Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA Extension

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

I extended my Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA though the winter season, and it’s been a pleasure. I decided to split my usual full share with friends because I just can’t get through that many root vegetables and asian greens in a week! Though I only photographed what I took from the share, I’ve listed the entire full share below.

1 green cabbage – certified organic – Green Acres Organics

1 bag Beauregard sweet potatoes – certified organic – Busy Bee Acres – 3 lbs
2 red kabocha squash – certified organic – Elm Tree Organics
1 bunch scarlet turnips – certified organic – Maple Lawn Organics
1 bunch chard – certified organic – Organic Willow Acres
1 bag Detroit red beets – certified organic – Autumn Blend Organics – 2.5 lbs
1 bag parsnips – certified organic – Elm Tree Organics – 2 lbs
1 bag spinach – certified organic – Riverview Organics
2 heads baby bok choy – certified organic – Scarecrow Hill Farm
1 bunch tatsoi – certified organic – Hillside Organics
1 bunch broccoli raab – certified organic – Riverview Organics

What to do with Radicchio?

Saturday, November 07, 2009

Yet again, my CSA surprised with a green that I’m mostly unfamiliar with. What to do? I searched through cookbooks, found a few things that looked good but weren’t quite right (usually because I didn’t have all the ingredients in the house) and ended up making my own recipe. Sliced and wilted raddichio with garlic and olive oil, tossed with cooked pearl barley and sun-dried tomatoes, splashed with red wine, and sprinkled with parmesan. Served with a side of coriander carnival acorn sauce. A great hearty meal full of good vegetables and grains. I only wish I would have remembered my red carrots in the fridge, and added a side of those for more color!

CSA Report:  Blooming Glen Farm

Thursday, November 05, 2009

(Click photo to read notes at flick’r regarding names/quantities of share.)

This is it—Blooming Glen Farm’s season grand finale!  The farmers had some nice surprises for us, including purple and romanesco cauliflower and the return of Swiss Chard.  It’s hard to believe 24 weeks have passed by and oh boy, am I going to miss the readily available, fresh, local, nutritious produce bursting from my kitchen. 

Thanks for another great season, Blooming Glen farmers! 

last Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA of the season

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

I can’t believe that it’s already the end of the CSA season. I just couldn’t think about Fall without my weekly vegetables, so I extended the CSA through early December. I received so much wonderful and exciting and beautiful produce this week, I wish that I was going to be home more to cook it! I couldn’t help but eat the lettuce mix before I took the photo.

1 bag Jewel sweet potatoes – certified organic – White Swan Acres – 3 lbs
3 carnival acorn squash – certified organic – Elm Tree Organics
1 bunch sparkler radishes – certified organic – Maple Lawn Organics
1 green bell pepper – certified organic – Bellview Organics
1 bag yummy peppers – certified organic – Farmdale Organics
1 bunch sweet Hakurai turnips – certified organic – Goshen View Organics
2 head green or red radicchio – certified organic – Bellview Organics
1 bunch tatsoi (Japanese spinach) – certified organic – Hillside Organics
1 lg head boc choi – certified organic – Scarecrow Hill Farm
1 head green leaf lettuce – certified organic – Back 40 Ranch
1 bag lettuce mix – certified organic – Farmdale Organics - .5 lbs

Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA

Thursday, October 29, 2009

I can’t believe that it is almost the end of this year’s CSA. I’ve been so impressed with Lancaster Farm Fresh, and had so much fun learning to cook with new vegetables, that I’ve decided to extend my CSA through the winter months. Expect more photos of root vegetables, squash, and greens to come!

This week I received:

1 bag Jewel sweet potatoes – certified organic – Autumn Blend Organics – 3 lbs

2 spaghetti squash – certified organic – Elm Tree Organics

4 yellow storage onions – certified organic – Green Acres Organics

3 daikon radishes – certified organic – Elm Tree Organics

3 poblano peppers – certified organic – Farmdale Organics

1 head radicchio – certified organic – Bellview Organics

1 bunch tatsoi – certified organic – Hillside Organics

1 bunch green kale – certified organic – Goshen View Organics

1 head red Romaine lettuce – certified organics – Misty Meadow Organics

1 bag mustard greens – certified organic – Green Valley Organics - .25 lbs

I actually traded in the tatsoi (which I just can’t seem to like) for three extra peppers, then forgot them on my site host’s porch. Oh no!

