Archive for the ‘Weekly Boxes’ Category

Box 8 July 22nd

Posted in Garden Update, Weekly Boxes on July 22, 2013| 1 Comment »

A wonderful rain yesterday after a long, hot, dry week. It is difficult for us at times to be out in the heat but the plants love the warm days and nights. Crops are in full swing and amazing to see how the tomato and cucumber vines will grow a foot or more over night. The watermelon vines are snaking all over the place and once again we thought we allowed TONS! of space for them to spread out and they are slowing sneaking into the sweet potatoes……

The itty bitty watermelon from last week! Now bigger than my head.

The garlic harvest is complete and the huge beauties are drying in the shed aside for a few of the smaller ones we had to include in the boxes this week for a taste. Scott has pulled the irrigation, tilled and we are set for planting new this week. We did our last picking of beans from the first planting and it is nice to have a break from the 3 hour every other day duty. It was a great harvest! Beans will return again in a few weeks from our second planting.

We are pleased that we have not had any issues with blight so far. Lots of worry but all is well and strong. Given the long, cool and wet Spring we thought there would be trouble with pests and other moisture issues like molds and fungus. Happy to report that these issues are low to totally absent this year. Scott does a daily inspection walk of the entire garden and we use various organic options to keep everything healthy.

Scott and his grand daughter started our carrot harvest this week and had a lot of fun together. After a quick wash in the wringer washer we bagged them for the boxes. Delicious. We were determined to have wonderful carrots this season after last season’s wimpy crop. We had a terrible time getting seed to germinate in the extreme heat last year. Here they are! 3 varieties. Hours of fussy weeding and thinning and hand watering and totally worth it.

Maeve helped clean the onions for the boxes this week and she is proud of her work. She told us she is the “grand champion onion peeler” and we had trouble getting her to quit and get ready for bed. We had a glimpse of our future and her help with the boxes.

Anne “the egg lady” is taking preorders for red raspberries next week. $2 for a 1/2 pint $4 for a pint. Let me know by Friday if you would like to order. Erdman group members send an e-mail by Friday and we will bring them down with the delivery. She also brought chickens again this week. They are in the cooler and $3 a pound.

Pears ripening on the trees!

A note about the boxes….we are short about 40 boxes right now. Please look at home and bring them back with next weeks delivery/pick up. Thanks!

Lots of Eggplant in the Extra Box this week…not quite enough for all the boxes so we included it here. Please take some if you wish.

WHAT IS IN YOUR BOX

What a Smorgasbord this week!!!!

Scott wasn’t sure we would be able to close the boxes this week.

Lettuce-A huge head called Nevada. A strong lettuce that can withstand the heat. Scott’s daily watering assured that we would have this jumbo treat this week. Very tasty.

Beets-A nice sized bundle for everyone. Remember the greens are edible and delicious.

Beets ready to be bundled….over 550!

Green Beans-1 pound + again! The last harvest from the first planting.

New bean plants geminating in the old pea area….

Pac Choi-Perfect for the Summer stir fry.

Zucchini-The patty pans are starting to really flower and all the plants are now in full swing. Again, we harvest daily and pick them small so they are perfectly sized for meals.

Cucumbers-Long slender European varieties and a big bag of crunchers.

Potatoes-3 pounds. Early Reds this week. Great roasted and makes the best “home fries” ever. Can be mashed and baked too but this is a bit of a waxer potato. We have 5 varieties of potatoes in the ground yet so it will be a fun season of trying different varieties.

Scott washing the potatoes in the rain.

Garlic-We sorted the garlic all out for drying and portioned off the smaller bulbs to include in the boxes this week for fresh eating.

Rosemary-Perfect paring with the potatoes. Dries well too for future use too.

Dill-We wanted to include this when we had a big bounty of cucumbers for refrigerator pickles.

Onion-These are fresh eating onions not storage.

Micro Greens-Little mild sprouted greens to cut and add to salads or a garnish on hot dishes. Keep on a bright windowsill on a low plate and water as needed.

Best Guess for next week.

Lettuce, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, savoy cabbage and potatoes.

Recipe “issues” again…..I’ll figure it out soon I hope. Beet brownies are the best! Do look on the internet for a recipe.

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Box 6 July 8th

Posted in Garden Update, Weekly Boxes on July 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »

We had a productive week in the garden. The melon, tomatoes, eggplant, and pepper plants really grew with the warmer temperatures. Nice for us to see as this was not the type of Spring they enjoy or thrive in. We seeded in a long loooooooong row of storage carrots for Fall harvest right next to the long looooooong row of summer carrots that look great and we should be harvesting the snappy beauties soon. More lettuce went in the lettuce beds, 2 long rows of colorful beets were seeded in and whenever we had a spare moment we were weeding fools. The potato crop looks amazing and we are hopeful it will be our best crop ever. The garlic is starting to decline and we dug one to take a sneak peak. A gorgeous big bulb. We also planted our onions differently this year as we have always had trouble weeding them mid season in the past. They too are looking great and we should have a bumper crop to share.

Beautiful onions.

We had an uninvited guest in the garden on Wednesday night…..We are guessing a woodchuck. Scott was doing his daily walk through inspection and discovered that the visitor snacked away on EVERY soybean plant in the 200 foot row! The leaves were completely nibbled off and the stalk remained like a pencil sticking out of the ground. Disappointing but we replanted within hours of the discovery. Edamame will just be 3 weeks later this year.

Scott will start putting up the new greenhouse this week and we are excited. A “season extender”. Earlier crops in the Spring and we are going to experiment with trying greens all winter long. Also, we hope to have all our leafy green crops planted in ground in this new house next Summer season. This will make life much easier without the row cover.

