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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

What's Coming Up!




Welcome back salad greens! 
In addition to long-awaited crops such as acorn squash (a couple weeks ago and a second round to go) and butternut squash (still curing in the field), the cooler conditions of fall encourage leafy greens from the spring and early summer:  lettuce, kale, arugula, mustard greens, -oh!- and radishes.  
Garlic?
For those of you who haven't gotten your cured garlic this fall, we are cleaning/preparing bulbs for next week.  We will be saving most of the bulbs from our harvest this year for planting.
What about our famous potatoes?
Some of you have been asking this question.  I am pained to say that we lost our entire potato crop this year.  Demands for labor in other areas (partly anticipated, partly unexpected) and other crops were given priority this year at the beginning of the season.  So we lost the weed battle early on.  I just hadn't brought myself to writing a note about it.  I'm getting a little choked up right now.  We do have a solid plan for integrating our new cultivating tractor into the labor outlook for potatoes next year.





Try the amazing recipe below with any of your remaining tomatoes and chard/beet greens for warm fall bliss.  Use a drizzle of pesto to top it off when ready to serve.  (I'm trying it today!  I am using shelly beans from Dotson's farm instead of cannellini.)

Soupe au Pistou
adapted from Lidia’s Italy

Total time: 30 minutes                        Makes: 4 servings


This hearty vegetarian dish can stand alone as a one-dish meal with good bread, or served alongside pasta with pesto sauce, but it is also a delicious side dish with roasted chicken.  Start with dried beans or use canned to save time.

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 large bunch (~ 1 lb) of fresh Swiss Chard or beet greens
  • 1 14 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4 plump garlic cloves sliced thin
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste 
  • ½ teaspoon peperoncino or red pepper flakes
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil … more for serving
  • coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
  • about 5 tomatoes, chopped

METHOD
  1. Wash, trim and chop the chard; let stand in the sink or very large bowl of cool water to wash and refresh

  1. Finely slice the garlic and gently sauté them in 3 T of the olive oil until fragrant, about 1 minute; add the spoonful of tomato paste to a clear spot in the pan and toast; at the same time toast the pepper flakes in another clear spot

  1. Grab the chard and shake off much of the water, add to the pan with the garlic and spices; stir frequently to braise and wilt the greens

  1. When the greens have reduced by half add the tomatoes and bring to a low boil; simmer until liquid is reduced by half; spill in all the beans and season with salt and pepper and the remaining olive oil; warm thru until the whole begins to thicken.

  1. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed … maybe a squeeze of lemon juice or dash of wine vinegar.  Serve with grated parmesan and extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle over the top.


Monday, September 26, 2011

Deadly Green Tomatoes

There was a time long ago when people in Europe thought the tomato was poisonous.
Tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and potatoes are in the nightshade family of plants, often thought of as “poisonous” in huge quantity.  The reason, it seems, that there is this nightshade rumor at all is that the category encompasses a huge assortment of plants including tobacco, morning glory, and belladonna.  Belladonna can be deadly or medicinal or the name of a famous porn star. 
It is the alkaloid content in nightshades that has interested pharmaceutical companies.
But three green tomatoes won’t hurt you or cause hallucinations.  In fact, they are simply delicious.  I think they are particularly good sautéed with curry spices.  Or try one of many versions of the classic fried green tomato below and enjoy!   -Julia 

Fried Green Tomatoes
3 green tomatoes, salt, 1 cup flour, 1 T Cajun seasoning, ½ cup milk or buttermilk, 1 egg,
1/3 cup cornmeal, ½ cup fine dry bread crumbs, ¼ cup peanut oil or other vegetable oil

1 Cut unpeeled tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle slices with salt. Let tomato slices stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place in separate shallow bowls: the flour and Cajun seasoning (if using), buttermilk and egg, and bread crumbs and cornmeal.
2 Heat the peanut oil in a skillet on medium heat. Beat the egg and the buttermilk together. Dip tomato slices in the flour-seasoning mix, then buttermilk-egg mixture, then the cornmeal-bread crumb mix. In the skillet, fry half of the coated tomato slices at a time, for 3-5 minutes on each side or until brown. Set the cooked tomatoes on paper towels to drain.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

So Clean Carrot Cilantro Soup!



I never understand when customers tell me they find cilantro to taste "soapy."  

This is a not-so-uncommon opinion that stupifies me every time.  Upon further "research," I found a NY Times article, NPR segment, lots of internet chatting around this very topic of Soapy Cilantro.  You can even visit a website called ihatecilantro.com.  I hope no one reading this is part of this anti-cilantro faction, but I have a feeling there are a few of you among us.  ?   Anyone?
Here's some ideas from the NY Times Article I found:

"Some people may be genetically predisposed to dislike cilantro, according to often-cited studies by Charles J. Wysocki of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. But cilantrophobe genetics remain little known and aren’t under systematic investigation. Meanwhile, history, chemistry and neurology have been adding some valuable pieces to the puzzle.
Flavor chemists have found that cilantro aroma is created by a half-dozen or so substances, and most of these are modified fragments of fat molecules called aldehydes. The same or similar aldehydes are also found in soaps and lotions and the bug family of insects.
Soaps are made by fragmenting fat molecules with strongly alkaline lye or its equivalent, and aldehydes are a byproduct of this process, as they are when oxygen in the air attacks the fats and oils in cosmetics. And many bugs make strong-smelling, aldehyde-rich body fluids to attract or repel other creatures.
The published studies of cilantro aroma describe individual aldehydes as having both cilantrolike and soapy qualities. Several flavor chemists told me in e-mail messages that they smell a soapy note in the whole herb as well, but still find its aroma fresh and pleasant."


