Author Archives: Pumpkin Ridge Gardens

Week #6 (7/5 & 8)

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This week your basket contains: snap peas, potatoes, parsley ,kale, zucchini, cucumber, ELEPHANT GARLIC, spring onions, and broccoli.

It is no secret that this spring and early summer weather is not “normal”.  Some crops have hated it (such as the peas) but others have been very happy.  One of them is the broccoli.  In most years, our spring broccoli is smaller and less hardy than the fall crop.  This year, we are very happy with how it has been coming on.  You all have a good amount of broccoli this week and this is one of our favorite ways to use it.

BOW TIES WITH BROCCOLI PESTO

1 lb. broccoli flowerets

2 or 3 cloves garlic

½ c. grated Parmesan

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 ½ tsp. sesame oil

½ tsp salt

12 oz dried bow tie pasta (farfalle)

1-2 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar

1 small tomato, chopped

In a large pan, bring 8 cups water to a boil over medium high heat. Stir in broccoli and cook until just tender to bite (about 7 minutes). Immediately drain broccoli, immerse in ice water to cool, then drain again. In a food processor or blender, combine a third of the broccoli with garlic, cheese, olive oil, sesame oil, salt and 3 Tbsp. of water. Blend until smooth. Scrape down side of container, add half of remaining broccoli, blend until smooth, then repeat with the remaining broccoli. In a large pan, bring about 3 quarts of water to a boil, stir in pasta and cook until just tender to bite, 8-10 minutes. Drain pasta well. Transfer to a large serving bowl and stir in vinegar. Add pesto and mix gently but thoroughly. Garnish with tomato and serve immediately. Serves 4. From Low-fat Vegetarian Cookbook from Sunset Books 1995.

Another crop that did very well for us this year is elephant garlic.  We are always proud of our elephant garlic in no small part because every head we grow came from the 10 heads we found growing on the farm when we moved here in 1989.  We’ve saved heads and planted the cloves over the year and now grow over 1500 heads of elephant garlic a year!

BAKED ELEPHANT GARLIC

Elephant garlic is not a true garlic, it is a leek.  It has a milder garlic flavor which means you can use it the same way as regular garlic in even larger quantities.  The mildness also makes it very well suited to mashing in potatoes, roasting on kabobs or slicing into scalloped potatoes.  Our favorite way to use it is roasted: take a knife and cut through the wrappers at the neck of the garlic.  Peel the wrapper so that the head stays intact at the root end.  Pour 2 Tbsp. olive oil or a pat of butter on top of the head, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, until the skins on the cloves are browning.  Add a little water to the bottom of the pan and keep baking for 15 minutes.  The garlic should be soft.  It can be squeezed out of the clove onto crusty French bread.  Top with goat cheese and accompany with red wine.  Enjoy!

We’ve hit a bit of a gap in lettuce production this week.  Fortunately we have good kale and a great recipe for kale salad.  When mixing the salad by hand, don’t skimp on the time you spend massaging the kale.  The more time you put into it the more tender the kale will be, and the more the flavors will infuse it as well.

KALE SALAD

1/8 cup flax or olive oil

1/8 cup lemon juice

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 bunch kale

1 small onion thinly sliced

shredded carrot

¼ cup  sunflower seeds

sesame seeds

sprouts (optional)

sliced mushrooms (optional)

Mix oil, lemon juice, and soy sauce.  Add the thinly slice onion and set aside to marinate while preparing salad greens.  Wash and coarsely chop the greens and place in a large bowl for easy mixing.  Add carrots, seeds, and any optional ingredients to the greens and mix gently by hand.  Pour dressing and onion mixture over greens and continue mixing by hand to insure even coating and aiding absorption of the dressing.  Let sit for 20-30 minutes before serving.

Week #4 (6/21 & 24)

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This week your basket contains: snap peas (half shares), TURNIPS (full shares), new potatoes, lettuce, CABBAGE, kohlrabi, zucchini or cucumber, fresh garlic, mint, parsley, and broccoli (full shares), Asian broccoli (half shares).

