Recovering the Past: Gourdseed Corn and Real Cornbread

Gourdseed corn is a class of Southern dent corn that was commonly grown in North America prior to the arrival of colonists.  It traces its roots to Mexican teosinte (a wild plant from which corn developed) as do other corns, but it (and other Southern dent corns) developed distinctly from most corns such as flint and flour corns.  As the name implies, the kernel of gourdseed corn is longer, flatter, and skinnier than other dent corns.  It looks like a gourd seed.  In pre-colonial America, it also went by the name "tooth corn". 

Gourdseed corn was very common throughout the Southern colonies until the mid-1800s.  In the mid-1800s, the corn and cornmeal industry realized that they could replace these gourdseed corns (which were milled very fine and used to make wonderful breads and cakes without any leavening needed) with grittier dent corns, which needed baking powder (another product to sell...) to rise (Weaver 2008).  As time passed, gourdseed corn all but disappeared, being grown only by a few families throughout the South.  Southern Exposure Seed says that it was even thought extinct until some "Texas Gourdseed" (which actually originated in the Upper South) was found growing on a farm in Texas.  Southern Exposure Seed now offers two varieties, "Texas Gourdseed" and "Virginia Gourdseed" in their catalog.  They also continue to research and refine these varieties in hopes of truly rediscovering the original gourdseed corns.  

This season we grew "Virginia Gourdseed" corn.  It produced about 25-30 pounds of cornmeal from one 200' bed.  In comparison our heirloom, Southern dent corn (from the late 1800s) produces about 50 pounds per bed.  That said, this was not a typical season here climatically.  Although likely not cooler than it was 200 years ago, it was very cloudy and wet throughout the summer. Gourdseed corn reminds me a lot of "choclo" or Incan corn.  The ears are fat and stubby and stuffed with kernels.  The kernels are long and skinny.  The kernels are definitely softer than our dent corn and much softer than modern hybrids.  Ground, the meal is much more like flour.  The only downside is because it makes such a soft flour it requires more corn to make an equal amount of flour.

I have never been much of a corn person.  As a crop, modern corn varieties (without even entering into the GMO debate) drain soil fertility and need too much water to produce well.  In addition, they are bred for chemical agriculture, and thus have no built-in insect or disease resistance, meaning they also rely on chemical pesticides and fungicides.  They take too much and don't give enough back.  Modern corn is a fairly non-nutritious foodstuff that in my opinion isn't worth growing.  As a food, I have always found sweet corn entirely overrated.  I eat cornbread at holidays, but I have never really enjoyed it as a food.  Then, in 2009, we began growing heirloom corns, and I realized that corn had been mutilated.  We grow several varieties of heirloom corn every year.  Our favorite both in terms of production and eating quality is "Tennessee Red Cob".  It is incredibly drought resistant (we don't irrigate it), is very resistant to insect damage (tight ears), seems to be very disease resistant (we have never had any problems), and is very productive.  As a foodstuff, it makes the best cornbread I have ever had: moist, sweet, and incredibly flavorful. 

Last fall, about this time, we were discussing what seeds we would like to start saving on our farm.  It was a long conversation, too many wants for the amount of time and land that we have, but we kept coming back to heirloom corns.  See, first it was modern hybrids that almost did heirloom corn in, and now GMO corn threatens to make it extinct.  There are a handful of people out there working diligently to protect, hand-pollinate, and thus reproduce and save our heirloom corn varieties.  It is incredibly time-consuming, difficult work, and they all deserve our praise.  Because of our industrialized food system, industrialized agriculture, and GMOs, corn as a species is really endangered.  Growing heirloom corns, I have realized what corn is (or was).  It really is a wild crop (not so needy as modern hybrids make it seem).  It is supposed to have complex flavor (not just sugar sweet), and its meal is supposed to be fluffy, moist, and flavorful.  Corn should also be a nutritious grain, high in protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and minerals.  These corns make me want to grow and eat corn!  We will continue to grow and next season save "Virginia gourdseed" corn.  We hope you enjoy your "Virginia Gourdseed" cornmeal.  Here is a great gourdseed cornmeal recipe from Mother Earth News:

1 2⁄3 cups white gourdseed cornmeal, ground fine
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup rich milk (mix 2/3 cup milk with 1/3 cup cream) 

Sift together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a deep work bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until lemon-colored and frothy, then whisk in the buttermilk. Gently fold together the dry and liquid ingredients.

While preparing the batter, heat a 10-inch cast iron frying pan in an oven preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. When the pan is thoroughly hot, remove it from the oven, melt the butter in it and coat the inside of the pan using a brush. Add the batter and spread it evenly, and then pour in the cup of rich milk (do not stir or disturb the batter underneath). The milk poured over the bread creates a cheeselike “skin” on top, which gives added flavor and considerable eye appeal.

Set the pan on a middle rack in the preheated oven and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake tests dry in the center. Serve immediately with homemade butter.

