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Tag: cabbage

  • Spring CSA Week 6

    It is raining. Again. We’re not ones to complain–if it was a dry spring we’d be wishing for rain. We had enough of a dry spell mid-week to plant okra, corn, and purple-hulled peas, though they may not produce until late summer. This week: Cabbage for All! This is exciting for us; up until this year, bugs have always eaten our cabbage or the crop has failed for other reasons. One year, the hogs escaped and walked through the garden eating just the heads of the cabbages. What else is in the box? Read on!

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    Garlic: We really can’t call it spring baby garlic any more. Our babies are growing up!

    Heirloom garlic scapes: These are special. Not only are they from out limited supply of heirloom garlic, they are only produced during a very short spring window. The whole scape is edible! We chop them and add them to eggs, to soups, over pasta–and don;t limit them to being a garnish: the scape can be the star! Follow this link for a list of seven ideas: we especially like using them in a pesto, minus the basil. Just garlic goodness!

    Spring onions: Earlier this week Ted made dinner using these onions, leftover pulled pork, tomato sauce, and spices: Pulled Pork Tikka Masala. Substitute your favorite meat, tofu, or veggie if you don’t have leftover pulled pork barbecue:

    Pulled Pork Tikka Masala

    1 bunch spring onions, chopped
    1 tsp cumin seed
    1 tbsp oil
    1 1/2 tsp turmeric
    1 head spring garlic
    1 inch fresh ginger or 1 tsp dry ginger

    1/2 tsp pepper
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 small container plain yogurt
    8 oz tomato sauce
    8 oz heavy cream or whole milk
    1 lb leftover pulled pork
    1 tsp garam masala
    Thai basil, chopped

    Saute the onion and cumin over medium heat until the onion is golden. In a blender, make a paste of the garlic, ginger, turmeric, salt, and pepper (add a teaspoon of water if needed). Add the paste to the onion and stir until it begins to brown. Add the cooked pork, yogurt, tomato sauce, and cream and stir to mix. Simmer 10 minutes. add the garam masala, serve with a little Thai basil on top.

    Cabbage: If you are NOT eating healthy, try this recipe for Polish Bacon, Cabbage, and Potato casserole. If you ARE eating healthy, try grilled Teriyaki Cabbage Steaks.

    Russian red kale: Kale is back! Ok–you’ve had a lot of kale, but it is versatile. Have you made kale chips yet? Please say yes… If not you should really try it: coat the leaves with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper and bake them (or grill them) until they are crispy. This is a great side or snack.

    Hot peppers: You are only getting one or two of these–they do have a kick; if you don’t like spicy, share with a neighbor. If you do, chop them and add them to anything!

    Thai basil: Unlike its big-leaved cousin, Thai basil has smaller leaves with a complex scent of lavender, licorice, and basil. It is hard to describe if you’ve never had it–but it is a classic herb throughout southeast Asia. You can use this almost anywhere (see the pork recipe above), but it is especially good with garlic and just a little spice. Let us know what you think!

  • CSA Week 4!

    Clockwise from top: Turnips, spring garlic, cabbage, spring onions, lettuce (tiny), radishes, herb fennel.
    Clockwise from top: Turnips, spring garlic, cabbage, spring onions, lettuce (tiny), radishes, herb fennel.

    Welcome to the 4th week of the spring CSA! State of the Garden Every year is different. This year we have plenty of kale and cabbage (the cabbage is just starting to come in) but some of our old friends have suffered from too much rain at exactly the wrong times. Our first two plantings (and part of the third) of lettuce washed away along with some of our topsoil before they even sprouted. On the other hand, the lacinato (AKA Tuscan) kale seems to love the rain and is thriving and, as of now, largely bug free! While picking today we noticed the first few tiny baby squash and cucumbers, so unless the squash bugs outpace us you can look forward to that soon.  Also coming soon: leeks, beets, kohlrabi, and basil. And, for those who stick with us through the summer CSA, tomatoes, peppers, squash, chard, and other summertime joys. We are also keeping an eye on our fruits. We have figs, blueberries, pears, apples, and peaches–much of which is too young to produce. Our figs have done well in the past but are still recovering from near death in a big freeze during the 2014-2015 winter. The pear tree is loaded–look for pears in the late summer.

    In the bags this week:

    Spring onions: We planted lots of onions, because they have so many uses–they should continue for the rest of the CSA! Have you tried them grilled?

    Garlic: As with the spring onions, we believe that there is no such thing as too much garlic. Garlic is one of the food plants that is also used medicinally by many people, and our own anecdotal experience is that eating garlic helps with general health.  Pro tip: when roasting garlic, seal it in aluminum foil or a clay pot. The oxygen in the atmosphere tends to make garlic bitter–but if you roast it in an air-tight environment it will be sweet.

    Lettuce (Green Bibb): Salad. Of course, salad. But maybe, just maybe, you want something different? Like lettuce soup–this recipe is from Emeril Lagasse.  Lettuce was one of the casualties of the spring rains this year. We are trying to rush another planting into production … stay tuned to the blog to see how it goes.

    Turnips: The last of the turnips for this spring. Try roasted turnips with buttered greens (Hint: throw in some radishes to spice up the flavor!) We are sending out two kinds of turnips: “purple top” makes the familiar round turnip but the leaves aren’t as plentiful. “Seven top” makes loads of leaves, but the root is fibrous and should be peeled and cooked thoroughly before you try to eat it.

    Purple top turnip
    Purple top turnip
    Seven top turnip
    “Seven top” turnip

    Radishes: As with the turnips, this may be the last bunch. After the recent rain, some of the radishes are cracked; this just means that they expanded too fast as they took on moisture. Wash and eat as usual. If you make roasted turnips and greens, you can add these to the mix: cook them the same as turnips and they will add a spicy zip.

    Cabbage (OR Lacinato Kale): Hey! This is new! The cabbage is starting to come in, but we counted today and we don’t yet have enough for all customers (we had enough for 3/4). Since the ones that are ready may not make it another week we are giving them out randomly and keeping track of who gets them. If you don’t have cabbage this week, you will get kale–and next week that will be reversed. NOTE: Wash the cabbage well! Cabbage heads form from loose leaves and tighten up as they ripen. No pesticides, but there is likely some garden grit inside each cabbage. What to do with cabbage? Slaw is great, but try stuffed cabbage for an adventure.

    Cabbage: Don't throw out the exterior leaves! They are delicious!
    Cabbage: Don’t throw out the exterior leaves! They are delicious!

    Herb fennel: This is great trimmed into tiny bits as an accent in a salad, over a soup (try it with the lettuce above), or even over vanilla ice cream. Fennel has a gentle licorice flavor that some people love even if they hate licorice. Herb fennel is a different variety of the plant that produces fennel bulbs.

    Reminder: Please return your bag when we deliver new veggies each week. If you keep returning them, you will have two bags to keep at the end of the season. If we didn’t get a bag from you last week, you are getting your veggies in plastic this week–and that is not our preference!