Pumpkin and Porcini Soup

This delicious soup recipe comes from the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home. It calls for canned pumpkin, but check out this video tutorial on steaming and pureeing your own pumpkin for use in recipes. Using fresh pumpkin adds water, which can be tricky when baking a pie, but just perfect when making soup. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4-6 servings:
1/2 C broken dried porcini mushrooms (about 3/4 ounce)
2 C boiling water
2 large onions, mined (about 3 cups)
2 T vegetable oil, olive oil, or butter
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 C chopped fresh mushrooms
1 t fresh thyme (1/2 t dried)
1 1/2 T fresh sage (2 t dried)
dash of nutmeg
1/4 C Marsala or dry sherry
1 T soy sauce
1 C unsweetened apple juice and 1 C water, or 2 C vegetable stock
4 C pureed cooked pumpkin
salt and ground pepper to taste
1 C milk or half-and-half (optional)

Preparation:

• Break up any large pieces of porcini. Pour the boiling water over the porcini and set aside to soak.
• In a soup pot on medium heat, saute onions in the oil until softened.
• Add garlic, fresh mushrooms, thyme, sage, and saute until mushrooms are soft.
• Then add nutmeg, Marsala, and soy sauce, apple juice, water or stock and heat almost to a boil.
• Stir in the pumpkin.
• Remove the pumpkin from the soaking water with slotted spoon and add them to the soup. Pour the soaking water through a coffee filter or paper towel to remove any grit, then add to the soup.
• Add salt and pepper to taste and the milk/cream if you like.

*This recipe would also be delicious using a combination of pumpkin and winter squash.

Summer CSA Week 20

Life in St Anne has gotten colder. I don't mind in some respects, but in the arena of work I do mind. It is just so much more difficult to get any task accomplished. What we can do in a half hour in the summer takes us an hour in the cold. I have heat in both working areas so the guys can warm up, but that does not help when out in the field. I was out just before dawn today trying to get a jump start on the picking before they guys arrived. I had on thick gloves to keep my fingers warm. But, then I could not move my fingers easily. Then came the debate: cold fingers or decreased flexibility? Decreased flexibility won out. I kept the gloves on. My guys, though, would have decided opposite me and gotten rid of the gloves so they could work better.

The field is drying out some now, but I am really hoping for a bit of warmth. We has many crops out in the field that need some sun and warmth to finish out. Everything is growing as if it is November, rather than October. The weatherman agrees with my plants in that the temps are November temps, unseasonably cool. But, that has been the case for all on 2009, so why expect anything different?

We have a greenhouse due to be delivered the end of October for November construction, so I hope we get some moderation. It will increase our growing space by 1020 square feet. In the spring that will be nice.

Your box

Red onion - finally got a quantity of these babies cured and cleaned.

Butternut Squash

Pie Pumpkin
Boc choi

Kale

Carrots

Red leaf lettuce

Apples - these are an apple pear cross called Golden Russets. They are known for their crispy texture and sweet flavor.

Miscellaneous addition of extra new item or item that is in the box already. If you have any questions on what an item is, let me know.

okay -change of plan! I was lucky enough to have a head of cabbage in my box so here's what I'll do:

this recipe is from the ny times

Cabbage Minestrone

Despite having just a few ingredients, the flavors of this minestrone are no less complex than my summer minestrones that have a lot of different vegetables in them. Cabbage sweetens a broth as it simmers gently (and no, it won't smell like boiled cabbage).

1 heaped cup chick peas, washed and picked over, soaked for 6 hours or overnight in 1 quart water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

Salt to taste

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, seeded and chopped, with juice

1 1/2 pounds cabbage, outer leaves removed, cored and coarsely chopped (about 1 medium cabbage)

2 1/2 quarts water

A bouquet garni made with 1 Parmesan rind, a bay leaf, and a few sprigs each parsley and thyme

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup elbow macaroni or small shells

Freshly grated Parmesan for serving

1. Drain the chick peas and set aside. Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy soup pot and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the mixture is fragrant and the vegetables tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in half the minced garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute or so, until the garlic begins to smell fragrant. Add the tomatoes and their liquid and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down a bit. Add the cabbage, stir together for a minute, then add the drained chick peas, 2 quarts water, and the bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 1 hour, or until the beans are just about tender.

