May 3, 2018 - This Week's Box Contents

Cooking with this Week’s Box

Black Spanish Radishes:  Black Radish Salad or Roasted Black Radishes with Brown Butter, Chives & Rice (See Below)

Overwintered Spinach:  Creamed Spinach and Ramps & Spring Spinach Chop Salad with Creamy Buttermilk Ramp Dressing

Overwintered Sunchokes:  Chili Roasted Sunchokes (See Below) or Chile and Lime Sunchoke Salsa

Overwintered Parsnips:  Parsnip Muffins or Parsnip Spice Cake with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting 

Chives:  Spring Parsnip Mash or Curried Egg Salad 

Ramps:  Chef Bonnie’s Ramp Deviled Eggs or Creamed Spinach and Ramps or Spring Spinach Chop Salad with Creamy Buttermilk Ramp Dressing   

I don’t know about you, but I know I’m ready to start cooking with fresh food again!  I hope you had an enjoyable winter and are ready to jump back into some seasonal CSA cooking.  If you aren’t familiar with the items in this week’s box, please take a little time to read this week’s main article.  I also want to mention that we have an awesome Facebook Group that all CSA members are welcome to join.  This is a great place to share recipes with other members as well as learn from and encourage each other.  We also have all of our previous years’ newsletters archived on our website and have a searchable recipe database as well.  Please use these resources to learn more about your food and find tasty recipes.

Lets get cooking.  Black Spanish radishes may be a bit intimidating at first, but they are really quite manageable.  If you like the crisp radish flavor, I’d recommend trying the Black Radish Salad  featured back in one of our early 2007 newsletters.  This is one of my original recipes and calls for mint and basil.  If you don’t have these herbs available right now, you could also use some chives or any other fresh herbs of your choosing.  If you are not much of a radish eater, try cooking them.  You’ll likely be surprised by their sweet, mellow flavor.  Try the recipe featured in this week’s newsletter for Roasted Black Radishes with Brown Butter, Chives & Rice.  (See Below)

This week is Richard’s birthday week, so perhaps we should include some of his favorite recipes.  For starters, he is a good Midwestern man who loves ranch dressing.  One of his favorite ramp recipes is for Spring Spinach Chop Salad with Creamy Buttermilk Ramp Dressing.   It’s reminiscent of ranch dressing, but much better!  He’s also a fan of Creamed Spinach and Ramps and if there are any ramps left over, a batch of Chef Bonnie’s Ramp Deviled Eggs are always a hit with Richard!  We’ll finish off the week with a German Chocolate Cake as we celebrate another year of Richard’s life!

We always enjoy overwintered parsnips and usually eat them several times as simple oven-roasted parsnips that are sweet as candy.  This is also a good time of year to turn them into a baked good such as Parsnip Muffins or Parsnip Spice Cake with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting.

Just in case you didn’t have a chance to read the newsletter, I’m going to mention here that some people do have some abdominal discomfort when they eat sunchokes while others are unaffected.  If you are eating them for the first time, try a small serving to start with.  You may find a small quantity is well-tolerated.  Roasted sunchokes are my favorite way to eat this vegetable because they get crispy on the exterior and are moist and fluffy inside.  This week’s newsletter features my recipe for Chili Roasted Sunchokes (See Below).  You can eat them on their own or make a combination of roasted sunchokes and black radishes.  I also like to make sunchoke croutons to eat on top of a spinach salad.  It’s a great way to eat a small portion where you can enjoy their flavor and crunch.  I also like to make this Chile and Lime Sunchoke Salsa that is great on top of a piece of salmon or chicken tacos.  Yes, I think chili and lime are great flavor complements for sunchokes! 

Last but not least, we need to find a use for the pretty little bunch of chives.  Andrea Beming has a great recipe for a Spring Parsnip Mash that includes fresh chives or check out Heidi Swanson’s recipe for Curried Egg Salad.  Her version includes bits of apples & fresh chives to complement the curry seasonings. 

