- • Green onions
- • Chinese broccoli
- • Cabbage
- broccoli of cauliflower
- • Sugar snap peas
- • Lettuce
- • Green Garlic (what do I do with this?)
- • Fennel (a real treat, see recipes below)
- • Carrots or Beets
- • Kohlrabi (time to use those sauté recipes it is getting a bit woody)
- • Chard or Kale
Juvencio is getting a well deserved vacation from the farm. Luna, Diego and he traveled to Honduras on Friday and will have a nice visit with Juve’s family. They will eat mangos, drink agua de coco, bask in the sun on the beaches of Tela and share good meals. The trip was initially made to bring Don Felix back for a visit, but it turns out that it is harder to get a Visa for travel than it used to be. Sadly Juve’s dad won’t be coming to Oregon for a visit this year. More details from their trip in the weeks to come, maybe even a slide show.
Jacob and I are left to hold down the fort. We have managed 48 hours without them, and so far so good. The rain of last week was great for the crops and encouraged the next generation of weeds to show their heads. Fortunately Jacob is quite good with the stirrup hoe and I am not so bad on my knees getting those tenacious weeds right at the base of the plant we are trying to cultivate. But . . . we do have two acres planted and about 1.9 acres with weeds.
We are almost finished with the sugar snap peas inside the hoop house and on to the outdoor stand. The gophers are eating them from below, so the race is on. The cabbages are growing fat and the fennel is ferning. Time to enjoy fresh salads and interesting soups. We have lots of recipes below to tempt you to use new vegetables or at least those that you may not use often.
The garlic is almost ready to harvest. Some is quite small due to weed pressure, others are decimated by rust. The rust is found in the soil and travels far with the wind, i.e. no way to get around it! We are harvesting some as green garlic. This means it is not as strong in flavor and not hardened off. It is good to use as you would regular garlic but will not hold for months, but rather weeks.
Mark your calendar for the 2013 canning party: September 7. You can expect to see details in August, but block off the day if you want to join in the fun of putting up food for the winter. The harvest festival will take place on October 20th rain or shine. It seems far off, but schedules get busy and require planning.
Kohlrabi Saute w/ Garlic & Lemon Juice:
2 med Kohlrabi bulbs
1 Tbls olive oil
1 Garlic clove, finely chopped
1 med Onion, chopped
1 Tbls Lemon juice
2 Tbls Parsley, chopped
2 Tbls sour cream
Salt & freshly ground pepper
Peel the tough outer skin from the kohlrabi, then coarsely grate the bulbs. In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add garlic, onion and kohlrabi and saute, stirring for 5 to 7 minutes until kohlrabi is tender crisp. Stir in lemon juice and parsley, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in sour cream, and serve hot.
Fennel Salad
Make 4 servings
Preparation time: about 20 minutes.
NOTE: The amounts are all approximate and flexible. This is a very improvisational recipe.
Ingredients
1 small head organic butter (Boston) lettuce, cleaned and spun dry
1 medium-sized bulb organic fennel, sliced paper thin (a mandolin works best.)
2 organic navel oranges, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
15 oil-cured or Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
5 or 6 organic dried figs, cut into small pieces
1 – 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon organic lemon juice, plus more to taste if you like
1/2 cup blanched, slivered almonds, lightly toasted (optional)
Directions
1. Wash and dry the lettuce, then tear it into bite sized pieces into a large salad bowl. Add the fennel, oranges, olives, and figs, and toss.
2. Drizzle the salad with the olive oil, and toss until everything is lightly but thoroughly coated. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, if you like, and toss again. Refrigerate until serving (but not longer than about 1 hour).
3. Just before serving drizzle in about 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and sprinkle in — or top with —the almonds and cheese shavings, if you like. Toss quickly but thoroughly, and serve right away.
Fennel and Quinoa salad with Parsley and Dill
Living, Martha Stewart
Serves 4
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1. Prepare an ice-water bath. Cut fennel bulb in half lengthwise. Using a sharp knife, slice lengthwise as thinly as possible. Place in ice-water bath.
2. Toast quinoa in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Add water, raise heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; refrigerate, uncovered, until cool, about 1 hour.
3. Drain fennel and pat dry. Add parsley, dill, lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper, and toss. Divide quinoa among bowls. Top with the fennel mixture.
FENNEL VINAIGRETTE DRESSING
1/2 cup
1/2 cup
1/4 cup
1 clove
pinch
pinch olive oil
green leaf fennel leaves
lemon juice
garlic, peeled
salt
sugar
In a small saucepan, heat oil, fennel leaves, lemon juice, crushed garlic and salt and sugar. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
Ellen Ecker Ogden, From: The Cook’s Garden catalog
Cannellini Beans with Tarragon and Roasted Fennel || from Chef Jonathan Miller
I make some variation on this very often, as it can be made year round here. Some of you may recognize the flavor combination here from very similar recipes I’ve posted before in the Ladybug Postcard. I also made a version of this salad with raw fennel and grilled radicchio quarters and it worked very well. Kids love this bean salad because of its licorice overtones and the cheese.
