An early announcement, the CSA pick-up scheduled for 4th of July
will actually happen on Thursday July 5. More reminders to come.
Thanks,
Ben
Week 4
June 20, 2012
Hello CSA members,
I’ve begun to think about our season in phases. In Alaska, where I
farmed for the last 2 years, we had one growing phase: not winter.
When the ground thawed we put everything in as fast as possible, and
once it was in, it all grew until the ground froze. It wasn’t warm
enough to grow tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, or long-season winter
squash, so we didn’t try. Unlike here in New York, it never got hot
enough to make the cauliflower ugly, or the radishes too spicy, or the
peas too ugly. What we could plant, we could plant throughout the
season, which made things simple. We had a regular repertoire of crops
to pick from for each week of the CSA, and we mixed it up between
them, but overall things didn’t change much from late June to late
September. It’s more complicated here, as the season is longer and
different parts of it are good for growing different things. All in
all, it’s a good thing. It means you will receive a wider variety of
crops from us, and our boxes will include the super tasty things
anyone hopes a summer will provide: tomatoes, beans, peppers,
eggplant. As the heat continues to knock off our brassicas
(cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, cabbage) and peas, though, I have to
remind myself we have other things growing in their place. So I
developed the phase system. Here’s how it works:
In my head, I’ve divided the CSA season into four phases of 5 weeks
each. The phases are:
Phase 1: Spring
Spring weather is ideal for growing crops that prefer cool, wet
weather, like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, mustard greens, arugula,
spinach, peas, radishes, turnips, and bok choi. As the weather turns
hotter many of these crops start to bolt, or go to seed, making them
either spicier than we prefer them, or completely inedible. A head of
broccoli, for example, is actually a bunch of unopened flowers. If not
picked soon enough, the bunches will open and flower. When it’s hot,
this can happen before a true head forms, and an entire broccoli crop
can be ruined. We’re getting towards the end of this phase now, as
we’ve reached the solstice and we’re starting to get some real heat.
We still have some cabbage and an exciting surprise brassica left for
you, but from here greens, turnips, radishes, and broccolis will
dwindle for a while.
Phase 2: Early Summer
As the crops we’ve relied on so far begin to disappear, I have to
remind myself that others are on their way. Early summer brings
carrots and beets, celery, beans, small onions and summer squash. Our
zucchini plants are just starting to produce, and we picked a few
today. Hopefully by next week we’ll have enough for the CSA, and the
other early summer crops are not far behind.
Phase 3: Summer
By early August we should have all the crops you’ve been waiting for:
potatoes, tomatoes, onions, eggplant, cucumbers, peppers, and basil.
We’ve got a good amount of all of those things planted, and now we get
to hang on and just hope it’s a good year. The Northeast has had some
major problems with tomato blight in the last 5 years, but it didn’t
reach Growing Heart Farm last year and we hope to stay safe again. To
get you excited, here are the names of some of tomato varieties we are
growing: Indigo Rose, Aunt Ruby’s German Green, Hillbilly Potato Leaf,
and Pruden’s Purple.
Phase 4: Autumn
Depending on how early the frost comes, all of those summer crops will
last into the fall. As it cools, though, we’ll add back in the
brassicas and greens, and you’ll get some late season broccoli,
spinach, and turnips, and add some things that are unique to the fall
because they took all year to grow, like parsnips, winter squash, and
celeriac. The best part of the fall is that as it starts to frost, the
spinach, kale, and carrots start to get sweet as their starches turn
to sugars. It seems way too far away to be talking about…
Well that pretty much gives you a full season summary, in case you
were interested. It also made me realize how much great food we have
headed your way. Another good share this week, here’s what you’ll find
in your bags:
Spring Mix (bag of mixed greens)
Our spring mix should make a great salad again this week, it includes
lettuce, mizuna, ruby streaks (a purple leaf that looks like mizuna),
and arugula.