Enjoy cooking out of the first box of the season and I look forward to meeting you back here next week with more delicious spring recipe ideas!—Chef Andrea

Roasted Black Radishes with Brown Butter, Chives & Rice

Yield:  4 servings as a side or 2 servings as a main


1-1¼ pound black radishes
2-3 tsp olive oil
Salt & black pepper, to taste
1 ½ Tbsp unsalted butter
¼ tsp red chile flakes
3 cups cooked rice
2 Tbsp minced chives
1 ½ tsp honey
1 tsp white wine vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Cut the black radishes into medium dice.  Put the black radishes in a bowl and drizzle with 2-3 tsp olive oil.  You will need just enough oil to thoroughly coat all the pieces.  Season the radishes with salt and pepper and toss to evenly distribute the oil and seasonings.  Place the radishes in a skillet or pan with an ovenproof handle.
2. Roast the black radish in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the pieces are starting to brown and are tender.  You may have to turn the radishes once or twice during the cooking time.  Remove the pan from the oven and put on the stovetop.  Turn the burner on to medium heat.  Add the butter and red chile flakes to the pan.  Once the butter is melted, cook until it starts to turn golden brown and nutty smelling, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the rice and stir to combine.  Continue to cook the rice, stirring it frequently, until the rice is heated through.  
3. Remove the pan from heat and add the chives, vinegar and honey.  Stir to combine, then adjust seasoning to your tastes by adding more salt, pepper, honey and/or vinegar as needed.  Serve hot as a side dish or as a main item.  If you have leftovers, consider reheating and serving with a fried egg on top!

Recipe developed by Chef Andrea Yoder

Chili-Roasted Sunchokes (with a Crouton Variation)

By Chef Andrea Yoder
This is one of my original HVF recipes that I developed back in 2007!  It’s still a favorite, so I thought I’d share it again along with a few variations you might want to consider.

Serves 3-4

1# sunchokes
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt
⅛ tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp lime juice

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.  Cut sunchokes into 1” pieces and put in a medium bowl.
2. Combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper and pour over the sunchokes.  Toss sunchokes in oil mixture until well coated.
3. Transfer the sunchokes to a baking dish or sheet tray and roast until tender, about 30-35 minutes.  Remove from the oven and toss with the lime juice just before serving.

Variations:

• Croutons:  If you cut the sunchoke pieces into a small dice size and roast them until they are crispy, you can use them as a “crouton” to garnish a spinach salad or a warm bowl of soup.
• Roasted sunchokes & black Spanish radishes.  Consider using using ½ pound sunchokes and ½ pound black radishes.  This is a good option for individuals who prefer to eat smaller quantities of sunchokes at a time.
• If you aren’t a fan of the chili and lime combination, make up your own spice blend or use something that is already blended such as Madras curry powder.

