Spoutwood Farm CSA Harvest Guide: Week 13: September 6, 2007
To return to the 2007 Harvest Guide page, click here
Greetings, Spoutwood Farm friends!
Welcome to the twelfth week of our CSA Harvest season. With the coming
of September, we see the beginning of Autumn, both meteorologically
speaking and also in our gardens. This is the first of what might be
considered “transitional” harvests, in which the vegetables
of late Summer are joined by some of those more characteristic of early
Fall. Thus, for example, we have both tomatoes and carrots, both
peppers and bok choi. The latter, in fact, is our vegetable of the
week.
Please feel free to drop us a line if you discover a new recipe, have any cooking tips, or would like to share your favorite way to eat the veggies from our harvest - email us and we’ll share with everyone else! You might also want to post these to our inter-active web presence at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spoutwoodcsa. There you can post messages that all members can read, add photos of your favorite Spoutwood memories, and otherwise contribute to our CSA community here at Spoutwood Farm. Enjoy! But first, a few notes on upcoming events...
The Mother Earth Harvest Fair, to be held here at Spoutwood on the weekend of September 29th and 30th, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., is drawing near! The MEHF is a celebration and showcase of “green,” sustainable, and healthy/balanced living in the Chesapeake Bay bioregion. We are looking for shareholders to man (or woman) our CSA booth, perform demonstrations and provide examples of CSA Cookery and Preserving the Harvest. Please contact our CSA Booth/Country Kitchen “Czar” (coordinator), Heather Woodward, bacwood2@suscom.net, to sign up.
Hours worked apply to your CSA hours!
Please feel free to drop us a line if you discover a new recipe, have any cooking tips, or would like to share your favorite way to eat the veggies from our harvest - email us and we’ll share with everyone else! You might also want to post these to our inter-active web presence at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spoutwoodcsa. There you can post messages that all members can read, add photos of your favorite Spoutwood memories, and otherwise contribute to our CSA community here at Spoutwood Farm. Enjoy! But first, a few notes on upcoming events...
Special Note: Mother Earth Harvest Fair
The Mother Earth Harvest Fair, to be held here at Spoutwood on the weekend of September 29th and 30th, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., is drawing near! The MEHF is a celebration and showcase of “green,” sustainable, and healthy/balanced living in the Chesapeake Bay bioregion. We are looking for shareholders to man (or woman) our CSA booth, perform demonstrations and provide examples of CSA Cookery and Preserving the Harvest. Please contact our CSA Booth/Country Kitchen “Czar” (coordinator), Heather Woodward, bacwood2@suscom.net, to sign up.
Hours worked apply to your CSA hours!
Tomatoes: Still not suffering from a tomato shortage! Rich with flavor and health benefits, tomatoes are one of the true joys of summer. Ours continue to look quite good, and are available in quantity. Plenty to eat fresh or “put up” for later!
Squash: What would summer be without summer squash? Select from yellow crookneck, two types of patty-pan, and perhaps a late zucchini. Delicious! Enjoy them now, as their peak season is drawing to a close.
Green Peppers: Another classic summer vegetable, these delicious green peppers are entirely our own this week! Two varieties for your enjoyment this week: green bell peppers, and Anaheims, a mild chili pepper.
Eggplant: Still another summer vegetable, similarly associated with summer cooking. Ratatouille, eggplant parmesan, and baba ganoush are among the many possible uses for this popular veggie. Select from Italian-style, Oriental (long and thin), and “Beatrice” – an Italian type also, with a pink-violet complection.
Leeks: Native to a wide swatch of Eurasia, leeks are particularly closely associated with the British Isles. A member of the allium family like onions and garlic, but milder than either, leeks are excellent in soups, quiches, and even sparingly in salads.
Carrots: The best crop of carrots we’ve had in the three years I’ve been at Spoutwood, says Tom. Carrots can be eaten raw in salads or as a tasty snack, added to soups and stews, or served as a side-dish with a variety of entrees: meat, poultry, or vegetarian. One of the most attractive and useful of the root vegetables.
Bok Choi: A relative of Chinese cabbage, Bok Choi is an Asian green that is our Vegetable of the week.
Lettuce: After several weeks without, lettuce is back this week! Salads and sandwiches are just the beginning.
Basil: A delicious and fragrant herb – add to pasta sauces, make a fresh tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad (toss in olive oil), or blend your own pesto. Please note: Basil should be placed in a vase with water, as you would cut flowers. Most refrigerators are too cold and tend to blacken the leaves.
Parsley: An under-used and under-appreciated herb, parsley make a good garnish, yes, but also can be added to soups and stocks -- where it adds flavor, vitamins, and minerals -- and even to salads. Use it replace some of the basil in pesto.
Bread: For those with bread shares, our wonderful Atwater bread this week is TBA.
Flowers: This week’s bouquet will include a potpourri of wild and cultivated blossoms.
