Spoutwood Farm CSA Harvest Guide: Week 20: October 25, 2007
To return to the 2007 Harvest Guide page, click here
Greetings, Spoutwood Farm friends! Welcome to the twentieth week of our CSA Harvest season. Hard to believe, but the season is drawing near to its end: only two more weeks of this year’s CSA. After a very extended period of warmth, most unusual for this late in the season, the weather has turned damp and chilly. We are finally getting much-needed rain! Not exactly when we need it, on Harvest Day, and after having to irrigate for months, but anything Mother Nature can give us to replenish the water table before next year is greatly appreciated. We certainly don’t want to look a gift horse… er… rain in the mouth!
There are several points to keep in mind regarding this week’s Harvest, and these will appear next to the appropriate vegetable, etc., in your Harvest Guide, so please be sure to read carefully.
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 interactive 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!
Shareholders – if you have not worked your hours (or all of them) yet for this season: Please be aware that you need to either work them soon (we only have two more weeks, and we could certainly use the help “putting the garden to bed” for the Winter) or “buy out” of them by paying the appropriate sum. Please contact Rob ASAP! If you have worked your hours but are willing to help out, we do have some funds available to pay a few farm helpers to get things ready for the end of the season. Again, please contact Rob at (717) 235-6610 as soon as possible. Thanks!
Tomatoes: Tomatoes are drawing near their conclusion for this year. But they are refusing to go gently into that good night: we still have some, even if they are fewer and smaller than just a few weeks ago. Pick from a rainbow of colorful varieties. Very likely the last week for tomatoes, but still several weeks later than most seasons!
Peppers: Both bell (sweet) and Anaheim (mild chili) peppers included in today’s Harvest. Mostly green, but a few red or variegated.
Kale: Our pot-herb of the week, kale is excellent in all the usual ways, and for all the usual reasons. You know all this by now, so I’ll just say “enjoy”!
Mustard Greens: A spicy, peppery green that can be eaten on its own or mixed with other greens. Most people prefer mustard cooked, but Rob swears by peanut butter and mustard-green sandwiches! May also be used in a salad (in small doses, for most of us).
Yakina Savoy: One of the “Asian greens,” yakina is a brassica related to Chineses cabbage or bok choi, and can be used in much the same way. Good for stir fries, soups, salads or cooking as a side dish like spinach. The ribs can be used like celery.
Broccoli and Cauliflower: Benefit from an “either-or” of these two delicious, extremely nutritious cruciferous veggies. For some reason, broccoli and cauliflower have always stood for fall and winter, for me (Tom). Some will get small heads of cauliflower, others side shoots of broccoli.
Lettuce: Lettuce is back again this week. Salads, sandwiches, you name it! Please wash your lettuce extra-well this week, as it’s somewhat besmirched with mud. Nothing to worry about if you don’t mind grit in your teeth, otherwise be sure and wash thoroughly…
White Potatoes: More of our delicious, nutritious Spoutwood potatoes. An excellent crop this year! Bagged together with Jerusalem artichokes this week. Please remove from bag immediately and store in a cool, dark place with good air circulation.
Turnips: Delicious white-and-purple turnips are nothing to “turnip” your nose at! Can be boiled and mashed with potatoes to make what the Scots call “neeps & tatties,” or grated and fried with “taters” (and maybe a little onion) to make the aptly named Irish dish “bubble and squeak.”
Jerusalem Artichokes: Also known as “sunchokes” from their bright yellow sunflower-like flower, Jerusalem artichokes have nothing to do with either artichokes or Jerusalem. They are, however, a starchy root vegetable (actually tuber) that can be prepared many ways, and are the subject of our Vegetable of the Week. Please scrub very thoroughly! The English, who cultivate them extensively, sometimes slice them and fry them like French fries (or “chips,” as they’d call them).
Dill: Synonymous with pickles to some people, dill us a wonderful herb that can lend its slightly sour flavor to everything from fish dishes to hash browns. And of course, can be used in pickling! Some will get this herb, while others will get
Basil: This perennial favorite is back this week. Also nearing the end of its season, but still good for enjoying with the last of the tomatoes, or to make small batches of pesto to warm the winter months.
Bread: For those with bread shares, our wonderful Atwater bread this week is TBA.
