Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Two Small Farms Dec. Winter Newsletter #423

Welcome to our Winter Newsletter. Below find recipes for butternutsquash and carrots, job postings, events, and where to find ourproduce during the winter.

Where can you find your vegetables in the winter? 4 places:

1) Yuletide Boxes (week before Christmas)


3) Sunday Mt. View market: High Ground
4) Watsonville Redmond House Fri, Sat and Sundays



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Holiday Gift Certificates and December Yuletide Boxes: You can ordergift certificates anytime. Email or call our office for info. Gift Certificates can be purchased for 4, 9 or 36 weeks for 2008. Wecan email you a gift certificate you can print up so you havesomething to wrap up if you like.

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Job Announcements:

CSA Administrator-40 hours a week m-f- located in Watsonville/Corralitos- $12-15/hour, doe- Organizational, office and computer skills essential; knowledge ofvegetables and cooking a plus;- Job begins mid jan.- This job involves a lot of contact with customers via phone andemail.- contact Julia at csa@mariquita.com. please attach resumes in an email. Thank you.
Driver Jobs

We're looking for two drivers for our 2008 season. Must be reliable,on time, and have an excellent driving record (you need to show yourdmv print out), (no special drivers license needed) 20-30 hours aweek, Tues-Friday, or Wed-Thursday; some lifting involved. pay =$13-$14 depending on experience. Located in Watsonville contact Jeanne or Steve via email or phone:csa@highgroundorganics.com or 831 786 0286

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Here are some adorable letters from a field trip with a local school. (it's the one Andy and Julia's kids currently attend.) These letterswere written to 'farmer Andy' by first and second graders from Mt. Madonna School. One little girl 'wishes she knew our son' and another boy wants Andy to have all the gold in the world. (I'm linking to the photos of the letters via my flickr account due to some computer changes we're making that are taking longer than expected.)
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Winter Habitat Restoration at High Ground Organics Farm
Come celebrate the winter rains & the New Year by planting thousands ofnative grasses and wildflowers in order to restore the farm edges to adiverse and thriving habitat. We will work from 10 am - 12:30 pm followed by a potluck lunch, a farm tour and bird watching. Sat. Dec.29, 2007 & Sat. Jan. 12, 2007 Call Laura Kummerer at #831-761-8694 for directions & information.

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Butternut Squash Risotto Recipe from my friend Elise at Simply Recipes, the photo alone is worthpondering making this recipe. Maybe you still have a butternut squashsitting in your kitchen! I have a few winter squashies waiting to becooked outside my kitchen door –Julia

If you want the simplest preparation for your lingering butternut butare not a frequent squash-cooker: cut it in half, remove seeds, andbake it in a glass dish cut sides down until it’s soft all the waythrough. THEN you can puree all the meat (remove from the skin first) for pumpkin bread and pie. You can make soup. And when you pull the two halves out of the oven: you can serve onewith butter, salt and pepper with dinner. One side dish done! Sweet, savory, healthy.
2 pounds carrots: many colors, 2 colors, or all
orange juice and zest from one lemon or orange
2 tablespoons walnut or olive oil (I used a fresh bottle of walnutoil and it was divine)
S & P to taste
1 teaspoon cumin powder
Freshly chopped parsley or cilantro
Whisk together the citrus juice, zest, salt, pepper, cumin and oil.Julienne carrots on a mandolin or other grater. If you've got sharpknives and the skill julienne the carrots with just your knives andknowledge. Pour dressing over carrots. Stir in parsley or cilantro, orjust use it as garnish for the top if presentation matters to yourtable.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Two Farms Newsletter #422

November 14, 2007

Table of Contents:

1) In your box this week

2) A Mysterious Vegetable

3) Last Week of Delivery for 2007! ... and gift certificates are available

4) Yuletide Mystery box

5) Upcoming Habitat Restoration Events at High Ground Organics Farm

6) Redman House Farm Stand Open Weekends Through the Winter


7) Photos
8) Recipes
9) Which Farm?
10) Unsubscribe
11) Two Small Farms Contact Information
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1) In your box this week: Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Bok Choy, White Carrots, Orange Carrots, Soup Celery, Leeks, Beets OR Turnips, and a mystery item.

This week's vegetable list:
We try to have it updated by Monday night, sometimes by Mon. am

How to store this week's bounty: all but the butternut squash should go in the fridge in plastic bags. All winter squash should be stored in a dry, cool, and dark place. Both the turnip and beet greens can be used as you might other cooking greens such as chard or kale. They are best if used within a day or two.

Soup Celery, also known as cutting celery, is an herb that in our house we use in many places where celery flavor is sought after: sauteed with onions as a soup base for instance. It's leaves can also be used raw in a salad: a classic lettuce salad, a rice or pasta salad, etc. It has a true celery flavor and as long as that flavor doesn't disrupt the rest of the dish, cutting celery leaves can be used in most places Italian parsley is used.

The white carrots are best for roasting, but the orange can be eaten raw in salads or cooked
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2) A Mysterious Vegetable by CSA member Will Juncosa (submitted earlier this summer)

When I opened my bag of Two Small Farms fresh organic delights two weeks ago, right on the top was the weirdest vegetable I have ever seen. Resembling a green cauliflower, instead of a tree like solid canopy, it had curving cones made of opposing logarithmic spirals that would appear undeniably psychedelic to anyone who was young and crazy in the 1960’s. Even my pet cockatiel looked at it apprehensively for a while before cautiously approaching it for a nibble.

My first thought was, "What’s going to happen to me when I eat this thing?" The next thought was, "Where do these guys get these ‘mystery’ vegetables from anyway?" Then, thankfully, reason and the irresistible urge to figure things out kicked in. It’s an Italian heirloom, Broccoli Romanesco, and the 3 dimensional ‘Fibonacci fractal’ style logarithmically spiraling cones have a sound scientific explanation.

The spirals are formed according to the Fibonacci sequence, a numerical series that starts with 1,1 with each subsequent number being formed by the sum of the previous two (1+1=2, 2+1=3, 3+2=5, 5+3=8…yielding the series: 1,1,2,3,5,8,13 etc. ad infinitum). Many plants have leaves that spiral around their branches in proportions corresponding to numbers of this sequence. Scientists have created logarithmic spirals based on the Fibonacci sequence by letting droplets of a magnetized liquid fall in a bowl of silicone oil that was magnetized around the rim. The droplets organized themselves into the same pattern seen in the mystery vegetable as well as in sunflowers, daisies, artichokes pineapples, many other plants and even spiral galaxies.

Apparently, a plant growth hormone called auxin behaves like the magnetized droplets, and creates ‘primordia’ that develop into the plant structures that make up the spirals. If you don’t believe me and think I’m living in a 1960’s psychedelic haze, you can read an article on this subject in Science News, Vol. 172, July 21, 2007. In the meantime, I’ll just be quiet and eat my vegetables, no matter how mysterious they are.

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Thanks to Will for writing up this piece. For fans of Andy's writing, be sure to sign up for email alerts of his blog postings, he will continue 2-4 times a month throughout the winter

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3) The Last Week of 2007!

Our last week for delivering veggies is THIS WEEK - November 14/15/16. A big thanks to all our members and our hosts! It's been a wonderful year and we thank you for sharing it with us. We will be sending out a newsletter in February with the details and info on the 2008 season. Or check our website.
Gift certificates are available for those who are already in the gift giving mindset! Any increments are available, but the most popular is the 4 week trial - $80 for just the veggies, or $104 includes veggies plus flowers.

To contact us, 831-786-0625 or csa@twosmallfarms.com. Two Small Farms, PO Box 2065, Watsonville, CA 95077.

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4) Yuletide CSA box

A one time only, "Yuletide" box is being offered for the week before Christmas. The cost is $25 and all boxes must be prepaid by check. We will only be delivering to a few pick up sites. You must be able to pick up the box on the scheduled day and within in the scheduled time frame.

Tuesday, December 18th: Los Gatos (Blossom Hill), and San Jose (downtown)

Wednesday, December 19th: Palo Alto Ross Road, Stanford West Apts., and San Francisco Folsom Street

Thursday, December 20th: Santa Cruz High Street, and Monterey (pick up site Unitarian Church)

The content of the boxes will be "mysteries" but most likely will include winter squash, potatoes, carrots, cooking greens, fennel, leeks, and more. Contact Zelda to confirm: 831-786-0625, csa@twosmallfarms.com; and mail in your check to Two Small Farms, PO Box 2065, Watsonville, CA 95077.
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5) Upcoming Habitat Restoration Events at High Ground Organics Farm

As High Ground farm slows down for the winter months to rest and replenish itself, the plants and animals of the wetland and grassland surrounding it are abounding with life. You are invited to continue your connection with the farm by joining in on our volunteer habitat restoration days throughout the winter. Laura K. is planning two volunteer opportunities in November and will have planting days in December, January and February. The November dates and details are listed below. Check your e-newsletters for specific planting days in December, January and February.

Please call Laura Kummerer (831)761-8694 for more details!

NOVEMBER RESTORATION EVENTS:
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 18, 2007 (10am-1pm)-Come help tend the myriad of native grasses and sedges we planted last year to provide wildlife habitat and a buffer between the farm fields and the wetland. We will work together from 10-12:30 and share a potluck lunch and nature walk after.

