RECIPE: Roasted Radishes with Radish Greens

From Food & Wine (March 2009)

Ingredients:

3 bunches small radishes with greens attached
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 500°. Trim the radishes and wash the greens; pat dry.

2. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the radishes, season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned in spots, about 2 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the radishes for 15 minutes, until crisp-tender.

3. Return the skillet to the burner and stir in the butter to coat the radishes. Add the radish greens and cook over moderate heat until they are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and season with salt. Serve the radishes right away.

Contributed by Julie Baron

RECIPE: Asian Spinach Sauté with Cannellini Beans, Mushrooms and Pine Nuts

Ingredients:

1 large bunch of Asian spinach, roughly chopped

2 shallots, diced small

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 8oz can of Cannellini beans

¼ cup toasted pine nuts

3 Tbsp plus extra olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Toast pine nuts in pan with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Set aside.

2. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Add shallots and mushrooms. Cook until shallots are translucent and mushrooms are soft. Add balsamic vinegar and allow the shallots and mushrooms to absorb. Next add Cannellini beans and heat through. Add pine nuts and stir.

3. Add Asian spinach at the end a handful at a time and allow to wilt. You may need to add more oil because the spinach will absorb some. Salt and pepper to taste.

Contributed by Stephanie and Maja

ADVOCACY: Legalize Urban Bee Keeping!

Come to a Rally on 6/23 and Help Legalize Urban Bee Keeping in NYC!

Click here for more details....

RECIPE: Cabbage Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

From Perfect Vegetables by the editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 pound green or red cabbage (1/2 medium head), shredded

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

Salt

2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon honey

2 medium cloves garlic, chopped

1 (1 1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled

1/2 jalapeno chile, stemmed and seeded

4 medium radishes, halved lengthwise and sliced thin

4 medium scallions, sliced thin

Procedure:

1. Toss the cabbage, carrot, and 1 teaspoon salt in a colander or large mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Let stand until the cabbage and carrot wilt, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Rinse the cabbage and carrot under cold running water (or in a large bowl of ice water if serving immediately). Press but do not squeeze, to drain; pat dry with paper towels. (The cabbage and carrot can be stored in a zipper-lock plastic bag and refrigerated overnight.)

2. Place the peanut butter, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, and chile in the workbowl of a food processor. Process until a smooth dressing is formed. Toss the cabbage and carrot, radishes, scallions, and dressing together in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (The salad is best the day it is made but will keep refrigerated for several days.)

RECIPE: Radish Pizza

Ingredients:

5-6 radishes sliced

Handful of thyme, reserve some for garnish

8oz frozen pizza dough, thawed (we used Real NY brand from Westside Market)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Grease a heavy-duty cookie sheet. Hand shape the dough on the cookie sheet to make at least a 12-inch diameter. Brush top of dough with olive oil. Spread out radish slices. Season with salt and pepper. Scatter thyme on top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Add additional reserved thyme leaves. Slice and serve warm.

Contributed by Stephanie Leonard & Maja Castillo

FARM NEWS 6.20.09

This week was memorable for lots of rain, so much rain, in fact, we couldn't plow or cultivate several of the fields. So much rain half of our Brussels Sprout crop sat in "standing water" for over 24 hrs. But this doesn't mean these crops are done for, it just means there's potential. When it's raining so much it doesn't pay to go into the field with the tractor, as compaction can be ten times worse than usual. A case of hurry up and wait for conditions to change. Between the rains, our crew found time to pull off three harvests (We actually have four groups to harvest for- our locals, our Manhattans, our Westchesters and of course our farmer's market in Norfolk).

Between harvests, and between downpours, we hoed and handweeded carrots, cabbages, Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplants, and celeriac. For an hour there, conditions in one field were dry enough for Cody to seed salad mix and arugula while Alissa, Naf, and I transplanted the third round of cucumbers, zucchini, basil, and beets. Thanks to this terrific crew, we manage to keep making progress despite the weather. Because we are not completely dependent on mechanization and tractors for every cultivation, transplanting, and seeding we could continue getting work done.