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR NEXT SUNDAY, JUNE 26TH.  This is the day for this year’s first SUBSCRIBER DAY here on the farm.  We always have a great time meeting new subscribers, giving tours of the farm, baking pizzas for the pot luck lunch, and watching as all of you get to know each other.  Bring along a dish and/or beverage to share and join us from 11:00 to 3:00.

Inspired by a recipe by Kathy Gunst, this sauce transforms grilled meat, fish or vegetables. It can also be used as a marinade or spooned into soups and salads.

CHIMICHURRI

¾ cup parsley, large stems removed

1/3 c. mint leaves

2 Tbsp. capers, drained

1 small green garlic, white and pale green part chopped

4 Tbsp. olive oil

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

½ Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Can be covered and stored in the fridge for a few days until needed. Makes about ¾ cup.

We love the early summer cabbages.  They tend to be tender and sweet and make great salad or coleslaw.  They work very well in recipes like this one.

ORIENTAL CHICKEN SALAD

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

½ cup thinly sliced onion

3 Tbs cider vinegar

2 Tbs sesame seeds

1 head cabbage

1/3 cup cilantro

2/3 cup fresh mint

2 Tbs roasted unsalted peanuts

3 Tbs sweet and sour fish sauce

In a 5-qt saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil.  Add chicken and when water returns to a boil, cover the pan and remove from heat.  Let stand until chicken is white in the thickest part (cut to check).  This should take 12-15 minutes.  Combine onion and vinegar and let stand 15 minutes.  In a heavy frying pan, stir sesame seeds until golden brown.  Remove from pan.  Shred chicken by hand. Shred enough cabbage to make 6 cups.  Drain the onions and combine in a large bowl with chicken, cabbage, onion, cilantro and mint.  Add peanuts, sesame seeds and fish sauce and mix well.  Makes 4-6servings.

The Japanese turnips in full share baskets today are milder and sweeter than the larger traditional turnip you may be more familiar with.  These are great in stir fry, thinly sliced for potatoes au gratin, or as a snack such as this one.

PEPPERY TURNIP TREAT

2 tsp butter or margarine

2 tbsp honey

1 lb turnips, peeled, finely diced (1/4″)

1/4 to 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp minced fresh parsley (optional)

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter or margarine and honey over moderately low heat.  Add the turnips and pepper. Cover the pan and cook the turnips until they are tender, stirring them once, about 12 minutes.  The turnips should brown lightly.  Sprinkle the turnips with parsley.  Serves 4.  From Jane Brody’s Good Food Book

WE HAVE ORDERED CLOTH BAGS:  If you want to have us use cloth bags (100% cotton) instead of plastic for your greens etc. we will pass these along to you at $2.50 per bag (our cost).  We recommend 4 to 6 bags per family (2 or 3 for each of your baskets).  We will write your name on them to keep them from getting lost in the shuffle.  If you have your own bags (or want us to re-use the plastic bags) PLEASE CLEARLY WRITE YOUR NAME ON THE BAGS in case they get separated from your basket or are returned to us in a spare basket.  We will let you all know when the bags arrive, and can add the cost to your monthly statement.

While strawberry season has passed, BLUEBERRIES will be ready soon.  We will have pints available for $3 or flats of 12 pints for $30.  Email us to order.

Kohlrabi and Black Quinoa Salad

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1 14 oz. can light coconut milk

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 cup black quinoa

3 medium kohlrabi, peeled

2 green oions, thinly sliced

¼ cup cilantro

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

2 Tbs. lime juice

2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

½ cup roasted cashews

¼ cup unsweetened grated coconut

Place 1 ½ cups of coconut milk in a saucepan, reserving the remainder for the dressing. Add 1 cup of water and the salt and bring to a simmer.  Add the quinoa, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until half the liquid is absorbed (about 15 minutes).  Cover and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed and the the quinoa is tender (about 10 minutes)  Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and let stand until cooled to room temperature.  Cut the kohlrabi into matchsticks and add to the quinoa along with the green onions, cilantro, and jalapeno (or red pepper flakes).  In a small bowl, stir the remaining coconut milk, lime juice and ginger to blend for the dressing.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.  Stir in the cashews and grated coconut and serve.  From Salad For Dinner by Jeanne Kelley