Another rainy day...

Hi. Madeline here. Mom isn't here to write this week so I'm taking over for now.
After seeing so many tops go to the compost, I tried something yesterday and it turned out pretty good! I'm not sure what to call it but many dishes don't have names so it will just have to be called Beet Tops. Look forward to the next experiment: Carrot Tops! :)
Beet Tops
4-6 beets with tops
1 bunch green onions or 1 small onion
1 green garlic (opt.)
sauce:
1 cup chicken/vegetable broth
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp tamari
Boil beets in a small pot on the side or save in the fridge for later.
Heat large pan w/ olive oil, add chopped garlic and onion and soften. chop beet tops (and stems if desired), add and cover to wilt. adding a little water helps the wilting process.
mix sauce and pour over wilted greens, let simmer until tender and ready to eat.
serve immediately. approx. 4 servings

This week in the whole share:
salad mix
carrots
leaf lettuce
arugula
radishes
onions
beets
peas

The half share includes:
salad mix
leaf lettuce
arugula
radishes
onions
beets

Remember! We have chickens for sale tomorrow in Sioux Center! call or email to place an order.

Ribollita Recipe

Here is the link to the Ribollita Recipe

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/ribollita-reboiled-italian-cabbage-soup/Detail.aspx

Green fields

Suddenly this week, everywhere I look is a lush green. The brown spaces in the fields are giving way to the canopy of crop cover. It is amazing to see the huge variety of color from light lime green of the ditch grasses to the deep blue green of leek and garlic. The potatoes have gone from being "down in the trench" to being up on the ridge of the hill. All of this green is accented with the light pink and white of blossoms unfolding. John went through all the rows this week with the hiller to pile up dirt around the plants to keep the tubers covered and out of the sun so they don't turn green as they develop.

This week in your share....

Lettuce - Green Romaine this week

Red Radishes

Scallions/Green Onions

Green Kohlrabi - just like the purple, only green instead :)

Turnips -

Kale - try the recipe for the Ribollita from the link listed below

Beets - the first of the season

Full share will also receive Rhubarb this week - if you don't want to use it now, just wash, chop and freeze for later. Make some rhubarb sauce, or add it to your favorite fruit and make some jam.

Rhubarb Cake (from my mom)

1/2 c. butter

1 1/2 c. sugar (part white/part brown)

1 egg

1 c. sour milk or buttermilk

2 c. flour

1 tsp soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 c. rhubarb- diced

cream the sugar and butter, mix in the egg, mix dry ingredients together and add alternately with the milk. Stir in the rhubarb. Pour batter into 9x13 pan and top with 1/2 c. sugar and some cinnamon. Bake @ 325 for 35-40 minutes.

Ribollita - keep this in the fridge to serve with salad for a satisfying meal.

Tip: the ribollita recipe calls for cabbage and swiss chard - feel free to use the kohlrabi and beet leaves as substitutes. Also, use your shallots for the onion.

Have a great week!

Greetings everyone!

It looks like we are jumping right into summer with temps in the 90's this week. It is quite a change, but the drying weather has allowed us to get some major weeding done and continue some planting that was put on hold during the rains last week. This week was also the start of two markets for us - Sioux Center market and the Wednesday market at Sioux City. We have been watching the news closely regarding flooding in the Sioux City area and hope that everything will go well for our customers and friends who may be suffering from flood damage.

This week in your share.....

New Carrots - always a marvel to pull those first tender slim carrots - eat them raw - or give your dinner plate a gourmet look by trimming the top to 1" and lightly steaming.

Green Butterhead Lettuce

Red Butterhead Lettuce

Purple Kohlrabi - these are just beautiful this year. Peel the "bulb" and snack on it raw, lightly sprinkled with salt or dipped in your favorite dressing. The leaves may be cooked, chopped into salads etc. Use them like you would cabbage leaves.

Hakurei Turnips - best eaten raw, and the tops are great cooked or raw in salads

Swiss Chard - great on a sandwich, steamed, chopped and tossed with pasta, fabulous in a "green smoothie" boost your veggie intake.

