November 5, 2020 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Baby Ginger!

Cooking With This Week's Box

Asterix or Russet Potatoes: Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions & Goat Cheese; Autumn Root Vegetable Gratin with Herbs and Cheese; Thanksgiving Root Vegetable Pie

Burgundy Sweet Potatoes: Herbed Goat Cheese & Root Vegetable Galette; Thanksgiving Root Vegetable Pie

Fresh Baby Ginger: Ginger Syrup (see below); Homemade Pickled Ginger (see below); Butternut Squash & Lentil Curry; Curried Beet Soup with Tandoori Chickpeas; Garlic Ginger Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts: Butternut Squash Enchiladas; Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts & Bread Stuffing with Apples; Garlic Ginger Brussels Sprouts

Lacinato Kale: Butternut Squash & Kale Risotto; Ricotta Crostini with Kale Pesto

Butternut OR Butterkin OR Autumn Frost Winter Squash: Butternut Squash & Lentil Curry; Butternut Squash & Kale Risotto; Butternut Squash Enchiladas; Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts & Bread Stuffing with Apples; Autumn Root Vegetable Gratin with Herbs and Cheese

Orange Carrots: Carrot Pancakes with Salted Yogurt; Carrot Breakfast Pancakes; Herbed Goat Cheese & Root Vegetable Galette; Thanksgiving Root Vegetable Pie

Red Beets: Bright Red Beet Hummus; Curried Beet Soup with Tandoori Chickpeas

Escarole: Italian Wedding Soup; Orecchiette With Sausage and Escarole; Stewy White Beans with Escarole & Garlic and Sizzled Rosemary

Red Onions: Red Onion & Chili Chutney; Butternut Squash & Lentil Curry; Butternut Squash & Kale Risotto; Butternut Squash Enchiladas; Italian Wedding Soup; Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions & Goat Cheese

Italian Garlic: Red Onion & Chili Chutney; Butternut Squash & Lentil Curry; Butternut Squash & Kale Risotto; Butternut Squash Enchiladas; Italian Wedding Soup; Stewy White Beans with Escarole & Garlic and Sizzled Rosemary; Garlic Ginger Brussels Sprouts

Butternut Squash & Lentil Curry
photo from makingthymeforhealth.com

Many people think we start winding down after the first frost, everything is harvested and we’re ready to close up for the winter.  WRONG!!!  We’re still going strong and have more fun vegetables to send your way, such as this week’s fresh baby ginger!  If you’ve never had fresh ginger, you are in for a treat.  There are many things you might do with fresh ginger, but this week we’re featuring two simple recipes that will serve as a means of preserving the fresh ginger flavor and making it go further.  The first is a tasty Ginger Syrup (see below) that can be used to make homemade ginger ale or add it to lemonade, hot or cold tea, cocktails or just take a spoonful as an immune booster to stay healthy this winter!  The other recipe is for Homemade Pickled Ginger (see below).  Pickled ginger is traditionally made with fresh baby ginger, so this is a very fitting application.  If you think pickled ginger is only for eating with sushi, think again.  This is a tasty condiment to eat with stir-fry, rice, mixed into salad dressing, marinades and so much more!  You can also use fresh ginger in a variety of recipes such as this Butternut Squash & Lentil Curry.  This recipe also calls for cauliflower.  If you have one hanging out in your refrigerator from last week, add it in!

Butternut Squash Enchiladas
photo from makingthymeforhealth.com

We know butternut squash is a popular variety of winter squash and we’ve gotten a few inquiries from members wondering if we didn’t have a good crop this year since we’ve only delivered it once or twice.  Actually, the butternut squash did very well and they’re storing remarkably  which is why we have not delivered them yet!  This week though we’re packing Butternut, Butterkin or Autumn Frost squash.  We grew lesser amounts of the latter two, both of which are spin-offs of butternut squash.  All of this week’s varieties are appropriate to use in any recipe calling for butternut such as this Butternut Squash & Kale Risotto.  This is a perfect recipe to make with this week’s lacinato kale.  It also calls for sage, so I’ll interject a reminder here to harvest the rest of the sage from your herb garden if you have not already done so!  Another recipe I want to mention is for Butternut Squash Enchiladas.  This is a vegan version devoid of cheese and utilizing a cashew sour cream.  Of course, if you eat dairy you could also use dairy sour cream.  The fun thing about this vegetable-centric enchilada recipe is that it includes Brussels sprouts!  This recipe also calls for a jalapeno and salsa verde.  This is a great example of a recipe that blends vegetables from different seasons of the year.  So, if you stashed some jalapenos in your freezer and/or preserved tomatillo salsa, now’s the time to pull them out!  If you did not, but you have a Korean chili pepper still lingering, you could use that instead of the jalapeno.   These are the kind of recipes that come together and are very rewarding to enjoy when you can pull from different parts of the local seasons!

Italian Wedding Soup
photo by Maria Siriano for thekitchn.com

When you open this week’s box you will be greeted by a gorgeous head of escarole!  Escarole is not lettuce, it’s actually a chicory and is a cold-hardy bitter green.  It pairs well with sausage, garlic and beans to name a few other ingredients.  Italian Wedding Soup is a classic recipe featuring escarole. You can also go in the direction of pasta with this simple recipe for Orecchiette with Sausage and Escarole.

