• Chard
• Kale
• Radishes
• Leeks
• Parsley or Thyme
• Purple sprouting broccoli 
• Cauliflower while it lasts
• Bok Choy
• Lettuce

Spring is here and we are enjoying the cool mornings and warm afternoons. The greenhouses are mostly planted. We have sugar snap peas, lettuce, spinach, carrots and more on the way. The first two beds of tomatoes are planted as well as the first zucchini and basil. Outside we have cabbage, fennel, spinach and more sugar snap peas. We are far ahead of last year and we have to put the breaks on before we run out of space. I keep filling every space with flowers.

We are looking forward to a fun potluck on Sunday afternoon from 2-6 p.m.. I have made 15 recipes of dough with my new( to me)sourdough starter. We will have sauce, cheese, pepperoni and sausage plus red onions and red peppers. Bring a dish to pass, a favorite pizza topping if we have not listed one you enjoy. Please bring dishes and forks for your family as well as cups. This is our effort to keep the trash and waste to a minimum. We have some subscribers who will play music and sing Jed, Mark, Christina and maybe more. We have the PSU Mariachis – “Mariachi Rosas del Sol” playing around 3:30 and if we are lucky a husband and wife duo will sing and play guitar.

Come and tour the farm, feed the baby goats and see where your vegetables are grown. We will have t-shirts and totes for sale. A fresh kiln load of ceramics, eggs, flowers and more to add on to your share this week.

We need Egg cartons (only dozen and no plastic or styrofoam please)

We need brown paper bags with handles.

Flower subscriptions special for this week only: Sign up now! 28 weeks $$260, 14 week subscription $120. Flowers can be purchased weekly for $12/ bouquet. I am also happy to make bouquets for special occasions, just text or reach out by email.

It is time to plant your home garden. I work with my friend Polly from Pumpkin Ridge Gardens to grow over 55 varieties of vegetables and flowers for your home garden. Please consider ordering from us. Our veggie starts are grown in organic potting soil, with organic practices and never have pesticides or herbicides. We grow only GMO free seeds and plant varieties that have the best flavor. Curated by farmers who know!

Here is the link to our website to order plant seedlings: https://pumpkinridgegardens.square.site/s/shop?page=1&limit=30&sort_by=name&sort_order=asc&item_status=in_stock

You can pick them up from the farm the following week.

Here are a ton of great recipes to try this week. Sue Kass has been at it again!

ROASTED RADISHES & GREENS

1bunch large radishes (about ¾ pound), tails removed, greens trimmed and reserved (if available), and bulbs halved stem to tail

• 1 to 1½tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Honey (optional)
• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. If your radishes have fresh-looking greens, wash and dry them well. On a sheet pan, toss the radishes and greens with the oil (1 ½ tablespoons if using greens; 1 tablespoon if not). Season with salt and pepper. Arrange the radishes cut side down. (It’s OK if the greens are crowded. Roast until the radishes are crisp-tender and translucent, the cut sides are golden in spots and the greens are crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Drizzle with honey, if desired.

Greens and ChickPeas with Tahini Dressing

For the tahini soy dressing
80z tahini
3 tbsp water
4 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp lemon juice

For the greens and chickpeas
200g spring greens, stems removed
3½ tbsp olive oil
1 tin (400g) chickpeas, drained (240g drained weight)
1 red chili, thinly sliced at an angle, deseeded if you prefer less heat
1½ tbsp soy sauce
9 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed (40g)
3 baby pak choi, halved lengthways (120g)
5 spring onions, trimmed (70g)
125g fine asparagus, trimmed
1½ tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp black and white (or just white) sesame seeds, toasted
Salt

First make the tahini soy dressing. Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Cover and set aside to thicken slightly.

Fill a large, high-sided saute pan with 1½ litres of water and bring to the boil on high heat. Once boiling, add a tablespoon of salt and reduce the heat to medium-high. Have a large bowl of iced water at hand. Blanch all the spring greens for 30 seconds, making sure that they are fully submerged. Using tongs, remove the greens from the pan and plunge into the iced water for five to 10 minutes, until completely cold. Drain in a colander and pat dry. Discard the blanching water, rinse and wipe the pan dry.

Return to a medium-high heat, and add a tablespoon of oil, the chickpeas, chilli and a quarter-teaspoon of salt to the pan. Cook for three to five minutes, stirring frequently, until the chickpeas start to pop and split. Stir in one and a half teaspoons of the soy sauce, remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl.

To make the garlic oil, wipe the same pan clean and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add two tablespoons of oil and the garlic, and cook for two-three minutes, until fragrant and softened. Transfer the garlic oil to a small bowl and put the pan back on a high heat.

Once hot, put the pak choi cut side down and cook for two to three minutes, until nicely charred and slightly softened. Set aside on a tray.

Add the remaining one and a half teaspoons of oil to the pan and, once smoking hot, add the spring onions and asparagus. Cook for one to two minutes, until lightly charred and softened, then transfer to the pak choi tray.

Turn down the heat to medium-high and add the reserved garlic oil to the pan, together with the spring greens and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and cook for a minute, until glossy. Stir in the asparagus, spring onions, pak choi, the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, mix well and cook for another minute to warm through, then remove from the heat.

