Riverhill Farm

CSA Week of September 5, 2011

What’s In Your Box

• Melons
• Cucumbers (late addition to the list!)
  
• Tomatoes
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Strawberries
• Carrots
• Peppers
• Kohlrabi
  
• Eggplant
• Tomatillos
  
• Kale (remember the Kale Salad recipe from the week of July 4th?)
  
• Summer Squash
• Onions
• Garlic
• Recipes Below!

Dear Friends,

I had a friend many years ago who classed people into two groups:  toast and baked potatoes.  Sounds funny, but here it is 40 years later and I still remember that and find it to be true.  There are those who pop out of bed in the morning (the toasties) looking like they never were asleep, and can carry on a coherent conversation in complete sentences within moments of awakening.  Then, there are others who lie in bed–the potatoes–eyes opening and closing, nodding off and reawakening slowly to make their way back to the world of the living.  It may take a cup of coffee, a hot shower or thirty minutes staring out the window to bring them into a condition in which they can make sensible comments like, “Good morning.”

Sunday on the farm is the one day of the week when the alarm doesn’t go off at 5 a.m.  Alarm or no alarm, Jo doesn’t know how to sleep in, and can be counted on to wake up with the first light of dawn, grab her book and a cup of tea, and read herself awake.  She’s intolerably cheerful, most of the time.  As you already might have guessed, I lie in bed watching the silhouette of tree limbs against the dim light of dawn, sniff the air for signs of what the weather will be, and listen for detectable changes in the quality of early morning bird song.  Eventually, I get out of bed.

My sleep habits were permanently changed when I had children.  Both of my children were early risers and, common to parents of my generation, the morning shift fell to me, their father.  I paid dearly whenever I stayed up too late the night before and, so, eventually I grew to accommodate the change in my life by adopting my childrens’ sleep habits:  early to bed and early to rise.

That habit suits a farmer but, whereas it used to be that I could take or leave a good night’s sleep, I now crave it and depend upon it to function effectively through a demanding day on the farm.  I may wake slowly but, when I am awake, I’m prepared each day for a whirlwind of activity that takes me back and forth from one side of the farm to the other countless times per day.  Farming can be a bit like having children, only there are many children.  The daily tasks of a farmer have often been referred to as “husbandry”, but I think that a more accurate description might well be “plant parenthood.”  Over the course of a ten-month farm season, you don’t get too many “passes” to do a partial day’s work, at least not without paying the consequences.  To draw the comparison, miss a meal with your three year old and you’ve got one cranky kid on your hands.  Miss an irrigation set with your crops and you’ve got plant stress and wilt.  Fail to gently steer your child away from developing a bad habit and you may spend months trying to correct a behavioral problem.  Fail to trellis a tomato at the right time and you’ll spend hours correcting bad growth habits when a few minutes would have sufficed.

So, in case the comparison is still too vague and indirect, farming can be relentless.  I haven’t had a full day off–including Saturdays and Sunday–since April, even though here and there I’ve managed a respite for a few hours.  Jo and I did get to the river one afternoon this summer to celebrate her birthday.  And I do have an abiding habit of a Saturday morning cup of coffee in town after helping pack the truck and setting up our Farmers’ Market stand at the Nevada City Saturday Farmers’ Market.  Those moments, sitting outside under the sycamore tree at Broad Street Bistro sipping a hot cup of coffee, are cherished by me for the simplicity of the pleasure I get from reading the newspaper and appreciating the cool inactivity of it all.

This is the time of year when we start to look forward to the arrival of Fall weather.  Given that we had such a late Spring, it’s hard to believe that Fall is nearly here, but the calendar says it’s so.  Our first light frost may be one month away, sometime in the next few weeks the river will be too cold for swimming, and we’ll soon be welcoming back my favorite fall songbird, the white crowned sparrow.  Along with cooler weather and shorter days,  we’re fast approaching the time when tasks which we’ve performed repetitively throughout the season will be ticked off one by one:  last fall planting, last irrigation set up, last tomato, until it’s last harvest and we’re done (well, sort of.  Don’t forget “winter work”).  To complete the comparison to raising children, Fall on a farm is a bit like your child’s last year of high school.  If you’ve been able to parent your child successfully and they are on to good things, it’s time to relax a little, enjoy their company, and know that the fruits of their own development will be evident.

Many people in the community are in the habit of asking Jo and I “So, how’s the farm?”  It’s an opening to a casual conversation that isn’t intended to elicit too much information.  Normally, our response is something like “Good!”, or “Great”, or, “We’re still waiting for the tomatoes to ripen,” and that’s that.  This year, however, the response has more likely been that this has been the most difficult season yet  (at least, that’s my response.  There are other qualities to the toasties compared with the potatoes, including what we potatoes would call a more realistic appraisal of life.  The toasties usually think we potatoes call the glass half empty).

So, along with looking forward to cool weather and the change of season, we’re looking forward to the end of the season.  It’s not that we haven’t accomplished a great deal under adverse conditions, or that the crops have suffered terribly or been beset by plague.  Your boxes have been reasonably full and diverse, and the quality of the produce has been reasonably good (that’s potato-talk for you), but I would always like to do everything better.  That’s what makes farming so dynamic.  There will always be room for improvement but the truth is that you can’t make very many short term improvements on a farm.  Mostly, you have to plan and hope for improvements next season.  What happens next season will be, as it always is, a complex and unpredictable blend of work, weather, weeds, planning, energy, pests, and more.   Relaxing into fall and watching the signs for winter comes, ideally, with the satisfaction of another season nearly done, many good lessons learned, and the knowledge that next season will be different and, hopefully, better.

This Week’s Recipes:

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

• 6 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed
• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cups grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or less, to taste
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• ¼ cup fine dry breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.  In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, cumin, and cayenne. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, and

milk. In a shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs and  flour. Put 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into the middle of each jalapeno half. One at a time, dredge in the flour, dip into the egg mixture, then dredge in the bread crumbs, pressing to coat. If necessary, repeat the process. Place the coated peppers, cut side up, on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the filling is runny and the crust is golden, about 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and serve immediately with cold beer.

CHILE RELLENO CASSEROLE

• ½ Cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 6-8 New Mex. Anaheim chilies or other large chilies, roasted & peeled ( see below)
• 2-4 Jalapeño chilies, roasted & peeled (optional)
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. flour
• 1/2 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, grated
• 1/4 lb. Cheddar cheese, grated

After greasing an 8 to 9 inch square pan, place half the chilies and cover with half the cheese. Add another layer of chilies, then another layer of cheese. Beat eggs, add milk, and baking powder, flour and salt. Pour on top. Bake 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Serves 4-6.

Roasted Peppers

Anaheim, Bell, New Mexico Chiles, Pasilla, and Ancho peppers are all best roasted or grilled.  To grill, place them on the grill over medium-high heat.  Otherwise, broil them in your oven.  Roast until blistered and blackened but not burned, remove from heat and place them in a plastic container with a lid, a plastic bag or a paper bag to steam for fifteen minutes.  When cool enough to handle, remove the skin.  Use them in salsa or as an ingredient in another recipe (try the internet), or eat them tossed with oil and vinegar and salt to taste with bread.  Toss with pasta and fresh tomatoes for a delicious and simple meal.

Stuffed Tomatoes

• 4 large tomatoes, any variety
• 1/4 cup pesto (homemade or your favorite jarred pesto)
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp. chopped shallots or finely chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Core the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds and inner flesh. Mix the pesto, bread crumbs, shallots, garlic and olive oil in a small mixing bowl. Divide the mixture evenly among the tomatoes. Bake for 20 minutes. Top each tomato with one tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese. Bake another 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese is brown and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Thai Curry with Eggplant and Potatoes

• 4 Asian Eggplant
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
• 1/2 to 1 4-oz. jar Thai Kitchen green or red curry paste
• 2-14 oz. cans coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional)
• a few fresh basil leaves
• salt to taste

Peel potatoes.  Lay eggplant on its side and cut into wedges, alternating angle of each cut to make triangles.  Chop onion and saute in safflower or canola oil (not olive oil) until transparent.  Add eggplant and continue sauteing until slightly soft.  Add remaining ingredients except for basil and simmer until done.  Add basil leaves, taste for salt and adjust, as desired.  Serve hot.  You can add other vegetables, such as carrots, or substitute carrots for potatoes and serve over rice.

