Harmony Valley Farm: May 2023

We’re moving into the month of June, and it is definitely heating up! Hopefully, that means a strong finish to our asparagus season, but it also means we have a lot more vegetables coming in very soon! This week we’ve added Baby White Turnips to the lineup. These delicate turnips are a real treat in the spring and they’re gorgeous! If you’re not a turnip lover based on your experiences with purple top or other fall storage turnips, I hope you’ll give these a try as they are a totally different eating experience! This week’s featured recipes include Maple-Glazed Baby White Turnip & Shiitake on Soba Noodles (See below) and Roasted Baby White Turnips & Radishes (See below). Of course, they’re also delicious simply cooked lightly in butter or olive oil!

Pea vine is another new vegetable in this week’s box. When pea vine is younger, the stems are tender enough to eat, however they have a tendency to get more tough with time. I recommend you taste a little bit of the stem. If you find it to be a little stringy, strip the tender leaves off the stems. Don’t throw the stems away though! They are packed with flavor and may be used to add flavor to vegetable stock or soup. Just steep the stems to extract the flavor and then discard. I included a few of our favorite recipes from the past including Pasta with Asparagus and Avocado-Pea Vine Cream Sauce, Pea Vine Cream Cheese, and Pea Vine Pesto Pasta Salad.

Fresh red radishes are back in the box and I’ve given you a few ideas for ways to use them in more non-traditional ways. Check out these two chicken recipes for Pan-Seared Chicken with Crispy Radish Salad and Turmeric Chicken with Lemon Radish Salad.

These are just a few of this week’s recipe highlights, but I know you’ll find plenty of quick, easy ways to put this week’s vegetable ingredients to use in quick salads as well as some breakfast/brunch appropriate recipes. I know you always like to know what’s coming up, so I’ll whet your appetite by telling you that we’re likely going to start picking strawberries this week! Kohlrabi is also very close to harvest as well as more heads of lettuce from the field. The garlic scapes are also starting to form in the garlic field and we’re hoping to add some cilantro to the upcoming boxes! Lots more to look forward to as we start to transition from Spring to Summer!

Have a great week and happy cooking!!

-Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Baby White Turnips

by Andrea Yoder

Baby white turnips are a classy little vegetable we often describe as being “pristine.” They are classified as a salad turnip and are tender with a sweet, mild flavor. Both the roots and the green tops of baby white turnips are edible and may be eaten raw or lightly cooked. We plant baby white turnips for harvest early in the spring and again in the fall when the growing conditions are cooler. They are intended to be harvested when they are still small and tender. The other turnips we grow in the fall are meant for storage purposes and have a thicker skin compared to the thin skin of a salad turnip. Baby white turnips also mature much faster than beets, carrots, and fennel, etc. so they are a very important part of our spring menus until the other root vegetables are ready for harvest.

While we call them “baby white turnips,” they are often referred to as Hakurei or Tokyo Turnips as they were actually developed in Japan. As I was researching this week, I found a new tidbit of information about this vegetable. These salad turnips were developed in Japan in the 1950’s at a time when there were food shortages due to World War II. This vegetable was a good option at that time because they mature in just 5-6 weeks.

To prepare baby white turnips for use, separate the roots from the greens and wash both well to remove any dirt. Salad turnips have such a thin exterior layer, they do not need to be peeled. They are delicious eaten raw in a salad, or just munch on them like an apple! You can also cook these turnips but remember to keep the cooking time short as it doesn’t take much to cook them to fork tender. You can simply sauté them in butter, stir-fry or roast them. The greens may be added to raw salads, or lightly sauté or wilt them in a little butter.

To prolong the shelf life, separate the greens from the roots with a knife and store them separately in plastic bags in your refrigerator.

Roasted Baby White Turnips & Radishes

Yield: 4 servings

1 bunch radishes

1 bunch baby white turnips

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Move the rack in the oven to the lower middle position. Place a roasting pan in the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F.
Remove the greens from the turnips and radishes.
Scrub the turnips and radishes well and wash the green tops of both in a sink of cold water.
Cut the turnips and radishes into wedges. Halve the small ones, and quarter or sixth the larger ones.
In a large bowl, toss the root vegetables with 2 tbsp of olive oil and ½ tsp of salt. Remove the hot roasting pan from the oven and spread the vegetables into the roasting pan, arranging them so most have a flat side down in the pan.
Return the pan to the oven and roast for 15 minutes, stirring and turning the vegetables at 7 minutes.
Dry the washed greens to remove excess water. Roughly chop the greens into bite-sized pieces, then toss them in the large bowl with the rest of the olive oil and salt.
Pull the roasting pan out of the oven, turn, and stir the vegetables again and then make a space for the greens. Spread out the greens in the space and return the pan to the oven.
Roast for 5 minutes more or to your liking.

Recipe sourced from www.justalittlebitofbacon.com.

