January 26, 2012
Mandarin Oranges: These delicious little cuties are from our friend Bill Crepps at Everything Under the Sun in Winters, and are sustainably grown, but are not certified organic. These make a great afternoon snack or a great addition to salads. Wash and peel.
Arugula: This popular Italian green packs a slight bite with nutty undertones and pairs well with cheese, nuts, and a vinaigrette. Store in plastic bag in fridge, rinse, and dry before eating.
Mixed Baby Lettuce: Enjoy these fresh greens for salads and sandwiches! It is a mix of tender curly, red leaf and romaine lettuces. Store in plastic bag in fridge and wash well before consuming.
Spinach: This tasty and nutritious green will probably be dirty. (Visit www.eatwell.com/produce/spinach to learn why.) To clean, first rinse quickly, then fill up a bowl with cold water. Put spinach in the water, swish, and let soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Lift leaves out of water, rinse and blot or spin dry. Store in plastic bag in fridge, but don’t wash it until you’re ready to cook!
Broccoli: We were amazed to see these beautiful bouquets of green in the field! Rich in fiber and vitamin C, this brassica always adds a flavor to soups, salads, and stir-fries. Store dry in plastic bag in fridge and wash before using.
Romanesco: This Italian heirloom is quite versatile and tastes like a cross between cauliflower and broccoli. Try steaming it and adding lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. It also pairs very well with pasta. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Turnips: This ancient veggie is one of the earliest to be cultivated and was a staple before the potato. It is rich in fiber, calcium, and vitamins A and C. These beauties can be eaten raw or steamed and have a deliciously buttery crunch. Remove the greens and store in separate plastic bags in fridge. Be sure to wash them before eating. The turnip greens are amazing sautéed!
Leeks: These large alliums are rather mild in flavor and simply melt to perfection when sautéed. Use in soups, stir-fry, or in place of onions in other dishes for a delicious and more subtle flavor. The green tops are great for making stock! Store in fridge and wash well before using.
Green Cabbage: Cabbage is wonderful because it cooks quickly, is versatile, and tastes so good. Cabbage makes a wonderful coleslaw or a nice addition to a salad. Store in fridge and wash well before use.
Pink Lady Apples: These apples are from our friends at Smit Orchards in Linden and are certified organic. Keep in the fridge or on the counter (depending on what you like) and wash before consuming.
Butternut Squash: Sweet and easy to prepare, this winter squash is extremely versatile and easy to peel. Store in a cool (not cold), dark, dry place. Perfect when baked. It makes great soup and bread and goes well in sautées!
January 25, 2012
Next week we will start delivering to a new site in Hayes Valley at Fell and Buchanan. If you are a current Eatwell CSA member, and you’d like to switch to this location, log into your online account and click on “View/Modify Subscription” in the My Subscriptions section of your member dashboard.
Then, click on “Modify,” which is in brackets right below the name of your subscription.
From there you will be able to select a new pick up site. Of course you are welcome to contact the office at (707) 999-1150 or organic@eatwell.com, and Ashlee can take care of it. If you have any friends in Hayes Valley who are considering joining a CSA, please tell them about our new site! Or perhaps you live in Hayes Valley! Please note that this house is also a CSA site for Soul Food Farm (soulfoodfarm.com) every fourth Wednesday of the month. They offer pasture-raised chickens for eggs and meat. If you order eggs from us, make sure you take eggs from the Eatwell cooler!
January 25, 2012
8 ounces spinach linguine (or any pasta)
7 tablespoons soft butter
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 shallots, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, or more, to taste
A handful of arugula, roughly chopped
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 sun-dried tomatoes, cut into small pieces
3-4 cups broccoli & romanesco florets, cut into tiny pieces
Thin strip of lemon peel, very finely slivered
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan cheese
Cream 4 tablespoons of the butter with the mustard, shallots, garlic, vinegar, and arugula. This can be done well ahead of time, then covered and set aside until needed. Melt the remaining butter, add the breadcrumbs, and fry them until they are crisp and browned.