Black Bean and Roasted Tomatillo Soup –This comes from our wonderful CSA member and volunteer, Bonnie Madden

• 3 cans black beans, drained
• ½ bunch cilantro leaves
• 4 tomatillos
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
• Olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 ½ onions, sliced thinly

Peel the dry husk off the tomatillos, cut them in quarters, and toss lightly with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Place them in a heavy-bottomed, ovenproof dish just big enough to hold them in a single layer, and roast for 15 minutes in the oven, until they are soft.  When done, puree them in a blender until smooth.  Cook the onions and garlic in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper until they are soft and translucent.  Add the jalapeno pepper and sauté lightly.  Add the beans, broth and cilantro and cook until the flavors meld.  Add the blended tomatillos and cook until they are warm.  Serve garnished with sprigs of cilantro and sour cream if desired.

• Adapted from Chez Panisse (they used dried black beans and pureed the soup at the end)  I like lumps in my soup! I served it with cornbread but it could also be thickened and served over polenta.

Summer Vegetable Curry

CSA Week of August 29, 2011

What’s In Your Box?

• Potatoes–Kipfel fingerlings, good for roasting, or Bintje, a yellow fleshed tender steamer or roaster
  
• Peppers–Gypsy, Islander Purple Bells and Jalapenos
• Tomatoes
• Cherry Tomatoes–including u-pick
• Tomatillos
• Summer Squash
• Basil
• Eggplant
• Fennel
• Onion
• Garlic
• Green Beans–u-pick
  
• Strawberries–u pick
• Recipes Below!
  

Dear Friends:

Knowing the botanical and human history of a crop may not be enough to overcome a person’s dislike of a certain vegetable–say, eggplant, for example–but it can be interesting, even inspiring, and it certainly doesn’t hurt.  And, knowing a few facts about our use of the natural world for our daily sustenance can make one more mindful of the uniqueness of what we do each day when we eat.

If you were to try, you could easily come up with a list of plants that you eat that would number in the area of 60, more or less depending on the range of your tastes.  Some of these we eat daily, or almost daily, like wheat, for example, others we might eat just once a year–mangoes or papaya, for example.  The fact remains, all the same, that 60% of the global food diet is made up of just three crops–rice, wheat and corn, and just 15 crop plants supply 90% of the world’s food energy, its calory intake.  And, of the global food diet, just 8% of the average diet consists of fruits and vegetables.

We all probably recognize that the importance of vegetables and fruits in the human diet is not as staples.  With the exception of the potato which historically, since the discovery of the New World, has served as an inexpensive food and often a staple of poor people, most vegetables and fruits are eaten as accents to a more narrow palette.  Variety is the spice of life.  Vegetables and fruits provide us with, among other things, concentrated energy as carbohydrates, with green leaf, with bitter and acid flavors, with vitamins not available in cereal crops, and that all important thing we humans love to eat: sweetness.

An extraordinary amount of energy has gone into developing our vegetable and fruit crops from their wild ancestors.  You could spend a lifetime looking through the wild places of all the regions of the world for something that resembles the most familiar of vegetables, and it’s likely you wouldn’t find it in a recognizable form anywhere.  The natural selection we humans have engaged in–breeding–has historically been a matter of saving seed from vegetables and fruits that we like to eat.  The evolution of those foods follows the preferences we want:  volume, sweetness, acidity, palatability, and a host of other considerations.  We plant seed from the individual fruit or vegetable that has the qualities we like, and each successive generation involves further selection, ad infinitum.  Still, there is inevitably another factor at work in the selections we make, and that is beauty.

Beauty in nature is everywhere, but in most wild ancestral fruits and vegetables, it’s a latent quality that only becomes manifest as we select for other qualities that also make the fruit or vegetable more palatable or desirable from the standpoint of eating it.  Think of a vegetable or fruit crop you like to eat, and then think of the attributes that make it beautiful–skin color, flesh color, consistency, shine, blush, shape, sweetness and on and on–and you’ll appreciate that while we humans have been selecting each new generation based on what we like to eat, consciously or unconsciously, we’ve also been selecting for beauty.

Whether you enjoy Italian eggplant or not, you’ve got to admit that it has a beautiful form.  We often find that at the Farmers’ Market, people are drawn in to the stand by the shine and shape of the eggplant and, while they may not buy any eggplant, they often comment that they’d like to take one home and paint a portrait of it, or put it in the center of their dining table as decoration.  Now, try to find an eggplant in the wild, and you’ll be looking at what amounts to a little black berry.

It’s an irrepressible human desire that manifests in countless ways, and in fruits and vegetables has produced a magnum opus of beauty worthy of the still life paintings of the masters.  So, when you take your box home this week, place one of the items of produce from your box as a centerpiece on your table for your first dinner, and appreciate the beauty of what humans have created through the generations.  It’s a feast for the body, but certainly for the soul as well.

Lately, what with the heat, we’ve not been wanting to cook indoors.  We’ve been trying out different ways of using the grill and avoiding the stove and oven.  We’ve been enjoying green beans and fennel, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with coarse salt, then wrapped tightly in foil and placed on the grill for thirty minutes.  If you are enjoying the u-pick green beans this week, you can try that, but you could also do the same with potatoes and fennel or, if you prefer, with potatoes alone.  Cut the fennel bulb in half and then slice thinly.  Cut the potatoes in slices or cubes, place them on a sheet of foil, add sliced fennel, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, cover with another sheet of foil and fold the edges tightly.  You may want to use more foil to seal it carefully against leaks.  Cook on the grill until done, turning every ten minutes or so.  In the case of potatoes, they may need to be on the grill for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how thickly you’ve cut them.

Enjoy the tomatoes and tomatillos.  Along with jalapenos, it’s a good week for fresh salsa!

This Week’s Recipes:

Ratatouille

• 1 eggplant, diced into 1-inch chunks
• 2 sweet peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
• 3 zucchini or other summer squash, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 4 tomatoes, cut in 1-inch chunks
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. dried thyme or 1 Tbsp. fresh, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Sauté onions until they are translucent. Add garlic, thyme, basil, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Cook about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and wine. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add eggplant, zucchini and peppers. Simmer covered for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally but do not break up the veggies.  Chill overnight.   Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve hot over rice.

Chile Verde

• 2 lbs. pork shoulder  – cut into cubes (leave some fat on for flavor)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lg. onion, chopped
• 6 fresh tomatillos (depending on size)
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seed, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. cilantro seed, crushed (also known as coriander)
• 1 lg. can green chilies, roasted (Ortega brand is good), chopped
• 6 fresh peppers (mild, medium or hot)

Place meat, onion, salt and pepper into pan and brown lightly. Transfer all (including juice) to slow cooker on high heat and add green roasted chilies.    Crush seeds and garlic and soak in 1 tablespoon hot water for 1/2 hour, then place in cooker.  Prepare tomatillos by removing husks, washing and cutting into quarters. Chop fresh chili peppers and place tomatillos and peppers into blender and reduce to a sauce.   Put half of the sauce in the cooker and retain the rest for spreading over the burritos.  Turn cooker to low heat and cook until meat is tender. To serve – use fresh flour tortillas and use as a filling, or serve as a stew.

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

• 1 1/2 lb tomatillos (approx. 12)
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 2 Jalapeño peppers(or other peppers),   stemmed, seeded and chopped
• Salt to taste

Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well. Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin.  Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, jalapeño peppers, sugar in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator.  Serve with chips or as a salsa accompaniment to Mexican dishes.

• 1 can of Cannellini, Navy or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 beautiful tomatoes, diced
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 t. lemon juice
• 2 t. white wine vinegar
• 1 t. minced garlic or shallot
• Salt and pepper to taste

Optional ingredients:

• Slivers of fresh basil leaves or a little chopped fresh parsley
• A little grated Parmesan
• A little feta cheese

Gently mix the beans and tomatoes together in a medium sized bowl. Stir together the next four ingredients in a small jar or bowl, then pour over tomatoes and beans. Mix gently and let sit for five minutes. Add salt and black pepper, then taste; if your beans do not have much salt you may find it needs more.

Serve with bread and a green salad for lunch or a light supper.

Grilled Eggplant with Carmelized Fennel and Onions

• 1 eggplant, peeled
• olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• fennel bulb (about 1 large bulb), chopped
• 2 cups finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon extravirgin olive oil
• 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes or other tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Preparation

• Prepare grill to medium heat.
• Cut eggplant crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Lightly coat both sides of eggplant slices with olive oil; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Place on grill rack; grill 7 minutes on each side or until browned. Set eggplant slices aside.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add one or two tablespoons of olive oil. Add fennel and onion; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender and lightly browned.
• Combine remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, lettuce or other greens, vinegar, and oil in a medium bowl; toss gently to coat. Divide greens mixture evenly among 8 appetizer plates; top each serving with 1 eggplant slice. Arrange about 1/3 cup fennel mixture on each eggplant slice; top with 2 tablespoons tomatoes and 1 tablespoon cheese. Sprinkle the chopped basil and thyme evenly over cheese.

