Cooking in Season
Week 7
As I stare into the great weed patch of a garden at work with the wind blowing the tall ragweed to and fro, I find it a good time to reflect on what went wrong and where I did go right. 50 pounds of seed potatoes and a sore back tell me that it is a bad idea to plant potatoes in the low spot of the garden in the heaviest soil there is. Bad idea. Oddly enough, two rows over, my carrots are thriving and I’m not sure why. I tied a few sheep to graze on where my potatoes were and pulled as many out of the ground as I could. My tomatoes aren’t doing too bad, but nowhere near as well as my sister’s tomatoes that got 6 foot tall cages and are still growing out of the top of them. I know I planted peppers in there somewhere but I think the thistles overtook it. My boss’s corn in the one corner is sticking it’s thumbs in its ears and sticking out it’s tongue like a taunting second grader as it grows above my failed garlic experiment and weed choked white beets. Where I did go right was with beans. I have about 5 different types of gourmet dry soup beans growing which I inoculated, a technique touted by Rodale to reintroduce beneficial bacteria to help the roots grow and the plant to produce more. Said beans look amazing. The dry dirt around it just thrives with life as they stretch toward the sun, outstretching the grass growing around them, but not by much. I hope someone likes Edamame, edible soybeans, because I hand weeded them at least twice by now and they should be coming on soon. I also tried growing garbanzo beans as I love hummus and would love it even more if it came out of the garden…. Buuut they aren’t as easy to grow as other beans and there’s only one per pod. So out of the one pound of seed I planted, I only got about 3 ounces of beans. Something didn’t work out well there.Another thing that is really doing well is my carrots. Every year I am determined to get good carrots and every year I get a little bit closer to figuring it out. I am not sure what I did right at my work garden, maybe it’s the 10 hours of hand weeding that they likes or maybe it was getting planted as filler in between winter squash, but they are looking amazing. The problem, however is that carrots get sweeter as the temperature drops. This is why I am so baffled as to how carrots grow in California and are sweet. Maybe I don’t want to know, but there’s got to be some trick to get them to ripen at the right time without turning hard as sticks, get big and nice and long, and get sweet. I think I’m close this year, but I’ll let you all decide. Oh, I think I might harvest some, put them in sawdust and ice and see if that works. I guess that’s the fun thing about growing your own food. Yes, there is probably a chemical that would make this process easier, but it’s more fun to figure it out naturally.
The blackberries are here, however not for much longer. The blueberries at work are starting to come on, but I don’t think that I will have enough for all the baskets at once so if you get some one week, let someone else try them the next week. Peaches are ripening now along with some early apples. And we have baby melons coming on now too.Anyway, the blackberries are hit or miss. The wild ones are smaller and I can’t pass them up when they’re in season, but they aren’t the best for raw eating. I highly suggest you put them in something to tone down their acidity. Cobblers or on ice cream works really well or here is a simple blackberry jam recipe.
1 pint blackberries1 pint sugar
Put berries in a small saucepan and mash with potato masher on medium heat. Once the berries are at a boil, add sugar slowly into the saucepan, stirring constantly. I like to add a little bit of lemon juice for some added flavor. Return to a boil to dissolve sugar, about 2 minutes. Store in the refrigerator and eat immediately. Enjoy! - Janee
Thursday, July 29, 2010
week 6
Cooking in Season
Week 6
I just drove to the far corner of Pennsylvania to look at soybeans. Not just any soybeans. Organic soybeans. And tractors. So needless to say the organic field day at Rodale Institute is not what I expected, but I did get a healthy appreciation for the hardship of soybean farmers. I did learn about soil fungi, which are often overlooked and so quickly destroyed. And I got to talk to other people who are into local foods and growing their own fresh vegetables.
Anyway…Zucchini Cookout Sunday July 25th at 2pm
Invite your friends, bring a covered dish, and join us this Sunday for all the different ways to cook up summer squash and enjoy local foods. We’ll be grilling straight out of the gardens and maybe have some lamburgers from here and some delicious beef burgers from my work.