Maple-Glazed Baby White Turnip and Shiitake on Soba Noodles

Yield: 2 servings

Photo from www.pbs.com

1 bunch baby white salad turnips

2 oz shiitake mushrooms (about 8 medium)

¼ cup light, un-toasted sesame oil or neutral vegetable oil

1 ½ Tbsp maple syrup

¼ tsp salt

½ pound buckwheat soba noodles

2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce

1 Tbsp rice vinegar or mirin

1 Tbsp fish sauce

Optional: Fresh cilantro and toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Separate the turnip leaves from the turnips and wash both well. Pat the leaves dry and then finely slice the leaves. Cut the turnips into bite-sized pieces. Remove the tough stems from the shiitake mushrooms. Slice the shiitake tops thinly.
In a skillet, warm 2 Tbsp of light sesame oil or other neutral vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the chopped turnips, mushrooms, and salt into the warmed oil and sauté for about 1 minute. Add the 1 ½ Tbsp maple syrup and 2 Tbsp of water. After about 5 minutes, the water will have evaporated, and the turnips and mushrooms will be nicely glazed. At this point, add the sliced turnip greens and cook until wilted, about 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
While you prepare the glazed turnips and mushrooms, place a large pot filled with 8 cups of water on high heat. Once the water is boiling, add the soba noodles. Cook according to package directions. Do not overcook the noodles. As soon as they are done, drain all the water out and rinse the noodles in cold water to remove excess starch (this gives the noodles a lovely texture and ensures they won’t clump). If the noodles are too cold after rinsing, quickly dunk them in a fresh pot of boiling water.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the remaining 2 Tbsp sesame oil, the tamari or shoyu sauce, the rice vinegar, and the fish sauce. Stir well and then add the drained noodles, tossing gently to coat the noodles well.
Serve the noodles with the glazed turnips and mushrooms and garnish with a little cilantro and sesame seeds.

Recipe sourced from wwwpbs.org with original recipe credit given to Aube Giroux from Kitchen Vignettes.

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

May 25, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Hon Tsai Tai

Cooking With This Week's Box

Photo from www.ohsnapletseat.com
Coconut Chicken Curry with Potatoes

Russet or German Butterball Potatoes:

Oven Baked Potato Chips

Coconut Chicken Curry with Potatoes

Overwintered Potato Onions:

Grilled Green Onion Dip

Drop Biscuits with Green Onions

Hon Tsai Tai:

Spring Hon Tsai Tai & Mushroom Miso Soup (See Below)

Sesame Soy Hon Tsai Tai & Chicken Salad

Hon Tsai Tai & Shiitake Potstickers with Sesame Honey Dipping Sauce

Photo from www.101cookbooks.com
Asparagus Panzanella

Asparagus:

Asparagus and Quinoa Salad with Feta Cheese

Asparagus Panzanella

Green Garlic:

Pizza with Green Garlic, Potatoes and Herbs

Green Garlic Risotto

Baby Arugula:

Super Simple Arugula Salad

15 Minute Thin Crust Pizza with Arugula & Hot Honey

Salad Mix:

Spring Salad with Rhubarb Vinaigrette

Roasted Asparagus Green Salad

Photo from www.homeadefoodjunkie.com
Sweet & Spicy Rhubarb Ginger Sauce

Rhubarb:

50+ Rhubarb Recipes—Sweet & Savory

Rhubarb Baked Beans

Pan Fried Rhubarb Chicken

Sweet & Spicy Rhubarb Ginger Sauce

Rhubarb & Greek Yogurt Popsicles

Mini Green Romaine Head Lettuce:

Chicken Taco Lettuce Wraps

Welcome back to our fourth week of CSA deliveries! We’re wrapping up the month of May and getting ready to move into June. There are little strawberries set on in the strawberry field, the kohlrabi are starting to form little bulbs and next week we’ll be harvesting the first of our baby white salad turnips! Early in the season our CSA boxes are heavy with spring greens, as is evident with this week’s box! So lets kick off this week’s Cooking With the Box article with a focus on our featured vegetable, Hon Tsai Tai. First of all, don’t be intimidated by the name. If this is your first time using this green, please take a moment to read this week’s vegetable feature article. This green may be eaten either cooked or raw. Our feature recipe this week is for Spring Hon Tsai Tai & Mushroom Miso Soup (See Below). This is a super simple, and pretty quick recipe to make while also being packed with flavor. I added rhubarb to this soup on a whim, with the concept of Hot and Sour soup in mind. I think the tang of the rhubarb helps to brighten the soup, but try it for yourself and see what you think. The recipe calls for adding udon or ramen noodles, but you could serve it with steamed rice instead or omit any additional starch. It would also be good with the addition of chicken or beef if you want to add additional protein. I also included links to two popular recipes from past newsletters. Sesame Soy Hon Tsai Tai & Chicken Salad is a member favorite and is substantial enough to be an entrée salad. You’ll likely have extra dressing, which you could use as a dip with this week’s mini romaine lettuce! The other recipe that has been popular in the past is this Hon Tsai Tai & Shiitake Potstickers with Sesame Honey Dipping Sauce. Potstickers take a little time to assemble, but this is a great recipe to involve the whole family in!

