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!

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.

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

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.

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.

Spinach

Vicki

From Vicki -

Reminder:  Please return your empty CSA boxes to your drop off site so I can reuse them.  Return egg cartons also.

The early outdoor planting scenario has caught up with me.  I had to try to squeeze crops into limited spaces due to wet soil and now I am finding I just do not have enough of several crops coming in yet.  I have been able to get new and larger plantings in and they are almost ready to pick, but just not quite yet.  I have been tempted this week to pick some items but feel I would end up hurting us more in the long run by picking prematurely.  I have always reminded myself not to rush the harvest, but am tempted because I want the boxes to be nice.  Rather than hold back a week on delivery I am going to pick what we can and add extras later in the season.  I would hate to miss the strawberries because they only come in for a short time and are in their prime right now.  My apologies, but I think I am making the right choice for this year and the crazy early season we have had.  By next week several things will be ready and I will feel better about picking them.  

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. 

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:

• 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?

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!

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!

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