Spoutwood Farm CSA Harvest Guide: Week 4- July 5, 2007
To return to the 2007 Harvest Guide page, click here
We’ve been keeping a close eye on all our plants for any signs of “invaders.” Last week you may have noticed some “house guests” in your broccoli and cauliflower. We have since sprayed BT – (bacillus thurengiensis) a beneficial bacteria, on all our kohl crops – such as kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. So just be sure to give these veggies a thorough washing.
New arrivals to the harvest this week include summer squashes, cabbage, basil, and pepper/spearmints!
Snap Peas – Maybe the last week for these so eat ‘em up! Or blanch and freeze for later. One recipe web-site recommended throwing some mint into the blanching water for enhanced flavor. Sorry: only Baltimore and Spoutwood are getting peas. Next week if we have enough, only the bagged shares will get them.
Mint- This week’s mint contains a variety of peppermint and spearmint – including a “chocolate peppermint.” Iced mint tea is a great summer pick-me-up – invigorating and caffeine free! You can also use the leaves in a bath or steam –very refreshing also!
Kale – An abundance of this nutrient-dense green this week! Use with sautees, stir-fries and soups. (Remember all greens “cook down,” so don’t be afraid to use a little more than a recipe calls for)
Broccoli – Broccoli is rich in antioxidants and fiber. Try steamed with rice and seasoning. Herbs and spices that enhance the flavor of broccoli include basil, dill, garlic, lemon balm, marjoram, oregano, tarragon and thyme.
Cauliflower – In the same family as broccoli (Cruciferae), cauliflower is also very rich in antioxidants and fiber. Try mashing cauliflower with cheese and herbs as a flavorful alternative to mashed potatoes.
Squash – They’re heeerrreee! This week we have patty pan, yellow straight neck, and zucchini squash. The patty pan squash is a small, saucer-shaped squash. Its cream-colored flesh is more dense and slightly sweeter than that of zucchini. Each type of squash is entirely edible (skin, flesh, and seeds). Add grated summer squash to your favorite muffin or bread recipe; decrease the amount of liquid in the recipe by about one-third to compensate for the moisture present in the squash. Add chocolate chips if you like!
Cabbage – High in vitamin C (like it’s cousins broccoli and cauliflower), cabbage is very versatile. It may be chopped, shredded, or grated. Another way to use cabbage is to use the leaf as a wrap – fill with a rice or veggie dish, wrap and bake in the oven at medium heat.
Basil – A delicious and fragrant herb – add to pasta sauces, make a fresh tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad (toss in olive oil), or pesto (Combine basil, garlic, onion, olive oil (parmesean cheese optional also) to use on breads, salads, or pasta. Please note: Basil should be placed in a vase with water. Most refrigerators are too cold and tend to blacken the leaves.
Bread: Bread this week is “Country White”
Flowers – A bouquet similar to last week, but with painted fern and dill flowers as additions. Not enough zinnias yet.
Almond and Kale Sushi
All dark leafy greens are good source of minerals, however kale is particularly high in iron. It also has plenty of vitamin C which is essential for iron absorption. Kale has all the great qualities attributed to broccoli – but it is more insect-resistant and much easier to grow.
1 cup almonds, soaked in water overnight then drained
3 leaves curly kale, stems removed
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 dried apricots, soaked
1 knob ginger, sliced
1 T miso
1 T tahini
3 nori sheets
Put all the ingredients, except the soaked almonds, into a food processor and blend well.
Add the almonds. Blend again, but leave the almonds slightly chunky.
How to Roll:
Place one nori sheet onto a sushi mat. Spread 1/3 of the mixture evenly onto a sheet, leaving about a 3 cm gap at the top of the sheet.
Roll up the sheet carefully from the bottom, keeping it firm as you go. Move the top edge of the sushi mat out of the way as you form the roll.
Leave the roll face down on the loose edge – it will stick by itself in a few minutes.
Roll the other two rolls. If you wish, warm these in dehydrator or a low oven. Slice each roll into 8 or 10 pieces with a sharp knife. Serve as they are, or with a sauce.
WHITE BEAN AND KALE SALAD
The following is an excerpt from the book "Eat Right for Your Metabolism" by Felicia Drury Kliment.
1 cup great northern beans, soaked overnight in 1 quart water
½ medium sweet onion, cut into thin half-moon slices
¼ cup pure olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 cups coarsely chopped kale
2 tablespoons currants
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
Ground black pepper to taste
Drain beans. Add 6 cups of water and cook over medium heat until tender, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Sauté onion in large pan in 1 tablespoon olive oil until soft, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
Sauté kale in large pan over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir while cooking to avoid sticking.
Just before removing kale from pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Set aside in a medium-sized bowl.
When beans are tender, remove from heat, drain, and place in refrigerator to cool.
Once beans have cooled for 10 minutes, toss them with kale, currants, lemon juice, salt, chili pepper, and sautéed onion. Add black pepper and additional salt to taste.
Yield: 4 servings
Farm
Happenings
Check it out! Heather found these sites to be helpful when preparing this week’s harvest guide:
www.seasonalchef.com – This site focuses on local, seasonal produce, has interesting recipes, and also gives tips on preserving!
www.whfoods.org – This site is great if you’re interested in the nutritional benefits of food. Very informative!!
Kale
Kale is one of the open-leafed, darker green members of the cabbage family, and one of the top vegetable sources of vitamin A. It grows as curly, blue-green or violet-green leaves on slender stalks. Although kale originated in Asia and the Mediterranean, it has been most important to the cuisine of northern Europe. In Scotland, an invitation to dinner was phrased as “come to cail.”
Kale is native to the eastern Mediterranean or to Asia Minor. Kale has been in cultivation for so long and have been so shifted about by prehistoric traders and migrating tribes, that it is not certain in which of those two regions the species originated. Apparently all the principal forms of kales and collards that we know today have been known for at least 2,000 years.
The leaves were probably eaten by the barbarous or half-civilized peoples. By the time human history began, the plant had been transferred to cultivated grounds and had begun to produce dense brussel sprouts and kales. Kale was cultivated generally by Aryan migration west. From one original stock have apparently sprung all the forms of cabbages, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and kale.
Kale is available year-round, but it shines as a cold weather crop and is at its most flavorful and tender in the winter months. Kale is available as mature or baby leaves. Although the most common type has curly leaves that are deep green with a tinge of blue.
Storage:
Store kale in a perforated plastic bag in the vegetable crisper and use it within a few days.
Kale is available year-round, but it shines as a cold weather crop and is at its most flavorful and tender in the winter months.
Preparation:
Wash kale well by dunking it in a bowl of tepid water several times and then rinsing under cold running water. Small kale leaves can be used whole. The larger leaves should be stripped or cut from the center rib. The rib can be chopped into small pieces and cooked with the leaf or discarded. To shred the leaves, place them in a pile, roll up, and then thinly slice them.
Baby kale can be used raw mixed with other greens in salads. Mature kale must be cooked, as it is too tough to consume raw. It can be steamed, but tastes best when boiled or simmered in vegetable broth.
Kale can also be added to soups and stews. It is especially good in soups that contain potatoes, barley, or beans. Kale with white beans and sausage is a traditional Portuguese soup. Good ways to flavor kale are to add any of the following: garlic, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, toasted sesame oil, cinnamon, caraway seeds, currants, or toasted pine nuts.
To boil
Traditional ways to prepare kale call for long cooking—about 40 minutes—until it is very soft. However, kale can also be boiled quickly, about 5 to 8 minutes, until it is just slightly crunchy.
To sauté
Boil the kale first for about 5 minutes to enhance its flavor. Then sauté in oil with onions and garlic for about five minutes.
To microwave
Place the kale, with just the water clinging to its leaves, in a covered microwave-safe dish. Cook on high for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring after 4 minutes. Let stand, covered for 3 minutes before serving.
