RECIPE: Chocolate Beet Brownies

From plantea.com

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (or 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup applesauce)

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

4 eggs

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

1 cup applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla

1-1/2 cup unbleached white flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup cooked beets

1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

1/2 cup wheat germ

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 9 x 13-inch pan.

2. Melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Set aside to cool.

3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs until light in color and foamy. Add sugar and vanilla and continue beating until well creamed. Stir in chocolate mixture, followed by applesauce and beets. Sift together flour, salt, spices and baking powder and stir into creamed mixture. Fold in wheat germ and almonds.

4. Bake in pre-heated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool before cutting into squares.

RECIPE: Risotto with Beet Greens and Leeks

From Cooking Light, March 2001

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

Ingredients:

5 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups thinly sliced leek (about 2 large)

1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio or other short-grain rice

1/4 cup dry white wine

3 cups coarsely chopped beet greens

1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

6 lemon wedges

Procedure:

1. Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leek; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add rice; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook 1 minute or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly.

3. Reduce heat to low; stir in greens. Add broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next portion (about 25 minutes). Stir in cheese and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.

RECIPE: Red Onion, Goat Cheese and Basil Tart

Ingredients:

2 medium-size red onions, unpeeled, each cut into 12 wedges

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 pre-made pie shell (frozen or homemade)

1 large egg

8 ounces goat cheese

1/4 cup pesto (purchased or homemade)

1/4 cup whipping or heavy cream

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Oil heavy large baking sheet. Toss onion wedges with oil in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange onions in single layer on baking sheet. Bake until bottoms of onions are golden and onions are very tender, about 25 minutes. Transfer sheet to rack; cool. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)

2. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

3. Stir cheese, pesto, cream and 2 tablespoons basil in medium bowl until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in egg. Spread cheese mixture evenly over bottom of crust. Remove peel and stem end from roasted onions. Fan wedges, golden brown side up, over cheese mixture.

4. Bake tart until crust is brown and cheese appears set, about 25-35 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to rack and cool tart to room temperature.

5. Sprinkle tart with remaining 1 tablespoon basil. Slice and serve.

Contributed by Stephanie Leonard

FARM NEWS 10.25.09

Hi Folks,

For those of y'all who pick up at the farm, please excuse the mess. We're building/renovating the greenhouse, spreading compost, filling the dumpster, harvesting crops, sending away the grain bin, renovating the chicken trailer. So it may look a bit chaotic, but it's all in the name of farm improvement for 2010 and years to come.

We've sent along pics of Beatrice milking (not bad for a four year old!) and tending the pigletts. This is what makes our typical Sunday morning- tending the animals, moving fence for the cows, picking greens for tonight's supper.

Hope you've been enjoying our fall offerings!
Onions
Daikon
Rutabegas
Beets
Spinach/Chard/Beet Greens mix
Carrots
Celeriac
Sweet Potatoes
Leeks
Kale
Enjoy!
Your farm family,
Dan, Tracy, Bea, and Baxter

RECIPE: Puffed Apple Pancake

I look forward to fall for many reasons. One of them is making an apple puff pancake for weekend brunch. Enjoy.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk

4 large eggs

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup all purpose flour

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

12 ounces apples (about 2), peeled, cored, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

Powdered sugar (optional)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Whisk milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon in large bowl until well blended. Add flour and whisk until batter is smooth.

3. Place butter in 13x9-inch glass baking dish. Place dish in oven until butter melts, about 5 minutes. Remove dish from oven. Place apple slices in overlapping rows atop melted butter in baking dish. Return to oven and bake until apples begin to soften slightly and butter is bubbling and beginning to brown around edges of dish, about 10 minutes.

4. Pour batter over apples in dish and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake pancake until puffed and brown, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Serve warm.

RECIPE: Smashed Rutabagas with Ginger-Roasted Pears

From Bon Appetit, November 2007

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

4 pounds rutabagas, peeled, cut into 3/4- to 1-inch cubes

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

3 firm pears (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled, cored, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

5 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Kosher salt

Procedure:

1. Cook rutabagas in pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 35 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Combine oil, lemon juice, ginger, and sugar in large bowl. Add pears; toss to coat. Spread on prepared sheet. Roast until tender, turning pears every 10 minutes, about 35 minutes total.

