Spoutwood Farm CSA Harvest Guide: Week 17: October 2, 2008
To return to the 2008 Harvest Guide page, click here
Welcome to the seventeenth week of the 2008 Community Supported Agriculture season, here at Spoutwood Farm! We’ve enjoyed a cool Fall so far in general, but with the coming of October, the temperature has really reached Autumnal temperatures. That’s all right: it makes for pleasant harvesting, and the cool-season crops have enjoyed it, along with the substantial quantity of rain that’s fallen in the last week or so. Consequently, we have a good harvest of cool-season brassicas (“cole” crops) and fall greens this week.
A cool and windy day today, with many leaves turning and more than a few spiraling down in the breeze. As I drove in to the Farm today, a flock of geese accompanied me during the final stretch, flying from a recently-harvested field where they had been feeding on fallen corn to our neighboring farm and its welcoming pond. Some of these may be resident geese, descended from the live decoys waterfowlers ued to use in the late years of the 19th and early years of the 20th centuries and therefore non-migratory.
Meanwhile, flocks of starlings gather on telephone wires and fly hither and thither in great numbers. Migratory in their home of Great Britain and Europe, they have no migratory routes to follow since their involuntary introduction in the United States, and so fly here and there making a nuisance of themselves. In their transience and lack of clear connection to the ecosystem they find themselves in, they’re a bit like many humans today! Many 21st century humans similarly lack any real attachment to the land, and “migrate” hither and yon following jobs, much as starlings fly about looking for food.
Some humans, however, develop a strong sense of place, putting down roots and choosing to identify with a particular geographic location, a particular ecosystem. Buying food locally, whether through a CSA like Spoutwood’s or just frequenting local farmers markets, is a good way to develop a sense of place: following the changes in one’s diet with the seasons, and learning to use what the land produces in a particular season of the year. We salute our shareholders who have chosen this route! You’re benefiting yourselves, the land, and the local community… not to mention, of course, the small family-owned and operated farm called Spoutwood. Thank you!
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! That address is: csa@spoutwood.com. As the old commercial used to say, “please make a note of it.” Thanks!
Eggplant: The very last of our eggplant! Eggplant is closely associated with summer cooking: rata¬touille (no, not the movie…), eggplant parmesan, and baba ganoush (a Middle Eastern dip or sauce) are among the many possible uses for this popular veggie. Or, coat lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill until tender. Select from Italian-style (“bell”), Oriental (long and thin), and “Beatrice” – an Italian type also, with a pink-violet complection.
Peppers, Green: Our peppers are trying to turn red and orange although they are still mostly green. You may find partially red or orange peppers in your share. Typically eaten raw or perhaps stuffed and baked, these are also delicious drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and then grilled until soft.
Peppers, Hot Paper Lantern: According to the seed company Johnny’s, these peppers are very hot: one should be sufficient to add that spicy touch to your meals. They can be added to stir-fries and sauces. Put them in when you are sautéeing onions and other spices. Another fun thing to do with them is scrape out the seeds and roast them in the oven with some olive oil. It yields a smoky, spicy sauce that can be added to foods for an extra spice. Be careful when cutting them up; they can make your fingers burn. Have too many to use now? Pop them in the freezer (in freezer bags), and use them in the winter to add a pleasing heat to soups and stews.
Onions, Red and Yellow: Cooking and slicing onions. I don’t have to tell you how to use these! Good in almost any savory dish, cooked or raw.
Potatoes: Not technically a root vegetable, potatoes are actually tubers. Call ’em roots or call ’em tubers, however, I call ’em delicious! A mix of several varieties of these delicious below-ground dwellers. Delicious roasted, boiled, steamed, fried, hashed, mashed, in salads, soups, and casseroles, and just about any other way you can imagine! Store in a dark place, and cook before eating.
Chestnuts: Thanks to the generosity of a neighbor, we are pleased to include chestnuts in today’s share! Traditionally “roasted on an open fire,” they may also be oven-roasted, boiled, or just enjoyed raw.
Carrots: A good assortment of these luscious root vegetables, a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and beta carotene, as well as flavor! Our new apprentice, Kerry, had never enjoyed a carrot fresh from the ground before and was amazed at the difference from the supermarket variety!