When you are ready to cook the pasta, salt the boiling water, melt the mustard butter over a low flame and add 1/2 cup of the pasta water and the sun-dried tomatoes. Drop the broccoli and romanesco into the boiling pasta water, return to a boil, and cook about 1 minute. Scoop them out, and add them to the butter.
Next cook the pasta; then add it with the lemon to the vegetables. Toss well with a pair of tongs to mix everything together, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with the breadcrumbs and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
adapted from The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison
January 25, 2012
1 cup dried white beans (such as cannellini, haricot blanc or navy beans)
3 cups chicken stock
4 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 leeks, sliced thin
3 or 4 sage leaves
1 bay leaf
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Salt
Soak the beans overnight. Drain, and put in a large pot with chicken broth and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the beans are tender. Start checking after 45 minutes. Season to taste when cooked.
Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot and add leeks, sage, and bay leaf. Cook over medium heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Then, stir in the butternut squash and salt. Cook for 5 minutes. Drain the beans and add 6 cups of their cooking liquid to the squash and onions. Cook at a simmer until the squash starts to become tender. Add the beans and keep cooking until the squash is very soft. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters
January 25, 2012
1 head of cabbage
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
Remove core from cabbage. Cut in half and finely shred. Place cut cabbage in large bowl and sprinkle salt on top. Using your hands, knead the salt into the cabbage, squeezing firmly to help release liquid from the cabbage. You can also use a potato masher to pound the cabbage until it begins to break down. When the volume of cabbage appears to have reduced by half, add the caraways seeds and work them in.
Pack the salted cabbage into the quart jar in layers, firmly pressing it down each time before adding more (the entire head cabbage should fit into a quart jar). Press cabbage down firmly in the jar, so that liquid bubbles up over the surface of the jar.
Loosely cap the jar and place it in a cool, dark spot. Check every other day, removing any bloom and pressing cabbage down if it has floated above the liquid (be warned, it will be a bit stinky. That’s normal). After two weeks, taste the sauerkraut. If you like the flavor, place the jar in the refrigerator. If you want something a bit stronger, let it continue to ferment until it pleases you.
Notes: The more thinly you shred your cabbage, the better. Sharpen your knives before getting started or use a good, serrated bread knife. The warmer the environment, the faster the sauerkraut will progress. Find a corner of your home that stays between 60° and 70°. This means that you might need to stash your sauerkraut in a closet or near a window.
Check the sauerkraut every other day. Skim off any bloom and press the cabbage back down (with clean hands, please) if it has started to float above the surface of the liquid.
Once the sauerkraut reaches a level of pucker that you like, simply pop the jar in the fridge. This is the point at which you could start another jar, should you want to keep the kraut flowing.
from seriouseats.com
January 25, 2012
Mandarin Oranges: These delicious little cuties are from our friend Bill Crepps at Everything Under the Sun in Winters, and are sustainably grown, but are not certified organic. These make a great afternoon snack or a great addition to salads. Wash and peel.
Arugula: This popular Italian green packs a slight bite with nutty undertones and pairs well with cheese, nuts, and a vinaigrette. Store in plastic bag in fridge, rinse, and dry before eating.
Mixed Baby Lettuce: Enjoy these fresh greens for salads and sandwiches! It is a mix of tender curly, red leaf and romaine lettuces. Store in plastic bag in fridge and wash well before consuming.
Spinach: This tasty and nutritious green will probably be dirty. (Visit www.eatwell.com/produce/spinach to learn why.) To clean, first rinse quickly, then fill up a bowl with cold water. Put spinach in the water, swish, and let soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Lift leaves out of water, rinse and blot or spin dry. Store in plastic bag in fridge, but don’t wash it until you’re ready to cook!
Broccoli: We were amazed to see these beautiful bouquets of green in the field! Rich in fiber and vitamin C, this brassica always adds a flavor to soups, salads, and stir-fries. Store dry in plastic bag in fridge and wash before using.
Romanesco: This Italian heirloom is quite versatile and tastes like a cross between cauliflower and broccoli. Try steaming it and adding lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. It also pairs very well with pasta. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Turnips: This ancient veggie is one of the earliest to be cultivated and was a staple before the potato. It is rich in fiber, calcium, and vitamins A and C. These beauties can be eaten raw or steamed and have a deliciously buttery crunch. Remove the greens and store in separate plastic bags in fridge. Be sure to wash them before eating. The turnip greens are amazing sautéed!