Parsnips & Rhubarb: The Odd Couple

by Andrea Yoder

This week we’d like to feature two very different vegetables that are part of our early spring boxes.  While parsnips and rhubarb are an unlikely match, they actually have a lot more in common than we may realize and complement each other quite nicely.  Which one is for the pie?  Good question, and perhaps the answer is “Both of them!” Rhubarb is not just for pies and parsnips are not just for roasting.  In this week’s newsletter we hope to challenge you to explore some different ways for preparing both of these vegetables beyond their most common and popular uses.
Rhubarb is an interesting vegetable that is often thought of as a fruit.  It is a perennial crop that grows from gnarly looking crowns.  It thrives well in cold climates, and is thought to have originated in Asia in the areas of present-day China, Russia and Mongolia.  It was originally used for the medicinal properties found in the roots, which have also been used to make bitters.  It was also consumed for its detoxifying properties.   Rhubarb has a tart, sour flavor that will certainly make you pucker.  It was for this reason that rhubarb didn’t gain much popularity until sugar became more readily available and it was used to balance the tartness.  It is now commonly used for making pies and over time rhubarb has become known as “The Pie Plant.” It takes about three years to establish a rhubarb plant.  In those first three years you are discouraged from harvesting any rhubarb so that there is more plant to gather and generate energy to put towards developing the crown.  There are different varieties of rhubarb ranging from all green to deep red.  We grow a variety that produces beautiful bright red stalks.
Rhubarb is typically cooked before it is eaten.  When cooked in a small amount of liquid, the rhubarb stalks will melt into the cooking liquid and the fiber and weight of the plant will act as a thickener.   While rhubarb pie is one of my favorite spring desserts, there is a lot more potential for rhubarb that goes beyond pie.  It pairs well with lemons, oranges, honey, strawberries, lavender, apples, and warm spices such as cinnamon, allspice, ginger and cardamom.  Because of its tartness, rhubarb pairs well with rich, fatty foods such as duck, poultry, pork and some creamy, sharp cheese varities.  You can use rhubarb as the base for tart dipping sauces, chutney, barbecue sauce, stir-frys and stir-fry sauces.  It adds a nice tartness and background flavor to braising or cooking liquids for things such as pork shoulder or ham.   It is also good in other sweet preparations such as Mexican Rhubarb Chocolate Chunk Brownies (featured on the Food Network), cakes, cookies, muffins, pancakes, etc.  Rhubarb is also a fun ingredient to include in drinks.  We have a recipe on our website in our recipe archives for rhubarb syrup that can be added to sparkling water or cocktails.  Rhubarb is also super easy to preserve.  Just wash it, dice it and stick it in a freezer bag in the freezer.  When you’re ready to use it, just remove it from the freezer and thaw it prior to use.
Parsnips are much different from rhubarb in appearance and flavor.  Parsnips have a distinct flavor that some people love and others are still learning to appreciate.  They are a very challenging crop to grow and have a long growing season.  We plant the seeds early in the spring when the soil is still cold.  It can take as long as two to three weeks for the seeds to germinate and push through the soil.  Unfortunately the weeds never have a problem growing, which is one of the challenges we have over the course of their long season.  We invest a lot of time cultivating and hand weeding our parsnip crop so we can have a healthy crop to harvest in the fall.  We start harvesting parsnips late in September or the first part of October.  While we harvest the majority of our crop in the fall, we also leave a small amount in the ground every fall.  How crazy are we to leave a high dollar crop in the field to get buried under snow!  Parsnips are amazing and can survive in the frozen ground over the winter.  We dig them early in the spring as soon as the ground thaws and dries out.
Overwintered parsnips are much sweeter than our fall-harvested parsnips.  Over the course of the winter starches are converted to sugars and sometimes they’re so sweet they taste like candy.  So what does one do with a parsnip?  One of the easiest things to do is slice them up and sauté them in butter or toss them with olive oil and roast them until they are golden brown.  But if you’re still learning to appreciate the flavor of parsnips, you might find their flavor a bit too parsnip-y for your liking.  There are many other things you can do with a parsnip.  Small amounts added to soups and stews add a nice background flavor.  Farmer Richard likes to add parsnips to his signature pot of split pea soup.  In this week’s featured recipe for parsnip-ginger meatballs, the parsnips add moisture to the meat and their sweetness balances the tartness of the rhubarb barbecue sauce.  You can also try to maximize their characteristic sweetness and use them in sweet preparations such as muffins, cakes, and even pie!  While a parsnip is not just a “white carrot,” you can substitute parsnips for carrots in baked goods such as carrot cake, cookies or muffins.  They add not only sweetness, but moisture to baked goods.  The sweet, earthy flavor of parsnips pairs well with maple syrup, Dijon mustard, apples, oranges, onions, parsley, chives, raisins, ginger and warm spices such as coriander, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Parsnips are more common in Europe, but are gaining popularity in the U.S.  In the Middle Ages parsnips were a staple vegetable in Central and Northern Europe because they could be used as a starch and a sweetener.  In the 19th century, the English & Irish folks used parsnips to make a wine which turned out similar to sweet Madeira.  They even made parsnip beer in Northern Ireland!
 Both parsnips and rhubarb have an important place in our Midwestern spring diets.  I never really considered using them together in the same dish until I stopped and thought about their similarities and differences.  They both pair well with some of the same ingredients such as spices and fruit.  While one is tart and the other is sweet, their differences balance each other out.  I hope you’ll try some different ways of preparing these vegetables this spring and if you stumble upon an unusual recipe or way to prepare this odd couple, let us know so we can try it as well!

Spring Farm Update!

By Farmer Richard and his sidekicks Andrea & Captain Jack the Dog

Spring is different every year and as we write this update temperature is on our minds.  We were happy to see the snow melt away towards the end of March…..and then woke up to a winter wonderland on March 23!  Once the snow melted again and things dried out, we were able to dig overwintered parsnips and sunchokes….just before it rained!  After some rainy, cold days, we were thankful for warm days in April which allowed us to get some field work done.  We planted all the parsnips as well as the first beets, carrots & peas.  The transplanting team worked hard to plant all the onions and then moved right into transplanting the first crop of head lettuce, fennel, basil, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and kohlrabi.  They also managed to get the parsley and Brussels sprouts in the ground!  Thankfully everything was in place before the next wave of rain.  This past week has been cool and wet.  In fact, it’s downright chilly today and there is a chance of frost!  Don’t worry….the crew covered the strawberries yesterday to protect the blossoms so there should be plenty of strawberries to pick on June 21 at Strawberry Day!  (Mark your calendars!)