To serve, spoon half the chickpeas on to a large serving platter. Arrange the greens on top and spoon over the lemon juice. Spoon over the remaining chickpeas, followed by the sesame seeds, then drizzle with half the tahini dressing. Serve warm with the remaining dressing in a bowl alongside.

I often do this but don’t cook the greens—I just chop them finely and “massage” until soft.  This is delicious and filling  with farro or brown rice

Kale and Purple Sprouting Broccoli Gratin

• 400g kale

• 15g butter
• 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
• really generous grating of fresh nutmeg
• 300g purple sprouting broccoli
• 500ml double cream
• 100g fontina, very thinly sliced
• 50g parmesan, grated
• STEP 1

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Remove the tough stems from the kale, then boil it in lightly salted water for 3-5 mins. Drain and press out the excess water.

• STEP 2

Heat the butter in a frying pan and add the kale and garlic. Cook over a low-to-medium heat for a few mins. Season well and add some nutmeg.

• STEP 3

Trim the broccoli and halve any thick stalks lengthways. Steam for 3-4 mins or until only just tender. Blot with a tea towel to get rid of the moisture on the surface.

• STEP 4

Tip the kale into the base of a gratin or casserole dish and place
the broccoli on top. Season well and grate over some nutmeg. Pour the
cream over, then add both cheeses. Bake in the oven for 30-35 mins or until golden and bubbling.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli & Leek Tart

• 1 tbsp extra virgin rapeseed oil or olive oil

• 2 leeks, finely sliced
• flour, for dusting
• 500g pack puff pastry
• 1 tbsp polenta or semolina
• 6 spears purple sprouting broccoli, trimmed
• 150ml crème fraîche (you can use half-fat)
• 50g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), finely grated 
• 2 egg yolks
• 25g flaked almonds

·        STEP 1

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Heat a frying pan with a lid over a medium heat and add the oil. Cook the leeks, with the lid on, stirring occasionally until just tender – about 5 mins. Set aside.

·        STEP 2

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry and cut out a rough 26cm circle – use a big dinner plate as a template. Cover a baking tray with baking parchment, sprinkle the polenta or semolina over it, and place the pastry circle on top. Score a circle about 2cm from the edge. Spread the leeks out evenly inside the scored circle, then bake for 10 mins until the edges have puffed up. Remove from the oven and turn heat down to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bring a medium pan of water to the boil.

·        STEP 3

Blanch the broccoli in the boiling water for 1 min, then drain and cool under running water. Drain again and arrange on top of the leeks. Mix together the crème fraîche, Parmesan, egg yolks and some seasoning, then pour evenly over the veg. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Bake the tart for 15-20 mins until golden. Serve warm or cold.

Tofu with Purple Sprouting Broccoli and chili sauce (Ottolenghi)

Doubanjiang is a fermented chili bean sauce from Sichuan. It’s super-salty, savory and spicy, as well as brilliant at dialing the flavor all the way up to 10. Make more chili peanut oil than you need for this: it’s great to have around to spoon over all sorts of roast veg, meat and fish, or even just on a couple of fried eggs. This works well on its own or with rice on the side.

Serving size

2 PEOPLE

3 garlic cloves, peeled, 1 finely crushed, and the other 2 bashed with the flat of a large knife
½ tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp doubanjiang
25g skin-on raw peanuts, lightly crushed in a mortar
90ml olive oil
250g purple sprouting broccoli, or Tenderstem, cut into 5cm-long pieces and thick stalks cut in half lengthways
Fine sea salt and black pepper
60g kale, tough stems removed and discarded, the rest roughly chopped
½ onion, peeled and finely chopped (140g)
¼ tsp ground turmeric
280g extra-firm tofu, broken into roughly 3-4 cm pieces
2 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp toasted sesame oil

METHOD

1. Put the crushed garlic, cumin and doubanjiang in a small heatproof bowl. Put the peanuts and 60ml of the oil in a small pan on a medium heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and fragrant. Pour the oil and nuts into the doubanjiang mixture, stir to combine, then set aside.

2. Put the remaining two tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan on a high heat and, once it’s hot, add the broccoli and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, and stir-fry for four minutes, until the broccoli is nicely charred and almost tender. Add the two lightly bashed garlic cloves, stir-fry for 30 seconds, just until lightly charred, then add the kale and three tablespoons of water, and cook, stirring constantly, over a high heat until the kale wilts and softens. Tip into a bowl, return the pan to the stove and turn down the heat to medium-high.

3. Put two tablespoons of the oil from the peanut chilli oil bowl into the pan, add the chopped onion, turmeric and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring often, for five minutes, until the onion starts to soften. Turn the heat back up to high, add the tofu, soy sauce and sesame oil, and cook, stirring constantly, for three minutes more, until the tofu has heated through and absorbed the seasoning.

4. Return the kale and broccoli mixture to the pan and fry, stirring, for another minute, just to heat through. Transfer to a large platter, spoon the peanut chilli oil over the top and serve at once.

