Wobbly Cart Farm CSA week 8

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

7-31-18

Large share: green beans, lacinato kale, butter head lettuce, green leaf lettuce, Walla Walla sweet onions, carrots, cucumbers, purple new potatoes, beets, cilantro, cherry tomatoes

Small share: green beans, lacinato kale, butter head lettuce, Walla Walla onion, cucumbers, purple new potato, beets, cilantro

Greens share: romaine hearts, Italian parsley, nasturium greens

Roots share: red new potatoes, red onions, garlic

Juicing share: carrot seconds, chard, Italian parsley, cucumbers, romaine hearts

Dear CSA members,

Another very hot week on the farm! We did some harvesting last Friday to try to beat the super hot days this weekend that we feared might toast our lettuce and greens in the field. I think the lettuce was better off chilling in the cooler all weekend than out there. We hit 98 degrees on Sunday!

I was very pleased with our fresh onion harvest this week. The Walla Wallas have sized up to gargantuan proportions this year. In fact, all the onions in the field are looking huge. One thing hot dry and windy weather is good for is curing onions in the field. As long as the bulbs are somewhat protected from sunburn we should be good to go.

We have harvested our first new potatoes this week! New potatoes have thin, wispy skins and a crisp, waxy texture. They are young potatoes and unlike their fully-grown counterparts, they keep their shape once cooked and cut. They are also sweeter because their sugar has not yet converted into starch, and are therefore particularly suited to salads. We have purple potatoes ready first this year.

You don’t need to peel new potatoes; just rinse to remove any dirt and cook whole. To boil, place potatoes into a pan of lightly salted water, bring to the boil, simmer until tender (about 10 minutes) and drain. Dress new potatoes as soon as they are cooked to help them absorb the flavor of the butter or oil. This would be an excellent week for a cold potato salad with green beans! Store new potatoes in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator and use up within a few days.

Greens shares received a bunch of nasturtium greens. This is the first year I have grown these as a crop. Both the flowers and leaves are edible. Nasturtium leaves are best suited for raw preparations and add a spicy or peppery flavor to dishes. They can be chopped and shredded into salads, used as the base for pesto, or chopped and combined with softened cheeses for spreads. The leaves can also be used as garnish atop savory muffins, mixed with chives in potato salads and omelets, and stuffed with rice and herbs for a take on Greek dolmas. Nasturtium leaves and blossoms can be added to a vinegar solution with a clove of garlic and left for four to five weeks to create a hot, pungent vinegar for salad dressings. They are also commonly boiled and used in tea. Nasturtium leaves pair well with aromatics such as garlic, chives, and onions, pine nuts, Dijon, dill, parsley, tarragon, capers, lemons, beets, microgreens, spinach, potatoes, and parmesan cheese. Nasturtium leaves will keep up to five days when stored fresh in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Thanks to everyone who ordered bulk basil and garlic this week! If you didn’t get your order in on time don’t worry, I’ll let you know next time we have basil available!

Have a great week,

Asha

Lemon Potato Soup with Feta: in a 4 quart dutch oven heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat, add 1 cup chopped onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in 4 cups chicken broth and 4 cups chopped potatoes. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in 2 cups chopped kale or spinach and 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until kale is wilted. Remove from heat. Stir in the juice and zest of one lemon and an additional tbsp of olive oil. Let stand for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with 2 oz crumbled feta cheese and additional lemon zest if desired. Serves 4.

 

Mediterranean Tuna Salad with Olive Dressing: Place 1 lb tiny new potatoes (halved or quartered if large) in a 4 qt dutch oven; add water to cover. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add 1 lb thin green beans, stem ends trimmed. Cover, simmer 5 minutes or more or until potatoes and beans are just tender. Drain well. Meanwhile for Olive dressing; place ½ cup pimento stuffed green olives, 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp spicy brown mustard, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp sugar, and ½ tsp pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth. Drizzle dressing over potatoes, green beans, and 1 12oz can solid white Albacore tuna, drained and broken into large chunks. Sprinkle with a bit of fresh thyme, and additional olives. Serve with lemon wedges.

Refrigerator Dilly Beans: place 2 pint sized canning jars and their lids in a pot of boiling water and heat for 1 minute. Lift out, drain and place on the counter. Divide 1 bunch fresh dill, 2 garlic cloves, peeled, 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds, 1 tsp dill seeds, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, and 1 lb green beans, ends trimmed between the 2 jars, packing beans in lengthwise. In a small saucepan, combine 1 1/3 cup cider vinegar, 1 1/3 cup water, 2 tbsp kosher salt, and 1 tbsp sugar and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until salt and sugar dissolve. Pour boiling liquid over the green beans and seal. Cool on a wire rack and refrigerate for 2 days before serving.