I always say, I'll never complain about too much rain, because I know the reverse is far more trouble. Vegetables are 90% water, not 90% unwater! I suppose though, that we'll be thankful when the skies clear a bit and we can continue plowing and transplanting, cultivating and seeding as usual.

Attached is a photo of Alissa with the seeder. We all take turns weekly putting in the salad mix, arugula, and broccoli raab seed. This entails pushing the seeder back and forth on the soil until parallel rows are formed. It's about a mile of greens seeded every week. Mostly they are ready for harvest in 40 days, and a week missed can make trouble down the road. (This week's excessive rain has been trouble for the salad mix too, splashing mud and constant wet make for lushness and spots of rot.) Hopefully your salad mix has still held up well for you in the fridge. More on the art of salad mix later.

In your share, approximately:

Salad Mix
Garlic Scapes
Asian Spinach
Radishes
Arugula
Scallions
Spring Cabbage

Thanks,
Your farmer,
Dan

Carrots... When to chop?

The anti-cancer properties of carrots are more potent if the vegetable is not cut up before cooking, research shows.

See this article for more information.

A slideshow from the site...

RECIPE: Napa (Chinese) Cabbage Salad

From The French Farmhouse Cookbook

Serves 4 generously

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons best quality red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

1 clove garlic, peeled, green germ removed, and minced

salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon hot water

1/2 cup (loosely packed) flat-leaf parsley leaves, minced

1 1/4 pounds Napa cabbage, trimmed, cut into quarters lengthwise, and very finely sliced crosswise

Procedure:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, both mustards, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly until the dressing is emulsified. Whisk in the hot water.

2. Add the parsley and the cabbage to the dressing, toss until thoroughly combined. Serve immediately or let sit for up to 2 hours before serving. If the salad sits, be sure to toss it again before serving.

Contributed by Lisa Bretherick

RECIPE: Arugula Pecan Pesto

From The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without

Yield: 1 1/3 cups

Ingredients:

4 packed cups arugula (about 8 ounces)

1 small garlic clove

1 cup chopped pecans (toasting optional)*

1/4 teaspoon salt (or more)

1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice (or to taste)

1 to 2 tablespoons (packed measure) golden raisins (or more)

5 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (possibly more)

Procedure:

1. Place the arugula, garlic, pecans, and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse until pulverized, adding lemon juice and raisins as you go.

2. Run the processor again, drizzling in the olive oil in a steady stream. When it reaches the consistency that looks right to you, stop the machine. Transfer the pesto to a small container with a tight-fitting lid. Taste to adjust the lemon juice and salt.

3. Smooth the top of the pesto with the back of a spoon, and add a thin layer of olive oil to cover the top. Cover and chill. Serve as desired.**

* The pecans do not need to be toasted, but you can experiment with toasting them lightly to see if you prefer the slightly enhanced flavor.

**The pesto will keep for up to a week in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. A thin layer of olive oil over the surface will help preserve it.

RECIPE: White Bean and Garlic Scapes Dip

From The New York Times

Yields 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

1/3 cup sliced garlic scapes (3 to 4)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, more to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling.

Procedure:

1. In a food processor, process garlic scapes with lemon juice, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Add cannellini beans and process to a rough purée.

2. With motor running, slowly drizzle olive oil through feed tube and process until fairly smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 tablespoons water, or more, until mixture is the consistency of a dip. Add more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice, if desired.

3. Spread out dip on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with more salt.

FARM NEWS 6.14.09

Saturday afternoon (or sometimes a Sunday morning) offered an hour or so of quality family time at the farm. You might think that it is family fun all day every day here but we find ourselves worn thin with work, plans and obligations. It isn't actually that often that we take the time to have a little breathing space, especially together as a family. So yesterday in the hour or so before dinner we went down to the farm to get some food. We put Baxter in his stroller and walked a big circle harvesting along the way. Our first stop, after watering the greenhouse, was the yarrow for our table. Next we came to marjoram, dill and garlic scapes, visited the pigs, then onto scallions. Beatrice is particularly fond of radishes, so she picked some of those, too.