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2007 (9am-2pm)-Come help remove a colony of invasive grasses that are crowding out a healthy stand of native coastal prairie bunch grasses. After the invasive grasses are removed we will spread out a mixture of native grass seeds so that they can germinate in the winter rains and re-colonize their ground. We will work together with a group of Boy Scouts during this event from 9-12 with a pot-luck lunch and bird watching and than return to plant seeds in the afternoon.
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6) Redman House Farm Stand Open Weekends Through the Winter

Operated by High Ground Organics in Watsonville, just off of Hwy 1 and the Riverside Drive exit. It will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 5 pm throughout the winter (closed the Friday after Thanksgiving). They will also be offering some of Mariquita Farm items as well.
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7) Photos:

Soup Celery


Leeks


Butternut Squash

Bok Choy


Turnips

Photo Gallery

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8) Recipes

Spicy Tofu and Greens Soup, Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

For the Stock...
2 cups (peeled if you like) and sliced carrots
2 cups thinly sliced onions
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley (try substituting some of the soup celery??)
8 garlic cloves, sliced
8 thin slices of fresh ginger root
1 to 2 dried chilies, sliced in half, or use 1/8 to 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
8 cups water

For the Soup...
1 cake of firm tofu, about 12 oz
1 TBS grated fresh ginger root
4 garlic cloves, minced and pressed
1 to 2 dried chiles, sliced in half, or use 1/8 to 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
1 TBS canola or peanut oil
2 TBS plus 1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup julienned carrots
2 cups shredded greens such as bok choy, beet or turnip greens
A few drops of dark sesame oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 375. Place the stock ingredients in a large soup pot, cover, and bring to a boil on medium heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the tofu into small, bite-sized cubes and set aside in a baking dish. Combine the ginger, garlic, chiles, oil and 2 Tablespoons of the soy sauce in a heavy skillet, saute for a few seconds, and then add to the tofu. Gently toss the tofu until evenly coated. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring twice to roast evenly. Remove the chili halves if using.

Strain the stock into another soup pot. Add the baked tofu and the carrots and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the shredded greens. When the soup returns to a simmer, remove from the heat and add the sesame oil and the remaining 1/4 cup of soy sauce. Serve immediately, scattering freshly sliced scallions into each bowl.

Crystal City Bok Choi, More Recipes from a Kitchen Garden, Renee Shepherd and Fran Raboff

1 large bok choi
2 TBS olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp dry mustard
1 TBS soy sauce
1tsp rice vinegar
1 TBS sake or dry sherry
3 scallions, finely chopped
2 TBS finely chopped parsley
Sal and pepper to taste
2 TBS toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Cut bok choi stalks into 1 inch lengths. Shred green tops and reserve. In a large skillet, heat oil, add garlic and onions and stir fry until softened. Stir in bok choi stalks, mustard, and soy sauce and stir fry until bok choi is tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the shredded green tops, vinegar, sake or sherry, scallions, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook 2 more minutes. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Butternut Squash with Spicy Cranberry Sauce, Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special, serves 8

1 large butternut squash
1 TBS canola oil
Dash of Salt and black pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 celery stalks
1 crisp green apple

For the Dressing....
6 oz fresh cranberries, (or if fresh are unavailable, use frozen. add the still frozen cranberries to the saucepan and stir several times until the dressing comes to a boil; or use canned whole cranberries and their juice, omit the sugar and water in the recipe and simmer uncovered).
1/2 tsp freshly grated orange peel
Juice of 1 orange plus water to make 1 cup
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar, to taste
1 jalapeno or other chile, stemmed, seeded and minced

Preheat oven to 400. Peel and seed the butternut squash and cut it into 1 inch cubes. Place the cubes in a bowl, drizzle them with the oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss well to coat evenly. Spread the squash on an un-oiled baking sheet and roast for about 45 minutes, stirring twice during roasting. Spread the chopped walnuts on an end of the baking sheet for the last 5 minutes of roasting. The finished squash should be soft and lightly browned and the walnuts fragrant. Reserve the walnuts.

While the squash roasts, rinse the cranberries and discard any that are soft or discolored (if using fresh). Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a partially covered non-reactive sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook at a low boil for 5 minutes. Stir well, mashing any unpopped cranberries. Remove form the heat and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the roasted squash and the dressing. Refrigerate until cooled to room temperature. Mince the celery, core and dice the apple, and stir them into the salad. Add the reserved walnuts and chill for about 20 minutes before serving.

ROASTED BEETS

Just cut them into chunks and roast them with olive oil, S & P until they are tender.

Roasted Beets with Curry Dressing, adapted from Delicious TV, serves 6

6 medium beets roasted
Olive oil
Salt
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 TBS yogurt
2 TBS Mayo (regular or vegan)
4 tsp curry powder
3 TBS fresh lemon juice
10 TBS olive oil
4 TBS chopped cutting celery or cilantro

Preheat oven to 375. Wash, trim and wrap beets individually in foil. Place in a shallow pan and roast until tender. A sharp kitchen paring knife should pierce through the foil easily. Set aside to cool. Mix dressing by combining all ingredients except oil. When all ingredients are smooth, whisk in the oil and set aside. Many people don't prepare fresh beets because of the staining juices. Wearing laytex or vinyl gloves will protect your hands and preparing on a covered surface will protect your cutting board. I often roast beets without wrapping and use them skin included. However, this is an alternative method. Whatever method you use, it is well worth the effort! Unwrap the beets, and rub away skin. Slice into wedges and set into your dish. Spoon curry over the beets and serve at room temperature.

Roasted Turnips in Wine, adapted from Peggy's Biodynamic Garden

1 bunch turnips, peeled and cubed, greens reserved for another use
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons butter

Place turnips in saucepan; add remaining ingredients and enough water to barely cover. (You may also add other root vegetables: carrots, parsnips, etc.) Simmer until tender. Pour into baking dish and bake at 350 degrees 1/2 hour. Serve with rice or chicken. 2-3 servings.

Turnip Tips, adapted from "From Asparagus to Zucchini"

*Eat turnips raw. Slice or thickly julienne and add to vegetable platter or eat alone with or without dip.
*Grate raw into salads.
*Bake turnips alone for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees, basted with oil, or bake along with other seasonal roots.
*Cook turnips with roasting meats.
*Mash or scallop turnips, just like you would potatoes.
* Dice turnips into soups or stews, and julienne into stir fries.
Turnip Greens Meal

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 Tablespoon Red Raspberry vinegar (I would use cider vinegar if no raspberry is available...)
1 large red onion, sliced
1 can black beans
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 large potato, cubed (I would substitute a couple of the turnips...)
Cleaned greens from one bunch of turnips.

Put all ingredients in a large pot, in the order listed. Bring mixture to boiling point, stir, lower heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15 or 20 minutes, or until potato is tender. Serve with a chilled fruit and yogurt accompaniment.
Baked Squash with Rosemary and Honey, More Recipes from a Kitchen Garden, Renee Shepherd and Fran Raboff

1 medium to large butternut squash, cleaned and cut into 6 pieces
2 TBS softened butter
2 TBS honey
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 375. Place squash skin side up in a greased baking pan and bake 35 minutes, until softened. Turn Squash over. Combine butter with honey and
rosemary and spread about 2 teaspoons of the mixture over each squash piece. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, until squash is bubbly.

More Recipes


Bok Choy

Soup Celery

Winter Squash recipes
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9) Which Farm?

>From High Ground: Leeks, Bok Choy, Orange Carrots, Beets, Baby Turnips, Mystery
>From Mariquita: Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Soup Celery, White Carrots
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10) Unsubscribe/Subscribe From/To This Newsletter

Two Small Farms Blog

BLOG ADVANTAGES: I can change mistakes after I post them. I don't have to subscribe/unsubscribe folks. Old newsletters easily accessed. Links! (I send this newsletter out as plain text so more folks with differently-abled computer systems can easily read it.) You can sign up for email updates to the Two Small Farms Blog on the main blog
page: http://twosmallfarms.blogspot.com/

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11) Two Small Farms Contact Information

Two Small Farms
Mariquita Farm/High Ground Organics
Organically Grown Vegetables
P.O. Box 2065
Watsonville, CA 95077
831-786-0625
csa@twosmallfarms.com
http://www.twosmallfarms.com
http://www.mariquita.com
http://www.highgroundorganics.com

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Two Farms Newsletter #421

November 7, 2007

Table of Contents

1) In your box this week
2) Sunchokes or Jerusalem Artichokes?
3) 2007 Season drawing to an end... and extra boxes for next week and gift certificates are available
4) Yuletide Mystery box
5) Redman House Farm Stand Open Weekends Through the Winter
5) Benefit dinner for the Ventana Wilderness Alliance on Nov. 11th
6) Photos
7) Recipes
8) Which Farm?
9) Unsubscribe
10) Two Small Farms Contact Information
11) Farm Bill Article written by Michael Pollan for the New York Times
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1) In your box this week: Potatoes, Yellow Carrots, Tatsoi, Celery, a Winter Squash (either Thelma Sanders, similar to acorn OR Delicata), either a head of lettuce OR Salad Mix, Sunchokes (also known as Jerusalem Artichokes), and a mystery item.

This week's vegetable list
: We try to have it updated by Monday night, sometimes by Mon. am

How to store this week's bounty: all but the winter squash should go in the fridge in plastic bags. All winter squash should be stored in a dry, cool, and dark place.

Also: for all of you interested in the Farm Bill, we (Jeanne, Julia, Zelda, and by association, Steve and Andy too) liked what Michael Pollan wrote about the farm bill in his op ed piece in the NYT. It's LONG, so it's pasted in as the last item in this email: #11
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2) Sunchokes/Jerusalem Artichokes by Andy

The Jerusalem artichokes in my fields aren’t artichokes, and they’re not from Jerusalem. So what are they?

Scientists call Jerusalem artichokes Helianthus tuberosa. Helios is Greek for sun, and anthus means flower, so the Jerusalem artichoke is a sunflower that makes a tuber. A tuber is an enlarged, subterranean stem, not a root, with buds that can send out roots, other stems, or leaves. Botanists will tell you that plants evolve a tuberous habit to survive harsh environmental conditions. A tuberous plant can survive freezing weather or blazing drought because its tubers are protected under an insulating blanket of soil. When rain finally does come and temperatures favor growth, the underground tubers are stimulated to sprout stems and greenery, and the plant grows again. If conditions get hot and dry again, or freezing cold, the life force of the plant retreats from the foliage back down the stems into the tubers that nest protected in the soil.