To do your part, seek out non-GMO, heirloom corn and cornmeal from your local farmers, local coops and groceries, or from Anson Mills.  We have corn available for milling most of the year.  

see "Gourdseed Corn" by William Woys Weaver (2008) at http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/gourdseed-corn.aspx

For those of you who plan to visit Asheville, our cornmeal is now featured at All Souls Pizza on Clingman Avenue in their gluten-free, polenta pizza!

Getting Ready for Winter

Hi fellow members, my name is Anna Laura and I was hired to help part-time at Care of the Earth this fall. I’d visited before, but getting to know Megan & Lalo, Evan Shea, and the farm over the past months has been a formative experience for me. My husband and I are now members, and I’m going to be writing for the blog now and then. So happy to be part of this community.

I wanted to write a blog post about the process of the farm moving into winter. Before I knew anything about farming, I imagined that fall and winter were “down time” for farmers—at least the ones who don’t grow year-round in greenhouses. But as September ended and October started ushering in cooler temperatures and shorter days, I saw the farm moving forward into the next year, actively preparing for the future. Lalo and I plowed and tilled cropland, Lalo mowed and turned spent summer crops under the soil, and I seeded cover crops—very different kinds of work than the weeding and harvesting we did in August and September. These kinds of work are preparatory: the cropland that grew your vegetables this year will be seeded with grasses and legumes and enter its time of rest, while acres that have been resting will be tilled, their cover crops turned into the soil to enrich it as it anticipates March planting. This kind of future-looking is what I do after periods of intense activity—why should I be surprised that farmers do, too?

Early in October, I got to the farm at 8:30, climbed up on the John Deere, and dragged the roto-tiller through two acres of plowed-up soil. This is really fun, even if it takes several hours. You get the tractor in line to start a new bed, put it in gear, set the tiller down, turn the tiller on, rev the engine up to 200 rpm, and let off the clutch.  One lurch and you’re moving, tooling away noisily down the brown earth.

That afternoon, I seeded those two acres with 50 lbs of oats, 30 lbs of red clover, and 10 lbs of alfalfa.  Megan is teaching me so much about the soil: what farmers have to do to keep their soil and crops healthy, and their vegetables nutrient-rich.  Cover crops, for instance, protect cropland from erosion while it’s lying fallow, help it to absorb more rainwater, and smother noxious weeds while adding nutrients to the soil.  It’s the best way to “fertilize” your land without adding chemical fertilizers to it.

This pairing, of oats with legumes (red clover and alfalfa), is genius.  Oat grow quickly, and, with their thick root system, can smother weeds and unwanted grasses in land you’re preparing to rest.  They die off over the winter, supposedly (they always did in Megan and Lalo’s farm in Poughkeepsie, but they didn’t die off over our last warm East Tennessee winter…), and open up the area for the clover, which will take over the next spring and flourish.  Red clover is able to draw nutrients from the air and deeper in the soil and store them in its roots, so that when it’s tilled under the next year—or the year after that—the soil will be super-rich.  Also, it loosens the soil.  Also, bees love it, and since Care of the Earth is blessed with a hive (or were—I heard a rumor the bees are getting moved), they are able to watch the cover crops and bees support each other.  How lovely.

One more thing about the legumes: you have to inoculate them—get this—with bacteria.  What.  Yes—treating your legumes with a dash of a particular bacterium will help it develop these “nodules” on its roots, which are where it will store nitrogen & other helpful things.  So you measure out 25 lbs of beautiful red clover and alfalfa seeds, splash in some water, dash in some bacteria, mix it with your hands, pour it into the seeder backpack, and start walking.  I walked every other tire track, spinning the seeds out in a spray.  Trying to turn that handle pretty fast while trying to walk pretty fast on uneven, soft ground is a lot harder than it sounds.  After seeding two acres with legumes and those two 50-lb bags of oats, everything hurt.

But, of course, I loved it.  What’s not to love about this kind of work?  There I was, using every muscle group to give richness to the soil, to prolong its life and the lives of all who draw life from what’s grown in it.  It was hard to feel like I was very helpful to anyone, including myself, in my last job (I was a grad student and First-Year Composition teacher at UT).  I had to dig a little to come up with reasons that teaching punctuation rules mattered.  I’m not knocking academics, of course—learning and teaching are some of my favorite things in the world—but I guess I needed to do something different, I needed to see a little more tangibly that what I do nourishes people. And seeing Megan and Lalo do it every day inspired me, and still inspires me.

Seeing cover crops growing this winter, the acres re-shuffling themselves, queuing up (and resting up) for next season, is a beautiful thing: see? 

--Anna Laura

Winter Greens

Cold winter temperatures means a few exciting veggies that we don’t have the opportunity to enjoy the rest of the year: radicchio, escarole, and watercress.  Each of these veggies brings back memories of my first few seasons at the farm in New York.  I turned my nose up at them, wondering how in the world these crazy Northerners choked these greens down.  Then, one late fall, a wonderful CSA member named Denise cooked me her traditional Italian soup with escarole, white beans, tomatoes, garlic, onions, and parmesan and brought it to me on a cold, late afternoon.  I took it with thanks but doubted the whole bike ride home if I would really eat it.  Well, I did.  I ate the whole quart!  And I was sold.  