Have you ever used red onions to make a jam or chutney?  I don’t do it enough, but my goodness it’s so delicious!  Here’s a recipe for Red Onion & Chili Chutney.  This is a lovely condiment that really highlights the sweetness of the red onions.  Serve it as a condiment alongside roast chicken, lentils or bean dishes.  You can also serve it on toast or crostini with goat cheese or cream cheese.

We eat a lot of carrots throughout the year, but the beauty of this root vegetable is its versatility.  This week lets turn our carrots into pancakes!  I have two suggestions, the first being this savory approach for Carrot Pancakes with Salted Yogurt.  Serve these as a main dish with a salad or use them as an accompaniment to a grilled steak, roast chicken, etc.  The second suggestion is for Carrot Breakfast Pancakes!  You know I love starting the day off with vegetables, but I also love pancakes!  It’s a perfect combo!

Herbed Goat Cheese & Root Vegetable Galette
photo by Bobbi Lin for food52.com

Thanksgiving is coming soon and bloggers and foodie websites are starting to post their Thanksgiving recipe suggestions and collections.  I love these collections because it’s a great way to collect recipes you can prepare all winter!  I took a look at a few sites this week and have already found some good recipes.  Lets start with Food52’s collection entitled “50 Best Thanksgiving Appetizer Recipes.”  While these are appetizer recipes, that doesn’t mean you have to serve them as an appetizer.  This recipe for Ricotta Crostini with Kale Pesto could be served for breakfast or a light lunch or dinner along with scrambled or fried eggs.  This Herbed Goat Cheese & Root Vegetable Galette could also serve as a vegetarian main dish for any meal of the day.  It calls for sweet potato, carrot and turnip, but really you can use any root vegetable you have available.  The third recipe I pulled from this appetizer ensemble is for Bright Red Beet Hummus.  Serve this with raw vegetables or crackers for a snack or spread it on pita bread or a wrap and stuff it with vegetables for lunch.

Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions & Goat Cheese
photo by James Ransom for food52.com

I also looked through Food52’s “Best Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes Collection” where I found a few recipes I want to try.  This week’s Asterix and russet potatoes are both good selections for mashing, so we might as well try these Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions & Goat Cheese!  This recipe does call for 3 pounds of potatoes, but your box only contains 2 pounds, so plan accordingly.  While stuffing is associated with Thanksgiving and the turkey, you can eat it any time of the year!  So lets try this Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts & Bread Stuffing with Apples, an interesting and flavorful alternative to the traditional stuffing recipe.

Thanksgiving Root Vegetable Pie
photo by Eric Moran for food52.com

There are a few more side dish recipes I pulled from the aforementioned collection.  This recipe for an Autumn Root Vegetable Gratin with Herbs and Cheese is a good recipe to keep handy as it is a great way to utilize root vegetables and you can change up the vegetables you use to make it depending on what you have available.    The same is true for this Thanksgiving Root Vegetable Pie, a vegetarian main dish built on root vegetables which serve as the “pie filling” and a sweet potato topping.

I also found one more recipe possibility for escarole.  This recipe for Stewy White Beans with Escarole, Garlic and Sizzled Rosemary.  This sounds like a cozy dish of comfort for a chilly winter night!

Curried Beet Soup with Tandoori Chickpeas
photo from minimalistbaker.com

We’re nearly at the bottom of the box, but before we finish I want to share this recipe for Curried Beet Soup with Tandoori Chickpeas.  The ingredient list for this recipe is pretty lengthy, but don’t be intimidated by that.  The different spices and ingredients are what build flavor in this recipe, so take a little time and invest in this interesting soup recipe!

Have a great week and remember, we change to every-other-week deliveries for the remainder of the season.  We’ll have another delivery the week before Thanksgiving and then we’ll return after the holiday to finish up our final two deliveries in December!  See you back here in two weeks!---Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Baby Ginger

By Chef Andrea

This week we’re featuring Fresh Baby Ginger, a tropical plant we have been growing for nearly a decade!  Our growing season is much different than Hawaii and other ginger-producing regions, however it is possible to grow ginger in this climate!  Ginger is actually a rhizome, which is a stem that grows horizontally underground.   It produces roots to anchor it and sends up shoots to grow into foliage above ground as it grows and expands.  Ginger grows best in an ideal soil temperature of about 65°F.  In our northern climate, we have best results growing ginger in a greenhouse as we just don’t have a long enough growing season to get any kind of appreciable yield when grown in the field.  The ginger we produce is actually referred to as baby ginger as we don’t have enough warm days, even when grown in the greenhouse, to produce fully mature ginger.

Ginger sprouts emerging in trays of soil

Ginger is a sterile plant and does not produce actual seed like other crops.  It is vegetatively propogated meaning you plant a piece of the ginger rhizome and it grows and spreads to produce more ginger.  We receive our ginger “seed” pieces in February or March.  The first thing we do is put the ginger in trays of potting soil in our warmest greenhouse.  We water the trays once or twice a week and keep them warm.  This is the pre-sprouting phase which can take 3-4 weeks.  During this pre-sprouting phase, the ginger piece starts to swell and produce shoots.  Once we have established some good sized plants, we prepare trenches in the greenhouse, load them up with plenty of compost and then transplant the ginger into the soil.