3. Drain rutabagas; return to same pot. Mash to coarse puree. Stir over medium heat until excess moisture evaporates, 5 minutes. Add cream, butter, and thyme. Mix in pears and any juices from baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to microwave-safe bowl. Cover; chill. Rewarm at 1-minute intervals.

RECIPE: Baked Sweet Potato and Celery Root Fries

From foodnetwork.com
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes

1 large celery root, peeled

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika

1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut potatoes and celery root into 1/2-inch thick matchsticks.

2. In a small bowl, mix together cayenne, paprika, 5-spice powder, garlic powder, black pepper and salt.

3. Spread matchsticks evenly on 2 sheet trays and toss with oil and spice mixture. Roast until golden brown, about 40 minutes, shaking pan occasionally. Serve immediately

RECIPE: Roasted Sweet Potato Salad With Black Beans and Chili Dressing

From The New York Times, September, 25, 2009
Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 large onion, preferably red, chopped

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh hot chili, like jalapeño

1 clove garlic, peeled

Juice of 2 limes

2 cups cooked black beans, drained (canned are fine)

1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro.

Procedure:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put sweet potatoes and onions on a large baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, toss to coat and spread out in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally, until potatoes begin to brown on corners and are just tender inside, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven; keep on pan until ready to mix with dressing.

2. Put chilies in a blender or mini food processor along with garlic, lime juice, remaining olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Process until blended.

3. Put warm vegetables in a large bowl with beans and bell pepper; toss with dressing and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to a day.

Contributed by Phyllis Jo Kubey

FARM NEWS 10.19.09

Hi Folks,

This week on the farm: Garlic Planting for 2010, compost spreading, harvesting. Attached are photos of Cody, Beatrice, and Alissa planting garlic, and another of compost spreading.

Also, hard frosts and freezes. Frozen wash stations (dirt covered veg!), snow during harvests, cold mud covered hands, frozen toes...

Garlic planting entails the busting up of garlic bulbs to obtain cloves, which are planted every 6" in two rows. With beds of 220', this means lots of time on one's hands and knees, what with 10,000 cloves to plant! It's the only veg. we plant in fall to winter over for next season's harvest. It's an investment in the future- requiring us to put aside 20% of any given year's garlic harvest to use as "seed." We hope you've been enjoying this year's relatively bountiful garlic crop!


Here's this week's harvest:

Sweet Potatoes (let sit out at 70* for 20 days to sweeten up)
Onions
Leeks
Collards
Garlic
Daikon w/ greens
Rutabegas
Beets
Carrots
Celeriac

Enjoy!
Your farmers,
Dan and Tracy, Bea and Baxter

RECIPE: Sweet Pickled Daikon Radish

From foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 pound daikon radish
• 1/4 cup kosher salt

Procedure:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat add the vinegar, water, sugar, and turmeric. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.

2. Meanwhile, peel the daikon radish and slice into 1/4-inch thick rounds. (If your daikon is very large, slice the rounds into semicircles.) Place in a colander with salt and mix well. Place the colander over a bowl and let drain for 1 hour.

3. Rinse the salt off with a couple of changes of water and dry the daikon well. Put into a sterilized glass jar. Pour the cooled brine through a coffee filter (or a cheesecloth lined strainer) into the jar to cover the radish slices.

4. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Will keep for about 2 weeks.

RECIPE: Butternut Squash Soup with Parmesan and Fried Sage Leaves

From Bon Appetit

Serves 6

Ingredients:

3 tbsp butter, divided
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
2 3/4-pound butternut squash, halved, peeled, seeded, chopped (about 5 cups)
5 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
24 fresh sage leaves

Procedure:
1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion; cover and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Add chopped sage; stir 1 minute. Add squash and broth. Increase heat to high and bring to boil.

2. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly.

3. Puree soup in batches in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Mix in cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate.)

4. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add sage leaves and saute until brown and toasted, about 2 minutes. Bring soup to simmer. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with fried sage leaves.