Here are a couple ways I enjoy these stronger tasting greens...my advice to you, from a novice turned winter green lover, don’t eat them raw, don’t even try them, just make one of these great dishes and enjoy!

Traditional Italian Escarole Soup, from Denise

Saute two-four cloves garlic and half an onion in olive oil.  Add well-washed, chopped escarole.  Saute a few minutes.  Add 1 can tomatoes or 1 home-jarred pint.  Add 1 1/2-2c. cooked white beans (I add the juice, too.) or 1 can.  Cover with veggie broth, chicken broth, or water.  Salt.  Bring to a boil, reduce, and cook for about 30 minutes.  Ladle into bowls.  Add parmesan cheese and homemade croutons (or serve with crusty bread) and serve.

A take on this tradition...

Follow steps through white beans (you can use tomatoes or not).  Add croutons and parmesan cheese.  Mix thoroughly.  Place in a casserole.  Add more parmesan cheese (if you don’t put croutons, you can instead put bread crumbs at this step).  Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes.

Veggie Soup with Escarole

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

6 medium or 4 large potatoes, preferably russet or golden, peeled and diced

2 to 3 medium carrots, thinly sliced

32-ounce carton low-sodium vegetable broth

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

One 16-ounce can cannellini (large white beans)

1 medium head (6 to 8 ounces) escarole, coarsely chopped and rinsed 

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until both are golden, stirring frequently.

Add the potatoes, carrots, broth, basil, thyme, and 2 cups water. Bring to a gentle boil, then cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.

Stir in the beans, escarole, and half of the parsley. Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the escarole is tender.

With the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher, mash some of the potatoes in the soup to give it a nice base. Stir in water as needed (up to 2 cups). The soup should be thick, but not overly so. Return to a simmer. Stir in the remaining parsley, season with salt and pepper, then serve.

If time allows let the soup stand off the heat for an hour or more before serving, then heat through as needed.

Watercress...this one really throws people who try it raw because it seems well, hot, like the hot mustard they serve in Chinese restaurants (related...).  But cooked, its lovely.  Every winter when the watercress gleams on the surface of wet (sometimes frozen) brown dirt, I run like a little girl to snatch it up, except its watercress not chocolate.  See, I have been waiting 12 long months to make watercress mashed potatoes!  I realized while making them tonight for dinner that arugula would probably make a very adequate substitute and wondered if my once a year joy could in fact be had many more months of the year.  Anyways, here’s how you do it:

Watercress Mashed Potatoes

Boil potatoes!  While those are boiling, cook chopped leeks over low heat in butter (yes, butter!) and a little salt.  When the leeks have really cooked down, add chopped watercress (wash it several times, it grows on the ground!).  Cook 5 minutes.  Add about 1/4c. or 1/2 c. milk, cream, almond milk...  Heat.  Add cooked potatoes.  Mash the whole thing up.  If you really want to go crazy, add cheddar cheese and bacon and call them loaded!  Serve with whatever you want.  We had them with portobello mushrooms.

Lalo’s favorite: wash watercress well.  Drain.  Squeeze a whole lemon over it.  Add some salt.  Let marinate for a while.  Serve over fish tacos.  It is really yummy!

Radicchio...okay, so I’m still not a huge fan of the round, red ball of a radicchio that they sneak into those pre-bagged lettuce mixes, but sugarloaf radicchio is a whole different animal.  

I copy this from Lucy’s Kitchen Notebook (http://kitchen-notebook.blogspot.com/2009/01/pain-de-sucre-sugarloaf-chicory.html) because she says it so well:

“This time of year, pain de sucre is found in bins amid the winter varietal greens, spinach, the many strains of radicchio chicory, nestled between the squash and pumpkins. Tender looking elongated tightly packed loaves, in English called Sugarloaf Chicory, tumble gladly into my market basket. While it's still dark in the early evenings, I walk down to the Wednesday night market at Place Carnot where the local farmers come once a week and keep an eye out for it.

I like to cook my pain de sucre by slicing it into chunks, rinsing the leaves, and lightly poaching them in a billowy herbal broth that's been simmered with a big winter bouquet and a ham bone. Chicory goes with pork. I float the poached leaves with the meat and herbs, sometimes adding wedges of pumpkin or topping the soup with shavings of good hard cheeses. A spritz of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and a grind of rose peppercorns or sichuan pepper acts like a little taste ladle that captures the bitter goodness and lifts it up for a second boost of winter satisfaction. Wrap yourself in a sweater, sip this soup in a chair by the window, slurp the bitter greens, and settle in for an afternoon soaking up some prose.”

I assume that radicchio does go well with pork.  Although I am eating meat now, pork is still not my meat of choice, but some turkey bacon would do the trick.

Radicchio is also really good with blue cheese, which Lalo hates and I love, so I make meals like these knowing I will receive complaints or even questions as to whether it will kill us, but I still enjoy it mightily. 