CSA Week of August 22, 2011

What’s In Your Box?

• Potatoes–Red Pontiac.  Dug fresh each day, it’s tender, so don’t overcook!
  
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Tomatoes (just a few, soon to be more)
  
• Eggplant
• Chioggia Beets (cut across the beet to see the stripes)
• Carrots
• Summer Squash
• Radicchio
• Onions
• Garlic
• Strawberries
• Green Beans (u-pick)
  
• Tatsoi
• Chives

Recipes are below!

Dear Friends:

To my way of thinking, we should measure a country’s status less in terms of might, wealth, gross domestic product and other common indices and more in terms of citizen access to healthcare, food, education, shelter and other basic needs.  As a farmer,  I’d like to see everyone have access to affordable good quality, nutritious food.

I’ve never been comfortable with the proposition that local, organic, fresh produce should always be sold at a premium price.  There are so many inequities in our society;  healthful, nutritious food is a basic right that should be available to all.  Charging a premium price for fresh, local organic produce may well result in only a small segment of the population being able to afford to buy it.

Yet, as a farmer, I’m also confronted with the reality of working a small farm and how difficult it is to earn enough income to support the farm from year to year, let alone a family.  Here at Riverhill Farm we try to conserve our income by avoiding unnecessary expenses, and we try to increase our income by charging an appropriate price for our CSA shares and the produce we sell off the farm.  Yet, arriving at that appropriate price is not as easy as it may sound.

I’ve always thought that if I could sell direct to the consumer at a typical grocery store price and not have to pay middlemen, I would automatically be able to make an income farming.  As appealing as that formula sounds, unfortunately, it is not necessarily so.  The difference in economies of scale comparing small farms and large industrial farms quickly reveals that charging the same price for the same produce will not be favorable for the small farm.

At the same time, it isn’t reasonable to expect folks to pay an extraordinary price for the food we grow without regard for what would be paid for similar food at the grocery store.  It’s safe to assume that if it’s too expensive, we won’t be able to sell it.

Take potatoes, for example.  On a large, highly mechanized farm, the only time anyone handles an individual potato is during sorting after harvest, and that process may occur in a packing shed that isn’t even on the farm or owned by the farmer.  Every process prior to sorting is handled mechanically, including cutting the seed potato, planting, hilling, harvesting and transporting.

At Riverhill, we cut the seed potatoes by hand (if we cut them; we don’t always have to), we plant them by hand at the required depth and spacing, we hill them using hoes (usually twice as they grow), and dig them with shovels.  We harvest them into buckets, which we carry across the farm to the farmstand.  We then sort them, weigh them and bag them into the bags you are now receiving in your weekly CSA share.  If we were a potato farm, relying on the grocery store price for potatoes would cause us to quickly go out of business.

As an alternative, we could mechanize our potato production, or at least some parts of it.  In fact, unless we were to grow far more potatoes than we currently grow, we could never economically justify the cost of a potato harvester.  An appropriately scaled, one-row harvester costs about $7,000.  The harvester would be capable of harvesting the amount of potatoes we grow in one day, and would sit idle the rest of the year.  To justify that expense, we’d have to grow many acres of potatoes.  The only options available to us as a small farm are to charge more for the potatoes we grow or not grow potatoes.

There are internal and external factors that influence what we charge for the produce we grow, but we remain committed to trying to keep our produce affordable.  Even so, it may not be affordable for all.

Since 2009, we’ve been working with the local office of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Supplemental Nutrition Program to provide CSA shares to low-income families in our community.  Each year, based on our ability to raise funds to underwrite our project, we provide CSA shares at substantially reduced cost to families in need that are referred to us by the local WIC office.  Many of you who are participating in our CSA also donated money to our project and had a meaningful impact on our ability to provide the shares we are providing this year.  To each of you, we thank you for your contribution.  This year, we are providing CSA shares for 20 families that participate in WIC.  It has been a good and meaningful arrangement between our farm and WIC, and we would like to see it adopted more widely across California and the rest of the nation.

Given the current state of the national and regional economy, the need is immediate.  Our local WIC office has seen a substantial increase in the number of families participating, and has more families participating long-term than before the economic crisis of the past two years.  Last year, Jo attended the annual statewide conference of all the local offices of WIC and made a presentation to the attendees about our project; just last week there was an article in the L.A. Times that referred to our WIC project.  Since we started our WIC partnership, another farm in Placer County has also adopted a similar program with their WIC office.

It matters to me that we do what we can to help our community, however limited our impact may be.  If each of us does something with the skills we have–from each according to his ability to each according to his need–we can help to address some of the problems created by imbalances in our society and foster community at the same time.  We offer each of you our heartfelt thanks for your support of our small farm as we work out the details of how to feed our community–all of our community.

Here are this week’s recipes:

Broiled Eggplant with Crunchy Parmesan Crust

Slice eggplant (either Asian or Italian) in ¼ inch thick slices.  Spread mayonnaise sparingly on both  sides of each eggplant slice, then dip the slices in grated Parmesan cheese, thoroughly coating both sides.  Arrange the slices in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet and place under the broiler until golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Flip the slices and broil until golden brown and crunchy on top and the eggplant is soft, about 3 minutes more.  This can be served as a crunchy-crusted appetizer, a side dish, or topped with your favorite marinara sauce for a main course.

Grilled Eggplant This recipe has become a favorite, easy and delicious dinner feature for us this summer.

• 1 Italian eggplant or several Asian eggplant
• 1 tbs. sugar
• 3 tbs. white vinegar
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1 tbs. red pepper sauce (like Cholula)

Mix all ingredients in a large shallow bowl for marinade. Cut the eggplant into slices approx. ½” thick.  Add the slices to the bowl and coat in marinade.  Let sit for 1 hour.  Place eggplant on a hot grill, sprinkle with salt.  Turn when cooked side becomes soft.  When both sides are grilled and soft, return to the marinade and serve.

Balsamic Roasted Radicchio – Radicchio is also good when grilled on a barbecue or in a stovetop grill pan. Oil the grill or grill pan and cook until wilted and slightly charred, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes.

• Radicchio, halved through core end, cut into 3 wedges with some core still attached
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• Balsamic vinegar (for drizzling)

Preheat oven to 450°F. Rinse radicchio wedges in cold water; gently shake off excess water (do not dry completely). Place radicchio in large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper; toss to coat.  Arrange radicchio wedges, 1 cut side up, on rimmed baking sheet. Roast until wilted, about 12 minutes. Turn over and roast until tender, about 8 minutes longer.  Arrange radicchio on platter, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and serve.

Chinese Marinated Eggplant

• Asian Eggplant
• 1 T. Sesame Oil
• 1 t. mashed garlic
• 2 T. rice vinegar
• 1 t. soy sauce
• 2 t. sugar
• Pinch of salt
• A little bit of chili sauce, if you like

Wash and trim eggplant ends.  Steam eggplant for 10 minutes or until barely soft.  Wait till eggplant is cool.  Slice them by hand into long slices.  Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl.  Mix well until sugar is dissolved.  Chill and marinate eggplant overnight.  Put some cilantro on top if you like.

CSA WEEK OF AUGUST 15, 2011

What’s In Your Box?

• Potatoes–Red Thumb Fingerlings
• Eggplant
• Sungold Cherry Tomatoes
• Green Beans
• Beets
• Patty Pan Summer Squash
  
• Kale
• Red Meat Radishes
  
• Onions
• Garlic
• Strawberries
• Recipes Below!
  

Dear Friends:

This week, Livia again provides us with her own, unique perspective on cooking with our fresh vegetables, along with recipes you may enjoy.  Thanks again to Livia for taking the time to cook, write and share her thoughts with us.

Cooking imaginatively but simply is not contradictory.  Even trying out new recipes with new ingredients need not be intimidating.  Compared with pre-internet days when we were limited to the cookbooks on hand, a trip to the library or to the bookstore, there are many resources available online to make the task of finding new recipes easy, including ones in which you enter the ingredient or ingredients you have–like eggplant–and, voila, delicious recipes are presented.

Some of the online resources I like are these:

www.cookthink.com
www.epicurious.com
www.foodnetwork.com
www.bonapetit.com
www.cookinglight.com
www.culinate.com

We’re moving–albeit slowly–into high summer, when tomatoes, peppers and eggplant take center stage.  Soon to be followed with a fresh crop of arugula, coupled with basil, we hope the fragrances and flavors of your CSA share evoke an Italian adventure.  For our Sunday dinner tonight, we’re roasting a whole chicken stuffed with herbs from the herb garden and drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil.  On the side, we’ll have broccoli shoots that have grown since the main head was cut, sauteed with lots of fresh garlic, and some roasted carrots.  It’s a simple meal, but the kitchen will be filled with mouthwatering fragrances while we cook that will prepare us to sit down to a beginning-of-the-new-CSA-week dinner and a full week of digging potatoes, picking green beans, and seeing our reflection in the beautiful, shiny skin of eggplant.

