Cooler Complete

Hey, no updates for a while?
Yep.  I was working late nights to finish this:

The walk-in cooler is working!  The vast majority of the work is done.  It even looks mostly like my sketchup model...  Just a little cleanup needed.  And I need to dye my hair to match Mr. Clean White Shirt. (clearly not a farmer)

This is the heart and soul of the cooler.  The CoolBot, and air conditioner.  (I'm voting for the CoolBot with the soul, and the AC unit as heart, but I'm open to suggestion.)

The CoolBot tells the air conditioner to run, even when it is below 60 inside.  So, temperatures can get into refrigerator territory with just a standard air conditioner.  Never mind the oozy foam and dangly wires.  I'll pretty those up too before I write a full build report.

I inaugurated the walk-in with my cooler of eggs and cucumbers.  It looks a little lonely there now, but potatoes and CSA boxes will soon take up residence.

To think, just two nights ago I was finishing the roof...

...And then realized I could not get down.  Thank goodness for nearby trees for shimmying.  (and not having to go up on the roof for a while)

Meanwhile, out on the farm.  Weeds are creeping in.  I've been spending too much time building and not enough time weeding.  Rob!  Where for art thou? (He's been on vacation, but back soon!)

I did get more storage onions out of the ground. (These are the big ones!)  They're curing in the hoophouse now under a few layers of row cover.

The cayenne peppers are ready now too.  Wow, my tongue is burning just looking at that thing.  They'll be dried to use for red pepper flakes.

And the chicks are still doing their chick thing.  The once broody hens are ready to get out of there!

The dad is a Buff Orpington, so we are thinking that the one on the left came from a Buff hen, or a RI Red hen, and the one on the right could be from one of the Australorps, or Gold Laced Wyandotte.  I have to review Storey's guide to see which are sex-linked trait.  Nice critters. 

Whatcha Eatin?

We've been making lots of tomato sauce and salsa recently.  Those tomatoes just disappear if you chop them up with jalapenos, white onion and cilantro. Oh, and a bag of chips.

Leeks!  They're in the box this past week.  They're a bit milder than onions, great in soups and on the grill. But they don't caramelize like onions, so don't fry them.  Potato Leek Soup is a classic, and there are plenty of others.  Store these puppies in the fridge in a plastic bag.  If you forget about them and they start to look funky, just peel off the outer layers till you get back to the beautiful white and green portions.  When preparing Leeks, just slice off the last bit of roots, and then up a the top where the leaves start separating from the tight part of the stalk.  The lighter part is most tender for grilling, but all of it is good in soup.  You may notice that our leeks are almost comically long, I'm not exactly sure how that happened, but I'm doing some research on it.

Grilled Leeks
(from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison)

Slice trimmed leeks in half lengthwise and rinse well.  Steam them, cut side down, until barely tender, then brush with olive oil and season with salt.  Grill on both sides until light grill marks appear, turning as necessary.  Serve with extra virgin olive oil mixed with finely chopped parsley or chervil spooned over the leeks.  Mustard Vinaigrette on the side.




Crispy Kale Salad with Lime Dressing

This lovely number is from one of our CSA members.  Can't wait to try it!

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/09/crispy-kale-salad-with-lime-dressing#ixzz25Z54gYjw

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons (packed) palm sugar or light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 red Thai chile or 1/4 red jalapeño, seeded, thinly sliced
• 24 small Tuscan kale leaves (about 5 inches) or 5-inch-long pieces torn from large stemmed leaves
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups (loosely packed) mixed tender herbs (such as cilantro, mint, and basil)
• 3 cups mixed shaved vegetables (such as carrots, beets, and radishes)
• 2 cups pea tendrils, watercress, or baby arugula
• 2 cups thinly sliced stemmed Tuscan kale leaves (from 1 bunch)
• 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber

• Ingredient Info:

  Fish sauce is available at Asian markets and in the Asian foods section of most supermarkets. Find Tuscan kale, also called black kale, Lacinato kale, or cavolo nero, at farmers' markets and some supermarkets.  (Blue Bell generally has a variety of Siberian kale in its mix which works similar to Lacinato)
  
  

Preparation

• Microwave sugar and 2 Tbsp. water on high in a medium microwave-safe bowl until sugar is dissolved, about 30 seconds. Let cool. Whisk in next 4 ingredients for dressing. Set aside.
• Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 250°. Brush tops of kale leaves with oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on 2 large baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets top to bottom halfway through, until kale is crisp, about 30 minutes. Transfer leaves from baking sheets to a wire rack; let cool.
• Mix herbs and remaining 4 ingredients with 6 Tbsp. dressing in a large bowl. Divide salad among plates; top with crispy kale leaves and drizzle remaining dressing over.