Right now it’s blackberry season and it looks like I’ve been fighting with a pack of wild house cats. Every year I think – this winter I’m going to clean up this patch. And every year I forget when it’s no longer blackberry season. We do have a patch of thornfree blackberries that we’re propagating as much as possible for the love of my skin. When my sister wanted to plant everbearing strawberries this spring and I was not sold on the idea. When I worked in a greenhouse, we had everbearing strawberries that would just produce tiny little berries twice a year, but I figured why not give it a try. We ordered Seascape strawberries from Indiana Berry Co and I’m completely happy with the second crop we’re getting on the new plants from this spring. Wow. I’m sold. More strawberry jam soon!The apples are coming on. Travis has a cute, baby melon. The unique shelling beans at my work garden are blooming along with some edamame and garbanzo beans. I’ve never grown them before so we’ll see what happens. The raccoons found the sweet corn in the back garden. Little brats. So we’re low on the unique red corn this week. Oh, and a note about sweet corn – the sugars start turning to starches as soon as it’s picked. Fresh off the stalk, we like to just eat it as it doesn’t need boiled, salted or buttered at all. So cook your ears as soon as possible. Lightly boiled is fine or I like to take the silks out and shuck it, leaving a few husks left, put a pad of butter inside the remaining husks and fold them back over the ear and grill for a few minutes. So delicious.
Zucchini this year has not been as crazy prolific as past years, but we’ve still got enough for some zucchini bread and fresh grilling. Here’s a zucchini pancake recipe recommended by member Roberta Martin from the Zucchini Cookbook. She says an excellent variation is to put pizza sauce, cheese and toppings on top for a delicious take on pizza. Delicious!
Zucchini Pancakes1 medium zucchini, grated and drained1 egg, beaten1 teaspoon cooking oil1 cup pancake mix¾ cup milk2 tablespoons Parmesan cheeseLightly combine all ingredients and allow to rest for ½ hour. Add more milk for a thinner pancake. Cook on lightly greased hot griddle. Enjoy! - Janee
week 5
Cooking in Season
Week 5
I have two exciting things. First – Piglets! Finally. 6 of them and cute as little buttons. We had pork chops to celebrate my first success in pig husbandry. Now I just need to get my timing right.Second, this Friday we’ve gathered a small group together to travel to the equivalent of organics Mecca; the Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania. This is the place where they research the most cutting edge new trends in organic agriculture while still keeping with some tried and true practices that will never go out of style. This is the place where if you pick up an organic disease and pest management book, they probably wrote it. They are having a field walk on Friday and we’re all pretty excited to make a camping/road trip out there to learn as much as we can in one day of staring at dirt and plants. This might sound boring to some, but we’re really excited about staring at dirt.
Anyway, the sweet corn has tassled and is getting close to being ready for round 1 of our multiple plantings. The cherry tomatoes are turning, but they keep mysteriously disappearing on the same days my mom makes amazing marinated cucumber and mixed veggie salads. Hm, that’s weird. There’s a few little cucumbers in your baskets that are very spiny. They’re actually an edible bitter gourd appropriately named hedgehog and so slice them up and use them like a cucumber. There’s also the traditional zucchini appearing in baskets, which is pretty much a staple right about now along with some strange shaped summer squash such as patty pans, starships, and eight balls. Most of them are great on the grill or I like to scoop out the seeds of the patty pans and fill them with sausage (or very moist rice and onions for the vegetarians) and bake them for about an hour, lightly brushing them with butter so they don’t dry out.With all the summer squash rolling in and sweet corn and peppers on the way, I hope grilling out is part of your plans. It’s usually a fast way to get rid of a lot of veggies at once. The baskets are a bit scattered this week with no real universal staple for the week, just whatever’s in season. The eggplant are coming in and if you have tried eggplant and hated it before, try slicing it into half inch sections and putting it on paper towels to sweat out the bitterness. I throw a pinch of salt on there to encourage it to sweat and flip it over a couple of times to let the paper towels really absorb. And if you’re sautéing eggplant, add some water to your pan or else it will soak up your oil with a sponge. After sweating, it’s great to just throw it on the grill with an herbed butter brushed on top. Here’s a simple herbed butter recipe that you can throw on top of most any veggie that you are grilling.