Some French friends are visiting, and joined us last night for dinner.  Sitting outside under the oak trees, they showed us the French way of eating radishes.  They spread butter on the end of a radish, dip it in salt, and take a bite, repeating until the radish is gone.  Butter may make everything better, but it does mellow the radishes and takes away some of the bite.  You may enjoy it, too!

Here’s what Livia has to say this week:

Hi Everyone!

It’s Patty Pan squash season and I am not pleased.  Patty Pans are not on my favorite food list!  We made the Sautéed Patty Pan Squash dish that Alan and Jo gave us and followed the recipe exactly.  I have to say, although I don’t really like squash, this dish was ok.  One good thing that came out of my squash experience included my friend C.C.  Let’s just say she’s more wary of squash than I am.  C.C. came to Riverhill Farm with us.  She saw where the squash was grown, and helped me cook it.  I think it made her more connected to what she was eating. Like me, she thought it was ok.  I really enjoyed watching her try something new.

I love pork!  Bacon, sausage, salami…you name it.  Pork makes everything taste better, including squash!  That’s why I loved the recipe that my mom and I came up with.  We scooped out the inside of the squash until it resembled a bowl.  We pre-baked the squash and then stuffed them with rice, sausage, sautéed onion and garlic, kale and egg, to bind the stuffing.  We sprinkled parmesan cheese on them and popped them back into the oven.  Yummy!

For this week’s box Jo and Alan suggested we make Salad Nicoise.  I wanted to make Julia Child’s recipe, (because she is one of my heros) but I didn’t really want some of her ingredients like mayo, anchovies and canned tuna in my salad.  Instead, I chose to make Jacque Pepin’s version of Salad Nicoise. One of the most interesting parts of this salad was the fresh tuna.  It was tender and we all loved it.  I enjoyed this salad as an entrée, it was quite filling.  Here are some of the comments I received from the family:

“Perfect, light summer dinner!”    -Mom

“Delicious!  Make it again.”            -Dad

“Not printable! “            -Michael  (Maybe not a good thing to serve to 9 year olds but perfect for everyone else!)

Bon Apétit and good cooking!

Love, Livia

Here are this week’s recipes:

Jacque Pepin’s Near-Nicoise Salad with Sautéed Fresh Tuna

From Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home

Makes 1 large salad, serving 1 or 2

• 4 ounces fresh tuna, in one chunk
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup or so Jacques’s Vinaigrette in a jar (see recipe below)
• 2 Tbs chopped scallion
• Steamed green beans* (see my notes below)
• ½ cup or so cooked waxy potatoes such as fingerlings or small red or white new potatoes, in ½ in. chunks
• 3 Tbs small black Nicoise olives (Kalamata are a good substitute)
• ¼ cup thinly sliced onion
• 5-6 fresh basil leaves
• 1 small ripe tomato, cut into wedges or small cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 hard-boiled egg, quartered lengthwise into wedges
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• A large handful of tender salad greens

Sautéing the tuna:

Cut the raw tuna into 1/3-inch-thick slices (about 4-5), and sprinkle with half of the salt.  Coat the bottom of the pan with a tablespoon or two of the vinaigrette and set over high heat.  When sizzling, quickly lay all the tuna pieces flat in the pan and cook for about 20 seconds, until just opaque on the bottom.  Flip the slices over, cook another 10 seconds, then remove the pan from the heat, allowing the tuna to finish cooking while you assemble the salad.

Mixing the salad

Place the scallions, potato chunks, olives, onion, basil leaves, and the tomato and egg wedges in the mixing bowl.  Drizzle on about 2-3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette, season with the rest of the salt and the black pepper, and toss briefly to coat.  Add the salad to the bowl and toss again, gently.  Turn the salad out onto a dinner plate, and arrange the chunky vegetable and egg pieces-if they are hidden by the lettuce leaves-so they are nicely displayed.  Lay the tuna slices on top of the mound of greens and drizzle the juices in the pan over the salad.  Serve immediately.

Jacque’s Vinaigrette in a Jar

Makes about 1 ½ cups

• 2 tsp chopped garlic
• 2 Tbs Dijon-style mustard
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup red or white wine vinegar
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil or peanut oil, or a mixture of the two

Put all the ingredients, in a jar, screw on the lid, and shake very well.  Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more oil or vinegar, as you like.  Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks, and shake to blend before using.

*Livia’s notes:  When I cooked this meal, I made some changes that I want to share. I made enough salad for 4 main entrees.  I didn’t slice the tuna.  I cooked it as a whole piece (8 oz) and then sliced it afterwards.   I didn’t toss the cooked potato or egg wedges in the dressing because I thought it would crumble and get mushy.  Instead, I arranged the potatoes and eggs on the plate and drizzled the vinaigrette over them.  REALLY IMPORTANT!  I added steamed green beans from Riverhill Farm.  Items in the recipe in bold print are available in our Riverhill Farm box.

Sechuan Eggplant Braised in Fragrant Sauce

• 2-4 Asian eggplants (about 1 lb)
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 slices fresh ginger, minced
• ¼ cup onion, chopped (or shallots)
• 1 tablespoon chili paste
• ¼ cup water

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine
• ½ tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

1) Halve the eggplants lengthways, then cut each half into 2 inch pieces.

2) Combine all the sauce ingredients and set aside.

3) Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over high heat and when hot, add the eggplant, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry until the eggplant begins to soften, about 4 minutes.

4) Add the scallions and chili paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the sauce and stir to combine all ingredients. Add water and cover. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish.

Eggplant Caponata

There are many ways to make delicious caponata. I like this one in the summer because it involves less cooking. It’s not the kind of recipe that calls for precise quantities of ingredients, so, do this according to your taste. You can’t go wrong. Caponata can be served warm with pasta, or at room temperature with bread and feta or asiago cheese.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prick eggplant (one large Italian or four Asian) with a knife in several places. Place in the oven on a baking sheet or in a baking dish for one hour or more (less for Asian eggplant), until the eggplant is fully soft. Remove from the oven until it is cool enough to handle, then remove the skin and discard the skin. Chop the remaining eggplant pulp and put it in a bowl. Add chopped pitted kalamata olives (about ½ pint), chopped sun-dried tomatoes (about ½ small jar), one jar capers, some fresh diced onion and garlic, and add salt to taste. Add fresh or dried oregano, a couple tablespoons of olive oil, one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and freshly ground pepper.

CSA WEEK OF August 8, 2011

What’s In Your Box?

• Green Beans
• Carrots
• Endive
• Radishes
• Summer Squash
• Basil
• Chard
• Baby Bok Choy
• Tatsoi (smaller quantities this week)
• Onions
• Garlic
• Strawberries
• Recipes Below
  

Dear Friends:

When I can’t think of what to write for the weekly CSA newsletter, I usually ask Jo.  Jo has lots of ideas.  Usually, though, she says, “Something simple.”  In the language of married couples, what that means is, “Write something that doesn’t keep you up till 10, doesn’t cause you to loudly exhale or groan too many times and, especially, doesn’t take you until tomorrow to finish–when you should be harvesting with the rest of us.”

Now, I have nothing against keeping it simple, and I’d certainly rather not stay up past ten.  But, truth be told, I like the writing process and, once I’ve got an idea and I’m in the flow of writing, I don’t like to begrudge the creative process with considerations about how much sleep I’m going to miss.  Besides, the lag I feel the morning after may not be anything more serious than what a good, strong cup of coffee can fix.

So, as you can imagine, I was surprised when I asked Jo this afternoon what I should write about for this week’s newsletter and she said, “The Birds and the Bees.”  Although that could be a simple enough subject, it’s not necessarily so, and I was quiet for awhile while I continued thinning squash and thinking about her suggestion.  Finally, not feeling terribly inspired, I asked her, “What about the birds and the bees?”, to which she responded, “I don’t know, just keep it simple.”

I didn’t find that to be very helpful so, in the more direct language of married couples, I suggested she write this week’s newsletter.  Since you’ve probably figured out by now that I’m writing this week’s newsletter, I’ll leave the rest of that conversation to your imagination.

Since we ask you to walk all the way from the parking lot to the farmstand to pick up your weekly farm share, we thought we should provide you with a beautiful entry as a way to entice you up the hill.  It seems to work.  So far, we haven’t lost any of you along the way.  Many of you have commented on the beauty of the flower and tree lined path and we certainly appreciate hearing that from you.  Quite a few of you have asked if we sell the flowers, and we’ve told you, “No, they’re just for looks.”  In truth, that’s only part of the answer.