RECIPE: Country-Fresh Pear Cake

Searching for ways to use up all those pears, try this dense cake.

From American Wholefoods Cuisine

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 lbs pears, peeled, cored, and sliced very thin (about 5 cups)
2 tbsp butter

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Beat eggs with milk in a large mixing bowl. Beat in honey and molasses. Add salt and flour and mix thoroughly. Stir sliced pears into the batter to coat.

3. Butter and flour a 9" round pan, preferably with a removable bottom. Spread batter in the pan. Dot top with butter.

4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until surface is lightly colored. Cool in the pan and remove sides to serve.

Cake can be eaten warm at room temperature, or chilled (which is quite good). Slice thin to serve and, if desired, top with a dollop of Yogurt Cream. (To make Yogurt Cream, mash 1/4 cup cream cheese with a fork. Beat in 1/2 cup yogurt until smooth and creamy. Sweeten lightly with 1 tsp honey or maple syrup. If desired, a little vanilla extract can also be added, or a dusting of cinnamon or nutmeg can be used on top.)

GENERAL INFORMATION: Grains and Beans for Sale

Hey gang,
So this Tuesday, we will have a guest vendor, Cayuga Pure Organics who will be selling dried beans, whole grains and milled flours. I was introduced to Cayuga by a fellow member and chef, Sierra and after experiencing the spelt flour and beans myself, I thought they might be a good addition for shares next season.
So in order to gage interest, I invited Cayuga the opportunity to come and sell their products to our members. Below is more information about them including the prices for their offerings on Tuesday.

Please e-mail me with your comments re: shares next season after you've had a chance to experience their products.

Bernie

Cayuga Pure Organics, based in the Finger Lakes region of central New York, is an Organic farm with a mission: To re-build our local food systems in harmony with the land, and in the spirit of community. In everything we do, on the farm, and at the markets, we reflect upon this mission, in order to operate at the highest level of quality and integrity. Our diverse line of quality bean, grain, and dry milled products exemplify these values, not only by their superior flavor and nutrition, but also by the sustainability of the practices which produce them. To find out more, or to view the full line of certified organic products, visit www.cporganics.com.

Our beans and grains are so fresh, they are still considered “live”. Full of enzymes and high quality oils, they are in a different class than their store bought counterparts. For instance, our dry beans cook in half the time, and our milled wheat & spelt products have an unbelievable flavor, which in most outstanding when enjoyed soon after the date of milling. We are thrilled by the opportunity to visit Chubby Bunny CSA and meet directly with its members. Building on the pillars of food and community, we will nourish much more than just our health. Our offering for this special engagement will include:

o Four varieties of Dry Beans, including Black, Pinto, Red, and Navy @ $4/lb.
o Whole Grains including Wheat Berries @ $2/lb., & Spelt Berries @ $3/lb.
o Premium Whole Grains including Farro & Freekeh @ $6/lb.
o Milled Wheat products including Whole Wheat, Spelt, & Cracked Wheat Cereal.
o Milled Corn products including Cornmeal flour & Polenta. All milled products range from $2.50-3.00/lb.

Unfortunately we can only accept cash at this time. In some cases we will accept a personal check, if it is local, and we can verify your address. We are also at several of the Greenmarkets around the city, if this is more convenient. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Tycho

FARM NEWS 10.12.09

Things just don't seem to be slowing down for us at all here this fall. We have a handful of new projects that we want to get going before our crew leaves in early November. On Friday we received some new sections to expand our heated greenhouse. With the volume of starts we use in the spring we really run out of space too soon. This could be a real problem if we were forced to harden off plants (move them to an unheated hoop house to acclimate them to the cool spring weather) before they are ready. So this project entails, cleaning up all our onions that are currently curing in the greenhouse, taking out all the pallets we use for tables, taking off the existing plastic, tearing down the end wall, erecting the new sections of hoops, putting on a new end wall and then covering with new plastic. Dan's goal is to get this all done soon so he doesn't have to think about doing it alone in the winter when the snow is on the ground. Come mid-February he can walk in, flick a switch to turn the heater on and start seeding! You see we always have one eye on the next season around here, even though you might think we're just about to settle in with dreams of a winter vacation.