Risotto with Radicchio, Walnuts and Blue Cheese
About 6 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped into 1/4 inch dice
1 stalk celery, chopped into 1/4 inch dice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 head radicchio, cored and cut into thin strips (chiffonade)
2 cups risotto rice
1/2 cup prosecco or white wine
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup toasted walnuts

Bring the stock to a boil in a large pot.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and celery, and cook until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and radicchio; cook for 1 minute.

Add the rice. Stir for about 1 minute. Add the prosecco, and simmer until it has evaporated. Stir in a ladleful of the stock. Cook, adding the stock a ladleful at a time, and allowing it to be absorbed by the rice before adding more. Cook until the rice is just tender to the bite, or ‘al dente’. You may not use all of the stock.

Stir in the cheese, and season with salt and pepper. Divide between 4 serving plates, garnish with walnuts and serve.

A Surprisingly Wet Early Summer

The past few summers have been very hot and dry, causing a host of problems for fruit and vegetable growers as a result of plant stress, particularly reduced production over the course of a plant's production and at any given time.  This season has been very different, and although excess rain can cause its own problems, it is incredible how much healthier our plants are this season.  When plants suffer from heat- and drought-related stress, they are not only less productive but also much more prone to insect-damage (sometimes significant enough to cause total loss) and disease pressure (just like a person with a compromised immune system is much more likely to become sick and have a much harder time recovering from an illness).  Although these plant may produce food, the farmer recognizes that the plant isn't doing well and reduced production and early cessation of production is very common.  When it rains (even above and beyond a plant's or an ecosystem's needs), certain issues do present themselves (weeds!!!, planting delays due to wet ground, erosion if efforts are not made to prevent it, an increase in certain diseases for certain fruits and vegetables if there are not periods of sun, and a reduction or delay in production for fruits and vegetables that prefer hot, dry climates - okra, for example).  However, almost all of these issues can be solved with a little extra work in terms of hand weeding, patience in terms of delayed planting and delayed production, or variety selection for varieties that do better in humid conditions.  The conditions caused by heat and drought are much more difficult to solve, and varieties that are able to produce in such conditions are not readily available (most plants have a biological mechanism that begins to shut down production above 90 degrees particularly if weather is dry and nights are also warm).  The difference in terms of plant health in a year like this one and a dry year is what is really incredible.  Plants may produce a little later, but they are so much healthier, meaning that they produce more over a longer period of time and a larger percentage of what is produced is marketable.  Lack of plant stress also improves flavor of most vegetables (tomatoes and melons being the exception), and I imagine, nutrition.  When it rains, plants are also better able to use the nutrients available in the soil and better able to fight off insect and disease pressure.  The farm becomes a jungle: lush, green, and productive.

Updates: all the garlic and red onions have been harvested and are curing (drying).  We will hand them out later in the summer, along with shallots (which aren't ready yet).  We have 5 new older hens by way of a CSA member (a Silver-Laced Wyandotte, a Barred Rock, two Americaunas, and an Orpington).

Potatoes, Fennel, and Leeks

Potato-Leek Soup (Martha Stewart)
You can also add fennel to this soup, in place of celery or in addition to.

• • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 6 sprigs fresh rosemary, or 2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary
  • 4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 stalks celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 6 leeks, white parts only, washed well, thinly sliced
  • 4 shallots, diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 8 cups Homemade Chicken Stock Homemade Chicken Stock (http://www.marthastewart.com/261561/homemade-chicken-stock), or canned low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 
    
  • Make a bouquet garni: First wrap bay leaves, rosemary, parsley, and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth. Then tie with a piece of kitchen twine, and set aside.
  • Heat olive oil and butter in a medium stockpot. Add celery, leeks, shallots, and garlic; cook on medium-low heat until very soft, about 45 minutes, stirring only occasionally. Do not brown. Add potatoes, stock, and reserved bouquet garni. Bring mixture to a boil, and then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook until potatoes are very tender, about 40 minutes. Remove bouquet garni, and discard.
  • Working in batches, pass half of the soup through a food mill, fitted with a medium disk, into a large saucepan. Add remaining chunky soup. Place the saucepan on medium-low heat to warm soup. Slowly stir in milk and cream, and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

  
  

  Potato,  Fennel,  and Leek Gratin (Ina Garten)

  2 small fennel bulbs
  1 yellow onion, thinly sliced or 2-4 leeks
  2 tablespoons good olive oil
  1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  2 pounds russet potatoes (4 large potatoes)
  2 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  2 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese (1/2 pound)
  1 teaspoon kosher salt
  1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  
  Butter the inside of a 10-by-15-by-2-inch (10-cup) baking dish.
  
  Remove the stalks from the fennel and cut the bulbs in half lengthwise. Remove the cores and thinly slice the bulbs crosswise, making approximately 4 cups of sliced fennel. Saute the fennel and onions in the olive oil and butter on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until tender.
  
  Peel the potatoes, then thinly slice them by hand or with a mandoline. Mix the sliced potatoes in a large bowl with 2 cups of cream, 2 cups of Gruyère, salt, and pepper. Add the sauteed fennel and onion and mix well.
  
