FARM NEWS 11.14

Hi Folks,

Well the snow has finally melted (pictured is the farm during the week that we missed distribution) and we've managed to go back out in the field to dig roots and chop greens.  The garlic is planted, the cover crops are in, the compost is spread, the crew is off for the winter.    I've been to the USDA in Torrington to get a grant started for a tomato greenhouse.  There's plenty to do but more time to do it.  And so begins the off season...Crop planning, machine work, greenhouse building, milking the cow, tending the chickens, and best of all, sledding with the kids!

Here's the final share:

Butternut

potatoes

beets

onions

kale

collards

parsnips

 

We hope you've enjoyed your share this season, thanks for participating in Chubby Bunny Farm CSA!

Dan and Tracy

RECIPE: Tips on Kale (Storage, Handling, Culinary Uses)

Storage and Handling:

Store Kale in a loosely closed plastic bag in your refrigerator for up to a week.

You can take one a plastic shopping bag and put the Kale in leaf-end first. Then wrap the handles around the bottom of the stems. This will keep the leaves crisp and fresh and expose just the end of the stems.

Now you have a personal choice to make before cooking your kale: do you cook the stems with your kale or discard them? You can go both ways but keep in mind that the stems are tougher than the leaves, and you will need to cook the kale longer so that the stems are tender.

An easy way to de-stem kale is to grab an individual kale leaf and hold it by the stem with the leaf pointing downward. Wrap your fingers around the stem and gently glide them down the stem; this action will separate the leaf from the stem.

For Curly Green Kale, hold the leaf the same way and grab one side of the leaf and tear downward separating half of the leaf from the stem and then continue to the other side.

Culinary Uses:

Kale is usually best when cooked; there are some exceptions though (try the kale salad recipe!). Kale can be steamed, boiled, braised, sautéed, added to soups, pastas, rice -- you name it.

Kale is one of the most nutritionally dense vegetables and can be made in so many delicious ways. Be creative and give it a try!

RECIPE: Roasted Vegetable Salad with Sherry Dressing

Ingredients

For the vegetables:
2 TBSP vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic, quartered
1 small onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 small carrots, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 small celery root, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the salad and dressing:
1/2 lb. hardy greens (spinach, kale, or escarole), stemmed if necessary
1 tsp chopped fresh marjoram
1 tsp chopped fresh sage
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
About 1 oz. shaved or grated Parmesan cheese


Roast the vegetables:
Heat the oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, toss the oil, garlic, onion, carrots, potatoes, sweet potato, celery root, salt, and pepper to coat the vegetables well. Spread them out in one layer on rimmed baking sheets and roast, stirring frequently, until tender and brown, 25 to 30 min.

Make the salad and dressing:
When the vegetables are almost finished, put the greens in a large stainless steel mixing bowl; set aside. (If you don’t have a stainless bowl, see below.) In a small bowl, whisk the herbs, vinegar, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle half the dressing (reserve the rest) over the greens and set the bowl over a burner heated to medium. With tongs, toss the greens in the bowl over the heat just until the greens begin to wilt.

(If you don’t have a stainless bowl, heat half the dressing, reserving the rest, in a small saucepan and toss it with the greens in a mixing bowl off the heat.)

Add the hot cooked vegetables to the greens and toss well. Distribute the salad among four plates, top with the Parmesan, and drizzle on the remaining dressing or pass it at the table. Serve warm.

RECIPE: Spiced Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Glaze (and Delicata squash!)

HANDS-ON:23 Minutes
TOTAL:2 Hours, 25 Minutes
COURSE: Breads

Ingredients
Rolls:
1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
11 9/10 ounces bread flour (about 2 1/2 cups)
6 47/100 ounces all-purpose flour, divided (about 1 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
1 cup mashed cooked delicata squash (about 1 [1-pound] squash)
1 tablespoon canola oil
Cooking spray
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons water
3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts, toasted

Glaze:
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup maple sugar or light brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
1. To prepare rolls, combine the first 3 ingredients in a small bowl, and let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon bread flour and 5.63 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine bread flour, 5.63 ounces all-purpose flour, salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add yeast mixture, squash, and oil, and stir just until moist. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic (about 6 minutes), adding enough of the remaining all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).

3. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, for 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If the indentation remains, dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll dough into a 20 x 12-inch rectangle. Combine the remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 2 teaspoons water in a small bowl; spread mixture evenly over dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Sprinkle evenly with nuts. Roll the dough, jelly-roll fashion, starting with long side. Cut roll crosswise into 16 equal slices. Arrange rolls, cut sides up, in a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

4. Preheat oven to 375°.

5. Bake at 375° for 33 minutes or until brown. Cool 5 minutes on a wire rack.

6. To prepare glaze, combine 1/3 cup water and maple sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in 1 tablespoon butter, half-and-half, and vanilla. Cool 5 minutes; drizzle over rolls.

RECIPE: Quick Sweet and Tart Beet Dressing

Ingredients:

1 cup of chopped up beets (about 1 large beet)
½ yellow onion, chopped
2 tbsp of honey
1 clove of crushed garlic
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ cup of plain fat free Greek yogurt

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients into your food processor and puree until the mixture is smooth. Makes about 1 ½ cup.

RECIPE: Roasted squash with sundance sausage

1 lb sundance hot or sweet sausage cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion chopped
1 winter squash peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp olive oil
2 potatoes diced

Preheat oven to 375. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.

Pour mixture into a large glass baking dish and roast uncovered for 45 min turning mixture with a spoon every 15 minutes until veggies are tender and meat is cooked through.

FARM NEWS NOV. 6

Hi Folks,

Wow what a week -  snow, no electricity, it really took us by surprise!  Usually we don't expect snow until late December.  We actually had lots of fun with the predicament; candles at night with the kids, playing in the snow.. However the foot of packed snow on the crops made them unharvestable, so thanks for baring with us for a week of unbounty!  We've decided to extend the season by one week to make up for week 21's absence.  Now that the snow has melted and we can actually enter the fields with the tractors, we still have food available for distribution as long as the ground is not frozen. 

 

Unfortunately, many of our greens have been mashed down to the ground by the heavy snow, and so are unharvestable. (Pictured)  (Mustard, Braising Mix, Turnip Greens...)  Fortunately the Kale survived the weather!
Here's harvest # 21:
Kale
Potatoes
Beets
Onions
Carrots
Rutabega
Parsnips
Winter Squash
Greens???
Enjoy!!
Dan and Tracy