1 c cannellini beans, soaked overnight in cold water
2 fennel bulbs, halved, cored, and thinly sliced crosswise
1 bunch tarragon, chopped
1/2 t fennel seeds, ground
4 T sherry vinegar
4 t Dijon
6 T crème fraiche
12 T olive oil
4 T parsley, chopped
8 oz Italian fontina, diced
Drain the beans and put into a pot with cold water to cover by at least 2 inches. Bring to a boil, skim any foam off the top, then lower the heat, add a generous amount of salt the pot, cover, and simmer slowly until the beans are soft, but not mushy, about 45-60 minutes. Drain.
While the beans cook, heat the oven to 400 and toss the sliced fennel with some olive oil and salt. Roast until colored and softened, and sweet, about 25-30 minutes.
Combine 2 T of the chopped tarragon, the fennel seeds, sherry vinegar, Dijon, and crème fraiche in a bowl. Whisk well. Add the olive oil and continue whisking until emulsified.
When the beans are cooked and drained, fold in the dressing, mixing thoroughly, but gently. Stir in the roasted fennel, the parsley, the cheese, and the remaining chopped tarragon. Taste to make sure you like it, and serve room temperature.
Fennel, Orange & Caper Salad
Note from Julia: I made this and it’s REALLY good. It’s pictured above. In the photo, I used kalamata olives instead of the capers.
2 bulbs fennel
1 Tablespoon cabers, drained
1 Tablespoon dill or chervil, fresh, chopped
Dressing
1/2 orange, seeded
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sugar (I often omit this)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons olive oil
Trim the stalks from the fennel, cut the bulb in half lengthwise; then cut crosswise into very thin slices. Place in a large bowl with the capers and the dill.. Make the dressing. Cut the quarter orange in small pieces and place in the work bowl of a food processor with the vinegar, mustard, and sugar and salt. .Process until smooth. With the motor running slowly, pour in the olive oil. Pour over the fennel, toss well and serve.
Pirjati Zelje Braised Cabbage from Mediterranean Vegetables by Clifford Wright
Mr. Wright’s notes on this recipe:
Cabbage is a very popular vegetable in the Balkans. It is served raw, in the form of sauerkraut, and cooked in a variety of ways. In the northern part of the former Yugoslavia, cabbage may be cooked with sour cream or tossed with noodles and smoked bacon. In Bosnia or Montenegro, to the south and closer to Greece, cabbage is cooked with tomatoes. This recipe for braised cabbage from Slovenia (in the north hear Hungary) is typically served as a bed for a roast duckling.
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
1 2-pound head green cabbage, cored and sliced as thin as vermicelli
15 black peppercorns
8 juniper berries, lightly crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
S & P to taste
1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bay leaves, and cook them until they begin to sizzle. Reduce the heat to medium and very carefully add the tomato paste and wine, which will spurt and splatter rather dramatically. Cook for a minute, and then add the cabbage, peppercorns, juniper berries, and thyme. Mix the cabbage so it is covered with sauce.
2. Add the lemon juice and continue to braise the cabbage over medium heat until it softens, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, season with S and P, and cook until the cabbage is completely soft, about 45 minutes. Correct the seasoning (with S and P) and serve hot.
CABBAGE AND CARROT SLAW
4 cups finely shredded carrot
4 cups finely shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup rice vinegar (available at Asian markets and some supermarkets)
1 tablespoon sugar, or to taste
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
In a large bowl toss together the carrot and the cabbage. In a small
bowl whisk together the vinegar,
the sugar, the oil, and the salt. Just before serving add the dressing
to the vegetables and toss the slaw
well.
Serves 6. Gourmet Aug. 1993
Sesame Cabbage
1/2 cup raw sesame seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1 dried red chili
1 head Cabbage, chopped
3/4 cup water
1 tsp salt
“Popu”
1 1/2 tbsp oil (olive, sesame, canola, etc.)
1 dried red chili, cracked
1 pinch fenugreek
1/4 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp cumin seed
Dry roast sesame seeds and dried red chili in a pan over medium heat. Stir often until majority seeds are brown. Remove from heat and cool. Once cool, grind in a food processor or blender with 1/2 tsp of salt. Excess ground sesame can be stored in the refrigerator for further use. To cook cabbage over medium heat, add chopped cabbage to 3/4 cup boiling water + 1 tsp salt. Cook until cabbage is desired texture. Once cooked, drain excess liquid. Add 1/4-1/2 cup ground sesame. Turn off heat. Prepare the “popu” in a separate pan by combining all ingredients, heating over medium heat, and waiting for mustard seeds to crackle. Once ready, add to cabbage, stir and heat over low heat for 1 minute. The “popu” can be prepared when the cabbage is nearly finished.