Harmony Valley Farm: October 2021

It’s finally time to send sweet potatoes your way! This year’s Burgundy sweet potatoes are quite sweet and tasty, as well as unique in appearance. These may be the most interestingly shaped sweet potatoes we’ve ever grown! Nonetheless, I’m excited to share this recipe for Sweet Potato Muffins with Pecan Streusel (See Below). I discovered this recipe last winter and I’ve made them countless times. They never get old! One thing I really like about this recipe is its versatility. The original recipe is vegan, but it works well with dairy items (milk and butter) as well, so I often use whatever I have on hand. You can also change up the nuts you use. I often use almonds, but walnuts, hazelnuts, etc. would work too. Now this week we’re focusing on sweet potatoes, so you really should make your first batch using them. That being said, I’ve made this same recipe using winter squash puree in place of the sweet potatoes. Butternut squash, Orange Kuri, Kabocha, or the Tetsukabuto squash we’ll send your way in December are all good varieties to cook, puree and use to make these muffins. I’ve also made this recipe using bananas and applesauce as well---you guessed it, equally as delicious! Ok, two more modifications I want to share. I like to substitute ½ cup of almond flour for the spelt flour. It makes a light, very tender muffin. The last time I made this recipe I realized I didn’t have any muffin liner papers. Yes, you can grease the muffin tins, but honestly I’d really recommend using the papers for this recipe as they are much easier to extract without falling apart. Instead of making muffins, I used a small Bundt pan (6 cup capacity) and made a cake! I poured the batter in the pan and then put the streusel topping on top. After it was baked I turned it out onto a plate so the streusel was then on the bottom. With this cake strategy, you can turn this recipe into a nice dessert or coffee cake! If you haven’t picked up on it yet, I really like this recipe!

Photo from Brussels Sprouts Hash and Eggs

Time to move on as there are a lot of other great recipes to try this week! I know we’re going to be eating these Sheet Pan Sweet Potato, Poblano and Black Bean Quesadillas for lunch later this week. Quesadillas are a quick and easy item to make and then reheat in a toaster oven. Perfect for a quick lunch or keep them in the fridge for the kids to heat up after school! The other fun recipe I came across this week was for these Garlic Pizza Sliders Dip. They are ooey-gooey, cheesy delicious! Great for the kids, great for game night, or movie night.

Brussels sprouts are another exciting crop this week! I love vegetables for breakfast, so I’m going to make this Brussels Sprouts Hash and Eggs. My other breakfast dish idea for this week is this Chickpea and Kale Shakshuka.

This week we’re sending Russet potatoes, one of the few drier, starchy potatoes we grow. This is the variety traditionally used to make baked potatoes. My favorite way to eat this is baked with a salt crust. If this interests you, check out this article, How To Make Salty, Crispy Skinned Baked Potatoes.

Ok, that’s all I’m going to comment on today. Take a look at this week’s recipe suggestions and see for yourself if anything looks good! Have a great week and I’ll see you next week to celebrate the first week of November and ginger harvest! –Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Sweet Potatoes

By: Richard deWilde

Most Midwest farmers would not even consider growing a tropical plant like sweet potatoes or ginger (spoiler alert…coming in next week’s box!). But we’ve never fit the profile for a typical Midwest farm and we’ve attempted many unconventional challenges and new crops. Learning how to grow sweet potatoes has been one of our more favorable attempts. Still, every year presents a new set of challenges to overcome and we continue to learn from each experience.

Sweet Potatoes starting out this spring

Of the many varieties of sweet potatoes from around the southern parts of the world, only a handful stand a chance of producing in Wisconsin. We have tried them all and will continue to try any new ones available. For now we have settled on two varieties that consistently produce a yield in our unconventional system. We start our sweet potato crop from plants called “slips.” We depend on slips grown in outdoor beds by two organic growers in North Carolina. Time is of the essence for us as we need to maximize the growing season. Thus, we want to plant as soon as possible after the last frost date in May. When we order, we hedge our bets and divide our order between the two suppliers. They are affected by weather too and in years past they’ve been hit by tropical storms, cold weather snaps, etc. which affects the timing and quality of the slips they are harvesting. But, if all goes as planned, we get the slips by the end of May. We transplant them into raised beds covered with dark green plastic which helps hold heat to make the plants think they’re in their preferred tropical environment!

