Last Harvest 2019

  • Radicchio
  • Carrots
  • Sweet peppers ( green and red)
  • Hot peppers or stuffing peppers
  • Tomatoes ( green and red)
  • Bok Choi
  • Cauliflower or broccoli or Cabbage
  • Arugula or spinach
  • Winter squash
  • Onions
  • Potatoes
  • Herb- thyme, sage or parsley
  • Kale
  • Celeriac
  • Pie pumpkin or decorative pumpkin

Here we are, the last harvest. I am currently en route from Oakland to PDX heading home from a conference to harvest for the last time in the regular season. It is a cold morning so good to let things defrost for a bit while juve drives to pick me up. The above list is from my head and may differ slightly once we get out there to harvest. We had hoped to have Brussels sprouts but they may or may not be big enough for today’s harvest. I seeded them in May and planted them out in June and yet they poke along. I feel like a broken record, always trying to get them for October and never hitting it just right. They will be here for the winter harvest and for thanksgiving.

I managed to push out a survey late last week and many of you have taken the time to fill it out. We seem to have hit the share size right for most families, while many of you commented that ½ share is just right for your household. People generally like the vegetables we grow , many would like to see us try to grow corn. While we would love to honor that, corn requires a lot of space and water, two things we don’t have. My own family suggested ours was not sweet enough when we have grown a tiny bit , so I didn’t even try that this summer. We will see how things play out next year. There is still time to fill out the survey if you haven’t gotten to it. We appreciate the feedback and the encouragement about the cheese, eggs and other add ona that we work hard to provide. Some people would like to see us carry Schoch milk (our neighbors), which worked in the past when they were not as popular and we had more drivers at home. We do love supporting other local farmers, so we’ll see.

We continue to clean greenhouses and fill every space with over wintering onions or lettuce or kale or … our cover crop is doing great and we are almost done with the garlic. It is that time of year where momentum slows and we have to push hard to get out there in the cold. We have a full winter share which will begin next weekend, so no real rest for the weary. 

We are happy to take deposits for next season, many people have said they will continue. Returning members always take priority, so let us know you will stay for 2020. We ll have space for newcomers too so send your friends and family our way. We will continue to make NoPo and ABC pick up sites better and more reliable.

We really appreciate all of you. We appreciate you entrusting is to grow food for your family. We value your help with harvests, special events and projects. We feel proud of the community we have created and the supportive environment for children and adults to thrive. Our members are connected to their food and their environment. We hope you will visit us during the winter. We will have a few events and let you know in advance.

Thank you for being a part of our farm! Feel free to email us at lynjuve@msn.com 

Some recipes to enjoy this week:

FRIED GREEN TOMATO, MOZZARELLA, AND BASIL “BLTS”

2 pounds green tomatoes (about 4 medium), cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1 pound sliced bacon, cooked until crisp, reserving 1/3 cup drippings, and drained on paper towels

8 large slices firm white sandwich bread

3/4 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

24 fresh basil leaves, washed well and spun dry

Preheat broiler.

In a small bowl coat 4 tomato slices evenly with cornmeal and season with salt. In a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet heat 1/4 cup reserved bacon drippings over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook tomatoes until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes, transferring them as cooked to paper towels to drain. Coat and cook remaining tomatoes in same manner, using additional drippings if necessary.

On a baking sheet broil one side of bread slices about 3 inches from heat until golden. Make sandwiches by layering, on untoasted sides of bread, mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, and bacon. Top with remaining bread slices, toasted sides up.

Gourmet

Pumpkin Cookies

1 c butter

1 c brown sugar, lightly packed

I c FRESH pumpkin pulp

1 egg

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

2 c unbleached flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. each ground: nutmeg, cloves, mace or ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 c walnuts, almonds, pecans or a mixture of the three

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar.

Add pumpkin, lemon juice, and egg. Blend well.

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and spices

and add to pumpkin mixture.

Add nuts and stir welL

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 12-13 minutes.