A major component of pest management is encouraging and providing for natural pest enemies.  You’re probably all familiar with lady beetles (aka “lady bugs”) and preying mantises as pest eaters.  Those are both good examples of predatory insects, but there are a multitude of natural enemies or, as otherwise known, beneficial insects, that help to keep the pest populations of the farm in balance.  It’s a kind of Zen satori that allows a farmer to realize that, without pests, there are no predators.  Kill the pests and the predators leave because there’s nothing good to eat (or are killed by the pesticide, too), and that’s just the beginning of the imbalance that results in exploding populations of pests that can turn our food crops into inedible compost.

While you’ve probably noticed that the flowery path is beautiful, you’ve also probably noticed the din of insect noise that surrounds those flowers.  There are bees to be sure, but there are also lacewings, wasps, and a host of other insects frequenting those flowers throughout the day, not to mention the beautiful butterflys that flutter by.  Beneficial insects eat other insects for their sustenance, but they also depend upon sources of nectar and pollen to keep alive.  A farm without flowers may have lots of pests, but it’s not likely to have many beneficial insects to help keep pest populations in balance as they will not stay in a location where there’s not enough food to stay alive.

What’s important to understand is that it isn’t desirable to have a farm with no pests.  Occasionally, there may be too many of a certain kind of pest, and a crop can be lost.  But, through diversity of cropping, crop rotation, appropriate fertilization, keeping plants well watered, and a host of other measures to achieve and maintain healthy plants, most pest populations will be kept in balance.  Small, organic farms can manage pests in such a way as to minimize insect damage to crops and still have marketable produce without negative economic consequences.  It has been a long time since Joni Mitchell sang “Give me spots on my apples but leave me the birds and the bees, please!”, and it has been a long time since organic was synonymous with inferior quality produce.

At Riverhill Farm, we farm to be able to provide you with the best quality produce we can manage to grow in any given year.  We also strive to balance that with providing a diverse habitat full of beauty and life that will reflect the surrounding ecosystem in a positive and nearly complete way.

Enjoy the cool weather and the lovely breezes, and eat well.

Here are this week’s recipes:

Stuffed Sunburst Squash

• 4 medium Pattypan Squash
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 clove minced Garlic
• 1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
• 1 bunch fresh chard, washed and finely chopped
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 dash Cayenne Pepper (optional)
• 1 large Egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup grated Swiss Cheese (or Gruyère Cheese for more flavor)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.   Fill a large pot 3/4 full of water and bring to a boil.   Place squash in boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.   Drain the water and allow squash to cool.   Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each squash so that they will stand on their own.   Cut about 1/2 inch from the tops of each squash and remove the insides to hollow the squash. Set squash insides aside.   Melt butter and oil in a skillet over medium heat.   Add garlic and sauté until soft.   Add the chard and soy sauce and sauté until tender and the liquid has mostly evaporated.  Move mixture to a bowl and allow to partially cool.   Season with salt, pepper, and optional cayenne pepper to taste.   Stir in the egg and 1/2 cup of the swiss or Gruyere cheese. Mix well.   Add a small amount of the squash insides and discard the rest of the insides. Spoon the mixture into the squash shells.   Place the stuffed squash in a single layer in a baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.   Pour hot water into the pan to fill about 1/2 inch.   Bake for approximately 30 minutes or the squash is tender and the filling is no longer runny.

Endive Salad with Red Onions

• 1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 medium red onion, sliced crosswise 1/8 inch thick and separated into rings
• 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 lb chicory (curly endive), stems and center ribs discarded and leaves torn into bite-size pieces (10 cups)

Bring vinegar, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring frequently until sugar is dissolved, then remove from heat. Cook onion in a saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes, then drain in a colander. Rinse under cold water and drain again. Stir onion into vinegar mixture and marinate 10 minutes. Drain onion in a sieve set over a salad bowl, reserving marinade and onion separately. Whisk mustard, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and oil into marinade. Add endive and onion and toss with dressing. Serve immediately.

Green Bean and Tarragon Salad

• 1/2-1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard (to your taste)
• 2 Tablespoons white wine
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced tarragon
• 1 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into pieces
• ½ onion, finely chopped

Place the mustard, vinegar, tarragon, salt and pepper in a jar with a screw-top lid. Shake to combine.  Add the olive oil to the jar and shake again to emulsify. Cook the beans in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain beans and run under cold water. Put the beans in a bowl with chopped onion and toss with vinaigrette.

Swiss Chard Salad – This delicious summer salad was created by our friends Amy and Chamba Cook of Summer Thyme’s Bakery & Deli.  They feature it as a part of their effort to showcase local produce and to help support Riverhill Farm and other local farmers.  Thank you Amy and Chamba!

• 1 bunch chard, finely chopped with stems removed
• 1 cup chopped cabbage
• 1 cup bell peppers, diced
• 2 cups summer squash, diced
• 1 cup onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cups grated carrots
• ½ cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
• 1 cup raw pecans
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup raisins

Dressing

• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• ¾ cup olive oil

Mix veggies, nuts and raisins together in a large bowl.  Combine lemon juice, honey , salt and pepper in a separate bowl.  Wisk in olive oil.  Toss over salad and serve or let marinate slightly in fridge before serving.

CSA WEEK OF August 1, 2011

Patty Pan Squash For Your Box

What’s In Your Box?

• Green Beans
• Polenta
• Basil
  
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Patty Pan Summer Squash
• Radishes
• Baby Tatsoi greens
• Kale
  
• Garlic
• Onions
• Strawberries
• There is still some cabbage for those of you who would like some
  
• Recipes Below
  

Dear Friends:

It’s crackling hot, and I work the fields wanting to shield myself under a large umbrella that hovers over my head, offering protection not just from the heat but also from the glare of summer light.  From a shady spot on the edge of the farm, I squint across the fields and wonder how long I can wait to check on the crops in the far fields.  Do they need irrigation today?  There’s no breeze, and any activity makes me feel like I’m wilting.  I drink often, but no amount of water seems to quench my thirst.  As thirsty as I may get, I can always take shelter.  The crops have to receive water, so they do.

Plenty of Basil

After a mild summer and despite the discomfort, this is the kind of heat we want to bring forth tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and melons, the crops of mid-summer, something to go with the basil that’s now in your box.  Delay in planting due to wet Spring weather also means delays in harvesting, so we’ve needed more space devoted to short season, single-harvest crops to fill in the gap.  This week, we’re doing fine, as green beans and baby tatsoi greens come in to offer some real eating food to chew on as well as a substitute for lettuce as a salad green.  We’re seeing good Asian eggplant coming along–perfect for grilling–and we may be able to start putting some in the boxes later in the week.

One of my jobs is to worry about your boxes and whether or not they will meet our standards for quantity and quality.  I’ve been concerned about the possibility of a mid-summer gap before the tomatoes and peppers come in, so I made arrangements with a friend and fellow farmer, Reed Hamilton of Grass Valley Grains, to purchase polenta for your boxes so they wouldn’t feel short this week.  As it turns out, we have plenty of veggies, but you’ll enjoy his polenta made from white corn.  If the box next week ends up a little short, you’ll remember that this week’s box was overfull, I hope.  Polenta can be eaten soft, but you can also pour it into a casserole once cooked and refrigerate it.  When firm, you can slice it like cornbread and saute it in olive oil for a crispy on the outside, soft on the inside addition to your meal.  Thin some basil pesto and drizzle it over the polenta for a great flavor to go with your summer cooking and the perfect accompaniment to grilled patty pan squash basted in olive oil and garlic.  If you are interested in Grass Valley Grains and their products, you can find out more at www.grassvalleygrains.com, or you can order products by calling Reed at 530-273-8818.

Take a look around when you get a chance as you’re walking up the path to the farmstand.  Off to your right when you come into the farm is our melon patch, soon to be providing you with lots of luscious cantaloupes, and beyond that are the enormous elephant ears of our first planting of patty pan summer squash, which are in your boxes this week.  Continuing up the path is the bean patch, from which we’re picking this week’s green beans, and then above that the cherry tomatoes, which are showing the first ripening tomatoes.  Those cherry tomatoes were planted during a week in May when the weather appeared to have settled, only to dip again into the low 30′s.  If I can believe the thermometer that frighteningly cold morning, it actually got down to 32, probably just not long enough to cause lasting harm to the plants.  Looking at the vigorous plants today, it’s hard to reconcile their present condition with the anemic, blanched condition they were in after that morning.  That’s the sort of thing a farmer doesn’t want to see, and certainly added a little more grey to my beard.

