This is week 23, out of 25 weeks! That means only 2 more weeks of farm shares after this Thursday. We are on the home stretch here, folks. That said, we still have some nice veggies to give out before the year is over. Hope you are all still enjoying cooking up your veggies.
Everything in your share this week should look a bit familiar....after some unusual veggies mixed in over the last few weeks, this week's share is not so esoteric. But we will have some more strange winter vegetables coming your way in the last few shares, so get ready! That said, I was actually trying to decide whether to put some dry dent corn in the share this week, which would be truly unusual....I ended up deciding that most folks probably wouldn't care for it too much. We grew a lot of dry corn for Vincent to make polenta at the Orchard Kitchen. It is similar to Indian corn and makes a pretty Fall decoration, or you can remove it from the cobs and grind it (maybe in a coffee grinder or food processor) into cornmeal. If you are interested, let me know and I'll try to get a few ears to you! Here's the share this week:
Kale- Although you can harvest kale 12 months out of the year here in the Pacific Northwest, this time of year is when I really get the hankering to eat it. Warm greens are so satisfying on a chilly night. Or this recipe with ramen noodles and kale! You can use the leek in place of scallion:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ramen-noodles-with-kale-56389409
Carrots- We have so many carrots still in the field it's crazy! We will be giving you carrots for the next 3 weeks for sure. If you get overwhelmed with too many carrots (and don't want to make a pot of carrot soup), just put them in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer and they should last for many weeks....you could potentially have our carrots til Christmas!
Beets- Rather than a fancy beet recipe, I thought I'd just tell you my easy basic way of cooking beets....it is very similar to making oven cooked potatoes, but with beets. Just chop off the tops and the bottoms, then cut up the beet into half inch cubes. Put the beets on an oiled cookie sheet, sprinkle salt and pepper over the top, and roast them in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. Always tasty!
Acorn Squash- As promised, the winter squash is back this week....and there will be a different kind in your share for each of the next three weeks. If you want to store your squash for later, don't put it in the fridge...just leave it out in a warm, dry spot in the kitchen and it should last for many weeks. Wow, I might have to make this recipe, it looks really good and would use up your kale, too:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/acorn-squash-with-kale-and-sausage-51203850
Brussels sprouts- There are a lot of Brussels sprout haters out there, I think mostly because the ones at the grocery store are usually so gross. Truly, home grown ones are a totally different beast than the sprouts you may have had in the past. Give them a chance and I bet you will love them!
I KNEW Martha would have some banging recipes for this occasion:
http://www.marthastewart.com/275510/brussels-sprout-recipes#642659
Peppers- Our last peppers of the years, not bad at the end of October. This warm October weather has definitely helped the peppers keep producing...and they are still going strong, but with the days getting shorter and cooler they are just ripening so slowly now that I can't imagine we will have any more after this pick.
Leeks- More leeks in your share this week, I hope you are enjoying them and getting the hang of cooking with them. As suggested above, use them in place of scallions (or onions), or check out Martha's recipes and tips on how to use them:
http://www.marthastewart.com/274312/leek-recipes
Lettuce- It is time to enjoy your last lettuce salad of the year...at least with Ebb Tide lettuce....they should still have it at the grocery store! This will be from our final lettuce planting of 2015, and while the heads didn't get super big, they are very pretty and should be very tasty.
Share for October 22nd...
We are getting into late October here this week, and it is beginning to look like it. I was taking baby Nico for a walk this morning and we went through a tornado of leaves coming down in front of Bayview School. Still surprisingly warm, though..it was up in the mid 60s this afternoon, despite the blustery wind. Seems like before too long we're bound to get into some cooler nights. Here's what's in this week's share...
Potatoes- More of our German Butterball potatoes. We have been really sorting through these hard to try to give you potatoes with the minimum of pest damage...unfortunately a lot of our potatoes got ruined. Jack and Whitney are trying to hatch a plan to make vodka from all the cull potatoes we are pulling out. Enjoy the creme de la creme! If you find a small amount of damage, hopefully it can easily be sliced off and composted.