Lupe transplanting Ginger sprouts

As the ginger gets established and grows, it continues to send out more shoots from the main rhizome.  Throughout the growing season we manage weeds by hand weeding and deliver water through underground irrigation lines.  As with any crop, ginger has its own set of diseases it is susceptible to.  Some of the diseases live in the soil and can persist from year to year, making them a real challenge to manage.  One of the keys to organic ginger production is to prevent the onset or spread of disease by using “clean” seed.   We get our seed stock from Puna Organics in Hawaii.  They have a process for producing certified organic, disease free seed.  It isn’t a quick process, and can take up to 5 years to produce actual seed.  As with many other crops, good quality seed is an important first step to producing a healthy crop.  Crop rotation is also an important part of disease management, which is why we don’t grow ginger every year.

Baby ginger is different than fully mature ginger, which is what you have likely purchased if you’ve bought ginger from the store.  Baby ginger has a very thin skin with some pink coloring, especially at the points where the stems have grown from the main rhizome.  If you store baby ginger for a few weeks it will start to develop more of a brown skin similar to fully mature ginger, but it will never quite offer the same coverage as when fully matured.  Baby ginger is more tender, juicy and has a bright and perhaps a bit more mild flavor than some fully mature ginger that can be quite spicy.  In many ways, young ginger versus fully mature ginger is very similar to the differences you experience with using fresh garlic harvested in late June versus mature garlic that has been cured.

Ginger, Apple & Cardamon Compote

Ginger is used as both medicine and food.  As a medicine, it has anti-inflammatory properties, can sooth a whole host of gastrointestinal maladies, and can also be an effective pain reducer.  It is a common ingredient in many Asian cultures, often pairing with garlic and scallions in Chinese stir-fry or combine it with chiles, lemongrass and a variety of other ingredients to make Thai curry pastes.  Ginger has a spicy, warm flavor which also makes it an excellent ingredient to pair with other spices and rich, comforting foods such as sweet potatoes, winter squash, mushrooms, broccoli, etc.  It can be used extensively to make beverages, teas, baked goods, stir-fry, salad dressings, vegetable dishes, curries, and much much more!

To use baby ginger, simply cut a piece from the main chunk and peel if necessary.  Because it doesn’t have much of a protective skin, we recommend you use fresh ginger within a week of receiving it for the full fresh baby ginger eating experience.  If you’re looking for ways to preserve ginger, consider trying one or both of the recipes featured in this week’s newsletter.  The first is a recipe for Ginger Syrup that can be used as a base to add to beverages or just eat a spoonful each day for an immune boost.  The second recipe is for Pickled Ginger.  Traditional Japanese Pickled Ginger that is commonly served with sushi is made with baby ginger.   The pink hue of pickled ginger comes from that pink color you see on the skin of baby ginger.  This is also the preferred form of ginger to use as it’s more tender and delicate compared to fully mature ginger.  Pickled ginger is very easy to make and will keep for up to six months in the refrigerator.  You can use it as a condiment for more than just sushi.  I like to chop it finely and add it to salad dressing, mix it into vegetable salads, layer it onto sandwiches or eat a little alongside rice or fish.

We’ve come to appreciate this crop over the years and hope you enjoy this little taste of the tropics! 

Ginger Syrup

Yield:  1 cup

photo from theharvestkitchen.com

¾ cup water

1 cup fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced

¾ cup honey

1. Peel ginger if necessary and cut into pieces.
2. Bring ginger and water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
3. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes
4. Strain through a sieve and reserve ginger for another use or discard.
5. Set ginger water aside to cool for 5 minutes
6. Add honey, ¼ cup at a time, and mix with the ginger water until honey dissolves and you achieve the desired sweetness.

The author offers the following suggestions for how to use this ginger syrup:

• Ginger Water:  Add 1-2 tsp ginger syrup to a glass of water and serve over ice.
• Lemon Ginger Water:  Stir the juice of ¼ to ½ of a lemon with 1-2 tsp ginger syrup in a glass of water and serve over ice.
• Hot Ginger Tea:  Heat a cup of water and stir in 1-2 tsp ginger syrup.
• Hot Tea:  Instead of using honey, stir in 1-2 tsp ginger syrup to a cup of your favorite hot tea.
• Ginger Lemonade:  Use this simple ginger syrup instead of a simple syrup when making homemade lemonade.
• Homemade Ginger Ale:  Mix ¼ cup ginger syrup and ¾ cup sparkling water.  Serve over ice.

Recipe borrowed from www.theharvestkitchen.com.