2. Add the remaining garlic and salt to taste, cover and continue to simmer another 30 minutes to an hour, until the beans are thoroughly cooked and the soup very fragrant. Add a cup more water if it seems too thick. Add pepper, taste and adjust salt. Remove the bouquet garni.

3. Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is cooked al dente, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve, passing the Parmesan at the table for sprinkling.

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

Advance preparation: The soup may be made a day ahead through Step 2 and refrigerated. Bring back to a simmer and proceed with the recipe. It keeps for a few days in the refrigerator.

Approximate Nutritional Information per Serving (based on 6 Servings): 183 calories; total fat: 5.2g; saturated fat: 0.7g; cholesterol: 0mg; sodium: 413 mg; total carbohydrates: 30.6g; dietary fiber: 7.6g; sugars 9.3g; protein: 5.8g; vitamin A 47 percent recommended daily allowance (RDA) based on a 2,000 calorie diet; vitamin C 92 percent RDA; calcium 9 percent RDA; iron 10 percent RDA. (Nutritional information provided by calorie-count.com)

I am back from my trip and in full gear. I had a great time. The mountains were beautiful - and cold. I was actually deterred one day by a snow storm. What impressed me most was the golden hues in the aspens. I thought of harvest time. The earth turns the most fabulous colors as if to rejoice in the time of harvest. I get excited watching it all come in, and it seems Mother Nature, joins with me in the triumph of the season. As a farmer, it is my job to be harmony with nature, working within the confines of natural selection, and designation. What nature creates day to day and month to month I seek to cooperate with and utilize my skills to produce a crop that only Mother Nature can create. I can not create, only emulate. It is so important to realize we are truly not the head, the boss, the top of the heap - we are subordinates in the overall scheme of nature, and this world we so wonderfully inhabit.

Last week my guys did great - harvesting, processing, handling sales - but my, oh my, what a mess this farm was. When I arrived Sunday morning, a gasped. It looked like a hurricane went through, literally. Fortunately, Jon, home from college, warned me - and then stayed for the day Sunday to help clean up. By last night, we were picked up, swept up and reorganized for the week. How sweet it is to start the work week on the right foot.

But, then I discovered how much more there is to do before the heavy frost comes this weekend. It is due to get down to 29 Saturday night. That will be the end of the peppers, eggplant etc. So, they guys are rushing to get everything in that has to get in before the cold hits in earnest. What that means for us is that our boxes are a little varied this week. Some things every one is receiving; other items are added to boxes at random. So if you get something not on the list, know that was on purpose.

Your box

Apples

Delicata squash

Miscellaneous onions

Sweet potatoes

Kennebec potatoes

Green bell peppers

Italian Roasting peppers

Eggplant

And one or more add ons - any questions on identification, please email me.

Vicki

I am very excited to have delicata squash in our share this week. After washing, I'll slice them in half, remove the seeds and place them in water to bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes or so. Then I'll take them out, discard the water, turn them over, toss a few dried cranberries and dash of maple syrup in and return them to the oven to bake for another 20 minutes or so. Mmmmmm.

My plan for the peppers is to roast them. I'll wash them then slice in strips, toss with a little olive oil and kosher salt before spreading them on a cookie sheet to roast. I will freeze them away to enjoy later.

The future for my eggplant is as cracker. After washing, I'll slice my eggplant thinly (without peeling), pat it dry on clean towel and then dip in a mixture of seeds and spices. I will then lay them out on a cookie sheet and bake them at 300 to allow them to dry out. These are then crunchy little treats either on their own or topped with a grilled pepper that didn't make it into the freezer yet (see above) and/or some hummus.

The onions will be put to good use in the coming weeks to start soups or stir fry.

The sweet potato will be put to use right away as part of my dinner - I'll wash it, poke a few holes and cook it in the microwave as a 'potato'. If there is a spare - my pet cockatiel is happy to have a fresh slice to nibble.

Enjoy!!