Flowers: We are very sorry, but there are no flowers this week. We are nearing the end of the season, and the few that remain are looking very bedraggled from the cold rain.
Sunchoke Pecan Sandwich
Raw sun chokes, sometimes called Jerusalem artichokes, are spotlighted as the featured ingredient in this unique sandwich. Crunchy pecans and a smooth creamy avocado sauce pair up in supporting roles. Serve the sandwich with a salad and fruit for a tasty light meal.
Sun choke Pecan Sandwich is one of the delicious recipes in Zel Allen's cookbook The Nut Gourmet: Nourishing Nuts for Every Occasion published by Book Publishing Company in 2006.
Yield: 3 to 4 sandwiches
1 ripe avocado
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash cayenne
1/4 to 1/2 cup (60 to 120 ml) organic canola oil
2 cups (480 ml) coarsely shredded sun chokes
1/2 cup (120 ml) raw or toasted pecans, coarsely chopped or coarsely ground
1/4 red bell pepper, finely diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
6 to 8 slices whole grain bread
12 to 16 large basil leaves
3 ripe tomatoes, sliced
3 to 4 butter lettuce leaves
To make the avocado sauce, wash the avocado, cut it in half, scoop out the flesh, and place it in the blender. Add the lemon juice, salt, and cayenne and blend briefly. With the machine running, slowly add the canola oil, using just enough to create a thick, creamy sauce. Stop the machine occasionally to scrape down the sides of the blender jar and stir the mixture.
To make the sun choke filling, combine the sun chokes, pecans, and red bell pepper in a medium bowl. Add enough of the avocado sauce to moisten and hold the mixture together. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
Spread a thin coating of the avocado sauce over one side of each of the bread slices. Spread the sun choke mixture over half the bread slices and top with the basil leaves, tomato slices, and lettuce. Place the remaining bread slices over the filling and cut the sandwiches in half..
Jerusalem Artichoke Quick Bread Recipe
2 medium Jerusalem artichokes
2 cups spelt or whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
Herbs: basil, coriander, thyme, sage, dill...any of your favorites
1/2 tsp salt
1 carrot
1/2 of a turnip
1/2 of a parsnip
1 stalk celery
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 to 1 cup water
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Finely chop the artichoke into very small pieces. Place in a bowl with all the dry ingredients. Grate carrot, turnip and parsnip into the mixture. Finely slice celery, and add to the mixture. Add milk, maple syrup, and enough water to moisten the entire mixture.
Pour into a greased baking pan, or bread pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer pierced through the middle of the bread comes out clean. Remove from the pan, and place on rack to cool.
Yield: 1 loaf
Chicken with Jerusalem Artichoke and Lemon Recipe
1/2 pound Jerusalem artichokes, peeled
10 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
6 saffron threads
1 chicken, cut into pieces
Salt and pepper
20 fresh basil leaves
2 ounces pine nuts, toasted
Peel the Jerusalem artichokes. Peel and halve the garlic cloves.
In a large pan, mix lemon juice and olive oil. Add the garlic halves, Jerusalem artichokes and saffron threads. Add water to cover, and bring to boil over moderate heat.
Add the chicken, season to taste, and cook 1-1/2 hours. Add basil, check seasonings, and cook another 10 minutes. Garnish with pine nuts, and serve with cooked rice.
Cheese & Artichoke Chowder Recipe
2 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, sliced
1 pound Jerusalem artichokes, sliced into water with 1 Tbsp lemon juice added
8 ounces carrots, sliced
5 tsp all-purpose flour
2-1/2 cups chicken stock
1-1/4 cups milk
8 ounces (2 cups) Gruyere cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp dry mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
Julienne Garnish:
1 Jerusalem artichoke
1 carrot
1 leek
Chervil leaves
In a large saucepan, melt butter, add onion and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Drain artichokes; add to pan with carrots. Cook 2 minutes. Add flour, then gradually add stock. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare julienne garnish. Cut artichoke, carrot and green part of the leek into julienne strips. Blanch in boiling water 1 minute; refresh in cold water and set aside.
Blend soup in a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade until smooth. Add milk, cheese and seasonings and blend again. Pour into a clean pan and reheat gently; do not boil.
Pour into individual soup bowls and garnish with the prepared vegetables and chervil leaves.
