Wobbly Cart Farm CSA week 9
8-21-17
Large shares: cauliflower, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, Walla Walla onions, summer squash, Yellow Finn potatoes, Romano beans, lettuce, carrots, cilantro
Small shares: cauliflower, red tomatoes, Walla Walla onion, jalapeno pepper, summer squash, Yellow Finn potatoes, beets, Romano beans, garlic or extra jalapeno pepper, cilantro
Greens share: lettuce, Italian parsley, bulk chard
Roots share: red carrots, yellow onions, red potatoes
Juicing share: carrots, beets, green cabbage, cilantro, tomato seconds
Dear CSA members,
What a gorgeous late summer day to be packing your CSA shares. The fields are looking really nice right now with ripening melons, tons of tomatoes on the vines and tasseled sweet corn standing tall. Our pepper plants are also super loaded with fruits and we are excited to start harvesting more of those.
We have begun pulling our onion crop to dry down in the field. It’s kind of nice to live in a climate where are summers are so dry that we can often field cure our onions right where they lay. It is still a huge job to haul them out of the field and into the barn for further processing though! I expect we will begin that process in a week or two. We were worried this spring that we were getting our onion transplants in really late due to the wet weather, and we are completing the harvest pretty late but they seemed to have sized up and we have plenty of dry weather for curing so it all worked out well after all.
We’re also planning our purchases for next years’ garlic seed and layout for building a new insulated storage facility for root crops over the winter in our big barn down the road at the Scatter Creek Farm and Conservancy. If you haven’t heard of the South of the Sound Community Farm Land Trust they have purchased this large farm property on James Rd near us and are doing great work to preserve farmland in Thurston County and make it accessible to small farms that are providing local food to our area. Here is the link to their website so you can read more if you are interested. http://www.communityfarmlandtrust.org/scatter-creek-farm–conservancy.html
New crop this week is Romano beans: Romano beans are broad and flattened in shape, averaging about five inches in length at maturity. The beans have a stringless seam that opens rather easily while still young. The pods cling loosely to a series of about six tiny lime green to white colored peas. The beans are crisp and fleshy in texture, extremely succulent, offering a subtlety sweet and grassy flavor. They are great both raw and cooked but hold up longer to cooking than regular green beans. Here is a nice article about them from the New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/05/dining/romano-beans-arent-just-any-green-beans.html
Red carrots: Orange carrots are actually a relatively new breeding development in the history of the cultivation of carrots. Orange carrots were apparently developed in Holland in the 17th century, while carrots in general have been cultivated since around 900 and probably originated in the Middle East. Originally carrots were probably yellow, purple and red like these carrots. Red carrots are higher in vitamins and lycopene than orange carrots, are slightly less sweet and have stronger flavor than what we know as regular carrots. They are excellent roasted and cooked into stews as they are more robust and hold up very well to cooking.
Have a great week,
Asha
Garlicky Roasted Romano Beans: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Trim 1 lb Romano Beans and toss whole with ¼ cup olive oil, 3 cloves smashed garlic, 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until the beans are browned and tender. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Roasted Cauliflower: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Break 1 2 lb head of cauliflower into bite sized peices. Toss the cauliflower with 1/4 cup olive oil, 5 chopped cloves of garlic, and 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with 2 tsp kosher salt and 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves and toss again. Roast until golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.
Heirloom Tomato and Romano bean salad: bring a small pot of salted water to the boil, then blanch ¼ lb romano beans, tops trimmed, for 3 to 4 minutes, until just tender. Transfer with tongs to a baking sheet to cool. Make balsamic vinaigrette: using a mortar and pestle pound 1 tbsp fresh oregano, ½ clove fresh garlic and a scant ¼ tsp salt to a paste. Transfer to a small bowl and pour in 2 ¼ tsp red wine vinegar, 1 ½ tsp balsamic vinegar. Whisk in 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and taste for balance and seasoning. Whisk 3 tbsp roasted hazelnut oil, ½ tsp lemon zest, and a couple of pinches of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Finely chop 1/8th cup skinned, toasted hazelnuts and stir into dressing; coarsely chop another 1/8th cup and stir in. drizzle hazelnut dressing over romano beans, season with salt and pepper, and toss together. Hold 1¼ lbs of heirloom tomatoes on their sides and slice into ¼ inch slices. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange slices on a large round platter, overlapping them, and spoon on about half of the balsamic vinaigrette. Scatter with ½ bunch baby arugula leaves. Stir1 cup of cherry tomatoes, stemmed and cut in half, with remaining vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Pile in center of platter, then top with romano beans. Spoon on a few dollops of crème fraiche and sprinkle about a 1/3 cup pesto onto and around salad.