As we approach mid-summer, just a couple of reminders.  You can always switch days if your regular pick up day is not convenient for you on any given week, but please let us know ahead of your pick up day so we can take you off the list for that day and put you on the list for another day.  We pick specific quantities of things for each CSA harvest day and, if you don’t show up and we’ve picked for you, the produce goes to waste if we can’t eat it all.  Then, if you want to reschedule after the fact, we’re picking for you twice.

The Potatoes Are Coming

If you are going on vacation and can’t pick up your veggies that week, feel free to send a friend to get your box.  Unlike walking your dog or cleaning cat litter, your friends will like getting a box of fresh veggies!  If you do send someone in your place, however, please tell them the basics:  where the farm is, what time we open and close, which day of the week they should come to pick up, and so on.

Finally, you can always access this blog from our website.  If you don’t find it in your inbox on Monday morning or are having trouble with opening the blog from the email, just go to the homepage of our website at riverhillfarm.com.  Then, click on the “Blog” key in the navigation bar.  Once you are on the blog, you can also access the posts from prior weeks of this season’s CSA if you are looking for a recipe from a previous post.

I’ve had the opportunity to talk with a lot of you this past week due to Jo’s absence.  She’s caring for her ailing father in Southern California and so I’ve been filling in for her on pick up days.  I’m usually out working in the fields on pick up days, so I appreciate the opportunity to see more of you face to face.   Jo has been gone for about a week, but she should be returning by Thursday of this week if her father’s condition permits her to come home.  I expect it will be a more or less regular absence through the duration of the season.  Her father is a kind and gentle man and can take most if not all the credit for Jo’s lovely qualities, so we send him our heartfelt thoughts and kind wishes.

Thanks to each and every one of you for your courtesy and support of our small farm!    Alan

This Week’s Recipes:

Perfect Polenta

• 7 to 8 Cups cold Water
• 2 cups Polenta
• ¾ cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Stir 7 cups cold water and the polenta together in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pot, until thick and it no longer feels grainy on your tongue, about 30 minutes. Add more water if the polenta thickens too much before it’s cooked. Stir in the butter and Parmesan and season to taste with salt. You can serve the polenta soft right out of the pot or pour it into a double boiler and keep it warm over simmering water. To sauté’ or bake, first spread the polenta about one inch thick onto a buttered casserole and refrigerate until firm. Once it’s cooled, cover it with plastic wrap. Cut the polenta into strips or triangles in the casserole. To sauté, cook the strips in butter or olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over high heat until golden on both sides. To bake, place the strips in a buttered dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 until hot and crusty.

We suggest topping your polenta with pesto, yum!

Sauteed Patty Pan Squash

1/2 Onion or 2 cloves garlic

Patty Pan Squash

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar

1-2 Teaspoons sugar

Dash of Tabasco Sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut onion or garlic into small pieces and saute over low heat in butter and olive oil.  Saute garlic for about one minute or onion until transparent.  Put patty pan on cutting board with blossom end up.  Cut patty pan squash in half and put cut side down on a cutting board.  Cut into 1/4 inch slices.  Saute patty pan for four minutes, then add vinegar, tabasco and salt and pepper to taste.  Do not cover, and let cook for another two to three minutes or so.  Patty pan should not be soft, so don’t overcook.  Serve immediately.

Baby Tatsoi Greens with Asian Vinaigrette

Wash and remove stems of tatsoi greens, place in bowl.  Radishes would be a good addition to this salad.

Dressing – whisk together

• ¼ cup Rice Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Pour over salad and let sit for 1/2 hour, then eat!

CSA Week of July 25, 2011

What’s In Your Box?

• Basil (it’s pesto time!  Store in a glass on your kitchen counter with water.  Do not refrigerate in plastic.  It turns black.)
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Purple Cauliflower (while supplies last, and there will be more)
• Chard
• Onions
• Garlic
• Strawberries
• Recipes Below
  

Dear Friends:

I spend a lot of time walking around the farm.  Sometimes, I think that’s my primary occupation: walker. Of course, I do other things.  When I’m walking, I’m often carrying something, such as a harvest bin, or tools of some kind, so I suppose I’m also a kind of tool myself, like a tractor.  When I get where I’m going, I usually have something to do, and then my occupation becomes:  weeder, planter, harvester, irrigator.

Truth be told, when I’m walking, I’m usually also thinking, so perhaps that’s a better job description: thinker.  Today, while I was walking, I was thinking about the way in which the seasons change.  What was cold is now hot.  What was wet is now dry.  What was cloudy is now clear.  And what is now hot will again be cold, and so on and on.  The farmstand that is now enveloped in lush foliage, climbed by roses and grapevines, surrounded by all the leafy trees, will again be covered with snow.  Not exactly profound thought, but, what can I say…it was hot.

I was also thinking about what I like about the farm right now.  Not on that list was the fact that there’s too much

(click on images to enlarge)

work and I’m tired a lot of the time, we’re behind and I wish there were no weeds at all and I really wish that all the tomatoes were tied up, and I think about those things more than I’d like.  But I was also thinking about how much I like the earth and how much I’d miss it if I couldn’t see it.  I like the abundance in our fields, the way in which the rows of plants run one way and another across the landscape, and I like the fact that many of our crops are almost completely harvested and we’re ready to make way for new plantings (and we’ll get another chance to keep the weeds under control!).  And, not most of all but pretty near the top of the list, is watching the birds here at the farm.  I’m happy to say that in addition to feeding you good food, we’re also supporting a huge population of songbirds, and I like that they are my constant companions.  As much as I like the finches and really like the swallows, this year my favorite bird is a new one to the farm: the ash-throated flycatcher.  It has a crest like a teenager’s mohawk, and I enjoy how skillful it is in bringing a beakful of insects to the chicks in its nest.

Last night, I went to Grass Valley for the first time in as long as I can remember.  Traffic on Highway 49 whizzed by me and I found myself trying to remember which exit to take.  Strange to be traveling at 50 miles per hour when most days, I never get above the pace of my feet walking from one side of the farm to the other.  It was good to get out, off the farm, into the company of regular people.  But, coming home at dusk, with just enough light left to see where I was walking, I finished the last chores of the day.  Smelling the evening fragrances, I remembered that that’s another thing I like about the farm right now: the great bowl of sage, rosemary, decomposing cauliflower, wet earth, apples, strawberries, dry grass, green pond, the whole great mess of it all thrown into one little valley called home.

Oh, then I remembered the other thing I like about the farm right now:  Sometimes when I’m off in the field working on CSA pick up days, I hear an unfamiliar birdsong and it makes me stop to listen more carefully.  Inevitably, it turns out to be the sound of a child’s laughter, a mother calling back, someone yumming over a really good strawberry, a happy conversation between friends, Jo’s voice greeting someone walking up the path.  These are beautiful sounds, and I’m happy to be alive.

This Week’s Recipes:

What Do You Do With Cabbage Recipe

You don’t still have last week’s head of cabbage in your refrigerator, do you?  I hope not.  But, if you do, make last week’s coleslaw recipe.  Then, take some of your fresh garlic and chop it fine.  Halve cabbage, cut out the core and put cut side down on cutting board.  Cut across the width into 1/2 slices.  Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot and add garlic until it sizzles.  Immediately add cabbage and, stirring constantly on high heat, heat through until slightly wilted.  Do not overcook.  Add salt to taste and serve.  You can also stir fry cabbage with broccoli, onions and purple cauliflower.

Curried Carrot Slaw

·         1 pounds carrots, approximately 6 to 10 medium carrots

·         1/4 cup mayonnaise

·         Pinch kosher salt

·         1/8 cup sugar

·         1/2 cup raisins

·         1 teaspoons curry powder

·         1 teaspoon minced garlic

·         Pinch of celery seed and/or caraway seed, optional

Wash the carrots and peel, if necessary. Grate carrots or slice into matchstick-size pieces. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, salt, sugar, raisins, curry powder, garlic, and celery seed and/or caraway seed, if using. Add the carrots and toss to combine. Serve
immediately or refrigerate for 1 hour to serve cold.

Pesto – This easy recipe can be made in a food processor or blender.  It’s great over pasta on pizza or spread on bread.

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese (or Parmesan)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced

If you are using walnuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times in a food processor.  Combine the basil in with the nuts, pulse a few times more.   Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.   Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated Romano cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Pan Braised Carrots with Honey and Dijon

• 1 bunch carrots
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon, or to taste, honey
• 1 teaspoon, or to taste, dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup white wine
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Trim the tops off the carrots, leaving about 1/2 inch of the green stem attached.  Peel and wash.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saute pan over medium heat and add garlic.  Heat through for one minute and add carrots.  Saute for about 8 minutes, or until they color up.  Add the rosemary and cook for 1-2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in honey, mustard, salt and pepper, and add the white wine.  Cover, reduce the heat to low, and let the carrots simmer until nearly all of the liquid has cooked off, about 10 minutes.  Season with more salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.