It was an amazing harvest in the garden this week! The boxes are bountiful and a few of the true tastes of summer have arrived.

First cucumber of the season.

WHAT IS IN YOUR BOX

Cauliflower-over a pound for everyone! 2 varieties, a purple tinged beauty and a fluffy snow white head. Next week we should see more of the white snowball variety as it is just starting to head up. Just delicious. Maeve ate it as her bedtime snack last night. Lots of cooking options. Mashed, roasted and makes a great pizza crust.

Cauliflower harvest.

Green Beans- Holy cow! 50 pounds picked off our first picking. Everyone has a nice big bag for the week.

Cabbage-A favorite we like to grow every year. A smaller variety that heads up early and is the perfect size for a few meals or a batch of coleslaw. Flavorful crunchy heads.

Lettuce-Deep green juicy leaves. Will make a wonderful salad with the cabbage. These are cute little mini heads that stay small….2+ heads for everyone depending on the head size.

Cucumbers-Just under a pound of assorted snackers. We are growing 5 different varieties this year and the vines are just starting to produce. Cucumbers will appear as a staple in many boxes to come this summer. The vines are loaded with beautiful buttery yellow blooms.

Sugar Snap Peas-This week was the big harvest of the season…we will pull the vines this week. Amazing harvest and we are so pleased with our “pea season” after last year’s disappointment in the heat. Eat the whole thing-pod and all….Packaged in a plastic bag this week.

Scott picking the sugar snaps high over head!

Shelling pea-Nice plump pods with sweet little peas. Packaged in a green quart box this week. Eat peas only after shelling. Pod is VERY fibrous. Vines will also be pulled this week. The end of the peas this year.

Zucchini-6 different varieties are in the garden this year. There were enough for everyone to get a taste of the first picking of the season. Another staple in the boxes for the summer.

Kale- A BIG! robust bunch. Many different varieties in color and texture.

Fennel-2 big bulbs for everyone. Kale and fennel make a delicious salad.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK

Cauliflower, cucumbers, zucchini, parsley, turnips, cabbage, swiss chard

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Box 5 July 1st

Posted in Garden Update, Recipes, Weekly Boxes on July 1, 2013| 2 Comments »

We survived the daily rains of last week, just shy of 5 inches total. As mentioned before what a different season from last year. We were far beyond desperate for rain at this time last year and now this season fearful it will never end. It was difficult to get in the garden at times because it was a soupy mess, we had to modify our planting and harvesting schedule a bit, Scott had to dig trenches to drain water off and we had to wear funny HOT! rain pants all week and still got wet.

My favorite outfit this week…..why Scott bought me size Large is beyond me! Nice and “roomy”.

Lettuce Harvest.

The rain seems to be behind us (for now) and we only lost a few rounds of lettuce that could not handle the extreme moisture and steamy heat.

The garden grew and grew with all the heat and moisture-and we are STILL well weeded! We have made several passes through the carrot bed, another pass through the onions, Scott has all the rows clear and mowed. Neat and tidy. Several crops maturing….We are excited to see what happens next week… tiny beans on the plants, cabbage heading up nicely, summer squash just getting started, beautiful!! cauliflower, maybe even some cucumbers too! Summer is here.

We are thrilled with the pea harvest this season. Last year we were lucky that everyone got just a taste of peas. Germination was terrible in the early heat, and then we were picking peas from pathetic knee high vines. NOT this year….we may need a ladder and the shelling vines are loaded. Snow peas are plentiful and snaps oh so sweet. Enjoy!

Zucchini!

Itty Bitty Beans on the plants.

Melon vines starting to flower.

Blueberry Bushes are LOADED and starting to show a blush of color.

I just love to take pictures of potato flowers……beautiful.

WHAT IS IN YOUR BOX

Every shade of green!

Lettuce-Another beautiful oak leaf variety.

Celery-A surprise appearance….I thought we would be a week or 2 out on this crop. Lots of celery in the garden. Another favorite. Amazing flavor!!! Nothing like the celery sold in grocery stores. Delicious in soups, fantastic in salads. Use stalks and leaves…

Broccoli-This is the Spring planted Broccoli. 2 varieties. We also have Summer broccoli planted and will plant a Fall cold hardy crop too.

Garlic Scapes-The last cutting in the garlic patch. Remember these hold very well in the refrigerator in a sealed plastic bag.

Pea Medley!!!!!

Snow Peas-2 varieties-1 is a giant! These are the long flat peas. Eat pod and all. We boxed these up in green berry boxes this week.

Sugar Snap Peas- Deliciously sweet. Eat pod and all. These are labeled and packaged in a clear plastic clamshell.

Shelling Peas-Shell and eat peas ONLY….pod is VERY fibrous. Packaged in a plastic bag this week. Shelling peas are just getting started…..2 more plantings are maturing.

Mint-Peas and mint are the perfect match….a hearty bunch for everyone. Cut stems and keep it in a glass of water in the refrigerator.

Collard Greens-4 varieties planted of these pretty leaves. Work great for “burrito style” sandwiches or wraps, tasty in smoothies. A few recipes at the end of the post.

Basil Plant-Big beautiful plants. We like to grow a plant for everyone to take home every year….enjoy! We will also have cut basil in future boxes at peak tomato time.

Relaxing in the pool after a hard days work…..

Best Guess for Next Week- cabbage, cauliflower, kale, fennel, parsley, beans??, shelling peas

A note about recipes…..I gather recipes on Pinterest for all we grow in the garden. If any of you visit Pinterest I have a CSA Board. Feel free to take a look and/or follow it. The board is under my name Jennifer Fox. Also, if you wish to post a favorite recipe in the comment section feel free I will publish it for all to see. The Madison CSA Coalition publishes a wonderful cookbook too.

Collard Greens and Bacon

Ingredients:

1 bag pre-chopped collards from Trader Joe’s (or chard from the store)

2 medium sized shallots, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4-5 strips bacon

1 tbs apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup water

1/4 tsp white pepper

Sea salt to taste

Directions:

Cut bacon into small pieces and cook in large saute pan on medium heat until slightly browned. Add in diced shallots and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Add in collards, water and ACV. Stir and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes. You don’t want brown collards, but bright green collards. Add salt and pepper and serve.

Creamed Collards

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen

Try this easy method for cutting up the bacon: Remove wrapping from bacon. Place the entire pound of cold bacon on a cutting board, and slice into 12-inch cubes.

Worthy of a special occasion

Rate and Review | Read Reviews (8)

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Recipe from

Recipe Time

Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients

4 1/2 pounds fresh collard greens*
1 pound bacon, chopped $
1/4 cup butter
2 large onions, diced $
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Béchamel Sauce

Preparation

1. Rinse collard greens. Trim and discard thick stems from bottom of collard green leaves (about 2 inches); coarsely chop collards.
2. Cook bacon, in batches, in an 8-qt. stock pot over medium heat 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in stock pot. Reserve 14 cup bacon.
3. Add butter and onions to hot drippings in skillet. Sauté onion 8 minutes or until tender. Add collards, in batches, and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until wilted. Stir in chicken broth, next 3 ingredients, and remaining bacon.
4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes or to desired degree of tenderness. Drain collards, reserving 1 cup liquid.
5. Stir in Béchamel Sauce. Stir in reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, to desired consistency. Transfer to a serving dish, and sprinkle with reserved 1/4 cup bacon.
*2 (1-lb.) packages fresh collard greens, thoroughly washed, trimmed, and chopped, may be substituted.

John Currence, City Grocery, Oxford, Mississippi, Southern Living

Citrus Collards

Serves: 4 Edit

Ingredients

U.S.

Metric

Conversion chart

1 tablespoon(s) sea salt
1/2 teaspoon(s) sea salt, combined with above sea salt
2 bunch(es) (about 12 cups) collard greens, ribs removed, cut into strips, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
2 clove(s) garlic, minced
2/3 cup(s) raisins
1/3 cup(s) fresh-squeezed orange juice

Directions

In a large pot over high heat, bring 3 quarts (12 cups) water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the collards and cook, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water.
Remove the collards from heat, drain, and plunge into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking and set the color. Drain, gently pressing the greens against the colander.
In a medium-size sauté pan, combine olive oil and garlic. Sauté for 1 minute on medium heat. Add the collards, raisins, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the orange juice and cook for an additional 15 seconds. Do not overcook (collards should

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Box 4 June 24th-Photo

Posted in Uncategorized, Weekly Boxes on June 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I was so darn excited that I was done early with the newsletter I forgot to wait for Scott to take the picture. I completely forgot! Here it is now……

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Box 4 June 24th

Posted in Garden Update, Recipes, Weekly Boxes on June 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Another wonderful week. It sure is nice to say this. I love it when we harvest a crop and within 24 hours something new moves in. The Chinese Cabbage was harvested in the morning and by the next morning 200 kohlrabi starts took their place. Same for the Radishes. They were out-Scott does his magic, cleans everything up, prepares the area and says “it’s ready for you” and I had Daikon Radish seeds planted by supper. Things are running pretty smoothly around here. We are staying ahead of the weeds and all crops seem to be settling in. We laughed on the first day of Summer because we both said “Man, it’s over”…..if it isn’t planted or planned by now we are out of time….crazy to think this way.

A quick photo tour of the garden.

This nice lady greets me at the greenhouse.

Tomatoes ripening on the vine.

Beautiful Potato Flowers.

Broccoli Plants starting to head up.

One of us will soon be eating this little cucumber.

One of the cucumber rows.

Savoy Cabbage just starting to head.

The Garden offered up many options this week and it was hard to winnow down the selection so we were certain the box lid would close (a common mid summer problem), and that we would not all be overwhelmed with leafy green overload. Fodder!-In Scott’s words. Over 3.5 inches of rain fell last week. Gratefully we have not had any flooding issues and even though it is wet and mucky in places we are thriving.

WHAT IS IN YOU BOX

Lettuce-A sweet, dark leafed head. It glows under the row cover when the sun is just right. A favorite, and makes a beautiful salad. A second lime green lettuce is also included this week. We were unimpressed with it’s performance but it is very tasty. It’s called “prize head”-not in our book. Anyway, an add on here it will make a pretty accent in the salad bowl.

Sugar Snap Peas-They are here! Our first picking through a huge patch….this is just the beginning! This variety is called Sugar Ann. The earliest sugar snap pea to produce in our area. Ripening few days ahead of the others. You can eat the entire pea-pod and all. Great for snacking.

Chinese Cabbage-WOW! These loved the cool Spring. HUGE! heads. Will hold well in the refrigerator for a looooooong time. We cut it in 1/2 soak it in the sink in cool water, rinse and store it in sealable plastic bags in the fridge ready for future use. Tastes great raw too in salads or on sandwiches. A few interesting recipes at the end of this post too.

Salad Turnips- We are harvesting all 4 varieties this week. Scarlets are the spicier ones-whites quite mild. Remember the greens are edible too. Sauté and serve as a side or atop a bowl of your favorite pasta dish.

Fennel-Another crop that really loved the cool Spring….this is the first harvest of more to come. Fennel fronds taste really delicious added to water with citrus wedges (lime, lemon, orange). Very refreshing.

Radish-A small forgotten patch. We seeded an area in and covered it with row cover and forgot about it until this week. So, the last few gems until Fall.

Cilantro-A nice flavorful bunch. A quick salad dressing is olive oil and lime with a bit of chopped cilantro mixed in. Or added to a favorite mexican dish.

Strawberries-Baraboo Group only. Delicious and Sweet. We are thrilled that we are able to add this crop to our CSA weekly offering.

The “extra/trade” box will have a few surprises…..snow peas (the delicious long skinny guys) have just started to produce-grab a handful if you wish. A few smaller heads of broccoli and some monster heads of chinese cabbage too.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK

lettuce, kale, garlic scapes, peas, broccoli

Coconut Cilantro Rice

This is a guest post from For the Love of Cooking.

After looking online for different Asian rice recipes, I decided to make my own version of coconut cilantro rice. In this recipe I used light coconut milk (because that’s what I had on hand) but if you want the rice to have a stronger coconut flavor and to be extra rich then you should definitely use regular coconut milk. I think the cilantro gave it an extra special flavor and it really paired perfectly with the Asian Salmon and the Garlic-Ginger Bok Choy Sauté. It turned out really delicious and we all loved it, even my daughter, who usually doesn’t care for rice.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring often so the rice doesn’t stick to the pan, for 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken broth and coconut milk then season with sea salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low. Cover and let cook 20 minutes.

Remove the rice from the burner without removing the lid and let it sit for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the lid and fluff rice with a fork. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and mix until well combined. Taste & re-season if needed. Serve and enjoy.

Coconut Cilantro RiceYield: 4-5

Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1 cup basmati rice
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup light coconut milk
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Directions:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Recipe for Spicy Mexican Slaw with Lime and Cilantro

This Spicy Mexican Slaw is a salad I make over and over again!

Don’t you love it when you stumble on a recipe with such a perfect combination of ingredients that after one bite you know you’ll be making it over and over again? That’s just how I felt when I tasted this fabulous cabbage salad. I have in fact made it two more times in less than two weeks, and completely loved it each time. As soon as I read the recipe in Fine Cooking Annual 2008, with an ingredient list that included cabbage, cilantro, mayo, and lime I knew I’d be making it soon. I did adapt the recipe a little, and since I like my cabbage salads to stay crunchy, I completely ignored the recipe instructions to salt and drain the cabbage.

Spicy Mexican Slaw with Lime and Cilantro
(Makes about 4 servings, recipe can be easily doubled. Recipe adapted slightly fromFine Cooking Annual 2008.)

Ingredients:
4 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
(You can use all green or all red cabbage.)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or more)
4 T mayo
3 T fresh lime juice (more or less to taste)
hot sauce to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp. green Tabasco sauce when I first made this, but lately I’ve been using Sriracha sauce)
salt to taste (I used Vege-Sal)

Instructions:

Thinly slice cabbage, using a mandoline or food processor if desired. Slice green onions, and wash, dry and chop cilantro. (I use a Mini salad spinner to wash herbs and spin them dry.) Combine cabbage, green onions and cilantro in large salad bowl.

In small bowl, whisk together, mayo, lime juice, and hot sauce. (You may want to start with less than the full amount of lime juice and hot sauce and keep adding until you have the desired blend of sour/hot flavor.)

Use a wooden spoon to mix dressing into cabbage mixture. Season to taste with salt and serve immediately, or chill for a few hours.

This salad will keep well overnight in the refrigerator, but the lime juice will cause the red cabbage to bleed color and turn the salad slightly pink. If you’re making extra you might want to use all green cabbage, although I didn’t mind the pink color at all when I ate the leftovers!

Printer Friendly Recipe

By: starvingchef

{mustard glazed chinese cabbage}[gluten-free]

Ingredients:

1 chinese cabbage, cut into quarters

Marinate:

1 ts honey

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 ts olive oil

1 ts dijon mustard

Method:

Mix all ingredients for the marinate and glaze the cabbage with it. Place them onto a baking sheet and bake it until they are golden brown. Sprinkle it with chopped scallion when served.

Easy Chinese Cabbage Soup

Printable recipe
By Pig Pig’s Corner

Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Yield: serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 head Chinese cabbage – cut into strips

1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock

3 tbs goji berries

Salt

White pepper powder

Directions:

Place chicken stock into a pot and bring to boil.

Add all the cabbage and leave to cook until they are wilted. This should take about 10 mins or less. [1 1/2 cups of liquid is not enough to cover all the cabbage, don’t worry, the cabbage leaves give out a lot of water.]

When all the leaves are soft, add goji berries and leave to simmer for another 5 mins.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Variations:

Marmite works well too.

If I run out of low sodium chicken stock, I use water + a bit of Knorr chicken powder.

Chinese Cabbage & Fennel Salad

This salad is crisp and tastes really refreshing!

Ingredients for 2 servings

-1 fennel bulb/1 φινόκιο
-1 Chinese cabbage/1 Κινέζικο λάχανο
-2 stalks spring garlic/2 πράσινα σκόρδα
-1 green apple/1 πράσινο μήλο
-1 lime/1 λαϊμ
-1 tsp mustard/ 1 κ.γ. μουστάρδα
-2 tbsp olive oil/2 κ.σ. ελαιόλαδο
-some leaves of the fennel/λίγο φρέσκο μάραθο (το πάνω μέρος από το φινόκιο)
-salt to taste/αλάτι
-3 tbsp raw pine nuts/ 3 κ.σ. ωμο κουκουνάρι

Finely chop the Chinese cabbage, the fennel bulb, some of the fennel leaves and the apple. Juice the lime and mix with olive oil, mustard and salt. In a bowl mix the salad, pour in the dressing and top with pine nuts.

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Box 3 June 17th

Posted in Garden Update, Recipes, Weekly Boxes on June 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I did not realize that last weeks post only went to those that signed up for direct e-mail updates and not the general blog in time for the 3 pick up on Monday…..all fixed now. Sorry for any confusion.

Another big week here in the garden. We are pleased that all 200+ pepper plants are settling into their new home. Lots of delicious and colorful sweet bells, bull horn varieties as well as a fun mini sweet called Lunchbox. 4 hot and medium hot varieties too for salsas and stuffing. The eggplants are happy next to their neighbors the cauliflower and both crops enjoyed a few perfect rain showers. We transplanted all the watermelon and muskmelon starts out on Thursday night. 3 of our favorite watermelon and a reliable and tasty muskmelon called Pride of WI. It should be quite a bounty! We finished the watermelon job with time to spare and quickly seeded in a long long row and then some of edamame. Anytime we had a spare minute we would WEED and WEED and WEED. This is the time of year that is so important to stay on top of all the weeds, they can quickly overtake a patch and choke out a crop. The sweet potato slips I mentioned last week arrived and are beautiful. Scott and I will get them transplanted in tomorrow as the last big deal crop to get in the ground.

Maeve likes to play “train” when the boxes are lined up ready to be packed in the morning.

WHAT IS IN YOU BOX

Salad Turnips-We look forward to these every Spring and Fall. A nice crop of 4 varieties-2 white and 2 scarlet. We should have at least a few weeks harvest. Not too spicy and NOT the big Fall turnips. Delicious raw on salads or can be roasted or fried.

Radishes-The same tasty mix as last week. This harvest finishes up the bed.

Garlic Scapes-The top cutting of the garlic plant. Tastes just like the garlic bulb that we will be eating in the near future. Use it in any way you would use garlic. Stores well in the refrigerator sealed in an airtight bag or container.

garlic scapes in the garden.

Lettuce-Another very pretty head this week, an oak leaf variety.

Spinach-A 1/4 pound bag for everyone! We are thinking that this will be the last week. The patch is slowing down. Leaves are not as juicy and sweet as when the temperatures are cool and a few plants are wanting to bolt. Spinach will revisit in the Fall.

Swiss Chard-Beautiful!!!! Big bunches. Swiss chard looks (and tastes!) fantastic this year. Long tender stalks and delicious thick juicy leaves. Maeve was eating it right out of the garden as I was harvesting.

Pea Shoots-A treat! Just cut these little mini vines and add to your salads or sandwiches. Packed full of wonderful pea flavor. They are “cut and come again”. Just snip with a scissor what you would like for your meal and they will keep growing. Store on a bright windowsill in a shallow plate or bowl. Keep moist water when needed.

Strawberries- 1/2 pound+ pint. Erdman group this week. Baraboo group next week. This is the first year of our berry patch and it is still developing. We liked the idea of splitting the group so everyone would get a nice basket with their box.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK

Peas!!!, Chinese Cabbage, Fennel, Kale, Strawberries (Baraboo Group), Lettuce, Salad Turnips, Mint, Cilantro. Here we go folks…..

Next weeks pea harvest!

Scott had to reinforce the trellis as the vines are so big and plentiful.

Broccoli, and storage cabbage seeded in for another round….

A Few recipes……..

Garlic Scape Aioli

Two egg yolks *
Juice of one lemon
1/2 to 3/4 cups olive oil (extra virgin preferable and use the good stuff, you will notice the difference)
Garlic scapes, about a handful
Salt & Pepper to taste (a pinch or two should do it)

METHOD:

First, roughly chop the garlic scapes then give them a few whirls in the food processor until nice and small (no one wants lumpy aioli!).

Next, add the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and pepper but DON’T turn on the blender yet! Get your olive oil ready. When you are ready add the olive oil in a steady, thin stream while pulsing the food processor. As soon as all the olive oil has been added, stop pulsing. You are making an emulsion here, so over mixing can cause it to “break” and separate.

If you’d like to add fresh herbs, chop them finely and gently fold them in at this point.

That’s it! You just made mayonnaise! It really is SO easy and the possibilities are endless. I’m thinking basil (pesto aioli with fresh tomatoes??), fresh parsley or even thyme and sage for a tasty chicken salad?

Homemade aioli, unlike the big vats of mayo at the grocery store, is fresh and is best consumed within a couple of days. Be sure to store in a lidded container and keep refrigerated.

Garlic Scape Pesto

1/2 lb. organic scapes (chopped into 1″ sections)
1 c. organic olive oil
2 c. grated parmesan cheese
In a blender, combine the scapes and olive oil. Pour mixture into bowl and blend the cheese in by hand.

Garlicky Swiss Chard and Chickpeas

Yield: makes 6 servings

Garlicky Swiss Chard and Chickpeas

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

2 bunches Swiss chard, center stems cut out and discarded and leaves coarsely chopped

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

2 medium shallots, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)6 medium garlic cloves, minced

15.5 ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, optional

Instructions

In a larges skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add half of hte chard and cook, 1 to 2 minutes. When the first half has wilted, add the remaining chard. When all of the chard is wilted, add the chicken broth. Cover the skillet and cook the chard until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the chard through a fine sieve (strainer) and set it aside.
Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until they are softened, about 2 minutes. Add the chard and chickpeas and cook until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Drizzle the lemon juice over the mixture and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle cheese on top just before serving, if desired.

recipe from The Recipe Girl Cookbook

SWISS CHARD PANCAKES recipe from Dorie Greenspan

This makes a lot of pancakes, but they freeze perfectly, so I always make the full recipe. If you think this is going to be too much for you, cut the recipe in half and use 1 egg and 1 yolk.