Yield: 4 servings
Farm Based Education Symposium: From November 8th - 10th, Rob, Lucy, and Tom will all be attending the 3rd annual Educational Farm Symposium, held this year at Shelburne Farms in Vermont. The Symposium is a project of the Farm Based Education Association, whose mission is to inspire, nurture and promote farm based education. As many of you know, we are working on developing educational programs at Spoutwood, and are looking forward to this opportunity to network with and learn from others in the growing – and exciting! – field of farm-based education.
We would be particularly grateful for a strong turn-out of shareholders on Thursday the 8th of November, our last Harvest of the season, since the staff will be away, and consequently harvest that day will be headed up by brave and experienced volunteers among our shareholders. We have the utmost confidence in them, but nonetheless they will need all your help and support!
Jerusalem Artichokes
(Text edited from “Vegetables in Paradise”)
The Jerusalem artichoke has no relatives in the artichoke family but is actually a member of the sunflower family. A native of North America, it grew in the wild along the eastern seaboard from Georgia to Nova Scotia. The explorer Samuel de Champlain first encountered sun chokes growing in a Native American garden in Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 1605. In his opinion they tasted like artichokes, a name that he carried back to France. The Native Americans called the same vegetable “sun roots” and introduced these perennial tubers to European pilgrims who adopted them as a staple food.
Our sleuths have surmised that when Jerusalem Artichokes arrived in Italy sometime before 1633, the Italian word for sunflower “girasole” which means “turning to the sun”, was somehow later corrupted into he word “Jerusalem.” This corruption combined with Champlain’s likening the taste of the vegetable to an artichoke brings us to an early edition of the Oxford English Dictionary which references “Artichokes of Jerusalem” in 1620. This entry suggests that Jerusalem Artichokes made their way across Europe.
Today we at Spoutwood can undergo our own research by testing out some new recipes that feature this crisp, nutty and nutritious veggie.
Nutritionally, the sun choke’s most outstanding benefits lie in the 327 mg. of potassium for a half-cup serving. That same half-cup serving has 57 calories, 1.5. gr. protein, 1.2 gr. fiber, 10.5 mg. calcium, 10 mcg. folacin along with smaller amounts of niacin and thiamine.
STORAGE: Keep the tubers wrapped in plastic and refrigerate. They will keep up to two weeks, but it's always best eat them as fresh as possible for the best flavor and nutrition. Their sweetness is known to increase when refrigerated after harvesting. If you grow your own, refrigerate them for a day or two before consuming.
PREPARATION: Scrub the sun chokes clean with a vegetable brush. Since much of their nutrients are stored just under the skin, it's best not to peel them. Once cut, sun chokes discolor quickly, so it's best to cut them close to serving time, or cut and immerse them in water with lemon or vinegar to prevent oxidation. Cooking them with the skins on may cause a darkening of the skins because of their high iron content.
RAW:
Slice sun chokes and enjoy the crunch they add to your salad.
Slice and serve them along with crudités and dips.
Shred them into a slaw. Dice them into a chopped salad.
Slice, dice, or shred and marinate in a little extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice or rice vinegar
Coarsely chop sun chokes and add to the blender when preparing raw soups.
STIR FRY: Slice, dice, or shred and stir fry along with other fresh vegetables in a little extra virgin olive oil. They will become softened in about 4 to 6 minutes. For a tender crisp texture, stir fry about 2 to 4 minutes.
BAKED: Sun chokes can be baked whole or sliced. Toss them in a bowl with a little extra virgin olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Set the oven temperature at 375 and bake 30 to 45 minutes for whole, and 20 to 25 minutes for sliced, turning them half way through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
STEAMED: Coarsely chop the Jerusalem artichokes and put them into a steamer basket. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue at high heat and steam for 5 to 8 minutes. Test for softness. Remove and season to taste or mash like potatoes.
BOILED: Sun chokes can be boiled whole or cut as desired. Bring a covered saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add sun chokes and boil for 10 to 15 minutes for whole, and 5 to 8 minutes for cut up. Season as desired or mash like potatoes.
As you can see, Jerusalem artichokes can be enjoyed with any meal, adding a special taste and texture to the palate. Below is a recipe that is as unique as the plant itself:
Once again, we thank Stephanie O’Brien for providing our vegetable of the week.
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