Herbed ButterIngredients:1 stick unsalted butter½ cup finely chopped parsley2 Tablespoons minced onion2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice½ teaspoon minced garlic1 teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon black pepperPut in food processor and blend. It’s easier if the butter is soft. Variations include basil instead of parsley for some Italian grilling butter with a pinch of oregano. Or send me your favorite variations. Enjoy! - Janee
Week 5
I have two exciting things. First – Piglets! Finally. 6 of them and cute as little buttons. We had pork chops to celebrate my first success in pig husbandry. Now I just need to get my timing right.Second, this Friday we’ve gathered a small group together to travel to the equivalent of organics Mecca; the Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania. This is the place where they research the most cutting edge new trends in organic agriculture while still keeping with some tried and true practices that will never go out of style. This is the place where if you pick up an organic disease and pest management book, they probably wrote it. They are having a field walk on Friday and we’re all pretty excited to make a camping/road trip out there to learn as much as we can in one day of staring at dirt and plants. This might sound boring to some, but we’re really excited about staring at dirt.
Anyway, the sweet corn has tassled and is getting close to being ready for round 1 of our multiple plantings. The cherry tomatoes are turning, but they keep mysteriously disappearing on the same days my mom makes amazing marinated cucumber and mixed veggie salads. Hm, that’s weird. There’s a few little cucumbers in your baskets that are very spiny. They’re actually an edible bitter gourd appropriately named hedgehog and so slice them up and use them like a cucumber. There’s also the traditional zucchini appearing in baskets, which is pretty much a staple right about now along with some strange shaped summer squash such as patty pans, starships, and eight balls. Most of them are great on the grill or I like to scoop out the seeds of the patty pans and fill them with sausage (or very moist rice and onions for the vegetarians) and bake them for about an hour, lightly brushing them with butter so they don’t dry out.With all the summer squash rolling in and sweet corn and peppers on the way, I hope grilling out is part of your plans. It’s usually a fast way to get rid of a lot of veggies at once. The baskets are a bit scattered this week with no real universal staple for the week, just whatever’s in season. The eggplant are coming in and if you have tried eggplant and hated it before, try slicing it into half inch sections and putting it on paper towels to sweat out the bitterness. I throw a pinch of salt on there to encourage it to sweat and flip it over a couple of times to let the paper towels really absorb. And if you’re sautéing eggplant, add some water to your pan or else it will soak up your oil with a sponge. After sweating, it’s great to just throw it on the grill with an herbed butter brushed on top. Here’s a simple herbed butter recipe that you can throw on top of most any veggie that you are grilling.
Herbed ButterIngredients:1 stick unsalted butter½ cup finely chopped parsley2 Tablespoons minced onion2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice½ teaspoon minced garlic1 teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon black pepperPut in food processor and blend. It’s easier if the butter is soft. Variations include basil instead of parsley for some Italian grilling butter with a pinch of oregano. Or send me your favorite variations. Enjoy! - Janee
week 4
Cooking in Season
Week 4
I try not to complain about the weather. I don’t like it when people complain that it’s too hot and can’t wait for winter or too cold and wish summer would hurry up and get here. I like the seasons. I like Ohio. It’s hot, cool, rainy, frigid, sweltering, hailstorms, thunder, and a few perfect 70 degree days in there somewhere. The weather is what it is. The problem comes when the vegetables go on strike along with the chickens. The pig is wallowing in the cool water that’s being pumped out of the pool. The sheep are grazing only in the shade and then coming out to eat at night. The gardens are stalling. We’ll water and then there will be a little growth spurt for a bit, but then once it gets over 90, things stop growing. They look stressed. They want more water, but the roots need to breathe, but it’s too hot to breathe. Even the warm weather loving tomatoes and peppers are on strike from growing while the temps climb over what they like.
So here we are, mid-July in Ohio and pulling up what we can. There’s some squash, some cucumbers, and I can’t believe it… still some broccoli that’s not bitter and I’m watering the lettuce to see if I can pull some of that up as well.
