Mulligitawny

There just isn't a good way to take a picture of a lentil stew. I can't imagine it would ever look very tasty, but it is. So, here's just a random picture from 2003 in our dining room. I like this meal in the winter because it's hearty and is easy to whip up from what's on hand in the pantry.

Mulligatawny from The Six O'Clock Scramble

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped (about 3 cups)
2 tsp. minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
1 Tbsp. minced ginger (or 1 tsp. ginger powder)
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. garam masala
3/4 cup dried yellow or green lentils
1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes with liquid
1 box (32 oz.) chicken or vegetable broth (we used chicken broth)
1/2 cup coconut milk

serve over basmati rice or by itself

(If you have soaked the lentils for faster cooking, drain them before proceeding with the recipe.) Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, curry powder and garam masala and sauté it, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned, about 6-8 minutes.

Stir in the lentils to coat them and add the tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer it, stirring it occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 25-30 minutes (or 10-15 minutes for presoaked lentils). Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the package directions.

Puree the soup to desired thickness in a blender or using an immersion blender right in the pot—it can be smooth or chunky, depending on your preference. (A WARNING - do NOT ever blend more than a cup of hot soup in a regular blender at one time - the steam escapes rather dramatically, and you could find yourself covered in boiling hot soup!) Stir in the coconut milk until it is heated through, and serve it over the rice.

Turn, Turn, Turn

"To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose. . . "
And so, another season is over. Daylight savings ends this weekend. It's time to warm up some of those soups that you all froze earlier in the season and enjoy our last share from our wonderful community sponsored agriculture farm! A big thanks to Farmers Doug, Lee and Hannah and all of the great farm members, interns and volunteers for our wonderful food.
There were some great comments on the blog on last week's entry. Thanks to all who spent the time to share your thoughts. I did a very random drawing and pulled Jess B's name out of the hat. So, Jess. . .you won the big fat vegetarian cookbook. I'll leave it at the drop site for you!

And now, how will we fare over the winter without our beloved farm shares? Remember to go to the farmer's market on Saturdays, clean out your freezers and check back here to find yummy recipes.
Winter Squash ideas: If you're like me, you have a stash of winter squash and roots around. Winter squash are great for roasting with your roots. There's a great roasted root soup recipe here. You can make soups by following this recipe and substituting other winter squashes for the butternut or maybe pear for the apple. This is a favorite soup in our house that marks autumn for us. I cut it out of a neighborhood newspaper in Seattle years ago, so I don't have the author to credit.
Have a wonderful winter!

Butternut Squash and Curried Apple Soup

4 Tbl. Butter
2 cups chopped sweet onion
1 Tbl. curry
1 butternut squash (~ 1.5 lbs or more for a thicker soup) peeled, seeded and chopped
2 tart green apples, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 cups vegetable broth
1.5 tsp. hot pepper sauce (tabasco)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. each marjoram, rosemary
1 cup apple juice (or to taste)
salt and pepper

sour cream and apple slices for garnish

1 Melt butter in stockpot, add onions and curry. Cover and cook over low until onions are tender, about 20 min.

2 Add squash, apples, broth, hot pepper sauce, salt, marjoram, and rosemary. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until squash and apple are tender, about 25 min.

3 Using a potato masher, mash soup to the consistency that you’d like. Alternatively, blend soup in batches in a food processor or blender and return soup to stock pot.

