- Salad mix: “Salanova” lettuce makes her debut this week. This is a special lettuce, bred by Johnny’s seeds to make only small leaves even when fully mature. We have selected the varieties we like best with dramatic colors and varied leaf size. She is just starting so stay tuned.
- Arugula: it is a new variety this year called “speedy”. Honestly she is not speedy. We seeded this arugula in the depths of winter (January and February) and it took forever to grow and now it is bolting! The flavor is good and makes a super salad on its own or mixed into the salad lettuce. We will try it again in the fall, probably the best for late fall and winter production.
- Radishes: As many of you know we love radishes and usually have tons. This winter with the heavy rains of March the beds with radishes had rivers running through them. Most of the seeds washed out of the beds and production is less than complete. We will alternate them with Mizuna.
- “Ruby Streaks” Mizuna: a spicy mustard, great to eat cooked like other mustards or raw in salad mix.
- Shallots: these are one of our favorite aliums (onion family). They pungent and give a lot of punch to salad dressings. They can be roasted, pickled or made into shallot “jam”. I am planning on roasting them and adding them to my spinach and egg flan for Easter brunch.
- Spinach: Don’t be intimidated by the huge leaves. They cook down and can be added to stir fries, soups or made into creamed spinach. We love the spinach soup, you cook the spinach for only 5 minutes and the soup is a lovely bright green.
- Walnuts: These were gathered from our enormous walnut tree that graces the center of our farm. We figure it was planted in 1915, when the barn was built. It is a grafted tree black walnut root stock and English walnut as the cultivar. We gathered them and dried them last fall. This will be the last of them until the fall.
- Kale: We are so happy to have enough to share with all. We grew over 400 feet of kale this past year and expected much of it to be available for this spring. The extreme cold in December killed most of the kale in the fields and left us a small patch here and there. Part of farming in this changed climate will include putting a lot more of the winter crops under cover for next year.
Well we are ramping up for the season. The greenhouse crops are finally growing. The peas are about hip high, about 6 weeks from producing delicious sugar snap peas. We will harvest the first of the radishes and kale from February planting. We will finish off the arugula. The Chinese broccoli, one of our favorite crops looks like it will only produce half of what we expected as 2 of three beds are stunted. We think this is due to cold then hot (last weekend), forcing it to bloom early and small. Such is the gamble of farming.
We began the slow process of planting onions this week. We have 30 flats of aliums. This includes; shallots, onions (walla walla, white wing, red wing, red torpedo heirloom onions, cippollini, Varsity and Copra storage onions), and leeks that all have to be planted in the next weeks. We managed to get the potatoes in the ground, but they have yet to be composted. Juvencio squeezed in a soil conference and got some great tips on composting, soil nutrients and cover cropping. He also had the opportunity to try some new farm equipment being produced especially for small scale farming. For now they are too expensive for our scale, but we will see what they come up with in the future.
Please take a look at these recipes to see if anything catches your eye. There are many more recipes on the website under the recipe tab. Please do send us your favorites so that we can share with others.
Whole-Wheat Penne With Walnut Pesto and Kale
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Lacinato kale, also called Tuscan, black or dinosaur kale, is narrow leafed, dark blue-green and crinkly. Other varieties of kale may be substituted if lacinato is unavailable. Be sure not to toast the nuts too long; burned nuts will make the pesto taste very acrid. Whole-wheat pasta varies widely in flavor and texture; Imported Bionaturale brand, which is sold at New Seasons Markets, is one of my favorites. If you prefer, regular pasta may be substituted for whole-wheat.
• 11/2 cups walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (divided; see note)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• Pinch granulated sugar
• 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces), plus additional for serving
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 bunches fresh lacinato kale, stemmed, coarsely chopped and rinsed well
• 1 pound whole-wheat penne rigate pasta
Combine 1 cup walnuts, garlic, thyme and pinch sugar in food processor and process until evenly ground, about 15 seconds. Add cheese and oil and process just until blended, about 4 seconds, scraping down sides of work bowl as necessary. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper; set pesto aside.
