Farm Notes, CSA week 19

October 9 & 10, 2008, CSA Week 19

Our growing season continues, despite the widespread frost that covered most of the area this past week. We benefit from a Hudson River sponsored micro-climate that extends our growing season. As you can see from this week’s share, the greens and turnips are absolutely loving it and coming along splendidly. Cabbages are getting nice heads, scallions and carrots are getting bigger, too. We’ve had a couple of nice suppers on our baby carrots as we thin them out…steamed with a little of the green head still on…Alex won’t eat anything else when we have them!

This is the second week in a row we’ve given turnips, and we will be giving more in the remaining weeks. Several members have asked me what to do with them, and while I have included a recipe for them as a side dish, it’s also worth noting that they make a wonderful addition to soups and stews; simply dice into a similar size as your other ingredients and add when you put in carrots or potatoes (the cooking time is similar). Don’t forget that the greens are edible, too – they taste better if you blanch them first in some boiling water, then drain, cool and sauté. They make a nice addition to pasta, or if you can sauce them up a little, a great topping for polenta. Back to stews, if you are looking for something to do with your squash this week, last Thursday I tried adding butternut squash and dried cranberries to a venison stew…it was an absolutely wonderful marriage of sweet and savory that we will certainly use again!

Autumn is the time of year that it becomes very easy for us to remember one of our biggest reasons for wanting to farm – our love for good food! We both love to cook and find new recipes. We also love the flavors and textures that good, clean, locally grown produce offers – things you really can’t find in produce that is grown only for the amount of production, uniformity, and shipping-hardiness it has. Look at all the varieties of potatoes alone that we’ve grown just this year! Then there are the squashes, the greens, the tomatoes….the list just goes on and on. We hope that everyone is enjoying the harvest as much as we are, and that you’ve been able to try something new and get creative with your veggies.

This week’s share includes turnips with greens, Asian greens and potatoes from our farm, and carrots, butternut squash and cauliflower from Stoneledge Farm.



Turnip and Apple Puree
Cooking watery vegetables with rice ensures that they will have a creamy texture when mashed. The apple helps to temper the strong flavor of the turnips.

1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1” chunks
3 cups milk (2 cups will be left over for another use)
Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, sprinkle of nutmeg
2 ½ Tbsp white rice
1 small apple or pear, peeled, cored and quartered
2 tsp butter

Place turnips in saucepan, add milk, ½ tsp salt and a couple grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil over moderate heat. Stir in rice, lower heat, partially cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add apples and simmer 10 minutes longer, or until turnip is very tender. (the milk will curdle, but the curds will be incorporated when the vegetables are pureed.) Drain in a colander set over a bowl to save the cooking liquid.
In a food processor or blender, puree the mixture for 1-2 minutes, until perfectly smooth, adding a tablespoon or two of cooking liquid if needed. (Save the remaining flavorful liquid for soup; it can be frozen.) Season with salt, nutmeg and pepper and add butter. Process to mix.
From A New Way to Cook, by Sally Schneider



Steamed Asian Greens with Honey Soy Sesame Dressing

1 1/2 pounds spinach, bok choy, Chinese broccoli, or a combination
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, plus more for garnish

Pour about 1-inch of water into a wok and bring it to a boil over high heat. Put the greens into a bamboo steamer and cover. Put the steamer into the wok and steam the vegetables for about 5 minutes or until they are just tender. (A vegetable steamer or other improvisation of this would work fine, too.)
Meanwhile make the dressing by combining the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, oil, and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds in a small bowl. Put the cooked greens onto a serving platter, drizzle the dressing over them, and toss well to coat. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve immediately.



Shredded Root Vegetable Pancakes

This will work nicely with any combination of potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips, rutabaga, or celeriac.
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3 tablespoons chopped scallions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 cups assorted root vegetables, shredded
2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
6 teaspoons canola oil, divided
Sour cream for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Whisk egg, flour, scallions, dill, horseradish, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in vegetables and bacon (if using).
3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook 4 pancakes per batch: place about 1/4 cup vegetable mixture in a little of the oil and press with the back of a spatula to flatten into a 2- to 3-inch pancake. Cook until crispy and golden, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the pancakes to the prepared baking sheet. Continue with 2 more batches, using the remaining 4 teaspoons oil and vegetable mixture. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve garnished with sour cream, if desired.
From Eating Well Magazine, Nov/Dec ‘08