4 Add apple juice and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and apple slices if desired.

Makes about 6 servings

Sneaky Food

So, it's a month or so into school. I imagine that some of you are starting to lose that feeling of excitement and new-ness in packing lunch every day. Last fall, I did a little musing about how to pack more healthy lunches. You can find it here. This fall, I'm thinking a few words on getting kids to eat the good stuff are in order. A farm member family I know talks about "strong food" to their son. I thought this was a good description of all the stuff I'm trying to get my kiddo to eat and started using this term too. It didn't take long before Abby started saying, "no strong food mama, I want snack food." So, we struggle along, trying to get the kid to eat something other than cheese, whole wheat tortillas and peanut butter (not necessarily together).
There's a new-ish book on the market called The Sneaky Chef. The basic premise of the book is to sneak "strong food" into foods your kids will eat. There's a lot of puree-ing involved and making sure you don't put green food in something that's not green (like, no spinach in macaroni and cheese, they'll find it and refuse to eat it) and the like. I'm torn about this idea. I want Abby to know what spinach is, what it looks like, how and where it's grown. I also want her to eat it. Right now, unless it's drown in ranch dressing or hidden in a smoothie, she's just not that into spinach. . .or lots of other strong foods. So, I'm sneaking it into the raviolis that she likes or dicing it into meatballs.
Abby's much more likely to eat something if she helped prepare it or helped put the vegetable into the bag at the farm share drop site. She's learning what kale is and that cauliflower and potatoes can come in a purple variety. Someday we'll get her to appreciate eating the good stuff on it's own, but in the mean time, a little sneaky food will get us through! If you have hot tips on getting kids to eat "strong food" drop me a line and I'll include it in next week's cropsheet.
Here's a not so sneaky food recipe that Abby digs. As always, I threw in some extra veggies and reduced the spice by about half so Abby would eat it. Corn, zucchini, fresh tomatoes and homemade broth made the refrigerator emptier and me happier. I didn't bother blending this one and it made a hearty stew that's good with quesadillas or plain tortillas. Warning: this is one of those soup recipes that takes half a day to make. Don't start it at 4pm hoping to eat by 5:30. . . not that I have any personal experience in this or anything. . .
Smokey Black Bean and Vegetable Soup
1 (7 ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (you only use part of this can and you can freeze the rest to use later)
Cooking spray (or some olive oil)
2 cups coarsely chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
3/4/ cup thinly sliced celery
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 bay leaves
2 cups water
3 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14.5 ounce) cans vegetable broth
2 (14.5 ounce) cans no-salt added plum tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
8 lime wedges

1. Remove 2 chiles from can; reserve remaining chiles and sauce for another use. Finely chop chiles. Heat a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic; saute 8 minutes or until onion and carrot are tender. Stir in chiles, cumin, basil, oregano, chili powder, and bay leaves; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in water, beans, broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove from heat; discard bay leaves. Place 3 cups of soup mixture in a blender. Let stand 5 minutes; process until smooth. Return pureed mixture to pan, stirring to combine. Ladle 1 1/4 cups soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with 1 tablespoon yogurt and 1 1/2 teaspoons cilantro. Serve with lime wedges. Yield: 8 servings

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 162(6% from fat); FAT 1g (sat 0.1g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.1g); PROTEIN 10.1g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 145mg; SODIUM 740mg; FIBER 10.9g; IRON 3.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 36.9g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2003

Summer Minestrone Soup

I love this soup. It's a great way to empty the refrigerator at this time of year and it's super tasty too. I used this recipe as a starting point, but added lots more stock and veggies. I put in a can of organic garbanzos and a can of kidney beans for some added protein. It made about 5 quarts, plus a bit. Give some to your neighbors.

Summer Minestrone – Recipe Page 123

Adapted from The Tomato Festival Cookbook, by Lawrence Davis-Hollander (Storey Books, 2004).

Simple Solution
Ah, the bounty of summer! Gardens overflow with tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, peppers, and dark leafy greens. Who can resist them? But sometimes it can be hard to figure out what to do with all of them! Well, this lovely soup is a perfect way to use those lively colors, flavors, and textures.

