June 21, 2005

Happy Solstice Harvest Farm Updates Add-ons Farmer's Market's Recipes

Happy Solstice!

June 21st has been celebrated throughout the ages,as it marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the shifting of the sun towards it’s downward course across the horizon. There appears to be an interesting change in the growth of crops immediately following the solstice. The longest day seems to be a cue for plants to switch their focus from establishing strong roots and leaves to flowers and fruits. We will no doubt see this playing out in the fields over the next couple of weeks.

Thank you all who did rain dances in the last couple of weeks. It worked and the plants are much happier. We have gotten a lot of rain since the last pick-up, and we have the weeds to prove it! On any given day in the coming week, you will find several of us out in the field working to beat the weeds into submission. The greatest need for most of the crops now is for warm, sunny weather. Some sun and heat will help the beets and carrots to size up and the peppers and tomatoes to ripen.

This week you’ll find mesclun salad mix on the harvest list, as well as the unusual and strange-looking kohlrabi. Need some new ideas for ways to eat them? I have included—and hope you enjoy– the classic mesclun salad recipe from The Cooks Garden cookbook, as well as some new ideas for eating kohlrabi—a favorite among Arcanians. If you have any new ideas, recipes, or creations to share with your fellow CSA members, feel free to post them on the CSA bulletin board, or put in the “share the harvest” basket below the CSA community bulletin board and we’ll put it in the following week’s “CSA Notes”.

Chelsea Clark — CSA Outreach


This Weeks Harvest:
Head lettuce, mesclun, spinach, radishes, kohlrabi, and basil, dill, cilantro

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Farm Updates:

-The story this week after last weeks’ rains is “weeds, weeds, weeds!” We are working hard to stay on top of the weeding this week.

-All solanacea plants (tomato, pepper, eggplant) have been transplanted and are looking happy in the field.

-The garlic is looking great, and we should expect to be harvesting garlic tops, or scapes, in the next week or two. Stay tuned for delectable recipes!

-The next broccoli plantings are shooting up and looking very happy. All of the brassicas have loved the cool rainy weather!

-The corn looks good and is completely weeded thanks to some very determined weeding work.

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Add-Ons

Don't forget! The deadline for all pre-ordering is Tuesday, June 28th.

Farmers Markets

As many of you know, we are participating in three following local Farmers’ Markets:

Burlington Saturdays 8:30-2:30;
Stowe Sundays 9:00-3:00;
Mills River Thursdays 3:30-6:30.

We encourage you to come and see us at these markets. They are lots of fun and full of local producers and artisans.

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The Recipes:

Mesclun Salad

Traditionally, a mesclun salad includes whatever greens are available wild or in the garden

1 clove garlic, halved
1 shallot, chopped
2 TBS red wine vinegar
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cups mesclun or 1 handful each of whole, young salad greens

Rub inside of a large salad bowl with garlic halves. Mix shallots and vinegars in bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Pour oil into bowl in a slow, steady stream, whisking until well blended. Add mesclun or greens and toss with dressing. Serve immediately.

Note: If bitter greens are used for this salad, stir 1 tablespoon plain yogurt into dressing.

Recipe from: The Cooks Garden, by Shepherd and Ellen Ogden (Rodale Press)

Smashed Radishes (Chinese Style)
(serves 4 as a small side dish)

12 radishes
pinch or two of kosher salt
1-2 tsp. soy sauce
1-2 tsp. white or cider vinegar
½-1 tsp. white or light brown sugar
a few drops of sesame oil

Wash and trim radishes. Lay each on side (or if very large cut in half) and using the side of a large knife or cleaver crush them by pounding decisively once or twice (the bottom of a pot can also be used). The radishes should split open but not break into pieces. Sprinkle with salt and let stand 5-10 minutes, then drain. Transfer to a bowl. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, sugar. Toss gently with the radishes and refrigerate to chill (about 20 minutes). Sprinkle with sesame oil just before serving. Note: It is best to use only the amount of flavouring ingredients which is agreeable to taste. Such is the case that sometimes I omit the vinegar or soy sauce. This recipe is also good with some smashed cucumber together with the radishes or just on their own.

Spinach Cilantro Pesto

1 cup loosely packed spinach leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
3 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons water

Combine all pesto ingredients except olive oil, lemon juice and water in a blender or food processor and pulse blend until coarsely chopped. Gradually add olive oil and lemon juice until mixture is finely chopped. Add water if needed to make a paste.