Also, there’s an odd shaped veggie creeping in season now that old time Ohioans love – kohlrabi. It reminds me of a flying saucer or a seed pod that would slowly float around finding for a new spot to plant itself. I use the leaves like kale and slice the bulb up, really thin works in salads like water chestnuts, or I like to sauté it and throw it in squash.Today I cooked up some baby onions in a skillet with some olive oil. Then once they were clear I threw in sliced zucchini, yellow squash and peeled and sliced beets with some water, put the lid on and steamed for about ten minutes. I put them over egg noodles with a little bit of butter and garlic salt and that was lunch. In hindsight, I probably should have done a cold salad as cooking in a hot kitchen is… um, hot.
Here is the best cucumber recipe from member Linda Chen. This is the recipe for the Taiwanese cucumbers - I'll give my mother-in-law credit & call them 'Betty Chen's (Taiwanese) Pickled Cucumbers'!
~ 1 cucumber, cut into 2 inch sticks or cut to your preference (but not too thin)~ 1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt ~ 1 TBsp apple cider vinegar~ 1/2 - 3/4 tsp brown sugar~ garlic, 2 cloves minced or to taste~ 1 tsp sesame oil~ tiny bit of hot chili bean paste (doe ban jan) - you can probably substitute with chili oil, dash hot sauce, or red pepper flakescut cucumbers & sprinkle with salt - let sit for 15 min - mix vinegar, sugar, garlic, sesame oil, & chili bean paste - pour over cucumbers, toss & eat!It tastes just as good if the cukes don't sit for 15 min.
*sesame oil* - Not all sesame oil is created equal, I've tried several. My & husband I agree that Kadoya is the best! - thumbs down on Ty Ling brand - I always refrigerate my sesame oil since it's not used quickly. This will retain freshness & prevent rancidity.
Stay cool and enjoy your veggies this week. Looking forward to eggplant that are the size of baseballs now, tomatoes that are starting to turn already, giant Marconi peppers that are still green but getting huge, and ground cherries that are getting eaten by us as soon as they get ripe. But for now, we’re off to go swimming. - Janee
Week 4
I try not to complain about the weather. I don’t like it when people complain that it’s too hot and can’t wait for winter or too cold and wish summer would hurry up and get here. I like the seasons. I like Ohio. It’s hot, cool, rainy, frigid, sweltering, hailstorms, thunder, and a few perfect 70 degree days in there somewhere. The weather is what it is. The problem comes when the vegetables go on strike along with the chickens. The pig is wallowing in the cool water that’s being pumped out of the pool. The sheep are grazing only in the shade and then coming out to eat at night. The gardens are stalling. We’ll water and then there will be a little growth spurt for a bit, but then once it gets over 90, things stop growing. They look stressed. They want more water, but the roots need to breathe, but it’s too hot to breathe. Even the warm weather loving tomatoes and peppers are on strike from growing while the temps climb over what they like.
So here we are, mid-July in Ohio and pulling up what we can. There’s some squash, some cucumbers, and I can’t believe it… still some broccoli that’s not bitter and I’m watering the lettuce to see if I can pull some of that up as well.
Also, there’s an odd shaped veggie creeping in season now that old time Ohioans love – kohlrabi. It reminds me of a flying saucer or a seed pod that would slowly float around finding for a new spot to plant itself. I use the leaves like kale and slice the bulb up, really thin works in salads like water chestnuts, or I like to sauté it and throw it in squash.Today I cooked up some baby onions in a skillet with some olive oil. Then once they were clear I threw in sliced zucchini, yellow squash and peeled and sliced beets with some water, put the lid on and steamed for about ten minutes. I put them over egg noodles with a little bit of butter and garlic salt and that was lunch. In hindsight, I probably should have done a cold salad as cooking in a hot kitchen is… um, hot.
Here is the best cucumber recipe from member Linda Chen. This is the recipe for the Taiwanese cucumbers - I'll give my mother-in-law credit & call them 'Betty Chen's (Taiwanese) Pickled Cucumbers'!
~ 1 cucumber, cut into 2 inch sticks or cut to your preference (but not too thin)~ 1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt ~ 1 TBsp apple cider vinegar~ 1/2 - 3/4 tsp brown sugar~ garlic, 2 cloves minced or to taste~ 1 tsp sesame oil~ tiny bit of hot chili bean paste (doe ban jan) - you can probably substitute with chili oil, dash hot sauce, or red pepper flakescut cucumbers & sprinkle with salt - let sit for 15 min - mix vinegar, sugar, garlic, sesame oil, & chili bean paste - pour over cucumbers, toss & eat!It tastes just as good if the cukes don't sit for 15 min.