Also this week on the farm... more livestock excitement. Coco and Patches will be getting a visit from Litmis, a mini-Jersey bull. He's a beautiful little guy. I'm sure they'll be quite excited to meet him. Three little piggies are coming this week for the winter as well as a batch of replacements hens. Unfortunately we lost about 40 of our New Hampshire Reds to what we can only guess is a weasel. So all, in all a big week here at the Bunny,of course on top of harvesting, cover cropping, preparing for a hard frost....

Here's the harvest: onions, leeks, lettuce, celeriac, garlic, daikon, winter squash, kale or collards, beets or potatoes....
Enjoy!

RECIPE: Celery root salad with apple and parsley

From Perfect Vegetables

Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil

3 tablespoons sour cream

1 medium celery root, peeled and rinsed

½ medium apple, cored and peeled

2 medium scallions, sliced thin

2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley leaves

2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon, if available

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Whisk the lemon juice, mustard, honey, and salt together in a bowl. Whisk in the oil in a slow, steady stream. Add the sour cream and whisk to combine. Set the dressing aside.

2. Cut the celery root and apple into 1½ inch pieces and grate on the coarse holes of a box grater, or use the shredding disk of a food processor. You should have about 3 cups total. Immediately add the grated celery root and apple to the prepared dressing to avoid discoloration. Toss to coat. Stir in the scallions, parsley, and tarragon (if using). Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes and up to several hours. Serve.

How to peel a celery root

Here's a great link I found with step by step directions and photos illustrating how to peel a celery root. Happy cutting.

RECIPE: Cooking with fresh pumpkin

We've all done it, bought a can of pumpkin and used it to make our favorite pumpkin dishes (mine is pumpkin muffins). I have found, though, that the best flavors come from making your own puree from scratch, and it's not hard at all. Here are some directions, care of our friends at the Food Network.

The best way to cook [a pumpkin to use as puree] is to roast it, like you would a butternut squash. So cut it into halves or quarters (depending on its size), scoop out the seeds (save those for toasting later, if you'd like), and put the pieces in a roasting pan with about half a cup of water, and roast it in a medium-hot oven till it's really tender. Scoop it out of the skin with a spoon once it's cool enough to handle, then puree it in a food processor or blender to make sure all the stringy bits are gone. One pumpkin should give you about two cups of puree, which you can then season and use for pie, ravioli, risotto, or simply as a side dish.

FARM NEWS 10.6.09

Hi Folks,

Attached are photos of Beatrice harvesting a Daikon radish, and pics of the new orchard field layout and our beloved Coka Rose cow in front of the orchard field.

We've decided to plant the new field to peaches and vegetables, starting 2010. The peaches are a dream of ours, to be harvested 2013, the vegetables to be planted between young trees, hopefully harvested in the fall of 2010. For now, plowing and drop spreading gypsum, chicken manure, and compost with big intentions for the future!

About the Daikon for newcomers to the CSA: This is a highly treasured vegetable in Japan. And the Japanese, like the French, know the vegetable. Disc it up at an angle to make oblong shapes, sautee in a pan with other veggies adding toasted sesame oil at the end of cooking. This is your farmer's favorite veg, please give it a try! It's also good raw on salads, or on the side of sushi/sashimi. Even better are the greens, cooked with a bit of cider vinegar, mixed with cooked chard greens. The problem is the greens are so enormous, we might not be able to put them into your harvest bins. Know this: we will try.

Also new this week, celeriac. It's another fantastic veg requiring some work from the chef. Baked, soups, mashed. Known well in France, I think. Delicious and best described by epicurious.com!

This week on the farm: Three winter pigletts arrive from Barlow Beef farm. Compost spreading, harvesting, cover cropping.
Here's an approximation of your harvest:

Onions
Leeks
Peppers
Hot Peppers
Winter Squash
Pie Pumpkins
Celeriac
Mustard Greens/ Chard
Arugula/ Salad Mix
Garlic
Daikon Radishes/French Breakfast Radishes
Carrots/Beets
Kale/Collards
Enjoy!
Thanks,
Your farmers,
Dan, Tracy, Bea, and Baxter