June 2011
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Archive for June 2011

Bok Choy feature

30. June 2011 by admin.

Looks like we’ll have beautiful bok choy (pac choi) for tomorrow’s harvest too, so here’s a recipe for a nice summer salad featuring three items from our harvest.

Asian Slaw—simple and delicious! (gluten free, dairy free!)

Ingredients

1 pac choi

1medium head green cabbage
1 medium head red cabbage
3 tablespoons sea salt
3 large carrots
1/4 cup minced scallions
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Dressing:
2/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, maple syrup or rice syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons dark-roasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. Discard the outer leaves of cabbages. Cut heads in quarters; remove and discard cores. Slice pac choi and cabbage thinly or shred in a food processor. Layer the pac choi and cabbage in a large bowl with the sea salt. Toss to distribute salt evenly and let cabbage sit for 1 hour to soften.

2. Meanwhile, peel the carrots and grate them into thin shreds.

3. Drain off any liquid produced by the cabbage and rinse the cabbage well in several changes of cold water to remove excess salt. Taste the cabbage; if it is still too salty, rinse it again.

4. Add carrots to the cabbage and mix well.

5. Whisk the rice vinegar, brown sugar and sesame oil together in a small bowl.

6. Pour the dressing over the cabbage and mix well. Let chill. Garnish with minced scallions and toasted sesame seeds before serving.

Posted in Weekly CSA Harvests | No Comments »

Harvest #6–welcome, summer crops…

30. June 2011 by admin.

Harvest #6, July 1, 2011

Select 8 from the following items for this Friday:

Fresh garlic and a sample of tomatoes to come (1 tomato today)!! (We’ll offer the seconds/splits this week and save the good stuff for curing, ready soon.)

bok choy

fennel, try it sliced thin on the grill

jalapeno peppers

Green peppers

Italian eggplant including specialty Italian called Beatrice (its pink!)

Sweet basil

Thai basil (seek out a fun recipe online for this! I’ll see about gathering some too)

scallions (almost gone)

last week of lettuce (lettuce bolts in the heat of summer and gets bitter)

last week of garlic scapes

cabbage

chard (oh sweet healthy endlessly available chard)

zucchini

There are some first harvests and some crop wrap-ups in this week, as we transition to some of the summer crops. Enjoy!

Posted in Weekly CSA Harvests | No Comments »

Gluten-free Zucchini Bread

28. June 2011 by admin.

By request, I am sharing my gluten-free zucchini bread recipe at a seasonally

important time of the year.

The time of year when you need to sleep in the hammock with one eye open,

or we might sneak a large zucchini onto your lap while you are sleeping.

The time when you need to lock your car door at the farm or you might find a few

in the passenger seat.

Baking with zucchini should be reserved for the large zucchini, the ones that grow into

baseball bats if not caveman clubs. The delicate small ones are for slicing and sauteeing

or such.

 This recipe is for the overgrown zucchini, the ones that grow a foot overnight.

(Actually, they don't, but who harvests DAILY??)

Anyway, I'll add some notes to indicate ways I've revised this recipe over time.

Its worked every time, you can freeze the loaves, but it will be a bit dry that way.

Nothing like fresh from the oven. I've used frozen shredded zuke too, just

squeeze out the water first. I always double this recipe and make two loaves.

One for now, one for later.

Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread

CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com

Serves/Makes: 1 loaf  | Difficulty Level: 3 | Ready In: 1-2 hrs

Ingredients:
2/3 cup white rice flour  [I use brown rice flour]

2/3 cup sweet rice flour (available from Asian supermarkets and Common Market,

I use brown sweet rice flour]

1/2 cup potato starch
3 1/2 tablespoons tapioca starch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter (not margarine)[Recipe says not margarine, I've used Earth

Balance or Coconut Oil, makes it more dense. Of course, butter rules]

1 cup sugar [I replace this with a little more than half cup of honey, to taste]
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup grated zucchini [always seems like i could add more zucchini than this]

2/3 cup chopped walnuts  [I always skip this, include it if you like nuts in

baked things...]