The sugars and proteins the tuberous plant stores in their tissues make many of them valuable crops for people. The potato, for example, is a tuberous member of the Solanaceae, from the Andes, where hot days and cold nights make survival a constant challenge. Potatoes are agriculture’s most commercial tuber, but many other plant families have contributed tuberous crops to agriculture. Anu, or Tropaeolum tuberosum, is an edible tuberous nasturtium, also from the Andes. The yam, Dioscorea alata, is a sweet tuber from Africa.

The French explorer Champlain encountered Indians encountered in North America cooking the tubers of a sprawling Helianthus with yellow flowers, and he took some samples back to Europe. The Italians dubbed the new plants “ girasole articocco.” The Italian verb girar means to turn, and sole means sun. Sunflowers turn on their stems during the day so that they’re always tracking the sun, facing east at dawn and facing west in the evening. The English, showing the sensitivity for nuance and the spiritual touch that’s made them such an influence in the Middle East, heard the Italian girasole as “Jerusalem,” and named the plants “Jerusalem artichokes.”

There is some sense to calling the Helianthus tuberosa an “artichoke,” since the flesh of the tuber tastes faintly of artichoke, and both sunflowers and artichoke are members of the Compositae. Plants in the Compositae are distinguished by their flower heads, which are composed of many independent florets fused into one apparent common flower head. The open face of a sunflower crawls with bees because it is really the face of a community, not an individual, and the bees visit every tiny flower as they go about harvesting nectar.

But where the common garden sunflower makes one huge head, the Jerusalem artichoke is multi-branched, and makes many small flowers. Helianthus tuberosa produce seeds, but many of the seeds are sterile. The Jerusalem artichoke propagates itself by spreading its tubers underground. In a garden setting, Jerusalem artichokes can quickly morph from a crop into a weed if the gardener doesn’t remove every last piece of tuber from the soil. I’m not worried about Jerusalem artichoke weeds infesting my field, because the tubers we don’t harvest the gophers will.

After they flower, Jerusalem artichoke plants die back. As the stalks wither they take on a hard, fibrous character. Some of the plants are fourteen feet high. It’s easy to cut the dry stalks down with machetes, but trying to incorporate the tough, woody stems back into the soil would be like trying to plough acres of hemp door mats under, so we pile the stalks into piles after harvest and burn them. We was the soil from the tubers and bag them for shipment or storage. Jerusalem artichokes are popular with restaurants in the winter because they make rich soups and gratins. Some people enjoy them sliced thin and served raw. The texture of raw Jerusalem artichoke is similar to the water chestnut.

There are tons of tubers to dig up and we don’t have enough space in our refrigerator to store them all, but storage won’t be a problem. By their very nature, tubers store well in the ground, so we will leave the Jerusalem artichokes in the soil and dig them up as needed. We’ll dig up the tubers we don’t sell right before they re-sprout in late February, and plant them out in a new patch of ground for our 2008 crop. What is a Jerusalem artichoke? It’s a starchy, flavorful and versatile Native American crop that’s easy to grow, pretty to look at, simple to store, and cheap to plant.

copyright 2007 Andy Griffin
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3) The 2007 Season is Drawing to an End!

Our last week for delivering veggies is NEXT WEEK - November 14/15/16. If you are not signed up for next week and would like to be, call or email Zelda at the office by next Monday, November 12th and mail in your payment. (one week is $20 veg only, or $26 veg plus flowers).

EXTRA BOXES are available for next week. If you would like to receive two (or more) boxes instead of your usual one, give us a call or email. There will be plenty of things in next weeks box that will keep much longer than a week, so be thinking ahead to your upcoming feasts. Availability is limited so contact us sooner than later. The cost is $20 per extra box and payment can be mailed to our PO Box.

Gift certificates are available (to be used during the 2008 season) for those who are already in the gift giving mindset! Any increments are available, but the most popular is the 4 week trial - $80 for just the veggies, or $104 includes veggies plus flowers.

To contact us, 831-786-0625 or csa@twosmallfarms.com. Two Small Farms, PO Box 2065, Watsonville, CA 95077.

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4) Yuletide CSA box

A one time only, "Yuletide" box is being offered for the week before Christmas. All boxes must be prepaid, by check. Cost will be $25. We will only be delivering to one pick up site in each general area. You must be able to pick up the box on the scheduled day and within in the scheduled time frame: 5-7pm. These are dependent on weather: the farmers say: yes! to this idea unless there is incredibly horrible weather.

Los Gatos: Tuesday, December 18th
Palo Alto: Wednesday, December 19th
Santa Cruz: Thursday, December 20th
San Jose: Friday, December 21st

The content of the boxes will be "mysteries" but most likely will include winter squash, potatoes, carrots, cooking greens, fennel, leeks, and more. Contact Zelda to confirm:
831-786-0625, csa@twosmallfarms.com; and mail in your check to Two Small Farms, PO Box 2065, Watsonville, CA 95077.
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5) Redman House Farm Stand Open Weekends Through the Winter

Operated by High Ground Organics in Watsonville, just off of Hwy 1 and the Riverside Drive exit. It will be open on the weekends through the winter. They will also be offering some of Mariquita Farm items as well.
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5) Benefit Dinner

Ventana Wilderness Alliance is a favorite charity of many of us here at Two Small Farms. The benefit event is this Sunday, November 11th starting at 5:30 pm in Monterey at Stokes Restaurant and Bar. It is $65 per person which includes tax and tip but not beverages. For more info, go to our web page .You can call or email Zelda at the office to make your reservation: 831-786-0625, csa@twosmallfarms.com

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6) Photos:

Sunchokes

Sunchoke Preparation Photo Essay

Tatsoi


Yellow Carrots

Photo Gallery
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7) Recipes

Roasted Sunchokes, from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian

8 Sunchokes
A little vegetable oil for rubbing on the sunchokes
Butter, salt and black pepper (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scrub the sunschokes well to remove all the dirt. Pat them dry, rub with oil and then put them in a single layer on a baking tray. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until just tender. Prick with the point of a knife to check. The whole sunchoke will just begin to give a little. Serve immediately. To eat, cut in half and dot with butter and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper if desired.

Sunchokes! note from julia

I photographed them, then peeled some, scrubbed others, and had 1.5 # of sunchokes so I decided to to a quick cooking of them. I found a great recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. I found that peeling the 'chokes was easiest with a sharp paring knife. Scrubbing them was also easy, you can decide which you prefer. It might depend on what you want your final dish to look like. A rustic saute that will be sprinkled with seeds and parsley doesn't really need the pure white of peeled sunchokes; a creamy white soup might want the roots to be peeled.

Sauteed Sunchokes with Sunflower Seeds

adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

1 1/2 pounds sunchokes (also called Jerusalem artichokes), sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
2 tablespoons sunflower seed oil, or other high heat oil such as peanut or grapeseed S & P to taste
3 Tablespoons sunflower seeds, toasted
2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped thyme

Saute the sunchokes in the oil in a large skillet over high heat until lightly browned and tender but still a bit crisp. Taste them as they cook; they

can be done in 5 minutes or as many as 10 minutes. Season to taste with S & P, add the sunflower seeds, parsley, and thyme, and toss well.

Serves 4-6.

Sunchoke Gratin, adapted from Marcela Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

1 pound sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes)
Salt
An oven-to-table baking dish
Butter for smearing and dotting the baking dish
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the sunchokes and drop them in salted, boiling water. Cook them until they feel tender, but not mushy when prodded with a fork. Ten minutes after the water returns to a boil, check them frequently because they tend to go from very firm to very soft in a brief span of time. Drain when done, and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, cut them into 1/2-inch slices.

Smear the bottom of a baking dish with butter, then place the sunchoke slices in it, arranging them so they overlap slightly, roof tile fashion. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the grated Parmesan, dot with butter and place the dish on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven. Bake until a light golden crust begins to form on top. Allow to settle for a few minutes out of the oven before serving. Yield: 4 servings

Sunchoke Salad Sandwich (makes 3), adapted from Too Many Chefs blog

8-12 oz. cleaned scrubbed sunchokes
1 celery rib, diced fine
1/2 red bell pepper, diced fine
1/2 small red onion, diced fine
1 cup clean baby spinach leaves
1 red tomato, sliced into 6 slices, plus top and bottom trimming
"Enough" mayonnaise or Vegan substitute - about 3 tablespoons or so.
Salt and pepper to taste
6 slices hearty wheat bread

Scrub the sunchokes very well. You don't have to peel them if you are sure you've removed all the dirt. I used a plastic dobie pad I'd microwaved briefly. You may peel them if you wish, but you'll need more sunchokes to make up for the loss of the mass of the peel. Grate the sunchokes into a medium bowl. Squeeze the water out of the sunchokes with your fists after they've been grated and drain. Ok, you could wrap them in a paper towel before squeezing, but it's not nearly as satisfying as going bareback.

Add the celery, bell pepper, and onion. Mix well. Add some of the mayonnaise and mix until the whole is thoroughly moist, but not soupy. It should look like a slightly dry tuna salad. If still to dry, continue to add mayo until it reaches the consistency you desire. Taste and adjust seasonings. Toast bread. Lay down a few spinach leaves on a slice of toast, just enough to protect the bread from the mayo in the salad. Spread as much as you wish of the salad (up to a 1/3 of the total) on top of the layer of spinach. Top with two slices of tomato, and 1/3 cup of spinach. Add the second slice of bread, cut diagonally and serve. Repeat with rest of ingredients to make three sandwiches.

