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.

Vegetable Feature: Witch Stick Peppers

By Chef Andrea

     Every winter the seed catalogs tempt us with pretty pictures of vibrantly colored vegetables.  We’re always looking for new things to try, and this past winter this unique pepper caught our attention.  Richard, always the practical grower, surprised me when he said he thought it would be fun to try these new witch stick peppers, a red, corkscrew pepper that is mostly sweet but sometimes reveals a hot one.  I agreed and added it to our seed order.
     Fast forward 9 months and here we are, harvesting these cool peppers!  The long, skinny, slightly twisted red peppers in your box are this unique pepper.  As I mentioned, they are sweet most of the time, but occasionally you might find a hot one.  The seed is produced by a Japanese company, so I thought maybe there was a traditional way to use the pepper.  However, if you Google this pepper, you won’t find much regarding how to use it since it is seemingly new to the US market and perhaps the world!  So, I was faced this week with the challenge of figuring out what to do this pepper.  I called the seed company to see if they had any recommendations for how to use this pepper. They suggested using them in sauces and stews.  Ok, that sounds fine, but the beauty of this pepper is its shape….it just seems like we should find a way to use it other than just chop it up!  So I set out to discover this pepper, and here is what I found.
     First, this pepper has a very thin skin and a thin wall of flesh.  This is an attribute that makes it a good candidate for drying.  If I weren’t looking for a culinary use for this pepper, I’d tell you to dry them and use them as a Christmas tree ornament!  This pepper also has a pretty extensive seed cavity which extends about three-quarters of the way down the pepper.  If the pepper is raw, I found that it’s easiest to cut the stem off the top of the pepper.  Next, use your finger to create a small tear starting at the top of the pepper.  Run your finger down the pepper following the natural separation of the pepper.  I was intrigued to find that the pepper skin followed a corkscrew pattern as I ran my finger down the side of the pepper. Once you’ve opened up the pepper, lay it flat on a cutting board and remove all the ribs and seeds.  Now you have a usable piece of pepper.

Oven Roasted Witch Stick Peppers

     I also tried cooking them—both sautéed on the stovetop and roasted in the oven.  I actually prefer the flavor of the pepper better when cooked as it has a fruity and sweet profile.  I found it easiest to remove the seeds before sautéing, but the same is not true if you’re going to roast them in the oven.  I roasted them at a temperature of 375°F for about 25 minutes.  Before I put them in the oven I brushed them lightly with oil.  About halfway through the cooking time I flipped the peppers over. I considered them done when the skin was starting to turn golden and had a shiny, translucent appearance.  Once they are cool enough to handle, carefully pull the stem end and you can fairly easily remove the entire section of seed nearly entirely intact.  Once the seeds are removed you can use the roasted pepper flesh however you wish to.
     I have to admit, I don’t feel like I’ve mastered this vegetable.  I am looking for a way to use this pepper that really maximizes the uniqueness of its shape.  It just seems like it would be a shame to just chop it up and treat it like any old pepper!  So the idea I kept coming back to was pickled peppers, which is the recipe I included in this week’s newsletter.  I did find that it is easier to use the peppers if you seed them out first.  Even if you end up chopping up the pickled peppers to serve them, at least you can enjoy their beautiful appearance in the jar for awhile!
     So I am passing the challenge on to you.  If you find a fun way to use this pepper that takes advantage of its unique shape, please share your recipe with us!  Send it our way along with a picture (csa@harmonyvalleyfarm.com).  We’ll offer a $20 gift certificate for the most creative idea for using this pepper!  Have fun!

Witch Stick Pickled Peppers

Yield: 1 quart

5 witch stick peppers
3 medium carrots
1 medium or two small onions
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 ½ cups white wine vinegar
1 cup water
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves



1.  First prepare all the vegetables.  To prepare the peppers, trim the stem off the top.  Tear the top of the pepper a little bit and then run your finger down the pepper to open up the pepper all the way to the tip.  Lay the pepper down on a cutting board, spread out the  flesh and remove all the seeds and ribs.  Curl the pepper back into its original shape and set aside.
2.  Peel the carrots if desired and cut into ¼” thick slices.  Peel the onion, cut in half and slice thinly.
3.  Next, pack the onions, carrots, peppers and garlic cloves into a clean and sterilized 1-quart canning jar and set aside.
4.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the vinegar, water, sugar, thyme and bay leaves.  Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then let the mixture come to a simmer.  Remove the vinegar mixture from the heat and carefully pour it into the jar with the vegetables.  Fill the jar almost to the top, leaving about a ½” to 1” headspace.
5.  Put a lid on the jar and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.  Store the pickles in the refrigerator and eat them within a few weeks.