*sesame oil* - Not all sesame oil is created equal, I've tried several. My & husband I agree that Kadoya is the best! - thumbs down on Ty Ling brand - I always refrigerate my sesame oil since it's not used quickly. This will retain freshness & prevent rancidity.
Stay cool and enjoy your veggies this week. Looking forward to eggplant that are the size of baseballs now, tomatoes that are starting to turn already, giant Marconi peppers that are still green but getting huge, and ground cherries that are getting eaten by us as soon as they get ripe. But for now, we’re off to go swimming. - Janee
week 3
Cooking in Season
Week 3
It’s July 4th weekend already. I walked out this morning to look at the gardens and I saw our squash plants, laden with happy, yellow flowers… but only two zucchini for all the cookouts this weekend. So I went to Holmes County to see what’s happening and got some zucchini and summer squash. The farmers down there are watching the impending doom of late blight on tomatoes. Right now, the big demand for local tomatoes has everyone growing in hot house greenhouses to try to beat the killer late blight. It’s in the soil, can spread up to 5 miles, and nothing can stop it. Super scary, but home grown tomatoes are so delicious that we all try anyway. And if we pull together, grow heirlooms, and save seeds from the few that make it through, we just might find a crop that will beat it. My grandma snatched up the first tomato that blushed already this year. We’re hoping there’s more to come before the blight hits, but there’s only so much we can do. Oh, and the ground cherries are starting to turn for acidic sweet deliciousness soon.
It’s cucumber season as well. We will be canning pickles next week, probably on Tuesday night after CSA pickup at my parent’s house if anyone would like to join. We trade working in the kitchen for jars of delicious pickles, or any empty canning jars you might donate for a couple jars full of pickles. Now if my dill would just hurry up and grow!
And I wish that I had sweet corn for all your picnics, but we put it in as early as we could and it’s just not ready yet. The corn at roadside stands right now is from Southern Ohio… or Florida The super early sweet corn we planted at my work got nipped by that mid-may frost. Oh well, maybe in a few weeks we’ll have some. The blueberries are coming on up there as well but my boss really likes his fertilizer so… not organic. The bushes are taller than I am and just about as old as I am too. We’re gleaning some blackberries and wild black raspberries from our canes here, but I never have enough so some are hand-picked from a farm in Navarre. They’re so sweet no sugar needed. And the ground cherries are coming soon…
Anyway, here’s a cucumber – green onion salad recipe that will cool down any hot 4th of July party. I peel my cukes if they’re larger in long stripes, leaving just a little green in between to hold them together. I’d put the green onion tops in this salad and save the tender baby onions for a sauté’ on the grill with some garlic spiced butter and summer squash. The beets can be roasted on the grill with a modification from the recipe from last week, wrapped in aluminum foil.
3 cucumbers
1 bunch green onions
MARINADE:
1/2 c. white wine vinegar1/2 c. sugar1 tbsp. dill weed1 tbsp. salt1/2 tsp. white pepper
1. Slice cucumbers – thin or thick, depending on preference. They keep their crunch at about half inch slices.2. Slice green onions diagonally as thinly as possible. Add to the cucumbers. 3. In small bowl, mix vinegar, sugar, dill weed, salt and pepper. Whisk with fork until blended. Pour over onions and cucumbers. Turn with spatula to coat all pieces. Marinate 1 hour or more. (overnight works well) 4. Lift cucumbers from marinade and serve – slotted spoons work great to make for not so soupy plates
- a modification of this would be adding a scoop of yogurt and a squeeze of lemon for Greek pickles. Or send me your favorite marinade (or zucchini recipe) . Happy 4th everyone! - Janee
Week 3
It’s July 4th weekend already. I walked out this morning to look at the gardens and I saw our squash plants, laden with happy, yellow flowers… but only two zucchini for all the cookouts this weekend. So I went to Holmes County to see what’s happening and got some zucchini and summer squash. The farmers down there are watching the impending doom of late blight on tomatoes. Right now, the big demand for local tomatoes has everyone growing in hot house greenhouses to try to beat the killer late blight. It’s in the soil, can spread up to 5 miles, and nothing can stop it. Super scary, but home grown tomatoes are so delicious that we all try anyway. And if we pull together, grow heirlooms, and save seeds from the few that make it through, we just might find a crop that will beat it. My grandma snatched up the first tomato that blushed already this year. We’re hoping there’s more to come before the blight hits, but there’s only so much we can do. Oh, and the ground cherries are starting to turn for acidic sweet deliciousness soon.