Acorn (or Thelma Sanders) Squash Soup, Soup: A Way of Life, Barbara Kafka

1 Thelma Sanders squash, halved, peeled, seeded and cut into 2 inch chunks
4 cups chicken broth
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 ground turmeric
1/4 cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground mace
3 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and very finely chopped
1 cup buttermilk (try regular milk with splash of lemon juice if you don't have buttermilk handy)
2 to 3 tsp kosher salt, or less
Black pepper to taste

In medium saucepan, bring the squash and stock to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Strain the soup and reserve the liquid. In a food processor, puree the solids with 1 cup of the reserved liquid.

In medium saucepan, warm the oil over low heat. Stir in the spices and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until aromatic. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the puree and 1 cup of reserved liquid. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the buttermilk, salt and pepper. (There should be about 1 1/2 cups cooking liquid left over, use in other soups you may be cooking this week).

Julia's winter squash/pumpkin preparations: "I put cut up pieces (large ones) already seeded into my crock pot for 2 or so hours on high. When a fork can easily pierce the squash/pumpkin pieces, I remove it and scrape the flesh into my food processor and whirl a bit. Then I freeze in 1 and 2 cup increments. Soup and pie are obvious and delicious choices, I also put 1 cup of this puree into nearly every batch of muffins, waffles, cookies, pancakes, biscuits etc. that I make. I just take an existing recipe and add my cup of squash puree. It nearly always works, and my kids are none the wiser. "

Some thoughts about celery, from D. Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone: "Celery used to be served at almost every meal, presented in a relish tray or celery vase. It is still enjoyed mainly raw, as a crudites and in salads, where it's crispness is appreciated. But it's also ubiquitous in soups and stocks and appears frequently in stuffing’s and stir fries. Cooking softens its tendency to be a little bossy."

Celery Roquefort Soup, Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

2 TBS butter
1 cup diced onion
2 cups diced celery
1 cup water
2 cups milk
4 oz Roquefort or Blue Cheese
8 oz Neufchatel or cream cheese
Salt and black pepper to taste

In a soup pot, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the onions and celery, cover and cook, stirring frequently, until soft but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the water, cover and bring to a simmer.

In a blender, combine the milk, both cheeses and puree until very smooth. Stir the puree into the soup and add salt and pepper to taste. Reheat gently and serve hot.

Tatsoi Wilted in Mustard Dressing, Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini, Elizabeth Schneider

4 small tatsoi heads (about 1 pound)
2 medium green onions
2 TBS lemon juice
1tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
3 TBS olive oil

Trim tatsoi bases to separate leaves and rinse. Cut apart the bulbs from the green parts of the green onions. Mince the bulbs and thin slice the greens. Combine the bulbs with the lemon juice, mustard and salt, stirring to dissolve the salt. Blend in the oil.

Pour dressing into a very wide skillet over moderate heat. Add tatsoi and turn to coat with dressing (tongs are most efficient). Cook until leaves almost wilt but stems retain a crunch, about 2 minutes. Add scallion greens and toss. Arrange tatsoi on a rectangular plate and pour over any dressing that remains in the pan. Serves 4 as a side dish.

Butternut Squash Spice Cake submitted by Eve Lynch, csa member
Ingredients
1 small butternut squash
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar or whipped cream (optional)

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place the squash halves, cut side up, on a baking pan, then cover with foil and bake until tender when pierced with a fork, 20 to 30 minutes. Uncover and let sit until cool enough to handle, then use a spoon to scoop out the cooked squash from the peel. Mash with a fork. Measure out 1 cup of the squash and set aside any remaining for future use (see Notes).

2. Turn oven down to 325°. Butter an 8- by 8-in. baking pan and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine flour, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and pepper. Set aside.

4. With a mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until smooth and a bit fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Mix in vanilla.

5. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the cup of mashed squash. Add remaining flour mixture and stir just enough to combine. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve plain or with a dusting of powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped cream.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.

Yield
Makes 8 servings

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 417(30% from fat); FAT 14g (sat 8g); PROTEIN 6.9g; CHOLESTEROL 85mg; SODIUM 401mg; FIBER 5.3g; CARBOHYDRATE 70g

Sunset, OCTOBER 2006

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Tatsoi, adapted from Greens Glorious Greens, Johnna Albi - found in Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini, Elizabeth Schneider

Cut apart tatsoi head, keeping leaf stalks whole; rinse thoroughly. Heat wok. Add light sesame oil and minced garlic and ginger. Toss in peeled, deveined, medium shrimp and stir- fry to just turn pink. Transfer to a bowl. Add more oil, garlic and ginger, then red bell pepper julienne, minced scallions, and toss. Add tastoi and stir-fry to barely wilted. Transfer to bowl. Blend tamari, mirin, Asian sesame oil, and vegetable or seafood stock, and arrowroot. Stir in wok until clear. Add shrimp and tatsoi and toss to combine.

More Recipes at:

Celery recipes

Sunchokes recipes

Tatsoi recipes


Winter Squash recipes
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8) Which Farm?

>From High Ground: Lettuce, Salad Mix, Winter Squash, Mystery
From Mariquita: Potatoes, Sunchokes, Yellow Carrots, Tatsoi
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9) Unsubscribe/Subscribe From/To This Newsletter

Two Small Farms Blog

BLOG ADVANTAGES: I can change mistakes after I post them. I don't have to subscribe/unsubscribe folks. Old newsletters easily accessed. Links! (I send this newsletter
out as plain text so more folks with differently-abled computer systems can easily read it.) You can sign up for email updates to the Two Small Farms Blog on the main blog
page: http://twosmallfarms.blogspot.com/

__________________________________

10) Two Small Farms Contact Information

Two Small Farms
Mariquita Farm/High Ground Organics
Organically Grown Vegetables
P.O. Box 2065
Watsonville, CA 95077
831-786-0625
csa@twosmallfarms.com
http://www.twosmallfarms.com
http://www.mariquita.com
http://www.highgroundorganics.com

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11) NYT
November 4, 2007
Op-Ed Contributor
Weed It and Reap
By MICHAEL POLLAN

Berkeley, Calif.

FOR Americans who have been looking to Congress to reform the food system, these past few weeks have been, well, the best of times and the worst of times. A new politics has sprouted up around the farm bill, traditionally a parochial piece of legislation thrashed out in private between the various agricultural interests (wheat growers versus corn growers; meatpackers versus ranchers) without a whole lot of input or attention from mere eaters.

Not this year. The eaters have spoken, much to the consternation of farm-state legislators who have fought hard - and at least so far with success - to preserve the status quo.

Americans have begun to ask why the farm bill is subsidizing high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils at a time when rates of diabetes and obesity among children are soaring, or why the farm bill is underwriting factory farming (with subsidized grain) when feedlot wastes are polluting the countryside and, all too often, the meat supply. For the first time, the public health community has raised its voice in support of overturning farm policies that subsidize precisely the wrong kind of calories (added fat and added sugar), helping to make Twinkies cheaper than carrots and Coca-Cola competitive with water. Also for the first time, the international development community has weighed in on the debate, arguing that subsidized American exports are hobbling cotton farmers in Nigeria and corn farmers in Mexico.

On Capitol Hill, hearings on the farm bill have been packed, and newspapers like The San Francisco Chronicle are covering the legislation as closely as The Des Moines Register, bringing an unprecedented level of attention to what has long been one of the most obscure and least sexy pieces of legislation in Congress.
Sensing the winds of reform at his back, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, told a reporter in
July: "This is not just a farm bill. It's a food bill, and Americans who eat want a stake in it."

Right now, that stake is looking more like a toothpick. Americans who eat have little to celebrate in the bill that Mr. Harkin is expected to bring to the floor this week. Like the House bill passed in July, the Senate product is very much a farm bill in the tradition- al let-them-eat-high-fructose-corn-syrup mold.

For starters, the Old Guard on both agriculture committees has managed to preserve the entire hoary contraption of direct payments, countercyclical payments and loan deficiency payments that subsidize the five big commodity crops - corn, wheat, rice, soybeans and cotton
- to the tune of $42 billion over five years.

The Old Guard has also managed to add a $5 billion "permanent disaster" program (excuse me, but isn't a permanent disaster a contradiction in terms?) to help farmers in the High Plains struggling to grow crops in a drought-prone region that, as the chronic need for disaster aid suggests, might not be the best place to grow crops.

When you consider that farm income is at record levels (thanks to the ethanol boom, itself fueled by another set of federal subsidies); that the World Trade Organization has ruled that several of these subsidies are illegal; that the federal government is broke and the president is threatening a veto, bringing forth a $288 billion farm bill that guarantees billions in payments to commodity farmers seems impressively defiant.

How could this have happened? For starters, farm bill critics did a far better job demonizing subsidies, and depicting commodity farmers as welfare queens, than they did proposing alternative - and politically appealing - forms of farm support. And then the farm lobby did what it has always done: bought off its critics with "programs." For that reason "Americans who eat" can expect some nutritious crumbs from the farm bill, just enough to ensure that reform-minded legislators will hold their noses and support it.

It's an old story: the "hunger lobby" gets its food stamps so long as the farm lobby can have its subsidies. Similar, if less lavish, terms are now being offered to the public health and environmental "interests" to get them on board. That's why there's more money in this farm bill for nutrition programs and, for the first time, about
$2 billion to support "specialty crops" - farm-bill-speak for the kind of food people actually eat. (Since California grows most of the nation's specialty crops, this was the price for the state delegation's support. Cheap indeed!)

There's also money for the environment: an additional $4 billion in the Senate bill to protect wetlands and grasslands and reward farmers for environmental stewardship, and billions in the House bill for environmental cleanup. There's an important provision in both bills that will make it easier for schools to buy food from local farmers.
And there's money to promote farmers' markets and otherwise support the local food movement.

But as important as these programs are, they are just programs - mere fleas on the elephant in the room. The name of that elephant is the commodity title, the all-important subsidy section of the bill. It dictates the rules of the entire food system. As long as the commodity title remains untouched, the way we eat will remain unchanged.

