Market + Recipe

This week on Saturday, October 1, 2011, we will have:

-Garlic
-Flowers
-Kale
-Parsley
-Cilantro

This week I will share with you a variation of tacos that has evolved a lot over the years. My love of black beans started with a black bean and corn salad that my mom would make and Anne and I have enjoyed making this side dish into a meal with many different combinations.  One of our fall favorite black bean recipes is to make it with roasted butternut squash. The texture and the sweet and salty flavors of this dish is one that makes the mouth water and it's great because you can make a lot of it and it is just as good leftover.  You can make this as a side dish, or eat it in tortillas with rice, a cabbage slaw, pickled red onions, guacamole, and anything you would normally eat in a burrito or taco.

Black Bean and Squash Salad


1 small winter squash roasted, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 can black beans
4 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 chopped pepper (sweet or hot or both)
1 tsp cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 tbsp olive oil
juice from 2 limes
s + p to taste

Mix all ingredients together.

Thinking Ahead

This week Terry has been trying to combat our water issue in the garden and hopefully solving the problem a few ways.  Wheel barrow by wheel barrow he brings dirt and leaf compost up to the beds to raise them up for next year.  We have so much standing water that we need to compensate for the material that may have washed away in the heavy rains.  

He also realized that part of our problem may be that we are getting a lot of runoff from Hemlock Road.  A county engineer is coming to the house this week to evaluate the ditch along the garden.  There is no swale in the ditch and therefore the water is running directly off of the road into the garden instead of along the side of the road into the sewer. We are eager to see if the county can dig out the ditch to redirect the water.

In other news, it is time to say goodbye to the tomatoes and put the stakes back in the garage until next year.  We can still make pickled green tomatoes from what remains on the vines which are one of my favorite additions to sandwiches.

Lettuce is coming in slowly and we hope that the heads get big enough to pick!

Market + Recipe

This week on Saturday, September 24, 2011, we will have:

-Kale

-Parsley
-Cilantro

-Beets

-Carrots

-Garlic

-Flowers

We enjoyed some of the last of our tomatoes last weekend when we made Bruschetta. I love this simple way to have fresh flavors of tomatoes, basil, and garlic in one bite! If you still have tomatoes left, I suggest making this for an appetizer or snack!

Bruschetta

1 garlic clove
1 sliced, toasted baguette
2 large tomatoes
6-10 large basil leaves, torn or sliced fine
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
freshly ground pepper

Slice baguette and toast in oven until edges are crisp. Rub a raw garlic clove on one side of toasted bread.

Remove seeds and most of the juice from the tomatoes and chop into small pieces. Mix with the rest of ingredients and put on the toast and serve right away!

Fall is Here

It may not technically be fall yet, but the temperatures and our vegetables tell us that it is upon us. This sudden drop in temperatures is a relief but also a worry for our plants. We had to cover the basil and cilantro last week because of the fear of a frost. Our tomatoes have stopped producing and it was a rough season for them anyway with all of the wetness. If yours look anything like ours, don't worry, you are not alone!

Not-So-Great-Looking Tomatoes

We don't have a lot of fall crops besides kale and lettuce so we are relying on our garlic and the last of our herbs to get us through. We tried to plant fall cabbages and a new crop of kale but due to the weather and some pesky rabbits, they were not successful so far. Even though things are slowing down in the garden, that doesn't mean that we have any less work. There is a lot to be done to put the beds to rest for the winter and before we know it, it will be time to plant garlic again. We are planting winter rye in the beds that we are not planting vegetables in anymore and we are pulling out all the weeds that have gone to seed. The winter rye will help to keep down the weeds because we don't want a bed full of weeds awaiting us in the spring.

Winter Rye

Market + Recipe

This Saturday, September 17, 2011, we will have:

-Kale

-Garlic

-Onions

-Green Beans

-Beets

-Carrots

-Tomatoes

-Cilantro

-Basil

-Parsley

-Flowers

Fall is just about here and as the weather is getting cooler, we are also seeing some fall vegetables at the market. Pumpkins and squashes are becoming more prevalent and this week Anne, Seth and I made a butternut squash ravioli with a brown butter/parsley sauce that got us a bit more excited for the changing seasons. The best way to do this is to make your own pasta and if you have a pasta machine, it's even easier.