CSA Report:  Blooming Glen Farm

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

(Click photo to read notes at flick’r regarding names/quantities of share.)

Another Long Island Cheese pumpkin this week—how fun!  Fennel, leeks and bok choy are back, and the cauliflower and radicchio are new.  It was rainy and chilly, so no pick-your-owns at Blooming Glen Farm this week, but, as you can see, we still made our like bandits

CSA Report:  Blooming Glen Farm

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

(Click photo to read notes at flick’r regarding names/quantities of share.)

I can’t believe it’s the third week of October and we’re still picking up such a beautiful share from Blooming Glen Farm.  There are four kinds of greens (lettuce, kale, collards, arugula), two types of radishes (French breakfast and watermelon), red and yellow onions—and we’re still harvesting pick-your-own herbs!  As a testament to the bounty, family dinner (for ten) at my house this Sunday was made almost entirely of the farm’s produce:  Root Vegetable and Barley Soup (with celeriac, turnips, carrots, potatoes, onion and garlic), and Curry Butternut Squash Soup.  We served ten people and still had leftovers for lunch.  With this much variety still coming in, it’s hard to believe that in just a couple weeks, our visits to the farm will be over for the season.

CA Report:  Blooming Glen Farm

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

(Click photo to read notes at flick’r regarding names/quantities of share.)

I’m so grateful for the continued variety Blooming Glen Farm is still able to offer this time of year.  Sweet squash and potatoes, spicy arugula and radishes, crunchy cabbage and rutabaga and, of course, savory herbs and onions.  Though I must admit, my heart broke just a little bit when I didn’t see the vibrant Swiss chard, kale and collards waiting for me this week.  Sniff, sniff.  My breakfasts just won’t be the same!

CSA Report: Lancaster Farm Fresh

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The fall crops are in - and boy are they full of greens! I’m using the peppers, kale, and onions tonight in a chili casserole, and will use the lettuce and radishes in a salad to accompany it! I’m also so excited about squash! I can’t wait to make soups. Alongside my regular vegetable share, I also ordered some garlic and chive cheddar, a dozen eggs, yogurt and a gallon of cider with has plans to heat itself up and marry some whiskey.

1 green kabocha squash – certified organic – Orchard View Organics

4 yellow storage onions – transitional – Green Acres Organics

1 bunch sparkler radishes – certified organic – Maple Lawn Farm

1 Italian eggplant – certified organic – Farmdale Organics

1 head broccoli – certified organic – Pleasant Valley Organics

2 yellow bell peppers – certified organic – Bellview Organics

1 bunch green kale – certified organic – Goshen View Organics

1 bunch tatsoi (Vitamin Green) – certified organic – Hillside Organics

1 bag sylvetta arugula – certified organic – Farmdale Organics - .5 lbs

1 head green leaf lettuce – certified organic – Misty Meadow Farm

CSA Report:  Blooming Glen Farm

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

(Click photo to read notes at flick’r regarding names/quantities of share.)

Well look at that—a Long Island Cheese Pumpkin.  Those farmers at Blooming Glen Farm seem to always have a surprise for us!  I have no idea what te future has in store for that pumpkin, but it’ll have to wait, as my kitchen is chock-full of wonderful, vitamin-rich, hearty and delicious root vegetables right now.  Here’s my go-to recipe for celeriac, rutabaga, carrots, parsnips, etc.:

Root Stew with Barley

3 tbs olive oil
2 onions, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup pearled barley
4 cups vegetable stock
4 - 6 cups of scrubbed, but unpeeled* diced root veggies
1/2 - 1 cup of chopped fresh herbs (dill works well, but any one or two will work)

*Except the celeriac. Go ahead and peel those gnarly, dirty bad boys. Most of the nutrients in root vegetables live close to the surface; by peeling them you’ll inadvertently loose the good stuff.

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened (about five minutes). Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Stir in barley and vegetable stock. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low, skim off any froth, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add root veggies.  Cover and simmer 20 to 25 minutes more, or until barley and vegetables are tender. Just before serving, stir in herbs. Salt and pepper to taste

So delicious and easy!

CSA Report:  Blooming Glen Farm

Thursday, October 01, 2009

(Click photo to read notes at flick’r regarding names/quantities of share.)