Serving suggestions:  Pickled vegetables are a tasty addition to sandwiches, either on the sandwich or serve them on the side.  They are also delicious served alongside eggs, tacos, on top of steaks, etc.

Recipe by Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Poblano Peppers

By Lindsay the CSA Coordinator

     Originating in Puebla, Mexico, the poblano pepper is mildly spicy.  While it does have some heat compared to a sweet bell pepper, it is significantly less intense than a jalapeño.  You will still want to make sure to thoroughly wash your hands after chopping, but the oils are not intense enough as to require gloves when working with a few peppers.  The color of the poblano is such a dark green as to almost be black. You can identify poblanos by their dark color as well as by their shape: block-like on the stem-end but narrowing to a point.
     You can use these peppers to add a subtle kick to many different dishes or as a main ingredient in recipes such as chile rellenos or mole sauce.  If you aren’t able to use them right away, raw peppers can be frozen after they are deseeded and chopped.  You can also freeze the peppers for later use after roasting and removing the skin.  Poblanos can also be preserved by drying the peppers and grinding them or storing whole.  If you have ever come across ancho chiles, these are the dried form of the poblano.  It can be helpful to store small portions of the dried peppers in several containers in case any mold began to develop while drying.
     Because of their comparatively thicker flesh, poblanos will stand up to cooking without falling apart. They are great in summer soups and stews alongside other summer vegetables such as corn, tomatoes and tomatillos.  Poblanos are often roasted either using an oven broiler or other open flame. Let the charred pepper sit in a covered container for 15 minutes and the skin should subsequently rub off more easily.  Roasted poblanos have a unique flavor that can add interesting depth to tomatillo or tomato salsa as well as guacamole.  They are great in sauces atop summer vegetables, enchiladas or tacos.  Poblano Rajas is an easy condiment consisting of strips of roasted poblano pepper. You can either roast your poblanos and then cut into strips, or experiment with the time-saving recipe by Rick Bayless available at www.fronterafiesta.com/cook/salsa-a-condiments/262-poblanorajas. Also check out Chef Andrea’s recipe adaption below!

Roasted Poblano, Onion & Jack Quesadilla

3 poblano chiles
2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced lengthwise (about      1 ½ cups)
1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
¼ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Two 10-inch flour tortillas
4-8 oz grated Monterey Jack cheese
Sour cream or crème fraiche, to taste


1.  To roast the peppers using a gas flame: Turn a gas burner to high and char the poblanos directly over the flame, turning them with tongs as soon as each side becomes fully blackened, about 6 to 8 minutes per pepper. To roast the peppers in the oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Halve and seed the peppers and place on a parchment-lined (for easy cleanup) baking sheet. Roast for about 30 to 35 minutes or until charred in some places. (Don’t let them get too black or you will have trouble peeling them.)
2.  Immediately after roasting, put the poblanos in a bowl, cover, and set aside to steam and loosen the skins. When they’re cool enough to handle, peel the charred skin off with your hands or a small paring knife. Pull out and discard the stems and seed clusters (if you haven’t already). Slice the peppers into ¼ inch wide strips and put them in a small bowl.
3.  Put a baking sheet in the oven and heat the oven to 150°F (or its lowest setting).
4.  Meanwhile: heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add another tablespoon of oil and the mushrooms.  Continue to cook until the mushrooms are soft.  Add the poblano strips, season with a generous pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are heated through, another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and wipe the skillet clean.

5.  Heat 1 tsp of the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add one tortilla and scatter over it half of the cheese, half of the poblano mixture, and half of the cilantro. When the tortilla smells toasty and the bottom is browned in spots, in 1 or 2 minutes, fold it in half, pressing it with a spatula to flatten it. Transfer to the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make one more quesadilla. Cut each quesadilla into wedges and serve with the sour cream or crème fraiche on the side.

Recipe adapted from www.alexandracooks.com.