Rains have arrived and so did a windy cold weekend. They held off just in time to pull the summer/early fall crops and get the cover crop in. I tilled on a 72 degree afternoon. Twas nice My 10 month old nephew Gabriel drove the tractor to the field with me:) Last week was the final main season CSA and we continue with bountiful fall harvests with a 5 person CSA. It was the last week with Gentiana who was super helpful working part time since April. Thankfully, she’ll still come out to do work trade once a week harvesting your box. Other amazing women volunteers Clea and Erica might come out sometimes too. We had an awesome crew this year!
There’s still a 5 shares available, so pass the word on! I am selling some produce to restaurants in the meantime. Farm life is still busy, it shifted from fieldwork to winterizing the yurt and finding places to put storage crops, seeds and other things suseptible to mold. I am inside more which feels good now. It was a rough early week with the cold and not a heated “house” and outdoor kitchen, but I’ve made and will continue to make more improvements to make it more “liveable.” It’s an adventure, yes indeed.
I hope to keep up with updates and weekly recipes as the weather changes and I have more time and interest in reflecting and be on the computer. Happy bundle up time!
Box is filled with:
>Lacinato kale/collard cross- this deep rich sea green brassica is the most cold hardy kale or collard I’ve grown. It was saved in 2008 from Sunroots Garden in Hawthorne district and I think was grown out in Berkeley by a friend in 2009 and planted back up here again in 2010. Cook the huge leaves down in a stew or it’s also good for a raw salad.
>Mild mustard
>Jerusalem artichoke – also known as sunchokes. . .These tubers are one of my favorites, I’ve had soups and most often slice into thin pieces and sautee with olive oil. Potatoey and artichoke, super nutritious. I harvested earlier than usual (I like to wait until there’s not as much harvest, deep into winter) because they harvested themselves. At 10 feet tall, the green growths wait fell over and uprooted a few plants.
>Yellow Onions – great with the J. chokes:)
>Tomatillos
>Red Beets
>Rainbow Carrots – last of the summer/fall crop, more winter carrots to come after a good frost (they get so sweet).
Tomatillo Salsa Verde Recipe
From Simple Recipes.com
To cook the tomatillos, you can either roast them in the oven, or boil them. Roasting will deliver more flavor; boiling may be faster and use less energy. Either way works, though boiling is a more common way to cook the tomatillos. *** I throw them on a dry cast iron skillet with the husk until they brown (5-10 min) then remove husks
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb tomatillos
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 2 Jalapeño peppers OR 2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
- Salt to taste
Method
1 Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well.
2a Roasting method Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin.
2b Boiling method Place tomatillos in a saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove tomatillos with a slotted spoon.
2 Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, chili peppers, sugar in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator.
Serve with chips or as a salsa accompaniment to Mexican dishes. ********i’m about to eat it with black beans cooked with kale, onion, garlic and chipotle and rice.
Makes 3 cups.
ARUGULA , BEET AND HAZELNUT SALAD
The hearty arugula is delicious under a bed of hot roasted or steamed beets. It softens the arugula a bit. I made a dressing with tamari,olive oil, garlic, honey, dijon, salt and pepper and topped with hazelnuts toasted. Goat cheese makes for a perfect salad and brings out all the colors. Yum!
Backyard Bounty Farm 