Hey there fellow veggie lovers! Can it really be almost the end of our second CSA season?? Please note that the last CSA delivery for this season will be this coming Monday at the same time as always. We ask that you please bring bags with you as we do not want to have to track down the baskets if you take them home again. To make it much simpler on ourselves.. if you are planning on joining us again next year we would like to just hang onto the $10 basket deposit you gave us. If you feel like you will not be joining us again please contact us via email and let us know so we can send deposit back in your basket on Monday.
This week we are fortunate to have some beautiful shallots and parsnips grown by friend, CSA farmer and writer Zoe Bradbury. Zoe wrote the article a few weeks back on the status of migrant farm workers in Oregon. Zoe, her mom and sister run a beautiful farm over on the south coast out of Langlois. Asinete and I went over there Monday to see their operation and find out a few tricks of the trade. As we joyously pulled parsnips out of the cold mud and lifted rocks out of the field it dawned on me how much more enjoyable it is to work on someone else's farm for awhile! We left the coast with the wind at our backs and a truckload full of beautiful golden shallots and white javelin parsnips. Worry not as these beauties have been grown with pure love and no chemicals. Zoe (like us) grows organically but does not feel the need to become certified as she only sells locally. We hope you enjoy some of the bounty of Valley Flora Farm this week!
As for our own fields we had planted enough cauliflower for everyone a few months ago and most of it is still not ready. There may be just enough for those of you who are getting a full share. Also as Asinete and I dug the carrots today that were coated in a thick layer of mud we could not see that many of them have the mark of the dreaded wire worm. The wire worm is a segmented critter that lives in the soil an particularly loves to tunnel into roots and tubers (remember the little holes on some of your taters?) The carrots are as sweet and crunchy as ever, they just may not be quite as pretty. Also we will be sure you all get a large "going away" bunch in your last CSA share Monday.
If you are like us (procrastinators) and you still have not planned out your Thanksgiving meal please remember that we have a local, heritage, pasture raised turkey farmer in our midst. His name is Karey Olson and with his wife they run B&K Natural Poultry out of Sutherlin. I just talked with him today and they still have turkeys available. They are very reasonably priced for heritage birds ($3.50/lb) and you know they had a great life eating bugs and fresh grass. They will be delivering dressed birds this Tuesday for pick up at Kruse Market off Garden Valley. Call them to reserve a bird and keep your food dollars local~ (541) 459-0830.
Turkey season reminds me of my second year running a CSA farm in rural Monterey County. I decided to supplement my farming income by raising 30 heritage turkeys (bourbon reds, Narraganset, royal palm) I lived in school housing (as a teacher) and decided my back yard would be the perfect turkey pen. Everything went well the first 5 months and then as November neared the rain started falling early in California and my fancy turkeys did not have shelter. Turkeys are notorious for drowning in the rain as they look up in the sky to see where the water is coming from. I was not going to let my turkeys drown! So I did what any caring turkey mother would do..I let them into my garage. I'll never forget the look on the school principle's face when he was checking the school houses one day. He thankfully did not look in the garage.. but when he closed the front door thirty turkeys in the garage gobbled goodbye to him at once. He knew me well enough to not ask any questions! The beautiful turkeys did make it to the tables of many of our CSA members with one reprieve.. Miss Thang.. a little white midget turkey that was pretty much the boss of all the others and decided I was her mate. She was adopted by a vegetarian family and had a wonderful life. And I have been wise enough to never try raising turkeys again! So thank you B&K Natural Poultry for filling that niche in Douglas County.
We hope you will be able to eat your way through this week's basket to make room for Monday's bounty!
Thank you!
Suzie, Asinete, M.A, Violet & Robin
This Week's Harvest Includes:
Valley Flora Shallots
Valley Flora Parsnips
Baby Joi Choi
Carrots
Daikon Radish
Butternut Squash
Red or Green Cabbage (these will store well. We have so many in the field!)
Rosemary (for recipe below)
Storage Onion
Parsnips!
The parsnip looks like a white, overgrown carrot. It is sweet with a texture like a sweet potato and can be eaten raw or cooked. They are wonderful in soups and stews as well as roasted or mashed like potatoes. Parsnips are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Recipe Ideas for your Parsnips:
Sauteed Parsnips with Carrots, Honey and Rosemary~ from Epicurious
yield: Makes 8 servings
To add richness, sauté three ounces sliced pancetta until crisp; crumble over before serving.
Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 pound carrots (about 4 large), peeled, cut into 3x1/4x1/4-inch sticks
* 1 pound large parsnips, peeled, halved lengthwise, cored, cut into 3x1/4x1/4-inch sticks
* Coarse kosher salt
* 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
* 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
Preparation
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots and parsnips. Sprinkle with coarse kosher salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables are beginning to brown at edges, about 12 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
Add butter, rosemary, and honey to vegetables. Toss over medium heat until heated through and vegetables are glazed, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if desired.
FROM OUR TEST KITCHEN: Carrots can take a bit longer to cook than parsnips, so if the carrots are large and mature, sauté them for a minute or two to soften slightly before adding the parsnips.