Check it out! Heather found these sites to be helpful when preparing this week’s harvest guide:
www.seasonalchef.com – This site focuses on local, seasonal produce, has interesting recipes, and also gives tips on preserving!
www.whfoods.org – This site is great if you’re interested in the nutritional benefits of food. Very informative!!
Nutritionally, Kale is high in Vitamins K,A and C; manganese and fiber.
To help the body hold calcium with such a high vitamin K content, add a little lemon juice or vinegar to your stir fry ingredients.
Check it out! Heather found these sites to be helpful when preparing this week’s harvest guide:
www.seasonalchef.com – This site focuses on local, seasonal produce, has interesting recipes, and also gives tips on preserving!
www.whfoods.org – This site is great if you’re interested in the nutritional benefits of food. Very informative!!
Kale
Kale is one of the open-leafed, darker green members of the cabbage family, and one of the top vegetable sources of vitamin A. It grows as curly, blue-green or violet-green leaves on slender stalks. Although kale originated in Asia and the Mediterranean, it has been most important to the cuisine of northern Europe. In Scotland, an invitation to dinner was phrased as “come to cail.”
Kale is native to the eastern Mediterranean or to Asia Minor. Kale has been in cultivation for so long and have been so shifted about by prehistoric traders and migrating tribes, that it is not certain in which of those two regions the species originated. Apparently all the principal forms of kales and collards that we know today have been known for at least 2,000 years.
The leaves were probably eaten by the barbarous or half-civilized peoples. By the time human history began, the plant had been transferred to cultivated grounds and had begun to produce dense brussel sprouts and kales. Kale was cultivated generally by Aryan migration west. From one original stock have apparently sprung all the forms of cabbages, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and kale.
Kale is available year-round, but it shines as a cold weather crop and is at its most flavorful and tender in the winter months. Kale is available as mature or baby leaves. Although the most common type has curly leaves that are deep green with a tinge of blue.
Storage:
Store kale in a perforated plastic bag in the vegetable crisper and use it within a few days.
Kale is available year-round, but it shines as a cold weather crop and is at its most flavorful and tender in the winter months.
Preparation:
Wash kale well by dunking it in a bowl of tepid water several times and then rinsing under cold running water. Small kale leaves can be used whole. The larger leaves should be stripped or cut from the center rib. The rib can be chopped into small pieces and cooked with the leaf or discarded. To shred the leaves, place them in a pile, roll up, and then thinly slice them.
Baby kale can be used raw mixed with other greens in salads. Mature kale must be cooked, as it is too tough to consume raw. It can be steamed, but tastes best when boiled or simmered in vegetable broth.
Kale can also be added to soups and stews. It is especially good in soups that contain potatoes, barley, or beans. Kale with white beans and sausage is a traditional Portuguese soup. Good ways to flavor kale are to add any of the following: garlic, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, toasted sesame oil, cinnamon, caraway seeds, currants, or toasted pine nuts.
To boil
Traditional ways to prepare kale call for long cooking—about 40 minutes—until it is very soft. However, kale can also be boiled quickly, about 5 to 8 minutes, until it is just slightly crunchy.
To sauté
Boil the kale first for about 5 minutes to enhance its flavor. Then sauté in oil with onions and garlic for about five minutes.
To microwave
Place the kale, with just the water clinging to its leaves, in a covered microwave-safe dish. Cook on high for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring after 4 minutes. Let stand, covered for 3 minutes before serving.
Check it out! Heather found these sites to be helpful when preparing this week’s harvest guide:
www.seasonalchef.com – This site focuses on local, seasonal produce, has interesting recipes, and also gives tips on preserving!
www.whfoods.org – This site is great if you’re interested in the nutritional benefits of food. Very informative!!
Nutritionally, Kale is high in Vitamins K,A and C; manganese and fiber.
To help the body hold calcium with such a high vitamin K content, add a little lemon juice or vinegar to your stir fry ingredients.
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