Dan tries his very best to put his blinders on as we go. With every step he sees beds that need to be tended to. But spent from an early morning harvest and a market he manages to pass by without getting into the weeds. Nothing goes by without notice and walking beside me I know he is making mental notes and taking stock for the week; those cabbages are ready for harvest, the cows should be given this bit of grass, the leeks are looking good, carrots need to be hand weeded, etc.

We made our way around the farm selecting some lettuce and chard but at this point Baxter was getting squirmy and needing a milk snack. By now our bags are full and we don't have anything to put the beautiful tender arugula in. Oh well, time to go home and make supper.

Here's the harvest for this week:

Chinese cabbage

lettuce

arugula

broccoli raab

garlic scapes

spinach

**Garlic scapes: these are the flowers stalks of the garlic plant. We pick them to encourage larger bulb growth and they happen to be delicious too! Cut off the skinny papery end. chop up the rest and use as you would garlic in pesto, etc, Great sauted with the broccoli raab. Yum.

ADVOCACY: Pollinator sound bite...

Help Legalize Beekeeping in NYC and Celebrate Just Food's Bee Pollinator Week. Go to...

http://justfood.org/events/index.html#pollinator

Some photos from the first pickup

Recipe: Peanut Butter Hummus

Contributed by Mark D'Alessandro - chef / nutrionist, West Side Campaign against hunger

16 oz chickpeas (preferably dry, soaked, cooked, cooled in their cooking liquid, then drained and allowed to cool for 10 minutes - they should be warm, not hot)

3 TBSP peanut butter (which = peanuts + salt + food processor)

juice of 2 lemons

3 garlic cloves (shaved on a mandoline)

1/3 cup Extra Virgin olive oil

Salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Smoked paprika, to taste

pita, cucumber, carrot, pepper; any platform "fit to be dipped"

In a food processor, puree the chickpeas, garlic, peanut butter, and 1/2 of the lemon juice. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika (go easy - use more to garnish). Then, with the motor running, add the olive oil. Taste. Add the remaining lemon juice as desired (I like my hummus quite lemony). Garnish with copious amounts of olive oil and paprika.

As an aside, the greater the "integrity" of your ingredients, the better the final product. Feel free to substitute white beans, California olive oil, "designer salts", etc. Oh, and make the pita bread - it's easy! Flour, water, yeast, oil, salt, honey. How hard is that?

RECIPE: Spaghetti with Olives, Tomatoes, and Arugula

Adapted from The Naked Chef Takes Off

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 dried chili, to taste

1 cup (about 24) cherry or grape tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped

8-10 olives, crushed and pitted

1 lb dried spaghetti

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3 large handfuls of arugula, roughly chopped

Procedure:

1. Heat a large frying pan, add a few tablespoons of olive oil, fry the garlic and chili for 30 seconds; add the tomatoes and olives. Toss and allow to cook 4-6 minutes. The tomatoes should thicken into a sauce with some chunks in it. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the package in well-salted, boiling water. Drain.

3. Add the pasta and the chopped arugula to the tomato sauce and toss together until the arugula wilts.

Contributed by Lisa Bretherick

RECIPE: Warm Broccoli Rabe and Yukon Gold Potato Salad

From Lidia's Family Table

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 - 2 lbs broccoli rabe

1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes

1/4 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

pinch dried red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

Procedure:

1. Rinse and trim the broccoli rabe, peeling off the tough outer layer of the stems. Cut the peeled stems into 4- to 5-inch pieces. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes.

2. Place the potato cubes in a pot and cover with several inches of water. Bring the water to a boil and cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Lay the greens and stems on top of the potatoes, cover, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

3. Lift the broccoli rabe and potatoes out of the water with a spider or strainer and lay them in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and let them cool for a few minutes. Turn the vegetables out into a large mixing bowl; drizzle with olive oil and toss gently. Season with more salt and red pepper flakes to taste.