Spinach and chermoula pie

Servies: 4 to 6. Total time: 2 hrs, plus cooling and chilling

Ingredients

For the chermoula paste:
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
30g roughly chopped fresh coriander
½ fresh mild red chilli (about 10g), roughly chopped, seeds and all
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and roughly crushed using a mortar and pestle
1 tsp sweet paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp/60ml olive oil

For the pie:
4 tbsp/60ml olive oil
1 large yellow onion (about 360g, halved and thinly sliced)
350g frozen spinach, thawed, then squeezed to remove excess water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
15g roughly chopped fresh dill
1½ tbsp fresh lemon zest, plus 1½ tbsp lemon juice
Plain flour, for dusting
1 sheet frozen all-butter puff pastry, at least 24cm wide, thawed
130g roughly crumbled Greek feta
1 baking potato (about 250g), skin-on, scrubbed clean

Method

1. Prepare the chermoula paste: Add the garlic, cilantro, chile, cumin, paprika, ½ tsp salt, a good grind of pepper and 3 tbsp oil to a food processor. Pulse into a coarse paste and set aside.

2. Prepare the pie: Add 3 tbsp oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high. Once hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and well browned, about 12 minutes. Add half the chermoula paste (reserve the rest), the spinach, 1 tsp salt and a good grind of pepper, and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring to combine. Remove from the heat, then add the dill and lemon zest. Set aside to cool, about 20 minutes.

3. Line a 24cm pie or tart tin with a removable base with a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the base and a little bit over the sides. (The excess will help you lift the tart when it’s baked.) On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry with a floured rolling pin to a 30cm square. Lay the puff pastry on the parchment, pressing in the pastry to fit the base and sides of the pan and cutting away any excess so it overhangs by about 2 cm.

4. Poke the base all over with a fork (about 10 times), then spread the cooled spinach mixture over the base evenly. Sprinkle the feta on top, then fold and scrunch the sides over the filling to create a rim. (Don’t worry if it’s not perfect.) Refrigerate the pie for at least 20 minutes, or up to overnight, covered.

5.Preheat oven to 400

6. Trim and discard the ends of the potato and use a mandolin or very sharp knife to cut the potato into paper-thin slices. Toss together in a bowl with 1 tbsp oil, plus ½ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Fan out the slices on top of the spinach and feta in a circular pattern, overlapping slightly, to cover the filling but not the pastry rim.

7. Place the chilled pie on a baking sheet and bake until cooked through and nicely coloured, about 50 minutes. Set aside to cool, about 15 minutes, before gently transferring to a wooden board or serving plate.

8. When ready to serve, stir the lemon juice and remaining 1 tbsp of oil into the reserved chermoula. Spoon half of the chermoula all over the pie and serve the remaining in a bowl alongside. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Greens with Farro and Tahini Sauce

·        1.5 cups par-cooked farro, see notes above

·        kosher salt to taste

·        3 to 5 ounces greens, such as kale, Swiss chard, arugula

·        ¹/₂ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

·        fresh cracked pepper

·        1 lemon, halved, plus more to taste

·        ¹/₄ cup well-stirred tahini paste

·        1 teaspoon maple syrup

·        1 clove garlic, minced, optional, see notes above

·        ¹/₂ cup pine nuts

1. Place a large pot of water over high heat. Bring to a boil. Add the farro and a big pinch of salt (I add 1 tablespoon). Cook according to package instructions but taste before draining — my 10-minute Trader Joe’s farro consistently takes 15 minutes. Drain. Place in a large bowl.

2. Meanwhile, remove the greens from the stems (if using kale or chard), then slice very finely — you can chiffonade the leaves (stack leaves on top of each other, roll them into a tight coil, then cut down to make long thin strips) but consider cutting the thin strips into smaller pieces as well. You want small pieces of greens here. Place the greens in the bowl with the farro, add ¼ cup olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and fresh-cracked pepper to taste. Squeeze half of the lemon into the bowl catching the seeds with your hand. Toss, taste, and adjust with more salt or pepper to taste—I usually add another quarter teaspoon of salt and sometimes more. The farro and greens should taste slightly lemony and nicely seasoned, but nothing spectacular—remember that the magic happens when the grains and greens meet the tahini sauce. At this point, you can chill the farro and greens until you are ready to serve. 

3. Make the tahini sauce: Stir together the tahini, remaining ¼ cup olive oil, juice of remaining half lemon, ¼ teaspoon salt, maple syrup, garlic, if using, and 2 tablespoons water. Add more water by the tablespoon. Dressing should be pourable—I typically add another 2 tablespoons of water. Taste and adjust with more salt, lemon, or maple syrup to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl or set directly on the table. 

4. In a medium skillet over medium (or higher) heat, stir the pine nuts until golden all around. Do not walk away from the skillet—if you stand there the entire time, you can get away with using higher heat for a shorter period of time. 

5. When ready to serve, spoon the greens and grains into bowls, drizzle the tahini sauce over top, and sprinkle pine nuts over top as well. Pass more sauce and pine nuts on the side. 

:

Roasted Chickpeas with Greens and Tahini

FOR THE CHICKPEAS:

·        2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, well drained, or 4 cups cooked chickpeas

·        ¾ to 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

·        2 garlic cloves, minced

·        2 teaspoons ground cumin, or 1 teaspoon each ground cumin and ground coriander

·        1 teaspoon sweet paprika

·         Salt and pepper

FOR THE TAHINI SAUCE:

·        ⅓ cup tahini

·         Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste

·        1 garlic clove, minced

·         Warm water, as needed

TO FINISH:

·         Olive oil, for cooking

·         About 10 ounces kale, chard or spinach, well washed and thick stems removed

·        3 cups store-bought or homemade pita chips (see Tip)

·         Handful of roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

·         Handful of roughly chopped mint

·        1 large or 2 small cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

·         Lemon, cut into wedges

1.     Make the chickpeas: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Pour the chickpeas into a small baking dish, about 6 inches by 8 inches. The chickpeas should be crowded together in a thick layer, not spread out. Pour in olive oil just until chickpeas are covered. (This will look like a lot, but don’t worry: It forms part of the dressing.)