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9 x 5 loaf pan; dust with rice flour.

Mix together flours, potato starch, tapioca starch, baking soda, xanthangum, salt.

Set aside. Cream the butter until white. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy,about 5

minutes. [this won't fluff or cream if you are using coconut oil.] Add the eggs and

briefly beat until well mixed. 

 Stir in the zucchini. Stir in the dry ingredients until blended. Fold in the nuts.

Pour the batter into the pan. Bake 1 hour. 

 Adapted from a banana bread recipe in Gluten-Free Baking by Rebecca Reilly.

You can view the complete recipe plus reviews online at:
Recipe Location: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/404/GlutenFree_Zucchini_Bread51940.shtml
Recipe ID: 7224

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Zucchini-Crusted Pizza

27. June 2011 by admin.

This is a great recipe to use up a big zucchini. These are good enough that we eat them plain with no toppings. Sometimes toppings can make it soggy, so dry toppings might work best. I have enjoyed this recipe so much that I sometimes make a bunch of crusts and half bake them and freeze them in a stack with wax paper between them, in gallon zip lock bags. They can be gluten-free by using a gluten-free flour mixture.

Zucchini-Crusted Pizza
credits go to Moosewood Cookbook

olive oil and flour for the pan
2 cups (packed) grated zucchini (about 2 7-inchers)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup grated mozzarella
1/2 cup grated parmesan
OPT: pinches of basil, marjoram, rosemary
2 TBS olive oil

TOPPING SUGGESTIONS
extra olive oil
1 large ripe tomato, sliced
extra cheese
2 to 3 large garlic cloves, sliced thin
sauteed mushrooms
sliced olives

Preheat oven to 400F, Generously oil a 10-inch pie pan and coat lightly with
flour.
Combine zuke, eggs, flour, mozzarella, parmesan, herbs and 1 TBS olive oil
in a bowl and mix well.
Spread into the prepared pan and bake for 35 -40 min, or until golden brown.
About halfway through the baking, brush with the ramaining TBS of olive oil
(opt). Remove from oven. When it has cooled for about 10 minutes, use a
spatula to loosen the crust from the pan, so it won’t break later.
Top with your favorite pizza items and bake at 400F until heated through.

Posted in Recipes | No Comments »

Harvest #5 (and #4)

23. June 2011 by admin.

Harvest List for Week 5, June 24, 2011

Select 8 from the following: (can’t decide? additional items available for $3.50)

zucchini

japanese eggplant

green peppers

garlic scapes (last of them)

chard

kale

scallions

romaine lettuce (have you made Caesar Salad yet?)

maybe some red leaf too

japanese white turnips

cabbage

maybe beets this week!

sweet basil

thai basil

jalapeno peppers

Since summer crops are just getting started, some of these offerings might be light in quantity at the start. Please be flexible if we are out of something when you arrive, there will be plenty of other items to choose from. You can ask if “there’s more in the back” or make a different choice for this week.

For the record, Week #4 offerings were as follows:

zucchini

japanese eggplant, just a few

green peppers

garlic scapes

chard

kale

scallions

romaine lettuce

some red leaf too

japanese white turnips

cabbage

sweet basil

thai basil

Posted in Weekly CSA Harvests | No Comments »

Harvest List for week 3–June 10

9. June 2011 by ilene.

Anticipated Harvest List for Friday June 10–CSA members will select 8 from the following:

1) A new batch of lettuce, either romaine or a new variety of red leaf lettuce

2) A second type of lettuce to choose from, another leaf lettuce

3) bok choi

4) kohlrabi

5) turnips

6) scallions (the spring onions are done, these are delicate scallions)

7) garlic scapes (get them while they are here!)

kale

9) chard, Red Russian or maybe Perpetual Spinach (a spinach-y variety of chard)

10) cabbage

plus U-Pick Herb Garden (ready now: sorrel, sage, chives, a little oregano, some chamomile flowers, what else..)

