know, we eliminated most all of our animals from the farm, sending them to a friend's house for the season. We did keep Mr. Duck. I had two ducks, Mr and Mrs, but Mrs met with a predator and left Mr Duck as a widower. He was very depressed for a long time and I wondered if he would die from his depression. Then he decided to come on out of his house to play around. This week, though, having a open door policy with greenhouses, Mr Duck decided to enter house number one. He found the late crop of brussel sprouts to be an adequate place to wriggle around. I walked in and all the plants were laying flat. Ergh! I was not too happy with Mr. Duck. But the nice thing about plants is that they are very forgiving. The next day, with a drink of water, and some time to rebound, they were standing upright and happy again. Next time I get trampled, I hope I quickly stand upright with hope and dignity.
On a sadder note. Two of my three field workers had a family member involved in a life threatening accident and had to leave to go out of state. For this week we are extremely shorthanded. We had a hard time picking and processing. If you see some dirt please forgive us. Also, some of the crops are small yet due to the late spring we have had. We picked all we could, due to both situations, and will make up for it next week or the week after. Thanks for your understanding.
Your box
Rhubarb
Salad Mix
Spinach
Kale (bit on the small side and not washed)
Strawberries
Thyme
Wow! What violent weather systems we have had as of late. We did not get hit too badly, but when the wind came up, we had to run for cover. I had to wonder if a tornado was heading our way. The crops are fine, but my neighbor told me just south of us they were hit with extremely damaging winds and rain. That is a tough thing for a farmer for whom everything lies at the mercy of nature.
This week, weather permitting, we will finally be planting our final warm weather crops. Cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe, etc go in this week. They are looking very nice and ready for a new home. I held off starting these crops because when they are ready, they are ready. There is no holding back on them. We have a three or four day window for transplanting and then they are too "leggy" to transplant nicely. So, let us hope for little rain so we can get them into the field.
I noticed the first flush of cucumber beetles this week. There are five flushes in a year. This first flush is about two weeks late, so we may have two flushes right on top of each other. I dislike the little holes they put in the crop, but even more I dislike the fact that they are disease vectors, the truly bad thing about these guys. Disease control is the area of my pondering this year. Disease is what nature uses to control vegetation, so one variety does not take over. It is all part of nature's overall plan to keep the earth in balance.
My goal is always balance. So, how much intervention should I take in controlling disease? I find if I kill bad insects, I can upset the balance of good insects. My quest is to discover how to keep naturally occurring disease in balance with beneficial fungi that helps to balance harmful pathogens. Any insight is appreciated. I am sure I will come to a conclusion over the course of the summer.
This week's critter tale. The yellow finch are back in significant numbers. How beautiful! As many of you know, we eliminated most all of our animals from the farm, sending them to a friend's house for the season. We did keep Mr. Duck. I had two ducks, Mr and Mrs, but Mrs met with a predator and left Mr Duck as a widower. He was very depressed for a long time and I wondered if he would die from his depression. Then he decided to come on out of his house to play around. This week, though, having a open door policy with greenhouses, Mr Duck decided to enter house number one. He found the late crop of brussel sprouts to be an adequate place to wriggle around. I walked in and all the plants were laying flat. Ergh! I was not too happy with Mr. Duck. But the nice thing about plants is that they are very forgiving. The next day, with a drink of water, and some time to rebound, they were standing upright and happy again. Next time I get trampled, I hope I quickly stand upright with hope and dignity.
On a sadder note. Two of my three field workers had a family member involved in a life threatening accident and had to leave to go out of state. For this week we are extremely shorthanded. We had a hard time picking and processing. If you see some dirt please forgive us. Also, some of the crops are small yet due to the late spring we have had. We picked all we could, due to both situations, and will make up for it next week or the week after. Thanks for your understanding.
Your box
Rhubarb
Salad Mix
Spinach
Kale (bit on the small side and not washed)
Strawberries
Thyme
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