2.     Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and 2 big pinches each of salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine. Bake until oil is bubbling around the chickpeas and they are turning reddish-brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3.     Meanwhile, make tahini sauce: Pour tahini into a bowl and whisk in lemon juice and garlic. The tahini will thicken and clump. Slowly whisk in warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until sauce becomes smooth, creamy and pourable. Taste and season with salt, pepper and more lemon juice, if desired. Set aside.

4.     Cook the greens: Place a large frying pan over medium heat and drizzle lightly with olive oil. When hot, add the greens in batches, along with a big pinch of salt. Stir until wilted and tender and set aside.

5.     When ready to serve, in a large bowl, gently mix chickpeas and their cooking oil with the cooked greens, half the pita chips, and the chopped herbs. Mound chickpea mixture in 4 shallow bowls. Divide cucumber slices around chickpeas. Drizzle thickly with half the tahini sauce and scatter remaining pita chips on top. Place a lemon wedge on the side and serve, passing extra tahini sauce at the table.

Food&Drink Club

One Pot COCONUT RICE WITH TUMERIC AND GREENS

·        2 cups long-grain rice, such as jasmine or basmati

·        ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

·        1 tablespoon white or black sesame seeds

·        2 tablespoons coconut oil

·        1 scallion, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated

·        1 teaspoon ground turmeric

·        ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed

·        1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk

·         Pinch of saffron (optional)

·         Kosher salt

·        1 medium bunch kale, spinach or Swiss chard

·        1 lime

o    

PREPARATION

1.     Rinse rice until water runs clear. Drain and set aside.

2.     In a medium pot or Dutch oven, toast the coconut and sesame seeds over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to prevent burning.) Transfer to a small bowl. Wipe out the pot.

3.     In the same pot, melt the coconut oil over medium-low. Add the scallion whites, turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and cook, stirring, until aromatic and lightly toasted, 3 to 5 minutes.

4.     Add the rice, coconut milk, saffron (if using), and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Fill the empty can of coconut milk with water and add it to the pot. Give the mixture a good stir to separate any lumps and bring to a boil over medium-high.

5.     Once boiling, cover, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.

6.     As rice cooks, remove and discard the tough stems of the leafy greens, if needed, and cut or tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. When the rice has cooked for 10 minutes, arrange the greens on top of the rice in an even layer and season well with salt and pepper. Cover, and cook until the rice is tender, 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, 5 minutes.

7.     As rice rests, zest the lime and cut it into 4 wedges. Add 1/2 teaspoon zest to the coconut-sesame mixture, along with the scallion greens. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.

8.     Gently stir the greens into the rice using a spatula or fork, season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls. Sprinkle the coconut mixture on top and serve with a lime wedge for squeezing over.

Fresh Spinach Risotto

·        8 ounces cold taleggio (fontina works as substitute)

·        10 ounces/8 packed cups spinach, any thick stems removed

·        6 tablespoons unsalted butter

·        1 medium red onion, finely diced

·        3 cups finely diced celery

·        2 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced

·        1 ½ cup Arborio rice

·        1 teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed

·        ¾ cup dry white wine

·        3 ½ cups good vegetable or chicken stock

o    

PREPARATION

1.     Cut the rind off the taleggio and discard. Dice the cheese into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside at room temperature as you prepare the rice.

2.     Line a colander with a clean dish towel and place spinach inside. Heat about 8 cups of water until boiling, then pour over spinach; the spinach will wilt. Let spinach sit until cool enough to handle, then use the dish towel to squeeze out with 1 tablespoon butter until smooth. (You’ll end up with the water. Transfer spinach to a food processor and blend about 1 cup of purée.) Reserve.

3.     Melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, celery and garlic; cook until translucent, about 7 minutes. Stir in rice and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook until toasted and golden, about 5 minutes.

4.     Stir in wine and cook until it’s absorbed, about 3 minutes. Stir in stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring often but not necessarily continuously, until the stock is finished and the rice is cooked through but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes.

5.     Stir in spinach purée, then taste and add more salt, if needed. Add taleggio and stir to melt. Serve immediately.

Ave Gene’s Kale Salad

• 1-2 large bunches large bunches lacinato kale about 6 cups chopped
• 4 ounces good quality french bread about 1/3 baguette
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lemon juiced and zested
• 1 ounce freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
• kosher salt
• fresh ground Pepper

Instructions

1.               Break the bread up into chunks and put in a food processor. Pulse until crumbs are coarse.

2.               Toast in a skillet over medium high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, until golden, about 5 minutes. Season with kosher salt.