Coming Soon: zucchini are starting! Definitely next week, maybe a taste this week.

U-Pick Zinnias are beginning to blossom! A beautiful row. They will be U-Pick when there are enough of them.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Jordan’s Farming Experience Part III

9. June 2011 by admin.

Here is the final excerpt from Jordan’s farming journal about her experience interning and living on the farm for two weeks. Enjoy.

Jordan’s Farming Experience, Part III

Day 7: worked from 8-9:30 (1 ½ hours)

I woke up and helped milked the goat, which is becoming more frustrating because I can’t seem to get the perfect amount of milk out. Oh well, if I just keep trying… It’s weird because my right hand is so much better than my left, but as I kept going I started to get the rhythm of it so that was nice. Then I just came back from watering the greenhouse for an hour, and it was SO cool because a little baby praying mantis landed on my hand! That was amazing. Because it’s Sunday, it’s another relaxation day. After pancakes and watering, I am helping Ilene make homemade strawberry jam! We used the strawberries we picked yesterday, and just finished one batch. [We went canoeing for a special break and] I was sitting in the boat thinking how I wish I had this life, and how I hope to someday raise my kids like this. Everything is always so happy here and relaxed, even though they work hard, they know how to take it easy. Nothing is ever rushed or hectic, and even though I’ve struggled through working and being tired a lot, I have always stayed content. Even today when I was watering the greenhouse for an hour, I kept singing. It was kind of weird to me, but I wanted to sing and see how I felt. I felt happy, even while being sweaty and hot. I wish I didn’t have to leave on Friday. At least I have some more days here (Its Sunday night).

Day 8: worked from 8-3 (7 hours with breaks)

Milked the goat at 8 today with Ilene, it was great! She said by the end of the week I will be drinking the milk I milked myself. I am getting so much better at it and I really love doing it. Then I went to watering for an hour, which was nice again because it was relaxing but at the end of the watering there was this HUGE jumping spider that was near the plants, so I really didn’t want to finish. There is a new intern that just started today from University of Maryland, Mike, and he’s really nice. Together we put in an irrigation system for some of the vegetables. I also planted another two rows of sunflowers today (I transferred there from the greenhouse) but it is 98 degrees outside and I am basically dying. We also uncovered the zucchini from the mesh white cover it was under to protect it from bugs, and it was so beautiful after. Ilene and Phil are having a few friends (and their kids) over for dinner tonight and then to pick strawberries, I look forward to it!

Day 9: Worked from 7-9 (2 hours)

Watered the plants earlier this morning, it was fine but I was totally paranoid about spiders. I woke up to the HUGE spider on the edge of my bed, and basically freaked out. I’ve gotten used to a lot of things, but giant spiders are still not what I want to see right when I wake up. Luckily Ilene managed to get it out of my room, but it was seriously the most disgusting thing ever! I helped milk the goat after watering which was good because I keep getting better at it. Not perfect at all yet though. Breakfast is almost ready, and then later today I go to Shannon and BJ’s farm because Ilene and the boys have a busy schedule (just like last Tuesday) so this will be fun.

(After getting back from the farm)

The farm was nice, but it was super hot out so Shannon took me and her little boy, Luke, to get a weed wacker and some ice cream. I only really worked at her farm for a half hour today, which was great because I couldn’t bare the heat.

Day 10: Worked from 7-9 (2 hours)

In anticipation of the busy busy busy Thursday and Friday ahead, I’ve had an easy week. It’s also been too hot to really work on the fields (It’s been a 100 degrees) so instead after my daily routine of learning how to milk a goat and spending an hour watering the greenhouse, Ilene took me and the boys to “park/beach” day with their home school group. It was really nice because all the home school kids in this particular group, and their moms, meet at a different park every week [during the month of May and the summertime]. This park had a little beach, so all day I sat on a towel, slept, and read. It was nice to just totally relax, I felt like I was on vacation.