Hazon Food Conference; early registration special

Foodie fun abounds at the Hazon Food Conference this December 24-29 — the only place in the world where farmers and rabbis, nutritionists and chefs, vegans and omnivores, come together to explore the dynamic interplay of food, Jewish tradition and contemporary life and play together at the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Sound fun? Register now using the code "sukkot" for $85 off your registration (the code expires when sukkot ends on 10/9). This is the best deal you can get for the Conference before our early registration pricing ends on 10/16 -- so take be sure to "reap the harvest." Learn more atwww.hazon.org/foodconference

Ways to reuse (recycle) your lulav and etrog

Shake and Reuse: Lulav & Etrog

Adapted from The Jew and the Carrot Blog, by Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster

As a teacher of Judaism, I am often at a loss to explain one of the most beautiful and yet most pagan Jewish rituals: the celebration of Sukkot with the four species (arba minim) of the lulav and etrog.

For me, the beauty of the lulav and etrog is often bittersweet, since my time with the two is so fleeting. Unlike other Jewish ritual objects (like candlesticks or a shofar), the four species are living objects. I have to enjoy them before they wilt away.

But that doesn’t mean you need to throw them out when Sukkot is over. I was inspired by my colleague Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner (founder of the Foundation For Family Education, Inc, a source of interactive Judaic programming, as well as www.jewishfreeware.org), who shared the following list of ways to “recycle” the four species. With his list in mind, I can continue to bring the happiness of sukkot, and the diverse symbolism of the four species, into all corners of my Jewish life for the rest of the year.

Rabbi Lerner wrote:

“I save the etrog and use the peel and/or zest to make a vodka or tequila liqueur used on Hanukkah as a historical connection between Sukkot and Hanukkah, either in recipes or as a beverage. With a “kosher l’pesah” potato vodka, I use etrog zest and peel to make a liqueur for the Seder. When the children were young, we saved their etrogim in a vase with their name and the year written on it in Hebrew.

Some people like to insert cloves and cinnamon bark into the etrog and use it as a solid “besammim” (spices) for Havdalah. Others use the etrog as it dries to keep drawers of clothing smelling fresh.

I use the lulav itself to brush hametz during bedikat hametz (checking for hametz before Passover) and then burn both together.

Another use is a decoration for the sukkah in following years, writing in Hebrew the name of the user(s) and the year of use.

I use the myrtle leaves included with other spices for besamim for Havdalah. The stems I cut into lengths and then cut a pen point as on a feather quill for writing small Jewish ritual texts such as mezuzot or tefillen. (I should add that I teach how it is done in theory, but I am not a sofer.)

I root the willows because they are not the “weeping willow” with drooping serrated leaves but a special species known as the “River Willow” or “arvei nahal” with a reddish-brown twig and long, smooth and narrow leaves. After they sprout roots in vases with water, I transplant them into containers with soil. Thereafter I distribute them as a Jewish “Johnny willow tree” to as many who would plant them. They can be raised into trees or large bushes as I once did in a congregation from which I had students cut fresh aravot for the lulav each day and then ultimately to tie hoshanot, for Hoshana Rabbah.

I use the box from the etrog for a tzedakah box, although as one person told me “you can always use another box.” They are wonderful for storing Jewish collectibles, and if fragile, they also have today a foam rubber lining.

I used the flax in which the etrog once used to be wrapped to twist into wicks as is described in the Mishnah, and I show how well they work in Hanukkah workshops using my collection of clay oil lamps from the Bronze through Byzantine Israel. Now, because flax is rarely used, I have turned to use the foam rubber in the etrog box from which to cut and create decorations for our Sukkah.

The plastic bag for the lulav becomes a wonderful quiver for my arrows for use in my Lag BaOmer programs of archery and arrowheads, and even a Bible lesson on David’s use of artillery.”

Happy Recycling!