Pasta (6 servings)

4 3/4 cups white flour

5 eggs

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

water

Put flour in a bowl and make a well. Crack eggs into the well, add olive oil and salt, and slowly incorporate the eggs in with the flour. The dough should be very well mixed and smooth. Add water a little bit at a time to get the right amount of moisture. Wrap dough in saran and let sit for 30 minutes to let the gluten relax.

Squash

1 squash (any winter squash)

1/4 cup ground almonds

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp cream

1 tbsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Slice squash in half lengthwise and seed. Drizzle with olive oil and roast at 400 for 40 minutes or until you can easily pierce a knife through the thickest part of the flesh. Remove flesh from skin and add to a bowl and mix with other ingredients to make a smooth mixture.

Ravioli

The easiest way to make ravioli is with a pasta machine to roll dough out into strips and place 1 tbsp dollops onto the dough. Fold dough in half and pinch around the squash mixture to create a good seal. Cut out with a jar or a cookie cutter. Feel free to use any other method to make the ravioli as long as they are sealed!

Brown Butter Parsley Sauce

1 stick butter

1/4 cut finely chopped parsley

To brown the butter, heat butter in a saucepan on low heat until the foam is gone and you see solids at the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring and you will be able to see a distinct color change when it is done. Add parsley at the end and save some to put on top of the pasta. (Also a favorite of mine is to substitute sage for the parsley!)

Roasted Butternut Squash

Ravioli in progress

A side of sauteed Endeavor Farm kale, garlic, and onions.

A complete meal!

Frying up the ravioli and having them for breakfast makes for a rich treat!

Market + Recipe

This week on Saturday, September 10, 2011, we will have:

-Green Beans

-Kale

-Beets

-Carrots

-Cilantro

-Parsley

-Basil

-Flowers

-Tomatoes

-Garlic

-Onions

For this week's recipe, I bring you Shakshuka. This is a classic Israeli dish that is so simple and is traditionally eaten for breakfast but can be made for any meal of the day. It is essentially eggs poached in a tomato sauce and it is very tasty and easy to make! With tomatoes in season I suggest using lots of fresh tomatoes for the sauce but canned tomatoes easily substitute. I often make this and serve it over rice or noodles to give it more volume for a main course.

Shakshuka

Serves 4-6

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

5 Anaheim chiles or 3 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

1 small yellow onion, chopped

8 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp paprika

1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained

salt, to taste

8 eggs

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 tbsp chopped parsley

warm pita, for serving (or toast)

1. Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

2. Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Season sauce with salt.

3. Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce's surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pita, for dipping.

Hannah & Ian's breakfast last weekend!

Second Wind

Yesterday it finally smelled like fall and after those few days in the 90's, it is such a relief. As we approach our fall season it seems like things are really kicking into gear. When we were picking our produce for Saturday's market, we all remarked at how it seemed like everything was getting its second wind. Maybe the weather, maybe the weeding, who knows, but something is working!

The green beans have never looked better. We seem to have to pick them about every day and they are bright green, slender, and delicious. Bev started to freeze a lot of them last week so that we may enjoy fresh green beans in the winter!

Green Beans

We are having great luck with our herbs this year as well. Our parsley and cilantro grow so much every week that we are able to take a lot of it to market. There is nothing better than fresh herbs and the plants are looking so healthy. I have never had good luck with growing cilantro but this second planting that Terry planted from seed is a strong crop. Our herbs are so fragrant that you can immediately tell when someone is picking them because the smell wafts through the air!

Parsley

Cilantro

The basil started out really strong and there was more of it than we could handle. Then we got worried when mid-summer, there was a lot of blackening on the leaves and the plants were starting to yellow. However now the black is gone and they look great again!

Basil

The flowers continue to thrive and last week we noticed some brown on the ageratum but miraculously all of that was gone this week and they bounced back.

Ageratum

The tomatoes, although the plants are not looking great, taste wonderful. Because of the weather, they are cracking on top, but we don't mind what they look like because they are still juicy and delicious. The brandywines continue to be our favorite and the ivory egg variety is beautiful and a great, new addition to our farm.

Mix of red tomatoes on left, Ivory Egg on right.

Whatever we're doing we're going to keep doing it because it seems to be working!

Market

I apologize for the lack of posts this week...I am in the middle of moving and will get back to regular posting next week! However, this Saturday, September 3, 2011, we will have:

-Garlic

-Kale

-Onions

-Tomatoes

-Carrots

-Cilantro

-Basil

-Parsley

-Green Beans

-Beets

-Flowers

Hope to see you there!