3.               Drain on a paper towel until ready to use.

4.               Remove the rib of the kale and slice the kale into thin strips.

5.               In a large bowl, add kale, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper.

6.               Toss together, and massage the dressing into the kale for 5 minutes.

7.               To serve, spread the kale in a thin layer on a large plate or serving dish. Grate the cheese over the kale in an even layer. Spread the bread crumbs over the cheese and serve.

The sun has come out again and the purple sprouting broccoli is popping! We have a special offer for this weekend:

Bouquets: $10

Purple Sprouting Broccoli $5/bunch

Cauliflower $4

Eggs(already painted, lol) $7

Quail eggs $7 Quantity limited

Please text your order to me before Sunday at 9:00 so I can have it ready. I can have it ready Saturday if you let me know early. 503-568-5760

Also we have tons of vegetable starts for your home garden. I can fill some or all of your order this weekend, follow the link :https://pumpkinridgegardens.square.site/s/shop?page=1&limit=30&sort_by=name&sort_order=asc&item_status=in_stock

Make sure to click on Availability and check the box IN STOCK so you get what we have right now. I will be at the Beaverton Farmers Market starting Saturday April 6th. You can keep checking the site for more crops. You can order from the website and specify pick up at La Finquita so that I can fill your order and have it here for you to pick up with your veggies.

Opening potluck 4/14/2024 from 2-6 mark your calendars.

• Leeks
• Kale
• Chard
• Spinach
• Parsley
• Thyme
• Escarole
• Onions
• Green onions
• Rutabaga 

Today is the last harvest of the winter share. We hope you will enjoy the abundance of greens and the ability to make your last escarole salad. As I was planting kale and Chinese broccoli for the spring season yesterday, I was listening to a podcast from one of my favorite Functional Medicine doctors. He and his guest were speaking about ways to improve liver function for those of us who have fatty liver. According to them 93% of Americans have fatty liver. This is when the normal liver cells turn into fat cells and reduce the Ability of the liver to detoxify the blood. Adding cruciferous vegetables and allium to your daily diet, is one of those ways. I am pleased to support this habit by offering an allium (onions and garlic ) and Brassica (broccoli, kale, cabbage) weekly in our vegetable baskets.

Our chickens are on overdrive. The Chicks we purchased late last fall have started laying and they are mostly Easter egg layers, and Morans. They make the dozen eggs look so colorful and almost hard to eat. Please consider buying 2 to 3 dozen with your share today. They will last the month if kept refrigerated until we start the regular season of  2024.

Last weekend was the share fair In Portland. I was able to enroll two new members which is great. We still have over half of our subscribers who have not let us know about the upcoming season, and our greenhouses are full of ceilings ready to go in the ground. Please take this moment today to send in your deposit of $100 to reserve your spot for the regular season. We have the opening potluck starting at 2 PM on April 14. The first harvest is that day for Sunday pick up and April 17 for those who pick up on Wednesdays. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for a fun filled afternoon of eating good food and hopefully some of the best pizza.

We are looking forward to a month of not harvesting and focusing on planting and getting the last of our greenhouses back and working order. We will have ceilings for your own home garden for sale on our website that we run with Pumpkin Ridge Gardens starting at the beginning of April, here’s the link https://pumpkinridgegardens.square.site/ . Make sure to check back at the end of March.

We welcome your feedback on the winter share or the regular season. What vegetables did you enjoy? What vegetables would you like us to grow? What did you think about the size of the share?

Recipes to enjoy:

https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/spinach-salad/

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/walnut_parsley_pesto/

SPICY RICE AND KALE

2 1/4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 1/2 teaspoons Creole or Cajun seasoning
1 cup converted white rice
4 ounces kale (about 1/2 large bunch), stems and ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped (2 cups
packed)

Bring broth and Creole seasoning to boil in heavy large saucepan. Stir in rice and kale and bring to
boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Serves 4. || Per serving: calories, 204; total fat, 2 g; saturated fat, 0.5 g; cholesterol, 1 mg. || from Bon Appétit

Kale with cream (Irish) 4-5 servings

1 3/4 lbs Kale
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp double cream (I used heavy whipping cream) a pinch or so of nutmeg, salt, pepper
2 Tbsp stock (I dissolved a vegetable bouillon) Wash kale and strip leaves from stalk, then plunge into heavily boiling water. Cook ’til tender, 20-30 minutes. Drain well and chop finely. In saucepan, combine butter, cream spices, then add kale and stock.Mix well.
Cook until well heated and sauce is slightly reduced.
(The sauce is just enough to offer flavor but not drown the kale.) -Phyllis Mosher

Giant Crusty and Creamy White Beans with Greens
Adapted from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson

½ pound medium or large dried white beans, cooked
3 tablespoons olive oil or clarified butter
Fine grained sea salt
1 onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch kale, cut into wide ribbons or ½ baby chard, washed and roughly chopped, or 1 bunch kale, cut into wide ribbons
Fresh ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Freshly grated parmesan for topping

Drain the beans, then heat the oil or butter over med-high heat in the widest skillet available. Add the beans to the hot pan in a single layer. If you don’t have a big enough skillet, just do the sauté stop in two batches or save the extra beans for another use. Stir to coat the beans with the oil/butter, then let them sit long enough to brown on one side, about 3 or 4 minutes, before turning to brown the other side, also about 3 or 4 minutes. The beans should be golden and a bit crunchy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. Salt to taste, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until the onion softens. Stir in the greens and cook until just beginning to wilt. Remove from the heat and season to taste with a generous dose of salt and pepper. Drizzle with a bit of top-quality extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Off harvest.