Homemade Pickled Ginger

Yield:  1 pint

photo from loveandoliveoil.com

8 ounces fresh baby ginger

1 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

1. Wash and scrub ginger well to remove any remaining bits of dirt or soil.  Use a spoon or the back of a paring knife to scrape off any papery bits of skin.  
2. Thinly slice ginger across the grain using a vegetable peeler, mandolin or a sharp knife.  You want the ginger to be as paper thin as possible.
3. Place sliced ginger in a bowl.  Pour 2 cups of boiling water over ginger and let set for 5 minutes.  
4. Drain well, then pack ginger into one pint jar.  Be sure the jar is thoroughly washed or, even better, sanitized in boiling water prior to using. 
5. In a saucepan, bring vinegar, sugar, and salt to a simmer, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved.
6. Pour hot liquid over ginger in the jar.  Secure the lid and allow the jar to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.  The pickled ginger, which is ready to eat after several hours, will keep in the refrigerator for up to six months.

Recipe borrowed from www.loveandoliveoil.com.

June Farm Update—Welcome to Summer!

Gorgeous Potato Field under blue skies, HVF 2020

Here we are, just past the halfway mark in the month of June.  The first day of summer is approaching at the end of this week on Saturday, June 20.  So, as we do an official transition from spring into summer we thought it fitting to do a farm update so you know what’s happening in our valley!  This Sunday, June 21, is also the day we were scheduled to host our annual Strawberry Day event.  When the pandemic infiltrated our world back in March we hoped for a quick resolution and return to “normal,” however we quickly realized we had to be realistic that this wasn’t going to end as quickly as we hoped it may.  So, as the pandemic continues to persist we are cancelling Strawberry Day for the first time in HVF history!  While we’re still doing our best to minimize contact with the outside world, continue to wear masks and practice social distancing, continue daily cleaning and sanitizing, etc, we also continue to farm and do what we know how to do best—grow vegetables.  So while we can’t invite you to join us on a wagon tour to experience our fields and valley views for yourself, we’ll do our best to take you on a virtual tour through this week’s article, complete with pictures Andrea and Richard have been taking over the past few weeks!  So, get comfy and claim your seat on our virtual wagon as we take you through the fields and update you on farm happenings!

May 2020:  HVF CSA Box # 3

As we write this article we’re preparing to pack our 7^th CSA box of the 2020 season and this week we’re welcoming our Peak Season Vegetable share members.  While our early season boxes were filled with a wide variety of greens, radishes, ramps and asparagus, we’re just starting to see the transition from spring crops to summer crops.  We started picking strawberries last week and while they taste quite delicious, we have to be honest with you that we are not going to see prolific yields as we have in previous years.  When we pulled the field cover back early this spring, and loosened the straw mulch, we found that some of the plants had not survived the winter.  What exactly was the cause?  It’s hard to say, but likely a combination of a warm March followed by a cold April.  This is our first year to harvest from this planting.  While it’s a bit disappointing, we’re hopeful that the plants will shoot out runners to help fill in the gaps.  If we manage the field correctly after we’re done picking this year, we may be able to establish more plants for next year’s’ harvests.  So, while we will still have strawberries, there won’t be as many as in past years.  Now that we have that bit of news out of the way, lets move on to some other fields!

Look closely and you'll see the cutest little Green Zucchini!

By the end of this week we’re hoping to start picking the first zucchini and in just one more week we’ll add cucumbers to the harvest list!  We had a field cover on these plants after we transplanted them back in May, with hopes that a little extra heat gain would encourage their growth.  We didn’t intend to take the cover off, but Mother Nature had a different idea when she sent high winds our way a few weeks ago!  So, we let her do her thing and once the cover was off we were pleased to see nice, healthy plants!  Right next to these crops we planted our first planting of melons and watermelons.  The plants are still small, but they look very healthy.  Manuel Morales and Jose Antonio have been working hard irrigating many crops.  Crops such as zucchini and melons are planted on beds covered with plastic mulch and have drip lines running underneath the plastic to deliver not only water but also nutrients and beneficial microbes to support the plant’s growth and fruit development.  Before the melon vines grow too much and extend into the wheel tracks in between the beds, we are trying to maximize every effort to control the weeds that seize every opportunity to grow in open spaces. 

Jamie & Felix running the Kult Cultivator
through the melon field

Last Saturday Jamie and Felix used our Kult cultivator set up to clean up this field. They are doing a great job as a 2-man weed killing team!  Thanks to the efforts of all these guys, we’re hopeful we’ll have some delicious melons to send your way in July and August!

We are very thankful all of our crew members remain healthy and well.  At the end of May we greeted two more crew members who returned from Mexico after receiving their visas! Juan Pablo and Alfredo are brothers and have worked at our farm for many years.  They had to take last year off, but were ready to come back this year and we are so glad they did!  Once they arrived we greeted them from a distance at the airport where we left a vehicle for them along with keys to a house we had kept vacant and reserved for “quarantine” needs.  With a tank full of gas, a cell phone so we could communicate with them, and a fully stocked kitchen, they quarantined themselves away from the rest of the crew and the community.  

Juan Pablo & Alfredo spending time together
as brothers weeding our onions!

They did have a very productive quarantine spent going between their house and whatever weeding mission they were assigned to for the day.  Over the past two weeks they have spent a lot of quality time together bonding as brothers and as yet another 2-man weed killing team!  They have managed to hand weed horseradish, early beets and carrots, parsnips and the entire onion field!  Thankfully they reached the end of their quarantine healthy and well, still thankful to be brothers, and they by no means put themselves out of a job—the weeds continue to grow!