Thai Cucumber Salad: in a strainer, allow 3 thinly sliced cucumbers and 1 tsp Celtic sea salt to sit for 1 hour while water drains. Combine ½ cup finely chopped onion, ½ cup sesame oil, 2 Tbsp lime juice, 2 T fresh basil, finely chopped, and ½ tbsp fresh ginger, minced with the cucumbers in a mixing bowl and mix well.

Pesto Potato Salad 

4 pounds fingerling potatoes, quartered

1 pound green beans, cut into one-inch segments

1 to 2 small garlic cloves, peeled

2 bunches of basil (about one ounce each)

1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil

¨6 tablespoons (or more to taste)

mild vinegar, such as champagne, white wine or a white balsamic

1/4 cup chopped green scallions

1/2 cup pine nuts toasted

Parmesan cheese to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Add beans; cook four minutes longer. Drain well and let cool, then transfer potatoes and beans to a large bowl. Wash and dry the basil. Puree in a food processor with garlic, drizzling in enough olive oil that it gets saucy. Season the pesto with salt and pepper. Toss the beans and potatoes with pesto. Stir in vinegar, green onions, pine nuts and season with salt, pepper and/or additional vinegar to taste. Finally, shave some parmesan over the salad. Serve immediately, or make this up to two hours in advance. It can be stored at room temperature.

 

Cucumber Salad with caramelized onions and herbs: slice onions into ¼ inch thick slices (enough to yield 1 cup) and toss to separate into rings. Have a slotted spoon and double layer of paper towels ready. Heat 2 cups vegetable oil to 275 in a small, deep heavy saucepan and drop in onion rings. Cook onions, stirring often, until they turn a uniform light brown, about 8 to 12 minutes. They’ll brown faster toward the end, so be careful. Lift onions from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve 2 tsp onion oil for vinaigrette; let cool. For the vinaigrette: whisk together 1 tbsp each champagne and rice vinegar, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tbsp lemon juice, ¼ tp salt, and ½ tsp pepper together in a bowl until salt and vinegar dissolve. Add reserved onion oil and 1 tbsp minced onion and whisk well to blend. Season to taste with more salt, pepper and lemon juice. Slice several fresh cucumbers into ¼ inch thick slices with a knife. Toss cucumbers and 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes with vinaigrette. Add 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint, 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil, and 1 tbsp roughly chopped red or green shiso (optional). Arrange salad on a platter and top with finely diced mild cucumber pickles and fried onions.

NASTURTIUM LEAF SALAD (serves 2)

Ingredients

Cos lettuce, washed and torn
Cherry tomatoes, halved
2 sticks celery, sliced
5cm of a cucumber, thinly sliced
spring onions, chopped
a handful of fresh nasturtium leaves
1 Tbsp capers (optional)

Method

Toss the salad ingredients together and dress with a lemony vinagrette dressing.  Delicious with pizza.

 

 

 

Advertisement

Wobbly Cart Farm CSA week 2

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

7-5-17

Large shares: broccoli, chard, carrots, cabbage, kohlrabi, fresh garlic bunch, butterhead lettuce, greenleaf or romaine lettuce, scallions, cilantro

Small shares: broccoli, chard, carrots, fresh garlic bunch, greenleaf lettuce, scallions, cilantro

Dear CSA members,

We hope you all had a lovely 4th of July holiday. It was certainly nice for us to have the extra day to prepare for CSA this week! Mondays are our busiest harvest day and it was nice to spread out the workload a bit. Our Chehalis market was also cancelled this week which made things even mellower. The fireworks out here are not mellow though! I am slightly sleep deprived as we are very near the Chehalis tribe casino that does an rather loud and large fireworks show, that with the neighbors and it seemed to go on forever last night.

June and July are such busy months on the farm. We are still busy seeding and transplanting, our new crew members are still getting trained, CSA and markets start up and there are so many details to work out, there is so much weeding and irrigating to do, ground must be worked up for fall plantings and fertilized and amended, tomatoes need to be trellised and pruned, harvest needs to be done, the mowing never ends… You get the idea. With the long hours of day light we often find ourselves working 14 hours a day or more!

We look forward to a few weeks from now when things settle into a bit more manageable routine… But by then orders and harvest lists ramp up in a big way as we reach our peak in August and September. Our crew is doing awesome though and things have been relatively smooth for a transition year where we have quite a few new folks on the farm. So it should be no problem when we get to those weeks.

We have some pretty gorgeous broccoli this week. I am always happy when the early broccoli plantings work out nicely. Once you chop up the florets, I reccommend peeling the stems and chopping them too. I think they are the most delicious part of the broccoli.

Fairly soon we will be harvesting our garlic crop. This week we have bundles of freshly harvested garlic for you. Fresh garlic is not dried and cured like you may be used to buying at the store, but it is sought after by chefs for its milder flavor when raw. You can peel the cloves and use just like any garlic but I would reccommend storing in the refrigerator and using up sooner than later.