Arugula- After many weeks of lettuce, time to mix it up with some arugula. I'm hoping we can get some spinach in the share one more time this Fall, too, but we cut it a little too hard, so we're now waiting to see if it will grow back. The arugula has grown back really well though, and should be great for a spicy salad, pasta, or arugula pesto....here's a recipe from Martha, and you could definitely use the chicory bunch (see below), as it's very similar in taste to the radicchio called for in this recipe:
http://www.marthastewart.com/319360/arugula-salad-with-figs-pine-nuts-and-ra
and here's more recipes from the same site:
http://www.marthastewart.com/274753/arugula-recipes#235667
Chicory bunch- This crop is basically a cultivated form of dandelion greens, with a pleasant, slightly bitter flavor similar to escarole, endive, or radicchio (see recipe above). It can be chopped and eaten raw, if you don't mind a little bit of chew and the slightly bitter taste...or lightly sauteeing or steaming it makes it both milder flavored and more tender.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/sauteed-dandelion-greens-242014
Cauliflower- We should be picking some very nice cauliflower heads for you this week. Exciting, to have cauliflower again for the first time in months! Our Fall brassica patch has done very well, with beautiful heads of broccoli, cabbage, and now cauliflower.....hopefully if the weather stays relatively mild, we should have more cauliflower over the next few weeks!
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/apr/06/10-best-cauliflower-recipes
Collard greens- More delicious collard greens...hearty, healthy and satisfying on cooler evenings! Collards are more tolerant of hot weather than other cabbage family crops, which is why they're popular in Africa, India, the South, and other warm places...but they're also tougher in cold weather, so I will hopefully still be eating collards in February. Last time I posted a recipe for Southern style collards, so this time I'll just point out that there are lots of other great ways to use collards....pretty much any way you're accustomed to cooking kale, try subbing in collards and the results are usually great.
Carrots- A big bunch of carrots in your share this week! The carrots continue to be awesome. Hope you're finding good ways to enjoy them. Baby Nico loves to gnaw on raw carrots as a teething toy, so we are probably using more carrots for that right now than any other way.
Rutabega- Here is a nice web link with some great rutabega info and recipes:
http://www.thekitchn.com/why-you-should-give-rutabaga-a-chance-183530
Give rutabega a chance! In spite of their somewhat homely looks, they are actually very delicious, and if you are of European descent they probably helped keep your ancestors alive through the winter.
Garlic- More garlic from our friends at Deep Harvest Farm....we are just about to begin planting our garlic for next year....maybe as soon as tomorrow. We are planting 5 or 6 beds, which is twice as much as last year, and I am expecting it will take a couple of days to get it all in the ground. I have "popped" or broken apart all the heads of seed garlic, and they are in bags at my house, ready to go in the ground. Jack plowed up the garlic field, so now we just need to find the time to stick it in the ground. Hopefully you will all be enjoying the fruits of our labors next year!
Have a great week!
Potatoes- More of our German Butterball potatoes. We have been really sorting through these hard to try to give you potatoes with the minimum of pest damage...unfortunately a lot of our potatoes got ruined. Jack and Whitney are trying to hatch a plan to make vodka from all the cull potatoes we are pulling out. Enjoy the creme de la creme! If you find a small amount of damage, hopefully it can easily be sliced off and composted.