If you have not yet checked out our private members only Facebook Group, I encourage you to do so. There have been some great posts in there so far this year. Over the past week one member posted this simple recipe for Asparagus and Quinoa Salad with Feta Cheese. I definitely want to give this one a try. Another member provided a link to this collection of 50+ Rhubarb Recipes—Sweet & Savory. There are a lot of great rhubarb recipes in this collection including Rhubarb Baked Beans and Pan Fried Rhubarb Chicken that uses this Sweet & Spicy Rhubarb Ginger Sauce. Check it out, I’m sure you’ll find at least one recipe to put this week’s rhubarb to good use!

I also included a few suggestions for a simple pizza and salad kind of meal plan. Consider trying this recipe for Pizza with Green Garlic, Potatoes and Herbs or 15 Minute Thin Crust Pizza with Arugula & Hot Honey. Pair your pizza with Spring Salad with Rhubarb Vinaigrette or Roasted Asparagus Green Salad.

Have a great week of cooking and I’ll see you back next week with some recipe suggestions for Baby White Turnips, and more asparagus and rhubarb. We may be harvesting our first crop of cilantro next week and we have a new crop of spring radishes coming in!

--Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Hon Tsai Tai

by Andrea Yoder

Hon Tsai Tai (pronounced hon-sigh-tie) holds an important place in our spring vegetable line-up because it matures more quickly than other spring-planted greens. It is in a group of plants referred to as “flowering brassicas.” While it is related to such vegetables as mustard greens and Bok choi, what sets it apart is that it has beautiful purple stems that produce a sweet, delicate, edible yellow flower. The sweetness of the buds and flowers is the part we love the most! While other vegetables in the brassica family also produce flowers, they do so towards the end of their life cycle and at that point there are often undesirable flavor changes in the edible portion of the plant. Hon Tsai Tai is unique in that it produces the flower early in its life when all the parts of the plant still taste good.

Hon Tsai Tai has a mild mustard flavor that is very well-balanced this time of the year. The entire plant is edible and may be eaten raw or cooked. The thin purple stems are more tender when the plant is young. While still flavorful, they may become more coarse as the plant matures, so should be cut very finely at this stage. Hon Tsai Tai is delicious in stir-fries or lightly steamed, but may also be incorporated into soups, ramen bowls or added to fried rice. It is tender enough to also become the base of a raw salad, either with just a simple vinaigrette or dress it up and make it a main dish with the addition of protein, chopped nuts and seeds, other spring vegetables, etc.

If you do a search for recipes using Hon Tsai Tai, you will likely be directed to some basic recipes for sauteed Asian greens, or you’ll be linked back to our past newsletters! Hon Tsai Tai is in the same family as Bok choi and mustard greens. You can expand your recipe search to include these two vegetables and use Hon Tsai Tai interchangeably in most recipes. Given Hon Tsai Tai has a pretty mild flavor, you may also incorporate this green into any recipe calling for spinach or other greens of similar texture. The most intimidating thing about this green is its name, but beyond that it’s quite versatile in its uses!

Store Hon Tsai Tai loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator until ready for use. Prior to using, remove the twist tie and wash the greens in a sink of water. If you are using the greens for a raw salad, be sure to pat the leaves dry.

Spring Hon Tsai Tai & Mushroom Miso Soup

Yield: 4-6 servings

2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

8 oz sliced cremini or shiitake mushrooms

¾ cup thinly sliced green onions (white base and green tops)

½ cup thinly sliced green garlic (white base and green tops)

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

¼ tsp crushed red pepper

1 cup finely diced rhubarb

6 cups broth (vegetable, chicken or beef) or water

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 bunch Hon Tsai Tai

4-6 oz ramen or udon noodles (optional)

3 Tbsp sweet white miso**

Heat the toasted sesame oil in a medium saucepot over medium heat. When the oil is warm, add the sliced mushrooms, green onions, green garlic, fresh ginger and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine and sauté until the mushrooms are soft.
Add the rhubarb, broth or water, soy sauce, 1 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper. Increase the heat a bit to bring the soup to a rapid simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.
While the soup is simmering, prepare the Hon Tsai Tai. Cut the stems into ⅛ to ¼ inch pieces. Cut the leaves into thin strips. If the leaves are larger, you may want to cut them in half the long way and then slice them horizontally to create smaller pieces. Add the Hon Tsai Tai to the soup. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes. If you are adding ramen or udon noodles to the soup, add them accordingly based on how much time the noodles will take to cook.
Once the vegetables and noodles are tender, remove the soup from the heat and stir in the miso. Sometimes it’s easier to put the miso in a small bowl and add about ½ to ¾ cup of the hot liquid from the soup. Stir to incorporate the miso into the liquid and then pour the hot miso liquid back into the soup pot.
Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning to your liking by adding additional soy sauce, salt, and/or miso as needed.

**Miso is a fermented staple ingredient in Japanese cooking. It adds depth of flavor to food while also contributing beneficial probiotic bacteria that are beneficial to our gut health. If you are not familiar with this ingredient, check out this article entitled: “What Is Miso, and How Do I Choose the Right One for What I’m Cooking?” or read more on the website for South River Miso. You will find miso in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, often displayed near eggroll and wonton wrappers and/or other fermented foods like kim chi, sauerkraut, etc. There are different varieties of miso. Sweet White Miso is a good place to start as it has more of a mild flavor. If you like more full-flavored foods, you may want to try a darker miso such as red miso or one that has been aged a little longer. I recommend adding miso right at the end of cooking so you preserve all of the beneficial probiotic bacteria that may otherwise be killed by extended time in simmering liquid. Miso stores for a long time in your refrigerator, so don’t worry about only using 3 Tbsp this week. Keep it in the refrigerator with the lid tightly secured on the container and you can use it over the course of the season.