First year in CSA (St. Louis Tuv Ha'aretz)

Year One as a CSA Family
by Gail Wechsler
Now that my family has participated for over four months in a CSA, I decided it was time to take stock of what we have learned from the experience. Never having done this before, we expected that there would be some challenges but also rewards in being part of such a community effort.
One thing my family has enjoyed about our Tuv Ha’Aretz membership
is that we have tried some foods that never would have been on our radar screen before. High on my personal list is collard greens. I went from not even recognizing what collard greens looked like to missing them when they went out of season. They were delicious steamed with garlic and butter.
Another benefit was that we really appreciated how fresh and delicious
the produce was compared to typical produce purchased from a grocery store. After we polished off the fresh strawberries delivered early in the season, my daughter remarked that there was no way she could go back to eating the traditional store-bought variety we used to get before joining the CSA. I felt the same way about the amazing asparagus that came to us in May.
Of course there were challenges as well. It was frustrating when the size of our week’s delivery was small due to bad weather. I also found it a challenge to come up with different ways to cook zucchini -- we’ve had a lot of zucchini bread and zucchini parmesan the past month or so.
Perhaps the most rewarding thing that has come from our involvement in a CSA is that we have learned about the importance of eating locally and seasonally from a health and environmental point of view. It feels good to be supporting a local farmer rather than leaving a large carbon footprint by purchasing foods shipped thousands of miles to get here. I’ve even resolved to visit the few farmers’ markets that operate from November through April to pick up the slack once Tuv Ha’Aretz ends for the season.
To sum up, being part of St. Louis’s first ever Jewish community CSA in its first year has been extremely worthwhile. We’re looking forward to year two being even better.

Game Plan for Week 18

There are certainly no shortage of opportunities to cook this time of year, and I've been thinking of recipes that are made to be eaten in a sukkah.
With the cabbage, I will definitely make some stuffed cabbage. Or actually, I make a version that's "unstuffed" - meatballs made with rice on a bed of shredded cabbage. Much easier.
I'm going to try the recipe for mulled spaghetti squash that I've posted below. The spices and cider will give a warm flavor to what I sometimes find to be a pretty bland vegetable.
We don't have a lot of celery fans in the house, so I think I may chop or dice the celery and freeze it to put in soups. I'm thinking minestrone, mushroom barley, and maybe a kitchen sink vegetable soup with odds and ends.
The apples will get eaten plain, and probably the bell peppers too. Spinach and radishes will be great in a salad when I feel like I can't eat another heavy yomtov meal.

How to Plant Garlic

By Madeline Guzman, newsletter coordinator from the Rockville, Maryland Tuv Ha’Aretz site


The best time to plant garlic is after the first frost date, this translating into mid-October in Maryland and much of the Northern regions of the country, which is coming up soon! Garlic is part of the allium genus (the onion plant family) which also includes scallions, chives, onions, shallots, and leeks. All of these are perennial bulbous plants which contain cysteine sulfoxide,a chemical which gives these plants their distinctive taste and odors There are about 1,250 species of this genus, making it one of the largest plant genera in the world!


Garlic is very easy to grow. It would make the perfect vegetable for the first-time vegetable gardener. You may begin with just one bulb of garlic. Obtain it from a farmers market, a seed company, your CSA farmers, or even a garlic festival. Do not use garlic from the grocery store, as those bulbs are usually imported and may harbor disease. Begin by dividing the garlic bulb into cloves. Each clove, with its thin, white, papery skin, will be a seed for a new garlic bulb. Allow the cloves to dry overnight before planting. Choose a garden site that is sunny, but not too damp. Prepare your garden by loosening the soil and adding a scoopful of compost, working the compost into the rest of the soil with your shovel. Do not use any cloves that appear damaged. Plant each clove one inch deep and 4 inches apart. Each bulb of garlic usually contains about 20 cloves. You can plant as many of these as you want, and use the rest for cooking. It might be best to label the garden spot so you do not confuse the long leaves that will emerge as weeds (a sad experience I had last year within over-zealous garden helper in my own flower garden).


After planting, firm up the soil around each clove. Cover all with a layer of mulch or straw. Mulching the ground will prevent weeds from sprouting around each plant and will protect each clove from the biting cold of winter. The mulch does not have to be removed in order for the plants to emerge.