Arugula- After many weeks of lettuce, time to mix it up with some arugula. I'm hoping we can get some spinach in the share one more time this Fall, too, but we cut it a little too hard, so we're now waiting to see if it will grow back. The arugula has grown back really well though, and should be great for a spicy salad, pasta, or arugula pesto....here's a recipe from Martha, and you could definitely use the chicory bunch (see below), as it's very similar in taste to the radicchio called for in this recipe:
http://www.marthastewart.com/319360/arugula-salad-with-figs-pine-nuts-and-ra
and here's more recipes from the same site:
http://www.marthastewart.com/274753/arugula-recipes#235667
Chicory bunch- This crop is basically a cultivated form of dandelion greens, with a pleasant, slightly bitter flavor similar to escarole, endive, or radicchio (see recipe above). It can be chopped and eaten raw, if you don't mind a little bit of chew and the slightly bitter taste...or lightly sauteeing or steaming it makes it both milder flavored and more tender.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/sauteed-dandelion-greens-242014
Cauliflower- We should be picking some very nice cauliflower heads for you this week. Exciting, to have cauliflower again for the first time in months! Our Fall brassica patch has done very well, with beautiful heads of broccoli, cabbage, and now cauliflower.....hopefully if the weather stays relatively mild, we should have more cauliflower over the next few weeks!
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/apr/06/10-best-cauliflower-recipes
Collard greens- More delicious collard greens...hearty, healthy and satisfying on cooler evenings! Collards are more tolerant of hot weather than other cabbage family crops, which is why they're popular in Africa, India, the South, and other warm places...but they're also tougher in cold weather, so I will hopefully still be eating collards in February. Last time I posted a recipe for Southern style collards, so this time I'll just point out that there are lots of other great ways to use collards....pretty much any way you're accustomed to cooking kale, try subbing in collards and the results are usually great.
Carrots- A big bunch of carrots in your share this week! The carrots continue to be awesome. Hope you're finding good ways to enjoy them. Baby Nico loves to gnaw on raw carrots as a teething toy, so we are probably using more carrots for that right now than any other way.
Rutabega- Here is a nice web link with some great rutabega info and recipes:
http://www.thekitchn.com/why-you-should-give-rutabaga-a-chance-183530
Give rutabega a chance! In spite of their somewhat homely looks, they are actually very delicious, and if you are of European descent they probably helped keep your ancestors alive through the winter.
Garlic- More garlic from our friends at Deep Harvest Farm....we are just about to begin planting our garlic for next year....maybe as soon as tomorrow. We are planting 5 or 6 beds, which is twice as much as last year, and I am expecting it will take a couple of days to get it all in the ground. I have "popped" or broken apart all the heads of seed garlic, and they are in bags at my house, ready to go in the ground. Jack plowed up the garlic field, so now we just need to find the time to stick it in the ground. Hopefully you will all be enjoying the fruits of our labors next year!
Have a great week!
Week 21...
Howdy, partners...
We had a great family vacation this week out to the Olympic Peninsula. We rented a 1981 VW bus in Port Angeles and drove out to Neah Bay; we hiked out to Cape Flattery, where we saw whales, and to Shi Shi Beach on the Pacific coast. We also managed to see elk, deer, seals, raccoons, and a bunch of cool birds, fish, insects, mushrooms, and plants. Nico did pretty well and had a great time after having a rough first night.
It was great to get away...I had not been off of Whidbey island for longer than 24 hours in 6 months!! Happy to be back now and beginning the final phase of our farm share adventure. Here's what's in this week's share:
Cabbage- We have not had much cabbage in the share so far this year, but we have some beautiful Fall cabbages now to make up for it. They are a pretty good size....not intimidatingly huge, but not too small, either....good for at least a few side dishes or one big meal. This recipe features lots of butter and promises to win over cabbage haters:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/buttered-cabbage-241777
Beets- More delicious beets! Beet sales are funny at the farm stand and farmer's market...even though we've had them ever since late Spring, sales really slowed down throughout the Summer, and are now picking up again in the Fall. Beets do seem especially satisfying and comforting in cooler weather, and I guess that may be the reason. Here's another recipe from epicurious:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/beet-risotto-56389492
I just saw that the Orchard Kitchen is offering classes this weekend on ravioli and risotto, too! Sign up before it's too late!