• Watercress or arugula 
• Spinach or kale
• Chard
• Parsley
• Leeks
• Onions or shallots
• Winter squash
• Radicchio- the last
• Escarole (looks like lettuce but it is not. It is delicate as it is from one of the greenhouses that lost its top. Eat this first
• Fennel or turnips  or kohlrabi
• Green onions
• Bok Choy 

The Winter share is winding down. One more to go after this week. We have had cold wet weather and with two green houses without plastic and a third flooded the growing space has been limited. We feel lucky to have pulled so much out during the bad weather snap. We are finishing the last of the winter squash this week as well as the last radicchio that miraculously survived 13 degrees in the field. The spinach was looking amazing and then got hit by a yellowing illness and so we had less to choose from. We have another bed that hopefully will come along for you for the last harvest. The parsley bunches are huge this week. If you have not made parsley pesto yet, now is your opportunity. It is one of our favorite winter pasta dishes. Will try and link below but some websites reject me once I try to post on our site. Google: Pesto di Prezzemolo.

Juvencio has prepped the greenhouses that need plastic and we are ready to go but each day there’s just too much wind to try and pull over a 100 foot piece of plastic that acts like a gigantic sail. We are keeping our fingers crossed that tomorrow in the early hours we can pull it over and cinch it down. It is a ton of work but should last for 3-4 years.

Our seeding greenhouses are packed with seedlings almost ready for transplant. Sometime in the next two weeks I will get the sugar snap peas in as well as the spinach and asian greens. We are gearing up for the regular season that starts 4/14 with an opening potluck and pizza party.We hope all of our winter subscribers will join for the regular season. Go to this page https://www.finquita.com/wordpress/?page_id=231

 and print out the enrollment form and send it with your check for $100 to us at the farm.

The final harvest for the winter season will be on March 10th. Keep your fingers crossed for a windfree day to get our greenhouses covered and ready to go for spring.

Recipes to enjoy:

Link to pesto di prezzemolo (parsley pesto):  https://yougottamakethis.wordpress.com/2022/09/13/pesto-di-prezzemolo-parsley-pesto/

• Escarole Soup with Rice
• 1/4 c EVOO
• 4 cloves garlic,  finely minced,  plus 5 cloves garlic thinly sliced
• 1/2 c chopped onion
• 4 c coarsely chopped escarole
• 1/4 c short grained ice,  like arborio or sushi rice
• 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock,  or water
• Salt, pepper,  and grated parmesan to taste

• Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large deep saucepan. When oil is hot,  stir in the minced garlic and sauté for a few minutes until fragrant,  then add onions and cook until softened.  Add escarole and toss gently until it begins to wilt.  Add the stock and rice and bring to a boil,  then simmer for about 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
• Meanwhile,  heat remaining 2 Tbsp of EVOO in a small frying pan, add sliced garlic and fry until turning golden brown and starting to crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.  
• When rice is tender,  serve soup and garnish each bowl with garlic chips and grated parmesan.
• Butternut squash, leek and Zaatar pie
• 1 small (2 lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1” chunks
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 Tbsp EVOO
• 1 large leek, trimmed,  halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 8 scallions,  trimmed and finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 1/2 tsp Zaatar
• 2 cups swiss chard,  leaves and stems finely chopped
• 3/4 c cream cheese
• 2/3 c crumbled feta
• 2 sheets of puff pastry
• 1 large egg,  beaten
• Heat oven to 400.  Toss squash chunks with maple syrup, cinnamon and 1 Tbsp oil,  1 tsp salt.  Spread on a baking sheet and bake  until just cooked through,  about 15-20 minutes.  Allow to cool and transfer to a large bowl.
• Add 3 Tbsp oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat.  Once hot,  add leek, garlic, scallions and 1 tsp salt and cook until leeks have softened but not browned.  Add 1 Tbs za’atar and stir over heat a minute more,  until fragrant, then add chard and cook until just wilted, and remove from heat.
• Combine the cream cheese and feta and add fresh pepper—work this mixture into the butternut squash.
• Roll each puff pastry sheet into a 10 x 16 rectangle;  trim one to 6×16 and prick well with a fork—this is your bottom. Place this smaller piece on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and score a 1” border around the edges.  Spread the leek mixture over,  avoiding the edges. Dollop the squash/cheese mixture on top.  Brush the border with beaten egg,  then cover with the larger sheet of dough.  Use a fork to crimp the borders,  then brush the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with remaining zaatar.   Prick or slash the top a bit to allow steam to escape.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 425.  Bake the chilled pie for 15 minutes, then turn heat down to 350 and bake for an additional 45 minutes.  Allow to cool at least 20 minutes before slicing/serving.
• Winter Vegetable curry
• 3 Tbs neutral oil such as canola or sunflower oil 
• ½teaspoon coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• ½teaspoon turmeric
• ¼teaspoon cayenne
• 12-inch piece of ginger, grated
• 6 small garlic cloves, minced
• 4 small hot red Asian chiles or Mexican chiles de árbol
• 1 large onion, diced, about 2 cups
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4-5 cups winter veggies such as winter squash, celeriac, radish, turnip, carrot,  sweet potato or regular potato (a mix is best!) cut into 1” chunks
• 1-2 c cauliflower, broccoli or cabbage,  cut into 1-2” chunks (could also do strips of kale or collards but add later in the cooking process)
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas, preferably home-cooked and the liquid reserved
• 1 can coconut milk (optional)
• Cilantro sprigs, limes juice for garnish

