Spoutwood Farm CSA Harvest Guide: Week 17- September 26, 2002
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Spoutwood on the Road: As you all know by now the CSA is only one of many Spoutwood Farm projects. This week we are gearing up for the The 59th Annual Waterford Homes Tour & Crafts Exhibit in Waterford Virginia. Spoutwood Farm will be selling hand made wreaths, swags, and other dried flower crafts at this colonial crafts fair. Waterford is one of only three craft shows in which Spoutwood Farm participates. The first of the year, at George Washington's Mt. Vernon, has already passed. The next two are advertised in flyers included with this week's share. Any of these shows is a treat to attend. Not only are they a delight to wander through, but it is also the perfect place to find lovely gifts for your loved ones. Many talented crafters travel far and wide to bring the highest quality goods to these two shows.
Plastic Bags and Unwanted Containers: We have purchased clear strong plastic bags for distributing our shares, as I'm sure you've noticed. It helps us save money if you return them to us. And send any other plastic bags you might have. We are also in need of glass and plastic containers. Spaghetti sauce jars and like size containers are ideal. If you have any to spare, please clean them out and send them to the farm with lids. They are an important part of our evolving distribution process. Thanks!
Chard, Collards, or Kale: We are sending chard and/or collards and/or kale with less predictability while the greens recover from the heat and a major pest infestation. Important!!! The greens have been sprayed with an organic pesticide. Be sure to thoroughly wash your greens.
Lettuce: The week's lettuce comes to us from the Wilson College CSA in Chambersburg, PA. We traded some of our surplus eggplant for these beautiful heads of gorgeous green lettuce. It was, however, harvested last Saturday, so it would be best to eat your lettuce early in the week. By next week some more of our own lettuce crop should be in.
Arugula: Arugula is a wonderful salad green. It adds a bitey, nutty zest to any salad. Be sure to eat all of the nutritious green arugula from around the tiny holes.
Spinach: Spinach is rich in iron as well as other vitamins and minerals. It is great raw in any green salad. It can also be stir-fried, chopped into soup, or cooked on its own. Best of all, it'll make you strong to the finish, so be sure to eat your share of spinach.
Red Cabbage: We've been saving these cabbages for you so that you'd have a chance to you're your way through all the heads you've gotten in the past several months. We're sure you'll be happy to see some now that your stockpiles are depleted. These purple heads make beautiful additions to salads. Of course they're just as delectable when cooked.
Broccoli: Fresh broccoli can be eaten raw, chopped into green salads, or enjoyed with a dip. Steamed broccoli is a tasty treat. Don't forget about those wonderful stems either. They are delicious roasted or in a stir fry. You may want to peel the tough, lower sections of the stem before eating, but we guarantee that these stems are a treat you are sure to enjoy.
Radishes: The radishes have not come on as strong as we expected, so you will only be receiving a couple with each share. One variety, called "Easter Egg" comes in many fun shades of red, pink and purple. Please don't throw the greens away. They are excellent cooked like spinach or raw in salads, and very nutritious as well.
Green Beans: Our green beans also haven't produced as we would like. This will be the last week for them, if we even get enough to distribute that is. Some of the beans have been edited by bugs, while others are a little tough. Despite this they still have a wonderful taste. Try steaming your green beans until they are tender and intensely green.
Garlic: Use your garlic sparingly when cooking. These little buds are potent. A small amount will go a long way.
Bell Peppers: Our pepper crop is still coming on strong. Each share will receive a red pepper along with a few green.
Chilies: The elongated, paler green and red peppers in your share are hot chilies. Reportedly these are hotter now then they were when we first distributed them. Handle with caution if you are allergic to spicy food. If you find that these peppers are too hot for you then be sure to remove the fleshy membranes before cooking. These membranes contain most of the pepper's hotness. Some of the chili peppers have turned red. They are just as yummy red as they are green.
Habanero Pepper: The small hot pepper in your share is a habanero pepper. It is one of the hottest peppers known to man, so be cautious in its use.
Tomatoes: If you get a tomato that isn't fully ripe set it out on a counter top or in a sunny windowsill with the stem side down. With just a little patience your tomato can still reach its peak flavor. The tomatoes are starting to slow down as well.
Eggplant: This week's share includes a variety called Orient Express, characterized by its long, slender shape. They are a specialty, early harvest breed. Some shares will also receive a purple striated variety as well as the more usual purple-black variety.
Herbs: This week's share includes some fresh basil sprigs as well as sage. Try combining basil with tomato in any dish and we're certain that you won't be disappointed. Combine your sage with cheese or apples for a truly delectable delight. Apple sage cake is a great use for these herbs. Sage can also be dried and used in turkey stuffing or in sausage making.
Flowers: Goldenrod, purple and/or red globe amaranth, jerusalem artichoke flowers, white or lavender asters, sage leaves, pokeweed, and amaranthus flowers are some of your floral treats. Important!!! Poke berries are highly toxic. Do not eat them or leave them in a place where they are likely to be eaten.
Lentil and Vegetable Biryani
from The Complete Book of Indian Cooking
serves 6
Ingredients:
2/3 cup brown or green lentils, raw
4 Tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
2 onions, quartered and sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1-inch piece of ginger root, chopped finely
1 tsp. ground turmeric
½ tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
3 tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 eggplant, trimmed and cut in ½ inch pieces
6 ¼ cups boiling vegetable stock
1 red or green bell pepper, diced
1 ¾ cup basmati rice, rinsed, drained, and soaked in cold water for 30 minutes
1 cup beans, topped, tailed, and halved
1 1/3 cups cauliflower flowerets
1 ½ cups sliced mushrooms
½ cup unsalted cashews
3 hard cooked eggs, shelled
A few sprigs of fresh cilantro for garnish
Rinse the lentils under cold, running water and drain. Heat the ghee or oil in a saucepan. Add the onions and fry gently for 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and spices and fry gently for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in the lentils, tomatoes, eggplant, and 2 ½ cups of the stock. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the lentils are tender and all the liquid has been absorbed.
Drain the rice and put in another pan with the remaining stock. Bring to a boil. Add the beans, cauliflower, and mushrooms, then cover and cook gently for 15 minutes or until the rice and vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes, covered. Add the lentil mixture and the cashews to the cooked rice and mix gently. Pile onto a warm serving platter and garnish with wedges of hard cooked eggs and sprigs of cilantro. Serve hot.
Liz Leinwand's Eggplant Tip: To make use of all your tomato and eggplant abundance, simply make freezer-ready eggplant parmesan. Slice to eggplant into discs, bread, and cook as if you were going to eat them that day. Instead of finishing the process, however, place the breaded eggplant patties on a cookie sheet, allow them to cool, then place the whole sheet in your freezer. Wait several hours for the patties to fully freeze before transferring them to a freezer bag for long term storage. Homemade tomato sauce can also be kept in freezer bags throughout the winter, making good use of your summer tomatoes. Now all you have to do to enjoy your Spoutwood bounty any time of the year is thaw out your sauce and eggplant, smother with the cheese of your choosing (preferably mozzarella and parmesan), and bake as you normally would any other eggplant parm.
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