Sautéed Kohlrabi

2 kohlrabi, 3 if small
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp oil
1 tbsp fresh herbs (dill, sage, basil, chives, etc.)

Grate kohlrabi, place in colander and sprinkle with salt. Let stand 30 minutes to drain. Heat oil, add onions, and sauté a few minutes over medium heat. Stir in kohlrabi, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fresh herbs.

Spinach & Dill Salad

12 ounces fresh spinach, coarse stems removed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, first press,cold press
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (8 inch) cucumbers, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill weed

1. Wash spinach in cold water.
2. Remove coarse stems and discard.
3. Dry spinach on paper towelling; chop into bite size pieces and place into a large mixing bowl.
4. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt, sugar and pepper, mix well to blend.
5. Add seeded chopped cucumber to dressing and mix.
6. Pour dressing over spinach and toss to coat.
7. Add chopped fresh dill and toss to mix.
8. Serve immediately.
9. If desired, add 1/4 teaspoon of dry mustard when mixing dressing.

Bowties with Basil, Cilantro, Spinach and Goat Cheese Sauce
Serves 4

1 pound bowtie pasta
1 cup lightly packed basil leaves
3/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
1/2 cup steamed fresh spinach, well drained
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6-8 ounces goat cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta to your liking. (I prefer al dente which is Italian for "to the tooth" and describes pasta that is not soft or overdone.) While the pasta is cooking, combine the basil, cilantro, spinach, Parmesan, butter, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the goat cheese and pulse until well mixed with the other ingredients.

When the pasta is cooked, drain, but reserve 1 or 2 tablespoons of the cooking water. Combine the hot pasta with the processed ingredients and the cooking water in a large bowl. Mix until the pasta is coated well. Serve and make sure you have salt and pepper on the table to season to taste.

Cilantro Pesto

Large bunch of cilantro, washed and leaves removed from stems
Approx. 1/4 C pine nuts
2-6 cloves garlic (to your preference)
extra virgin olive oil, and salt

Combine cilantro, pine nuts, garlic and salt in food processor and process until minced. With the processor running, slowly add the olive oil until a paste forms. You can toss this with pasta and blanched veggies (I usually prefer carrots and broccoli), or use to marinate chicken or fish.

• The start of the veggie season usually means we get fantastic lettuce in our shares, as well as weather warm enough for grilling. With both those in mind, I usually prepare large salads for dinner a few times a month, utilizing as many veggies as possible. Here's one idea:

Grilled Cilantro Chicken Salad

Chicken breast halves
Cilantro pesto (recipe above)
Your favorite salad combo – this week it will be the lettuce, carrots, radishes, and blanched broccoli from our shares (which I will supplement w/ tomatoes and avocado).

Vinaigrette
Lemon juice or white wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
1-2 T Cilantro pesto

Coat the chicken or fish with cilantro pesto and allow to marinate 1 hour. Meanwhile, combine your salad ingredients, making enough to fill each person's plate.

Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well. I find a 1:2 ratio for a lemon vinaigrette, and a 1:1 ratio for the vinegar version works well, but I usually taste test until I find the perfect balance!

Grill chicken or fish until done over medium-high heat, usually 3-4 minutes per side. When the meat is done, toss the salad with the dressing and place a large mound on each plate. Slice the chicken/fish as desired and arrange across the top of each salad. Since we’re getting garlic chives, sprinkle them across the top to finish it beautifully!

Spinach Ricotta Tart

1 15 ounce container part-skin ricotta
Olive oil for brushing
1 bunch fresh spinach, washed, stems removed
1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 large egg white

Wrap the ricotta tightly in fine cheesecloth; place in a colander over a bowl Place a heavy bowl or cans on top, and let drain, refrigerated, for 3 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 81/2 inch springform pan with olive oil. Place the drained ricotta, spinach, basil, salt, peper, and nutmeg in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth; scrape sides as needed, about 1 minute. Add the eggs and egg white; blend about 5 seconds. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan; bake until set and just brown around the edges, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, about 5 minutes; run a paring knife around edges before unmolding. Cut into wedges; serve warm or at room temperature.
From the Martha Stewart Living Cookbook

Kid Chef— For those of you who have children and who might enjoy some ideas for sharing the kitchen with them, there is a great website I would like to recommend. Www.kidchef.com is a wonderful resource for involving and empowering kids in the kitchen. It is a known fact that children are more likely to try new things and eat healthier diets if they can participate in the making of the food. Let us know how you like it! ~Chelsea

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