Chickens in the Mist

With a nod to Gary Larson, oh and I suppose Jane Goodall.  I give you chickens in the mist:

Yep, foggy week.  Hot, and humid.

The hoophouse, a bed of kale, chard, a line of weeds, and tomatoes

We pulled the last of the garlic out this week.  And there is a beautiful row of basil there.  Basil next to garlic?  They've been scheming up pesto all season.

Meanwhile in the chicken coop.  The cute little chicks have reached an awkward adolescent stage.  Some feathers are coming in, others are falling out.  Some try to fly, others are still hiding under the food dish.

Whatcha Eatin?

If you still have some cabbage lurking around from last week, (we did!) this is awesome.  It comes from Madhur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy Indian Cooking.

Stir-Fried Green Cabbage with Fennel Seeds
[Bhuni bandh gobi]

The cabbage and onions get nicely browned and taste gloriously of fennel.  You could easily serve this with western-style sausages, ham, pork chops, or other roast meats.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs green cabbage (half a large head)
1-2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 medium large onion, peeled and cut lengthwise into fine half rings
1 teaspoon salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garam masala (I learned this looks like cinnamon...)

Remove coarse outer leaves of the cabbage.  Cut cabbage into long fine shreds.  A bread knife works great.

Put the oil in a wide, preferably non-stick pan, and set over medium high heat.  when the oil is hot, put in the cumin, fennel and sesame seeds.  As soon as the sesame seeds begin to pop, put in the onion.  Stir and fry 3-4min or until the onion has browned  bit.  Put in the cabbage.  Stir and fry for about 6 min or until the cabbage too has browned somewhat.  Now put in the salt and cayenne.  Turn down the heat to medium low and cook, stirring now and then for another 7-8min or until the onions appear caramelized and soft.  Add the lemon juice and garam masal. Stir to mix.

Serve over rice.

Caprese Salad (variation)

A cup or two diced tomatoes
Handful of minced basil leaves
2-3 cloves minced garlic
a half pound mozzarella cut into 1cm cubes
2-3 T Olive Oil
~1 T Balsamic Vinegar
Salt to taste

Mix it all up in a large bowl

Serve a dollop on bruschetta if you're feeling fancy.  Wasa crackers if you're feeling down homey.  Or just chow down with a spoon because you can't find any damn bread products.

Spaceships

So I don't have any good pictures this week.  But a satellite with a camera way above earth does.  Check out the New satellite photo of Blue Bell Farm on Google maps.  Yeah, ahem, I called in a few favors at NASA, said I wanted to see what my field looked like and they sent one right over.  Gee, thanks guys!

Satellite went over May 19th.  From left to right, the hoop house with it's sides rolled up is packed with veggies.  There's salad under the row cover right next to it.  The light strip down the middle of the field is straw covering the garlic which is just starting to pop up.  There are a few empty beds, and then it's a 2 beds of snap peas.  Then there is an empty bed, and then one of kale and broccoli under row cover.  At the edge of the field are the sage, thyme and oregano under row cover.  The chicken coops are arranged in a trio a the edge of the brushy area.  Looks like they got done eating all the grass at this point and were ready to be moved.



Whatcha Eatin?


Taco truck carnitas


After living in California for several years, I got hooked on simple, easy taco truck style tacos.  Carnitas!  Usually around $1 each, and topped up with all manner of veggies.  Preferably eaten on a dusty roadside in the blazing sun from a floppy paper plate.  Mariachi music optional.

Pile of corn tortillas
~1lb meat  (ground pork works especially well with this, but we also substitute fish, or a can of black beans)

Spices:
2 cloves garlic, minced
~1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
~1/2 teaspoon cumin
~1/4 teaspoon marjoram
~1/4 teaspoon coriander
~1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 dry chili pepper minced, or red pepper flakes

-Mix ground pork with all the spices.  Heat up a sturdy frying pan to an irresponsibly hot level.  Sear the ground pork until it gets just the slightest bit of char (go Malliard reactions!)
-Similar with fish, but be gentler, and ease up on the spices a bit.
-Can o' beans, heat in a pot with spices.