The Blooming Glen farmers surprised us with raspberries this week!  The crop is not yet mature enough to provide for CSA members, but they opened the bushes for gleaning.  I happily braved the wind and mud for a healthy handful of these sweet red berries.  Also new this week were sweet potatoes and celeriac, and the return of lettuce and cabbage. 

Generally, I’ve shied away from tomatillos.  They look neat, but other than salsa, I never knew what to do with them.  However, since trying the Tomatillo Soup with White Beans and Jalapeño recipe over the weekend, I was more than happy to take more tomatillos and hot peppers this week.  The soup is absolutely fantastic—enough so that I plan to put some up for the Winter months.

CSA Report:  Blooming Glen Farm

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

(Click photo to read notes at flick’r regarding names/quantities of share.)

I’ve been so happy to find my favorite salad green, arugula, at Blooming Glen Farm over the past two weeks.  We’re still picking herbs and flowers, and radishes made a reappearance this week.

That beautiful Cinderella squash and those tomatillos are going to become soups for a family dinner this Sunday night.

Cinderella Pumpkin Soup with Apples and Sage Oil
(From Whole Food Whole Family)
Ingredients
1 leek, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
about 1/3 of a large Cinderella pumpkin (or other variety), peeled and diced
4 apples, preferably Winesap or another sweet-tart variety, diced
enough vegetable broth or water to barely cover
2 T. maple syrup
1 T. cumin
2 t. coriander
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. crushed red pepper
1/4 c. chives, minced for garnish
Sage oil:
3 T. olive oil
large handful of sage leaves, stripped from the stem

Directions
1. Heat 1 T. oil in a soup pot and add the leek and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened, stirring regularly.
2. Add the squash and apples. Add broth to within an inch of the squash and apples. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the squash is very soft.
3. Stir in the spices and maple syrup and turn off the heat under the soup.
4. Heat the oil at a low temperature in a small pan. Add the sage leaves and infuse them for about 1 minute, until the have released their flavor and scent into the oil. Turn off the heat and allow the sage to continue infusing while the rest of the soup is prepared.
5. Transfer the soup in batches to a blender and process until smooth.
6. Return the soup to the pot and season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Strain out the leaves from the oil.
8. Serve the soup drizzled with sage oil and sprinkled with chives.

Tomatillo Soup
(From Vegan Diva)
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large onion, sliced thin
4 jalapeno peppers, sliced in thin rounds (use less for a milder soup)
2 heaping teaspoons ground cumin
1 heaping teaspoon ground coriander
Green Tabasco Sauce to taste
1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cans chopped green chiles, drained
1 cup water
2 15-oz. cans Cannelli Beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions
1. Heat oil over medium heat in a 10-inch skillet. Add garlic, onion, jalapenos, cumin, and coriander. Cook, stirring often until onions are lightly golden, about 7 – 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in 5- to 6-quart pot, combine tomatillos, sea salt, sugar, vegetable broth, green chilies, Green Tabasco sauce, and water. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the onion mixture and cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Stir in beans and cilantro until beans are heated through.

Served with fresh bread from our local bakery, Bakers on Broad, and a green salad, I think our taste buds and belies will be satisfied!

CSA Report:  Blooming Glen Farm

Thursday, September 17, 2009

(Click photo to read notes at flick’r regarding names/quantities of share.)

The Blooming Glen Farm farmers gifted us with green tomatoes, tomatillos, arugula and butternut squash this week.  More potatoes, onions, peppers, garlic and greens were also waiting for us.  The weather may be cooling down, but we still had fresh herbs to pick, and even managed to put together a wild flower bouquet.

I’m excited to make a batch of Nanny’s (our farmer Tricia’s grandmother) green tomato relish with those tomatoes.  I’ve used this recipe for the last couple years and just love it. The quantities are to produce a big batch for canning (about 10 to 12 pint jars), so adjust as needed.

Nanny’s Green Tomato Relish

Put through chopper (or chop by hand), and drain:
1 peck green tomatoes (roughly 20apple size)
6 large onions
6 green peppers
6 red peppers

Make syrup:
3/4 pint sugar
2 pints vinegar
1 T whole cloves, in cloth or tea ball
1 stick cinnamon
Boil about 20 minutes, until sugar is dissolved, remove cinnamon stick and cloves.