Saturday, June 13--Mulching and Transplanting Tomatoes!

Summer isn’t summer without tomatoes and basil!  We’re happy to report we now have two fields of tomatoes planted!  The first planting has already been staked and tied to keep the plants growing upright both to keep the fruit clean as well as to allow airflow through the foliage.  Pretty soon we’ll need to add another string to the stakes and will continue to weave the plants into place as they grow upward.  Last weekend the mulching crew had the transplanting crew right on their heels as we worked hard to achieve our goal of getting the second tomato field planted.  We had some rain the week before as well as about 2 inches earlier in the week.  The fields were too wet to work in, but the tomato plants were growing quickly in the greenhouse turning from small plants to tomato trees right before our eyes!  They really needed to get to the field before they got much bigger or we would risk breaking them when we tried to plant them.  The crew pulled it off and the field looks great! 

Basil Planting #1 looking quite beautiful
after the cover was removed!

As for the basil, we have planted two of our five plantings in the field and have a third one in the greenhouse that will be ready to take to the field in a week or so.  The early plantings of basil also get covered with a field blanket to protect the delicate leaves from chilly spring nights, but also to trap heat to accelerate growth.  We pulled the cover off at the end of last week and were pleased to see beautiful basil plants underneath!  If you look closely at the plants you can see them smiling, now fully exposed to the sun and emitting a sweet, herbal fragrance in the air all around them!  We should also mention the pepper and eggplant fields look quite nice and we’re hopeful they’ll produce well come late summer.

While we’re just beginning summer, we’re already looking ahead to fall.  After a two week delay in getting our sweet potato slips from North Carolina due to poor weather conditions, we were able to get the last shipment of plants last week and by the end of the week the sweet potato field was completed.  The winter squash field has also been planted and we’ll be transplanting and planting the first of our fall broccoli, cabbage, rutabagas, etc later this week.  We also have a gorgeous field of celeriac that the guys have done an excellent job of cultivating and hand weeding.  I have a feeling summer is going to fly by and fall will be here before we know it!

Precision cultivating of cilantro

Cilantro, dill and red radishes are pretty important crops for our farm, not only because we like to include them in CSA boxes from time to time, but also because they are important wholesale crops for us.  We’ve had some very abundant crops this spring which we’re very thankful for!  Our harvest and washing crews have been bringing in about 15,000 bunches or more of cilantro each week for the past few weeks.  In order to keep a constant supply of these crops we have to plant them every week, which means Amy stays busy keeping the seed containers filled and managing inventory.  Tomas, Manuel, Luis and Rafael have helped not only plant the crops, but also have been doing a good job with timely flame weeding and mechanical cultivation to kill weeds.   Did we mention the weeds continue to grow?

One thing we can hardly wait to eat are freshly dug new potatoes!  It won’t be long before those tender-skinned new potatoes with red skin and creamy white flesh are ready for harvest.  If you’ve never eaten a freshly dug potato, you are in for a special treat!  The potato field looks quite nice and we spotted the first potato blossom at the end of last week!  What else goes nicely with fresh potatoes?  How about some of those tender little carrots with their green tops still attached?  Or maybe the first beets of the season?  Yes, those are all coming within the next few weeks as well.

Immature Broccoli head hidden amongst the leaves

In the meantime, we have our eyes on the second half of our first crop of broccoli and there are three more very nice crops coming up behind it!  Within the next week or two we’ll be cutting one of our favorite early season cabbages, the beloved sweetheart salad cabbage.  Cauliflower will also be coming soon.  We anticipate we’ll need to tie the first planting by the end of this week.  Why would we do that?  When we “tie” cauliflower we wrap a rubberband around the leaves to hold them together.  This keeps the plant closed in order to keep the head of cauliflower from being exposed to the sunshine thereby blanching it so it’s snowy white.

Lupe planting Ginger in the cold frame greenhouse

You asked for ginger, and you will get ginger!  On last year’s survey this was one of the most frequently requested crops you asked us to grow this year.  Last weekend Jose Antonio, Simon, Tomas, Lupe and Jorge worked hard to get the ginger planted in our cold frame greenhouse.  Hopefully we’ll have some nice baby ginger to send your way in October or November!

We can’t give a field report without mentioning garlic!  Can you believe we’ll be harvesting this year’s garlic crop in less than one month!?!  Yikes!  We’re hopeful that we’ll have a bountiful harvest and so far things are looking good.

We hope you continue to enjoy this journey through the seasons with us, embracing each week and the bounty in each box.  We have so many more delicious things to share with you, so get ready to have some fun!   Thus concludes our virtual wagon tour.  We hope you enjoyed the fresh country air, the wind in your hair, blue skies and a little time in nature.  Until the next time…….Farmers Richard, Rafael and Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Fresh Baby Ginger

By Chef Andrea

     We are very excited to deliver possibly the freshest ginger you may ever have experienced! Given our shorter growing season, the ginger we grow is actually considered “Baby Ginger.”  Ginger has a wide variety of culinary uses and is a common ingredient in the cuisine of many Asian cultures. It is a base ingredient in Chinese stir-fries. It is combined with lemongrass and chiles to make Thai curry pastes and in Japan, it is often served alongside sushi in its pickled form. Ginger has a spicy, warm flavor which also makes it an excellent ingredient to include in baked goods, tea and other beverages. 