Note: This dish makes an excellent light supper, topped with a poached egg or a slice of Gorgonzola

Contributed by Lisa Bretherick

EVENT: FARM VISIT ON JULY 11

PACK UP YOUR FAMILY AND JOIN US!!

We will be visiting Dan and Tracy's farm and will also include a visit to one of our other farmers. The day will include a picnic lunch and a farm tour where you will get to ask Dan and Tracy all your questions and learn about organic farming and life as a farmer.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THIS FUN COMMUNITY EVENT! JULY 11...

*Details will be sent out soon. We will be coordinating car pools.

FARM NEWS 6.7.09

Hi Chubby Bunny CSA!

So much to be thankful for this spring!  

First, a terrific crew of apprentices- Cody, Alissa, and Naf. These folks are all future farmers, devouring the demanding workload we've placed on their shoulders. On a typical spring day, Alissa will be out chisel plowing, Cody spreading compost, and Naf cultivating with the new 1950's era CASE VAC tractor. It's a busy scene on the farm every day, and the work could not get done without these dedicated folks.

Second thing to be thankful for- you the CSA members, who've fronted us the money ahead of receiving your veggies. Thank you for sharing the risk of the season with us. This is a much fairer shake than most farmers get for what they do. I've attended more than one farmer's market when it was raining and no one came to buy. So thanks for joining us in a more equitable relationship!

Third thing to be thankful for as your farmer, is the bounty of spring.

Your share this week:

Salad Mix

Arugula

Spinach

Broccoli Raab

French Breakfast Radishes

Oregano

Enjoy the greens!

Your farmer,

Dan

Last call for Optional Shares

Our season begins next Tuesday, and you have a last-minute opportunity to sign up for optional shares:

Fruit: $190 for the season

Milk: $120 for a half-gallon/$180 for a full gallon for the season

Chicken: $90 for four chickens - one per month July-October; only 13 shares available, chickens average 4-5 lbs each

If you want to sign up please let June know asap.  She must receive your check by next Tuesday, our first delivery date.

Check is payable to Chubby Bunny CSA, mail (or deliver in person to):

June Muller

250 West 94th Street

New York, NY 10025-6954

Chicken shares are limited so the first checks she receives obtain the shares.

ADVOCACY: Support Farm to School Legislation

Calling all Chubby Bunny CSA members to support farm to school legislation and Federal Child Nutrition programs. 

 

The NYC Alliance for Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2009 (CNR) is a collaboration of NYC organizations committed to ending hunger and improving the health of our children. Over the next few months, Congress will have the opportunity to make serious improvements to programs that feed millions of children each day -- the School Breakfast Program, the National School Lunch Program, the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). The NYC Alliance has put together a comprehensive set of recommendations that not only recognizes the importance of healthy children and healthy food but also the critical need for sourcing regional and local foods for these Federal child nutrition programs. The recommended farm to school procurement language supports the health of children, local and regional economies and New York area farms!  We invite you to sign on to these recommendations and become a supporter of the NYC Alliance for Child Nutrition Reauthorization. Read the recommendations here.

In the coming months there will also be an opportunity for you to attend an event with elected officials and community members to help spread the word about the importance of the CNR Act.  

If you are interested in signing on, please contact advocacy@chubbybunny.com or Lexi Van de Walle at lexi@alexavandewalle.com and she can add you to the growing list of individuals and organizations that are signing on to this important platform. 

EXPERIENCE: Visiting the Farm by Rich Ehrenhaus

I just wanted to give a quick report on my visit to Chubby Bunny Farm yesterday. I work 5 minutes away from the farm a couple days a week, so after I emailed Dan, our friendly farmer, I decided to stop by during lunch. After I was greeted by Alissa, one of the 3 interns who gave me funny looks until I assured her that Dan was expecting me, she drove me into the field where we delivered some water for some recently transplanted (from the greenhouse) watermelons and cantelope, I think.  After all, it's kinda hard to tell when these plants are just a few leaves sticking out of some mulch (to retain the water), but she assured me they're the best, even though I don't know if they're for our share.  It all sounded good, but seeing how this is my first season with Chubby Bunny, I'm easily impressed.