Fragrant with herbs and bursting with nourishment from the good earth, you can make this one-pot meal in advance (during those cooler morning hours) or even freeze it. Either way, Summer Minestrone is a favorite with both kids and adults, a key player in the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 or 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1 10-inch stalk celery, coarsely chopped
4 cups (about 12 to 15 large) chopped ripe plum tomatoes
4 to 6 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 stem basil, plus extra sprigs for garnish
salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) penne, elbow macaroni, small shells, or other medium-sized pasta
12 green beans, washed, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium green or yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 2-inch by 1/4-inch strips
1 medium leek, washed, white and tender green parts cut into 1/2-inch pieces
8 stems Swiss chard, stalks and leaves cut into 1-inch strips
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium yellow summer squash, sliced

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil and stir in the garlic. Let it soften for a couple of minutes, then stir in the carrot and celery. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 4 cups of the broth, oregano, thyme, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Cover the pan, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Increase the heat and bring the soup to a brisk boil over high heat. Stir in the pasta, followed by the green beans, bell pepper, and leek. Cook briskly, stirring often, for 3 minutes.

3. Reduce the heat so the soup is simmering and add the chard, zucchini, and summer squash. If the mixture is very thick, or if you would simply like it thinner, add some or all of the remaining broth. Return to a simmer and cover the pan. Continue cooking the soup for 5 minutes, or until the pasta and the vegetables are tender. Serve immediately, or cool and reheat as needed. Garnish with basil leaves. Check for seasoning before serving and add more salt and pepper to taste if necessary.
Serves 4 to 8.

Musings:
The fullness of my fridge at this time of year makes me both wonder and panic. How amazing to have such great bounty right here in our little town. How the heck do I use it all up!? Right now, my family is not eating a ton of food, so trying to figure out how to make it through the share each week has sent me whirling. I stumbled upon this great article in the Oregonian online that got me working on small batch preserving. I get overwhelmed when I think about doing a big canning day. It's a lot to manage by yourself. Especially with a little one running around. So, one option is to can with friends, or you can take on a couple of different tactics.

• Freeze stuff. Right now, I have a ton of summer squash that I plan to grate and freeze. Later in the winter, I can add it to soups or thaw it, squeeze it dry and make bread with it. I also make a lot of soups and freeze them too.
  
• Pickle stuff. I do refrigerator pickles, because we eat them fast enough that I can keep adding cucumbers to the brine for a month or so (recipe follows).
• Small batch canning. Put a pot of water on while you're cooking dinner and can a couple of jars of jam or tomatoes while the stove top's on and you're in the kitchen anyway.
• Dehydrate. I love to do apples this way and then we can crunch our way through the crop from our apple tree all year! Abby loves to crank the apple machine (it peels, cores and slices as you turn the crank). We found ours at goodwill for $4 and it's been worth it, plus it's fun.
  

Last year, I did an entry about canning here on the blog. You can check it out here. It has more information on how to be safe with your canning.
Lee's resource for canning from last week's farm news is great too. You can get to it here.

I love the idea of doing a dinner or soup swap. Maybe someone will organize one for us here (not it!). The jist is this: A bunch of people gather and bring 6 or so quarts of frozen soup or frozen containers of dinner or whatever. Then, you all draw numbers and pick items so that you go home with 6 items. That way you can make a whole lot of one thing and then not have to eat it for 2 weeks

Mom's Fridge Pickles
Makes about 1 quart

1 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 TBS sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
6 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dill seed
4 to 5 small kirby cucumbers, peeled in stripes and cut into 1/8 inch thick slices
1 small white onion, thinly sliced into rounds

1. Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper flakes, and dill seed in a quart jar. Place the lid on the jar and shake until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Layer the cucumbers and the onions in the jar using a wooden spoon to press them tightly into the jar, shake it well, and refrigerate it at least 4 hours, shaking the jar occasionally to keep the ingredients mixed. These pickles will keep in the refrigerator for at least 1 month.
From Fresh Every Day by Sara Foster

Eat More Kale!

Yay! We’ve made it through another long winter and though spring’s only just arrived with the sunshine yesterday, we’re back into the time of receiving our farm shares! Rumor has it that there’s a large quantity of kale out at Salt Creek, so I’m including kale recipes this week. Kale is such a powerhouse food. Chock full of vitamins A and C and has lots of calcium. It is a VERY nutrient rich food and it tastes great too! So, I say to you, “Eat more Kale!" Farm member and former intern, Suzanne Gray passed these recipes on for us to try. She says the salad is the best and though she’s not tried the soup recipe, it looks pretty yummy.