     To use your ginger,  cut off a piece from the main chunk and peel it. Remember, this is very fresh ginger and still has a very thin skin so you don’t have to peel very deep, rather just gently scrape away the thin skin. You can store  ginger pieces for several days at room temperature or if you aren’t going to use it right away you can store it in the refrigerator. It can also be preserved for long term storage by freezing it. I like to cut it into smaller pieces before I freeze it so I can just pull out a small portion as I need it. You will find this fresh ginger to be very juicy and crisp with a bright flavor. The long green stems attached to the lower portion contain a mild ginger flavor as well. I cut them into 5-6 inch pieces and use them to infuse a little more ginger flavor into soups, stocks, curries, tea, etc.

     We have more recipes available on our website from past newsletters. A few of my personal favorites include Golden Milk, Chai-Spiced Bread, Ginger-Cardamom Tea and Pickled Ginger. Have fun using and experiencing this tropical Wisconsin treat!

Crystallized Ginger

Recipe adapted from Alton Brown, The Food Network

Photo borrowed from The Food Network Website

8 oz fresh ginger root

4 cups water

½ lb granulated sugar, or as needed

1. Spray a cooling rack with non-stick spray or brush lightly with oil and set it in a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. 

2. Clean and peel the ginger. Because the ginger is so young and fresh, a spoon or knife scraped against the root should work well for peeling. 

3. Slice the ginger into ⅛ inch slices. Place ginger and water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for 35-50 minutes, or until the ginger is tender. 

4. Drain the ginger, reserving ¼ cup of the liquid. Weigh the ginger and add an equal amount of granulated sugar. Return the ginger, sugar and up to ¼ cup of the reserved liquid back to the pan. You only need to use enough liquid to dissolve the sugar. 

5. Stir over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, and continue stirring and watching as the syrup thickens. Keep stirring and cooking until the syrup has dried and the sugar has recrystallized, about 20 minutes. The transformation will be obvious. Immediately move the ginger to the wire rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

HVF Note: Use the crystallized ginger in the carrot-ginger soup recipe in this newsletter or add it to banana bread, sugar cookies, ginger snaps, citrus salad, granola bars, cakes, pies, muffins, cupcakes, shortbread, pancakes, waffles, over ice cream, in lemon pound cake, cranberry relish or in pear or apple crisp. Save any gingery sugar crystals to put in your coffee or tea. You can even add the ginger water that you made in the first step to tea, but be careful - it’s spicy!

Carrot-Ginger Soup

Recipe adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen

Yield: 6 servings

HVF Note: This recipe aims to keep it simple by amplifying the sweet flavor of carrots by using a few basic aromatics and lots of carrots, including carrot juice. If you’ve been stockpiling your carrots for the last few weeks, this would be a great recipe to use. The addition of baking soda is to tenderize the carrots and ginger, producing a perfectly creamy soup.

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, ghee or vegetable oil

2 onions, chopped fine

¼ cup minced crystallized ginger (see recipe, opposite) 

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick

4 cups water

1 ½ cups carrot juice, divided

2 sprigs fresh thyme

½ tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional Garnishes: chopped chives, sour cream, croutons

1. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onions, crystallized ginger, fresh ginger, garlic, 2 tsp salt, and sugar. Cook, stirring often, until onions are softened but not browned, 5-7 minutes

2. Stir in carrots, water, ¾ cup carrot juice, thyme sprigs and baking soda. Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer gently until carrots are very tender, 20-25 minutes. 

3. Discard thyme sprigs. Working in batches, process soup in blender until smooth, 1-2 minutes (caution: vent the blender carefully, as steam will be released). Return pureed soup to clean pot and stir in vinegar and remaining ¾ cup carrot juice. 

4. Return soup to brief simmer over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, garnishing individual bowls with chives, sour cream and/or croutons.

Ginger: Spicy, or Anti-Inflammatory?

By Laurel Blomquist

Fresh Baby Ginger

     Welcome to another article in our anti-cancer series. Today’s focus is on the tropical rhizome, ginger. Don’t forget, these anti-cancer foods also combat neurological, immunological, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and metabolic disorders, as well as the process of aging. 

     Ginger has not yet been studied by Richard Beliveau and Denis Gingras, authors of Foods to Fight Cancer. However, they do include it in their appendix as a flavor you should include in your anti-cancer meals, particularly any of an Asian flair. They say, “One of the principal molecules present in this spicy root, known as gingerol, has often been put forward as a powerful potential anticancer agent, for its anti-inflammatory properties as well as its inhibiting activity on cancerous cells.” (p. 179)

     David Servan-Schreiber also mentions ginger in Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life. He calls out ginger’s anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and protective effects. He cites three studies that demonstrate this, as well as ginger’s ability to reduce the creation of new blood vessels. He recommends ginger to alleviate nausea brought on by chemotherapy or radiation, and suggests making a simple tea by slicing an inch of ginger and steeping in boiling water for ten to fifteen minutes. (p. 134)

