FALL CSA Harvest Week 3: Frost?
Waxed veggie BOXES: Please return the waxed veggie boxes that
your veggies come in. Simply trade us an empty box for a full box each
week.
Where’s the frost? What is so important about frost?
Our frost date in our area is October 15th. What’s a frost date? Our frost date is when it is 90% chance that
there will be a frost. It certainly has
not happened yet, and it is not forecast to frost until October 25th.
Frost kills all cold sensitive plants like marigolds, tomatoes, peppers,
zinnias, and eggplants. Many times we
will get a killing frost (which kills sensitive plants and will slightly damage
others) but then we will get several weeks without more heavy killing
frosts. That’s when we gardeners get a
little more time without much frost damage to lettuce, arugula, radishes,
beets, and carrots.
How do keep our plants
growing into the early winter? (lettuce, arugula, radishes, beets, carrots,
kale, Swiss chard, collards)
We place metal pipe or wire “U-shaped” hoops into the ground. Then we cover this miniature little structure
with fabric (known as row cover or by the brand name ReeMay) and weigh it down
with sandbags. With the first few
frosts, the fabric can protect the plant from freezing. Once the weather really cools down, the
fabric prevents the plants from drying out in the wind or from freezing very
quickly or thawing very quickly. We want
the freeze/thaw process to be very gradual to prevent plant tissue damage. See another description of row covers
here. http://www.southernexposure.com/garden-blanket-reemay-floating-row-cover-50-ft-p-561.html
Let us know if you questions or comments about
your veggies!
Store
your greens and head lettuce in plastic bags in your crisper drawer to
keep them hydrated and fresh. Washing veggies:
We’ve got wonderfully fresh vegetables for you. Just remember to rinse or
soak your veggies before preparing or cooking. I have a large bowl that I
fill with cold water to soak and swish veggies around it before cutting them up
or spinning the salad greens dry. I also have an awesome little salad spinner
that stays full in the fridge with my washed baby lettuce and arugula mix. (My
salad spinner has a solid top and body like a Tupperware container.)
Farm Fresh Harvest
Broccoli- Large heads of garden fresh
broccoli. Will keep in a plastic bag for 1 week, but use by
Friday night for an amazing flavor that is garden fresh!
“Salanova” Lettuce mix- This gourmet mix of 6 different types of leaves
has great flavor and texture. The plants are actually a special type of
miniature head lettuce that grows to a small lettuce “ball” that is about 6x6
inches in size.
Arugula- Pair it with sweet dried cranberries, honey
mustard dressing, and toasted walnuts. For those of you who think
it a little too spicy raw, try this. Make an arugula pesto with walnuts.
Check out this blog post!http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/arugula_pesto/
Bell peppers- Crunchy
and Sweet! The
plants are slowing down with the cooler weather, and we will pick all of the
peppers right before a frost.
Tomatoes- Still tomatoes? Yep, no frost yet and our plants
are healthy under their high tunnel/hoophouse.
The structure does not protect against cold weather, just rain and
fungal damage, so we will pick every single tomato out there just before a
frost is predicted. We will even pick green tomatoes- they sauté up and kind of
taste like squash. The green tomatoes
are even better fried!
Rainbow Swiss Chard- You must try the Swiss Chard quiche! See recipe below in recipe section.
Try sautéing onions,
garlic and olive oil for a few minutes until done. Then add chopped pieces of this delicate
green Swiss Chard leaves and sauté for just a few minutes until the leaves turn
a bright green…Not a dark green. You can cook the stems- if you’ve never
tried Swiss Chard, try cooking it with the leaves the first time for a more
mild flavor. The next time, dice about
half of the stems and sauté them with the onions, and then add the chopped
greens.
Watermelon Radish- This hard, crunchy
root has a bright red interior which gives it its name. Make thin slices and then chop in small
triangular pieces for a pretty addition to salads. I like to add a bit of salt and olive oil to
the chopped pieces and let them marinate for 5-15 minutes before adding to the
salad. The watermelon radish takes a
long time to grow- almost 2 months, compared to 3 weeks for smaller
radishes. During this long growing time,
the radish is able to grow into a dense crisp root.
Recipes
Classic Tangy Vinaigrette
Check out this recipe for an easy to make Classic
Tangy Vinaigrette. One of our standard
favorites!
Quiche with Greens
This is a favorite
recipe that goes great with a nice salad.
Or you can eat it cold at work the next day. We always take this quiche to potlucks!