  Pour the potatoes into the baking dish. Press down to smooth the potatoes. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and 1/2 cup of Gruyère and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, until the potatoes are very tender and the top is browned and bubbly. Allow to set for 10 minutes and serve.
  
  

Summer Solstice

The summer solstice (the longest day of the year and the beginning of summer in the Northern hemisphere) is rarely celebrated or marked in our culture anymore.  However, day length (well and night length and whether days are getting shorter or longer) plays a very important role in fruit and vegetable production.  Most people know that plants are affected by the amount of sun and temperature and the amount of rain or water, but few focus on the role that day length has on plant growth and production and particularly how day length affects growth when those other factors (sun, temperature, and water) are also not held constant.  Long-day plants are those that start to bloom as the days become longer (this often means they are no longer usable as edible crops).  Most of these are what we think of as cold-weather plants, like spinach; however, there are several more complicated ones (mostly brassicas) such as cauliflower, which has long-day varieties (which produce as we approach the summer solstice) and short-day varieties (which produce as we approach the winter solstice).  Short-day plants are those that start to bloom as the days become shorter (most of these are warm-weather plants).  There are also day-neutral plants that aren't affected by day length at all.  
Beyond all these factors to scheduling and planting, the summer solstice is very important on many vegetable farms because it signals that it is time for onion and garlic harvest (give or take a few days in either direction based on variety and weather).  I love to watch the onions and garlic respond.  The onions bowing their leaves to the ground - an almost reverse surrender (as opposed to raising the white flag) to nature's course and their fate.  The leaves on the garlic seem to suddenly dry and droop, a similar recognition of time come.  Harvesting all those onions and garlic is a big job, but it somehow seems like a celebration - a farmer's anniversary and a way to mark the half way point (when the winter solstice arrives in December, there will no longer be enough daylight for plant growth, signally our opportunity to rest, harvesting what is left in the fields as needed).  

Here are some recipes for this half-way point, which this year seems to be exactly in tune with those other factors (sun, clouds, rain, and temperature).  Most of our "spring" vegetables are either done or look like they will call it quits this week or next, and many of our summer vegetables are beginning to thrive.  

Still looking for a fennel recipe...try this one.  This recipe includes leeks, which we will start handing out next week.

Leek, Scallion, and Fennel Gratin
From Deborah Madison's "Local Flavors"

3 large leeks, white parts only
2 fennel bulbs, about 6 ounces each
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 bunch scallions, including and inch of the greens, sliced
1/4 cup chopped fennel greens
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk or half-and-half
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Gruyere cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly butter a 2-quart gratin dish. Chop the leeks into 1/2 inch pieces and wash them well in plenty of water, separating the rings.  Let them soak while you trim and quarter the fennel.  Slice the fennel very thinly, including the core.  Bring a skillet of water to a boil; add the fennel and a pinch of salt.  Simmer until the fennel is translucent, about 2 minutes, then drain. 

Melt the butter in a wide skillet.  Lift the leeks out of their soaking water and add them to the pan along with the fennel. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the leeks are tender, about 10 minutes, adding the scallions after 5 minutes.  Add the fennel greens and lemon zest, taste for salt, and season with pepper.  Scrape the veggies into the prepared dish.

Beat the eggs and milk together and add 1/2 teaspoon salt plus the cheese.  Pour it over the veggies, then bake until the top is browned here and there in places, about 40 minutes.  Let rest for a few minutes and serve.  

Braised Spring Onions, Fennel, and Swiss Chard 

Serves 4.

Extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
3 small green bulb onions, julienned
2 small fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems cut into 1/2-inch lengths, leaves cut into 1-inch lengths, leaves and stems reserved separately (you could also use New Zealand spinach)
Kosher salt
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 Meyer lemon, zested on a microplane and juiced, zest and juice reserved separately

Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Toss in the smashed garlic and crushed red pepper and bring the pan to a medium heat. When the garlic becomes golden brown and very aromatic, remove it from the pan and discard it. It has fulfilled its garlic destiny.
Add the onions, fennel and Swiss chard stems, stir to coat with the oil and season with salt, to taste. Stir in the white wine and the lemon zest and juice. Cover and cook over medium heat until the veggies have become soft and wilted but still maintain some texture, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the lid and cook until most of the liquid has reduced, another 3 to 4 minutes. Toss in the Swiss chard leaves, stir to combine and season with salt, to taste. When the leaves have wilted but still look vibrantly green, taste for seasoning. Reseason if needed (it probably will). Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

I assume most of you have never eaten New Zealand spinach until now.  It is rarely available, but grows well here after spring spinach has gone to seed (because the days were getting longer!).  Here are a few ideas: 

Tetragon (New Zealand Spinach) Pasta (from chocolateandzucchini.com)

7 ounces short pasta
4 generous handfuls tetragon leaves (a.k.a. New Zealand spinach)
a pinch chili pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, finely minced
4 filets salted anchovies packed in oil, drained and quickly rinsed to remove excess salt
olive oil
freshly grated nutmeg
salt, pepper
parmesan or pecorino, freshly grated, for serving

Bring salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add a good swirl of olive oil, and when hot, add the chili pepper and garlic, and cook for a minute or two without coloring. Add the anchovies and crush them with a wooden spoon so they'll dissolve in the olive oil.