Top with:
White onion, minced
Cilantro, minced
Jalapeno, minced
Cabbage or lettuce, shredded
Fresh Lime juice squeezed over everything. (key ingredient!  sorry, can't grow em here. yet)
Bottom shelf Herdez salsa verde.

Sauerkraut

What?  Sauerkraut land is on the other side of the world from taco land?  How do you think the accordian got into mariachi music?

Anyway, if you find yourself with an excess of cabbage or hot dogs without toppings, here's a summary of how to make kraut.  Courtesty of Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz.  http://www.wildfermentation.com/


If you've never fermented anything, kraut is the gateway ferment.  Easy. Tasty.  Experiment with this and when/if the pickling cucumbers arrive you'll be ready for your own authentic fermented garlic dill pickles.


5lbs fresh cabbage
~3 Tablespoons salt
A few caraway seeds celery seeds, optional

Chop or grate cabbage, finely or coarsely, with or without hearts, however you like it.  Place cabbage in a large bowl as you chop it.  Sprinkle salt on the cabbage as you go.  The salt pulls water out of the cabbage, and makes the brine which the cabbage will ferment in without rotting.  The salt also keeps the cabbage crunchy by inhibiting organisms and enzymes that soften it.  Mix ingredients together (like a few caraway/celery seeds) and pack into a crock.  Pack just a bit into the crock and tamp it down hard using your fists or other sturdy kitchen implement.  This helps force water out of the cabbage.  Keep filling and tamping.  Cover kraut with a plate or some other lid that fists snugly inside the crock.  Place a clean weight (such as a glass jug filled with water) on the plate.  This weight is to force water out of the cabbage then keep the cabbage submerged under the brine.  Cover the whole thing with a cloth to keep dust and flies out.  Press down on the weight to add pressure to the cabbage and help force water out of it.  Press the weight down every few hours, or as often as you think of it until the brine rises above the plate.  This can take up to 24 hours.  If the brine does not raise above the plate in 24 hours, add salt water (1 Tablespoon to 1 Cup water) until the brine is above the plate.

Leave the crock to ferment on your counter at room temperature.  Check the kraut every day or two and press down the weight to remove air bubble that form during fermentation.  Make sure the kraut stays covered with brine.  Taste it every few days.  When you like the taste, put it in the fridge to slow the fermentation process.  (generally about a week or two)

Apply generously to hot dog or sausage.

Fermentation has some really cool science.  I heartily recommend getting Wild Fermentation if this sounds like a fun food project and you want to learn more.  

Oh, deer.

Hey it finally rained!  Excellent amount, not too heavy, no major washouts.  A day or two later you can really see the plants perk up.  The ram pump down in the creek was back in action and the reservoir tanks are now full.  Relief!  Running a farm with just a cistern really makes me conscious of my water usage around the farm and at home.  Watching the tap run at home, now I think "hey I could have watered 10 flats of seedlings with that water!"  or drank it... You don't miss your water till the well runs dry.  Sounds like blues song I think.

  

I had been blissfully free of herbivorous megafauna pests, until now.  The deer found my beans and a few weeks worth of head lettuce.  Blame the deer when we don't have head lettuce for a week or two.  They started in on the brussels sprouts too so I'm working on a fencing/row cover scheme to keep them out.  Or if anyone likes harvesting venison...

  

A different view from the bottom of the field.  I never seem to be at this end with my camera, unless I'm photographing deer damage.  From left to right: some weedy leeks a fine row of peppers, the pumpkin and melon vines, then the zuke, and cuke vines.  Earlier in the day I borrowed Green Spark's rototiller, so at least the paths look nice and weed free.

I stopped to admire the tendrils on a cucumber.

And the sunset!

Whatcha Eatin?