I did a little organizing of the recipe blog over the winter and you can now comment on entries to leave recipe notes, variations, comments or questions for all to see. You can reach me by e-mail there too. Also, you can search for recipes by clicking on an ingredient or type of dish you’d like to find, either at the bottom of each entry or in the sidebar to the right.

I look forward to sharing lots of tasty recipes this season! I big hooray to Farmers Lee, Doug and Hannah, the interns and working members!

Recipes:

from Sally Eaton (Stonewall Farm CSA, Keene, NH)
Amazing Kale Salad

Mix together:
1 tsp dried mustard (I have used Dijon)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TB balsamic vinegar
3 TB maple syrup
1 TB lemon juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil (or 1 cup for a more Midwestern oily/sweet taste)
1 tsp salt

Pour over 1 bunch of kale torn up for salad and let sit 6 hours of so. Overnight it can make fresh summer kale soggy but is good for tougher late season kale. Essentially the kale needs some time to absorb the dressing a little to both soften and sweeten the kale.

Portuguese Kale Soup
1 lb. kale
1 lb. potatoes
1 lb. (linguisa) sausage (or Kielbasa)
1 cup chopped onions
1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans
2 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs butter
2 qt. chicken broth (or beef/chicken combo)
2 tsp chopped garlic
3 lb. peeled tomatoes

Strip the leaves from kale, and cut diagonally into wide slices. Should end up with 6-8 cups of lightly packed kale. Wash, peel, and chop potatoes, and keep in cold water. Prick sausages, blanch in boiling water for 5-10 minutes to release fat. Drain, cut into 1/2" slices and set aside. In a large saucepan, saute onions, carrots, and garlic in oil and butter, cooking until softened; about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, broth and simmer partially covered for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked. Mash potatoes against the side of the pot (or puree with some broth and return to pot). Stir in tomatoes and kidney beans and simmer for 10-15 minutes longer. Season to taste. Add kale and sausage, cook 5-10 minutes longer. Serves 6-8.

Another Soup?!

I seem to be on a soup kick. I enjoy a hearty soup this time of year. I suppose my "soups" are really stews, as I put so much stuff in, there's hardly any broth. This one is simple, yummy and filling. I used penne pasta and kale that I had on hand. I think the smaller pasta is a bit more esthetically pleasing, but as my grandfather used to say, "It all goes to the same place anyway!"
Enjoy!

TUSCAN PASTA AND CHICKPEA SOUP
A bowlful of this hearty soup evokes the flavors of a Tuscan farmhouse
kitchen. The fragrant drizzle of herbed olive oil is so comforting, you may
want to make extra for dipping crusty bread.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons marjoram leaves
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cans (16 ounces each) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup water
1 cup ditalini pasta
1 package (6 ounces) baby spinach or 6 cups sliced spinach leaves

DIRECTIONS
Heat olive oil with marjoram, rosemary and garlic in large saucepot
on medium-low heat until fragrant (do not allow garlic to brown). Stir in
chickpeas, broth, tomatoes and water. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce
heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling salted water as directed on package.
Drain well and rinse under cold water.
Spoon 1/2 of the chickpea mixture into blender container; cover. With
center part of cover removed to let steam escape, blend until smooth. Return
puree to saucepot. Stir pasta and spinach into soup.
Cook on medium heat until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally. Ladle
soup into serving bowls.
Drizzle with Herb-Infused Olive Oil (recipe
follows) just before serving.
Makes 8 (1-cup) servings.


Herb-Infused Olive Oil: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon each
basil and marjoram leaves and a pinch ground red pepper in a small saucepan
on low heat for 5 minutes. Strain through small sieve into serving
bowl or cup. Makes about 5 teaspoons.