Your garlic bulbs will be nearing harvest time when you see the leaves withering and turning yellow (if you are in the northeast, this won’t be until about July). When the leaves appear almost completely dry, gently dig up each bulb without removing the dead leaves. Allow the bulbs to completely dry by spreading them individually on a screen or newspaper. When dry, cut off the leaves and stems to within an inch of the bulb. Store the bulbs either in a cool area of your home (the cooler, the better) or in your refrigerator. Never store garlic in plastic bags which does not allow the living bulb to “breathe”.


Your garlic is now ready to use. Once you harvest your own garlic, you’ll be so proud of having grown a self-sustaining (a word we love) vegetable. If you grow too many, simply bring them in to share with other CSA members or friends at work. Happy gardening!

Growing Organic Research

By Tracy Lerman

Tracy is the Policy Program Assistant for The Organic Farming Research Foundation. She will be leading a session during the Hazon CSA Leadership Track of the Food Conference on how to incorporate food advocacy and policy into your CSA.


Now that “green” is a marketing buzzword and organic food has broken free from its confines in hippie health food stores, available in major supermarket chains everywhere, we environmentalists can finally feel like we’ve arrived. The organic food movement is self-sufficient now. No longer must we worry over the fledgling movement like a nervous mother over her newborn baby. We can sit back and watch organic play in the big-kids playground with fat-free, instant, and all the other major marketing labels in the grocery retail industry.


Or can we? While consumer demand for organic food is rising (even during the current recession), the domestic supply cannot keep up. The nation’s ten thousand organic farmers – big operations and small family farms alike – cannot produce enough organic food for all of these newly conscious consumers, and food processors as well as retail stores rely increasingly on imports shipped in from as far away as China.


One reason for the disparity between organic demand and domestic supply is the lack of new information about organic agriculture. The U.S. spends billions of dollars on research and development of new pesticides, genetically-engineered seeds and chemical fertilizers, but very little on research to address production issues in organic farming systems. Conventional agriculture has the research backing of corporate chemical giants like Dow, Monsanto, Bayer and Genentech. Private sector organic research funding does not register on the same scale. In terms of public funding, the federal government spends less than two percent of its agriculture research budget on organic. This amount is growing compared to previous years, but when measured against the European Union’s organic research spending, we do not really hold a candle to them.


We are still light years away from growing enough organic food in the U.S. to meet current consumer demand. And that will not change until we start investing in the country’s organic farmers, starting with research that seeks to improve organic farming systems.


The good news is that consumers can make a difference, but not just by voting with your fork. Tell your members of Congress and the Obama administration to support increased funding for organic agriculture research. To find out more, visit www.ofrf.org.

Leeks

With a milder taste and smell than onions, this vegetable sweetens as they cook. Look for this veggie during the fall and winter months, as they take several months to mature. They contain C, which is good for immune response, and K which is involved with blood clotting.

Storage Tips
-Wrap in a damp cloth or paper towel, unwashed and untrimmed, and they will stay good in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks.

News from the Farm - Week 18

I am out of town this week taking my mother on a trip down memory lane to her home town. I am also getting a much needed break. As far as farm news goes, I guess it shall await next week.

Your box

Green cabbage
Apples
Spinach
Spaghetti squash
Bell peppers
Beets
Radishes
Celery

Mulled Spaghetti Squash

I still have my spaghetti squash from a few weeks ago; I'm going to try this recipe from Kosher By Design Lightens Up - seems like a nice addition to a Sukkot table.

2 spaghetti squash
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
8 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider, divided
4 tbsp honey, divided

Preheat oven to 450.

Cut each squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds.

In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon, salt, allspice, nutmeg and oil. Drizzle the spice mixture into the 4 cavities. Pour 2 tbsp apple cider into each cavity. Mix with the spices in the cavity and brush some of the mixture onto the flesh of the squash. Drizzle 1 tbsp of honey over each half. Wrap each half individually in foil. Place on a baking sheet.

Roast for 50-60 minutes, or until tender.

Remove from oven, and when cool enough to handle, remove and discard the foil. Cut each half in half again, making 8 portions.

Pull a fork lengthwise through the flesh to produce strands that resemble spaghetti. Mix the spices in the center cavity into the strands. Transfer to a serving bowl.