Add the tetragon to the skillet, sprinkle it with a touch of nutmeg, stir, and let it soften just a little (not too much!) in the heat. Remove from the heat. (Alternatively, if you wish to blanch the tetragon because you're concerned about the oxalic acid -- see note above --, add it to the pot of pasta during the last 30 seconds of cooking to blanch it instead of sautéing it.)

When the pasta is al dente, drain (not too thoroughly; keeping a little of the starchy cooking water makes it silkier) and pour into the skillet. Toss to combine over low heat, sprinkle with pepper and divide between two warmed pasta bowls. Top with grated cheese and serve immediately.

Aussie Alfredo
12 ounces tagliatelle or fettucine
1 pint heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
2 cups cooked shredded or diced chicken meat
2 cups cooked New Zealand spinach (or spinach or chard leaves), coarsely chopped
Salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
Optional:
Halved red and yellow cherry tomatoes tossed in balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Grated parmesan cheese.
 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Drain.
2. While the pasta cooks, heat the cream in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until reduced by half, stirring often.
3. Stir in the chicken stock, nutmeg, chicken, and greens. Heat until ingredients are warmed through. Mix in the pasta. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more broth if the mixture seems too thick.
4. Pour the pasta into a serving bowl and sprinkle with the hazelnuts. If desired, serve with the tomato salad sprinkled on top of the pasta to balance the richness of the sauce.

Most folks usually welcome the arrival of summer squash, although by August they are usually ready to see it gone!  We are growing several heirloom varieties this season, including Summer Crookneck Squash (grown by Native Americans prior to colonist arrival), Cocozelle, and Tatume squash (a Tex-Mex border specialty that does well in hot, dry weather, see http://www.survivalblog.com/cgi-bin/mt5/mt-search.cgi?search=tatume&IncludeBlogs=2&limit=20).  A summer squash recipe or two for those of you who struggle with it.

Summer Squash and Citrus Pesto Salad (from Tucson CSA)  
I really recommend trying summer squash this way as a pasta replacement.  Make any sauce you want.
1 share summer squash (4-5 small squash)
2 loose cups of basil
1 jalapeno lightly chopped
1/3-1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or whole pine nuts
3 cloves of garlic (roughly chopped)
1 teaspoon sea salt and
Black pepper to taste
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Zest of one lemon, juice from half the lemon
Blend basil, jalapeno, garlic, 1/4 cup nuts, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/3 cup of olive oil in a food processor or blender until it becomes a fine paste. Thinly slice the summer squash into ribbons. Toss summer squash with about 1/2 cup of the pesto or to taste.
Add lemon zest and juice to the salad. Add remaining nuts and toss. Check seasonings to taste.
If this makes more pesto than you can use for the squash, it will easily keep for at least a week in the fridge. Use it on pasta, rice, or other dishes.

Italian Scones

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp  granulated organic sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
3/4 cup  old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup summer squash, minced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup fennel, minced (Yes, it has fennel, too!)
1/2 cup eggplant, minced
1/2 cup mozzerella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2/3 cup (160 ml) buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl place the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder and whisk to combine. Add the butter and using two knives or a pastry blender cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the rolled oats, vegetables and cheese. Mix until combined. Stir in the buttermilk (adding more buttermilk if necessary) and mix just until the dough comes together.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough four or five times and then pat, or roll, the dough into a circle that is 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 1 1/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this circle into 8 circular sections. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for about 15 – 18 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Fennel, Beets, and Kohlrabi Recipes

Here are some simple recipes to go along with some of the veggies in your bin this week:

Fennel- (Think of using fennel in the same way that you would use onions).

Roasted Curried Fennel
Ingredients:
Fennel Bulb-1 sliced thinly from top to bottom
Curry Powder-2 tsp
Red Chili/paprika/cayenne-1 tsp
Salt-to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil-2 tbsp

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Mix the spices in a bowl.
In a greased baking sheet arrange the sliced fennel and sprinkle the spice mixture generously on both sides.
Pour some EVOO all over.
Bake in the oven for about 20 mins until all golden.

http://www.sonisfood.com/2013/04/roasted-curried-fennel.html

Halibut with Tomatoes and Fennel

Ingredients:
2 cups couscous
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced lengthwise, plus fronds (optional) for serving
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
4 large tomatoes, diced large
1 1/2 pounds halibut, skin removed, cut into 8 small fillets

Directions:
1. Cook couscous according to package instructions.
2. In a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil over medium. Add fennel and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, 4 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften and release their juices, 3 to 4 minutes. Nestle halibut in tomato mixture and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until fillets are opaque throughout, 8 minutes.
3. Fluff couscous with a fork. Reserve 2 1/4 cups for another meal. To serve, divide remaining couscous and halibut-tomato mixture among four shallow bowls and sprinkle with fennel fronds, if desired.

http://shine.yahoo.com/food/recipes/halibut-with-tomatoes-and-fennel-852358-mslo.html