The rainbow colored green is Swiss chard. This member of the beet family is bred for its greens, not roots. It is tender, delicious and nutritious. Chard is high in vitamin C, A and B’s as well as iron, calcium and phosphorus. I reccomend it stirfried, steamed, or added to soups and stews. You can store chard in the crisper drawer for about 1 week. Finely chopped, the stems are good and add pretty color to a dish.

Cilantro is an herb that has been used in cuisine from Asia to the new world and has been cultivated for 3000 years or more. The seeds, known as coriander are also used as a spice. Apparently, coriander seeds have even been found in Egyptian tombs! Cilantro is great in salsas, dressings, to season beans, as topping for chili and burritos, or in Indian and Thai dishes. Store by placing the roots in a small jar of water and tenting a plastic bag on top, then place in the refrigerator. It will keep a long time like this.

Have a great week,

Asha

 

Honey roasted carrots: preheat oven to 425. Twist the tops of 16 carrots, leaving a 2 inch nub; wash and scrub the roots. Place the carrots on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tsps olive oil. Roll the carrots back and forth to coat before placing them in the oven. Melt 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp honey together in a small saucepan and keep warm. Shake the carrots occasionally as they roast. Remove from the oven when they are browned in spots and a sharp knife easily pierces them ( 15 to 20 minutes). Drizzle with honey butter over the carrots, roll them around to coat and place them back in the oven. Shake the baking sheet frequently and remove the carrots when their skin begins to caramelize and a knife easily slides through them, about 5 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Swiss Chard Quesadillas: Wash but do not dry 1 bunch of chard. Cut off the stems and slice them 1/4 inch thick; cut the leaves into 1/4 inch ribbons. Set aside. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup finely chopped scallion and cook until they are soft and translucent, about 3 min. Add the chard stems and cook, stirring often, until they are tender but retain a slight bite, 6 to 8 min. Add the leaves and cook, stirring, until they wilt and become quite tender, 3 to 5 min. For each quesadilla, spread 1 tbsp sour cream on a flour tortilla. Top with 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, 1/4 cup pepper jack cheese, 1/4 of the chard mixture, and 1/4 cup Cotija. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp ground coriander, 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp ground cumin, and a dash of hot sauce. Squeeze lime juice over the top. Fold the tortilla in half to enclose the filling. Brush a large skillet with vegetabl oil and placeover medium heat. Place the quesadilla in the pan and cook, turning once, until the tortilla is golden on both sides and the cheese is melted, about 4 minutes total. Repeat with the remaining quesadillas.

Oriental Cilantro Slaw: Shred 1 medium cabbage (6 cups). Place the cabbge in a large serving bowl. Mix in 1 large shredded carrot, 1 cup tightly packed minced fresh cilantro, 1/4 cup thinnnly sliced scallions. In a jar combine, 3 tbsp canola oil, 3 to 4 tbsp lime juice, 2 tbsp tamari, 1 to 2 jalapeno peppers seeded and finely chopped and sea salt to taste. Shake well to blend, pour dressing over the salad and toss well. Add more lime juice and tamari as needed.  Garnish with 1/2 cup chopped toasted and salted peanuts.

Cilantro Pesto: In a food processor or blender combine. 1/3 cup olive oil, 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice, 1 cup tightly packed minced fresh cilantro, 1/4 cup walnuts or pine nuts, finely chopped, 2 large cloves roasted garlic, or 1 small clove raw garlic peeled and minced, 1 tsp mild chili powder, 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds, 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon, 3/4 tsp sea salt.  Great served over beans and grains, bean and grain salads, this pesto is delicious brushed onto grilled corn on the cob or tossed with cooked corn kernels.

Coleslaw: julienne 4 cups green cabbage, grate 1 cup of carrots, add in 2 tsp peeled and minced fresh ginger. Place in a large bowl and mix well. In a small bowl whisk 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tbsp stone ground mustard, 1 tsp minced fresh dill, 1 tsp celery seed, ¼ tsp sea salt, ½ tsp black pepper, pinch of cayenne pepper and 2 tbsp tamari. Combine all ingredients, toss well and enjoy.

Easy Roasted garlic: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel outer skin off a head of garlic, leaving the cloves exposed in their wrappers. Chop the top off the garlic, leaving the cloves open at the top. Place the garlic head in the middle of a foil square and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in the foil. Roast for 40-45 min.  Remove from the oven and cool. The roasted garlic will be caramelized and soft.

Garlicky Roasted Broccoli: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a blender or food processor, puree 6 cloves roasted garlic with 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/4 tsp soy sauce. Add more garlic to taste. Chop up one large head of broccoli ( 4 cups) and drizzle with 3 tbsp of the garlic oil. Toss to coat in a bowl. Spread the broccoli onto a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with red pepper and salt to taste. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is fork tender and quite brown and crispy in spots. 15 to 18 min.