Week 14 – Yo! Radishes
You may have these things in your box: corn, tomatoes, peaches, apples, peppers, onion, hot peppers, carrots, broccoli or cauliflower, lettuce, cabbage as a choice? Hakurei turnips? Shunkyo radishes? Potatoes?
The corn MAY be a butter and sugar variety, or an all-white variety…the all yellow Merai will be showing up soon. Last week I saw Shunkyo radishes in some boxes – surprise! They are long and red, if the greens are nice, try sautéing or making pesto with them. I’ve seen quite a few piles of hakurei turnips too. They are round and white…the greens are also great so if you got them or get them this week, enjoy them fresh in a salad, roasted or sautéed with their greens. They cook very quickly, so remove any thoughts of rock hard Thanksgiving turnips ?
Apples this week may include the Molly Delicious, Redcorts, or McIntosh. I believe everyone got celery last week and it is the hope to get a cabbage into every box OR offer it as a choice. As usual on this farm, we don’t want to pick any 2 pound cabbages, we must wait until they are at least 5 pounds and take up 2/3 of your box ? (this is sarcasm, if you could not tell)
We grow several varieties of cabbage: green, red, savoy (crinkled leaves), red savoy, and Chinese (Napa). They can all be treated the same – great in slaws, stir-fry, salads, soups, etc. If you are new to our farm, you will find that even the cabbage is sweet and delicious! I never fail to be disappointed with cabbage I buy at the supermarket (I have not had to do so for a few years). I love me a good coleslaw, so consider grating everything in this week’s box into an epic slaw. I am only half kidding. I would not use soft fruits, corn, eggplant or lettuce, but any cabbage, kohlrabi, carrots, turnips, radishes, celeriac, beets, even apples, would be delightful.
At least two more weeks for most of you :)…Monday people this is only week 13. :^0
Recipes
I’ve developed my own slaw dressing based on the fact that I prefer a non-creamy (or mayo) based dressing, this dressing stores just fine on the counter, AND the dressed slaw hold beautifully in the fridge for days.
Geneviève’s Slaw Dressing: To 1/3 cup cider vinegar add 1/2 tsp kosher salt (sea salt would be good too), several grinds of black pepper, 2 tsp Dijon, slowly whisk in 2/3 cup oil (something light, I use canola or safflower), and then add 1/2 tsp celery seed. You can also assemble this in larger quantity in a quart jar and just shake it A LOT. I like to let the extra sit on the counter and let it come together until the next shredding fest….
Yep, that’s it. I used this general recipe for any slaw, including the much-coveted kohlrabi slaw. You can always add more salt to taste, and I often do. I have even substituted my Father’s favorite ‘No Salt’ when making this dressing with no ill effect. IF you like things tarter, add more vinegar, don’t like mustard, skip it… you all know by now I cook with The Force, so the fact that I have written down a recipe with actual measurements is a huge achievement. And, yes, this is awesome with pulled pork or beef.
On the heels of my no mayo slaw dressing: Everyone always seems to love this. I have had it with shredded carrots, diced pepper and other tasty bits and it’s a good go to. Looking at the recipe, I probably would not make it, it does not look like it should be good, but after having it at a few gatherings, I like it (though I back off the sugar).
Broccoli Salad
1 head broccoli
6 to 8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup raisins, optional
8 ounces sharp Cheddar, cut into very small chunks
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Trim off the large leaves from the broccoli stem. Remove the tough stalk at the end and wash broccoli head thoroughly. Cut the head into flowerets and the stem into bite-size pieces. Place in a large bowl. Add the crumbled bacon, onion, raisins if using, and cheese. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, stirring well. Add to broccoli mixture and toss gently.
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen y’all.
ON the Blog: sautéed radishes, sautéed turnips, cabbage and apples braised in cider.. let your fingers do the searching!
Farm Dirt
We’ve had quite a few visitors at the farm this week – AWESOME! I know I am not always around to see you, but as long as you are on our property, we are happy to have you wander around. ? For those I have seen or received emails from, it is a warm fuzzy feeling I get when hearing about your experiences, what you saw, what you picked and that you enjoyed seeing where your food comes from. Of course, I encourage you to check in on Facebook, or tag us in any social media. @stillmansfarm #stillmansfarm
I got the salsa made!!! It’s a big deal because it takes me a long time, no matter how I cut it. Making a small batch to eat fresh is not a big deal, but when I start processing 2 boxes of tomatoes, 6 cups of onions and peppers, mincing all the hots…it’s time – even with the Cuisinart for the onions and hots. Anyway, it’s all good. Many of the things I pack away in the freezer are simple and I encourage you (again), if you have the space, to toss that baggie of corn kernels, chopped pepper, blanched kale, or whatever, into your freezer. Or make whatever size batch you can with what you have and freeze part of it…I’m pretty stoked I have a whole turkey pot pie waiting in the freezer for the next time I am running around with kids and work and can’t pull off a good meal – oh wait, that’s every other day! 😛