Pesto

Yeah, I know we did pesto with parsley, and garlic scapes, but pestro is really versatile stuff!  And you can freeze it in freezer jars for the long dark winter.  Also try freezing it in ice cube trays, then once frozen, pop the cubes out into a plastic bag.  Easy to thaw out just one cube, or 20 for dinner. 

Courtesy of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

1-2 garlic cloves
salt
3T pine nuts (we use walnuts b/c they are cheaper and easier to find)
3C loosely packed basil leaves, stems removed, washed, dried.
1/2 C freshly grated parmesan
2-3 T pecorino romano to taste (we never have this on hand)
2T soft butter (optional)
1/2C extra virgin olive oil.

by hand: smash the garlic with 1/2 tsp salt and the pine nuts to break them up, then add the basil leaves a handful at a time.  If you're impatient you can speed things up by tearing the leaves into smaller pieces first.  Grind them using a circular motion, until you have a fairly fine paste with very small flecks of leaves.  Briefly work in the cheese and butter, then stir in the olive oil.  Taste for salt.

in a food processor: use the same ingredients but in the following order: Process the garlic, slt and pine nuts until fairly finely chopped, then add the basil and olive oil.  When smooth add the cheeses and butter and process just to combine.

Pesto Pizza!  Cracker dip!  Pasta sauce!  If you CSA folks want a huge amount of basil just let me know.  For reference those were 0.18lb - 0.20lb bags in this past week's box.

Cucumber Salad 

see last week.  yep, still eating that.

Zucchini
This is mostly getting sliced up on salads.  But also in some stir frys.
I have been hoping to make a marinade with lots of herbs, slice the zuke the long way and grill them, but have not had access to a grill recently.

If you're feeling adventurous, check out these 75 zucchini recipes on Martha Stewart.
She recommends refrigerating zukes in a plastic bag.  I agree, but only if the fridge is not super cold!

Rain please

Remember this spring when it was raining all the time?  We could use some of that now.  The fields are downright dusty!  Fortunately, this seems to be good tomato growing weather.  Much less danger of getting those nasty late blight conditions like a few years back.  The zucchini are cranking away nicely, and it seems like every time I turn around there is another one lurking under the leaves.  Cucumbers and green beans were a pleasant surprise too.  I went to survey the field and voila!  Ready to harvest almost overnight.  The chickens seem to spend most of the mid day lazing about in the shade of the coop, and giving themselves dust baths.

  Early morning and evening they are out and about hunting for bugs in the new area of the pasture.  The paths they make through tall grass are amazing.  Not quite sure how they navigate back to the coops through the maze.

We pulled a bunch of garlic which is now drying in the hoop house.  Some will be saved for seed garlic this fall and the rest will be for eating!

Tomatoes are climbing high in the hoop house.  Never mind that one on the ground... (it actually just got trellised this evening.)

These are storage onions for the fall.  They're getting nice and fat.

Melons!  

Almost have some Jalapenos.

Here is the latest progress on the veggie cooler.  Super Rob made it possible to get those big beams on top without any scary maneuvers.  The front porch on this thing is going to be sweet.  And the veggies inside will be even sweeter.

Whatcha Eatin?

Cucumber Salad

1 cucumber, thinly sliced (Peel if skin is tough, or not if it is tender.  If you can't decide, make race tracks with the peeler and effectively peel %50 of the cuke)

Toss cucumber with
1-2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
2-3 teaspoons finely minced dill (maybe more!)
2-4 Tablespoons minced onion or scallions
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
Sprinkle with garlic salt to taste.

Chill in fridge for 20 min or so.  But beware! It might get eaten...

Cabbages and coolers

Here is how the farm looked today.  Lots of things growing.  Plenty of veggies, but also the weeds.  It's tricky to keep on top of them.

I love the way the cabbage leaves look in the sunlight.

Nasturtiums!  These add a fantastic spiciness and color to salads.

The basil is looking lovely.  They are just waiting for tomato partners...

The botanical equivalent of Blue Bell.  Part of the inspiration for the farm name.  

A nice line of rosemary, brussels sprouts, chamomile and snap peas.  A rogue tomatillo snuck in the foreground.