Recipe by Andrea Yoder, Harmony Valley Farm

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Put On Your Gardening Gloves--Culinary Garden Herb Packs Coming Your Way!

By Chef Andrea

Back in our early days of CSA, we used to include more herbs in the CSA shares. We wanted to give members fresh herbs to cook with, however we heard frequently that they were not using all of the herbs in a bunch before they went bad. We brought this issue up at a meeting with our members and one member suggested we send the herbs as plants that they can grow themselves. What a great idea and an even better way to accomplish the overall goal of making fresh herbs available for CSA members to incorporate in their meals! When you need a fresh herb, you simply cut it from your plant—it doesn’t get any fresher than that!

Every year in mid-late May we deliver these special culinary garden herb packs that we start for you in our greenhouse. You can plant these herbs in a garden space or in pots to keep on your patio, porch or kitchen windowsill if you have limited space. Choose good, loose garden soil mixed with lots of compost (up to 1” mixed into the soil if you’re planting into a garden space). The plants will do best in well-drained soil with full sun. If you don’t have a space with full sun exposure, partial sun will be ok too. If you have rabbits or other little herb-loving critters in your yard, you might need to fence your herbs to protect them. While we usually don’t see frost after the 15th of May, it is still possible that we could see some chilly nights over the next few weeks. While most of the contents of these herb packs can tolerate a little frost, there are a few herbs including basil, chervil and zaatar that will be damaged by the frost. If you see a cold night coming, we recommend you either bring your plants inside (if in pots) or cover them with a sheet or other protective covering to protect them from frost or low temperatures.

To help you identify the contents of your herb pack, we've provided both the labeled picture at the top of this post as well as the grid pictured above. Use these tools as a road map to identify your different plants.

There are four perennial herbs in your pack: Greek Oregano, Sage, German Winter Thyme, and Rosemary. Oregano, sage and thyme are more cold hardy and have a pretty good chance of surviving our cold winters. Consider where you would like to establish these herbs in your garden as they will likely come back year after year. Sage and oregano will get quite large, so it is best to give them about 2 square feet of space in the area you plant them in. Thyme is a bit smaller and only needs about 1 square foot of space. While rosemary is a perennial herb, it is not quite as cold hardy. To ensure it survives into the next year, it is best to bring it indoors in the fall. If you have planted it in the ground, you can dig it up and put it in a pot to keep inside over the winter.

Greek Oregano

Sage

German Winter Thyme

Rosemary

The remaining plants in your pack are annuals and include Italian Basil, Chervil, Italian Parsley, Curly Parsley and Zaatar, a new addition to this year’s packs. Annuals will only produce for this season and will not survive the winter outdoors. Italian basil and chervil need to be cut back regularly to delay flower and seed formation, so they continue to produce usable leaves. If you see even the earliest sign of flowering in either of these plants, cut them back to keep them vegetative. Parsley will continue to produce throughout the season, so don’t be afraid to cut these plants back too. If you can’t use your herbs as fast as they are growing, cut the extra herbs anyway and preserve them. There is more information about that to follow. When harvesting your herbs, use a sharp knife or scissors so you can make a clean cut.

Italian Basil

Chervil

Italian Parsley

Curly Parsley

Zaatar

Fresh herbs should be cut as close to using them as possible and with a sharp knife so you don’t bruise the leaves. The flavor and aroma from herbs comes from the oils in the herb and will lessen over time once they are cut. This is also why you usually add fresh herbs to a dish at the end of cooking or shortly before serving. In contrast, dried herbs need more time to develop the flavors that have been preserved in the process of drying. Dried herbs are added earlier in the cooking process to give them time to develop and come together with the other ingredients in the dish. Many times, recipes will direct you to strip the leaves from the stems of fresh herbs. If the stem is tough or more like a stick, you will want to do this. However, some herb stems are tender, flavorful, juicy, and totally usable! I often chop both the leaf and the stem when I’m using fresh thyme, parsley, chervil and sometimes young basil stems. Sage, rosemary, and oregano stems are sometimes a bit more coarse and not usable.

The herbs in our garden herb pack are intended to be used primarily as culinary herbs, adding flavor and vitality to the foods you are enjoying at your meals. I do want to mention though that herbs also have nutrients and compounds in them that impart health benefits and may be used medicinally. For instance, the Latin name for common sage means “healing plant.” Over the course of history sage has been used medicinally in many applications including as a central nervous system tonic and a circulatory stimulant. There is an ancient proverb that says, “How can a man die who has sage in his garden?”

Thyme is another example of an herb that is used for both its culinary applications, but also imparts health benefits to our bodies. The same essential oils contained in the plant that give it its signature aroma and flavor are also responsible for its medicinal benefits including being antiseptic and antispasmodic. It can help to soothe congestion and calm tense muscles and nerves.