Pureed Roasted Parsnips
The easiest way to prepare parsnips is to slice them, steam them, and dress with butter and salt. However, to get the fullest, richest flavor from the parsnips, they should be roasted. The browning caramelizes the natural sugars in the parsnips. In this recipe we first roast the parsnips with some butter, then purée them with added water. It's quite simple, but if you've never had parsnips this way, you're in for a treat.
Ingredients
2 lbs parsnips, peeled, stringy cores removed, chopped (about 1 1/2 pounds after removing cores)
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 1/2 cup water
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Peel parsnips, make a cut off the top of the fat end of each parsnip. This will show you extent of the inner core. Often this core is stringy and woody, especially at the larger end of the parsnip. When you are prepping the parsnips, cut around this core.
2 Place chopped parsnips in a medium sized bowl, add the melted butter and stir to coat. Lay out the parsnips on a roasting pan in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, at 400°F, until lightly golden, turning the parsnips once half-way through the cooking.
3 Put cooked parsnips into a blender or food processor. Add 1 1/2 cups water, and pulse until puréed to the desired consistency. Add more water if necessary. Add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 4.
Shallots
Shallots are in the onion family just like garlic although they have a taste all their own that is highly prized by chefs. Shallots probably originated in Asia, traveling from there to India and the eastern Mediterranean. The name “shallot” comes from Ashkelon, presently a city in Israel, where people in classical Greek times believed shallots originated.
Purple Jasmine Coconut Rice Recipe
You may be able to find purple jasmine rice at your favorite store (or just use white jasmine rice)
2 cups purple jasmine rice (or substitute white jasmine rice)
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (don't use lite)
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup unsalted butter
A handful of cashews, chopped and toasted
Start by rinsing the rice. You can do this by putting the rice in the thick-bottomed pan it is going to cook in. Fill the pot halfway with water, swish the rice around (the water will get cloudy), and pour out the cloudy water. Repeat 3 times. The water might still be a bit cloudy, and that is o.k.
To the rinsed (and drained) rice add the coconut milk, water, and salt. Stir to combine. Place the pot over medium high heat and bring the liquid to a boil (uncovered). Stir often to prevent the rice from scorching down at the bottom of the pot. Once the liquid comes to a boil reduce the heat to a low, low simmer, cover the pot tightly with a lid. Cook for about 15- 20 more minutes (resisting the urge to peek). Remove from heat (still covered!), and let the rice steam for another 10-15.
While the rice is cooking cook up the shallots in a small frying pan over medium to medium-high heat. Too hot and you'll burn the butter instead of browning it. Add the butter to the pan, then stir in the shallots and a couple pinches of salt. Stir every few minutes letting the shallots brown increasingly until they are dark in color. Transfer to a paper towel until ready to use.
Transfer the rice to desired serving vessel and sprinkle with cashews and the crispy shallots.
Serves 4 to 6.
Cabbage Ideas
An easy cabbage recipe, with seasonings and a little vinegar, cooked in the skillet.
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
* 1 medium head cabbage, coarsely shredded
* 1/4 cup chopped onion
* 3 tablespoons vinegar
* 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Preparation:
Directions for Skillet Cabbage
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter; add seasoned salt, cabbage, and onion. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 15 minutes. Stir frequently. Blend vinegar and sugar; add to cabbage mixture. Stir gently to blend; cook cabbage 5 minutes longer.
Easy cabbage recipe serves 6.
Extras: "with the onions i put in long strips of parsnips, garlic, fresh herbs, graded carrot, white wine, 2 teaspoon of horse radish and a squeeze of dijon mustard.
Spicy South Indian Cabbage
Serves: 4
Cooking time (approx.): 8 minutes
Style: Indian Vegetarian
2 tablespoon(s) oil
½ teaspoon(s) mustard seeds
½ teaspoon(s) split black gram
4 green chillies chopped
6 curry leaves
2 medium onion(s) chopped finely
1 medium cabbage shredded
1 teaspoon(s) cumin powder
½ teaspoon(s) black pepper powder
1 garlic clove grated
4 tablespoons grated coconut
a pinch of turmeric powder and salt to taste
1 teaspoon(s) lime juice
1. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan. Drop in the mustard seeds and let them crackle. Add the split black gram and fry till it is light brown. Add the green chillies, curry leaves and the chopped onions. Fry on medium heat for about 3 minute(s) or till the onions are pale.
2. Add the cabbage and the rest of the ingredients except the salt and lime juice. Stir-fry on high heat till the cabbage is well coated with the oil and looks glossy. Mix in the salt, cover and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes or till the cabbage is yet crunchy but cooked.
3. Mix in the lime juice. Keep covered for 2 minutes
TIP:
* Cabbage must not be over cooked and tastes the best when crunchy and firm. Overcooking of vegetables leads to loss of important nutrients.
Serve hot with: Coconut Rice (Nariyal Chawal), white rice or Indian bread (Roti, Chapati, Pooris).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment