Week #10, July 20 2017

Farm News

It has been a very wet week for us, as for most of you.  We did not suffer damage in the thunderstorms and hope you didn’t either.  All our fields are wet so we’ve had to grab opportunities between storms to do our field work.  What else can we do??  We have to be ready for any window that opens.  A big concern with wet weather is disease.  If the weather dries for a few days, things will be fine.  If it keeps raining, we’re sure to see diseases developing.  Let’s hope for the best.  Beth

Maggie and others weed Brussels sprouts.  First harvest isn’t until October but we must keep them weeded.  The woman of mystery is Charlotte in her mosquito net shirt.

Here’s a job we can do when the fields are wet.  Charlotte and Kristen transplant ginger into our smallest greenhouse.  The ginger will also be ready to harvest in October.  This little house is one of my favorite places on the farm.  It’s small but tight enough to grow spinach for our family in winter.  

For the most part, our crops love the heat and moisture.  This is our sweet potato field, photographed three days apart.  Three days!

What does ‘OR’ mean?

Often our Veggie List includes something like “globe eggplant OR cherry tomatoes, etc.”  Sometimes our crops ripen in fits and starts, eg. eggplant and the first harvest of almost any crop. When there are small amounts, we split them up among the sites. We make sure that all boxes at a site are uniform.  That lets us deliver cherry tomatoes in future to the people who received eggplant this week, and vice versa.

When our list says “xxx OR yyy” please do not open CSA boxes searching for your preference. All the boxes at your site are the same. Take your box off the top of the stack. When you open other members’ boxes, their produce warms up. No one wants that. Thank you for your help.

I will be away next week, leaving July 22.

I am taking our teenagers to visit family. Please limit communication with us until Sunday 7/30/17.  Steve is staying home to take care of everything.  If there’s an urgent issue, call or send an email and Steve will help you.  However, he already has a lot on his plate.  I will check in remotely when possible.  Thank you!  Beth

Veggie List and Veggie Notes
(Week #10; July 20/21, 2017; green EOW)

Caraflex cabbage
Swiss chard, 1 bunch
Carrots, 2 lb
Green bell &/or green frying peppers, ~4
Zucchini & summer squash, ~2 lb
Cucumber, 1
Walla Walla onion, 1 large
Flat parsley, 1 bunch

We have small amounts of several new crops, and your site might get one of these:
Broccoli OR cherry tomatoes OR globe eggplant OR a slicing tomato OR an extra cucumber.  

Next week’s box will probably contain sweet corn, some kind of greens, carrots (unless it rains too much!), peppers, zucchini & summer squash, cucumbers, onion and more.

Carrots – The first carrot harvest!  Refrigerate.  We bagged these soon after washing (without much time to drain) so you might need to swap your carrots into a drier bag.  Use your judgement.
Green peppers (sweet) – You’ll get green bell peppers (blocky) and/or a green frying pepper (long, slender).  Both types are sweet.  Frying peppers have lower moisture which makes them particularly suited to frying.  Other than frying, the two types can be used interchangeably in recipes.  A lot of the bell peppers this week happen to be small.  They’ll reach a more typical size soon.

RECIPES

Visit our Recipe Log, a list of all our 2017 recipes. Check June 29 for other cabbage and Swiss chard recipes.

RECIPES FROM LOCAL THYME

Comforting Classics
Seared Cabbage Persillade
Provençal Chard and Zucchini Omelet
Zucchini Parmesan
Bean and Cabbage Soup a Le Marche

Outside the Box Recipes
Parsley Salad
Swiss Chard Carrot Juice
Chocolate and Zucchini Cake 
Braised Cabbage with Prosciutto di Parma

Quick and Easy Meal
Laotian Charred Beef on a Bed of Cabbage

RECIPES FROM LAUREN

ALMOND-CRUSTED TROUT WITH RAINBOW CHARD & GRITS
Adapted from Bon Appetit
This recipe is adapted from a Bon Appetit favorite. The grits are tasty with any number of veggies thrown in. If you happen to have some garlic or jalapenos laying around, feel free to toss that in as well.
Now trust me when I tell you that the grits and chard are super simple to make. The only thing that makes this recipe tricky is the trout so I want you to know I am telling you right now, I won’t be offended if you skip the trout entirely. I also won’t be sad if you buy store bought ground almonds so you don’t have to grind them yourselves or if you skip the almonds altogether. It’s a fun recipe to make to completion if you have the extra 15 minutes to make the fish, but if you don’t, plain ol’ baked fish (any baked fish) will work just fine.  Lauren.

Serves 4-6
Takes 50 minutes

2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch chard, ribs removed and sliced, leaves torn, divided
1/2 Walla Walla onion, diced
1 green pepper, bell or fryer will both work fine, diced
2 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 cup grits (not instant) or cornmeal
2 cups water
2 cups whole milk (or substitute more water if you prefer)
1 cup whole, skin-on almonds (see note above)
1 large egg
1 pound trout filets, skin on (preferably rainbow trout from a fish market you trust)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup minced parsley

1. Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add chard stems, onion and pepper along with 1-1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Reduce heat to medium low and saute for 10 minutes until very fragrant.
2. Add grits, water and milk. Bring to a very gentle boil, reduce heat to medium low and gently simmer, whisking every couple minutes for 20-25 minutes until all liquid has been absorbed.
3. Puree almonds in a food processor until texture of course breadcrumbs. Place in a shallow dish and season with 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
4. In a second shallow dish, whisk egg. Going filet by filet, dip skin side of filet into egg and then into almonds pressing down gently so almonds adhere. Place each filet on a plate (skin side up) and sprinkle with additional salt and pepper.
5. In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add filets, almond side down, to the pan (as many as fit without crowding (for me it was just one at a time). Press it down so things brown evenly. Cook for three minutes, flip and cook on the other side for an additional two minutes. Repeat with remaining filets, removing any burnt bits from the pan in between batches and adding oil as necessary.
6. When fish are finished cooking but the pan is still hot (and has lingering pieces of almonds, oil and fish bits) toss in the torn chard. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Saute for 2-3 minutes until wilted.
7. Just before serving, stir parsley into the grits.
8. Serve grits in a bowl with sauted chard and fish.

.
PICKLED CABBAGE SALAD
Borrowed from the incredible Smitten Kitchen
This is a Smitten Kitchen masterpiece just as simple to make as it is to eat. I’ve simplified it a bit but largely kept her original recipe. The marriage of cabbage, carrots and cucumbers is a match made in heaven. I’ve also had cabbage salads with red cabbage, cauliflower or pepper so feel free to toss any of these in the mix if you have them lying around.
As for how to eat this, it may be pickled (and perfect on top of some fried fish tacos) but this is no side dish. I love to just eat a big bowl of it for lunch. Light, bright and crunchy, it won’t way you down. It’s also great on the side of rich dishes or as a topping for grain bowls. The possibilities are endless for this yummy salad. Hope you enjoy!  Lauren.

Makes 5-6 cups
Takes 20 minutes (mostly chopping) + at least one hour to rest in the pickling liquid

Brine:
1-1/2 cups white vinegar
1-1/2 cups water
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
2 tablespoons Kosher salt

Salad:
1 head Caraflex cabbage, cored and shredded
2-3 carrots, peel and thinly slice or julienne
1 cucumber, quartered and sliced

1. Combine all brine ingredients in a large measuring cup or medium bowl. Whisk so sugar is well-combined. Whisk a few times if sugar and salt are not coming together.
2. Add cabbage, carrots and cucumber to a large bowl. Pour brine over vegetables, toss to combine and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for at least 1 hour (and up to 1 week). The longer it sits, the more pickled it becomes.
3. Eat on its own or with everything!

.