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk
2½ cups all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 shallot, coarsely chopped, rinsed, and patted dry
2 garlic cloves, split, germ removed, and coarsely chopped
Leaves from 10 parsley sprigs
10 fresh chives, snipped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 large or 10 small Swiss chard leaves, center ribs removed, washed, and dried
About ½ cup grapeseed, peanut, or vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil, and line a plate with paper towels.
2. Put everything except the Swiss chard and oil in a blender or food processor, making sure you season the mix generously with salt and pepper, and whir until the batter is smooth. (If your machine won’t handle this quantity, work in batches.) Little by little, add the chard to the mix and whir to incorporate it. There’s no need to pulverize the chard — having some strands is nice.
3. Pour ¼ to ½ inch of oil into a large skillet and place the skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot (a drop of batter should seize immediately), spoon in a scant ¼ cup batter for each pancake — don’t crowd the pan: depending on the size of the pan, 4 pancakes is probably max per batch. Cook the pancakes for about 3 minutes, until the underside is nicely browned and the edges are browned and curled. Flip the pancakes over and cook for another 2 minutes or so. Transfer the pancakes to the paper-towel-lined plate, cover with more towels, and pat off the excess oil. Place them on the foil-lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you continue to make pancakes, adding more oil to the pan as needed.
Serving:Traditionally, farçous are served with a salad as a main course, but you could serve fewer per portion as a starter or omit the salad and serve them as a side dish. If you want to serve thefarçous as an hors d’oeuvre, you might want to include a dipping sauce or topping of crème fraîche,cervelle de canut, or plain yogurt. You might also think about drizzling them with a little basil or parsley coulis— they don’t really need the coulis, but it’s a good combination.
Storing:You can make the farçous a few hours ahead, keep them covered at room temperature, and reheat them in a conventional oven or microwave before serving. Or you can pack them airtight (make sure to separate them with small squares of wax or parchment paper) and freeze them, then reheat as needed.

Swiss Chard Lasagna
Serves 6 to 8

You can sub in 2 pounds of frozen spinach for the Swiss chard if you really need to make this a pantry/freezer dish. This is going to sound nuts, but you can also go really light on the pasta. Simply space the pasta sheets a bit further apart in the dish – you can get away with 2 sheets per layer and you won’t even be able to tell it’s a lower-carb lasagna.

Ingredients

For the sauce:
About 20 basil leaves
4 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
One 28-ounce can tomatoes

For the greens:
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 bunches swiss chard, washed, stems trimmed, and cut into ribbons
Zest from half a lemon
1/4 cup white wine
3/4 teaspoon salt
juice from half a 1/2 lemon

For the cheese and lasagna:
One 15 or 16-ounce container of whole milk ricotta
1 1/3 cup grated parmesan (5 ounces)
8 ounces (1/2 pound) fresh mozzarella, finely chopped
8 ounces (1/2 pound) low moisture mozzarella, grated
2 eggs
Lots of freshly ground pepper
About 3/4 pound lasagna noodles

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Make the sauce. Place the basil and garlic in the food process and pulse til finely chopped. Add the tomatoes and salt and blend until smooth.

For the greens: in a large saucepan with a lid, sauté the garlic in oil until golden over medium heat. Add the chard and lower the heat. Toss the chard with the garlic and oil, then cover for 4 minutes, until the leaves are wilted. Take off the lid and add the lemon zest, white wine and salt. Let most of the liquid cook off. Add the lemon juice. Stir, then set aside to cool slightly.

For the cheese filling: reserve 1 cup of the fresh mozzarella. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup parmesan, the rest of the mozz, the eggs, and lots of pepper. Mix well.

Now you’ve got to put the stuff in your lasagna pan, in this order:

1/2 cup sauce
1 layer noodles–enough to cover the sauce, leaving at least 1/2 inch in between each noodle
Half of the cheese filling, spread evenly
Half of the Swiss chard, scattered evenly
1 cup sauce
1 layer noodles
The second half of the cheese
Second half of the spinach
1 layer noodles
1 cup sauce
Remaining 1 cup mozzarella
Remaining 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Bake, covered in foil, for 45 minutes. Place a baking sheet beneath to catch drippings. Remove the foil and let the lasagna cook for 20 more minutes.

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1st box Monday June 3rd

Posted in Weekly Boxes on June 3, 2013| 2 Comments »

Happy First Box of the Season!

We are excited to share the season with everyone.

A few details about your weekly boxes.

All boxes are packed equal. Most of the time we go by the weight of each item but sometime it is per item-for example watermelon. Everyone will get a watermelon but there will be a slight difference in the weight of each one which we obviously cannot control.

All produce is washed and ready to eat out of the box. We triple rinse all leafy greens. Some of the denser lettuce heads may need to be rinsed at home when you separate the leaves to prepare.

We grow pesticide and herbicide free. Pest and weed management are handled organically or manually. Our daughter Maeve eats many vegetables right IN the garden!

The “plastic” bags we use for packaging are biodegradable.

The box top side flaps fold and slide back to open. Sometimes this is a bit tricky the first time….push down (where it says “push”) and slide back.

Please return your box the next week. Note the instructions on the box how to flatten. We sanitize the boxes upon return and reuse them. Also, please return any of the packaging containers in good condition. We use several different styles of containers throughout the season.

Egg cartons can also be returned for reuse.

Season membership receipts are with this box pick up.

We will have eggs in the cooler for sale every week.

Feel free to walk back into the garden when you pick up the boxes….it’s your garden too! Erdman members if you ever are up in the area we would love for you to stop by and visit and have a quick tour.