     Ginger has been found effective at inhibiting liver cancer, a particularly fast-growing cancer that spreads rapidly. Researchers in China found that ginger reduced serum liver cancer markers and liver tissue growth factors. Ginger was also found to inhibit inflammation and promote apoptosis (ritual cell death) using three of its compounds: geraniol, pinostrobin and clavatol. 6-shogaol and 6-gingerol, two of ginger’s active ingredients, also prohibited metastasis, or the spread of liver cancer to other parts of the body. (Zhou et al. 2016)

Close-up: ginger in greenhouse

     I found a laundry list of benefits from ginger in the book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, by Jonny Bowden (p. 284-285). For those of you who practice Ayurveda, India’s 5000-year old “Science of Life,” you may already know that ginger is known as the universal remedy. Bowden reiterates ginger’s ability to stave off nausea and vomiting, and adds that since ginger doesn’t have side effects, it may be particularly of interest to pregnant women experiencing morning sickness. He lists several active ingredients, including shogaol and zingerone, which are anti-inflammatory and could be used by those suffering from arthritis or fibromyalgia. He cites a study suggesting that gingerols may inhibit the growth of human colorectal cancer cells. Other studies show that ginger has positive effects on the gastrointestinal tract, the cardiovascular system, pain, and fever. 

     In mice and other animal studies, ginger was shown to lower cholesterol, slow the development of atherosclerosis (arterial plaque build-up), boost the immune system, slow the growth of tumors, and work as an antimicrobial and antiviral agent. Ginger can also improve circulation for those with perpetually cold hands and feet. However, precautions should be taken by those who take prescription medications that thin the blood, such as Coumadin or aspirin, since the effects will be amplified by ginger. Ginger also increases bile acid secretion, which is great for those with Fatty Liver Disease, but not so good for people with gallstones or gallbladder disease. An increase in bile helps the body process and absorb fats, which is necessary to absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as A, E, D, and K. 

Ginger in the greenhouse

     The most exciting article I read about ginger cited a recent study that showed 6-shogaol (a compound found in dried or cooked ginger) is 10,000 times more effective than chemotherapy drugs at destroying cancer stem cells! The study was done on breast cancer stem cells, but the research suggests it could be used for any cancer. What is a cancer stem cell? It is the “mother” cell that regenerates to produce new cancer cells, forming tumors and offshoots. Chemotherapy does not kill off these cells, even at very high doses. Chemo also does not differentiate between healthy cells and cancer cells, which is why it typically makes the patient feel sicker in the short term. Killing cancer stem cells is very important for the long-term fight of any patient against cancer. Doctors may be able to remove cancerous cells and tumors, but unless they kill off the stem cells, cancer may return in the future. For more information on this study, and a link to the study itself, visit: foodrevolution.org/blog/ginger-cancer-treatment.

     I used to eat ginger a few times a week, but now I think I’m going to try to incorporate it into my meals or drinks every day. With its distinct flavor and potent anti-cancer compounds, ginger can’t be beat!

References:

Beliveau, Richard, and Denis Gingras. Foods to Fight Cancer. 2007. 

Bowden, Jonny, PhD, CNS. The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. 2007.

Ji, Sayer. “Ginger: 10,000 times stronger than Chemo in Cancer Research Model”. FoodRevolution.org. [Green Med Info], Oct. 19, 2015. 

Servan-Schreiber, David. Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life. 2009. 

Zhou Y, Li Y, Zhou T, Zheng J, Li S, Li H-B. March 10, 2016. Dietary Natural Products for Prevention and Treatment of Liver Cancer. Nutrients. 8(3): 156.

Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life

A Summary by Laurel Blomquist

            The cover of Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life proclaims, “All of us have cancer cells in our bodies. But not all of us will develop cancer.”  Did you know you have cancer cells in your body? Does that thought scare you? It doesn’t have to. Read on to see what you can do about making sure those cells never proliferate or become life-threatening.

David Servan-Schreiber was an ambitious psychiatrist who had spent his life climbing the ranks of his profession. One day the volunteer subject of his brain MRI study didn’t show up, so he put himself into the machine. The scans showed a walnut-sized tumor in his brain, and thus the doctor became the patient. After diagnosis, Dr. Servan-Schreiber was treated using the most modern techniques available: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation. When he asked his doctor if there was something else he could do to prevent the cancer from returning, his doctor told him to continue living life as he had prior to his diagnosis.

I have something to confess. I was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer this past February. Yes, I followed my doctors’ recommendations regarding established medical protocols for my cancer. However, you have a feeling of powerlessness when you are just waiting around to see if the cancer is going to come back. Reading this book, as well as Foods to Fight Cancer, changed the course of my life forever.