Celery- Have to harvest all the celery before the first frost...there is nothing worse than losing celery to cold weather. The plant still looks normal and great, but the stalks all get mushy and gross on the inside. We are ahead of the game, and I am anticipating after this week we will have no celery left....and it hasn't even gotten into the 30s yet, I don't think.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/celery-soup-51246210
I am going to give everyone a small bunch of dill, just in case you want to make this soup!
Dill- For the soup, as previously mentioned. Or for anything else you'd like.
Ruby Streaks mizuna- Mizuna is an Asian green unknown to most Westerners, except maybe as a component of salad mixes. But it can be very tasty on its own, and the color of this purple-red variety is so pretty I couldn't resist adding it to the share. Here's is an appropriate blog entry:
http://www.thekitchn.com/what-can-i-do-with-mizuna-good-117970
Onion- Really great to have onion this time of year, for making soups, sauces, stews, roasts, and all that good comforting stuff. These are our copra storage onions, which I wish we'd planted more off, as we already sold out of all the onions we grew except the ones we reserved to give to you!
Peppers- These will probably be the last peppers in the share this year, so enjoy. Here is a recipe for oven roasted peppers, a great way to enjoy them on the cooler nights.
http://markbittman.com/how-to-cook-everything-the-basics-roasted-pep/
If you haven't seen the book, "How to Cook Everything", it is a great cookbook with simple, easy to use recipes for all kinds of stuff (as the name implies).
Winter squash- This week we are giving you a buttercup kabocha squash...it is the fourth and final type of winter squash we grew this year. It is a pretty good keeper, so if you are backed up on winter squash right now, leave it out on your counter and it should be fine for many weeks. There will be potatoes in the share next week, and no winter squash, so we will give you a few weeks to catch up! Here's the last recipe for this week:
http://www.food.com/recipe/buttercup-squash-casserole-337982
We had a great family vacation this week out to the Olympic Peninsula. We rented a 1981 VW bus in Port Angeles and drove out to Neah Bay; we hiked out to Cape Flattery, where we saw whales, and to Shi Shi Beach on the Pacific coast. We also managed to see elk, deer, seals, raccoons, and a bunch of cool birds, fish, insects, mushrooms, and plants. Nico did pretty well and had a great time after having a rough first night.
It was great to get away...I had not been off of Whidbey island for longer than 24 hours in 6 months!! Happy to be back now and beginning the final phase of our farm share adventure. Here's what's in this week's share:
Cabbage- We have not had much cabbage in the share so far this year, but we have some beautiful Fall cabbages now to make up for it. They are a pretty good size....not intimidatingly huge, but not too small, either....good for at least a few side dishes or one big meal. This recipe features lots of butter and promises to win over cabbage haters:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/buttered-cabbage-241777
Beets- More delicious beets! Beet sales are funny at the farm stand and farmer's market...even though we've had them ever since late Spring, sales really slowed down throughout the Summer, and are now picking up again in the Fall. Beets do seem especially satisfying and comforting in cooler weather, and I guess that may be the reason. Here's another recipe from epicurious:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/beet-risotto-56389492
I just saw that the Orchard Kitchen is offering classes this weekend on ravioli and risotto, too! Sign up before it's too late!
Celery- Have to harvest all the celery before the first frost...there is nothing worse than losing celery to cold weather. The plant still looks normal and great, but the stalks all get mushy and gross on the inside. We are ahead of the game, and I am anticipating after this week we will have no celery left....and it hasn't even gotten into the 30s yet, I don't think.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/celery-soup-51246210
I am going to give everyone a small bunch of dill, just in case you want to make this soup!
Dill- For the soup, as previously mentioned. Or for anything else you'd like.
Ruby Streaks mizuna- Mizuna is an Asian green unknown to most Westerners, except maybe as a component of salad mixes. But it can be very tasty on its own, and the color of this purple-red variety is so pretty I couldn't resist adding it to the share. Here's is an appropriate blog entry:
http://www.thekitchn.com/what-can-i-do-with-mizuna-good-117970
Onion- Really great to have onion this time of year, for making soups, sauces, stews, roasts, and all that good comforting stuff. These are our copra storage onions, which I wish we'd planted more off, as we already sold out of all the onions we grew except the ones we reserved to give to you!
