Week #29 – Last harvest 2013
- • Salad mix (lettuce, arugula, mizuna, spinach and endive)
- • Celery or celeriac
- • Winter squash
- • Leeks-
- • Cipollini onions – delicious heirloom Italian yellow onions
- • Bok choi
- • Brussels sprouts – they are given to you on the stock but can easily be taken off, paired of their outer leaves and roasted, steamed, sliced.
- • Cabbage – these should store well, so if you don’t get to them for a few weeks that is OK
- • Kale or chard
- • Hot peppers
- • Green peppers
- • Late fall tomatoes – some green and some red, make a relish or slice them in salad to enjoy the last of these delicious fresh fruits!
- • Daikon radish – you gotta love these sweet radishes! I just peel them and slice them and eat them raw. I have also been making a quick “pickle” see recipe below
- • Broccoli or cauliflower
- • Green onions
- • Walnuts (from the great walnut tree that sits front and central on our farm)
It is hard to believe this is the last harvest of the regular 2013 season. It has been a great ride. Juvencio and I actually had a night out last night and we were remarking on our many successes and continued areas we need to improve. We certainly grew enough cucumbers, green beans and Chinese broccoli. Our greenhouse tomatoes and red peppers were plentiful. The successive plantings of summer squash, lettuce, kale and chard seemed to work out well. We had more potatoes than ever and hopefully didn’t burn you out on them. I had promised “the year of the eggplant” and we got it! We finally learned to LOVE them as a family and literally had them almost every day for weeks.
It is comical at times, just as we think we have the magical way to grow a certain vegetable we have a terrible mishap. Garlic and beets were our near disasters this year. Our heirloom tomatoes were a huge disappointment. But, we have focused energy to improve these crops next year. Beware, next year will be the year of garlic, heirloom tomatoes and beets!
The harvest festival was a great success. We had over 200 people gathered at the farm. The Helvetia Alp horns opened the event with the classical sounds of traditional horns. “Mexico en la Piel” dancers performed especially dramatically in honor of one of their members mothers passing. They danced with machetes (which made our dogs crazy) and balanced water glasses on their heads. Everyone was mesmerized. The blues ensemble put together by Christina Milano and Jed Mitchell included long time performer and friend Laura Byerly. It was great music which got people up and dancing.
There were so many community members who helped us pull this festival off, it is hard to name them all. I want to put out a special thanks to: Mary Kay Ghering and her husband Mark. Mary Kay swooped in 2 hours before the party and organized the food tables and pizza making station and then helped make pizza the whole day. Mark served pizza to guests and got them over to the oven to make their own. Jay and Ellen (not members but college friends of mine and long time supporters of La Finquita)came to party and help out and made the pizza so that Juve and I could attend to guests and keep the activity flowing. Ana Mendez and family came through again with amazing pupusas made right to order, bringing the flavors of central America to our cultural fest. Many others helped with prep and clean up: Dave Ali, Dee Jacobs, Dan Swerbilov, Roy Van Raden, and others. It is truly a community event and we appreciate everyone for coming out to the farm to help us celebrate a great 2013 season.
Thank you to all the members who helped us throughout the season with the harvests. It is a great value to us and hopefully to you as well. Growing vegetables is hard work and your help with the harvest gives you a glimpse into that work. Special thanks to Ann, Catherine, Marianne, Eldon, Jean and Bob; one or more of these amazing individuals helped every week with the Wednesday harvest!
We will take a small break and then regroup for next season. The seed catalogs seem to come earlier and earlier each year, so by early December I will be sitting at the dining room table surrounded by options for the best new pickling cucumber and quickest early tomato. In order for us to plan we need to know about you! Will you be continuing next season? Please do send us this information as soon as possible and leave us your deposit for the 2014 season. Previous members do take priority and have a reserved spot until Jan 1 2014.
There is still space for the sign-up for the Thanksgiving share. We will harvest Sunday November 24 and the share can be picked up that day or on Monday the 25th. The share is large and can last for weeks. The cost is $35 and should be paid prior to pick-up day.
Please take the time to fill out the survey that we are sending out. It is part of a local and national effort to quantify what we do as CSA and what is important to members. The data will be compiled in a research paper and we will get individual feed back on our farm.
Thank you to all our members for joining us this year, we hope to see you back in the year 2014. We would love your suggestions on how to make the work we do better, please take the time to let us know how we can improve La Finquita del Buho.
Curried Winter Squash Soup
Farmer John’s Cookbook, John Peterson
Serves 6-8
3 T unsalted butter
1 cup chopped scallions (about 6)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 jalapeno, seeded, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds butternut squash, about ½ a large squash, peeled, seeded, cubed
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 14 ounce can whole tomatoes or 2 cups peeled, chopped fresh tomatoes
12 whole curry leaves (optional)
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground mace (I skipped this)
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons curry powder
salt
freshly ground pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1. melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the scallions; sauté until soft and wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley, jalapeno, and garlic,; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
2. Add the squash and toss to coat it with the scallion mixture. Add the stock, tomatoes, curry leaves, all spice, mace and nutmeg. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer, covered until the squash is very tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly.
3. Transfer the soup in batches to a blender or food processor; puree.
4. Transfer the soup back to the pot. Stir in the curry powder and add salt, pepper to taste. Return the soup to a simmer to heat through. Garnish with the parsley just before serving.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH STAR ANISE AND GINGER SHRIMP
24 large shrimp in shell (about 1 lb), peeled, leaving tail and first segment of shell intact, and deveined
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
2/3 cup chopped shallot
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
3 whole star anise
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 3/4 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (5 cups)
4 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Garnish: fresh cilantro sprigs
Toss shrimp with ginger in a bowl and marinate, chilled, 30 minutes (do not marinate any longer or enzymes from ginger will begin to cook shrimp).
Make soup while shrimp marinate:
Cook shallot, garlic, and anise in butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until shallot is softened, about 5 minutes. Add squash, stock, and water and simmer, uncovered, until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove star anise.
Purée soup in 2 batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) until very smooth, about 1 minute per batch, then transfer to cleaned pan and keep warm, covered.
Sprinkle marinated shrimp with salt. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté shrimp in 2 batches, stirring, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes per batch, transferring to paper towels.
Bring soup to a simmer and season with salt and pepper. Divide among 8 shallow soup bowls and mound 3 shrimp in each bowl.
Cooks’ note:
. Soup (without shrimp) can be made 3 days ahead and chilled, covered. If making soup ahead, begin marinating shrimp about 40 minutes before serving.
Gourmet
December 2002
DELICATA SQUASH WITH ROSEMARY, SAGE, AND CIDER GLAZE
This is my favorite way to cook winter squash. You peel, and slice it, then cook it in a skillet with cider and
winter herbs. When most of the liquid boils away, the cider forms a tart-sweet glaze around the now-tender squash.
Delicata is a wonderfully firm-textured squash that’s not too sweet and almost like a potato. Other varieties like
acorn, turban, or kabocha will make good substitutes, but they may not hold their shape quite as well through the
braising.
2 medium delicata squash (about 2 pounds) or other firm
winter squash
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup very coarsely chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups fresh unfiltered apple cider or juice
1 cup water
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Squash. If using delicata squash, peel it with a vegetable peeler, cut it lengthwise in half, and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Cut each piece lengthwise in half again, then crosswise into 1/2-inch -thick slices. Other types of squash should be peeled with a chef’s knife, seeded, cut into 1-inch wedges, then sliced 1/2-inch thick.
2. Herb Butter. Melt the butter in a large (12-inch) skillet over low heat. Add the sage and rosemary and cook,
stirring, until the butter just begins to turn golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not brown the herbs. Cooking the herbs in butter mellows their flavor and improves their texture.
3. Cooking the squash. Add the squash to the skillet, then the apple cider, water, vinegar, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat at an even boil until the cider has boiled down to a glaze and the squash is tender,
20 to 30 minutes. Taste and season with pepper, and additional salt if needed.
Makes 6 servings.
Roasted Winter Roots with Whole Garlic Heads
From The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook\
All vegetables may be cooked in the oven at the same time. The heads
of garlic, roasted alongside the vegetables, become a self-contained
spread that is delicious on country-style bread. Be sure to allow one
garlic head for each person.