Green Soup

This is a soup that I put in the crop sheet before I started typing it, so this is it's debut on the blog. It was originally called "Lettuce Soup" but that's not very appetizing! I've often just used a salad mix and added any extra winter greens I have around. It's also a great base for adding cooked chicken or beans. Also, I use a hand blender right in the pot instead of getting a whole blender messy. Enjoy

Green Soup

This soup is a great way to use lettuce's outer leaves and ribs, which usually go to waste. Any kind of potato and any salad greens, including lettuce, arugula, spinach, and watercress, will work fine.

1 cup chopped onions, scallions, and/or shallots
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup diced (1/3 inch) peeled potato
8 cups coarsely chopped lettuce leaves including ribs (3/4 lb)
3 cups water

Cook onion mixture and garlic in 2 tablespoons butter in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add coriander, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in potato, lettuce, and water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potato is very tender, about 10 minutes.

Purée soup in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) and transfer to a 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Bring soup to a simmer, then whisk in remaining tablespoon butter and salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 servings.

Gourmet
May 2005

Stew is Yummy

Here's a recipe I'm trying today. I'll post pics if it looks good.
update: This is amazing! I might not put quite as much cayenne in next time so Abby can eat it, but it is VERY good. I didn't have parsnip, so I increased the carrots and added them when the parsnips would have gone in and I used a whole smaller pumpkin instead of two kinds of squash. Yup. . .yummy.

FALL VEGETABLE STEW

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup of carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
• ½ onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 leek, cleaned and sliced
• 1 cup of pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 cup parsnip, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 cup squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 cups of potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 cup dark leafy greens, washed and sliced
• ½ cup chopped Italian parsley
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (28 oz)
• 2-3 tbsp Moroccan spice
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

• Saute the carrots, onions, leek and celery over medium heat until the vegetables turn a caramel brown
• Add the spices and cook for 30 seconds
• Add 5 cups of water, the tomatoes, and the garlic
• Bring the stew to a boil for 15 minutes
• Lower the heat and add the remaining vegetables (except for the greens and herbs)
• Cover the pot and gently cook for another 30 minutes
• Season with salt and pepper
• Add the greens and herbs right before serving
• Garnish with olive oil and toasted pumpkin seeds

Make your own Moroccan spice!

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Blend together and store in an airtight container.

It's already over?!?!

I can’t believe the season is already over. A big round of applause and appreciation to our fabulous farmers Doug, Lee, Hannah, the interns and all of the working members who put in their time, sweat and love to providing all of us such wonderful local food!

Here’s a fun recipe that uses it’s leftovers for an imaginative soup! It’s from the Every Day Food section on the Martha Stewart website.

Roasted Fall Vegetables
Serves 8; Makes about 12 cups; Prep time: 20 minutes; Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
2 pounds butternut squash (about 1 medium), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 pounds red new potatoes (12 to 14), well scrubbed and quartered
1 pound medium red onions (about 2 to 3), peeled and quartered
1 pound carrots (6 to 8 medium), halved lengthwise, if thick, and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
4 to 6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
3 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1. Preheat oven to 450°. Divide vegetables and garlic between two rimmed baking sheets (or line with parchment paper, if desired, for easy cleanup); dividing evenly, toss with oil, 2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper
2. Roast until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, 40 to 50 minutes, tossing them and rotating sheets from top to bottom halfway through. Serve hot or at room temperature. (To store: Let cool, place in an airtight container, and refrigerate up to 3 days. Pour off any accumulated liquid before using.)

Here’s the other recipe to take your roasted vegetables and make soup! When I made this, I used pumpkin and all of the random roots I had around: carrots, potatoes, onion, garlic, beets, turnip etc. The beets turned the soup a beautiful red/pink color. I used stock instead of water and didn’t bother running the veggies through a sieve. I just used my handy dandy hand blender right in the pot (but not while the pot is over the heat. . . you’ll get a melted little blender).