Heat oil in a large pot until it shimmers,  then add the seeds and toast for a minute or two,  then turn down heat and add remaining spices, ginger, garlic, peppers and onions.  Cook over medium heat until onions have softened but not browned,  then stir in the tomato paste and cook a minute or two more.  Throw in the 4-5 cups of “hard” veggies and pour in just enough water (or chickpea water) to cover.  Cover and let cook  over low heat until veggies are starting to soften (about 20-30 minutes) stirring occasionally.  Add the “softer” veggies and 1-2 cups of chickpeas and cook until all the veggies are cooked.  At this point you can add a can of coconut milk or just a bit more water to make a sauce.  Adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve over rice with cilantro garnish and a squeeze of lime.

• Celeriac (great recipe below)
• Radicchio ( soak it in ice water for 15-30 minutes and taste the difference)
• Leeks
• Shallots or onions
• Daikon radish or turnips ( recipes below- you can always make a quick pickle with the daikon and it is so good)
• Watercress (a super food full of nutrients)
• Bok Choy
• Winter squash :tetsukabota

What a world wind of wild weather we have been through. From 90 degrees in Honduras to -44 in the Yukon back to the ice storm of 2024 here. He made it through better than many others. We lost plastic on 2 hoop houses that were already showing signs of wear and we have had some flooding of another hoop house. We feel pretty lucky. We have been shoveling chicken manure when the weather permits and now the chickens can return to their coop with fresh straw and dry feet.

We have the heat mats fired up and seeds started for the upcoming season. Sugar snap peas, onions, kale, chinese broccoli and the first tomatoes and peppers are seeded and waiting to germinate. No transplanting into hoop houses for some time as we have to repair them but the plants will be ready once the farmers can get their work done.

We will prune the orchard next weekend.Hopefully plenty of people will join us to get things in order for the spring. We will start at 0900 and end when the orchard is pruned, usually around 3-4/ Potluck lunch. Bring any implements that you have including: (label them with your name).

·         Clippers

·          Loppers

·          hand saw

·          Gloves

·          Chainsaws

·         orchard ladders

It is time to sign up for the regular CSA season. Please jump to the page with our enrollment form https://www.finquita.com/wordpress/?page_id=231 and complete and send us your deposit of $100 to save your spot. The regular season starts on April 14 (Sunday harvest) or April 17th for Wednesday harvest. There are two pick up sites in Portland. There is pick up at the farm. Reach out to us if you have questions. Tell your friends as those personal referrals are the best.

There are two more harvests in the winter Season: February 18 and March 10.

Here are some great recipes to enjoy:

·     

From great squash.com:

Master Recipe: Baked Squash

Simple, sweet, wonderfully-baked squash, best with butternut, honeynut, calabaza, sweet dumpling, tetsu, or candy roaster varieties. The perfect food by itself, or a great base ingredient for many other squash and pumpkin baked goods and recipes. 

SERVINGS 

4 people

PREP TIME 

10minutes mins

COOK TIME 

40minutes mins

TOTAL TIME 

50minutes mins

Equipment

• Sharp, heavy knife
• Parchment paper
• Baking sheet

Ingredients

• 1 winter squash
• 1 tsp olive or avocado oil 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF/190ºC. Cover a baking sheet with parchment. 
2. Cut squash in half from the stem to the base. Make sure you have a heavy, sharp knife and a stable surface.
3. Use a sturdy spoon to scoop the seeds and pulp from the cavity.
4. Pour the oil into the cavity of one squash and from there, use your fingers to rub it all over the cut sides of both squashes.
5. Place the cut squash face down on the sheet and place in preheated oven.
6. Remove from oven when squash liquor (sugary juices) are showing around the cut squashes and have turned a candied dark brown with burnt black edges, about 40 minutes for a smaller squash like honeynut, up to an hour — the time will vary greatly based on the size and age of your squash. Newly-harvested squashes are wetter and take longer to cook.
7. Cut in serving-sized chunks, such as ¼ of an average butternut squash per person, plate up, and serve. Provide any topping such as butter, salt, pesto, cheese, salsa, soy sauce, or whatever it is that may fit well with the rest of the meal that day, but encourage everyone to enjoy how incredibly delicious this squash is perfectly plain, just the way it is!

Testu squash is good prepared many ways. As a first try, I recommend baking it, cut in half, cut side down, as in my master recipe for baked squash. After that, you can:

– eat it as a side dish, with butter 

– make cheesy squash grits

– make your favorite pumpkin bread or pumpkin pie recipe.

– wake up to some squash waffles, aka squaffles.

– warm up with a Bengali squash curry.

Great recipes to use your winter veggies From Six Seasons cookbook:

Sautéed Turnips with Prunes and Radicchio

Most people would not consider prunes an exciting ingredient, but when cooked, the plush texture and deep toffee sweetness of a prune can really bring some sex appeal to a dish.