Makes approx. 3 – 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Toro Bravo’s Radicchio Salad

2 to 3 heads radicchio

1/4 cup good-quality balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup good-quality sherry vinegar

1 red onion, chopped

1 tablespoon honey

3/4 cup olive oil

1 + 1/2 cups Manchego, grated and divided

In a large bowl, add the balsamic vinegar, sherry vinegar, and chopped red onion (I used 1/2 of a large red onion). Let it sit for 1 hour and then strain out the onions. (you can keep the pickled onions for another dish if you like)

Remove core from the radicchio and chop into 1-inch pieces. Place the chopped radicchio in a large bowl, fill with cold water and some ice cubes. Let it sit for 15 minutes to remove some of its bitterness, strain and then spin in a salad spinner until dry.

Add the honey and olive oil to the strained vinegars and whisk well, I use this stick blender which works great. Depending on the size of your radicchio you may not need all the dressing.

Toss the radicchio with the dressing until evenly coated. Add 1 cup of finely grated Manchego, salt, and toss again.

To serve, top the salad in a serving bowl with the remaining 1/2 cup grated Manchego. Serves 4-8.

Adapted from Food52’s Toro Bravo recipe

Spiced Pork with Celery Root Purée and Lentils

Celery Root Puree

2 pounds celery root (celeriac), peeled, cut into 2-inch cubes

5 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Ground white pepper

Lentils

3 bacon slices, chopped

1/4 cup 1/8-inch cubes peeled carrots

1/4 cup chopped shallots

1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1 1/2 cups dried lentils

3 cups water

1 teaspoon butter

Pork

1/2 cup honey

6 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

2 1/2 pounds pork tenderloins

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth

1 tablespoon cold butter

For celery root puree:

Bring celery root and milk to boil in heavy large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until celery root is very tender, about 20 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer celery root to processor. Add 1/2 cup hot milk. Puree until very smooth. Blend in butter and lemon juice. Season with salt and white pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

For lentils:

Sauté bacon in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until crisp, about 3 minutes. Add carrots, shallots, and rosemary; sauté until shallots begin to soften, about 1 minute. Add lentils and 3 cups water; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until lentils are tender and liquid has nearly evaporated, about 35 minutes. Stir in butter. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
For pork:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk first 4 ingredients in bowl. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add pork; sauté until brown on all sides, about 6 minutes total. Brush pork with honey mixture. Transfer skillet to oven; roast pork 10 minutes. Turn pork over and brush with honey mixture. Roast until thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 145°F, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer pork to work surface; tent with foil (temperature will increase 5 degrees).

Add broth and remaining honey mixture to same skillet. Boil over high heat until sauce is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Strain sauce into small bowl. Return sauce to skillet. Whisk in butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Rewarm celery root puree and lentils. Cut pork crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place 1/2 cup celery root puree in center of each of 6 plates. Using back of spoon, make indentation in puree. Spoon 1/2 cup lentils into indentation on each plate. Arrange pork slices atop lentils and drizzle with sauce.

Bon Appétit

September 2003

Celeriac and Tomato Soup

4 tomatoes                            2 cups water

2 # celeriac                            ¼ cup lovage chopped (optional)

3  leeks                                   1 onion

1 clove garlic                        1 large carrot

1 tablespoon olive oil         2 T butter

3 sprigs parsley                    6 cups chicken broth

salt and freshly ground pepper

Peel, seed, and roughly chop tomatoes.  Peel sufficient celeriac to make 1 ½ pounds trimmed flesh, then cut into ½ inch cubes and drop into acidulated water.  Wash and trim leeks and, using only the white and light green parts, thinly slice. You should have 1 ½ cups. Chop onion and combine with leeks.  Chop garlic. Thinly slice carrot. Heat together oil and butter and sauté leeks and onion until wilted. Add garlic and carrot, and cook for 5 minutes longer,  Add one third of the tomatoes and cook until they are lightly browned on the edges and the juice is evaporated. Add Curried Winter Squash Soup

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