Roasted Fall Vegetable Soup Serves 4; Prep time: 15 minutes; Total time: 15 minutes
6 cups (about 1/2 recipe) Roasted Fall Vegetables, recipe above
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Bread or crackers, for serving (optional)
1. Working in batches, purée vegetables in blender with a total of 4 to 5 cups water. Pour each batch through a fine-mesh sieve into a large saucepan, pressing purée through with a spoon or rubber spatula.
2. Thin purée with additional water, if necessary; heat soup over medium. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve with bread or crackers, if desired.

Have a fabulous winter everyone! Keep checking back here because I'll keep posting winter recipes!

Kohlrabi Kicks Butt

Okay, here’s a great website to check out for ideas about those wacky vegetables you don’t know what to do with. . . like Kohlrabi!

This is the recipe catalog from the Live Earth Farm CSA in California. This is what they have to say about kohlrabi. Honestly. . . it’s still in your fridge. . .right? So eat it up!

“A favorite way to eat truly fresh kohlrabi is to peel (like a potato; Andy doesn't peel his but I like to) the kohlrabi, slice it like you would jicama or carrots for a dip tray, and then eat the raw pieces plain or with lemon juice. “
Cooking tips:
• Kohlrabi doesn't have to be peeled after cooking.
• It's excellent cooked or raw. Try it both ways.
• Grate kohlrabi into salads, or make a non-traditional coleslaw with grated kohlrabi and radish, chopped parsley, green onion, and dressing of your choice.
• Try raw kohlrabi, thinly sliced, alone or with a dip. Peel and eat raw like an apple.
• Steam kohlrabi whole, 25-30 minutes, or thinly sliced, 5-10 minutes. Dress slices simply with oil, lemon juice and a fresh herb, or dip in flour and briefly fry.
• Sauté grated kohlrabi in butter, add herbs or curry.
• Add sliced or cubed kohlrabi to heart soups, stews or a mixed vegetable stir-fry.
• Chill and marinate cooked kohlrabi for a summer salad. Add fresh herbs.
• Kohlrabi leaves can be used like other cooking greens. Store the leaves and bulbs separately. The globe will last for a few weeks in plastic in the fridge.

Recipe Corner
Fall Stew with Kohlrabi
from The Rolling Prairie Cookbook, a book put out by an alliance of CSA farmers and families in Kansas.
serves 6
2-3 medium kohlrabi, bulbs & greens
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, cut in slivers
3 medium carrots, cut in 3/4" chunks
2 medium potatoes, cut in 3/4" chunks
1 C peeled chopped tomatoes
4 C vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp. molasses

Separate leaves from kohlrabi bulbs. Peel bulbs & cut into large chunks. Derib leaves & cut into thin strips. Set aside. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions & saute for several minutes. Add kohlrabi bulb chunks, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper, molasses & mustard. Turn up heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover & simmer for about 15 minutes, or until veggies are not quite tender. Add kohlrabi leaves & simmer, uncovered, for another 10 minutes, or until veggies are just cooked.

Summer Minestrone and Spinach ravings!

Recipe Maven's Musings

Okay, I’ve done a little reading on the e coli outbreak, but I’m definitely not an expert. I am, however, opinionated. Just in case you haven’t heard, here’s a little review. Some spinach distributed by Natural Selection Foods in California has been contaminated with e coli. At this point, They, can’t figure out exactly where the contaminated spinach is coming from because it’s grown in such high quantity and is also bought from lots of smaller farms in California. Once they get all of the greens, it’s mixed together, triple washed, cut up and packaged in bags or plastic boxes and sent out all over the country for consumption. They package for Trader Joe’s, Safeway organics, Costco and under other names too. They also haven’t determined if it’s the organic or conventionally grown spinach that’s the culprit. The best guess at this point is that the e coli came from cow manure used for fertilizing, but it will be very difficult to determine exactly where it came from, given that it’s such a huge industry. 100 people have contracted e coli and 1 person has died. Spinach farmers all over the country are destroying their crops. So, I guess there’s another really good reason to buy your food locally. Organic is great, but huge corporate organic? I’m not so sure. Read the article I read here.