If you had a toolbox that you could use to combat an illness from all sides, wouldn’t you want to use every tool in the box? I was inspired to change the paradigm, from giving over control to my doctors to taking control. I established a self-care routine that included rest, diet, exercise, meditation, time in nature, breathing techniques, and many more small changes in my daily routine that would alter my prognosis for the future. Of course, these diet and lifestyle changes don’t just lower my chances of getting cancer, there’s more. According to the journal Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, “Oxidative stress impacts almost all acute and chronic progressive disorders and on a cellular basis is intimately linked to aging, cardiovascular disease, cancer, immune function, metabolism and neurodegeneration.” (http://www.hindawi.com/journals/omcl)

In other words, an anti-cancer diet is also anti- diabetes, obesity, insulin sensitivity, metabolic syndrome, neurological disease (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, etc.), gastrointestinal disease (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, etc.), autoimmune disease (Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, etc.), and any other acute or chronic disease characterized by inflammation and oxidative stress, as well as the process of aging in general. Everyone says they want a long, healthy life. I was willing to do everything in my power in order to achieve that.  

Like myself, Dr. Servan-Schreiber was not convinced that he had no control over the recurrence of his cancer other than the treatments that doctors could provide. He points out that doctors who are at the pinnacle of research in their professions cannot stop to conduct research outside of their fields, or read experimental protocols that haven’t been given a double-blind study. He does not blame his doctors for this because they are busy doing important work to save the lives of their patients. There are many other practitioners doing alternative therapies and research, however. Dr. Servan-Schreiber is not a food chemist, so he uses research from other scientists to support his dietary recommendations. He often cites the research done by Drs. Beliveau and Gingras, who you may remember from Foods to Fight Cancer,  the book I reviewed two weeks ago. Of course, these two are not the only scientists he has explored. He is a thorough researcher; the chapter on food alone has 140 citations! The scope of this article is much too short to present all his findings, so I’m going to summarize a few fruit and vegetable recommendations he recommends for an anti-cancer diet.

The doctor states that cancer is known to thrive on both sugar and insulin, so in general, eating foods that are lower on the glycemic index should be a priority. These include peas, beans, sweet potatoes, whole fruits, and alliums such as garlic, onions, and shallots, which lower insulin peaks when combined with other foods. (p. 70)

           Stone fruits, especially plums, contain high levels of antioxidants and are more cost effective than berries, year-round. He cites a study showing that these fruits fight high cholesterol as well. (p. 119)

The labiate family, which includes mint, thyme, marjoram, oregano, basil, and rosemary, are rich in the fatty acids of the terpene family, which reduce the spread of cancer cells or provokes their death. (p. 138)

In order to grow more rapidly, cancer cells stimulate the creation of new blood vessels so that they have a fuel source close by. This is called angiogenesis. A molecule which inhibits cancer cells by blocking angiogenesis is apigenin, which is found in parsley and celery (p. 120).

Fresh Ginger Root grown on our Farm

Ginger root is also anti-inflammatory, containing antioxidants that reduce angiogenesis. It’s also anti-nauseating, helping control the side effects of chemotherapy. (p. 134)

Vegetables and fruits rich in carotenoids inhibit the growth of cancer cells and stimulate immune cells to attack cancer. These foods include carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, tomatoes, persimmons, apricots, and beets. The bright colors mean the foods contain vitamin A, lycopene, lutein, phytoene, and canthaxanthin. (p. 136)

Pomegranates contain antioxidants and slow prostate cancer growth by 67%! (p. 139)

Flaxseeds contain short-chain omega-3s and lignans, phytoestrogens that block harmful hormones, lower cholesterol, and maintain balanced blood sugar levels. Our friends at Driftless Organics just started producing their own organic flaxseed oil. Add it to salad dressings or smoothies for an anti-cancer cocktail. (p. 143)

Other foods the author includes as part of an anti-inflammatory diet are olive oil (especially virgin), mushrooms, and seaweed.

When Anti-Cancer was published in 2009, the health of the gut microbiome was just beginning to be on the radar; now it’s one of the hottest health topics in popular science. Dr. Servan-Schreiber cites research that states probiotic bacteria inhibit colon cancer growth by moving toxic waste out of the body. Why not make a batch of sauerkraut, kimchi, or kvass with a vegetable of your choosing (choose a brassica for an especially potent combination) and eat it regularly? Don’t forget to feed your probiotic bacteria with prebiotics, such as garlic, onions, tomatoes, sunchokes, and asparagus. (p. 143)

In addition to recommendations for specific foods, the author also emphasized the importance of organic vegetables versus conventional.  He cites a study by Dr. Cynthia Curl, who measured the amount of organochlorine pesticides in the urine of 42 preschool children. Children who were fed an organic diet had pesticide levels below the Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum, while children on the conventional diet had a level 4 times the maximum. While he states that some doctors have interpreted these findings as insignificant, he disagrees, and so do other doctors. (p. 89)

He further states that selenium stimulates immune cells and boosts the effects of antioxidants. According to the author, organic foods are rich in selenium, while conventionally-grown vegetables are lacking because of soil depletion of this mineral. (p. 144)

This book was written as a tool to help all of us flip our genetic switch for cancer off by making decisions that will impact our long-term health. In summary, the doctor states, “Every day, at every meal, we can choose food that will defend our bodies against the invasion of cancer by: detoxifying carcinogenic substances; supporting our immune system; blocking the development of new (blood) vessels needed for tumor growth; preventing tumors from creating the inflammation that serves as their fertilizer; blocking the mechanisms that will enable them to invade neighboring tissues; and promoting the suicide of cancer cells.” (p. 125)

For more information, be sure to check out the book and his website: http://www.anticancerbook.com