→ Serves 4

8 pitted prunes, quartered

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

¼ teaspoon dried chile flakes

1 bunch Japanese turnips, greens cut off and reserved, trimmed and halved

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Small head radicchio, cut into 1-inch ribbons (soak in ice water for 20 minutes to reduce bitterness, then drain well)

Put the prunes in a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the vinegar. Add warm water just to cover the prunes. Let them soak for 20 minutes to soften and plump.

Heat a glug of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook gently until it’s nicely golden brown, very fragrant, and soft, about 5 minutes-do not burn the garlic! Add the chile flakes and then arrange the turnips in the pan, cut sides down. Season with salt and black pepper and cook until the turnips are starting to brown lightly on the cut side, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the turnips over and add the prunes and a few spoonfuls of their soaking liquid.

Cover the pan and steam the turnips until they are tender when pierced with a knife, adding a few more splashes of the soaking liquid as you cook them. You want there to be just enough water to continually create steam but not so much water that the turnips are boiling.

When the turnips are just tender, add the greens and the drained radicchio. Increase the heat to high and finish cooking with the cover off, tossing and stirring to wilt the greens and mix everything together.

Remove from the heat and season with salt, black pepper, and the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve warm.

Celery Root,

Cracked Wheat, and Every-

Fall-Vegetable-You-Can-Find

Chowder

Any and all fall and winter vegetables work well in this soup. The celery root puree keeps the overall flavors from becoming too sweet and one-note. You could use farro or another grain in place of the cracked wheat, but the soup’s consistency will be thicker and more porridgelike… not necessarily a bad thing on a cold day.

1 small celery root about ¾4 pound)

½ pound onions, sliced 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup cracked wheat

Several sprigs thyme

1 stalk celery, diced

1 small carrot, diced

1 big turnip, diced

1 medium potato, diced

2 cups shredded kale

1 big handful arugula or other spicy or bitter greens( use the watercress!)

Using a sharp paring knife, cut away all the tough exterior of the celery root; if there are dark fissures remaining, cut those away, too. Cut it into chunks.

Put the celery root, onions, I garlie clove, butter, and # cup water in a medium pot with a lid.

Add 1 teaspoon salt and about 20 twists of pepper, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook until everything is thoroughly soft, 20 to 25 minutes depending on the size of your chunks. Let this cool for a few minutes, then puree it in a food processor or blender. Set it aside.

Heat the olive oil in a big soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 garlic cloves and gently toast for a few minutes to begin to soften the garlic. Add the cracked wheat, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring frequently, to gently toast the grain and deepen the flavor, 7 to 8 minutes-you’ll smell the grain getting toasty; take care not to burn the garlic.

Add the thyme to the pot.

Add the celery, carrot, turnip, potato, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and fragrant but not at all browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

Add just enough water to cover by ½ inch, adjust the heat to a lively simmer, cover, and cook until the vegetables are all tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the kale and cook for another few minutes-the kale should keep a bit of bite to it.

Stir in the celery root puree. The final soup should be nicely thick, but if it seems too thick and porridgelike, add more water. Taste the soup and add more salt if you like, then add lots and lots of pepper so the flavors are mellow and sweet from the vegetables with a bit of heat from the pepper.

Right before serving, reheat the soup and toss in the arugula. Serve hot.

Winter Squash and Leek Risotto

Butternut squash is perfect for this dish, as the big bulb of solid flesh is easy to grate. Adding the scraps to the broth doubles down on the lovely squash flavor.

» Serves 4

About 8 cups vegetable or chicken stock

2 pounds winter squash

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Extra-virgin olive oil

* teaspoon dried chile flakes

Kosher salt

2 cups carnaroli or other risotto-appropriate rice

1 pound leeks, trimmed, split lengthwise into quarters, cleaned, and thinly sliced crosswise 1 cup dry white wine

2 cups freshly grated

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon

chopped sage

Put the stock in a soup pot. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler or a sharp paring knife and split it lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and fibers and add to the stock. Grate about 2 cups of the flesh using the large holes of a box grater and set aside. Roughly chop the rest of the squash and add it to the stock. Let the stock simmer slowly for at least 30 minutes so it takes on the squash flavor.

Melt the butter in a small glug of olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add half the grated squash, the chile flakes, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, so that the rice becomes glossy and slightly darker golden, about 5 minutes. Add the leeks and 1 teaspoon salt and cook over medium-low heat until they are soft and fragrant, another 10 minutes or so.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the wine, stirring and scraping to deglaze the pan.

Simmer until all the wine has evaporated.

Start ladling in enough of the hot stock (don’t let the solids get into the risotto pan) so that it just barely bovers the rice. Adjust the heat so the liquid bubbles nicely but isn’t boiling hard. Str the rice occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pan. When most of the liquid has reduced, add more stock. Continue this process, stirring to encourage creaminess, until the rice is getting tender but still has a chalky center when you bite into a grain, about 10 minutes.

Add the remaining grated squash and a bit more stock and cook just until the squash is tender.

The consistency of the risotto should be quite moist, because it will stiffen up as you add the cheese and as it cools.

Fold in 1½ cups of the Parmigiano, the parsley, and the sage and serve right away, passing the rest of the cheese at the table.