Afterwards, I went over to talk with Dan and the two other interns, Cody & Naf, while they were pruning carrots. Apparently, carrots are direct seeded into the field (as opposed to seeding in the greenhouse and then transplanting into the field), but the machine that seeds them puts them in a straight line close together, but carrots need room to grow, so every few inches they were pulling out the recently sprouted seedlings and bunching the soil together.  The offered me the chance to help, with the guarantee that they'll taste better that way.  Unfortunately, I only had a few minutes left in my lunch break and wasn't really dressed for it anyway, but I might try to plan better next week and maybe help harvest some of our 1st week's share.  Too bad I can't fulfill my volunteer credit this way (although maybe we should consider creating another offsite volunteer position ;-).

Anyway, I inspected our rapidly growing greens for next week, and everything looked great (even though I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I'm learning quickly).  Can't wait for next week.

Volunteer Positions Available

If you are unable to come to the site to volunteer during the season, then one of these off-site volunteer positions might be perfect for you and will relieve you of the responsibility of your 2 on-site shift requirements. These are the positions we need to fill...

Recipe Coordinator(s):  If you like to cook this may be for you! Each week we send out a e-newsletter where we include a recipe or 2 using the ingredients in that week's share. The farmer will e-mail the recipe coordinator a list of produce on Sunday so you can choose recipes with some of those veggies (it's preferable to provide recipes using some of the more unusual veggies) and encourage members to send in their favorite recipes to you as well. If you so desire, you can choose to write a few lines about the veggie(s) highlighted in that week's recipe. Nutritional content, best ways to store, whatever. We can send you a sample of past recipe posts to give you an idea if that appeals to you. Once you have put together your info, you will email it to our website and newsletter coordinators so they can present it weekly in the newsletter and on our website. Posting and updating our recipe blog is an option as well.

Advocacy Co-Coordinator: If you are passionate and connected to local sustainable farming issues, environmental issues, green markets etc., this may be good for you. We are looking for someone to work with Lexi, our co-coordinator from last season, who is not hesitant to be proactive and will send out periodic email announcements regarding these issues and or events happening locally or politically.

Trial Shares Coordinator: This person would keep a list of people who got shut out of our CSA this year but would be interested in trying a trial share sometime during the season. When/if we have extra to spare because of vacationing members or otherwise, I will let you know what we have available to offer the following week. You will then contact people on that list until you receive confirmation and then relay that person(s) name to the site coordinator's google document online. It's important that the person for this position be friendly and helpful as he/she will likely be the first to represent Chubby Bunny CSA! In a perfect world, this person would be a returning member who is more familiar with our operation.

EVENT: FIRST PICKUP OF THE SEASON...

And a little something special. Mark D'Alessandro, the chef/nutrionist at Westside Campaign Against Hunger, has agreed to make something special for us to eat next Tuesday. We don't know what it is, but we are sure it will be worth coming to the site to find out. 

Remember that pickup is from 5-7pm. See you there!

Fridays at the Farm

Here is another movie for your viewing pleasure. We received an email about this earlier in the year, but in case you didn't know about it or it was the last thing on your mind at the time, you can view the trailer and get excited about our upcoming season. You can see the complete video on Vimeo here or purchase the DVD here.

Fridays at the Farm Trailer from Coyopa Productions on Vimeo.

Fresh the Movie

Unfortunately, it's too late to go to a screening here in NYC for this film since it happened last week, but if you are a die hard and willing to travel it is being screened in several other locations in the very near future. We are looking into the availability of a DVD in the future, but until then... you can either host your own screening or just watch the trailer repeatedly.

And so it begins...

With our 2009 season about to begin we needed a more efficient and user friendly way to disperse information. We all know that massive influxes of emails can be overwhelming, and if we are all honest with ourselves, we probably just delete a lot of them or let them go unread for months. But we at Chubby Bunny really do have a lot of things to share with you, so rather than sending a weekly newsletter that may or may not have the information you are looking for, we will post everything here and send a weekly email with links to the information. That way you only have to read what you want to read. Here's to eating better food in 2009!!