The explanation for this is straightforward. We would not need all these nutrition programs if the commodity title didn't do such a good job making junk food and fast food so ubiquitous and cheap. Food stamps are crucial, surely, but they will be spent on processed rather than real food as long as the commodity title makes calories of fat and sugar the best deal in the supermarket. We would not need all these conservation programs if the commodity title, by paying farmers by the bushel, didn't encourage them to maximize production with agrochemicals and plant their farms with just one crop fence row to fence row.

And the government would not need to pay feedlots to clean up the water or upgrade their manure pits if subsidized grain didn't make rearing animals on feedlots more economical than keeping them on farms. Why does the farm bill pay feedlots to install waste treatment systems rather than simply pay ranchers to keep their animals on grass, where the soil would be only too happy to treat their waste at no cost?

However many worthwhile programs get tacked onto the farm bill to buy off its critics, they won't bring meaningful reform to the American food system until the subsidies are addressed - until the underlying rules of the food game are rewritten. This is a conversation that the Old Guard on the agriculture committees simply does not want to have, at least not with us.

But its defiance on the subsidy question may actually be a sign of weakness, for one detects a note of defensiveness creeping into the rhetoric. "I know people on the outside can sit and complain about this," Representative Collin Peterson of Minnesota, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, told The San Francisco Chronicle last summer. "But frankly most of those people have no clue what they're talking about. Most people in the city have no concept of what's going on here."

It seems more likely that, this time around, people in the city and all across the country know exactly what's going on - they just don't like it.

Mr. Peterson's farm bill passed the House by the smallest margin in years, and might have been picked apart on the floor if Representative Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, hadn't leapt to its defense.

(She claimed to be helping freshmen Democrats from rural districts.)

But Senate rules are different, and Mr. Harkin's bill will be challenged on the floor and very possibly improved. One sensible amendment that Senator Byron Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota, and Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, are expected to introduce would put a $250,000 cap on the payments any one farmer can receive in a year. This would free roughly $1 billion for other purposes (like food stamps and conservation) and slow the consolidation of farms in the Midwest.

A more radical alternative proposed by Senator Richard Lugar, Republican of Indiana, and Senator Frank Lautenberg, Democrat of New Jersey, would scrap the current subsidy system and replace it with a form of free government revenue insurance for all American farmers and ranchers, including the ones who grow actual food. Commodity farmers would receive a payment only when their income dropped more than 15 percent as the result of bad weather or price collapse. The $20 billion saved under this plan, called the Fresh Act, would go to conservation and nutrition programs, as well as to deficit reduction.

What finally emerges from Congress depends on exactly who is paying closest attention next week on the Senate floor and then later in the conference committee. We know the American Farm Bureau will be on the case, defending the commodity title on behalf of those who benefit from it most: the biggest commodity farmers, the corporations who sell them chemicals and equipment and, most of all, the buyers of cheap agricultural commodities - companies like Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, Coca-Cola and McDonald's.

In the past that alliance could have passed a farm bill like this one without breaking a sweat. But the politics of food have changed, and probably for good. If the eaters and all the other "people on the outside" make themselves heard, we just might end up with something that looks less like a farm bill and more like the food bill a poorly fed America so badly needs.

Michael Pollan, a contributing writer at The Times Magazine and a professor of journalism at the University of California at Berkeley, is the author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and the forthcoming "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto."

The New York Times Website

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Two Small Farms Newsletter #420

October 31, 2007
Table of Contents:

1) In your box this week
2) Experiment
3) 2007 Season drawing to an end!
4) San Diego CSA farm hit hard
5) Benefit Dinners: Ventana Wilderness Alliance in Monterey on November 11th
6) Photos
7) Recipes
8) Which Farm?
9) Unsubscribe
10) Two Small Farms Contact Information

1) In your box this week: Butternut Squash, Escarole, Mizuna, Purple Carrots, Fennel, Leeks, Lettuce, and two mystery items

This week's vegetable list: We try to have it updated by Monday night, sometimes by Mon. am

How to store this week's bounty: all but the butternut squash should go in the fridge in plastic bags. The butternut squash should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place.

Mizuna is a mustard green and can be used in most recipes calling for cooking greens. I like to throw roughly chopped mizuna into many soups: chicken soup, miso soup, potato soup etc. It's also good lightly steamed then tucked into quesadillas for a quick and nutritious meal. (For a lower fat meal, make sure those cheese slices are thin.) Mizuna leaves are great torn into a green salad or tossed into stir fry or fried rice. I've seen mizuna steamed and then served under broiled fish.

Escarole is a crunchy green with a bit more heft than lettuce, and it makes a great salad: on it's own simply dressed or tossed with 10 other things to make a grand main course salad. In my heart though I'm a cooked greens fan, always. I like escarole cooked up with garlic in my Standard Cooked Greens Recipe: garlic, oil, heat, cleaned cooking greens: apply together and you have a great side dish or taco stuffing--- Julia......
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2) Experiment, a letter from Andy

The only time that an experiment is a failure is when it is organized so poorly that nothing can be learned. To keep the C.S.A. program interesting for both you and me, I experiment with new crops every year. And the results are in. I'm pleased to announce that my winter squash experiment was a success, and I've learned why two of the three new breeds of squash that I grew this year will never be suitable to deliver to you.

Every experiment starts with a control, against which the results can be compared. In your share box this week you are receiving a Butternut squash, which served as the control squash for my experiment. Butternut squash is a known quantity; they grow vigorously, set fruit reliably, and the fruits are sweet and long-lasting. In fact, one year I had a Butternut squash sitting on my counter from the previous year's harvest the day I began the new harvest. We cooked it, and it was great! Butternut squash is a Cucurbita moschata cultivar. The question I asked myself was, "Are there other squash from the Cucurbita moschata group that might taste even better than the Butternut?" So I bought seed for the Zuccha Piena di Napoli, the Zucchetta Rampicante, and the Zuccha Rugosa, three Italian heirloom squash that can be considered kissing cousins of the Butternut.
Photo 1. is a family portrait of the different breeds of Cucurbita moschata. You can see the family resemblance. If the Piena di Napoli was tan, instead of green, it would resemble a gigantic Butternut. If the Rugosa was smooth-skinned, rather than rough-skinned and ribbed, it would exactly resemble a Butternut, and if the neck on the Rampicante was short and fat, instead of long and skinny, it too, would look like a Butternut. In the field, because these are all heirloom , open-pollinated breeds, we sometimes find tan Piena di Napoli, smooth Rugosa, and stumpy-necked Rampicante.

Photo 2. Here is a cute picture
of Caitlin holding a Piena di Napoli. It is obvious why this squash will never work for our C.S.A. deliveries. Caitlin is strong, but each of the squash she is holding weighs thirty pounds, and there are some in the pile that weigh over forty pounds. Since I harvested a ton of these squash I'm looking for restaurants that might want to buy them.

Photo 3. Here we see the goats and donkeys
eating the Zucchetta Rampicante. The Rampicante are inappropriate for C.S.A. deliveries on two counts. First, the are long and funny shaped. They're interesting to look at, but they don't fit in the box. Also, sad to say, they taste bland. The goats like them though. That's good, because I've got two tons of them to get rid of. I'm told that squash seeds have anthelmintic properties- that is, they're useful in expelling stomach worms. Since the Barber Pole worm is an insidious threat to goats, I just may have grown my goats an organic antidote. Imagine being able to feed your kids at home medicine they would fight over! (ps, Sweet Pea the young donkey is 1 year old today, Oct. 30th. She is perplexed by the rolling squash in this photo. Her mom and the goats knew what to do though!)

Photo 4. My fall squash display
in my yard is dramatic. The experiment was a success, and Julia and I have really been enjoying the Rugosa.

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3) The 2007 Season is Drawing to an End!

Our last week for delivering veggies is the week of November 14/15/16. Your last scheduled delivery is noted next to your name on the sign in sheet at your pick up site. If you are not signed up for our last two weeks and would like to be, call or email Zelda at the office by next Monday, November 5th and mail in your payment. (two weeks is $40 veg only, or $52 veg plus flowers). Office line and email are: 831-786-0625 or csa@twosmallfarms.com

Also, if you have an outstanding balance, please send in your payment to our PO Box 2065 in Watsonville, CA 95077.

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4) San Diego "Be Wise" Farm hit hard

A long-time San Diego organic farmer lost their home and a large part of their farmland went up in the flames from the wildfires. We are collaborating with a couple other local CSA farms and taking donations. If interested, mail checks payable directly to Be Wise Ranch 9018 Artesian Rd. San Diego, CA 92127 (Note: these are not tax deductable, it's just you trusting Bill the farmer that he will get every penny to the employees who are in need, with no strings attached. We're certain there are great non-profits doing great work where your donations can be claimed on taxes such as Habitat for Humanity and the Red Cross. )

Further details on their story


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5) Benefit Dinners:

Ventana Wilderness Alliance is a favorite charity of many of us here at Two Small Farms. The benefit event is Sunday, November 11th starting at 5:45 pm in Monterey at Stokes Restaurant and Bar. It is $65 per person which includes tax and tip but not beverages. For more info, go to our web page. You can call or email Zelda at the office to make your reservation: 831-786-0625, csa@twosmallfarms.com

Also, on November 15th, The Valley of Heart's Delight project in Palo Alto is presenting its second annual 100-Mile Thanksgiving Celebration - an evening of food, fun, and discussion. Two Small Farms will be just two of the farms donating vegetables for the meal. Eat Thanksgiving dishes prepared with organic and locally grown food, and discuss what's involved in preparing a Thanksgiving dinner from food grown from within 100 miles of Palo Alto. The event is held at Conexions, 1023 Corporation Way in Palo Alto on Thursday, November 15 from 7 pm to 9 pm. Cost is $40 or $35 for Conexions members, seniors and low-income. Pre-registration is required. For more information and for registration, contact Susan Stansbury at sstansbury@conexions.org , call (650) 938-9300 (x11) or register on-line.