This week Full shares will also receive....

Shallots - a.k.a. green onions - great fresh or added to your favorite cooked dish - stir the green part into some sour cream or cream cheese for a flavorful dip addition.

Spinach - this will be the last picking of this round of spinach while we wait for the next bed to size up and mature. Spinach lasagna anyone?

Have a great week!

Even the Birds want to come Indoors

Well, as you all know, it is raining again, but we are happy to be harvesting under the cover of the high tunnel. This morning, while Madeline was seeding some trays a little hummingbird found its way into the garage. We all enjoyed watching it for a little while, and then opened the big door wide to be sure it could find its way out again. Well, 2 hours later, it is still fluttering around - not seeming too distressed. I think it is enjoying being out of the wet weather.

This is an exciting week for our family. Madeline will graduate from Unity Christian H.S. on Thursday, and yesterday her grandparents from Ontario, Canada flew in to help us celebrate. In addition, John's cousin from Holland (yes, The Netherlands), also arrived yesterday to surprise his parents with whom she spent a year when she was a teenager. And, Allison also joined us from California. I think we will have lots of coffee drinking and story telling in the next week.

In your share this week........

Spinach -

Green Kale - use this like the red kale last week. The leaves are a little bigger, so be sure to tear out the larger stems. Try kale chips for a fun treat.

Choy

Red Lettuce - make a lovely salad with these beautiful red leaves and their lovely light green centers

Hakurei Turnips - for some reason they have short tops this spring(blame it on the weather). Eat these raw for a wonderful snack, chop up into your salad, or lightly steam them. The tops are also good cooked.

Cilantro - add flavor to salsa, salads, or make into pesto.

Full shares also have a head of Flashy Troutback - a speckled type of Romaine lettuce.

Try this link with pictures for Kale Chips

http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/03/baked-kale-chips/

And here is a link for Sweet Annie Kale Salad

http://dickmanfam.blogspot.com/2009/07/sweet-annie-kale-salad.html

Enjoy your week!

Bring on the Sunshine!

This will be a brief post because the sun is shining and we are going full steam ahead to get as much in the ground as possible before the rain starts again on Thursday. It looks like a great week for seeds to sprout. I'm going to also provide some information about greens from Angelic Organics - a CSA farm with their own cookbook and great online resources. Grilling season is also fast approaching (already here) and many veggies are great on the grill in foil packets (smaller pieces) or simply split in half, brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with seasonings and placed directly on the grill. Enjoy the Sunshine!

In your share this week....

Spinach

Green Butterhead Lettuce

Red Butterhead

Red Russian Baby Kale - I love this added to salads, soups, or served as a side.

Green Pac Choi

Garlic Greens - looks like green onions - use anywhere you'd use garlic - also great on the grill

Choi

Choi (also spelled choy) has been cultivated in China for centuries and is now commonly found in markets in the United States. Choi is practically two vegetables in one: the leaves can be cooked and eaten like spinach, while the crisp stems—sweet and mild in flavor—can be used like celery or asparagus.

Storage

Refrigerate unwashed choi in a plastic container or loosely wrapped in a plastic bag. Choi keeps for over a week but is firmest and tastiest if used within a few days.

Handling

Just before using, rinse choi under cold running water and gently shake it dry. Cut the stems into 1-inch pieces and slice, shred, or tear the leaves. If you will be eating the stems raw, slice or julienne them.

Choi with Gingery Butter

This sauce has characteristically Asian-inspired flavors, but this recipe uses butter instead of oil for added richness. Don’t be fooled by how simple this is; it is an interesting and wonderfully flavorful side dish. Angelic Organics Kitchen (adapted from Judy Gorman’s Vegetable Cookbook).

Serves 4 to 6

2 medium choi (any kind), sliced crosswise into 1-inch strips

6 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

1 tablespoon grated or finely chopped fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed (about 1/2 teaspoon)

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro

salt

freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the choi; cook until the choi is tender but still crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the choi in a colander and immediately run under cold water. Drain well.