Peppers- These will probably be the last peppers in the share this year, so enjoy. Here is a recipe for oven roasted peppers, a great way to enjoy them on the cooler nights.
http://markbittman.com/how-to-cook-everything-the-basics-roasted-pep/
If you haven't seen the book, "How to Cook Everything", it is a great cookbook with simple, easy to use recipes for all kinds of stuff (as the name implies).
Winter squash- This week we are giving you a buttercup kabocha squash...it is the fourth and final type of winter squash we grew this year. It is a pretty good keeper, so if you are backed up on winter squash right now, leave it out on your counter and it should be fine for many weeks. There will be potatoes in the share next week, and no winter squash, so we will give you a few weeks to catch up! Here's the last recipe for this week:
http://www.food.com/recipe/buttercup-squash-casserole-337982
Blog for Week 20...
The 20th week of our 2015 Farm Share, and we're happy to be still going strong. Excited to be bringing you more veggies over the next month, too. I am writing the blog post this week as I watch the Seahawks on Monday night football....go Hawks!
Here's what's in your share:
Delicata squash- Delicata squash is the long, tube shaped squash that is pale yellow with orange and green flecks. You will be seeing a few in your share very soon. They are very delicious and probably the easiest winter squash to use. If you slice them in half long wise and scoop out the seed cavity, you can bake the halves at 400 degrees for about a half hour, or steam them for fifteen minutes or so. Or you can chop them into C-shaped rounds and fry them! There are so many great ways to use delicata. Here is a blog post more eloquent than I could write:
http://summertomato.com/better-than-butternut-roasted-delicata-squash-recipe/
Carrots- This week I think you'll be getting the first of our winter carrots, which are pretty similar in flavor to the summer carrots but much more cold tolerant and hardy. A fun fact: Although our carrots are already pretty sweet, they should get sweeter as the Fall goes on....cold weather will trigger the plants to send more sugar in their roots in order to store energy. Over the coming weeks you can see if you notice a difference. There will be beets and no carrots in next week's share, so maybe we'll give you a larger bunch this week.
Lettuce- Well, I just noticed this morning that the deer have once again found a way into our field and nibbled some lettuce...it's not too big a deal, as we have lots of lettuce that won't survive even a light frost, which could be upon us before too long here. But hopefully they don't keep coming back for more....on the list for next year: better deer fencing.
Broccoli- Hope you enjoyed the broccoli from last week, as there's some more headed your way. The fall broccoli is looking great and came on right in the time frame we hoped it would. Also, several crops on the farm are having pest issues, and amazingly the broccoli, which is usually pretty susceptible to pest problems, seems to be in great shape (knock wood).
Here's Martha's broccoli page. Aaaah, Martha... she has a fascinating looking article on the web right now..."how to iron properly"
http://www.marthastewart.com/1011281/broccoli-recipes/@center/276955/seasonal-produce-recipe-guide#964975
Braising Mix- Braising mix, is, as the name implies, a mix of greens for braising. I didn't actually know what, exactly, braising meant, so I just looked it up; it means to fry or sauté in some oil at a higher heat, and then turn the heat down and cover to finish cooking. Ironically, although I wouldn't have been able to tell you this was braising was, this is often exactly how I cook braising greens. Go figure. They make a great side dish, all they need is some olive oil for sautéing, salt, pepper, and maybe some vinegar or lemon juice. Serve them with a starch and a protein for a good old fashioned meal!