Julia Child hated cilantro.  Alice Waters loves it.  Here's a recipe from one of her cookbooks:





Alice Waters’ Carrot & Cilantro Soup

from Chez Panisse Vegetables
1 white onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch of carrots (~1 lb)
3 potatoes
1-1 1/2 quarts vegetable stock (I used homemade)
1/2 bunch cilantro (add more if cilantro is your thing)
salt and pepper to taste
Peel and slice the onion and put in olive oil to stew. Peel the carrots and potatoes and cut them into large chunks.
Once the onions are soft, add carrots and potatoes, salt generously, and continue to stew for approximately 10 minutes.
Add vegetable stock, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and simmer until the vegetables are cooked and soft. Take the pot off heat.
Add the cilantro to the pot. Puree the soup in a food processor in multiple batches until smooth. Strain through a medium sized sieve.
Reheat on stove and serve with crusty bread!



  
I'd take the smell of cilantro over bags of basil in a closed room any day.  
-Julia

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Mother Hornworm


The mother of the hornworm.  A lucky find by Nick!
Above, the elusive mother moth sleeping.  She will eventually give birth to the hornworm, below in its wormy splendor.  Nick and Nicky found 38 hornworms in the tomato tunnel the other day followed by another day of 25!  This is an impressive number considering hornworms blend perfectly with their environment and look exactly like a tomato stem.  We like to describe the hornworm as "the lion of the insect world" out here because one hornworm can disseminate and skeletonize several tomato plants.

In larval stage,  the hornworm rears its ugly head.
Farm Crew 2011!  Despite the mighty larvae,
we've had our best tomatoe crop yet this year!

Pickling!


Pickling Note
First of all, for those fascinated by the manipulation of fresh vegetables into condiment, casserole, or otherwise, I Highly recommend Alice Water’s In the Green Kitchen.  It is more of a collection of techniques than it is a standard cookbook.  Perfect for the CSA subscriber. 
In her book, I found this simple approach to refrigerator pickling:

Pickling can extend the life of a vegetable and is appropriate for carrots, cukes, radishes, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, onions and beets.
She starts with the brine:
1 ½ cup white vinegar
1 ½ cup water
2 ½ T sugar
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
2-3 sprigs of thyme
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
Pinch chili flakes

Bring all of the above to a boil.
Meanwhile, quarter or slice your vegetables (s).
Remove the boiled brine from the stove and cool to room temperature.
Soak the vegetable(s) separately for an hour or so.
Drain and chill.
Serve after chilling or put in a jar in the fridge to keep for weeks!

This method macerates instead of cooks.  Other methods involve actually cooking the veggies in the brine for a short while. 

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Zucchinis Big or Small

At the Lincoln Square market we will often display a gigantic zucchini on the table along with the midsize ones.  To this bigger zucchini,  many customers remark "This is the biggest zucchini in the world!"  while a contingent of Eastern European-descent women will pass it from hand to hand, frown, and ask  "Do you have bigger?"
So, in answer, we've learned to save the most obscene zucchinis behind the table. The contingent will not be satisfied without a zucchini at least the size of one thigh.
Big zucchinis are used for baking and stuffing with other veggies or meat.  The smaller to midsize zucchinis have more flavor and are customarily saved for grilling or sauteeing.  It takes no more effort to grow humungous zucchinis than it is to grow tiny ones.  In fact, it is usually more of an effort on our farm to harvest them before they grow thigh-size.
My mom and dad collaborated on a cookbook when my sister and I were young tots:
Resurrected!  6 bucks
julia@peasantsplot.com

Here is a beautiful photo by John Boesche, Official Peasants' Plot CSA Member Extraordinaire:
Thank you, John!
And a recipe by John that is tried and true:


There is no better summer flavor than fresh pesto  … and it freezes well so you can have a taste of summer anytime!

Fresh Basil Pesto

 

Total time: 20 minutes                        Makes: ~ 1 cup


Pesto is an Italian classic; toss with pasta, use as a pizza sauce or serve with bread or crackers for an appetizer. Pesto is very quick and easy to make with a good food processor or blender, or you can finely chop the ingredients and prepare the old-fashion way … with mortar and pestle.

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and dry
  • 4 cloves plump, fresh garlic, peeled
  • 1/3 cup raw pine nuts (or substitute raw walnuts)
  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano is best)

METHOD
  1. toss the basil leaves and garlic into the food processor fitted with the steel blade

  1. start the processor; slowly pour in ½ of the olive oil; stop often to scrape down sides and stir; add remaining oil and pine nuts and blend thoroughly

  1. when all is well blended add the grated cheese and blend till just incorporated … do not over-blend cheese; let stand for about an hour before serving



VEGAN variation:

Same as above, but replace cheese with 1/3 cup nutritional yeast and 3 Tbsp yellow or white miso … pesto is a raw food that is delicious with almost everything!