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and choi; cook, stirring constantly, until the choi is well coated and heated through.

3. Remove the skillet from heat. Stir in the cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately

Salad Greens

Salad greens start early and keep coming throughout the season. Experiment with salad building! You can top greens with fruit, nuts, seeds, pasta, and whole grains in addition to numerous dressings. As nineteenth-century editor and author Charles Dudley Warner once wrote, “You can put everything, and the more things the better, into a salad, as into a conversation; but everything depends on the skill of mixing.”

Storage

Store unwashed lettuce or mesclun in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. (Wet greens will spoil quickly, so make sure they are truly dry before refrigerating them.) If you have a salad spinner, wash and spin the greens before refrigerating. Use mesclun mix within three or four days, and use lettuce within a week.

Handling

Salad greens bruise easily, so be sure to handle them gently. For lettuce, slice the head at its base with a sharp knife and let the leaves fall open. Discard any damaged or leathery outer leaves and tear large leaves into bite-size pieces. Wash lettuce and mesclun mix by swishing them in a basin of cold water. Dry the greens in a salad spinner. (Or place them loosely in a mesh bag or thin towel, then go outside and swing the bundle.)

Another possibility for lots of lettuce when you are in the mood for something warm is to wilt it and add to rice or potatoes. Simply wash and chop coarsely, then saute in olive oil or butter until wilted, season (try also adding a dash of balsamic vinegar) and toss with warm potatoes or rice.

The 2011 Vegetable Season is Here!

Welcome to a new season of fresh produce from The Cornucopia! We look forward to serving you in 2011.

Yesterday I woke to the loud crack of thunder. John rolled over and said, "do you think I should pull those plants inside?" I was happy that he said "I", it was a good Mother's Day present to stay in bed a few more minutes while he dodged rain drops and pulled young plants out of the wind. Saturday was spent transplanting and planting seeds, so we were glad for the gentle rains Sunday morning to give the transplants a boost, provide moisture for germination and keep the soil crust soft so seeds planted earlier can break through. Every spring we eagerly watch as things start "popping up" and get established. This is a season of anticipation and wonder. We are glad that you are here to enjoy it with us.

In this blog, we try to keep you in touch with what is happening on the farm through words and pictures, as well as give you a listing of what to expect in your delivery each week and some useful information about how your food is produced, how to use it in recipes and storage tips. Above all, we hope that you enjoy the food.

In your share this week....(our best estimates for the week)

It's spring so pull out your spinner and get ready for salad fixings!

Spinach - great in salads or steamed. This spinach was growing through the cool days of April, so it has a lot more "umph" than the thinner leaves of summer spinach. So if you prefer it cooked, then go for it - it will hold its texture quite well. I like to steam it or just dunk it in boiling water quickly, then drain and serve.

Leaf Lettuce - lots of color to brighten your plate.

Arugula - we've kept it separate, but it's great on its own, or mixed in with your other greens. Be adventurous and layer it on a bread and butter sandwich.

Spectrum Greens - these greens are full of wonderful flavor and texture that make them one of my favorites. Really good with a light oil dressing and some chopped boiled eggs or nuts and dried cranberries. Make it a meal by adding some leftover grains like rice or quinoa.

Radish - slice some on your arugula sandwich or top a salad. Radishes are said to be a blood cleanser (probably why they give you that cool fresh feeling) - and the tops are also edible, containing lots of vitamin C.

Basic Salad Dressing (I give this recipe every year because it is a standard in our house and so easy to make) - you can easily expand the recipe to feed a crowd. Add crushed garlic or other herbs for a variation.

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. lemon juice (preferably fresh)

1 tsp. brown mustard

2 tsp. honey

Put it all in a small jar and shake it up, or mix it with a whisk in a small bowl. Adjust the honey and mustard to your personal taste. If I'm making a big bowl of salad for the family I usually just pour it over top and toss it all together, but you can just as easily pass it and let everyone serve themselves.

Have a great week!