Recipe:

I used beet greens and collards instead of chard. Yummy comfort food for the colder weather!

Summer Minestrone
Adapted from The Tomato Festival Cookbook, by Lawrence Davis-Hollander (Storey Books, 2004).

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 or 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1 10-inch stalk celery, coarsely chopped
4 cups (about 12 to 15 large) chopped ripe plum tomatoes
4 to 6 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 stem basil, plus extra sprigs for garnish
salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) penne, elbow macaroni, small shells,

12 green beans, washed, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 green or yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into bite-size strips
1 leek, washed, white and tender green parts cut into 1/2-inch pieces
8 stems Swiss chard, stalks and leaves cut into 1-inch strips
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium yellow summer squash, sliced

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil and stir in the garlic. Let it soften for a couple of minutes, then stir in the carrot and celery. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 4 cups of the broth, oregano, thyme, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Cover the pan, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Increase the heat and bring the soup to a brisk boil over high heat. Stir in the pasta, followed by the green beans, bell pepper, and leek. Cook briskly, stirring often, for 3 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat so the soup is simmering and add the chard, zucchini, and summer squash. If the mixture is very thick, or if you would simply like it thinner, add some or all of the remaining broth. Return to a simmer and cover the pan. Continue cooking the soup for 5 minutes, or until the pasta and the vegetables are tender. Serve immediately, or cool and reheat as needed. Garnish with basil leaves

Rosemary Red Soup

Recipe Maven's Musings:

You may have noticed a new look to the printed crop sheet this week. That’s because I (Carrie Sanford) have finally figured out a good way to put in my working member hours for the farm. I’ve been a member for four years and have always done my work at the end of the season and all on one day. I always felt like I wanted to contribute more, but couldn’t schedule the time to get out there! With a little (18 mo.) daughter, being in the fields is even harder now. I wouldn’t be much help if I’m chasing her all over the farm.

So, I asked if we could get creative and Lee suggested I try doing the crop sheets for a while. I’m a bit of recipe maven and am SO glad to have my addiction put to good use.

If you have great recipes to share, by all means, send them to me or if you need help figuring out what to do with all of that . . (fill in the blank), I’ll do my best to find a healthy, relatively easy answer. I hope this space will be used to give you fun farm facts, for the kids corner (should it come out of retirement) and other random information we (me, Lee and Doug, or any of you) find useful!

This week's Recipe:

Farm member Brianna Noach passed this recipe on to share. I LOVE the book it’s from. Our library system has a copy (it’s currently at my house) and I recommend you check it out (when I’m done!).

Rosemary Red Soup

(Recipe from Feeding the Whole Family by Bastyr University faculty member Cynthia Lair)

This soup is a gorgeous red color with a deep, satisfying taste to match. Because of the combination of legumes and vegetables, all you need is some whole-grain bread and salad to make this into a beautifully balanced meal. Try it with Sweet Squash Corn Muffins and Dark Greens Salad (found in Feeding the Whole Family).

• 3 medium carrots
• 2 beets
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 cup dried red lentils
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cups water or stock
• 2-3 tablespoons light miso

Scrub and chop carrots and beets. Heat oil in a soup pot; add onion and sauté until soft. Add carrots and beets; sauté a few minutes more. Finely chop rosemary and oregano leaves, if using fresh herbs. Wash and drain lentils. Add herbs, lentils, bay leaves, and water or stock to onion mix; bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 40 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Puree soup in blender or processor. Dissolve miso in ½ cup water and add to soup. Gently reheat before serving.

Preparation time: 50 minutes
Makes 6-8 servings

For babies 6 months & older:
Steam a few extra carrot slices and puree with water.

For babies 10 months & older:
Reserve some pureed soup before adding the miso and serve.