Jose Luis & Oscar showing getting ready to
start picking up the sweet potatoes

I mentioned we have two favorite varieties and those are Burgundy and Covington. Covington is a dependable producer of nice banana-bunch like clusters of four to six potatoes. They typically have nice shape and size, but generally fall slightly below in “brix,” which is a measure of sweetness. Burgundy has moved to the top of the list with its deep orange color and sweetness for several years. It tends to lag behind in yield, only producing two to three nice tubers in a cluster, but we love their rich taste and sweetness so are willing to compromise a bit on yield.

Every year is different and this year defies these typical descriptions in many ways! It was very dry and hot when we planted them, just what sweet potatoes like! We have a water line under the plastic cover to deliver water and nutrients, but sweet potatoes do not require much fertility and we know that excess water produces thin, stringy potatoes and few tubers. So we refrained from too much water based on the readings we took from our moisture sensors. The vines were very prolific, vines on top of vines that were knee high! In September when we cut them back to dig a test cluster, it was disappointing. We only found one to three potatoes on each plant. So in early October, we put a cover on them to trap in heat and prevent frost damage. No frost came, but fearing wet and cold weather, we removed the cover, chopped the vines and dug them! It took most of three days with a crew of ten to carefully lift and crate them. Approximately 30,000 pounds went into the greenhouse where we “cured” them for about ten days. This means we held them in an environment with temperatures around 85°F with very high humidity for 8-10 days which helps set the skins so they are more stable for storage and the starches in the tubers are converted to sugars enhancing their sweetness.

Digging a few samples and digging the whole crop are pretty different. The covers and waiting definitely produced more size to tubers, but it did not change the number of tubers in a cluster. The Burgundy that is in this week’s box was a mystery to watch come out of the ground as I followed behind the digger. The initial clusters remained at only 1 or 2 nice tubers, but below, very deep, about 18 inches was another crop of sweet potatoes that were long, skinny and beautifully twisted. Needless to say, they are less than perfect in shape, but they still taste delicious! So while they may not look like the standard graded sweet potato you may see on a store shelf, we chose to include them in your boxes and hope you’ll embrace the unique individuality expressed in each one!

This year the Covington and Burgundy both came out of the field with a Brix of 8-10 where we usually see 4-6. After the curing process they both measured fairly equal at 11-12. These two varieties do have different natural sugar profiles, so even if they measure similarly with a Brix reading, they can be two very different flavor and tasting experiences. So, you be the judge! Let us know what you think about the flavor of the Burgundy and compare it to the Covington variety we’ll be sending to you in several weeks.

It’s best to store sweet potatoes at room temperature. We do not recommend storing them in the refrigerator as they are susceptible to chill injury. And that’s this year’s sweet potato story. We hope you enjoy this year’s unique crop as you use them in soups, casseroles, tacos, desserts, baked goods and so much more over the next few weeks.

Sweet Potato Muffins with Pecan Streusel

photo from thefirstmess.com

Yield: 10-12 muffins

Streusel Topping:

½ cup pecan halves, chopped

5 Tbsp coconut sugar or brown sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch fine sea salt

2 ½ Tbsp cold butter or vegan substitute

Muffins:

2 cups light spelt flour*

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¾ tsp fine sea salt

1 ½ cups mashed, cooked sweet potato flesh

½ cup maple syrup

⅓ cup melted coconut oil or butter, at room temperature

2 Tbsp milk or non-dairy alternative

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease 10 cups of a standard size muffin tin and set aside. Alternatively, line the muffin tin with muffin papers.
Make the streusel topping. In a small bowl, mix together the chopped pecans, coconut sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add the butter to the bowl and mix it in with your fingers, or use a pastry cutter. Break up the bits of butter and cut them into the sugar and pecans. Once you have a sandy, crumbly texture, and the streusel sticks together when you pinch it with your fingers, set aside in the refrigerator.
In a large bowl, combine the spelt flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Stir with a spatula to evenly mix.
In an upright blender, combine the mashed and cooked sweet potato, maple syrup, coconut oil, milk and vanilla. Blend on high until totally smooth and creamy. Alternatively, whisk these ingredients by hand in a medium mixing bowl.
Pour the sweet potato mixture into the large bowl with the flour mixture. Use your spatula to get all of the sweet potato mixture you can out of the blender. Gently stir and fold everything together until JUST combined.
Divide the muffin batter evenly among the 10 prepared muffin cups. Remove the pecan streusel from the fridge and divide it evenly amongst the tops of the muffins. Press it in a bit with your fingers.
Bake the sweet potato muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are domed, slightly golden and a pairing knife or cake tester inserted into the middle of one comes out clean. Let the muffins cool completely before enjoying!

