Veggie Times Week 11
On the farm
Bulk Veggies this week:
kale: (minimum 5 bunches) $12/ for 5
Basil: 1/2 pound bag for $6.00
Please email me to confirm your order by Monday night. Payment must either be sent to us or given at market if you pick up at markets.
Greetings! It is looking like we are going to get a little break from the rain now. Brendan is going to have to remember how to run irrigation it's been so long! This week we are doing our final seeding of quick growing greens into the fields. Our last few green plantings will hopefully hold us until the last boxes or maybe a little further if weather is good. In other news, it seems like every year some crops do really well, some do average and some not so great. We are slowly learning that this is ok and besides giving crops what they need and what we can control, there isn't much more we can do. If it is going to torrential rain every week it is going to hurt crops, and if it's very hot some crops won't do well until it cools down again. This year we've had an awesome eggplant harvest so far, tomatoes look great, cabbage, broccoli, onions, and much more have also done awesome. This hasn't been a year for zucchini or greens. They both started out great, but with all the rain they've either lost too many nutrients due to runoff or the greens don't dry out enough and start to rot or bolt before they mature. It's frustrating but I need to remind myself there is nothing I can do about the weather. The best we can do is really enjoy what is bountiful each season, because this is what eating local is all about. As nighttime temperatures continue to dip we expect a drop in zucchini (already happened) and cucumbers. This is just making space for the sweet roots and fall crops you'll start getting soon! Finally, a note on apples. You are getting a few different varieties, they are all on the tart side, but are great for baking if you don't want to eat them! Enjoy!
Finally, my social media plug...If you are into facebook, and want to hear more regularly about farm happenings, please join our private CSA members group. We post pictures almost daily of farm happenings and recipes, and we are loving some of the pictures other folks are posting too. Keep it coming!
Recipes
*A note on celery* you'll notice our celery doesn't taste like store bought celery...it's much much stronger flavored. I like to use it mostly in soups and cooking where a strong celery flavor really shines.
Chocolate Beet Cake
4 medium beets, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
Salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup safflower oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Vegetable oil cooking spray for greasing
Cover beets with 2 inches of water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until very tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 30 minutes. Drain. Puree beets in a food processor until smooth. Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, 3/4 tsp salt in a large bowl. Whisk in eggs, water, oil, vanilla, and 1 1/4 cups beet puree (reserve extra for another use). Coat a 9-inch round cake pan (3 inches deep) with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment, and coat with spray. Pour batter into pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Turn out cake from pan, and discard parchment. Let cool completely, right side up. Trim top of cake using a serrated knife to create a level surface. Transfer cake, cut side down, to a platter. Pour chocolate glaze over the top, and let set, about 30 minutes.
Chocolate Glaze
1 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tiny pinches of salt
Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Bring the cream and salt to a simmer. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Wait 60 seconds to soften the chocolate, and then stir until the chocolate is entirely melted ad the mixture is smooth. Cool to thicken slightly. Pour over the cake ad let set at room temperature.
Carrot Ginger Soup
2 tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/8-1/4 cup minced ginger depending on flavor preference
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
4-6 cups chicken stock
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
chopped chives, for garnish
Set a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the melted butter and olive oil to the pot. Once the butter is melted, place the onions and celery in the pot. Sweat the vegetables until the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic to the pot and cook for 30 seconds. Place all of the carrots in the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are lightly caramelized and start to soften, about 7-8 minutes. Add the stock, salt, pepper, and bay leaf to the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook the soup until the carrots are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf from the pot and using a immersion blender puree the soup or in batches in a blender. Adjust the seasoning and add the heavy cream to the pot. To serve, garnish with 1 Tbsp of sour cream/serving and a sprinkling of fresh chives.
Kale Onion and Potato Frittata
Vegetable oil
1 yellow or white onion, or 2 leeks sliced
1 pound kale,coarsely chopped and sautéed until bright green
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups boiled diced potatoes
6 eggs
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt and a sprinkle of pepper
Favorite cheese-grated (optional)
Heat oven to 400F. In a cast-iron skillet coated with cooking oil, cook yellow onion over medium heat, stirring often for 5 minutes. Add garlic, add cook until fragrant. Add potatoes and kale. Whisk eggs, 2 Tbsp water (or milk), paprika, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour egg mixture into skillet with vegetables already in it. Add cheese if desired. Cook over medium-low heat 1 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven; bake until eggs are set and center is slightly runny, 6-8 minutes. Broil until top is golden, 1 minute
Serve with a baked or roasted tomatoes
Here's an eggplant recipe I've been wanting to make!
Some of the full shares will be getting golden beets. Here is another fun way to use either color
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