Remember the Extra/Trade Box. Take a peek.

Enough of all the technical stuff…..

1st box pick up of the season! Carol and Peter Paquette

Scott filling the boxes this morning.

WHAT IS IN YOUR BOX

Spinach-We have 4 varieties in the garden at this time of year. Including 2 that winter over. We grow a really delicious variety called Space that produces GIANT! juicy leaves from the wintered over harvest. We pick it, triple rinse and mix it all together so everyone gets a nice assortment. Each box has just under a half pound bag.

Pac Choi-2 nice varieties. Stalks and leaves can be eaten. Very High in Vitamins A and C, beta carotene, calcium, fiber, and folic acid. Aids in digestion.

Rhubarb-Just over 2 1/2 pounds for everyone! Enough for a crisp or small pie. We have 4 different varieties of rhubarb including the plant from my grandfather’s garden that I dug up when he passed away many years ago. It is considered a fruit. Great source of Lutein which is beneficial to skin and eyes and a good source of vitamin K which helps clot blood.

2 varieties of lettuce-A delicious Spring mini head called Bambi. This variety only grows in cool temperatures. Tiny dark green juicy heads. A favorite around our house. A second light green fluffy head is called Nancy. We love to use lettuce leaves as our “bread” on sandwiches. We make “normal” flat sandwiches or roll them like tortillas. Our goal is to have lettuce every week. This sometimes gets a little tough in the extreme heat but it is one of our seasonal goals….last year we only missed 2 weeks during the drought. Many different varieties throughout the season. Interesting colors and textures.

Several members mentioned on their survey lat season that it would be nice to have a “Heads Up” with what might be in next week’s box. So, I am going to post what I will call “BEST GUESS” each week for the following week. No guarantees and I am sure there will be a few surprises but we are going to give it a shot.

BEST GUESS for Next Week Box 2 Monday June 10th

Spinach, Radishes, Lettuce, Spring Baby Carrots, Pac Choi, Asian Green Kyoto Mizuna

Next Week’s Carrots!

I find lots of recipes and information on Pinterest. Do take a look at Pinterest if you are a bit stumped with what to do with something new in your box.

If anyone has recipes that they would like to share feel free to post them in the comment area….

Bermese Stir-Fried Pac Choi
Here is a simple recipe from some Burmese New Roots farmers.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
6 cups pac choi
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oyster sauce

Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic for 2 minutes. Add the pac choi and cook for 2 minutes, tossing to cook evenly. Add the soy sauce, salt and oyster sauce and toss to coat. Cook for another minute.

Serve hot as a side dish or over rice.

Serves 4 to 6.

Another pac choi recipe from A Kinder Katie

Recipe:

SALAD:

2 full Pac Choi, de-stemmed and sliced horizontally

1 orange, quartered

1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds

1/4 freshly chopped chives ( from your garden!)

DRESSING:

1 Tablespoon Organic Tamari

1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tablespoons EVOO

1 teaspoon ground Ginger

1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

De-stem and chop Pac Choi after washing. Toss in Pumpkin Seeds, chives, and cut orange. Combine above ingredients for dressing and toss over salad.

Rhubarb Crisp for 2 from Dessert for Two

Rhubarb Crisp

Makes 2 6-ounce ramekins.

Christina Lane: www.DessertForTwo.com

Ingredients

For the filling:

1¼ cups rhubarb, small diced
2 teaspoons unbleached flour
3-4 teaspoons sugar (use 3 if you like it more tart)
1 teaspoon rose water
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon orange zest
pinch of salt

For the topping:

3 tablespoons rolled oats
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon unbleached flour
1 tablespoon butter, melted
pinch of ground allspice
pinch of salt

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling. Stir will to distribute the allspice and orange zest.
Pack the filling tightly into 2 6-ounce ramekins.
In another bowl, stir together all ingredients for the topping. Pack the mixture on top of the fruit.
Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet then bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown and crisp.

Another Crisp from Kitchen Simplicity

Rhubarb Crisp

Rhubarb Filling

4 cups chopped fresh or frozen (thawed) rhubarb

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

Place rhubarb in an 8×8 pan or divide between 6 ramekins.
Mix together sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan, stir in water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over rhubarb.

Crisp Topping

adapted from Fresh with Anna Olson

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

5 tablespoons butter, melted

Mix together flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt and walnuts. Stir in melted butter until even distributed. Crumble over filling.
Bake at 350ºF for 45 min or until rhubarb is cooked through and filling is bubbly.

Makes enough for an 8×8 inch square (9 inch round) baking pan or 6 ramekins.

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Winter Storage Box

Posted in Weekly Boxes on December 10, 2012| 1 Comment »

Wow! What a box!

We had a perfect autumn for all our late crops….We are pleased that there is sooooooo much GREEN! at this time of year for us to pack up for you. We had several lettuce trials in the greenhouse and ALL were a success. The spinach and arugula kept plugging along with several layers of row cover out in the field. I crawled in the tunnels yesterday and harvested. The bumper crop of brussels sprouts were a true gift. Over 200 pounds with our final harvest! We experimented with 2 late cold tolerant broccoli varieties and one sure produced for us. So, about 3/4 a pound of broccoli for everyone. We planted peas in the greenhouse too in hopes of having nice long green vines for salad snacking. They taste great and sure make us think of Spring. I kicked the snow off the kale in yesterday’s snowstorm and picked the most delicious kale we will eat this season. This box is a beauty! Loads of potatoes, squash and pumpkins. Even a few extras available too!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our 1st season of offering the storage/winter food box share. We have enjoyed the challenge of extending our gardening season. Seed Catalogs are arriving and we have already placed our order for seed potatoes.