Kohlrabi: Dubbed “the Sputnik plant” by one of our previous apprentices for the antenna-like look of its leaves springing from the rounded body of the vegetable, kohlrabi is another wonderful veggie in the cruciferous (cabbage) family. Kohlrabi may be added raw to salads (or become the basis of a slaw), steamed, stir-fried, or added to soups. It can also be boiled and mashed with potatoes, or even fried. Versatile and delicious, if a bit odd to the eye! Consult the “Veggie of the Week” for more…
Arugula: Roquette to the French and “rocket salad” to the British, arugula is a bitey green with what some call a nutty flavor. The entire plant is edible, including stalks and flowers. Some enjoy as a salad on its own with a light vinaigrette, others add to salad mixes or stir-fries. Rob swears by arugula and peanut butter sandwiches!
Mizuna: An Asian green with a mild mustard-like flavor, mizuna is excellent to spice up salads, and also in stir-fries.
Spinach: We are excited to have spinach back again, encouraged by the cooling temperatures and increased rain of recent days. Use by itself or in blends for salads, steam lightly, or include in quiche, casseroles, lasagna, various Florentine dishes, and much more. A very versatile green, spinach turns bitter if overcooked.
Collards (or Collard Greens): A classical Southern treat crosses the boarder this week to tantalize your taste buds with the flavor of Old Dixie. Cook up a mess o’ greens and enjoy with cornbread for a “South of the Mason-Dixon Line” treat.
Bok Choi: Also known as pak choi, “white vegetable” to the Chinese, bok choi is an Asian green related to Chinese cabbage. Excellent as the basis of stir-fries, or added to soups, bok choi is high in vitamins A and C and calcium, and low in calories.
Rosemary: “Are you going to Scarborough Faire – parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme…” A delicious and fragrant herb, traditionally associated with potatoes or lamb dishes. However, it can be used in many others!
Thai Basil: The unusual flavor and aroma of Thai basil finds a natural home in the cuisine of that country, or just enjoy it at a bouquet.
Flowers: Included in this weeks’ flower bouquet are: zinnias, tansy, African basil, globe amaranth, plume celosia, New England asters, seed-heads of Jerusalem artichokes, and some goldenrod.
Bread: For those who purchased bread shares, today’s selection from Atwaters is a hearty and rustic Peasant Wheat… perfect to accompany the aforementioned soups!
ROASTED KOHLRABI
From the cookbook Simply in Season, by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Serves 4 (smallish servings since roasted vegetables shrink so much)
1 1/2 pounds fresh kohlrabi, ends trimmed, thick green skin sliced off with a knife, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic (optional, to my taste)
Salt
Good vinegar
Set oven to 450F. Toss the diced kohlrabi with olive oil, garlic and salt in a bowl. (This can be done on the pan but you'll likely use more oil.) Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and put into oven (it needn't be fully preheated) and roast for 30 - 34 minutes, stirring every five minutes started after about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with a good vinegar (probably at the table so the kohlrabi don't get squishy).
Kohlrabi with Peas and Potato
Jessica Seem, Brooktondale, New York
This is a mild yet flavorful dish, and it cooks up quickly. Serves 4.
½ cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
In a large soup pot, sauté in 1 tablespoon oil about 3-4 minutes.
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground tumeric
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
Add and stir-fry for about 30 seconds.
1 cup kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and chopped
1 cup potatoes, peeled and chopped
Add and stir briefly.
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
½ cup water
¾ teaspoon salt (ideally, Celtic Sea Salt or Redmond’s Real Salt, as these contain valuable trace minerals – Tom)
½ teaspoon sugar
Add; bring to a boil then simmer until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 15 minutes.
COOKING WITH CHESTNUTS
2 options
Cook chestnuts in boiling water (cover chestnuts with 1 inch of water in saucepan) with 1 tablespoon salt for 12 – 15 minutes. Drain and let cool. Shell will come off easily with a paring knife. Once peeled, they can be eaten whole or seasoned and eaten or chopped in a food processor and added to gravies or stuffing.
For roasted chestnuts, preheat oven to 350F. Cut a small “v” notch into the top of the chestnut (to prevent nuts from exploding in the oven) and place on a cookie sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, peel and eat plain, seasoned or chopped into other dishes like stuffing.