Roasted Shrimp with Feta and Fennel

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups medium-diced fennel
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon Pernod
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 pounds (16 to 20 per pound) peeled shrimp with tails on
5 ounces good feta cheese, coarsely crumbled
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (see note)
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 lemons

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 10-or 12-inch heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-low heat. Add the fennel and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until the fennel is tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the tomatoes with the liquid, tomato paste, oregano, Pernod, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes.
Arrange the shrimp, tails up, in one layer over the tomato-mixture in the skillet. Scatter the feta evenly over the shrimp. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, and lemon zest with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle over the shrimp.
Bake for 15 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked and the bread crumbs are golden brown. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the shrimp. Serve hot with the remaining lemon cut into wedges.http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-shrimp-with-feta-recipe/index.html

Beets

Herbed Beets with Fennel
Ingredients:
6 medium beets
2 large fennel bulbs
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup dry vermouth
2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
Juice of 1 medium lemon
1/2 bunch chives, finely chopped
1/2 bunch tarragon, leaves picked, finely chopped

Directions:
Place the beets in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the beets are fork tender, about 30 minutes. Drain, then peel under cold running water. Set the beets aside to cool.
Trim any green tops off the fennel and slice the bulbs in half lengthwise. Remove the core from each half and slice the bulbs lengthwise in 1/4-inch-thick strips.
Return the large pot to the stove, add the olive oil and butter, and heat over medium heat. When the butter foams, add the fennel, season well with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the vermouth, mustard, and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, slice the peeled beets into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Add the beets to the pot and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the herbs, taste, and adjust the seasoning as desired. This can be served warm or cold.

http://www.chow.com/recipes/10627-herbed-beets-with-fennel

Lemony Roasted Beets

Prep time: 15 minutes  Cook time: 40 minutesServes 4 Ingredients:

6 medium sized beets
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or to taste) (30 ml)
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest (1 ml)
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (2 ml)
pinch of salt
1/4 cup feta cheese (optional)
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss all the ingredients together in an 8 inch (20.5 cm) square non-reactive baking dish, except the feta cheese and seeds. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and roast the beets in a preheated 375°F (190°C) oven for about 40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Shake or stir occasionally. Top with crumbled feta cheese and sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.

http://www.areconnecting.com/roasted-beets.html

Herb Goat Cheese Tart with Roasted Beets
Ingredients:

-Marinated roasted beets 

2 golden beets
2 small red beets
1 small Albina Vereduna, white variety (optional)
2 garlic cloves, smashed
4 Tbsp olive oil
2Tbs sherry vinegar
sea salt, fresh ground pepper
2 Tbsp fresh thyme

-For the pastry
1cup whole wheat pastry flour and
1 1/2 all- purpose flour or if you prefer use 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

-For the filling
10 ounces soft mild goat cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon chopped mixed fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, oreganofor garnish
fresh chopped herbs, baby arugula
fresh ground pepper, sea salt

Directions:

To roast the beets wrap them in aluminum foil, place on the baking sheet and bake for about 30-40 min in 425°F oven, wait until cool enough to handle and use paper towels to slip the skins off. Slice thinly and place red and golden beets in two separate bowls. Mix olive oil, vinegar, garlic, thyme salt and pepper, pour over each bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
In the mean time mix all of the ingredients for the pastry dough until smooth, flatten into a disc, wrap and refrigerate until ready to use ( at least 30 min).
In the food processor blend all the ingredients for the filling, until smooth.
Preheat oven to 350°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/8-inch-thick rectangular shape( if you're using this kind of pan) . Roll the dough around the rolling pin, and lift it over a tart pan with a removable bottom( I used 10.5x7.5). Line the pan with the dough, pressing it into the corners.You'll most likely use only 2/3 of prepared dough. Prick dough all over with a fork. Transfer to refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. Bake for 10-15 min on the middle rack. Remove from oven, add the feeling and bake on the middle rack for another 30 min. Remove from oven, arrange the beets on top, garnish with chopped thyme, oregano and baby arugula, drizzle with some oil and vinegar mixture saved from marinating beets. 

http://signalmountainfarm.blogspot.com/2012/05/roasted-kohlrabi-beets-and-fennel.html

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi and Cabbage Salad with Maple Lemon Dressing
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
4 bulbs kohlrabi (I used 2 fennel bulbs and slice them thin,)
3 c shredded green cabbage
1/3 c dried cherries
1/4 c salted, roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 c chopped fresh dill
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
3 T real maple syrup
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 2 lemons
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 t kosher salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
If using kohlrabi, remove long stems and greens. Trim away the thick green skin until you reach the light green to white part that is free of tough fibers. Shred on the medium holes of a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the shredder disc. For fennel, just wash and slice into half moons.