Enjoy the Holidays!

What is in your box

10 pounds potatoes

Sweet potatoes

Onions

Squash Assorted

Pie Pumpkin

Garlic

Leeks

Chinese Cabbage

Spinach Assorted

Arugula

Lettuce Medley

Pea Shoots

Sprout Mix

Broccoli

Parsnips

Kale

Sunchokes

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Autumn Harvest Bounty Box

Posted in Weekly Boxes on November 12, 2012| 1 Comment »

Our first season of the Autumn Harvest Box….and what a box it is.

The season has been remarkable mild and many of our leafy green have held on. We are so pleased. A few experiments were a success and the box (actually 2 boxes!) holds quite the bounty. The harvest weighs out at 58 pounds. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving.

Onion

Garlic-Music and German Red

Squash-Butternut

Pie Pumpkin

Lettuce-2 heads grown outside under row cover

Pac Choi-Sweet and Juicy

Arugula-This amazing crop is still going strong

Brussels Sprouts-Very Sweet. My favorite.

Spinach-2 varieties

Cabbage-Large heads of chinese cabbage

Turnips-Scarlet and White combination

Radish-3 varieties including the larger beauty with red flesh

Leeks-Wonderful! A perfect crop for us this year. We are hopeful we can include these again in the next Winter Box.

Sunflower Shoots

Herbs-parsley, sage, rosemary

Carrots-just picked yesterday and taste like candy

Kale-4 varieties

Sweet potatoes- 5 pounds for everyone

Parsnips 3 pounds+ for everyone

Sunchokes

Celariac Root

Beets-2.5 pound of little gems

Paperwhite bulb planted in a mason jar

Also, eggs here for those who ordered and Turkeys are here too!

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Box 20 LAST BOX PICK UP

Posted in Weekly Boxes on October 15, 2012| 1 Comment »

Last Box Pick up today! What an amazing season for all of us. We are thrilled, a little bit proud and greatly relieved we survived and flourished through the difficult drought of 2012. Scott and I both feel it is the best CSA season yet for us. We hope you feel the same. Thank you all for sharing. We had our goal check off list for the year and were able to succeed in reaching most. We wanted a steady bounty of green beans and we were able to provide this. I really wanted to grow a killer watermelon patch this year. We harvested over 200 of these beauties throughout the season and we just ate the last one this week. We have never grown cauliflower well in the past and even in the extreme heat of the summer were able to get a small crop that was tasty this year. Our pepper harvest was one of the best ever and the leeks were large and flavorful. It was a fabulous tomato year and we are happy with the varieties we choose to grow. The reflections on our disappointments seem to be heat and drought related. We had a terrible time with carrot germination. Our Number 1 disappointment was that we had such a small offering of carrots this year. We had several failed plantings as carrot seed will not germinate over 90 degrees. We tried and 1000 of seeds were planted. So, watch out next year! We have the carrot beds ready and we are starting early to ensure a bountiful crop. The peas were pretty wimpy due to the early Spring heat too. Our vines usually tower over our heads when harvesting and this year most only grew to knee or waist height. Again a heat problem we have no control over. Peas like it cool and wet. We always try to have lettuce every week and we missed a few this year due to bolting in the heat. 100’s of heads were composted weekly in the worst of the drought and heat and we are grateful for the delicious harvest we did have. Every season has unique challenges and I feel we did well rolling with what was given to us. The water consumption was pretty worrisome and at times overwhelming but we took it day by day. And finally I am going to spend this winter figuring out how to properly post recipes on the blog so we will have weekly recipes with each box next season.

Here is the best part…..We keep notes on all the produce in our boxes and have weekly weigh ins. Final weight is 226.87 pounds of food for the season not including the weight of the tomatoes, melons, flowers or any of the extras. This averages out to $1.49 a pound for the contents in the box. I am sure if we included the melons and tomatoes we would be well under $1 pound for quality fresh fun produce. Pretty amazing!

Thank You!

The last box folks is a huge one!!!! Enjoy all of the goodies and see you next season.

what is in your super jumbo heavy amazingly full last box.

Squash-2 tasty butternuts

Potatoes-2+ pounds for everyone

Leeks-A favorite of the season in our family!

Fennel-Beautiful Bulbs.

Turnips-A combo bunch of reds and whites.

Onion-3 nice sized white beauties.

Garlic-Several heads of German hard neck.

Pac Choi-Beautiful and juicy.

Lettuce/Spinach Mix-Very sweet.

Arugula-This crop has had an amazing run this Fall. We bagged it separately from the lettuce/spinach just in case it is a bit spicy for some of you.

Brussels Sprouts-Another great crop this Fall with nice firm sweet heads.

Collard Greens-My favorite green this year! Love it in stir fries and as my bread “replacement” with sandwiches. I just make a wrap like a burrito.

Rosemary-Remember to dry some for winter meals..

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Archive for the ‘Weekly Boxes’ Category

Box 8 July 22nd

Box 6 July 8th

Box 5 July 1st

Creamed Collards

Recipe Time

Ingredients

Preparation

Box 4 June 24th-Photo

Box 4 June 24th

Coconut Cilantro Rice

Recipe for Spicy Mexican Slaw with Lime and Cilantro

{mustard glazed chinese cabbage}[gluten-free]

Method:

Easy Chinese Cabbage Soup

Chinese Cabbage & Fennel Salad

Box 3 June 17th

1st box Monday June 3rd

Rhubarb Crisp

Rhubarb Filling

Crisp Topping

Winter Storage Box

Autumn Harvest Bounty Box

Box 20 LAST BOX PICK UP

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