Leeks: These large alliums are rather mild in flavor and simply melt to perfection when sautéed. Use in soups, stir-fry, or in place of onions in other dishes for a delicious and more subtle flavor. The green tops are great for making stock! Store in fridge and wash well before using.
Green Cabbage: Cabbage is wonderful because it cooks quickly, is versatile, and tastes so good. Cabbage makes a wonderful coleslaw or a nice addition to a salad. Store in fridge and wash well before use.
Pink Lady Apples: These apples are from our friends at Smit Orchards in Linden and are certified organic. Keep in the fridge or on the counter (depending on what you like) and wash before consuming.
Butternut Squash: Sweet and easy to prepare, this winter squash is extremely versatile and easy to peel. Store in a cool (not cold), dark, dry place. Perfect when baked. It makes great soup and bread and goes well in sautées!
January 24, 2012
Words fail to express my appreciation for all the support you have shown me, my family and everyone who is part of the farm. These are those special times when community is a very big and powerful force, not just a word.
Community is what we do here on the farm, not just a box of great produce. Being part of Eatwell Farm means coming to see what we do with all your hard earned money, meeting the people who grow your food, tasting vegetables and fruit in the fields, chatting over a meal eaten outside by the campfire, and waking up in the morning after a sleepover. If you have never been to the farm, please make it your goal to visit this year. We have many events planned. A great way to get familiar with the farm is to come to one of the Strawberry Days in May.
January 23, 2012
This is one job that that you need to take your time with. You walk around the tree soaking it up, deciding what to leave and what to cut. Some decisions are easy, such as trimming broken or diseased branches, but others much more subjective. To produce great fruit organically we need good air movement, light and space for the fruit to mature. We also need to stimulate enough growth to give strong fruiting bud for the following year’s crop. This is a difficult task to master, let alone teach anybody else. Normally the task falls to José, Roberto and Ramon on winter Saturdays when they can take their time with nobody else on the farm.
The past few years have been a challenge with the spring rains wiping out most of the fruit. The trees are not in balance. As a result, this year the real work will be thinning the crop and the spring growth shoots on the trees. This is time-consuming and expensive. With everything I am now asking the crew to do on the farm, it’s quite a tall order. I for one am very ready to enjoy the farm fruit again. It has been too long. For that we need a warm, dry February and March. Then, the bees will do their job pollinating the flowers and setting the fruit.
January 23, 2012
Our fruit is tasty and ready to be picked. We cannot leave it on the trees, or we could lose it on these frosty mornings. I am not sure if they were able to pick all the mandarins, but I am very happy to see this picture. Everyone must taste while they pick from the tree they are working on. The crew cannot harvest mandarins just because the color looks right. They have to taste good, too.
So here I am bed bound at UCSF Medical Center. José and Ashlee have cameras and are taking pictures of the farm all week. Ashlee selects the best and posts them to our Picasa web album. This allows me to see what is going on without having to bug José all the time. They know what they are doing, but there will be mistakes. I make plenty of them every year myself. It is joy to see how the crew has risen to the task.
January 22, 2012
As soon as the chickens moved onto their new pasture, and all the equipment was moved out of the way, Ramon rolled in with his big tractor. These are the beds where we will be planting potatoes this spring.
Potatoes are a hungry crop, perfect after pasture and chickens. If I had ordered a large truckload of chicken manure to be applied to this soil, I would not want to plant potatoes for a few weeks to let all the nutrients mellow. The young roots could be burnt by all the nutrients in the soil. As our chickens have been running over this ground depositing nutrients in little packets on a daily basis, the soil has already had sufficient time to absorb everything and do its mellowing work. We still need a decent rain before we will plant, which is why Ramon is keen to prepare the beds before the end of the week. It thrills me to see he is right on this without me having to make the call. These guys have listened, learned and put the knowledge right into action, and it makes me very proud.