It’s cucumber season as well. We will be canning pickles next week, probably on Tuesday night after CSA pickup at my parent’s house if anyone would like to join. We trade working in the kitchen for jars of delicious pickles, or any empty canning jars you might donate for a couple jars full of pickles. Now if my dill would just hurry up and grow!
And I wish that I had sweet corn for all your picnics, but we put it in as early as we could and it’s just not ready yet. The corn at roadside stands right now is from Southern Ohio… or Florida The super early sweet corn we planted at my work got nipped by that mid-may frost. Oh well, maybe in a few weeks we’ll have some. The blueberries are coming on up there as well but my boss really likes his fertilizer so… not organic. The bushes are taller than I am and just about as old as I am too. We’re gleaning some blackberries and wild black raspberries from our canes here, but I never have enough so some are hand-picked from a farm in Navarre. They’re so sweet no sugar needed. And the ground cherries are coming soon…
Anyway, here’s a cucumber – green onion salad recipe that will cool down any hot 4th of July party. I peel my cukes if they’re larger in long stripes, leaving just a little green in between to hold them together. I’d put the green onion tops in this salad and save the tender baby onions for a sauté’ on the grill with some garlic spiced butter and summer squash. The beets can be roasted on the grill with a modification from the recipe from last week, wrapped in aluminum foil.
3 cucumbers
1 bunch green onions
MARINADE:
1/2 c. white wine vinegar1/2 c. sugar1 tbsp. dill weed1 tbsp. salt1/2 tsp. white pepper
1. Slice cucumbers – thin or thick, depending on preference. They keep their crunch at about half inch slices.2. Slice green onions diagonally as thinly as possible. Add to the cucumbers. 3. In small bowl, mix vinegar, sugar, dill weed, salt and pepper. Whisk with fork until blended. Pour over onions and cucumbers. Turn with spatula to coat all pieces. Marinate 1 hour or more. (overnight works well) 4. Lift cucumbers from marinade and serve – slotted spoons work great to make for not so soupy plates
- a modification of this would be adding a scoop of yogurt and a squeeze of lemon for Greek pickles. Or send me your favorite marinade (or zucchini recipe) . Happy 4th everyone! - Janee
week 2
Cooking in Season
Week 2
We have little green tomatoes already. My sister and grandmother, anxious to get tomatoes after a disappointing no-tomato season last year due to early blight, started planting tomatoes in late March. One or two tomatoes would sneak out of the greenhouse and get planted and covered. When the cold got too much, they would wait for the thaw and then try it again. I’m not sure how long the ones that are bearing have been in the ground, but I’m pretty sure they got a decent head start. And I can’t wait for fresh, vine ripened tomatoes. We also have baby peppers already.The squash are starting to flower. The cucumbers have baby pickles with flowers on the tips as they climb the fence. The lettuce sighs at the thought of getting harvested and wilts immediately and the kale is under attack from some leaf munchers. The broccoli has all but given up the fight. We’re hoping for the warm weather crops to pick up the slack.
Watch your baskets as garlic is sneaking in soon. We grow a bunch of different types and although I had all hopes of labeling, something got lost in translation. We have at least 6 different types and then after I couldn’t find any more in the dead of winter this year during a thaw, some grocery store garlic went in the ground as well. We have a native American red, some strong German red, softneck white, hardnecks, Music Pinks, and a few I’m sure I’m forgetting. We are harvesting from the past 4 years of planting garlic, so some head up better than others, but all are pretty much delicious.