CSA Week of July 18, 2011

What’s In Your Box?

• Green Cabbage -perfect for a summer coleslaw!
• Broccoli
• Fennel
• Carrots
• Beets
• Lettuce
  
• Kale
• Garlic
• Strawberries (u-pick)
  
• Salad Turnips (u-pick)
• Recipes posted below!
  

Dear Friends:

We all have to make choices, and I’m no exception.  I can tolerate the pile of dirty laundry on the floor in the corner of my closet, and I can accept that there’s no real harm in the dust that blows in through the open windows.  I know that when I’m too tired in the evening to wash the pots and pans from dinner, I can still rinse the plates and put the leftovers away.  The rest can be done in the morning when I’m fresh.

Then, there are invasive blackberries that need digging out, field edges that need mowing, the culvert in the path to the other side of the farm that needs resetting, and a host of things that need to get done–sooner or later.

I’ve learned that for all my ambition and desire for this farm, of necessity I have to proceed slowly and thoughtfully.  I have a vision of what this farm will become over time–and we’ve already accomplished a great deal of that–but, in truth, it’s a constantly evolving vision constituting a list that has no end.  As soon as one item is checked off, another is added.  I believe and want that this farm should be beautiful–drop dead gorgeous.  Crops should be given proper care, and flowers, shrubs and trees should be planted in great abundance, natural areas should be full of life.  But, as strong as my desire is, I recognize the limitations imposed by the work needing to get done in the fields.  We can’t be planting flowers when the arugula needs to get planted, we can’t be mowing field edges when weeds are overtaking the onions.

Among the secret weapons in the farmer’s toolbox for getting things done is the list called “Winter Work.”  From the depths of summer, winter looks like an endless, uninterrupted time of year when anything can get done and you can still get a full night’s sleep.  In truth, it’s a chronic procrastinator’s dream come true.  Find yourself in an unimaginably busy, demanding time of year and put all the tasks that need your attention on the glorious list called Winter Work.  See the broken limbs downed in last winter’s storms?  That’s winter work.  There’s painting that needs to get done on the south side of the house:  Winter Work.  Those blackberries will be easier to dig in the winter and, for now, we can’t dig out that culvert anyway because we’re using the path and can’t reroute the long way.  So, you get the idea.

Out in the fields during the summer season, it’s different.  Failing to seed a crop means no vegetables in the box or to sell. Not watering can be damaging to a crop on a hot day and may reduce yield.  Missing a deadline to plant something may mean that we are not able to grow that crop this season.  If you’re going to farm, you can’t get very far as a procrastinator, and patience may not serve you very well, either.  Best to set aside any obstacles–internal or external–and keep on getting it done.

Planting and weeding are the essence of farming.  So, when delays due to weather or other factors occur, there’s no option but to plant and weed as fast as possible to try to catch up or keep pace.  The past two seasons have been uniquely challenging.  Cold wet Winters followed by cold wet Springs followed by cool early summers have meant delays in planting, slow growth of warm season crops, and an over abundant crop of weeds.  Those late rains we got this year were a delight constituting a day off, cool weather, a break from the routine, and lovely fresh air but….also a new flush of weeds in fields that were well under control.

The consequence for us is that while we were focused on planting to catch up, the weeds were doing their own special thing out in the fields, which is growing and growing and growing.  So, what could we do?  We’ve never resorted to this measure before, but what we did was to call for help!

This past week we were fortunate to have a steady stream of volunteers from among our subscribers helping us with weeding.  First, we tackled the new strawberry field and brought it completely under control.  Yesterday, we were able to get most of the onions rescued from under a carpet of weeds taller than the onions.  It’s a notable accomplishment that has restored a well-tended look to the farm (provided you don’t look too closely at the peppers!), and provided a great deal of relief to all of us that work here.

So, a special thank you from all of us here at Riverhill Farm to those of you who took time out from your busy lives to get down and dirty in our fields with us.  We greatly appreciate your help, your cheerfulness–and your expert weeding abilities!  If any of you want to come back for more, or if there are others of you who missed the opportunity and you want to join us, give us a call.  There’s always another weed to pull!

Here are this week’s recipes:

Classic Cole Slaw

• 1 c. vinegar
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. celery seed
• 2 tsp. mustard seed
• 2 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 head Tendersweet cabbage, shredded
• 1 c. grated carrots
• 1/4 c. (or less, to taste) granulated sugar

Combine dressing ingredients in saucepan; bring to boil. Cool; set aside. Combine cabbage and sugar. Let stand until sugar dissolves. Pour cooled dressing over cabbage mixture; refrigerate. This coleslaw keeps well under refrigeration. It even freezes well. Yield: 2 quarts.

Caesar Salad

• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1 egg
• 1 lemon, juiced
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 cups garlic croutons
• 1 (2 ounce) can anchovy filets

Clean lettuce thoroughly and wrap in paper towels to absorb moisture. Refrigerate until crisp, at least 1 hour or more.  In a bowl or jar combine oil, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, mustard, garlic and lemon juice. Whisk until well blended.   Coddle egg by heating 3 cups of water to boiling. Drop in egg (still in shell) and let stand for 1 minute. Remove egg from water and let cool. Once cooled crack open and whisk egg into dressing. Whisk until thoroughly blended. Mash desired amount of anchovies and whisk them into the dressing. If desired set aside a few for garnish. To assemble, place torn lettuce leaves in a large bowl. Pour dressing over the top and toss lightly. Add the grated cheese, garlic croutons and freshly ground pepper, toss. Serve immediately!

Mediterranean-Style Beet Salad

Earlier in the day, mix well a few minced cloves of garlic into a large container of yogurt and put it back in the frig. (if you forget to do this early it’s not the end of the world).

Roast in the oven a few beets until they are done and easily pierced with a fork. Cool and peel, then slice into thickish slices.

When you are ready to serve, spread the yogurt/garlic mixture into a large flatish bowl. Arrange the sliced beets on top. Make a vinaigrette of lemon juice and olive oil (I eyeball it, but it’s about equal amounts, maybe 2-3 T. each) and drizzle the vinaigrette on top. Finish it off with chopped mint, maybe 4-5 T.

Kale Chips – These are a low calorie nutritious snack. Like potato chips, you cannot stop at just eating one.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt. You can also top with garlic, pepper flakes or any other favorite seasoning.   Bake on a cookie sheet until the edges brown but are not burnt, 20 to 30 minutes.

CSA Week of July 11, 2011

What’s In Your Box?

• Carrots (roast whole or sliced with turnips, olive oil and salt in a 400 degree oven)
• Fennel
• Beets
• Lettuce
• Napa Cabbage (think salad!)
• Green Garlic
• Rosemary
• Chard
• Broccoli or Cauliflower (as supplies last.  There will be more!)
• Strawberries (u-pick)
• Salad Turnips (u-pick)
• Recipes Below!

Dear Friends:

One of our subscribers, Nicole Keene, told us last week that her daughter, Livia, has decided to make all the recipes posted to our weekly blog.  Nicole explained that Livia is a great cook and enthusiastic participant in a Julie and Julia-type adventure with the family’s CSA share.  We were impressed by this, and I’m sure you will be, too.  By way of encouragement, we asked if Livia would like to be a guest writer for this week’s CSA box blog, and Livia’s response is reproduced below.  It means a great deal to Jo and I that Livia and her family have so wholeheartedly adopted “eating out of the box.”

Before we get to that, however, let me mention that fennel, although reminiscent of licorice, is really quite subtle a flavor when cooked.  It can be eaten fresh, shaved into thin slivers, and provides a refreshing addition to a salad on a hot day.  You can also shave the fennel very thin with a mandolin or a sharp knife, then drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil.  Serve with artichoke hearts and parmesan cheese.  But if you’ve got the courage to stand over your stove for awhile, or turn on the oven, open the windows and leave the house for a few hours, a pork roast with fennel is succulent and delicious.  Our friends at Fowler Family Farm (www.fowlerfamilyfarm.com, 477-6878 ) sell natural, local (Penn Valley) raised USDA certified pork at the Nevada City Farmers’ Market on Saturday in downtown Nevada City, and you can call them ahead to request a certain cut or quantity for pick up at the market.  Carmelized fennel on home made pizza, or as an addition to a pasta sauce, is sublime.  The fronds also are great wrapped around fish roasted in foil on the grill.  So, take advantage of the cooler weather this week and do some good cookin’!