Green tomatoes- This time of year is green tomato season, as we begin to pick underripe fruit that won't have time to ripen before the weather gets too cool. Doing this also gives the rest of the fruit a better chance of ripening...so just maybe we'll be able to give you a few ripe tomatoes too, either this week or next. If you haven't ever made fried green tomatoes, they are truly delicious!! Here is an article from Southern Living, of course the authority on green tomato recipes.
http://www.southernliving.com/food/6-ways-with-green-tomatoes/classic-fried-green-tomatoes-recipe
Eggplant (or Pepper)- Last but certainly not least....we resisted the urge to harvest ANY peppers or eggplants last week so that we'd have enough for your shares this week. I would like to give every one an eggplant or two, but if we're a bit short then people on the North End may get peppers instead...in which case we'll reverse it next week, and give North Enders eggplant and South Enders peppers. Enjoy!
http://www.marthastewart.com/274258/eggplant-recipes/@center/276955/seasonal-produce-recipe-guide
Here's what's in your share:
Delicata squash- Delicata squash is the long, tube shaped squash that is pale yellow with orange and green flecks. You will be seeing a few in your share very soon. They are very delicious and probably the easiest winter squash to use. If you slice them in half long wise and scoop out the seed cavity, you can bake the halves at 400 degrees for about a half hour, or steam them for fifteen minutes or so. Or you can chop them into C-shaped rounds and fry them! There are so many great ways to use delicata. Here is a blog post more eloquent than I could write:
http://summertomato.com/better-than-butternut-roasted-delicata-squash-recipe/
Carrots- This week I think you'll be getting the first of our winter carrots, which are pretty similar in flavor to the summer carrots but much more cold tolerant and hardy. A fun fact: Although our carrots are already pretty sweet, they should get sweeter as the Fall goes on....cold weather will trigger the plants to send more sugar in their roots in order to store energy. Over the coming weeks you can see if you notice a difference. There will be beets and no carrots in next week's share, so maybe we'll give you a larger bunch this week.
Lettuce- Well, I just noticed this morning that the deer have once again found a way into our field and nibbled some lettuce...it's not too big a deal, as we have lots of lettuce that won't survive even a light frost, which could be upon us before too long here. But hopefully they don't keep coming back for more....on the list for next year: better deer fencing.
Broccoli- Hope you enjoyed the broccoli from last week, as there's some more headed your way. The fall broccoli is looking great and came on right in the time frame we hoped it would. Also, several crops on the farm are having pest issues, and amazingly the broccoli, which is usually pretty susceptible to pest problems, seems to be in great shape (knock wood).
Here's Martha's broccoli page. Aaaah, Martha... she has a fascinating looking article on the web right now..."how to iron properly"
http://www.marthastewart.com/1011281/broccoli-recipes/@center/276955/seasonal-produce-recipe-guide#964975
Braising Mix- Braising mix, is, as the name implies, a mix of greens for braising. I didn't actually know what, exactly, braising meant, so I just looked it up; it means to fry or sauté in some oil at a higher heat, and then turn the heat down and cover to finish cooking. Ironically, although I wouldn't have been able to tell you this was braising was, this is often exactly how I cook braising greens. Go figure. They make a great side dish, all they need is some olive oil for sautéing, salt, pepper, and maybe some vinegar or lemon juice. Serve them with a starch and a protein for a good old fashioned meal!
Green tomatoes- This time of year is green tomato season, as we begin to pick underripe fruit that won't have time to ripen before the weather gets too cool. Doing this also gives the rest of the fruit a better chance of ripening...so just maybe we'll be able to give you a few ripe tomatoes too, either this week or next. If you haven't ever made fried green tomatoes, they are truly delicious!! Here is an article from Southern Living, of course the authority on green tomato recipes.
http://www.southernliving.com/food/6-ways-with-green-tomatoes/classic-fried-green-tomatoes-recipe
Eggplant (or Pepper)- Last but certainly not least....we resisted the urge to harvest ANY peppers or eggplants last week so that we'd have enough for your shares this week. I would like to give every one an eggplant or two, but if we're a bit short then people on the North End may get peppers instead...in which case we'll reverse it next week, and give North Enders eggplant and South Enders peppers. Enjoy!
http://www.marthastewart.com/274258/eggplant-recipes/@center/276955/seasonal-produce-recipe-guide
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