4 carrots, about ½ pound total
2 parsnips, about ½ pound total
2 turnips, about 1 pound total
1 rutabaga, about 1 pound
2 yellow onions, about ¾ pound total
3 russet potatoes, about 1 ¾ pounds total
4 heads of garlic, about ½ pound total
1/3 C olive oil
1 ½ tsps salt
1Tbles freshly ground pepper
4 fresh thyme sprigs, or 1 tsp dried
4 fresh rosemary sprigs, or 1 tsp dried
4 fresh sage sprigs, or 1 tsp dried
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Peel the carrots, parsnips, turnips and rutabaga. Cut the
carrots into 2 inch lengths. Halve the parsnips crosswise, separating
the tapering root end from the thick upper portion. Cut the upper
portion lengthwise into 2 pieces. Quarter the turnips and rutabaga.
Peel the onions but do not cut off the root ends. Quarter the onions
lengthwise.
Scrub the potatoes and cut them lengthwise into quarters, then
in half. Cut off the upper quarter of the garlic heads, leaving the
heads intact, skin and all.
Combine half of the olive oil, the salt, pepper, thyme,
rosemary and sage in a large bowl. Add all of the vegetables,
including the garlic. Stir them until they are well coated with the
seasoned oil.
Arrange the vegetables in a single layer on 2 baking sheets.
Roast for 30 minutes. Stir the vegetables and baste with some of the
remaining olive oil. Continue roasting, stirring once or twice and
basting with olive oil, for 30 to 45 minutes longer, or until all the
vegetables are tender and are easily pierced with a fork. Remove from
the oven and transfer to a platter.
Serve hot or at room temperature. Serves 4
Bok Choy:
from a CSA member:
Bok Choy: (the bok choy in the box was amazingly good!)
1 T oil
1.5 lbs bok choy
1 T light soy sauce
2 T chicken stock or water
Heat wok over moderate heat. Add oil and then bok choy. Stir fry 3-4
minutes, until leaves have wilted a little. Add soy sauce and chicken stock/water.
Continue to stir fry for a few more minutes, until the bok choy is done until still slightly
crisp.
Very easy, very good.
Source: Ken Hom’s Chinese Cookery
(very good recipes, clear instructions, and excellent taste)
SAUTEED BOK CHOY W/ CASHEW SAUCE
Serving Size : 4
1/2 c Cashews — roasted
1/4 c White vinegar
1/4 c Water
1/4 c Sugar
1/4 c Soy sauce
1 tb Ginger — minced
7 dashes Tabasco sauce
2 tb Basil — finely chopped
2 tb Mint — finely chopped
1 1/2 lb Bok choy — washed & dried 1/3 c Peanut oil 1. In a food processor or blender, combine the cashews, vinegar, water, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, Tabasco, basil and mint, and puree. 2. Separate bok choy leaves from stalks, and cut stalks into 1-inch-long- pieces. In a large sauté pan, heat oil over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add bok choy and cook, stirring briskly, for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until it is bright green and well seared. Remove from heat, drape with cashew sauce and serve at once. Yield: 4 servings. Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 340 calories, 25 grams fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 1,065: milligrams sodium, 7 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrate. ** New York Times — Living Arts section — 29 November 1995 **
Bok Choy Stir Fry
This is an easy recipe.
1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry Sherry
1 teaspoon oriental sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
3 1/2 cups thinly sliced trimmed bok choy
1 5-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
3 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
10 1/2 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
Combine first 4 ingredients in small bowl; mix well. Heat vegetable oil until very hot in heavy large wok or skillet over high heat. Add garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper. Stir-fry until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add bok choy and stir-fry until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Mix in water chestnuts and green onions and stir-fry until onions are tender, about 1 minute. Add tofu and lightly stir-fry until tofu is just heated through, about 2 minutes. Pour over soy mixture. Stir-fry until liquid boils and thickens, about 1 minute.
Brussel Sprout Leaves with Bacon (or Pancetta)
Cut the stems and separate the sprouts into leaves. Thinly slice the tightly compact centers. Saute some diced onion and pancetta or bacon in olive oil unitil softened. Add the sprout leaves, season with salt and moisten with a little white wine and water of chicken stock. Cover and simmer for 10 to15 minutes, until tender. Taste for seasoning, grind in black pepper and serve.
Pickled Daikon
• ¾ white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cup water
• ¾ cup sugar (I used less)
• 3 cups daikon, carrots, kohlrabi or other hard root vegetable shredded
Mix first 4 ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 3-5 minutes. Cool the brine and then pour over the vegetables, let sit at least 30 minutes, better if longer. Can be kept in the refrigerator for days and improves with time.