After we hilled potatoes, weeded peppers and transplanted some cucumbers, it was off to work on the veggie cooler.  That floor is super insulated and sealed.  Now we're working on the walls.

A few notes on the produce this week:
Kohlrabi - It's a bit bigger this week.  Peel off the bright purple skin before slicing.
Zucchini - Store in a cool place, but not the fridge!  It's too cold in there.  While it won't ruin the zuke, it does create pitting in the skin and actually decreases it's shelf life.  A shady lower shelf is good.
Chamomile - It's fresh tea!  You use more volume of flowers than you would if it were dried.  See below.
Cabbage - Store in the fridge in a plastic bag to keep it crisp.  If you forget about it and the outer leaves look undesirable, just keep peeling them off until you get to the tasty ones beneath.

Whatcha Eatin?


Tofu and Steamed Cabbage with Rice and Peanut Sauce


This is one of our all time favorites.  The peanut sauce really makes it all go.  It comes from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.  An excellent guide to the veggie world.

1 pound Savoy or napa cabbage, quartered and cored.  (in the CSA we have a more multipurpose, mini cabbage, which works just as well in the recipe)
Salt
1 10oz box extra-firm tofu diced into 1/2in cubes
3 T chopped cilantro
1 T roasted peanuts
1 C brown basmati rice
Quick Peanut Sauce  (below)

Cut cabbage into 1/4 ribbons
Set a steaming basket in a saucepan over boiling water.  Lay the cabbage over the bottom, sprinkle lightly with salt, then set the tofu on top.  Cover and steam until the cabbage is bright green and tender 6-8 min.  Carefully remove and arrange over the cooked rice.  Garnish with the cilantro, drizzle with peanut sauce and garnish with peanuts.

Quick Peanut Sauce

3 T unsweetened peanut butter
2 T rice wine vinegar
1 T chopped cilantro
1 plump garlic clove, minced or put through a press
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. chile oil (we never have this, so I sub red pepper flakes and olive oil)
Salt

Combine all ingredients except salt.  Add 2-4 T warm water to make it the desired consistency.  Add 1/4 tsp. salt and then taste.

Chamomile Tea

1-2 T fresh green chamomile flowers and stems! (or just grab a big pinch from the bag)
Place in a fine mesh tea ball, or pour through fine sieve after steeping.
1 C Hot water.
Steep ~5min

Serve iced or hot


the fresh chamomile will keep in your fridge for a week or so, or dry it for later use.  
To dry, place chamomile on an open dish in a single layer, in a warm location out of direct light for a few days.  

Chard and White Bean Stew


This one comes from one of our CSA members.  Thanks guys!  I'll see if I can get all these veggies to  you again.

1 pound Swiss chard (can also swap kale, spinach or another green), ribs and stems removed and cleaned
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup (5 1/4 ounces) chopped carrots
1 cup (5 ounces) chopped celery
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) chopped shallots, about 4 medium
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
2 15-ounce cans (or about 3 3/4 cups) white beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups (or more to taste) vegetable broth
1 cup pureed tomatoes (from a can/carton/your jarred summer supply)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Toasted bread slices, poached eggs (tutorial), chopped herbs such as tarragon, parsley or chives or grated Parmesan or Romano to serve (optional)

Bring medium pot of salted water to boil. Cook chard (or any heavier green; no need to precook baby spinach) for one minute, then drain and squeeze out as much extra water as possible. Coarsely chop chard.

Wipe out medium pot to dry it, and heat olive oil over medium. Add carrots, celery, shallots and garlic and sautee for 15 minutes.

Add wine (scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pot) and cook it until it reduced by three-fourths.

Add beans, broth, tomatoes, a few pinches of salt, freshly ground black pepper, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add chard and cook for 5 minutes more.
Remove thyme and bay leaf. Add more broth if you’d like a thinner stew and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Serve as is drizzled with sherry vinegar. Or you can ladle the stew over thick piece of toasted country bread or baguette that has been rubbed lightly with half a clove of garlic, top that with a poached egg and a few drops of sherry vinegar and/or some grated cheese.