Weather talk aside, we’ve had a pretty good spring and have a lot of good field updates.  First, our asparagus and rhubarb crops are producing beyond our expectations!  Both of these perennial crops take about 3 years to establish before we can do any substantial harvests off them.  Over the past few years we’ve put in new rhubarb and asparagus plantings.  Richard & Jack have been waiting patiently (Andrea not so patiently) for our new fields to become established and this is the first year we can harvest from all of these fields!   Despite the cool weather we’re still seeing some impressive asparagus harvests.  The rhubarb field is also producing well and the bright red stalks are gorgeous!
As we look ahead to June, we should mention that our first two pea plantings are in and looking good.  Sugar snap and snow peas should be ready for the first to middle part of June.  The pea vine looks like it might be ready as early as next week.  The strawberry field is blossoming and the plants look healthy.  We do watch the weather closely though (that darn weather topic again).  The blossoms can’t take the frost, so we’ve covered the field with our giant field blankets to get them through the week…just in case Jack Frost pays our valley a visit.

Anyone interested in garlic?  We’re happy to report the garlic crop appears to have overwintered nicely with about a 99% survival rate!  We’re planning to harvest green garlic next week….and before we know it we’ll be enjoying garlic scapes and fresh, juicy bulb garlic.
Our pastures are lush and green and the cattle love their days grazing the hillsides.  Our goat pasture is full of young energy with nine new kids and more on the way!  We’re also happy to report we have pigs roaming our pastures again!  Last week we got 15 piglets.  It took them a few days to acclimate to their new home, but it looks like they’ve adapted well.  They’ve also grown accustomed to the nightly deliveries of compost from the packing shed. Just like us, they are enjoying many spinach salads for dinner.  The chickens moved to the pasture with the pigs. They’re a little more vulnerable to pesky predators, but are learning to defend and protect themselves. Manuel and Juan Pablo have done five plantings  of “salad greens.” This is our first week of harvest from our spring-planted salad greens.  We should have salad mix, baby kale and more baby arugula coming soon!  We’re also learning how to use a new vacuum seeder we got this spring. We’ll use it to plant our cilantro, dill, bunched arugula, baby bok choi and radishes.  It was fun having a shiny, new piece of equipment.  It’s dirty now, but seems to be working well and we’re thankful to have it as it will help us fine-tune the plantings for greater precision.
Jack is happy to have the field crew back from Mexico so he can play ball at lunch time.  Richard has been hunting for morel mushrooms in his spare time and Andrea is having fun cooking them along with asparagus, spinach, ramps and all of the other tasty green things available now!
Kelly & Beth have been busy in the office preparing for the start of deliveries.  Lately they’ve been working on processing orders for maple syrup.  Our friend and neighbor, Alvin Miller, had another pretty good year for making maple syrup.  If you haven’t taken advantage of this offer yet, don’t wait. We’ve extended our deadline until May 20th, but that’s the absolute last day for orders!  Alvin needs time to bottle the syrup, so make sure you send your order in as soon as possible so Alvin knows how many bottles to fill!   We’re happy to have another season of CSA underway. While farming isn’t easy, we are blessed with great customers and a great crew!  Our crew has been practicing flexibility for the past several weeks.  On warm, sunny days they stay late to get the work done.  On rainy and cold days they help in the packing shed and greenhouses doing whatever needs to be done.  Without a hard-working crew, we couldn’t be the farm we are today.  We’re glad that you’ll be sharing with us in the bounty of this year’s harvest.  Rest assured we have a lot of delicious food coming your way!

April Spring Update!

By Andrea Yoder

Spring is always an exciting time in our valley and this year is no different.  While we’re grateful for the bounty of fall root crops which nourish us through the winter months, we always breathe a sigh of relief when we finally have something fresh and green to eat again!  Last week we pulled the row cover off the overwintered spinach and were happy to see a sea of green leaves!  Couple that with the pretty little ramps growing in the woods and thus marks the start of our spring season.

Manuel and Juan Pablo planting the first Salad mix crop!

 Every year we anxiously await the transition from winter to spring.  It seems like nothing is happening and then suddenly everything is happening!  We’re excited to be attending our first farmer’s market in Madison this weekend and our first CSA delivery is only 3 weeks away.  This week we’re harvesting the first of our overwintered spinach and the first ramps of the season!  Soon the asparagus will be poking through the ground and before we know it May will roll into June and we’ll start picking strawberries!  Here’s a little snippet of just a few things happening on the farm.

Field of overwintered Spinach

First ramp harvest of the year!