Quiche with Fall Greens
|
Quiche is one of my favorite
recipes to highlight the flavors of fresh eggs and greens. It is
also easy, relatively quick, and delicious. This recipe is adapted
from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. You can also cook it without the crust or substitute
a store made pie dough for the shell.
Crust:
Tart Pastry (one nine-inch tart)
This well-balanced, basic recipe
produces a firm, crisp crust with the taste of butter. You can
sweeten it slightly, if you wish, by adding 1 ½ tablespoons of sugar to the
flour. The tart pastry will not get tough if you handle it a lot
and you can mix it in a food processor.
1
cup flour
¼
teaspoon salt
¼
pound cold butter, in small pieces
1
egg yolk (save the white for the quiche)
2
tablespoons ice water
Mix
the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in the butter with your fingers
or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal or tiny
peas. Whisk the egg yolk and water together in another bowl, add
the flower mixture, and blend until the pastry is smooth and holds together
in a ball. It can be mixed in a food processor; process first the
flour, salt, and butter quickly together, then add the egg yolk and water
through the funnel and process until the dough balls up around the
blade.
Pat
the dough into a pie pan or springform with your hands. Pull
pieces of the dough from the ball and press them over the bottom and sides of
the pan, using the heel of your hand. The dough should be thick
enough to hold the filling, but be careful that it is not too thick around
the bottom edge or the finished tart will seem coarse.
Prick
the bottom with a fork and bak2e it unfilled for 12 minutes in a preheated
425 F oven. If you used a springform pan, do not remove the sides
until you serve the tart.
Fresh
Greens and Onion Quiche
(Serves
six)
½
pound fresh greens (spinach, chard, stir-fry mix, radish greens, or any other
fresh cooking green you have on hand)
4
eggs
1
egg white from tart pastry
2
cups light cream or milk (if you use milk whole milk works best although I
have made it with 2%)
½
tsp salt
Pinch
of cayenne pepper
1
¼ cups grated swiss, cheddar or other hard cheese
1
partially baked Tart Pastry from the first recipe
Preheat
the oven to 425 F.
Dice
onion and sauté in olive oil or butter. While the onions are
cooking wash and chop greens. When the onion is almost done (when
it starts to turn transparent) add the greens and put a lid on the pan to
help it steam. Cook the greens until they are soft.
Sprinkle
½ of the cheese over the bottom of the tart shell. Place the
onions and greens into the tart shell. Combine the eggs, egg
white, cream (or milk), salt, and spices in a bowl and beat
thoroughly. Ladle the mixture over the greens and
onions. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over the top of the
egg mixture.
Bake
for 15 minutes at 425 F; then lower the heat to 350 F and bake for 30 minutes
more, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve
in wedges hot or cold.
|
Roasted
Broccoli Recipe
Prep time: 5
minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 3-4 as a side dish.
The
measurements are just a guideline. Add more or less olive oil, lemon juice,
salt, pepper, or cheese to taste.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into
florets
- 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
- Juice from half a lemon, about
1 Tbsp
- Kosher salt
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese,
or to taste
METHOD
1 Preheat the oven to 400. In a large bowl
toss the broccoli florets, chopped stems, and minced garlic with olive oil and
lemon juice until lightly coated. Sprinkle salt over the broccoli and toss to
coat.
2 Arrange the broccoli florets in a single
layer on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Cover tightly with
aluminum foil. Roast for 20 minutes. Then uncover and cook until
done to your liking.
3 Put the roasted broccoli back in the bowl
and toss with lots of freshly ground black pepper and the grated parmesan
cheese.
Serve immediately.
Late
Summer Bruschetta
(from From
Asparagus to Zucchini: A guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce)
2-3
large tomatoes
1
crunchy sweet pepper
1
medium sweet onion
2-3
cloves garlic, minced
Olive
oil
Small
handful fresh basil, chopped (optional)
Crusty
bread (like baguette)
Shredded
mozzarella or grated parmesan (optional)
Chop
the vegetables into a midsize dice. Combine with garlic 1-2 tablespoons
olive oil, and optional basil. Slice baguette down the middle and lay the
two sides cut side up. Brush with additional 1-2 tablespoons oil and
sprinkle on cheese, if using. Broil bread for several minutes until bread
or cheese browns a bit. Top the sections (you may cut them smaller, if
desired) with some of the vegetable mixture. Makes 4 servings
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