CSA Potluck & Core Group Meeting:
Saturday, September 27th – 4:00 Core Group, 5:00 Potluck
Help put the “community” in “community supported argriculture”… and help use up some of these copious vegetables at the same time. Bring yourself and your favorite dish to Spoutwood for our third CSA Potluck and Core Group Meeting this year. Not too late to participate! Bring a dish and come out, whether you’re interested in the core group or not. There may even be some live music.
4th Annual Mother Earth Harvest Fair is THIS SUNDAY, October 5th!
Come one, come all, to Spoutwood’s 4th annual Mother Earth Harvest Fair, to be held here on the Farm on Sunday, October 5th, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Combining the charm of an old-fashioned country fair, time¬less traditional arts and crafts, and cutting-edge ad¬vances in green building and renewable energy, the MEHF is a celebration and showcase of healthy, sustainable, and balanced living in the Chesapeake bioregion.
• Green Building, Alternative Energy, the Sustainable Household, Food and Farming, Nature and the Environment, Health and Healing, BALLEs, Sustainable Communities, Wisdom Traditions, and much more.
• Farmers Market with produce and products from local farms.
• A Children’s Village with crafts and fun for our younger guests.
• Farm animals and wildlife
• Food and drink vendors galore
• Music, storytelling, and dramatic presentations, including special appearances by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter
Adrienne Young and her band, Little Sadie
http://www.adrienneyoung.com
Information: greenman@spoutwood.com 717-235-6610 http://www.motherearthharvestfair.com
Volunteers are still welcomed and encouraged!
BAGS: Requested, Recycling of Same (including paper bags)
As most of you will know, there are various share items which must be bagged even within your usual share bag. And frankly, we’re low on appropriate bags. Thus, we’re asking our shareholders to please return the paper bags the potatoes come in as well as any plastic bags that you might have at home. We are looking for both standard grocery-sized bags, and smaller plastic bags such as those used for produce in supermarkets, to keep news¬papers dry, etc. If at all possible, please help us by bringing them in pre-sorted as to size.
Also, please be aware (if you aren’t already) that your plastic share bags can be re-used the following week! Better yet, invest in a cloth “market bag” that can be used over and over again. We are in the process of investigating Spoutwood-themed practical items to offer for sale, including Market Bags -- stay tuned to this space! In the meantime, if you bring back your plastic ones, you’ll help us and Mother Earth alike. Many thanks, from us and the Home Planet.
Need your rubber bands?
Fine… but if you don’t, we would be pleased if you could bring those (or any excess beyond your needs) back with you when you come. We’d be happy to reuse them to bundle your produce in the weeks to come.
If your small paper bags (used for potatoes, etc.) are in reasonably good shape, we’d be grateful if you’d bring those back, too, so we can reuse them. Help us save money and resources! Thanks.
* With an “appendix” on the care and eating of Chestnuts!
Once again, we are grateful to apprentice Dana Hunter for researching and
writing up the Veggie of the Week!
Kohlrabi is a low, stout cultivar of the cabbage that will grow almost anywhere. It has been selected for its swollen, nearly spherical, Sputnik-like shape. The name comes from the German Kohl ("cabbage") plus Rübe ~ Rabi (Swiss German variant) ("turnip"), because the swollen stem resembles the latter.History: Chinese cabbage has been cultivated for over six thousand years in China. Brassica rapa seeds have been found in jars in the excavated New Stone Age settlement of Banpo. They were a common part of the diet in southern China by the 5th century.
The taste and texture of kohlrabi are similar to those of a broccoli stem or cabbage heart, but milder and sweeter, with a higher ratio of flesh to skin. The young stem in particular can be as crisp and juicy as an apple, although much less sweet. Kohlrabi can be eaten raw as well as cooked.
Nutrition: Good source of Thiamin, Folate, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.
Preparation and Storage:
• With the leaf stems removed, kohlrabi can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks. Storage life can be extended if kohlrabi are placed in sealed plastic bags.
• Excellent raw in salads or as a cooked vegetable. The crisp flesh can be served raw in salads, as a relish, or as a crunchy accompaniment to dips. The bulb can be sliced, cut into quarters, cubes or julienne strips and steamed until crisp but still tender. Kohlrabi bulbs can be hollowed out and stuffed with a vegetable or meat filling.
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