January 10, 2023

 

What’s in this Week’s VEGGIE BOX: Napa Cabbage, Oranges, Beets, Broccoli, Escarole and Cilantro

Bread this week: Lavain OR Walnut your choice of one

 

 This week on the farm

Happy New Year!!! And here we go for another round, another season, and the continued great adventure ride of our lives. The first thing that comes to mind is the weather, whether we like it or not we weather the weather. These last few weeks have been quite amazing with all the rain, and I know many in the Sacramento area have been very affected by flooding, and electrical outages and tree damage. Friends of mine in Davis had a tree fall on top of their landscaping work truck and totally smash it! YIKES. As for us on the farm, we are high, certainly not dry, but as the water floods, with the breaks in the storm it goes down. All the small creeks, and even Cache Creek is flowing high, the roads are flooded during the peak of the storm, but we have a road to the north that usually is always passable, while all others are under deep lakes.

            We came back to work yesterday donning the rain gear and mud boots, it is a slogging mess to be sure. Listening to the wind, we go out in the morning to make sure that trees are not down and the water buckets under drips are emptied. Claire gets up in the middle of the night to dump the water buckets around the computers in the office (dang that leaky skylight window). We make the rounds to see what damage we have, and so far (fingers crossed) we everything is holding together. In driving to and from Santa Rosa to the Ranch we are watching Lake Berryessa and Lake Hennessey rise, the first being larger is going up much slower, but it sure feels like the many burned but sprouting trees are loving the long drink, and the understory of grasses are showing a green fuzz.

            These last few weeks on our winter vacation with the rain, cold and darkness I found myself staying in the house, keeping busy, but pretty much not going out and doing farm related work. This time of year I seriously need the quietness, darkness and silence in the cave of the bear to hibernate.  If you live in Northern California and it is bright and sunny, and if you work outside, it is pretty impossible to slow down and have the ability to go inward and restore my own reservoir of light. So here we are and I have to say, knowing that many are struggling with the weather, yet I am very much in gratitude for this rainy winter season. As the snow in the Sierra piles up, our reservoirs are filling up and I can just imagine the underground veins of Mother Earth are also swelling too, it is pretty easy to sit inside and just be quiet, listen to the rain and wind, feel the cold and be still in the darkness to prepare for the spring to come. Be safe, don’t drive in this crazy weather, and have a great wet week listening to the world outside while you are in your own cave~Annie

 

Greek-Style Beet & Broccoli Pitas

Source:Blueapon

 

2 Pocketless Pitas

3 oz Shishito Peppers

1 Lemon

½ lb Broccoli

4 oz Cooked Beets

1½ oz Feta Cheese

½ cup Tzatziki (Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce)

1 Tbsp Za'atar Seasoning (Ground Sumac, Sesame Seeds, Salt, Ground Thyme, Whole Dried Oregano & Crushed Aleppo Pepper)

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Cut off and discard the bottom 1/2 inch of the broccoli stem; cut the broccoli into small florets. Place on a sheet pan; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Arrange in an even layer on one side of the sheet pan. Roast 5 minutes. Leaving the oven on, remove from the oven.  Meanwhile, place the peppers in a bowl; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and half the za’atar (you will have extra). Stir to coat. Carefully transfer to the other side of the sheet pan of partially roasted broccoli and arrange in an even layer. Roast 9 to 11 minutes, or until the vegetables are browned and tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven.  Meanwhile, zest the lemon to get 1 teaspoon (if you don’t have a zester, use a peeler to remove the yellow rind of the lemon, avoiding the white pith; mince the rind). Quarter and deseed the lemon. In a bowl, combine the lemon zest, cheese (crumbling before adding), and 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate, stirring occasionally, at least 10 minutes. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. On a paper towel-lined cutting board, halve the beets lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise. In a bowl, combine the sliced beets, the juice of 2 lemon wedges, and a drizzle of olive oil; season with salt and pepper.  If you prefer to use a microwave, wrap the pitas in a damp paper towel and microwave on high 1 minute, or until heated through and pliable. If you prefer to use the oven, wrap the pitas in foil and place directly onto an oven rack; warm 7 to 9 minutes, or until heated through and pliable. Transfer the warmed pitas to a work

 

 

ORANGE CURRIED CILANTRO SALMON

Source: Lifeasastrawberry

 

THE FISH:

Four 5-ounce salmon filets

THE RUB:

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. cardamom

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. paprika

¼ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. fresh lemon zest (about half as much if you’re using dry lemon zest!)