*Note Regarding Spelt flour: If you do not have this type of flour available, you may substitute standard all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flower or gluten free flour of your choosing.

Recipe adapted slightly from TheFirstMess.com.

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Farm: A Convergence of Nature and Humanity, a Living Organism

Richard & Andrea checking out the roots in a field
planted with a cover crop

By Andrea Yoder

Back in early August our friend John Peterson posted an article on the blog for his farm, Angelic Organics. The title of his article was “Farmer John Writes: Do You Eat Data?” If you have a minute, I’d encourage you to read his article. If you receive/ed a CSA box on October 7/8/9, October 14/15/16 or October 21/22/23, you may have made the connection between this Farmer John I’m citing now and the Farmer John who grew the carrots in your box these weeks. We share many parallel thoughts and perspectives on farming with John and want to take a moment to share some of his thoughts with you, after all its his energy and that of Angelic Organics that comes with those carrots to your table!

Fall Garlic Planting

In his article, John challenges us to consider the difference between viewing a farm as a living organism as opposed to a collection of data points. His definition of a farm is a little different from the dictionary definition. The dictionary defines a farm as “a tract of land devoted to agricultural purposes.” John defines a farm as “a convergence of nature and humanity.” I have to say, John’s definition resonates with us much more closely than the textbook definition of a farm. You see, a farm is more than just “a tract of land.” It truly is a living organism that needs to be nurtured, cared for, guided, protected. It needs someone to commit to caring for it, a steward or rather stewards. This is where the concept of a farm as a living organism comes to life. It’s where humans commit to connecting to nature in a way that is bilaterally supportive and beneficial. It’s where the perspective of a farm supersedes the data and our eyes are opened to the dynamic, complex nature of a farm. It’s where food becomes more than just a product and becomes a way of connecting to nature, to community, to something much greater and more meaningful.

Silvestre counting the number of seeds per foot
the planter is putting out to make sure the
planting rate is correct.

Lets pause for a moment and revisit the concept of viewing the farm as a collection of data points. We do use data every single day. Our farm is a collection of every subject in school. Most of us carry calculators in our back pocket. We have all kinds of forms and documents where we record data—every single day. We look at harvest yields and efficiency. We consider bed feet and the quantity of seed needed to plant a specific plot of land. We titrate mixes of nutrients to feed plants through drip irrigation, utilize metric tools to do repairs on machinery, apply concepts of pressure changes and temperatures to managing refrigeration, and of course we have to look at the bottom line on a Profit & Loss report to make decisions that help us keep the farm profitable, self-sustaining and ensure it has a future. But with as many data points as we utilize every day, there are just as many considerations and aspects to viewing a farm as a living organism that are less tangible and more difficult to measure as a data point.

What about the people? As we look at our farm, we’re not just talking about ourselves who have been labeled “The Farmers.” We alone are not the only caretakers of this land, and thank goodness as it’s a job that far exceeds our capabilities alone! As we consider the convergence of nature and humans at Harmony Valley Farm, it’s vital to broaden our perspective to include you, our CSA members, as well as our employees and those within the community who support the innerworkings of our farm. This ranges from the guy who delivers parts from Auto Value to the truck drivers who pick up produce from our farm each week and everyone in between. Yes, our relationships are laced with transactions. We issue paychecks biweekly to our employees. We pay invoices for services we receive. We process payments from you when you submit money to purchase your CSA shares. It can stop there if you want it to, but we hope you look a little further.

We all need the food that comes off this farm. This is the food that sustains our bodies, keeps us healthy, supports the growth and development of children, strengthens our immune systems and helps us function in our highest capacities. People who eat well, feel well and, we hope, go on to do good things in this world. This is where the meaning and connection, the convergence of humans and nature, becomes a beautiful, dynamic, living organism with a reach and impact that goes beyond what we even realize.