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6) Photos:

Butternut Squash

Escarole

Fennel

Leeks

Purple Carrots


Mizuna (this photo is courtesy of The Village Voice....) I'll try to get our own mizuna photo up on the website soon. -julia

Photo Gallery

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7) Recipes
Julia's winter squash/pumpkin preparations:

I put cut up pieces (large ones) already seeded into my crock pot for 2 or so hours on high. When a fork can easily pierce the squash/pumpkin pieces, I remove it and scrape the flesh into my food processor and whirl a bit. Then I freeze in 1 and 2 cup increments. Soup and pie are obvious and delicious choices, I also put 1 cup of this puree into nearly every batch of muffins, waffles, cookies, pancakes, biscuits etc. that I make. I just take an existing recipe and add my cup of squash puree. It nearly always works, and my kids are none the wiser.
Tagliolini con la Zucca (Pumpkin Pasta), adapted from the Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces by Diane Seed

1 pound fresh pasta or less of dried (she calls for tagliolini, I used whole wheat thin spaghetti) 3# piece of pumpkin (or about 1 butternut squash? I used a whole mess of yummy puree I'd made from a butternut squash.)
4 Tablespoons butter (I used olive oil, butter would likely be divine here.)
1 leek (I used 2 leeks) well chopped
1 stick celery well chopped
Chicken stock
S & P to taste
Grated Nutmeg to taste
2/3 cup heavy cream (I used whole milk)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Melt half the butter and add the chopped leek and celery. Peel the pumpkin (or butternut!) and remove seeds and any stringy fibers. (none in these puppies, don't worry.) Cut the pumpkin into thin slices. (or skip the peeling/cutting and roast and puree the whole thing like I did. see notes above for that option.)

Add pumpkin in slices or as a puree to leek and celery and stir for a few minutes. Add a little stock and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the pumpkin slices are cooked through. OR cook for a shorter while if using the puree. Add more stock from time to time if necessary to keep moist. Check the seasoning and add S & P and nutmeg to taste. Process in a food processor (I used my stick blender!). Return to the pan to keep warm.

Cook the pasta according to directions, and avoid overcooking. Fresh pasta will only need a few minutes, so add the cream to the sauce as soon as you have thrown the pasta into the boiling water. Drain the pasta and place in a heated dish. Stir in the freshly grated cheese and then the pumpkin sauce. Mix well, add the rest of the butter, and serve at once.
Mizuna is a mustard green and can be used in most recipes calling for cooking greens. I like to throw roughly chopped mizuna into many soups: chicken soup, miso soup, potato soup etc. It's also good lightly steamed then tucked into quesadillas for a quick and nutritious meal. (For a lower fat meal, make sure those cheese slices are thin.) Mizuna leaves are great torn into a green salad or tossed into stir fry or fried rice. I've seen mizuna steamed and then served under broiled fish.
Hot Garlic Dressing over Greens, Gourmet
1/3 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 lb greens (such as beet, mizuna, and mustard)

Heat oil and garlic in a small saucepan over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar and immediately pour over greens. Season with salt and pepper and toss well. Serve right away.

Escarole:
I'm a fan of escarole. It's a crunchy green with a bit more heft than lettuce, and it makes a great salad: on it's own simply dressed or tossed with 10 other things to make a grand main course salad. In my heart though I'm a cooked greens fan, always. I like escarole cooked up with garlic in my Standard Cooked Greens Recipe: garlic, oil, heat, cleaned cooking greens: apply together and you have a great side dish or taco stuffing--- Julia......
Julia's Escarole Sausage Dinner Soup

Up to a pound of sausage of just about any kind (half a pound, even a quarter pound is fine for the flavor, you could also use 2-4 slices bacon here, and of course this is easily skipped for a vegetarian version.)
1-2 onions or leeks cleaned and diced
2-6 garlic cloves minced or roughly chopped
1-2 cups cooked beans (white, pinto, garbanzo.... yes, it's fine to use a can of beans!)
1 can diced tomatoes (about 2 cups or 15 oz.)
2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
Parmesan rind, if available
2-5 cups cleaned chopped escarole or other cooking green such as chard, mizuna, kale, spinach...

Brown the sausage, drain off excess fat if there's lots, then remove the sausage for just a bit. Add the onions to brown in the sausage drippings and cook until translucent then add the garlic and cook for a few seconds more. Then quickly add the beans and tomatoes and broth and parmesan rind. Add the sausage back and bring the pot to a low boil. Then add the cooking greens and cook through. (3-4 minutes for escarole, less for young spinach, more for kale or collards....) Serve.
Italian Wedding Soup with Quinoa and Escarole, from CSA member Alexis

For the Soup:
1 large turnip, diced
1 large head of escarole, chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup parmesan
2 large handfuls fresh basil, chiffonade
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 cans chicken broth
3/4 cup quinoa
1 lb meatballs (recipe below)

In a large stock pot sauté the onions and garlic over low heat until caramelized. Add the turnips and caramelize a bit. Add the broth and bring to a boil and add the escarole and quinoa. When the escarole is soft, and the quinoa chewy, drop the meatballs in one by one. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes. Add the eggs and parmesan like egg drop soup, stirring as it is poured in.

Meatballs for soup:
1/2 cup ricotta
1/4 cup ground flax seed
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
1 TBS oregano
1 TBS dried parsley
1 pound ground beef or turkey

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Roll into balls of 1/2 in diameter and drop into boiling soup.
Warm Escarole Salad with Shiitake Mushrooms and Pancetta, Bon Appetit

5 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 1/4-inch-thick slice pancetta, chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon brandy
1 large head escarole, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 8 cups)

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to paper towels; reserve mushrooms. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and sauté until crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain; reserve pancetta. Carefully whisk vinegar into drippings in same skillet. Bring to simmer over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits. Add Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, mustard and 3 tablespoons oil, then brandy. Bring to simmer. Place escarole in large bowl; pour warm vinaigrette over. Toss to coat. Mix in reserved mushrooms and pancetta. Season with salt and pepper.
Hungarian Fennel with Mushrooms, More Recipes from a Kitchen Garden, Shepherd and Raboff

2 TBS olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots (or 1 leek) finely chopped
3 fennel bulbs, trimmed and cut into thin slices
1/2 cup water
2 tsp lemon juice
1 TBS butter
1 pound mushrooms, stems removed and quartered
3/4 cup low fat sour cream
2 TBS fresh fennel tops, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: 1 tsp fresh paprika and 1/4 cup chopped parsley

In a large skillet heat oil and add garlic and shallots. Saute until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add fennel, water and lemon juice. Cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until fennel is tender-crisp. If any liquid is remaining in skillet, cook uncovered until absorbed. Add butter to skillet, then stir in mushrooms and saute until they are soft. Add sour cream and fennel tops. Cook until just heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle paprika and parsley over the top before serving. Serves 4 to 6; serve over rice for a complete meal or alone as a side dish.
Leek, Fennel and Poppy Seed Tart, Bon Appetit

3 1/2 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 3 leeks)
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, cut into 8 wedges, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 cup whole milk
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
**other cooks suggest splashing in some white wine or broth in place of some of the milk

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17 1/4-ounce package), thawed
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss leeks, fennel and 3 tablespoons butter in roasting pan. Roast vegetables until tender, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. Cool. Reduce oven temperature to 425°F. Whisk milk and yolks in small bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; whisk 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk mixture. Bring to simmer, whisking constantly; continue to whisk until sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese. Mix in vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.

Roll out pastry on floured surface to 12-inch square. Transfer pastry to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim overhang. Fill pastry with vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese and poppy seeds. Bake until crust is deep golden, about 25 minutes. Serve warm.

Fennel Cakes - Peasant Style, from the epicureantable.com, Patricia Conant - Makes about 6-8, enough as a light lunch or dinner for two

1 bunch fennel fronds (+- 200 g. or what will fit tightly encircled with your index finger to the thumb)
1 beaten egg
A little broth (vegetable or other)
50 g. dried white bread (or whatever is on hand) 50 g. grated hard cheese such as pecorino, parmesan or mature Manchego Black pepper Minced wild garlic (optional - see note below)

Gather young fronds, avoiding the very thick, tougher stems. Lay all in one direction in a basket. If you can gather some of the tender, light green hearts, lay these separately. Once home, rinse gently in a large bowl of water a few times. Parboil in unsalted water for about15 minutes (or until the thickest stems crush easily), adding the fennel hearts at the last 5 minutes. Or steam them until tender. This step is necessary as the fennel stems can be quite hard. In the meantime, tear or cut the bread into small pieces and moisten with a little broth, taking care not to wet them too much. Just enough so that they are no longer hard. Drain (or remove with tongs to keep stems in one direction) and rinse gently with cold water. Drain again and lay in a cloth towel and pat gently to dry somewhat. Starting from the ends of the stems, mince finely as if chopping chives.

With a fork, mash the bread somewhat, season with a little pepper and blend in the beaten egg. Add the cheese and the minced fennel, stirring well with a fork to blend. Take a rounded tablespoon and form to a cake. If it doesn't hold, add a little more beaten egg. The mass should not be too dry nor very wet. Fry in a little olive oil until lightly browned on both sides. Drain and serve if you like as I prefer with a little room temperature yogurt to which I have added a little minced garlic. Note: serve these with poached, scrambled egg or a plain omelette or with smoked salmon, fresh salmon or perch filets. You can also add the minced garlic to the minced fennel together or in the yoghurt sauce. Both are delicious.
Variation: don't have enough fennel? Make up the rest with minced parsley, however do not blanch the parsley leaves but do blanch the stems at the last 5 minutes of blanching the fennel fronds. Also, a cooked potato can replace part of the bread. These cakes will taste somewhat differently, but also delicious! Dill alone, or other tender herbs such as chervil mixed with parsley leaves make very tasty herb patties. In this case, no parboiling is necessary. I just lightly steam them for a minute or so to wilt before continuing the recipe.

