This week is full of events...we've got kids out, volunteers out, our first ever Happy Hour on Friday from 4-6pm and the farm store's second birthday!! If you feel like coming out to the farm this is the weekend to do it. Some of the farmers will be around for Happy Hour (Kerri is making some tasty treats for it) and there will be lots of give-aways, samples, wine tasting and more for the birthday.
SHALLOTS: Conservor shallots, the perfect storage shallot. Keep them in the kitchen for the perfect recipe or use them now! Easy to peel, great flavor and a bit more like the traditional French shallot.
CILANTRO and STOCKY ROASTERS (Mini Only): You've had these before and enjoy them while they are here. We don't see peppers for much longer in our future and the cilantro...it is just so perfect right now, it loves the fall! Use as a garnish, in pesto or for a Fall salsa. I just love it in soups!
GREEN CHARD (Mini Only): A nice bunch of young, tender, sweet, green chard. You can use this Verde da Taglia chard with the beet greens and turnip greens and make a delightful braised dish, the recipe above or if you want to just use the chard and beet greens I've listed a simple 20 min recipe below!
- 2 bunches beet greens, stems removed
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 lemons, quartered
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the beet greens, and cook uncovered until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander, then immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes until cold to stop the cooking process. Once the greens are cold, drain well, and coarsely chop.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the greens until oil and garlic is evenly distributed. Season with salt and pepper. Cook just until greens are hot; serve with lemon wedges.
SPIGARIELLO (Large Only): Spigariello is an Italian leaf green that tastes a bit like leaf broccoli. You can use it just like you would kale and it holds up to cooking great. Eric was just talking about kale and delicata enchiladas and I think that would be great with spigariello as the kale replacement. You can eat it raw, put it in a salad, use on top of pizza, braise it, put it in a soup, the list goes on! A simple preparation from Local Roots Farm up in Washington: Cut the stemmy parts into small bits, reserving the leaves. Put the stems in a pan with some olive oil, crushed garlic, and maybe a little water. Cook until softened, turning up the heat a little if you want a little browning. When the stems have slightly softened, roughly chop the leaves and add them to the pan. Cook until done to your liking. In Italy, they might then toss the spigariello with sausage and some red chili flakes and perhaps then add it all to pasta.
MINUTINA (Large Only): A less known specialty green–have fun playing with it. Minutina looks like lawn clippings but the succulent, crunchy leaves taste a little like parsley, spinach or kale, but sweeter and nuttier. We don't often use it fresh but like to cook it or use it as a garnish. I do like it in salads and thing it pairs well with strong dressings and cheese. Ricky suggests garnishing roasted lamb with it! I'm going to try topping pizza with it tonight (and farm fresh eggs of course).
FRESH GINGER (Large Only): Fresh ginger!! This was our first year attempting to grow ginger and we had enough to share with you! This ginger is mild and is great for curries, stir-fries and more. You can store it in the fridge and use it piece by piece. I like using it in hot tea, soups and in baked goods as well!
DELICATA and HAKUREI TURNIPS (Large Only): Hakureis...I know you are familiar with, hope you appreciate them now. We decided to cut the greens and go straight for the root. Also this week delicata squash! Delicata, much like acorn squash, is one of my favorites because you can eat the skin. I just pop them in the oven cut in half with a bit of oil, salt and pepper and cook until tender. I just to slice the delicata and add to almost anything or am really bad and eat it straight off the pan out of the oven.