Combine kohlrabi or fennel, cabbage, cherries, sunflower seeds and dill in a large serving bowl. In a small jar with a tight fitting lid, combine olive oil, maple syrup, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Shake to combine. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat well. Let sit for about 20 minutes before serving.
http://thisishowicook.blogspot.com/2013/05/kohlrabi-fennel-cabbage-salad-with.html


Kohlrabi Slaw
Ingredients:
2 cups chopped cabbage
4 kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and grated
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
2 carrots, sliced thin
2 tablespoons minced fresh onion
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Directions:
Toss the cabbage, kohlrabi, celery, carrot, and onion together in a large bowl.
Whisk the sugar, salt, pepper, celery seed, mayonnaise, and vinegar together in a separate bowl until smooth; pour over the cabbage mixture and stir to coat evenly. Chill in refrigerator 1 hour before serving.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/kohlrabi-slaw/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=kohlrabi&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe

Turnips and Radishes...Unappreciated Gems

Turnips, like radishes, are a very versatile, easy to prepare or cook vegetable that is appreciated by many cultures but often forgotten in American cuisine.  Fall/winter turnips or storage turnips (the typical being the half purple/half white round root, although we grow several different varieties) are best used for roasted mixed veggies, soups, gratins, tarts, and other long-cooking preparations.  However, spring turnips (we grow Des Vertus, a French heirloom, but Hakurei turnips are the most commonly recognized) are sweet and tender and don’t need or really benefit from such effort.  They are so delicately flavored that they really make a great raw snack, but they can also be added to salads, stir-fries, sandwiches, tacos, and even quick-pickled.  Here are a few recipes to get the creative juices going.  Try using radishes in similar ways.  I really like radishes in salads with early spring lettuce, scallions, white beans, oregano, and a lemon or red wine vinegar vinaigrette or stir-fried with equal parts soy sauce and balsamic vinegar with a dash of maple syrup or agave.  They also make a great addition to tabouleh or salsa (tomato and mango based).  or just eat them instead of snacking on carrots (or cookies)!

Nutritional benefit: both are a very good source of Vitamin C and Potassium and also provide Vitamin B6, Fiber, and Calcium.

Turnip and Egg Tacos

This recipe could easily be adapted for other eating styles - replace the egg with shrimp, fish, steak, chicken, or marinated tempeh.

Adapted by Farmer Dave’s  from Trusted Earth Farm and Forage

Ingredients:

• 1 small bunch hakurei turnips (4 Des Vertus turnips)

• 2 garlic scapes – diced (use garlic, garlic scapes aren’t in yet)

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1/4 tsp cumin

• salt and pepper to taste

• 2 eggs

• 6 small tortillas of your choice

• 3 oz queso fresco

• chopped cilantro to taste, if desired

• Salt & pepper

Directions:

Remove the turnips from their greens. Dice the turnips and mince the greens. Dice the garlic scapes. In another bowl crack your two eggs and whisk like scrambled eggs.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large pan. Once the butter has melted, add in the turnips and scapes – toss to coat them thoroughly with the butter. Cook for two – three minutes.  Add the cumin, salt and pepper. Toss everything again to make sure it’s all coated with butter and evenly seasoned.Cook another minute. Set aside – and in the still hot skillet – add your eggs and scramble quickly.  Warm your tortillas.

Assemble your tacos with the remaining ingredients!

Turnip Salad, like Potato Salad

Ingredients:

1 cube vegetable bouillon

1 cup water

3 cups peeled, cubed turnips

1/4 cup minced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and black pepper to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream

1/2 cup shredded sharp white Cheddar

cheese

chopped fresh parsley for garnish

(optional)

Directions:

Place the vegetable bouillon cube into a saucepan with the water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the bouillon cube dissolves, about 1 minute. Stir in the turnips, onion, and garlic, return to a boil, and cook the mixture until the turnips are tender, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until most of the liquid has been evaporated, 10 to 15 more minutes.

Lightly stir in the sour cream to coat the turnips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and top with shredded Cheddar cheese and parsley.

Asian-Style Greens from rasamalaysia.com

The original recipe used bok choy, so if you have your bok choy from last week you can use that or a mix.  It will work with any green or cabbage.

Ingredients:

Your favorite Chinese greens (baby bok choy, turnip greens, mustard greens, Napa cabbage or a mix)
1 tablespoon oyster sauce (Lee Kum Kee brand preferred) or a mix of soy sauce and rice vinegar or sherry
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 dashes of white pepper powder

Garlic Oil:

2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon oil

Prepare the garlic oil first by heating up your wok and stir fry the minced garlic until they turn light brown. Dish out and set aside.

Heat up a pot of water and bring it to boil. Add two small drops of cooking oil into the water. Drop your vegetables into the boiling water and quickly blanch them for about 20-30 seconds (depends on the quantity). As soon as they turn slightly wilted, transfer them out and drain the excess water off the vegetables. Arrange the vegetables on a plate.

In a wok, heat up the cooking oil, and then add the oyster sauce, water, sugar, and white pepper powder. As soon as the sauce heats up and blends well, transfer and drench it over the blanced vegetables. Top the vegetables with the garlic oil and serve immediately.

Cook’s Note:

For the garlic oil, the garlic will continue to cook in the oil so as soon as they turn light brown in the wok, you should dish it out. Eventually, they will turn golden brown.