More Recipes at:

Escarole recipes

Winter Squash recipes


A-Z list of recipe links


____________________________________

8) Which Farm?

>From High Ground: Fennel, Leeks, Lettuce, Mystery (cauliflower,
>radishes, zucchinis, or berries)
From Mariquita: Butternut Squash, Escarole, Mizuna, Purple Carrots, Mystery (summery things)

__________________________________________

9) Unsubscribe/Subscribe From/To This Newsletter

Two Small Farms Blog

BLOG ADVANTAGES: I can change mistakes after I post them. I don't have to subscribe/unsubscribe folks. Old newsletters easily accessed. Links! (I send this newsletter out as plain text so more folks with differently-abled computer systems can easily read it.) You can sign up for email updates to the Two Small Farms Blog on the main blog

page: http://twosmallfarms.blogspot.com/

__________________________________

10) Two Small Farms Contact Information

Two Small Farms
Mariquita Farm/High Ground Organics
Organically Grown Vegetables
P.O. Box 2065
Watsonville, CA 95077
831-786-0625
csa@twosmallfarms.com
http://www.twosmallfarms.com
http://www.mariquita.com
http://www.highgroundorganics.com

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Two Farms Newsletter #419

October 24, 2007

Table of Contents:

1) In your box this week
2) The New “It” Root
3) Benefit Dinners: Ventana Wilderness Alliance in Monterey on November 11th; and Valley of Heart's Delight in Palo Alto on November 15
4) Photos
5) Recipes
6) Which Farm?
7) Unsubscribe
8) Two Small Farms Contact Information

1) In your box this week: Sibley Winter Squash (photo is above), Potatoes, Salad Mix OR Lettuce, Tomatoes, Watermelon Radishes, Cauliflower OR Poblano Peppers (these are spicy), and a mystery item.

This week's vegetable list: We try to have it updated by Monday night, sometimes by Mon. am

How to store this week's bounty: all but the winter squash and tomatoes should go in the fridge as soon as you arrive home, in plastic. The radish greens can be used as
well. The tomatoes can be stored on your counter. The winter squash should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place.
____________________________________________________________________

2) The New “It” Root by Andy Griffin

Vegetables go through their trends and fashions just like women’s shoes do. Sometimes I’ll come across a vegetable that is so easy to grow, so flavorful to eat, so versatile in the kitchen, so convenient to store for long periods of time, and so beautiful to look at that I can scarcely understand why it isn’t more commonly used or universally appreciated. Maybe it’s a question of timing. Or maybe it’s all in the name.

When some people hear the name “Watermelon radish” their fears get the best of them and they panic that in a secret laboratory behind a cyclone fence with concertina wire a mad scientist has woven together strands of DNA from a watermelon and a Cherry Belle radish. The hellish result?— Tiny watermelons that grow under the dirt and are sold by the bunch, or even worse, thirty-five pound radishes that are full of seeds.

The truth? Yes, while it is true that there are scientists who play Sorcerer’s Apprentice with fruits and vegetables, the Watermelon radish is a traditional Asian vegetable once known as the “Red Meat daikon.” With a name like “red meat” you can understand why producers have tried to ‘reposition” this antique vegetable with a new name that resonates with vegetarian consumers. I do not lie when I say that I have been approached twice in Farmers Markets by consumers alarmed that have not only the Dr. Frankensteins of this world had made a vegetable alloy of the radish and a beef steer BUT that I was crass enough to sell it.

Creating the perfect name for a food product is an art. The “watermelon” in “Watermelon radish” is an allusion to the radish’s red heart and green outer skin. The name is also a wink at the large size of the Watermelon radish’s root. Watermelon radishes are supposed to be large, compared to American salad radishes. While Watermelon radishes can easily be shredded raw into salads or sliced into chips or sticks for service as a dip delivery vehicles, they were once grown large, topped, and stored in root cellars to be used throughout the winter in soups, stews, and stir fry. Tiny Watermelon radishes harvested the size of Safeway radishes haven’t had enough time in the ground to develop their characteristic red heart.

Large-rooted radishes, like the immense white daikons, are still common in Asian cuisine, but they’ve passed out of vogue in European cookery, to be replaced by a plethora of little red or white, or red and white salad radishes. Once consumers in the West counted on the Black Spanish radish to hold over for winter recipes, along with a host of large German radishes, but they’ve faded into being mere curiosities adorning the seed catalogues for gardeners. I’ve grown the Black Spanish radish, but I much prefer the Watermelon radish for its mild flavor, its crispy texture, and its lovely red flesh.

Growing Watermelon radish couldn’t be easier. We plant the seeds in late Summer and cloak the field with a woven fiberglass floating rowcover called Agribon. The fabric, which is reusable and recyclable, is translucent and almost weightless. The Agribon acts as a barrier to keep the cabbage fly off the emerging plants so that we aren’t plagued by root maggots at harvest. When the plants grow tall we move the row cover to another planting. The plants are thinned to two inches apart on the line to allow the roots space to develop, and the rest is just watering and waiting.

When the roots of the Watermelon radish are red at the heart we harvest them by bunches. If you’re in touch with your thrifty peasant roots you can remove the radish greens and cook them as you would turnip greens. The roots can be bagged and refrigerated for use another day, or even another week. Properly stripped of their foliage and stored in a cool place, Watermelon radishes can keep for a long time. I hope you enjoy the Watermelon radishes in your harvest shares as much as my wife, Julia, does. They’re so nice that they just might be the next “it” root.

copyright 2007 Andy Griffin

watermelon radish

___________________________________

3) Benefit Dinners:

Ventana Wilderness Alliance is a favorite charity of many of us here at Two Small Farms. The benefit event is Sunday, November 11th starting at 5:45 pm in Monterey at Stokes Restaurant and Bar. It is $65 per person which includes tax and tip but not beverages. For more info, go to our web page
You can call or email Zelda at the office to make your reservation: 831-786-0625, csa@twosmallfarms.com

An Event put on by our fabulous Palo Alto Pick Up Site Host Susan: November 15th, The Valley of Heart’s Delight project in Palo Alto is presenting its second annual 100-Mile Thanksgiving Celebration - an evening of food, fun, and discussion. Two Small Farms will be just two of the farms donating vegetables for the meal. Eat Thanksgiving dishes prepared with organic and locally grown food, and discuss what’s involved in preparing a Thanksgiving dinner from food grown from within 100 miles of Palo Alto. The event is held at Conexions, 1023 Corporation Way in Palo Alto on Thursday, November 15 from 7 pm to 9 pm. Cost is $40 or $35 for Conexions members, seniors and low-income. Pre-registration is required. For more information and for registration, contact Susan Stansbury at sstansbury@conexions.org , call (650) 938-9300 (x11) or register on-line at www.conexions.org/vhd/thanksgiving

_______________________________________

4) Photos:

Sibley Winter Squash

Poblano Peppers

Watermelon Radishes

Photo Gallery
______________________________

5) Recipes from Zelda, Alexis, Marla and Julia

Julia's winter squash/pumpkin preparations:

I put cut up pieces (large ones) already seeded into my crock pot for 2 or so hours on high. When a fork can easily pierce the squash/pumpkin pieces, I remove it and
scrape the flesh into my food processor and whirl a bit. Then I freeze in 1 and 2 cup increments. Soup and pie are obvious and delicious choices, I also put 1 cup of this
puree into nearly every batch of muffins, waffles, cookies, pancakes, biscuits etc. that I make. I just take an existing recipe and add my cup of squash puree. It nearly
always works, and my kids are none the wiser.

Roasted Hard-To-Peel Winter Squash
adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

For those squash that don't peel well: three options:

1 (2-3#) acorn or other winter squash, or 2-3 smaller ones, washed
2 Tablespoons butter or olive oil, more or less
S & P to taste
Maple Syrup or brown sugar (optional)
1-2 garlic cloves, cut (optional)

preheat oven to 400 degrees

Option 1:

Cut the squash(es) in half an dscrape out the strings and seeds. In each half, put some butter, salt, pepper, and sweetner, if desired. Place in a baking pan open side up, and bake until a fork pierces the flesh easily, about 1 hour, depending on thickness of squash. Serve.

Option 2:

Cut the squash(es) in half an dscrape out the strings and seeds. Sprinkle each half with S & P, and rub with a little garlic if you like. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil and place the squash, open side down, on the sheet. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Serve.

Option 3:

Cut the squash(es) in large slices, each about 1 inch thick. Place them on al ightly greased baking sheet and sprinkle with S & P. Dot with butter or brush with olive oil. Bake until tender, 30-45 minutes.

Here's a recipe for this week's box. This is one of my favorite side dishes of all time:

Cheesy Cauliflower Puree
-1 head cauliflower, cut in large chunks
-1 and 1/2 cups shredded cheese (any kind, but a sharp white cheddar works well)
-1/3 cup half and half
-1 tb butter
-salt and pepper to taste

Boil the cauliflower in salted water until fork tender and drain. Add the cauliflower back to the pot with the rest of the ingredients (except cheese) and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Serve as you would mashed potatoes.