In a big pot, pour syrup over over relish and add:
1 T Salt
1 T celery seed
1 T mustard seed
Boil 15 minutes, then process in boiling water canner for 15 minutes.

It’s always a treat to open a can of this sweet, crunchy and colorful relish in the dark days of winter!

CSA Report: Blooming Glen Farm

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

(Click photo to read notes at flick’r regarding names/quantities of share.)

It’s Winter squash season at Blooming Glen Farm—how lovely!  Winter squash is one of my very favorite kitchen staples, due to its versatility and the fact that each set of taste buds in the house enjoys the flavor.  The recipe below utilizes not only the season’s squash, but also many of the other inclusions of this week’s share:  onions, garlic, carrot, eggplant, pepper and oregano.  Many of us most likely still have a zucchini and tomato or two rolling around the kitchen

Moroccan Butternut Stew
From Grant Family Farms

1/3 cup olive oil
2 diced onions
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tbsp ground cumin
1tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp cayenne
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp paprika
2 sliced carrots
1 cubed butternut
1 cubed eggplant
1 sliced green pepper
3 sliced zucchini
2 chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
pinch saffron
1/2 cup raisins or currants
fresh oregano (for garnish)

In a stew pot, heat olive oil and sauté diced onions, minced garlic cloves, ground cumin, turmeric, cayenne,cinnamon and tablespoon paprika. Add, in order, after each ingredient has begun to soften -carrots, butternut, eggplant, green pepper, zucchini and tomatoes. Stir garbanzo beans, saffron and currants/raisins. Simmer until all veggies are tender. If dry, add stock or tomato juice. Garnish with fresh oregano. Serves 4

The recipe calls for butternut, but any Winter squash can be substituted.  For the more delicate palette, the spiciness of this recipe is easily calmed by lessening the cayenne, substituting with a less hot spice or simply removing it completely. 

CSA Report: Blooming Glen Farm

Thursday, September 03, 2009

(Click photo to read notes at flick’r regarding names/quantities of share.)

What a gorgeous day at Blooming Glen Farm!  New this week were leeks, sunshine squash and fennel, and I was happy to see that the garlic, onions and peppers are still coming.

Once a week at my job, a staff member takes a turn preparing lunch for the rest of the crew.  It’s a bit of a tradition, to the point that it has a specific name: Fun Lunch®.  And although the Registered Trademark isn’t actually registered, we’re all quite serious about it.  This week was my turn, and I couldn’t help but smile when, as preparing the feast, I realized that much of the meal was of Blooming Glen stock.  I served a tomato pie extravaganza featuring seven pies.  I doctored up Muir Glen tomato sauce with chopped onions, kale, and fresh basil, spices and garlic, and let it sit overnight. Today I reheated then slathered it on Rustic Crust pizza crusts (Tuscan 6-grain, if you care):

Tomato Pie EXTRAVAGANZA!
1. corn, orange tangy cherry tomato, shallot
2. tomato, smoked tempeh, chopped kale… Read More
3. mushroom
4. pepper, onion, tempeh sausage
5. zucchini,eggplant
6. eggplant, zucchini, onion
7. pepper, onion, tempeh sausage, smoked tempeh, tomato, cherry tomato

They were set on the table with a fresh green salad of Romaine lettuce, purple, green and red peppers, corn, Summer squash and citrus-y, mini edible marigolds.  Dessert was vanilla soy ice cream, topped with fresh, diced peaches, almond slices and Peace Valley Lavender Farm honey.

All told, what veggies, fruit and herbs were not from Blooming Glen, were procured from a local market (Bolton’s in Silverdale) and my own garden. 

And it strikes me now how effortless eating local has become.  Those small baby steps I began taking just a few years ago, by planting a garden and joining a CSA, have become an every day way of life. 

This week, when considering what I would serve my coworkers, rather than scoping out cookbooks, I simply turned to my kitchen and let its contents lead the way.  I say this now because, when I first became interested in “eating local,” it seemed such a monumental task.  Really, it’s been about very small changes; crowding out the un-local with the local, easing up on the 100%-or-nothing attitude (hence, then canned tomato sauce and packaged pizza crusts), until eventually… there seemed to be no other Fun Lunch® possibility than one completely infused with the tasty vegetables and fruits of my neighbors. 

I still rely on on those baby steps and hope others find the notion of “a little is better than none” a bit encouraging, too. Bon appétit!