Rosemary has an interesting history as it relates to health benefits. Back in ancient Greece, philosophers and students wore rosemary garlands on their heads to stimulate the brain and improve their memory. Rosemary contains a compound called borneol that is thought to increase blood flow and generally stimulate the circulatory system thereby increasing blood flow to the heart and brain. If this is true, it makes sense that one may have better brain function with enhanced blood flow and oxygenation to the brain!

While the contents of our Garden Herb Packs have remained consistent over the years, we have made a few changes. Several years ago we introduced Chervil as a new addition to our herb packs and this year we’re trying Zaatar. Zaatar is an interesting herb that is in the same family as mint and oregano and is officially known as Oreganum Syriacum. This herb is very similar to the Greek Oregano in your pack, but they do have several differences. First, Zaatar is not as winter hardy, so it is treated like an annual in Wisconsin. If you plant Zaatar indoors or have it in a pot that you can move inside for the winter, it will likely survive. Greek Oregano and Zaatar are also very similar in appearance. The way you can tell the difference between them is Zaatar has more pointed leaves with more distinct markings on the leaves in comparison to Greek Oregano which has more soft, rounded leaves. Zaatar is both the name of the plant as well as the name of a popular spice mix used in the Middle East. While everyone has their own version of Zaatar, the basic components of Zaatar spice mix include dried zaatar herb, toasted sesame seeds, dried sumac, and salt. It is often combined with olive oil and used as a dip for bread. It may also be used to roast a chicken or incorporated into other Middle Eastern recipes such as Baba Ghanoush, falafel, etc. If you’re interested in learning more about zaatar and/or would like to make your own zaatar spice mix with the herbs you grow, check out this easy recipe link!

If you do have more herbs than you can use fresh, cut them back and preserve them. Some herbs, such as basil and parsley, can be pureed with a little oil and frozen in ice cube trays or muffin tins. Other herbs such as parsley, sage, oregano, thyme, and savory are good as dried herbs. After you harvest them, give them a quick rinse, and then dry them in a low-heat oven or in a food dehydrator. The other option is to bundle the herbs in small bundles and hang them in a dry place with good air flow and let them air dry. If you do this, make sure the herbs are more on the dry side when you bundle them and don’t put too many stems in a bundle, or they may mold or take longer to dry. Once your herbs are dried, strip them off the stem and put them in a glass jar with a lid.

Cooking flavorful food does not have to be complicated or time-consuming, and neither does raising your own herb garden! Anyone, of any level of culinary or gardening skill, can learn to feed themselves healthy delicious food if they approach cooking and basic gardening with an open mind and a willingness to learn. You do have to invest a little time and effort, but it doesn’t have to be terribly complicated and it’s definitely nothing to be afraid of!

We hope you enjoy growing your own herbs and find interesting and delicious ways to make use of them throughout the year. They really are a simple way to brighten up your landscape as well as your meals and the benefits they offer go beyond the flavor.

May 18, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Asparagus

Cooking With This Week's Box

Asparagus:

Asparagus and Potato Frittata (See Below)

30 Minute Dinners for People Who Love Asparagus

50 Asparagus Recipes That Celebrate Spring

Wild Ramps:

Ramp Pesto

Ramp Butter

Carola Gold Potatoes:

Garlic Chive Butter Roasted Potatoes

Potatoes with Sorrel Sauce and Watercress, Parsley, and Chives

Quick Sorrel & Potato Soup

Photo from www.brooklynsupper.com

Chives:

Cheddar Cheese & Chives Popovers

Best Chive Pesto Recipe

Nettles:

2018 Nettles Blog Post

Nettle & Lemon Cupcakes with Lavender Icing

Savory Nettles and Ricotta Pie

Watercress:

Warm Potato and Watercress Salad

Spring Soba Noodle Salad with Crispy Tofu

Green Garlic:

Green Garlic Pesto with Radishes and Jammy Eggs

Herb Roasted Chicken with Asparagus & Green Garlic

Baby Arugula:

Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Arugula and Citrus

Photo from www.seriouseats.com

Toasted Cheddar, Ham & Arugula Sandwich

Green Top Red Radishes:

Radish Top Pesto

Fresh Radishes with 3 Compound Butters

Brown Butter Radish Crostini

Sorrel:

Frosty Sorrel & Banana Smoothie

Sorrel Hummus

Rhubarb:

Rhubarb Almond Baked Oatmeal

Rhubarb and Lentil Curry

Rhubarb Juniper Pie

Welcome to our third week of Cooking With the Box! We are excited to be featuring one of our favorite spring vegetables this week, Asparagus! While I seldom ever get past just simply roasting or sautéing asparagus, there really are many ways you can enjoy this vegetable. If you are looking for a few new recipes, I have two recipe collections to share with you. Surely you’ll find at least one appealing recipe in this article for 30 Minute Dinners for People Who Love Asparagus or 50 Asparagus Recipes That Celebrate Spring. I also have a simple recipe for Asparagus and Potato Frittata (See Below) Frittatas are a great carrier for vegetables that are in season and may serve as any meal of the day!