Day 11: Worked from 8-5 (9 hours with breaks)

I have fallen into routine here, I’ve become comfortable not only in this place, but with this amazing family. I wish I wasn’t leaving. This morning I woke up at 8 and helped milk the goat, but this time was different. I truly milked Avenille, I got almost an entire mason jar full of milk, and it was incredible. It totally just clicked today. Then I spent a long relaxing while singing and watering the greenhouse plants, today it took an hour and a half. Yesterday was really hot, so I have to over water today. It was a really interesting day; Amanda and Mike were here (the two other interns). Phil already plowed 6 rows for more vegetables to be transplanted into (the vegetables in the greenhouse) so we put down drip tape that rolled out along all the rows, and then used black cloth over them where the plants will grow out of. This took literally three hours, and it was really windy but we got it done. We used special “staple” things that we put into the ground over the cloth to hold it down. Tomorrow we are going to use a blowtorch to make holes in the cloth so we can transplant the plants into it. I love being part of this process because I get to see the end product (csa pickup) to the beginning, making rows for the plants. Also, the most beautiful thing happened today. The plants that we planted five days ago started to germinate today. They all popped up. I loved that so much, I planted them all, and I watered them, and I gave them life. That was very special to witness.

Day 12: Worked from 8-6 (10 hours)

My last day, and also CSA day. The day was amazing, because after harvesting everything for the CSA we helped plant the flowers in the black cloth from the day before. It was really nice to see the whole cycle come together, from watering plants, and me harvesting to me seeding and transplanting plants. It was beautiful. After CSA day was over we had a bonfire, and then my aunt picked me up. It was so hard to leave, but bearable only because I know I will be back every Thursday and Friday. This was a spectacular day, better than I could have imagined.

Two days after leaving

Although it is nice to be home, I desperately miss the farm. The more I reflect on my time there, the more I realized I have never learned so much in my life, or felt so at home and complete. It was truly a blessing to have been there. Although I appreciate the lifestyle I have, and know I am very fortunate for everything I have, there is something inside of me that knows this isn’t the right way to live; we are constantly focused on how others perceive us, and would rather spend time caring about ourselves then caring about our environmental impact. Things are much too fast paced around here. A large reason why I enjoyed being on the farm was not only what I learned from hard work and farming, but also being able to see a happy family. My parents have been divorced since I was 9, so this was such a nice thing to see a family so completely happy with each other… I loved learning from Noah and Jonah, they are so smart and such beautiful children. They are given so much independence and freedom and truly know how to just enjoy themselves and enjoy nature. Some kids I know are constantly on their own itouches, and although I love them deeply, they rely on technology (television, computer games, music videos) for entertainment, and don’t eat anything but “fake” food and processed junk food. [I’ve grown up] being afraid of bugs, being rushed around to different sports growing up, being stuck in a school building all day, shopping for “cute” clothes, and eating bad food… I am finally seeing a way of life that I’ve never been exposed to, yet it’s a way of life that I’ve secretly craved for so long. Now that I have seen such a simplistic and beautiful way of living, it is all I can think about. I hope the rest of my journey in life revolves around the beauty of food and nature and finding happiness without conforming to what is socially acceptable or socially right. I wish to free myself of everything I know and pursue my dreams of traveling, opening my eyes to many different ways of living, and to one day have a farm of my own where I can teach and learn from other people, as well as maybe even have my own CSA one day and help nourish others with completely organic and local food. I hope that I can help change this world through showing that we must help nourish our planet rather than destroy it. But the most important message I learned while being on the farm, was to be proud of who I am, and to always be myself because it is all I have. Ilene, Phil, and the boys opened my eyes to a way of life that makes more sense than anything I have ever known. My senior project was the best experience I have ever had so far, and will carry the lessons I have learned from working on a farm forever. I am forever grateful.

Note from Ilene:

This internship was of Jordan’s design, to fulfill her final high school senior project for her graduation from The McLean School. She was graded on her choice of internship activity, her journal, and her presentation to the senior class and all the teachers of the upper school. Jordan was one of two students in her class to receive highest honors.

Posted in Interns Speak | No Comments »

Harvest List June 10–week 3

9. June 2011 by admin.

Anticipated Harvest List for Friday June 10–CSA members will select 8 from the following:

1) A new batch of lettuce, either romaine or a new variety of red leaf lettuce

2) A second type of lettuce to choose from, another leaf lettuce

3) bok choi

4) kohlrabi

5) turnips

6) scallions (the spring onions are done, these are delicate scallions)

7) garlic scapes (get them while they are here!)

kale

9) chard, Red Russian or maybe Perpetual Spinach (a spinach-y variety of chard)

10) cabbage

plus U-Pick Herb Garden (ready now: sorrel, sage, chives, a little oregano, some chamomile flowers, what else..)

Coming Soon: zucchini are starting! Definitely next week, maybe a taste this week.

U-Pick Zinnias are beginning to blossom! A beautiful row. They will be U-Pick when there are enough of them.

Posted in Weekly CSA Harvests, Veggies | No Comments »

Recipes for inspiration

4. June 2011 by admin.

Get ready for some recipe fun, sponsored by House in the Woods Farm in a collaboration with United Harvest recipes for CSA and Food Prep Support service! CSA members, you can even submit your creations, tips, and recipes to Julie and she may post them in her next newsletter. Include your name and House in the Woods Farm with your recipe. Of course, I hope you will email your recipe to me also and I’ll be sure to share it here as well. Enjoy Julie’s recipes, I’m excited to try them as well. My additional comments are added in brackets.

Simply Creative Ideas to Use Your GREENS!!

Use your Blender–Use your Greens!

Blended smoothies and Pesto will entice you to use all of your greens!!

The next time you have a bag of greens and you are not sure what to do with them…..make a smoothie!!

Create the most delicious smoothie using frozen berries, a banana, and large handful of washed greens, water and ice! Blend until smooth!

gluten free/dairy free

1-2 Bananas—they balance out the bitterness of some greens

1 cup of another fruit—your choice, I love frozen berries

1-1/2 cups of fresh greens

12 oz. water or until smooth

ice for a more frozen drink

Simply, blend! [This works even better with a Vitamix or other high powered blender. Try less greens for a timid first try.]

Jazz it up with a mint sprig, some melon or even an avocado!

Garlic Scape Pesto

gluten free/dairy free

1 cup of garlic scapes, chopped, flowery parts removed

1 cup or more of spring greens

½ cup walnuts

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

½ cup of vegetable broth

Puree all ingredients in food processor or blender until smooth. If too liquidy add more greens. Too thick? add a bit of veggie broth!

Have extra greens? Eat a raw salad with this versatile vinaigrette:

Garden Vinaigrette

gluten free/dairy free

Keep this chilled and ready to sprinkle on just-picked veggies! This vinaigrette is a must-have in the fridge throughout the growing season. Why purchase ready made salad dressings filled with preservatives when this simple vinaigrette spices up everything from a chopped salad to a pasta salad. Use as a marinade for grilled veggies or on a warm potato salad.

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar or lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

handful of chopped herbs

A shake of sea salt

Mix well!

Or omit mustard and instead add 1 cup pureed strawberries and blend!

Kale Crumble

gluten free

Paul Bucciaglia

Fort Hill Farm

New Milford, Connecticut

Great to crumble and sprinkle over rice, soup, salad or any dish that needs some salty crunch! Eat it as a snack too!