Arugula (bag of light greens)
Try making a pesto of blended arugula, garlic, nuts, and olive oil
and salt. We’ve been topping tortillas and pasta with this, or just
spread it on toast
Spinach (bag of darker greens)
We pretty much save our spinach to blend in smoothies. It makes them
more nutritious, and it doesn’t have as unique of a flavor as arugula
or spring mix, so it mixes much better with fruit and yogurt. You’ll
notice a little green flavor, but it’s really quite delicious.
Sugar Snap Peas (bag of pods)
Again, just eat ’em
Thyme (bunch of very small leafed, fragrant, stems)
We’re growing a bunch of different culinary herbs for you this
summer, and thyme is one of them. You probably won’t use all of this
or other herbs at once, but you can either dry or freeze any herb you
get from us. To dry, place stems on a cookie sheet in the oven (or put
in a dehydrator) and turn the oven to its lowest setting. Check on the
herb every 30 minutes to an hour. It is dry enough when the leaves can
be crumbled. To freeze, simply place in a ziploc freezer bag and take
out of the freezer when ever you need some.
Broccoli (head)
Yummmmmmmmmmm. Try the recipe below, which includes a peanut sauce. I
love broccoli and peanut sauce…..
Salad Turnips (loose, white, round)
Link to turnip gratin recipe below that should use all 2 pounds
Radishes (bunch of red, purple, pink, and/or white roots)
Try the relish included in last week’s newsletter if you didn’t, or
cut them up and place on a salad. I’m not sure why, but deviled eggs
served next to sliced radishes sounds really good right now.
Napa Cabbage (head of crisp, white/green leaves)
I listed an egg roll recipe below, which I’ve never made. Napa would
also be an excellent spring roll filler. You could mix it with bean
sprouts and shredded carrots, and make some kind of peanut dipping
sauce.
Balsamic Dressing with Thyme
(http://adelightfulhome.com/balsamic-dressing-with-thyme/)
(adapted from Renee Loux’s Balsamic Vinaigrette in The Balanced Plate, page 203)
4 Tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
2 cloves garlic, pressed (I use this awesome garlic press!)
1 ½ Tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped or 2 teaspoons dried
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Pepper to taste
Add all ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake until
well combined. Taste and add extra salt and pepper if needed.
Tofu Broccoli Cashew Peanut Madness (From Asparagus to Zucchini)
1 T butter or oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound herbed tofu, cubed
2 T tamari or soy sauce, divided
½ -3/4 cup peanut butter, preferably crunchy
2-3 t lemon juice
¼ teaspoon cumin or more to taste
cayenne to taste
1 medium head broccoli, peeled and chopped
hot, cooked brown rice
handful of roasted cashews, chopped
Heat butter or oil in skillet, add onion and garlic; saute until soft.
Add tofu and 1 T tari, saute until brown. Remove from pan, In same
pan, mix peanut butter, lemon juice, remaining tablespoon tamari,
cumin, and cayenne. Thin with up to 1 cup water to obtain gravylike
texture. Stir in tofu mixture. Steam broccoli. Serve sauce over
broccoli and brown rice, topped with cashews. Makes 4 servings.
Napa Noodle Egg Rolls (From Asparagus to Zucchini)
3 ½ ounces bean thread noodles
½ pound lean ground pork
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 cups finely shredded napa cabbage
1 egg, beaten
1 T sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound egg roll wrappers
3-4 cups veggie oil
Soak noodles in hot water 15 minutes. Drain well, chop. Mix with pork,
onions, cabbage, egg, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Place egg roll
wrapper on work surface with one corner pointing toward you. Place 2
heaping T of filling near bottom corner, shaping mixture to look like
a cigar. Roll wrapper (lower end) over meat to middle of wrapper.
Brush egdes with egg white and roll up completely. Repearting with
remaining filling and wrappers. Heat oil to 375 degrees. Deep fry egg
rolls in small batches until light brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on
paper towels. Makes 20-25 egg rolls.
A turnip gratin recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/turnip-gratin-recipe/index.html