In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil, add salt and greens and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Leaving the boiling water on the heat, use tongs or long-handled strainer to transfer greens to large bowl of cold water to stop cooking. When greens are cool, drain and squeeze firmly between hands to remove excess moisture. Coarsely chop greens and set aside.
Add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to directions on package. Drain pasta through colander, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Return pasta to pot and toss with pesto until well-coated. Add reserved pasta water, as necessary, to moisten pasta. Using tongs, distribute cooked greens through pasta; season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide pasta among bowls and serve garnished with remaining 1/2 cup walnuts and additional grated parmesan as desired. Note: To toast nuts, spread on baking sheet and bake in 350-degree oven for 5 to 8 minutes or until they start to brown.
White House No-Cream Creamed Spinach
Published May 25, 2010
Makes 6 servings
This side dish is one of Michelle Obama’s favorites because it has a creamy texture without a lot of calories and fat. One person who’s not a fan, however, is Sasha Obama, who is turned off by the bright green color — a shade of the vegetable rainbow she has yet to embrace.
Ingredients
• 2 pounds baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 shallots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Wash and clean the spinach. Place a large bowl of water near the sink, and put several handfuls of ice cubes in it. Place a colander in the sink.
Fill a medium-sized pot with water, and sprinkle in some salt. Place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat. Carefully add 8 ounces of the spinach (about a quarter of the leaves) and let it boil for just 30 seconds.
Carefully pour the spinach and water into the colander to drain the spinach. Then, using tongs or a fork to handle the hot spinach, immediately “shock” the spinach by putting it into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Let the spinach sit in the cold water for a minute, then drain it again in the colander. Squeeze the spinach with your hands or press the spinach against the colander with the back of a spoon to remove excess water.
Place the cooked spinach in a blender and purée. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add shallots and garlic and cook until the shallots turn translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the rest of the spinach leaves, tossing with a spoon and sautéing until the leaves are wilted. Add the puréed spinach and stir. Season with salt and pepper.
Adapted from White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford
Kale Salad (from Kris Schamp)
Flax oil (1/8 C)(I often use olive oil)
Lemon juice (1/8 C)
Soy sauce* (less than 1/8 C)
1 bunch kale
Red onion
(everything after this is just icing on the cake, I rarely add the below ingredients)
Shredded or shaved (with peeler) carrots
¼ C pumpkin seeds
1/8 C sunflower seeds
Sesame seeds
Sprouts (any kind)
Mushrooms (optional)
* can use Bragg’s – a low sodium substitute for soy sauce
1) Make the dressing: equal parts flax oil, lemon juice & soy sauce (or Bragg’s – a low sodium substitute for soy sauce. Use less soy sauce if sensitive.)
Marinate very thinly sliced / shaved red onion in the dressing while you prepare the kale.
2) De-stem the kale – try to get the young, tender smaller leaves.
Cut it into ribbons. Place in very large bowl to allow for easy mixing.
Add rest of “dry” ingredients.
3) Add the dressing and marinated onions to the kale mixture. Using hands, gently massage the dressing into the kale; softening down the structure of the kale and aiding the absorption of the dressing by the kale.
Let sit for a while (20-30 mins) before serving. Can be made well beforehand and refrigerated. Can add chopped avocado when serving. Goes well with marinated tofu-you can use the same dressing.
Arugula Pesto with Herbed Ricotta Gnocchi
Pesto
2 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 1/2 cups arugula leaves, well rinsed and towel-dried
1 1/2 packed cups fresh spinach leaves, well rinsed and towel-dried
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Gnocchi
1 cup semolina flour
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chervil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh fennel leaves
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese, drained
Olive oil, for tossing gnocchi
12 lemon gem marigolds
1. Make the pesto: With the motor running, drop the garlic through the feed tube of a food processor to mince. Add the pine nuts, arugula, spinach, and Parmesan and pulse until the greens are finely chopped. With the motor running, gradually add the oil to make a thick paste. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. (The pesto can be made up to 2 hours ahead and kept at room temperature.)