The Nash family enjoying our
Fall Harvest Party in 2019

Over the years we’ve heard many stories about how participating in CSA has impacted people’s lives in positive ways. CSA kids who grow into beautiful, healthy adults, families who have built memories around the meals they’ve shared and the moments they’ve spent at the farm. Members who have become our close friends and loyal supporters. You see, there’s an energy that comes with that food and we hope you understand the food we produce comes with a big dose of commitment, dedication and desire to truly nurture and care for this organism. But we also hope you understand that we feel the energy you send back to us! Your gratitude, whether spoken or unspoken, the ways you go on to do good things in this world, the ways you use these vegetables and connections to enhance your own lives. It all matters.

What about the many hands that work here, our employees? Farmworkers are often overlooked and underrepresented. One of our longtime buyers made a comment one time that every time a consumer takes advantage of cheap food, someone along the supply chain is exploited. I don’t have a data point to demonstrate this point, but I can tell you that in the industry of fresh market vegetables, labor is the greatest cost of producing food. Thus, it’s also the line item on a Profit & Loss statement that often stands out the most and is subject to being cut. This farm would not run without the efforts of our employees.

Luis is happiest when he's operating a tractor!

Their physical strength as well as their positive, “can-do” attitudes, problem-solving abilities, refined skills and even their jokes and laughter are what fuel our days. Your dollars and continued support of our farm in turn supports these workers and their families. The majority of our employees come from Mexico and many of them have worked with us for many years. We care for each other and while as employers it’s not our responsibility to be concerned for the families of our employees, we can’t deny the fact that their families are just as much a part of this farm as we are, as you are. So yes, we do think about them, their needs, their well-being and send them gratitude at the end of every season. Gratitude for sharing their loved one with our farm, to care for the land and contribute to producing food for our community. Last week we had all of our chimneys professionally cleaned. We’ve had the same person clean them for several years now and he caught me off guard as we were closing up the deal when he was finished. As I handed him the check for his services, he told me he loves coming to our farm every year. He said “everyone is so nice and you can just tell they are happy and want to be here.” Needless to say, my heart melted and his words confirmed just how much our employees contribute to the spirit of this farm.

Nitrogen nodules forming on the roots of cover
crop plants, plus millions of bacteria you
cannot even see!

I could write volumes about the opportunities we all have to connect to the natural side of Harmony Valley Farm, but I’m going to condense my thoughts today and just highlight one of the many amazing natural aspects of our farm that exemplifies the convergence of nature and humans. We are surrounded by a vast and complex community of microorganisms, fungus and beneficial bacteria. This network of organisms extends from our forest land to our fields and everywhere in between. We can’t see it with our naked eye, but we know it exists in the soil beneath our feet. This network functions on our behalf, keeping our soils alive, helping to make nutrients available to the plants and continually contributing to the regeneration of our farm. The benefits we reap from this vast underground system of microbes far exceeds the understanding of our humble minds, and yet it’s a part of what makes this farm a complex living organism.

Get a copy of Farmer John's
Cookbook packed with
farm stories and seasonal
recipes!

Thank you Farmer John for challenging us to “think outside the box.” Yes, there are many in the world that view a farm as a data point, a tract of land, a factory in a sense that produces food. But lets not lose sight of the bigger, broader view of a farm as a living organism. One that generates food, yes, but also represents the convergence of nature and humanity. One that we care for and support and in turn it supports and cares for us. It’s a pretty meaningful bite to swallow. On behalf of all of us on this side of the partnership, thank you for choosing to be part of this farm. We appreciate and value you, we think of you and hope your lives are enhanced through this connection.

October 21, 2021 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Escarole!

Cooking With This Week's Box

Baby Arugula:

Arugula & Prosciutto Flat Bread Pizzas

Arugula Salad with Pears and Goat Cheese

Escarole:

Escarole, Bacon and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Dried Apricots and Pepitas (See Below)

Escarole with Lentils & Sausage (See Below)

Lacinato Kale:

Kale and Butternut Squash Salad with Pears and Almonds

Lacinato Kale Pasta with Parmesan and Breadcrumbs

Italian Garlic:

Best Ever Garlic Bread

Creamy Garlic Parmesan Scrambled Eggs

Red Onions:

How To Caramelize Onions

Caramelized Red Onion Chutney

Mini Sweet Peppers:

Everything Bagel Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers

Spicy Blue Cheese Mini Sweet Peppers

Hot Peppers:

Salt-Cured Chiles

HVF Fresh Korean Garlic-Chili Sauce

Baby White Salad Turnips:

Turnip & Greens Pesto Pizza

Creamy Turnip Grits & Greens

German Butterball Potatoes:

Slow-Roasted Chicken Legs with Garlic & Potatoes

Cheesy Skillet Potatoes

Orange Kuri Squash:

Roasted Red Kuri Squash and Coconut Soup

Spiced Kuri Squash Pie

Jester Squash or Starry Night Acorn Squash:

How To Roast Acorn Squash

Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash

Orange Carrots:

Coconut Ginger Carrot Soup

Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies

Spicy Blue Cheese Mini Sweet Peppers
photo from culinaryginger.com

We’re coming up on the end of our Peak Season shares as we near the end of October. If you are not already signed up for the final four boxes of the season, you still have time to do so! We have more tasty selections in store for our November and December boxes including sweet potatoes, tat soi, Brussels sprouts, radicchio and kohlrabi! This week we’re featuring Escarole, one of our bitter greens that holds an important spot in our late season greens lineup. If you’re not familiar with this green, I encourage you to read more about it in this week’s feature article. It can be eaten raw or cooked, so I thought I’d include one recipe for each application this week. This week’s recipes include Escarole, Bacon and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Dried Apricots and Pepitas (See Below) and Escarole with Lentils & Sausage (See Below). While both recipes include meat, you could easily omit the meat for a vegetarian option or replace the meat with a meatless alternative.

Spiced Kuri Squash Pie, photo from coconutandlime.com

Next week we’re planning to start washing and packing sweet potatoes, so this week we took advantage of a little extra room in the box to send not one but two varieties of winter squash your way! Orange Kuri squash is very similar to kabocha squash, so feel free to use it in any recipe calling for kabocha. I’m really excited to use it to make this Roasted Red Kuri Squash and Coconut Soup and this Spiced Kuri Squash Pie. Both of these recipes have some simple yet interesting flavor twists that made them stand out to me.

We are also including either Jester squash or Starry Night Acorn squash. Jester is very similar to delicata squash and while the skin is technically edible, I find it is more thick than delicata squash and I don’t care to eat it. This feature is also what helps it store better than delicata squash, a trade off I think is well worth it. Starry Night Acorn squash is a trial variety for us this year. Of course you can use it in any recipe calling for acorn squash, although I’ll caution you with the fact that typically acorn squash is a pretty bland squash which is why most recipes bathe it in butter and brown sugar! This variety is supposed to be more sweet and flavorful, so before you add a lot of sweetener, taste it first. These two varieties of squash are considered to have more lean flesh and are appropriate to substitute for each other in most recipes.

Arugula & Prosciutto Flat Bread Pizzas
photo from foodnetwork.com

While we’re not finished harvesting greens, we are coming to the end of our baby greens season. Use this final bag of arugula to make these simple, yet tasty Arugula & Prosciutto Flat Bread Pizzas or Arugula Salad with Pears and Goat Cheese. In both recipes the fatty ingredients (Prosciutto and goat cheese) are a fantastic complement to the spicy arugula.

As the nights get chilly and we bring another month to a close very soon, we’re reminded that winter will be here before we know it. If you have more vegetables than you think you can eat this week, consider squirreling away a few things for the winter. Peppers are easy to freeze, or turn the hot peppers into Salt-Cured Chiles or HVF Fresh Korean Garlic-Chili Sauce. You’ll be happy to pull these little preserved gems of vegetable goodness out of the freezer this winter!

That’s a wrap for this week. I hope you enjoy cooking with this week’s vegetable selections and encourage you to share your escarole creations with us in our Facebook Group! Have a great week!---Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Escarole

By: Chef Andrea Yoder

Description & Growing Information: Escarole is in a family of vegetables called chicories which also includes radicchio. Escarole has a pretty long growing season and some years it’s hard to get them to full size. It is a cold-hardy green that is best suited for growing in the fall and is sturdy enough to be able to take some frosty, cold nights. In fact, we don’t even think about harvesting escarole until it’s had some chilly nights! The flavor changes dramatically after they’ve had cold treatment. This green does just fine uncovered when freezing temperatures are in the low 30’s and high 20’s, but it can sustain some damage when we get a hard freeze. So, some years we do cover this plant to protect it from freezing too hard on those really cold nights. Due to a warm fall this year, our escarole and radicchio crops are coming in a few weeks ahead of schedule. We’ve been hesitant to start harvesting them because they had not yet had that cold treatment. Thankfully, we did have several chilly nights last week and when we tasted them earlier this week we were pleasantly surprised by how mild their flavor is with a slight sweetness.