FOR THE SAUCE:

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 green onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

2 oranges, juiced

½ tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. curry powder

2 Tbsp. apricot jam

½ tsp. cumin

¼ cup cilantro, chopped, plus extra for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a medium-sized baking sheet. Mix all rub ingredients together in a small bowl. Sprinkle ¼ of the rub onto each piece of salmon and massage it into the fish with your hands. Place the fish on your greased baking sheet and slide it into the oven for 12-18 minutes, until salmon is cooked through and flaky. (If you like your salmon more well done, leave it in the oven an additional 3 minutes or so).While the salmon is cooking, start the sauce. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. When oil is hot, add green onions, garlic, salt and pepper and sauté for one to two minutes, until onions are translucent and you can smell the garlic in the air.  Juice the oranges and add all but two teaspoons of the juice to the saucepan. Whisk the cornstarch into the remaining two teaspoons of orange juice and set aside. Whisk curry powder, apricot jam, cumin, and chopped cilantro into sauce. Stir until jam has melted into sauce and you have a smooth mixture. Whisk remaining orange juice-cornstarch mixture into sauce and let simmer until it thickens slightly – it shouldn’t take more than a minute. Remove sauce from heat and pour it over cooked salmon. Garnish with extra cilantro, drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, and serve immediately.

 

 

Stir-Fried Rice Noodles With Beets and Beet Greens

Source: NYTcooking

 

7 ounces rice vermicelli or thin rice stick noodles

½ cup chicken stock or vegetable stock

1 tablespoon soy sauce (more to taste)

1 tablespoon Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry

Salt to taste

½ teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

¼  to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or 1 to 2 serrano or Thai chiles, minced

2 eggs

2 tablespoons peanut oil, sunflower oil or canola oil

4 small or 2 medium beets (½ pound), preferably golden or Chioggia beets, peeled and very thinly sliced, then cut into half-moons

2 medium-size leeks, white and light green parts only, cut in half, cleaned of sand, and thinly sliced

1 generous bunch beet greens, stemmed, washed well in 2 changes of water, and coarsely chopped or cut in ribbons

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ to 1cup coarsely chopped cilantro

2 teaspoons walnut oil

Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with warm water. Soak for 20 – 30 minutes, until soft. Drain in a colander and using kitchen scissors, cut into 6-inch lengths. Set aside within reach of your wok. Combine stock, soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, salt and sugar in a small bowl and stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Combine garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes or minced chile in another bowl. Have all ingredients within reach of your wok. Beat eggs in a bowl and season with a little salt. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in 2 teaspoons of oil by adding it to the sides of the wok and swirling the wok. Make sure that the bottom of the wok is coated with oil and add beaten eggs, swirling the wok so that the eggs form a thin pancake. Cook 30 seconds to a minute, until set. Using a spatula, turn pancake over and cook for 5 to 10 more seconds, until thoroughly set, then transfer to a plate or cutting board. Roll up or fold in half and cut into strips using the edge of your spatula or a knife. Set aside. Swirl remaining oil into wok and add garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes or chile. Stir-fry no more than 10 seconds and add beets and leeks. Stir-fry 2 minutes, until beets are crisp-tender. Add greens and walnuts and stir-fry until greens wilt, about 1 minute. Add noodles and stock mixture. Reduce heat to medium and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, until noodles are just tender. Add cilantro and eggs and stir-fry another 30 seconds to a minute, until well combined. Remove from heat and serve.