Stir Fry
1 1/2 c Gluten Free Flat Rice Noodles
3 c Bok Choy
2 Large Red Chiles, Seeded & Sliced Thinly at an Angle
10 Scallions, Thinly Sliced at an Angle
1 T Fresh Shredded Ginger
1 t Chopped Garlic
2 c Mushrooms, Thinly Sliced
1 lb Chicken Breasts, Thinly Sliced
Vegetable Oil, for Frying
1 T Cornstarch
4 oz Gluten Free Chicken Broth
1 Red Bell Pepper, Quartered, Seeded & Cut into Thin Strips Across (not lengthwise)
3/4 c Plan Cashew Nuts
2 T Gluten Free Japanese Tamari Soy Sauce
2 T Gluten Free Fish Sauce
Few Drops of Toasted Sesame Oil
Soak the rice noodles in a bowl of very hot water for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Drain in a colander.
Remove the stem sections of the bok choi & cut into lengths measuring about 1 inch. Cut the leafy part into squares measuring 1 inch & keep separate from the stem sections. Set aside until required.
Prepare all the vegetables & chicken before you start to cook.
Heat a wok or large skillet over a high heat until it smokes, add 2 tablespoons oil & reheat. Add the chilies, scallions, ginger, & garlic & toss around. Add the mushrooms & cook over a high heat, continuing to stir & fry for 2 minutes until the mushrooms wilt. Remove from the wok & set aside.
Heat another tablespoon of oil in the wok if necessary, & add the sliced chicken. Cook, stirring continuously, for a further 3-4 minutes or until golden.
Mix the cornstarch with the cold chicken broth & set aside.
Add the red bell pepper, cashew nuts, soy sauce, & fish sauce to the wok. Stir for 1 minute. Return the onion mixture to the pan, toss well & add the drained flat rice noodles. Toss well again. Pour the slaked cornstarch into the contents of the work & stir. Allow the sauce to thicken slightly, & then toss in the bok choi stalks. Cook quickly over a high heat for a minute before adding the leafy part of the bok choi. Cook for another minute or two until the bok choi wilts & the noodles heat through. Add a few drops of toasted sesame oil. Serve immediately.
Bok Choi with SautÈed Mushrooms and Shallots
Serve this dish with brown rice and grilled Salmon (if desired)
2 tsp canola or olive oil
1 1⁄2 pounds bok choy, rinsed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 package (8oz) sliced mushrooms
2 tsp lite soy sauce
2 shallots, minced
1 tsp lemon zest
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
In large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, shallots and garlic and stir-fry until mushrooms darken, about five minutes.
Add bok choy and stir-fry for about 8-10 minutes until tender. Sprinkle with soy sauce, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
Chicken & Veggie Laksa-style Soup
olive or canola oil spray
1⁄2 small red onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped lemongrass
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh red chili
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1⁄2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 liter MAGGI Al Natural Chicken Liquid Stock
125 g dried rice vermicelli noodles
500 g or 2 skinless chicken breast fillets, halved lengthways and thinly sliced
1 bunch broccolini, cut diagonally into thirds
1 red capsicum, cut into thin strips
1 carrot, cut into thin strips
375 ml can CARNATION Light and Creamy Evaporated Milk
1 teaspoon coconut essence
2 teaspoons MAGGI Fish Sauce
1/3 cup fresh coriander leaves
Spray a large saucepan with oil and heat. Add onion and cook over low heat for 3 minutes, until soft. Add lemongrass, chili, ginger and turmeric, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add stock and bring to the boil. Add noodles, chicken and vegetables. Return to the boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, until noodles are soft, vegetables are just tender and chicken is cooked through. Stir in milk with coconut essence and heat through. Stir through fish sauce and serve topped with coriander leaves. Serve with bread.
Hail to the Czar!
We are very pleased to announce that we have a CSA Booth/Country Kitchen Czar (Czarina): our wonderful shareholder Heather Woodward has kindly volunteered to fill that slot. Yaaaaaay, Heather!!!
Bok Choi
Here’s a delightfully mild veggie that adds “crunch” to the texture of any meal. Bok Choi (also sometimes called Pak Choi) is an Asian green often called Peking Cabbage. It is a member of the crucifer family, a cabbage that provides a lovely mild nutty flavor plus outstanding health benefits to all who partake.
Bok choi has a small-elongated bulb with white stalks growing from the bulb. The deep green leaves extending from the stalks resemble a large flat rosette. The entire plant may be consumed. The bulb has a crisp texture which is desirable to maintain through quick hot cooking or by eating bok choi raw.
Bok choi is the oldest Asian green, originating in China before the 5th century. It’s a wonderful chameleon food in that it adapts well to any sauce or any combination of flavors, food or spice. It is so popular in China that there are at least twenty varieties.
Like its cousin Asian greens, bok choi is a wonderful source of vitamins A & C, Folic acid, Calcium, Potassium, Iron…(Don’t forget the leaves which offer greater percentages of Calcium than the bulbs and also provide beta-carotene.) Bok choi is highly recommended as a food choice to reduce cancer risks, reduce the chances of strokes and supply athletes with nutritious menu options.
Bok choi is most popularly and easily prepared as a stir fry. Chop up stalks and leaves. The bulb/stalks need about three minutes to cook. After they have been sautÈing for two minutes throw in the greens for the final minute. The leaves will be a bit more tangy than the bulb.
Just in case Stir Fry is getting too easy and uninteresting, the recipes below may inspire you to greater culinary mastery in September of our ’07 harvest.
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