Escarole resembles a head of green leaf lettuce, but it does have some distinct differences. First of all the leaves are more broad and a bit more thick when compared to leaf lettuce. The center of a head of escarole and the portion of the leaves near the base are generally blanched to a light yellow or white. While all the leaves are edible, these light colored center leaves tend to be the most tender and mild flavored. As such, this is the portion of the plant you may wish to prioritize for eating raw and save the darker outer leaves for cooking.

White Bean & Escarole Pizza

Preparation & Use: Escarole may be eaten raw or cooked. When eaten raw, the bitterness is going to be more pronounced. You’ll find that cooking mellows the bitterness and accentuates the sweet qualities. It’s also important to note that different ingredients help to balance the flavor of escarole, both raw and cooked. Fatty ingredients such as sausage, prosciutto, bacon, duck, hard cheese, olive oil, olives and nuts such as pine nuts and hazelnuts provide a nice counter balance to the bitterness of escarole. Acidic ingredients also perform similarly, which is why you’ll often see recipes for escarole that include vinegar or fruit such as apples, citrus, pears, persimmons and pomegranate. Of course it also makes sense to pair escarole with other fall vegetables such as garlic, onions, beets, potatoes and winter squash. Escarole is popular in Italian cuisine where it is often used in soups or sautéed and/or braised along with white beans, lentils, pork and garnished with a variety of cheeses.

There’s a classic preparation for escarole that some Italian cooks call Scarola Affogata, which means “smothered escarole.” In this dish, garlic is sautéed in olive oil until golden, then chopped escarole, salt and red pepper flakes and seasoning are added to the pan. The greens are cooked until they are soft and tender. This is then served as a side dish, or you can use the greens for another purpose, such as on top of a pizza or slathered on a piece of thick, crusty bread.

Storage: Store escarole in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until ready to use. When you are ready to use it, separate the leaves from the base and wash well in a sink of cold water. If you are using the escarole for a raw salad, shake or spin off excess water to dry the leaves. If you are cooking it or adding it to soup or stew, it’s ok if there is still some water on the leaves.

Escarole with Lentils and Italian Sausage

Yield: 4 servings

1 cup dry lentils

3 cups chicken broth

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 pound Italian sausage

1 large onion, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 head escarole, stems removed and roughly chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

½ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Place the lentils in a medium-sized pot. Pour in the chicken broth and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Bring the lentils to a boil, cover the pot tightly, and reduce the heat. Simmer until the lentils are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Drain most of the juices away and reserve the lentils. Leave just enough juice so the lentils don’t dry out.
Heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. If using links of sausage, transfer the cooked sausage to a cutting board and let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing into disks. If you are using bulk sausage, just crumble.
Add the onions to the pan and cook over medium heat until they are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the cooked lentils, escarole, salt and pepper and cook until the escarole is wilted, about 3-5 minutes. Add the sausage back to the pan and stir everything until fully incorporated.
Remove from the heat, garnish with shredded Parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty bread for sopping up the liquid.

Recipe created by Chef Jamie DeMents from Coon Rock Farm (www.coonrockfarm.com).

Escarole, Bacon and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Dried Apricots and Pepitas

photo from heatherchristo.com

Yield: 4 servings

2-3 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces

3 Tbsp olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste

1 head escarole, roughly chopped

2-3 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

½ cup dried apricots, thinly sliced

¼ cup roasted and salted pepitas

Vinaigrette:

1 shallot, minced

2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, minced

2 Tbsp whole-grain mustard

2 Tbsp honey

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 375⁰F. Toss the squash with the olive oil and season with salt. Roast the squash for 15-18 minutes or until golden browned on the edges and fork tender. Set aside to cool.
In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette and season to taste with salt.
In a large bowl, combine the escarole, cooked bacon, apricots and pepitas with the butternut squash. Just before serving, drizzle some of the vinaigrette over the top and gently toss to coat. You want just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat all the ingredients. Season to taste with salt and serve immediately.

Recipe created by Heather Christo and is featured at heatherchristo.com.