2. Make the gnocchi: Place the semolina, chives, sage, chervil, fennel, salt, nutmeg, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Transfer to a medium bowl and, with your hands, blend in the ricotta. Flour your hands and knead the dough in the bowl until all the ingredients cling together. The dough will be sticky, but do not add more flour or the gnocchi will be heavy.
3. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and dust with flour. Place about 1/3 cup of dough at a time on a lightly floured work surface and roll it underneath your palms to make a 1/2-inch-thick rope. Cut the rope into 3/4-inch-long pieces. Using the tines of a fork, press an indentation into each piece and place the gnocchi on the baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used.
4. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook until they rise to the surface. Boil for 30 seconds, until the gnocchi are set but tender. Drain well. (The gnocchi can be made up to 4 hours ahead, rinsed under cold water and drained well.) Toss the gnocchi with olive oil and store at room temperature. To reheat, cook in a large nonstick skillet over low heat, or drop into boiling water to warm. Toss the hot gnocchi with the pesto, garnish with marigolds, and serve immediately.
The Complete Kitchen Garden
Text copyright © 2011 Ellen Ecker Ogden
Sesame Parsley Salad Dressing
adapted from Renee’s Garden
1 stalk green garlic or 1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in blender. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt to taste.
Sherry Vinaigrette
adapted from Mediterranean Fresh, by Joyce Goldstein
¼ cup sherry vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
S & P to taste
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.
Thyme, Rosemary, and Wine Vinegar Dressing
adapted from: Cooking with Friends, by Trish Deseine and Marie-Pierre Morel
1 cup olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves
Sea salt and black pepper
Blend the thyme and rosemary leaves in a food processor or crush them with a mortar and pestle. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and combine with a whisk.
Shallot Salad Dressing
1 spring shallot, cleaned and chopped, include most of the light green part
1/3 cup (or to taste) vinegar: we use champagne or sherry vingear
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
S & P to taste
3/4 cup best olive oil
Whirl everything in a blender or food processor. I use an immersion blender for this with the ‘jar’ that came with it: any jar will do. Super easy! You control the quality of the ingredients! enjoy.
Julia’s Favorite Daily Dressing
Into a mini blender jar (or small canning jar, they work with most American blenders), put in equal parts vinegar (balsamic or rice or sherry or?) or lemon juice, and olive oil. With S & P you’ve got dressing. Extras I like to add to this dressing: 1 roughly minced, peeled garlic clove, a small dollop of fancy mustard, and a small dollop of jam. Screw blender bottom onto the jar, then insert into the blender and whirl. You’ve got dressing! The variations are endless….
Low-Fat Blue Cheese Dressing
adapted from Cook’s Country
makes about 1 cup 8 servings
Use a great pungent cheese
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup reduced fat mayo
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 Tablespoons water
1 clove garlic, grated (try a microplane!)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Whisk all ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth.
Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette
2 small shallots
2 Tablespoons Champagne vinegar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Peel and dice the shallots very fine. Put them in a small bowl with the
vinegar, lemon juice, and salt. Stir and let the mixture sit for 10 to
30 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil. Makes about 3/4 cup.
Low-Fat Ranch Dressing
adapted from Cook’s Country
makes about 1 cup 8 servings
1/2 cup low fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup reduced fat mayo
1 Tablespoons water or buttermilk
1 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, grated (try a microplane for this job)
1 Tablespoon minced chives
1 Tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch cayenne pepper
Whisk all ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth.
Tahini Dressing from Salad by Amy Nathan
1/2 Cup safflower oil
1/2 pound soft tofu
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
generous 1/4 cup tahini (julia says: use toasted for a richer flavor)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 scallion, chopped
2 Tablespoons tamari (soy sauce)
3/8 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. (Julia says: I like to use my immersion blender in a tall jar). Adjust the thickness to your liking by adding water. This stores well if covered.
Tahini Dressing
Adapted from The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin by Shopsin and Carreno
1 cup tahini
3 Tablespoons good olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon minced fresh garlic
¼ teaspoon sugar
Combine everything with 2 cups of water in a blender and blend until smooth.
Green Garlic Dressing
1-3 stalks roughly chopped green garlic, tough end leaves discarded
1/3 cup rice vinegar or fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon honey or jam
1/3 cup olive oil
S & P
Whirl all in a blender. Can be used as a salad dressing or marinade.