Sesame ginger Romano Beans: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, in a small pan over medium high heat, heat 1 cup vegetable oil. Add 3 small shallots, thinly sliced, and fry, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Meanwhile, on a rimmed baking sheet, toss 1 lb fresh romano (or green) beans (stem ends trimmed), with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger, and 1 tsp salt to coat. Roast beans until tender but still green, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer beans to a serving dish and toss with sesame seeds. Top with reserved shallots.
Lemon Ricotta Summer Squash Galette: thinly slice 2 medium zucchini ( about 2 ½ cups) and sprinkle lightly with salt. Transfer to a colander; drain for 15 minutes. Pat dry with a paper towel. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, on a large piece of lightly floured parchment, roll ½ of a 15oz package of refrigerated unbaked dough to a 12 inch circle. Transfer parchment and dough to a large baking sheet; set aside. For ricotta filling; in a medium bowl whisk together ¾ cup ricotta cheese, ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 tsp olive oil, 2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel, 1 tbsp lemon juice, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Using a spatula spread the ricotta filling over dough, leaving a 1 ½ inch border. Top with squash rounds. Drizzle with more olive oil. Gently fold over pastry edges, pleating as necessary. In a small bowl whisk together 1 egg yolk and 1 tsp water. Lightly brush pastry edges with egg mixture. Transfer galette to oven. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Sprinkle with fresh dill weed, if desired. Serve warmor ar room temperature. Makes 6 servings.
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.
Quick Pickled Beets: Combine 4 medium beets, scrubbed, trimmed, halved, and cut into ¼ inch slices. 1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced. ¾ cup apple juice or water, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 1/8 tsp ground allspice, and a pinch of sea salt in a pressure cooker. Lock the lid into place and over high heat bring to high pressure. Lower the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 4 minutes. Reduce the heat by running cold water over the cooker in your sink. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow any excess steam to escape. To serve, lift the beets out of the liquid with a slotted spoon. Serve warm or chilled. (from Recipes from an Ecological Kitchen by Lorna Sass).
Grilled Potatoes with Fresh Dill: preheat grill to 350 degrees. Slice thinly 2 lbs potatoes. Toss with ½ tsp salt, 4 tbsp olive oil, and pepper to taste. Lay out 2 large sheets of foil 12x 26 inches. Oil the foil and arrange the potatoes in a single layer over one side of the foil. Fold the foil over and crimp the edges forming a packet. Grill the packets, covered, rotating once, for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and browned. Open packets and transfer potatoes into a serving bowl. Toss with 2 tbsp butter and ¼ cup chopped fresh dill. Sprinkle with coarse salt and serve.
Zuchinni and Tomato Frittata: preheat broiler. In a medium bowl whisk together 8 eggs, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp crushed red pepper. In a 10 inch oven going skillet heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat, layer in sliced of 1 small summer squash evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Cook 3 minutes, turning once. Top with ½ cup cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced lengthwise. Pour egg mixture over the vegetables in the skillet. Top with 2 oz bite sized fresh mozzarella balls and 1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until sides begin to set, lifting with a spatula to allow the uncooked portion to run underneath. Transfer to a broiler. Broil 4 inches from the heat 2 to 3 minutes or until set. Cut into wedges to serve. Serve with fresh tomato slices, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Cauliflower and Potato Curry: Cook 1 cauliflower cut into florets, for 5 minutes in a saucepan of boiling water. Remove from water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Add to the boiling water 2 medium potatoes (or equivalent) that have been peeled and cut into ½ inch chunks, cook for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain well again; transfer to the bowl of cauliflower. Meanwhile, combine in a food processor; 1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and sliced, 3 large garlic cloves, 1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced, and optionally; 2 hot chile peppers such as jalapeno or Serrano, seeded and diced. Process until minced but not pureed. Heat in a dutch oven over medium heat; ¼ cup vegetable oil, clarified butter, or ghee. Add 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped, and the apple mixture and cook, stirring, until the onions are softened ands starting to color, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 2 tbsp curry powder and 1 tbsp all purpose flour. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes to lightly brown the curry powder and flour. Then add 1 14 oz can of coconut milk, ½ cup water or chicken stock, and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring, then add the reserved cauliflower and potatoes and 1 16 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in, cover and cook until tender 10 oz fresh shell peas. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve the curry over cooked rice and garnish with golden raisins and chopped cashews if desired.
Wobbly Cart Farm 