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

October 14, 2021 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Summer Crisp Lettuce!

Cooking With This Week's Box

Spinach:

40 Flavor-Packed Ways to Use Fresh Spinach

Salad Mix:

Mixed Greens Salad with Pecans, Goat Cheese & Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Italian Garlic:

Garlic and Herb Buttermilk Dressing

Garlicky Roasted Potato Salad

Red Summer Crisp Lettuce:

Caesar Salad (See below)

Yellow Onions:

Cider Braised Chicken with Apples and Onions

Hungarian Beef & Onion Stew

Mini Sweet Peppers:

Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese

Mini Pepper Chicken Nachos

Jalapeño Peppers:

Grilled Jalapeño Burgers

Rainbow Chard:

Swiss Chard, Potato & Chickpea Stew

Orzo Pasta with Chickpeas & Chard

Green Savoy Cabbage or Broccoli or Cauliflower:

Life Changing Crispy Baked Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw

Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup

German Butterball Potatoes:

Croatian Chard & Potatoes

Simple Au Gratin Potatoes

Butterscotch Butternut Squash:

Butternut Squash & Cranberry Quinoa Salad

Butternut Squash & Apple Pizza with Sage, Feta & Pickled Onions

Sugar Dumpling or Jester Squash:

Vegetarian Stuffed Squash

Spice-Roasted Sweet Dumpling Squash

Orange Carrots:

Grilled Carrot Falafel Burger

Carrot Pancakes with Cream Cheese Spread

Hello Everyone!

Life Changing Crispy Baked Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw

As we roll past the halfway point in the month, summer vegetables are fading away and we’re getting closer to the end of our growing season. Many farms wrap up their harvests by the end of October, but we’ll push on through November. We still have beautiful tat soi, radicchio, escarole, kale and bok choi remaining in the fields. These will be our late fall & winter greens that we hope to include in your boxes through November. Many of you may be wondering about sweet potatoes. We are happy to report we finished harvesting them earlier this week. They are “curing” in our greenhouse right now and we hope to start putting them in your box as early as next week if they are ready! That’s a little glimpse of what’s coming your way.

As for this week, we have a nice selection of greens for eating raw and cooking! This will likely be our final week for spinach, salad mix and the last of our head lettuce. This week we’re featuring one of our favorite lettuce varieties, Summer Crisp. You can read more about why this is one of our favorites in this week’s Vegetable Feature Article. Summer Crisp lettuce is a versatile variety that may be used in a variety of salad applications. This week we’re keeping it simple and traditional with Caesar Salad (See Below)! This version uses yogurt instead of raw egg yolks in the dressing. It does call for anchovies which is a staple ingredient in a traditional Caesar salad. If you’ve never used anchovies, don’t be afraid. They contribute a nice salty, umami flavor to the dressing that is quite tasty. You can find little jars of anchovies in the grocery store section near the olives, canned tuna, etc.

Mini Pepper Chicken Nachos
photo from heatovento350.com

We are nearing the end of pepper season, with the possibility of another week or so of picking if we don’t get a frost. This week enjoy those little mini sweet peppers in this recipe for Mini Pepper Chicken Nachos. Skip the chip and use the pepper instead! We also stuck two more little jalapeño peppers in your box this week. Check out this recipe for Grilled Jalapeño Burgers and put them to use!

It’s time to get serious about eating winter squash now! You know I like a tasty pizza, which is why this recipe for Butternut Squash & Apple Pizza with Sage, Feta & Pickled Onions caught my attention! As much as I like a good pizza, I also like a good taco. If you receive cabbage this week, consider making this recipe for Life Changing Crispy Baked Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw. They are pretty amazing!

Lastly, I included a few hearty meal ideas that match the changing weather of fall. As the temperatures continue to get colder, we’re all going to start craving more hot, nourishing dishes such as this recipe for Cider Braised Chicken with Apples and Onions or this Hungarian Beef & Onion Stew.