We’re happy to finally have sorrel to share with you this week! If you’ve been around for awhile you can probably guess which two recipes I’m going to mention for using sorrel as they are my two all-time favorites! You just can’t beat this Frosty Sorrel & Banana Smoothie. It’s a great way to supercharge your day! I also really enjoy this Sorrel Hummus recipe and like to use it as a spread on a wrap stuffed with other spring vegetables like handfuls of fresh greens, sliced radishes, grilled asparagus, etc.

Photo from www.northwildkitchen.com

Rhubarb is also making its annual spring appearance! If pie is typically your first stop on the rhubarb circuit, consider trying this recipe for Rhubarb Juniper Pie. Personally, I like to make Rhubarb Almond Baked Oatmeal every spring. It reheats well for a quick breakfast option, which is always a bonus!

Chives won’t be around much longer as we have some spring onions that are nearly ready to harvest. But before we’re finished with chives, try this recipe for Vegan “Sour Cream” and Chive Popcorn, or if you’re more into cheese, check out this recipe for Cheddar Cheese & Chives Popovers. This may also be our last week for Nettles. If you have never tried nettles in baked goods, maybe this is the week to try this recipe for Nettle & Lemon Cupcakes with Lavender Icing!

I hope you’re having fun creating tasty meals with all of these spring vegetables. Next week we’re planning to harvest Hon Tsai Tai. If you don’t know what that is, don’t worry! I’ll tell you all about it next week! We’re also hoping to start harvesting cilantro, baby bok choi and baby white turnips very shortly. And…..we have a nice little crop of mini head lettuces that I’ve got my eye on for sending your way in the next 1-2 weeks. Plus, more salad greens will be ready very soon. Despite a late start to spring, we’re feeling very blessed and getting back on schedule a little more every day/week!

Have a great week!

Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Asparagus

by Andrea Yoder

Asparagus is a perennial crop that we rely on in the spring before other spring planted vegetables are ready. It is very weather dependent and it’s hard to predict when asparagus season will start. Once it does start producing, it responds dramatically to temperature. On a hot day, yields may double or triple compared to a colder day. We usually harvest three times a week, however sometimes we pick five to six days a week when it is in peak production. Typically, we see a harvest window of about 5 weeks, so pace yourself and plan out all the recipes you want to make!

As a perennial crop, it takes a three-year investment to establish a field. During the first few years after asparagus crowns are planted, the goal is to build a large root system through the capture of solar energy that is stored in the roots. We also focus on weed control, which is especially important in a field that will be home to the same crop for multiple growing seasons. Conventional asparagus fields are often bare because they are sprayed with herbicide to keep weeds under control. Our asparagus fields are actually green because we employ a method of cover crops and hand weeding to control weeds instead of using chemicals. We sometimes also use mechanical cultivation, but the risk of damaging the root system is pretty great so we’re limited with this technique. While cover crops help to build soil fertility and help to decrease weed pressure, they also compete to a certain extent with the asparagus crowns. We do also walk the fields and pull weeds by hand. As you can see, asparagus can be a labor-intensive and challenging crop to maintain! Our cost of production is greater than conventional production, so if you ever wonder why our price might be higher than other growers, this is why.

Asparagus may be eaten raw, although it’s most often cooked. It may be steamed, boiled, sautéed, grilled, or roasted. The lower portion of the stem may be a little tough. If this is the case, simply snap or cut that portion off. You can save these pieces and use them to flavor vegetable stock. Be careful not to overcook asparagus or it will become soft, mushy and a dull olive-green color. Cook it just until it is bright green and tender. If you are boiling or steaming it, either serve it immediately or put it in cold iced water to stop the cooking process.

Asparagus pairs well with other spring vegetables including ramps, mushrooms, green garlic and green onions and peas. It is also often served with lemon, cheese, cream, eggs, mint, parsley, chives, dill, bacon, pancetta. Many times, I never get past simply roasting asparagus as it is good when just eaten in this simple form. It is also delicious in a quiche, frittata, scrambled eggs, risotto, or savory tarts.

We hope you enjoy the bounty of this year’s asparagus harvest and eat it to your heart’s content. Remember, we will only have it for a few more weeks!

Asparagus & Potato Frittata

Yield: 8-10 servings

¾ pound asparagus
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
2 green onions or green garlic, including green tops
6-8 small red or gold potatoes, unpeeled
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
½ tsp chopped fresh tarragon or parsley
2 Tbsp snipped fresh chives
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
11 eggs
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup shredded Swiss cheese

Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Trim the tough ends off the asparagus spears. Place the asparagus on a steamer rack over boiling water, cover, and steam just until tender, but still a little crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove from the steamer and cut into 1-inch lengths. Set it aside.
Cut the potatoes into ⅛-inch-thick slices and set aside.
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions or green garlic and sauté until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the potatoes, 1 tsp salt, the tarragon/parsley, and a few grinds of pepper and then sauté until the potatoes glisten, about 3 minutes, adding the remaining 1 Tbsp oil if needed to prevent sticking. Cover and cook until the potatoes are nearly tender, 6-8 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to high, and cook, stirring constantly, until the potatoes are browned, 7-8 minutes. Stir in the chives and asparagus and remove from the heat.
In a large cast iron frying pan or ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Pour the eggs into the hot pan. Stir gently in the center and, as the eggs begin to set along the edges, use a spatula to push the edges toward the center, tilting the pan to let the uncooked egg flow to the edges. Cook until thickened but still moist, 3-4 minutes. Spread the onion-potato mixture evenly over the eggs.
Sprinkle the Swiss cheese on top, transfer to the oven, and bake the eggs until they have set, and the cheese has melted, 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for a few minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

Recipe adapted slightly from Williams-Sonoma: Cooking at Home by Chuck Williams

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

May 11, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Parsnips

Cooking With This Week's Box

Overwintered Parsnips:

Gluten-Free Spiced Oat Flour Pancakes with Parsnips (See Below)

Photo from www.food52.com

Parsnip, Potato & Horseradish Gratin (See Below)

Carola Gold Potatoes:

Smashed Potato & Ramp Frittata

Crispy Roasted Potatoes with Mustard & Horseradish

Chives:

Walnut Crusted Roast Asparagus with Zesty Chive Sauce

Chive and Chicken Orecchiette in a Rosemary Lemon Sauce

Wild Ramps:

Ramp Pesto

Ramp Butter

Breakfast Casserole with Sausage & Ramps

Photo from www.wildwalks-southwest.co.uk

Nettle & Mushroom Pizza with Ramp Cream

Nettles:

How to Work With Nettles

Indian-Spiced Stinging Nettle Soup

Chickpea and Nettle Burgers

Nettle Ginger Ice Cream

Dairy Free Nettle Berry Ice Cream

Spring Pasta with Nettle Pesto

Watercress:

Kim-chi Pork and Scallion Pancake with Watercress-Radish Relish

Salmon and Watercress Tart

Vietnamese Beef with Watercress

Photo from www.appetizeraddiction.com

Asparagus:

Charred Asparagus with Horseradish Dip

Parmesan Asparagus Pastry Twists

25 Delicious Asparagus Recipes

Horseradish Whips:

Prepared Horseradish

Horseradish Cream Sauce on Charred Asparagus

Smoky Oven Baked Salmon with Horseradish Sauce

Green Garlic:

Alice Water’s Spaghetti with Green Garlic

Green Garlic Risotto

Overwintered Spinach:

Cream of Spinach Soup

Creamed Ramps & Spinach

Welcome to the second week of our 2023 CSA delivery season and this week’s Cooking With the Box article! If you are joining us for the first time, welcome! Every week I will use this space to provide you with recipe suggestions and ideas for how to use every single vegetable in your box as well as 1-2 featured recipes! This week we’re going to start with our featured vegetable, overwintered parsnips, and this week’s featured recipes. The first recipe is for Gluten-Free Spiced Oat Flour Pancakes with Parsnips (See Below). Whether you choose to eat a gluten-free diet or not, these pancakes are quite tasty and an excellent way to start the day! They have a nice texture, and the combination of spices complements the unique flavor of the parsnips. They also reheat well, so leftovers are a bonus! The second recipe is for Parsnip, Potato & Horseradish Gratin (See Below). This is a hearty, comfort food type of recipe, but well-suited for spring given it is infused with the flavor of horseradish and uses chives in the breadcrumb topping. I used 3 Tbsp of freshly grated horseradish whips to yield a mild horseradish essence. If you like a stronger horseradish flavor, you may wish to use more like 4-5 Tbsp of fresh horseradish.

Photo from www.dishingupthefirst.com

We are nearing the end of overwintered spinach and ramp season. This week’s spinach is full of flavor, but the leaves are a little less tender than our earlier harvests. As such, I recommend you cook the spinach which will make it nice and silky, perhaps in this recipe for Creamed Ramps & Spinach! Before ramp season closes, may I suggest a few of our longtime farm and member favorites? In our private Facebook Group several members have already shared that they made Ramp Pesto and Ramp Butter! These are two simple recipes to capture the full essence of ramps and may be used in a variety of ways plus you can freeze them for later use! The other recipe I want to mention is this delicious recipe for Nettle & Mushroom Pizza with Ramp Cream. You will not be disappointed, trust me!

It’s our first week for asparagus! If you’re looking to try some new recipes, check out this collection of 25 Delicious Asparagus Recipes which includes this recipe for Parmesan Asparagus Pastry Twists. I bet even your picky eaters might try these! We also just started harvesting green garlic. Green garlic has a bright, vibrant flavor that is excellent in either of these two simple preparations for Alice Water’s Spaghetti with Green Garlic and Green Garlic Risotto. Sometimes keeping it simple is the best approach.