Thanks!
Alexis / SeeUsEat.com\

Winter Squash and Chicken Stew, Bon Appetit

2 teaspoons olive oil
6 chicken thighs, skin removed

1 1/3 cups chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups peeled winter squash, cut in 1 inch pieces
2 cups potatoes, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
2 cups diced tomatoes with liquid
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in soup pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to the oil. Sauté until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to plate. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in same pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add curry powder, cumin, and
cinnamon; stir 1 minute. Return chicken to pot. Add squash, potatoes, broth and tomatoes. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Uncover and simmer until chicken and potatoes
are cooked through and liquid is slightly reduced, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Quinoa with Moroccan Winter Squash Stew, Bon Appetit
For the Stew:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch of saffron
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cups carrots, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint, divided

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Mix in paprika and next 8 ingredients. Add 1 cup water, tomatoes, and lemon juice. Bring to boil. Add squash and carrots. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally,
about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in half of cilantro and half of mint. This can be prepared 1 day ahead, but don't add the cilantro and mint until
reheating.

For the Quinoa
1 cup quinoa
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 cups water

Rinse quinoa; drain. Melt butter with oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot. Cover; cook until vegetables begin to brown, stirring often, about 10
minutes. Add garlic, salt, and turmeric; sauté 1 minute. Add quinoa; stir 1 minute. Add 2 cups water. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer until liquid is
absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Spoon quinoa onto platter, forming well in center. Spoon stew into well. Sprinkle remaining herbs over.

Squash Soup from CSA member, Marla

1-2 onions, sauteed
baked squash (about 6 cups)
(chicken) stock or water
curry powder (or other spices)
(salt&pepper)
cream to taste (optional)

Use the stock/water to help puree the squash and sauteed onions. Season with plenty of curry powder (shake it on and stir it in, and repeat, for about 2-3 t. worth) or other
spices. Warm gently, do not boil if you have cream in it. Sometimes instead of curry powder, I use another "curry" I adopted from a recipe called Indian style chicken that is
really good with winter squash: equal parts cinnamon, cumin, coriander, ginger, (pepper), and a double-part cardamom. Cooked cubes of squash added to onions
sauteed in butter with liberal amounts of this home-made curry mix is truly delicious. It is sort of a side-dish, non-puree version of the above soup.

Beijing Radish Salad
This can be made with watermelon radishes or other types...

1 bunch watermelon radishes or one medium daikon radish
2 tablespoons rice or balsamic vinegar (or a combination)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Wash and julienne radishes. They can be peeled or not as you like. I often use a mandoline to do the julienne-ing, or you can grate them. Mix together the rest of the ingredients and dress the radishes with the dressing.

Julia’s simplest radish salad: 2 ways

1 bunch radishes, greens removed and set aside for another use radishes washed
2 Teaspoons sesame oil or olive oil
3 teaspoons rice vinegar or lemon juice
Salt and pepper
dash soy sauce if using the sesame oil
chopped parsley or toasted sesame seeds for garnish

slice the radishes pretty thin, then toss with the dressing ingredients. I make this salad often when I have radishes at hand.

IDEAS for Watermelon radishes:

ok, mostly just one idea: they are GREAT eaten raw. You can make them into slices or like carrot sticks and snack on them. They can be grated into a grain salad or a green salad. They can also be cooked like turnips, in most any turnip recipe. -julia

Skillet Potatoes with Olives and Lemon
1/4 cup green olives
1 pound fingerling potatoes, peeled if desired, then halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 (3- by 1-inch) strips lemon zest, removed with a vegetable peeler
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup water
1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Lemon wedges

Smash olives with flat side of a large knife, then discard pits and chop olives. Toss potatoes with olives, oil, zest, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a
10-inch heavy skillet, then add water and bring to a boil. Cover skillet and boil over medium heat until potatoes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove lid and cook, stirring,
until water is evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Butter Browned Cauliflower with Lemon and Almonds, from Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini by Elizabeth Schneider

1 medium to large cauliflower
1/3 cup sliced blanched almonds
1 TBS butter
1TBS corn or canola oil
1 lemon, scrubbed
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch white pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Cut off cauliflower leaves and rinse the head. With stem end up, slice large clusters of florets from the central stalk. Cut these into 1/4 inch slices (some will crumble). Peel remaining stalks and slice very thin (about 7 to 8 cups in all). Spread almonds in wide pan over moderate heat. Cook, shaking occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes; remove from pan. Add 1/2 tablespoon each butter and oil to pan and tip to coat. Add half the cauliflower and cook, flipping the pieces a few times to brown lightly and evenly, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat if necessary to prevent burning. Scoop into dish. Repeat with remaining cauliflower, butter and oil.

Meanwhile, grate enough zest from lemon to equal 3/4 teaspoon. Squeeze 2 Tablespoons juice, mix with water, sugar, salt, pepper and nutmeg. When second batch of cauliflower has finished cooking, add in the first batch along with the lemon juice mixture. Lower heat, cover, and cook until cauliflower is just tender, about 2 minutes. Uncover, add zest and raise heat. Toss gently until liquid evaporates. Season, add almonds and serve.

Cheesy Cauliflower Puree, from CSA member Alexis
1 head cauliflower, cut in large chunks
1 and 1/2 cups shredded cheese (any kind, but a sharp white cheddar works well)
1/3 cup half and half
1 TBS butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the cauliflower in salted water until fork tender and drain. Add the cauliflower back to the pot with the rest of the ingredients (except cheese) and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Serve as you would mashed potatoes.


Stuffed Poblanos - -similar to a dish served at Pajaro Street Grill in Salinas, from CSA member Angela U

Make a mixture of 2 parts grated sharp cheddar cheese, ~1 part raisins, coarsely chopped and `1 part slivered almonds. Cut generous caps off the stem end of poblano peppers, remove core, seeds and ribs, leaving peppers whole. Fill peppers with the cheese mixture and reattach "lids" with toothpicks. Broil or grill, turning to char all sides. Makes a great light dinner with a salad and maybe some rice. (If you cook them under a broiler, line the pan with foil for easier clean-up.)

Los Chiles Rellenos

8 poblano chiles
8 pieces of a good melting cheese
1.5-2 pound ripe tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, skinned
1 onion, skinned, quartered
S & P to taste
4 eggs, separated
flour

makes 8 chiles rellenos

Wash and lightly dry 8 poblano chiles that are about the size of your fist or a bit larger. Put them whole under the broiler and roast, turning with tongs, until quite dark on most sides. Remove from oven and place in paper bag for 5 minutes. Take them out of the bag and skin them, trying to leave them whole as best you can, then let them cool down. Meanwhile make the tomato sauce:

Tomato sauce to go on the rellenos:

yes, you could doctor up a canned tomato sauce with garlic and pepper.... but this is what Jane did:

She blanched about 15 early girl tomatoes for about 15 seconds each, then skinned and seeded them. Next she put them in a blender with 4 skinned garlic cloves and one onion, quartered. She did several grinds of fresh black pepper and about 1/2 t salt (you may want more). After blending, I took her mostly raw sauce and cooked it over a medium high flame in a large, deep frying pan and let the sauce cook down a bit, about 15 minutes. (after coming to a strong simmer I turned the heat way down, but left the pan uncovered. The sauce was done. I put it in a large pyrex cup, ready to reheat at the moment the rellenos were ready to serve...

Slit each chile with a small whole, then attempt to remove some of the seeds, keeping the chile whole if possible. Stuff the roasted chiles with the cheese pieces. Don’t worry if some of your peppers aren’t completely whole, I just wrapped the frayed pieces around the cheese, and you couldn’t tell those chiles from the truly intact ones once they were on the plate.

With the roasted chiles and tomato sauce ready, you can start on the egg whites. Whip egg whites (I used my kitchen aid mixer) & 2 T flour until soft peaks are becoming a bit stiffer. Fold in 2 of the egg yolks (you can do as you please with the other two, you won’t need them for this recipe) with a rubber spatula, taking care not to disturb the egg white mass more than necessary.

Dredge stuffed chiles in flour (I put about 1/2 a cup in a saucer for this task), then thoroughly coat with the egg white stuff. Fry in hot oil until golden brown, turning at least once to cook all sides. Serve immediately with a couple of spoons of tomato sauce served over the relleno. Divine!!

Natalie's Gingered Baked Carrots

I first sliced the carrots and turnips and roasted them in a glass baking dish with a little bit of butter at about 400 degrees. After 10 minutes in the oven, I sprinkled fresh
chopped ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil over the veggies, added a little bit of water to the pan, and kept them in the oven for another 15 minutes. When I took them out,
I sprinkled them with chopped herbs from the CSA box. They were very tasty and very easy to prepare!

Spicy Carrot Salad

2 lbs. carrots
1 TBS lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup olive oil
2 TBS red wine vinegar
2 TBS chopped cilantro

Peel carrots and cut into julienne -- quick work with a Japanese mandolin. Mash the garlic clove with the salt, mix it with the vinegar, lemon juice, and cayenne. Whisk in the
olive oil. Taste for seasoning and add more acid, salt or cayenne if needed. Toss with the carrots and cilantro.

More Recipes at:

Tomato recipes


Radish Recipes

Winter Squash recipes

Spicy Chile Recipes

____________________________________

6) Which Farm?

>From High Ground: Sibley winter squash, salad mix, 2 mysteries
From Mariquita: Tomatoes, potatoes, cauliflower, poblano peppers, watermelon radishes
__________________________________________

7) Unsubscribe/Subscribe From/To This Newsletter

Two Small Farms Blog

BLOG ADVANTAGES: I can change mistakes after I post them. I don't have to subscribe/unsubscribe folks. Old newsletters easily accessed. Links! (I send this newsletter
out as plain text so more folks with differently-abled computer systems can easily read it.) You can sign up for email updates to the Two Small Farms Blog on the main blog
page: http://twosmallfarms.blogspot.com/

__________________________________

8) Two Small Farms Contact Information

Two Small Farms
Mariquita Farm/High Ground Organics
Organically Grown Vegetables
P.O. Box 2065
Watsonville, CA 95077
831-786-0625
csa@twosmallfarms.com
http://www.twosmallfarms.com
http://www.mariquita.com
http://www.highgroundorganics.com