Anyway, this week is just for the beets. The year before we started doing the CSA, Jason and I had a much smaller garden with a little beet patch that ended up yielding 38 quarts of pickled beets! We tried to eat one jar per week, but when we were burnt out on beets, we realized that we needed help eating all of our veggies. Hence the CSA.Anyway, beets as a vegetable are very under appreciated. It seems as though most of the people who really value them have lived through the depression and savor them at the early bird salad bar. I would just ask you all to give them another chance with this recipe, greens and all. They are high in folate, manganese, iron, potassium and fiber and I love that the green are also edible and delicious.Here’s a recipe from cooks.com that’s great. You also have peas in your baskets (most of you) and the larger ones can be shelled and thrown in the skillet when the greens are added. Smaller sugar snap peas can be added whole.
Ingredients1 bunch beets with greens 1/4 cup olive oil, divided 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons chopped onion (optional) salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Wash the beets thoroughly, leaving the skins on, and remove the greens. Rinse greens, removing any large stems, and set aside. Place the beets in a small baking dish or roasting pan, and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If you wish to peel the beets, it is easier to do so once they have been roasted.
2. Cover, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a knife can slide easily through the largest beet.
3. When the roasted beets are almost done, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook for a minute. Tear the beet greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces, and add them to the skillet. Cook and stir until greens are wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the greens as is, and the roasted beets sliced with either red-wine vinegar, or butter and salt and pepper.
Email me if you need help shelling peas. They’re way better than out of a can! - Janee
Week 2
We have little green tomatoes already. My sister and grandmother, anxious to get tomatoes after a disappointing no-tomato season last year due to early blight, started planting tomatoes in late March. One or two tomatoes would sneak out of the greenhouse and get planted and covered. When the cold got too much, they would wait for the thaw and then try it again. I’m not sure how long the ones that are bearing have been in the ground, but I’m pretty sure they got a decent head start. And I can’t wait for fresh, vine ripened tomatoes. We also have baby peppers already.The squash are starting to flower. The cucumbers have baby pickles with flowers on the tips as they climb the fence. The lettuce sighs at the thought of getting harvested and wilts immediately and the kale is under attack from some leaf munchers. The broccoli has all but given up the fight. We’re hoping for the warm weather crops to pick up the slack.
Watch your baskets as garlic is sneaking in soon. We grow a bunch of different types and although I had all hopes of labeling, something got lost in translation. We have at least 6 different types and then after I couldn’t find any more in the dead of winter this year during a thaw, some grocery store garlic went in the ground as well. We have a native American red, some strong German red, softneck white, hardnecks, Music Pinks, and a few I’m sure I’m forgetting. We are harvesting from the past 4 years of planting garlic, so some head up better than others, but all are pretty much delicious.
Anyway, this week is just for the beets. The year before we started doing the CSA, Jason and I had a much smaller garden with a little beet patch that ended up yielding 38 quarts of pickled beets! We tried to eat one jar per week, but when we were burnt out on beets, we realized that we needed help eating all of our veggies. Hence the CSA.Anyway, beets as a vegetable are very under appreciated. It seems as though most of the people who really value them have lived through the depression and savor them at the early bird salad bar. I would just ask you all to give them another chance with this recipe, greens and all. They are high in folate, manganese, iron, potassium and fiber and I love that the green are also edible and delicious.Here’s a recipe from cooks.com that’s great. You also have peas in your baskets (most of you) and the larger ones can be shelled and thrown in the skillet when the greens are added. Smaller sugar snap peas can be added whole.
Ingredients1 bunch beets with greens 1/4 cup olive oil, divided 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons chopped onion (optional) salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Wash the beets thoroughly, leaving the skins on, and remove the greens. Rinse greens, removing any large stems, and set aside. Place the beets in a small baking dish or roasting pan, and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If you wish to peel the beets, it is easier to do so once they have been roasted.
2. Cover, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a knife can slide easily through the largest beet.
3. When the roasted beets are almost done, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook for a minute. Tear the beet greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces, and add them to the skillet. Cook and stir until greens are wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the greens as is, and the roasted beets sliced with either red-wine vinegar, or butter and salt and pepper.
Email me if you need help shelling peas. They’re way better than out of a can! - Janee
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