As we look ahead to next week, we have more delicious spring vegetables to add to the mix. Our first little red radishes will be ready along with our first crop of baby arugula! Our sorrel crop took a bit of a hit with the repeated frosts we had this spring, but I took a peek at it this week and it’s coming. Hopefully, we’ll be able to send some your way within the next few weeks. Rest assured, there’s always something delicious to look forward to! Have a great week—

Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Parsnips

by Andrea Yoder

Overwintered Parsnip Harvest

Parsnips fill an important place in our seasonal Wisconsin diets. We harvest parsnips both in the fall to sustain us through the winter months, but we also harvest them in the spring as “Overwintered Parsnips!” Earlier this spring, we dug these parsnips from the field where we left them from last fall. It’s a little risky to do this as you never know what may happen over the winter, but it’s well worth it to have these unique, sweet and delicious spring-dug, overwintered parsnips! Over the course of their winter in the ground, they develop more sugars to act as an antifreeze. The side effect is that overwintered parsnips are even more sweet and delicious than they are in the fall. Parsnips are often described as being a white carrot and, while they do resemble carrots, they are not just a white carrot! They have a distinct flavor that is much different from a carrot.

Parsnips are a versatile vegetable that can be prepared in a variety of ways. Their sweetness really comes out when they are roasted, which is one of my favorite ways to prepare parsnips. They also make a nice addition to a root mash or mix them with other vegetables in hearty soups and stews. You can also use them in baked goods such as cakes, cookies, and bread, similar to how you might use carrots.

Parsnips all washed up and ready to go!

Parsnips pair very well with other root vegetables, wine, shallots, apples, walnuts, and a variety of spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and ginger as well as dairy products, toasted nuts and maple syrup. Some people really like the distinct flavor of parsnips, while others may still be learning to like them. If you’re in the latter group, I’d recommend that you start by using parsnips in a baked good or in this week’s recipe for Gluten-Free Spiced Oat Flour Pancakes with Parsnips.

Store parsnips in the coldest part of your refrigerator in a plastic bag. They will store for several weeks under these conditions, so don’t feel like you need to eat them all right now. When you are ready to use them, Scrub the outer skin with a vegetable brush and trim off the top and bottom. Peeling is optional and totally up to you.

Gluten-Free Spiced Oat Flour Pancakes with Parsnips

Photo from healthynibblesandbits.com

Yield: 4 servings

1 ¼ cups oat flour*

1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 cup milk

2 large eggs, beaten

3 Tbsp maple syrup, plus more for serving

1 cup grated parsnips**

3-4 Tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 180-200°F. In a large bowl, mix the oat flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.
In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and maple syrup. Stir well to combine, then add to the dry ingredients. Stir until all the ingredients are well combined into a batter. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
While the batter is resting, grate the parsnips. Gently fold the grated parsnips into the batter.
Heat a large non-stick skillet or a griddle over medium heat. Add enough oil to the skillet or griddle to just coat the surface with a shimmer of oil. When the oil is hot, add the pancake batter, about ¼ cup at a time, and use a spatula to smooth out the batter into a circle. This batter is a little thick, so you may need to use a spatula to smooth out the batter into a circle and spread it to a thickness of about ¼- ½ inch.
Cook each pancake for 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges of the pancake are puffed up and bubbles have formed on the top surface of the pancake. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes or so. Put the cooked pancakes on a rack on a sheet tray and hold them in the warm oven while you finish cooking the remainder of the batter. This will serve to finish cooking the interior of the pancake while also keeping them warm until you are ready to serve them.
Serve the pancakes warm with butter and warm maple syrup. You may also wish to serve them with fresh berries, baked apples, or baked pears as a fruit topping.

*Oat Flour: You can either buy oat flour, or make your own by blending rolled oats in a blender or food processor. Check out this article for details: How To Make Oat Flour.

**Recipe adapted slightly from Lisa Lin’s recipe found at www.healthynibblesandbits.com. Lisa’s original recipe used half parsnip and half carrot. These two vegetables may be used interchangeably in this recipe. When I (Andrea) made this recipe, I did so using parsnips only.

Parsnip, Potato & Horseradish Gratin

Yield: 6 servings

Photo from www.bbcgoodfood.com

2 cups whole or 2% milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp finely chopped green garlic or ramp bulbs

½ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp ground or grated nutmeg

3 Tbsp freshly grated or finely chopped horseradish root

6 cups diced potatoes (approximately 2 pounds)

1 ¾ cup diced parsnips (approximately 1-1.25 pounds)

2-3 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 Tbsp melted butter

¾ cup dry breadcrumbs

½ cup chopped chives

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 2 to 2.5 quart baking dish with about 1 Tbsp of melted butter and set the dish aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, heavy cream, green garlic/ramps, thyme, nutmeg, freshly grated horseradish, 2 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and set aside to infuse the flavors for about 10 minutes.
While the milk and cream mixture is infusing, cut the potatoes and parsnips into medium dice. Add the vegetables to the cream mixture and return to the stovetop. Heat the mixture over medium to medium-high heat just until the liquid starts to simmer.
Pour the vegetables and the liquid into the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. You may wish to put a sheet tray under the baking dish in case the liquid bubbles over the edge of the dish.
While the vegetables are baking, prepare the breadcrumb topping. In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp melted butter with dry breadcrumbs, ½ tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well to combine. Fold in fresh chives and set aside.
Once the vegetables are tender, remove the foil. Spread the breadcrumb topping evenly over the surface and return the baking dish to the oven. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from www.bbcgoodfood.com.