That’s a wrap for today. Over the next week Richard and I will be laying out our preliminary plans for what will be going into the final six boxes of the year. Can you believe it—only six more boxes?!? Have a great week and I’ll see you next week!—Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Summer Crisp Lettuce

By: Chef Andrea Yoder

Description: We grow many varieties of head lettuce here at Harmony Valley Farm, each of them carefully selected with specific characteristics we’re looking for at different times in the growing season with their own special flair to keep things interesting and diverse. Lettuce can be a tricky crop to grow. In general, lettuce is best grown in the more mild, cool temperatures of spring and fall. During the heat of the summer it bolts very quickly and typically does not taste good. While spring and fall are more conducive times of the season for growing lettuce, it is still very vulnerable to field and weather conditions. There are many varieties of lettuce, but they are not all created equally. We have tried to select varieties that have greater disease resistance, are beautiful with good flavor, and have good field-holding ability which gives us a longer window in which to harvest them.

So with that background, I want to introduce this week’s head lettuce. It’s a unique variety called “Magenta.” This variety is classified as a Summer Crisp lettuce, also known as Batavia lettuce. It’s a unique type of lettuce that is kind of a mix between leaf lettuce, iceberg and romaine. The heads start out similarly to a leaf lettuce, which is loose and open, but as they mature the inner leaves start to wrap into more of a compact head. The texture of the leaves is kind of a cross between iceberg and romaine. There are several things we like about this lettuce. First of all, it is tolerant to heat so it does well even in the heat of late summer and early fall. It also has a longer harvest window whereas some varieties can quickly go “over the hill.” Lastly, it tastes pretty good, lacking the bitterness that Romaine can develop sometimes. You will seldom see this variety of lettuce in a regular grocery store, but over the past few years this has become one of our favorite varieties of head lettuce to grow and eat!

Head Lettuce sprouting in the greenhouse.

Preparation & Use: When you are ready to use your head lettuce, cut out the base of the stalk and pull off the leaves. Gently swish around in a bowl of water or a clean sink of cold water to loosen any dirt, especially the lower part of the leaves near the base. Put the washed leaves in a wire basket or colander, hold it by the handle and shake vigorously over the sink so the water is spun out. If you do not have a basket, you can wrap the lettuce in a clean cloth and blot out the water, a salad spinner also works well and is relatively inexpensive.

This variety of lettuce has enough structure to the leaf to hold up to thick, creamy dressings such as a a Caesar dressing as in this week’s featured recipe. You can use this lettuce in any recipe or use that you may normally reach for iceberg or romaine lettuce. Of course, you can also dress it lightly with a vinaigrette.

Storage: Store these heads loosely wrapped in a plastic bag or stored in a covered container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. When storing, add paper towels to the plastic bag to keep lettuce fresher longer. Do not store near ethylene-producing fruits, like apples or bananas, to avoid rapid decay.

Caesar Salad

Yield: 4 servings

“In this version of a Caesar salad, raw eggs are replaced with plain yogurt. Otherwise, the flavors are authentic, combining tart lemon juice, briny anchovies, and savory Parmesan cheese with crunchy lettuce and crisp garlic-scented croutons.”

1 head of Summer Crisp or Romaine Lettuce

3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus ½ cup

2 cloves garlic

3 or 4 slices French or Italian bread each ⅜ inch thick, crusts removed and cut into ½-inch cubes

Salt and ground pepper, to taste

6-8 good-quality anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained

1 ½ tsp dry mustard

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 ½ Tbsp plain yogurt

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Break off the leaves from the lettuce core. Wash and dry well. Tear into bite-sized pieces. Place in a salad bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and refrigerate to keep crisp.
In a large frying pan over low heat, warm the 3 Tbsp olive oil. Using the flat side of a chef’s knife, smash 1 of the garlic cloves and add it to the oil. Sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the bread cubes and fry, stirring and tossing, until crisp and golden on all sides, 4-5 minutes. Discard the garlic. Sprinkle the bread cubes with a little salt. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Set aside to cool.
Chop the remaining garlic clove and combine with the ½ cup olive oil in a blender. Puree until smooth. In a small bowl, using a fork, mash the anchovies until they form a paste. Add to the oil and garlic in the blender along with the mustard, lemon juice, and yogurt. Blend at high speed until smooth. Add 2 Tbsp of the Parmesan cheese and blend again. Season with a little salt, remembering that anchovies are salty, and a little pepper.
Add three-fourths of the dressing to the lettuce and toss to coat well. Add about half of the remaining cheese and toss again. Taste and add more dressing or more seasonings to taste. Sprinkle with the toasted croutons and the remaining cheese. Serve right away.

Recipe borrowed from Cooking At Home, a Williams-Sonoma cookbook by Chuck Williams.