Lime Dill Dressing
from Recipes from a Kitchen Garden by Renee Shepherd and Fran Raboff
2 T lime juice 1 T vinegar
1/2 t sugar 1/2 t dry mustard
2 T chopped dill 1 T mayonnaise
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together except oil. When thoroughly blended whisk in the oil.
GREEK BASIL DRESSING
Shepherd’s Garden Seeds Catalog
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot or 1 green onion, cut in thirds
6 Greek olives, pitted
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. grated lemon zest (yellow part only)
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 sm. tomato, quartered
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
3 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
freshly ground pepper
Blend all ingredients except last three (garlic through basil). Add
olive oil gradually, processing until combined. Add salt and pepper to
taste. Toss with salad greens. Makes 2/3 cup.
Winter Herb Vinaigrette
from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by D. Madison
Use it also with steamed or roasted winter vegetables. Makes about ½ cup.
1 garlic clove
Salt
1/4 tsp. black peppercorns
1/4 tsp. fennel seeds
½ tsp. dried tarragon
½ cup chopped parsley
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 Tbs. capers, rinsed
1 large shallot, finely diced, or 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions, including a little of the green
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. champagne vinegar or tarragon vinegar
In large mortar, mash the garlic with 1/4 tsp. salt, the pepper, fennel, tarragon and 2 Tbs. of the parsley to make a smooth paste. Add the lemon zest, capers, shallot, oil, and remaining parsley; let stand for 30 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, taste for salt, and add more vinegar if needed for balance.
Dijon Vinaigrette
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
2 T each plain non-fat yogurt, lemon juice and red wine vinegar
1 T Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons fresh herbs: thyme, rosemary, parsley, etc. or a mixture or dried, but use less if using dried.
Combine in a blender at medium-high speed. Chill overnight before serving.
From : Chef Andrew Cohen
Honey Mustard Cilantro Dressing
1C cilantro stems
1/4 C water
1/4 lime juice(or lime/lemon or lemon)
1/4 C honey
1/4 dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 small clove of garlic peeled(optional)
Puree in blender til smooth, then through opening in top add olive oil slowly until the hole at the center of the dressing disappears. This is usually the proper amount of oil for a properly emulsified vinaigrette.
Options: use some cayenne powder to heat it up. Use 3:1 basil to flat leaf parsley instead of cilantro and use red wine vinegar instead of citrus juice.
Candied pecans to add to your green salad from: Chef Andrew Cohen
Spray sheet of foil with nonstick spray (if you have a Silpat cookie sheet liner, it’s perfect for this). Stir 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon vinegar over medium heat until sugar melts and syrup bubbles, about 3 minutes. Mix in 1 cup pecans. Stir until nuts are toasted and syrup coats nuts evenly, about 7 minutes. Turn nuts out onto prepared foil. Using fork, separate nuts and cool completely (coating will harden).
Orange Balsamic Dressing
3/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons grated orange peel 1 to 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 cup olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste . Place the orange juice, vinegar, peel and cumin in a blender. Blend for a few seconds. While the motor is running, slowly add the oil in a small stream until mixture is emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups dressing.
Rice Vinegar, on it’s own, makes a great salad dressing.
Julia’s Easy Blue Cheese Dressing
1/4 cup light sourcream
1/4 cup mayo
a couple of ounces crumbled blue cheese
salt and
lots of pepper
a bit of finely chopped parsley
finely chopped red onion
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
Mix all of the above ingredients, then thin with buttermilk or milk.
Raspberry Salad Dressing
(The Summer Book by Susan Branch)
1/2 C salad oil
3T raspberry vinegar
1T raspberry jam
1T minced green onions
1/2T Dijon mustard
a few fresh raspberries
Whisk all together-great on fresh spinach.
Makes 1 Cup
Magic Garlic Cream
(The Summer Book by Susan Branch)
1/2C milk
1/2C sour cream
2t olive oil
1 clove garlic, pressed
2T cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Whisk all together in order given. Makes 1 Cup