Squash

Hot and sunny!  Lovely weather for growing.  Unfortunately my ram pump clogged and I was out of water for a few days.  Everything got fixed and only a few seedlings bit the dust.
This week we worked to till up some weedy parts of the field for the last big seeding and transplanting. (I think) Pumpkins!  Squash!  I don't want to dwell on fall too much, but here's where those crops get started.  The vines are rambling nicely down the rows.

  The first tomatoes are forming on the vine...

There are some baby zucchinis and cucumbers and some of the peppers have flowers.  Did I mention the cabbages are sizing up?  Yay sauerkraut!

  Speaking of flowers, the bachelor's buttons are in full bloom now, so I'll be adding a little bunch of those to the box this week for a bit of fun color.  Chamomile is also cranking away.  It is a fabulous treat to make tea from fresh green chamomile.

We have also been working on a walk in cooler!  It's just an insulated platform right now, but we'll keep you posted.

I would take more pictures of the veggies, but the chickens were too darn charismatic.

No Rob! Don't eat it!

It's funny, when I arrived at the farm, I said "huh, that tire looks a little low, I'll check on it again later to see if it's actually going down"  aaaaaaand I forgot to check again.   Yep, flat.  Damn!

So, after getting the truck going again.... Kohlrabi made a debut in the boxes this week.  It looks crazy, and has helped fuel a blog on the Huffington Post entitled WTF CSA.  Garlic scapes also made it into WTF CSA.  You lucky dogs already have experience with these wacky veggies.

WTF Kohlrabi

WTF Garlic Scapes


Whatcha Eatin?

Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

mash a peeled garlic clove w/ 2-3 pinches salt

Add mashed garlic to small bowl or jar with a lid.
Add the following to the bowl/jar:

1/3-1/2 C Vinegar (preferably red wine) or lemon juice

And any or all of these tasty bits:


minced green onion
1 tsp dijon mustard (optional)
1/3 C minced basil
minced thyme
minced oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk or shake jar until combined.

Add:

1 C olive oil

Whisk/shale until combined.

great on salad or as a marinade.

Grilled Cheese with Basil


Bread
Cheese
a few Basil leaves.
Grill it.
yep.

Beets n Cheese


Scrub and peel beets.
Cut into quarters, or large chunks.  Beware beet juice will give everything it touches a nice red tint for quite a while (fingers, wood cutting boards, family pets etc.)
Beet greens can be used like swiss chard if desired.
Set beets in a steaming basket (or pot with ~1/2" of water)
Cover, and steam until tender when pierced with a knife.  (20-30min)
Sprinkle with grated sharp cheddar cheese or parmesan.
Watch it melt over the beets and go mmmmmmm.

Adorable Cuteness

So yes, the tomatoes and peppers have moved into the hoophouse...

The cukes have long since moved outside...

But, really this is much more exciting.
Awwww.

The broody hens were successful.  We've got a few cute little chicks in the coop now.

We are quite curious to see what these turn into.  The father is a buff orpington, the mothers are barred rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Golden Comets, etc. etc.  Anyway, they are a fun distraction.  

Yes, in the email, I said there would be turnips.  There are not.  Seems like that succession of turnips is past, but the next one was not quite ready.  Broccoli instead!

By the way, the experimental thyme lemonade from last week was really good.  I might even add more thyme.

Whatcha Eatin?
Kale Chips

Bunch Kale
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt

Preheat Oven to 300.
Rinse and dry kale.
Rip leaves off the stem in large pieces.
Toss leaves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Arrange in a single layer on baking sheet.
Bake 8-10 min. (closer to 8 min for our oven)

Watch it closely!  The kale goes from raw, to awesome, to burnt in a narrow window.

Pita Sandwiches


pita bread
grated carrots
salad mix
radishes
hummus
cheese!

stuff it all in the little pocket.  yum!