Olive oil

1 big bunch of kale, roughly cut into 2 x 2 pieces

3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Spread thin layer of olive oil across baking stone or cookie sheet with your fingers. Spread kale across pan. Bake for 10 minutes, mixing once. Sprinkle Parmesan over kale and bake for an additional three minutes. Remove from oven when kale seems crispy. Cool of plate or tray.

Baked Risotto with Greens

gluten free

Elaine Granata

Granata Farms

Denver, Colorado

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 c. uncooked Arborio rice

8 cups greens: chard, spinach, kale, etc.

2 cup veggie broth

1/4 teaspoon sea sat

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup grated fresh pecorino or Parmesan

1–1/2 cup sliced asparagus

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a Dutch oven saute onions with rice. Once onions are translucent, add greens, broth, salt and nutmeg. Stir these ingredients together and simmer for 5–7 minutes. Stir in cheese. Cover and bake for 30–40 minutes.

Calabrese Swiss Chard

Bill Nunes

Contented Acres Produce

Gustine, California

This recipe comes from the Italian Region of Calabria. I prefer to use ruby red swiss chard for its sweeter more beet-like flavor and for the beautiful red color which the juice takes from the red stems. I also prefer the robust flavor of hardneck garlic, either Korean Red Hot or Roja.

6 tablespoons of olive oil, divided

1/2 medium onion, sliced or chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed [use your garlic scapes for now!]

1 large bunch Swiss chard (about 1–1/2 lbs.)

1/3 lb. sliced bacon, cut into pieces and browned [omit for vegetarian alternative, of course]

1/2 cup Parmesan or Peccorino Romano cheese

bread crumbs

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Blot grease from bacon, set bacon aside. Chop Swiss chard (stems about 1/2 inch thick, leaves larger). Saute garlic in 2 tablespoons of oil. Add onion and saute lightly. Add Swiss chard stems and cook three minutes, add leaves and cover. Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Mix cooked ingredients in a baking dish. Mixture should be about two inches deep in pan. Sprinkle bread crumbs over mixture, mixing lightly with a fork. Drizzle with remainder of olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Then sprinkle with grated cheese and continue to bake until cheese is melted. Serves 8 to 10.

Soup of Springtime Salad Greens

gluten free

Lisa Jessup

Common Ground Farm

Beacon, New York

1 onion, chopped

3 tablespoons butter

2 cups water

2 cups snap peas

1 cup white wine

bundle of spring herbs (parsley, chives, tarragon, thyme, chervil)

2 heads of lettuce, chopped

large handful arugula, chopped

sea salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup cream plus 1/2 cup (to be whipped for garnish)

1/2 cup chopped sorrel (spring green with lemony flavor)

Sweat onions in butter over medium-low heat in a large soup pot for about 10 minutes. Blanch snap peas in boiling water for one minute and plunge into ice cold water. Reserve pea water. Add wine, pea water, and bundle of herbs to the pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat and add one cup of cream. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add lettuce and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove herb bundle and blend soup in small batches in blender until smooth. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with unsweetened whipped cream, chopped sorrel and the peas. Serve hot or cold. Serves 6.

Vegetable Stock

be prepared!

gluten free/dairy free

Some of these recipes call for veggie stock or broth, use this! Make batches ahead of time and freeze. Defrost to make quick soups and stews.

8 cups of cold water

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 leeks chopped

10 peppercorns

Sprigs of fresh herbs like thyme, oregano, parsley

Combine all ingredients in a large stockpot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 75 minutes. Strain through sieve and discard solids. Let cool and refrigerate. Containers can be frozen for about three months.

Spring Salad

gluten free/dairy free

Make this salad with veggies straight from your CSA and notice as you slowly take each bite just how miraculous vegetables are! It is incredible how little we really need to “dress up” farm-fresh veggies.

2 heads of butterhead, Boston or bibb lettuce, washed

4 radishes trimmed and sliced thinly

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips

4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Tear lettuce into small pieces. Add lettuce, radishes and carrots to a bowl. Whisk vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper and pour over salad. Toss gently.