       Last week our first group of field crew members returned after spending a few months in Mexico with their families.  The pace and energy of the farm changed overnight and we’re thankful that everyone made it back to Wisconsin safely.  Juan has been staying busy managing repairs in the shop.  Rafael got right to work spreading minerals on fields.  Jose Ramon wasted no time subsoiling

Jose Alejandro taking a turn at correctly putting out a fire!

some of the fields that were still a little wet so they’d dry out faster.  Rogelio has split his time between helping Juan with repairs in the shop and spreading compost on the dry days.  We've also taken advantage of these first few weeks of spring to put fresh coats of paint on our harvest wagons and to some of the rooms in our employee housing.  We managed to squeeze in a few safety trainings including how to use a fire extinguisher and an entire day devoted to chainsaw safety.

Benjamin helping to unload a bin of overwintered sunchokes.

       Chef Martin Clark, our summer farm chef for the 2015 season, joined our team this week.  The crew is anxious for him to start preparing lunch next week.  We’re excited to share all of our wonderful vegetables with Martin to see what kinds of creative things he can make with them!
The greenhouses are quickly filling up.  This week we’re transplanting celeriac and pepper plants into larger trays.  The jicama just started poking through & I’m happy to say the ginger plants are the healthiest looking sprouts I've ever seen!  Within the next several weeks we’ll be planting the herb packs so they are ready to send to CSA members in May!

Overwintered parsnip crew!

While we were able to plant some things last week, the rain held us back from doing very much.  We’re anxious to get some important plantings done this week.  Beets, carrots, peas, chard and even onion transplants are on the list for Friday and Saturday.  The guys have been busy preparing the fields and we have our fingers crossed that the rain will hold off until we can get some more seeds into the ground.

Juan Pablo with new baby goat!

Earlier this week the harvest crew finished the overwintered sunchoke harvest and quickly moved onto planting potatoes.  The packing shed crew has been diligently moving through each of our packing areas as they do our annual spring cleaning. Every corner gets cleaned, equipment is being repaired, and we’re getting everything ready to start a new season.  There’s nothing that makes me happier than a clean, neat and organized packing shed!
As for the pasture update, we’re happy to announce the birth of our first little baby goat of the spring.  He’s a healthy little guy who had enough strength to walk to himself from the pasture where he was born to his cozy little goat house!  Juan Pablo & Angel are back as our resident animal care-takers.  The chickens were so happy to see Juan Pablo that they laid 17 eggs one day last week!

       Needless to say we’re staying busy.  We’re happy to be back in the swing of farming and are looking forward to the growing season.  Thank you for your continued support of our farm and we look forward to growing delicious food for you this season!

Creamed Ramps and Overwintered Spinach

Chef Andrea Yoder, Harmony Valley Farm

Serves 4
2 bunches ramps,  ½ lb.
4 oz spinach
3-4 quarts water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 pint cream
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
½ tsp salt, or to taste
¼ tsp ground black pepper, or to taste

1. Bring 3-4 quarts of water to a boil.  Cut ramps into 1-2” pieces keeping the  bulbs separate from the leaves.  Blanch the ramp leaves by boiling just until wilted and bright green.  Remove from water and put in a colander.  Rinse with cold water and squeeze off excess water.  Repeat the same procedure with the spinach.
2. In an 8-inch oven proof skillet, heat oil.  Saute ramp bulbs just until slightly tender.  Remove from heat and top with ramp leaves.  Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper.  Layer spinach on top of ramps and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and pinch of black pepper.  Pour cream over vegetables and top with cheese.  
3. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 20-30 minutes or until cream is bubbling and has thickened, and the top is golden brown.

Ramp Butter

Chef Andrea Yoder, Harmony Valley Farm

Ramp butter on bread served with soup!

Yield ½ cup

1 stick unsalted butter, softened 

½ bunch ramps

1. Soften butter to room temperature.  
2. Clean ramps and remove the root end.  Roughly chop the ramps (white bulb and green tops) into 1-inch pieces.  Place ramps in the bowl of a food processor and process until they are finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the butter to the ramps and process just long enough to evenly incorporate the ramps into the butter.
4. Put into a covered bowl and refrigerate until ready for use. Will store for about 1 week in the refrigerator, or put some in the freezer to enjoy this winter!
5. This is a super simple, yet delicious way to enjoy the flavor of ramps and can be used in a lot of different ways.  Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Melt ramp butter in a saute pan and cook your morning eggs in it.
• Put a pat of ramp butter on top of a grilled steak.
• Spread ramp butter on bread and bake it in the oven until the bread is toasted. Serve it as a side with your favorite soup!
• Melt ramp butter on grilled asparagus spears.
• Stir ramp butter into warm rice or pasta.