Here’s what Livia has to say:

Hi Everyone.  My name is Livia Keene and I’m 11 ½ years old.  I love food.  One of my dreams is to travel around the world eating exotic cuisine.  I watched the movie Julie and Julia and am currently reading Julia Child’s My Life in France.  They have inspired me to cook Julia Child’s recipes.

When my mom told me we were going to start getting our fruits and vegetables from Riverhill Farm I was excited!  My mom suggested that I cook Riverhill Farm’s weekly recipes instead of Julia Child’s very difficult ones.  I agreed.  When my mom told Alan and Jo, they suggested that I cook their recipes and review them on a blog.  (This blog)  My goal is to cook all of Riverhill Farm’s recipes for one season and report some of my experiences back to you.

This evening I began my culinary expedition.  The name of this recipe doesn’t sound as cool as the ones in Julia Child’s book, but it was absolutely delicious!

Pasta with Cauliflower, Broccoli and Kale

(Or if Julia Child made it…)

Pates au Chou Fleur, Broccoli et Chou Fries!

I used all of the same ingredients that the recipe called for.  I added more capers (yum!).  My mom and I thought that if we steamed the vegetables they wouldn’t have much flavor, so after cutting the broccoli and cauliflower into florets I tossed them in olive oil and roasted them in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes.  I followed the rest of the recipe as it was published.  I served the pasta with parmesan cheese which was a nice addition to the dish.

My family and I loved this recipe.  Even my nine year old brother, who hates anything to do with kale, ate it with gusto!  I will definitely make this recipe for my family again.

Beets with Goat Cheese and Chives

Or…

Betteraves au fromage de chèvre et ciboulette

Again, I used all of the same ingredients the recipe called for.  Again, I decided to roast the beets instead of steaming them.  The beets were delicious !  The roasting concentrated the sugar in the beets and made them especially sweet and yummy.  However, my nine year old brother hated them.  He hates beets no matter how they are cooked.  My parents and I LOVED them.  So did my neighbor Yolanda. We will make these beets again, and serve my brother boxed mac and cheese !

Bon Apetit and good cooking!

Livia Keene

Many thanks to Livia and to all of you who eat out of the box! Here are this week’s recipes:

Roasted Cauliflower (or Broccoli)

Take the full head of cauliflower (or broccoli) and place it on a sheet of foil.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Some rosemary or sage leaves go well with these vegetables.  Wrap tightly with foil, adding more foil over the top if necessary.  Bake in the oven at 375 degrees or grill on medium heat in the grill for 45 minutes or until as tender as you like it.  Serve hot or at room temperature.  Or, you can cut up the vegetable, add a lemon vinaigrette, and eat cold as a salad.

Carmelized Fennel (This recipe is from our intern, Debbie)

Cut the fennel bulb into thin slices
- Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat, and when it’s hot add the fennel, a good pinch of salt, and some black pepper.

Karen’s Broccoli Salad – This recipe comes from our wonderful volunteer and friend, Karen Adams.  This week, Karen single-handedly weeded our entire bed of Triplecrown Blackberries.  What a gal!

• 1/2 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1 tblsp. sugar
• 1 tblsp. cider vinegar
• 1 medium head broccoli, trimmed and coarsely chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 c. raisins
• 10 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled

In a medium bowl using wire whisk, beat together mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar.

Add broccoli, onion and raisins; toss until well coated.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to blend flavors, stirring occassionally.

Garnish with bacon.

Makes about 2.5 c. or 5 servings.

You can also add apple.  I use turkey bacon and I add crumbled gorgonzola.

Chard Frittata

• 1 bunch chard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 eggs
• 1¼ cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup pecorino, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a pie plate or pan with a little butter or cooking spray.  You can also use an oven-proof skillet to prepare the entire dish.  Thoroughly wash the chard. Cut off stems and chop into small pieces. Tear each leaf into large pieces.

Heat large skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add sliced onion and chopped stems to the skillet and cook 4-7 minutes, or until stems are soft and onions are translucent. Add the chard leaves and cook for 1-2 minutes more, or until leaves are just wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  While veggies are cooking on the stove, crack the eggs into large bowl. Stir in the milk and grated pecorino.  When chard is wilted, remove from veggies from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Quickly add chard mixture to the eggs and scrape into the prepared pie plate with rubber spatula.  Cook frittata at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve room temperature or refrigerate and eat cold.

CSA Week of July 4th

What’s In Your Box?  (recipes are below)

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Beets
• Lettuce
• Bok Choy
• Garlic
• Strawberries
• Chives
• Thyme
• Kale
• U-Pick Salad Turnips (optional)

Jo and I had the pleasure this past year of hosting the 4th and 5th grade class of one of our CSA subscribers, Merry Daly, here at the farm.  The children attend Grass Valley Charter School.  They visited the farm on five different occasions starting in the fall and ending in early June.  Each visit was unique depending on the time of year, and the children got to see the farm in the Fall as we were putting it to bed for the winter and, in the Spring, as everything was awakening from a long winter and the farm was in its earliest stage of being planted.

There were many activities to enjoy while here at the farm, including mixing potting soil and planting seeds, taking willow cuttings and rooting them for replanting here at the farm,  trying some delicious watermelons, strawberries and tomatoes, and asking wonderful questions about food, farming and nature.  These are a few of the many photos taken by one of the parents, Alicia Berardi, of Ivy Photography.  There are many beautiful and touching photographs taken by Alicia; I wish we could show you more.

Merry is a remarkable teacher, and her plan for the students was ambitious:  each would undertake to study some aspect of the farm, be it the irrigation system, the birds, the bees, or the crops, and learn a great deal about each of these things.  We spent time talking with the children, answering questions and explaining the workings of the farm.  The children also sat quietly in small groups scattered throughout the farm, listening, observing, and writing.  The end result was a coloring book called “A Children’s Guide to Riverhill Farm,” full of interesting writings prepared by the children and illustrated with their own drawings.

Merry has asked us to distribute a copy of the book to each of the CSA families with children.  They’ll be available this week when you pick up your boxes, so please don’t hesitate to ask for a copy when you are here at the farm or in town for your pick up.

For me, there was great pleasure in watching the children become familiar with the place and clearly enjoying their visits.  We had time to sit with them and have interesting conversations while they were here.  They inspired me with their openness, playfulness, intelligence and curiosity.  We hope to be able to continue this wonderful partnership next year with Merry’s class.

Here’s a poem that one of the children wrote while here at the farm:

Seeds flood the ground, anticipating the sun’s rays

The blossoms bloom before my eyes as I think how they will regenerate for centuries to come

I watch the birds

This week’s recipes:

Sesame Kale Salad

• 1 Bunch fresh kale, chard or other greens
• 1 bunch Japanese salad turnips, sliced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons honey (or other sweetener)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
• Dash of black or ground red pepper
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Strip kale leaves from stems. Chop leaves into  strips, approx ½ inch wide.  Mix dressing ingredients in a bowl and add to greens and sliced turnips, toss and marinate 30 minutes or more. Some prefer to massage the dressing into the kale with your hands. Top with toasted sesame seeds and serve.  You can also steam the greens slightly if you prefer a softer salad.

Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese and Chives

• 1 bunch (4 or 5) roasted beets
• 1/4 cup white vinegar, or rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• I  bunch chives, chopped
• Crumbled goat cheese
• Salt and pepper

Remove beet greens and save for use in your favorite recipe. Wash beets and place in a baking dish with a splash of water. Cover tightly with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for approx. 45 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Uncover and allow to cool. (You may also boil or steam beets until tender)  Use your fingers to slip the peels off of the beets. Slice the beets. Make the vinaigrette by combining the cider vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and dry mustard. Whisk ingredients together with a fork. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine beets and vinaigrette in a bowl and allow to marinate for a half hour at room temperature. Top beets sprinkled with goat cheese and chives.  Serve over salad greens or as a side dish.

Pasta with Broccoli, Cauliflower and Kale

• 1 head Cauliflower
• 1 head Broccoli
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 lb. rotelle pasta
• 2 Tablespoons capers
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 Tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 olive oil
• fresh thyme

Cut broccoli and cauliflower into medium size florets.  Steam until al dente, 8 minutes or so according to preference.  Be careful not to overcook the vegetables, as you don’t want them to fall apart when mixed with the pasta.  Wash kale, remove stems, roll bunch together and arrange on chopping board, cut into fine strips across width of leaves.  Boil pasta in salted water until al dente, drain.  Immediately mix hot pasta and chopped kale to wilt.  Add capers and steamed vegetables.  In a separate bowl, mix mustard, thyme to taste, and vinegar.  Slowly wisk in olive oil, pour over pasta and mix.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Eat immediately or allow to cool to room temperature before eating.