Wednesday, November 5, 2008

CSA Harvest #26!

Good Day Farm Friends! I hope this day finds you all very well and open to limitless possibilities!

As many of you may already know we have decided to cut our CSA season 2 weeks short. Although the projected harvest time of December 11th seemed attainable a month ago, we did not expect most of our crops to freeze in early October. When we started the CSA May 1st we had planned to go until Thanksgiving week and so we will now follow that plan. I need to know from you what day of the week the last harvest share should be delivered (seeing as how Thursday is Thanksgiving) Would Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday be best? We will go with whatever input we get from each of you on that one.

Also please consider Big Lick Farm CSA shares for next year as a potential gift for family or a close friend! We will be more than happy to put together a beautiful gift card (with farm photo) redeemable for CSA share!

The farm seems so lonely now that the season has wrapped up. Luckily we had fair warning of the turn in the weather and were able to get (most) of our fall chores done while the weather was still warm and dry. One big project we need to work on is disassembling our greenhouse at my mom's land and moving it over to our new home. Come January the 2009 season will begin with sowing seeds of tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, broccoli and many others. The fall and winter season is spent dreaming about how the next year farming will be even better than the last.

One thing that will be better is we have resigned ourselves to the necessity of buying deer fencing!

Enjoy these last few weeks of fresh, local food!

Suzie, Asinete, M.A., Robin and Violet

This Week's Harvest Includes:

Onions

Kiwi Fruit from Big Lick!

Chard or Kale

Potatoes

Garlic

Winter Squash (Red Kuri, Butternut or Gold Acorn) Turnips Italian Parsley


Carrots

Turnips

Broccoli

*To ripen your kiwis please put them in a paper bag with one apple and leave at room temp. They will take over a week to ripen but check them frequently.

RECIPES
Garlic Creamed Chard (kale can be substituted for chard) Thanks Judy for heads up on this one!
From EatingWell Magazine December 2006

Makes 4 servings, about 2/3 cup each
ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound chard, stems and leaves separated, chopped (see Note) 2 tablespoons minced garlic 4 teaspoons unsalted butter 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour 2/3 cup low-fat /4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chard stems and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in chard leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Cover and cook, stirring once, until tender, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a colander placed in the sink and press with a wooden spoon to remove excess liquid. Return the chard to the pot, cover and keep warm. 2. Place garlic and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook until bubbling, about 30 seconds. Add milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg; cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the chard into the sauce and serve immediately.
NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 141 calories; 9 g fat (4 g sat, 3 g mono); 13 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrate; 4 g protein; 2 g fiber; 369 sodium; 625 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin K (463% daily value), Vitamin A (140% dv), Vitamin C (35% dv), Magnesium (24% dv).1/2 Carbohydrate Serving Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1 1/2 fat
TIP: Note: After washing the chard for these recipes, allow some of the water to cling to the leaves. It helps steam the chard and prevents a dry finished dish.

More Turnips More Recipe Ideas!

Chunky Chicken and Rice Soup with Turnips

Yield
10 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
Ingredients
8 cups water
1 (3-pound) chicken
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 cups chopped leek (about 2 large)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cups coarsely chopped peeled turnips (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup uncooked long-grain or basmati rice
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese
Preparation
Combine water and chicken in a large Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, 1 hour. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from cooking liquid (broth); place chicken in a bowl, and chill for 15 minutes. Remove skin from chicken, and remove meat from bones, discarding skin and bones. Chop chicken into bite-size pieces; cover and chill. Strain broth through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. Skim fat from surface; discard. Reserve 6 cups broth.
Heat the oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add the leek, basil, thyme, and oregano; sauté 5 minutes or until leek is browned. Add reserved broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in the turnips and rice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until turnips are tender. Partially mash turnips with a potato masher. Add chicken, milk, and salt, and cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat, and add cheese, stirring until melted.
Nutritional Information
Calories:
213 (30% from fat)
Fat:
7.1g (sat 2.7g,mono 2.3g,poly 1.3g)
Protein:
20.9g
Carbohydrate:
15.4g
Fiber:
1.1g
Cholesterol:
57mg
Iron:
1.8mg
Sodium:
396mg
Calcium:
173mg
Cooking Light, JANUARY 2000

French Braised Carrots and Turnips Recipes from a Kitchen Garden

1 pound carrots, peeled 1 pound turnips peeled and halved 2 cups chicken stock

2 tsps sugar 2 TBSPS butter salt and pepper to taste

Cut carrots and turnips into 1/2 inch slices. Place the carrots and turnips in a large, heavy saucepan with the stock, sugar, butter, and salt and pepper. Cook them partially covered, over medium heat until they are tender (about 20 mins) less if vegetables are very fresh. Check the seasoning. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve in a warmed serving dish. 4-6 servings

Disfruta!















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