January 24, 2023
What’s in this Week’s VEGGIE BOX: Carrots, Tangelos, Lemons (Meyer or Eureka), Green Cabbage, Escarole, Almonds & Chard
Bread this week: Garlic Parmesan OR Puligese your choice of one
REMINDER:
DWS BOXES ARE MOVED IN THE AFTERNOON BY THE OFFICE. IF YOU GO AFTER HOURS, CHECK THERE IF THEY ARE NOT IN THE NORMAL AREA. THEY ARE MOVED BACK IN THE MORNING
This week on the farm
Well, somehow it’s almost February. My dad kept warning me how I won’t believe how quickly our “winter break months” go by, and while I will likely not admit it to him, he is totally correct. Part of the accelerator for this month was spending all last week at a small farming conference held on the beach in Monterey. Eco Farm was founded in 1981, and is the oldest and largest organic farming conference west of the Mississippi, supplemented by other events throughout the year. This year there were around 1500 people attending, all coming together for education, alliance building, advocacy, and celebration. At the conference you are invited to attend workshops put on by Farmers and ag professionals, who are all there to share their knowledge, trials and errors, expertise, and solidarity in this isolated lifestyle. I spent 7 hours listening to pioneer farmers discuss their trials with no till organic vegetable farming in California, only to find out that while they had tried crop after crop, season after season, with numerous new implements and tools, there was only 1 successful trial in 4 years. Yikes! And let’s not even address the lost revenue. At another seminar, a UCD professor shared that “in her opinion, climate change will render stone fruit in CA unviable, due to inadequate chilling hours”. Coincidentally, we are set to pick up our new peach orchard rootstock today! Initially my response to these two particular presentations was a bit depressed. How could the leaders in our community be without the answers that I need? If they can’t figure it out, how can I possibly dream of success? But slowly the blues started to fade as I listened to Jacob Katz present on his project to redesign California’s antiquated water infrastructure, specifically to integrate salmon in to floodplains of the central valley. Wow! He is re-envisioning the water systems, and looking for systems that layer on top of each other and mutually benefit rather than each party trying to elbow the other out. I sat in a gathering for women in agriculture as they shared a bit about themselves, and felt immensely humbled. I heard farmers preaching the need to look to understand water cycles on our land, and adapt your farm to the needs of those cycles. What I started to see was the wave of uncertainty about our future blend with the ingenuity and perseverance of farmers. Organic farmers in CA have had to work to survive, think outside the box, and reimagining the wheel for a long time, and I felt like that is what I was seeing unfold in front of me. The CA climate is shifting, weather is doing very strange things, and big money is swooping in around us in the form of Almond trees, walnut trees and so much more. But behind all of that you can find a small organic farmer starting to think about how they can have a diverse market stand in 5 years. What is the next drought tolerant plant we can bring in, how can we efficiently trap the little water we have to use it later? One presenter looked to Peru, where they dig little drains in the mountains which leads the water into the mountain caves, where it trickles slowly down and comes out in valley streams, effectively slowing the rainwater down for 1-5 months. Meaning their winter rains can last them into the summer, just by slow moving storage caves. And they have been doing it for 1,000 years! So while I was initially a bit thrown off at first, by the end of the conference I came out inspired by the potential for change, and our natural ability to adapt. I came out also inspired by being a part of a community of people who are continuously pushing that adaptation, and finding innovation for survival. It wasn’t that long ago that Organic farming was considered counter culture and scoffed at by most people, so we know things can change. Have a great week~ Ali
WHITE BEAN ESCAROLE SOUP
Source: Italianfoodforever
1 Tablespoon Extra-virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Onion, Finely Chopped
2 Stalks Celery, Finely Chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Teaspoons Freshly Chopped Thyme
1/2 Teaspoon Red Chili Pepper Flakes (Optional
1 Head Escarole, Washed, Dried, & Roughly Chopped
Salt & Pepper
6 Cups Low-sodium Vegetable or Chicken Broth
2 (15-oz.) Cans Cannellini Beans, Drained and Rinsed
1 Parmesan Rind
2 Bay Leaves
Juice of 1 Lemon
In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add the onion, and celery, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Add the escarole and stir until wilted completely. Season well with salt and pepper. Add the broth, beans, parmesan rind and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and stir occasionally, mashing some beans (about 1/3 of them) in the pot to thicken soup. Let simmer 15 minutes, then stir in lemon juice. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese before serving.
CRISPY CABBAGE AND CARROT FRITTERS
Source:PlayfulCooking
half cabbage head (10.35 oz/ 294 g)
1 large carrot (3.70 oz/ 105 g)
¼ cup finely chopped or thinly sliced red onion
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 green chili (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ cup rice flour
¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup corn flour
2 tablespoons coarse ground peanuts (optional)
Very finely slice the cabbage head and grate the carrot.
In a mixing bowl, add the cabbage, carrot, onion, cilantro, chili, salt, sugar, nigella seeds, fennel seeds and turmeric. Mix it together and cover the bowl. Leave it aside for 30 minutes (this process will soften the veggies as the veggie releases its natural moisture). After 30 minutes, add the rice flour, all-purpose flour, corn flour and ground peanuts to the same bowl. DO NOT ADD WATER. Start mixing it together by crushing the veggies with your hand and slowly the mixture will come together into a perfect sticky consistency. Place a wide flat skillet at medium heat and pour enough oil to shallow fry the fritters. Once the oil heats up, make tiny flat disc of the mixture and carefully slide it into the hot oil. Let it fry at medium heat for 4 minutes on one side or until golden brown. Flip and fry for 3 more minutes on the other side or until golden brown. Once done, place the fried fritters on a cookie wire rack (it stays crispy longer when kept on a wire rack instead of a kitchen towel). Enjoy right away!
Swiss Chard, Potato, and Carrot Pie
Source: CiaoItalia
9 inch pie dish or similar casserole dish
Extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and grated
1 cup cooked and well squeezed Swiss chard, chopped (leaves only, steamed)
4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cooked, cooled and peeled
1 large egg
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Grating of nutmeg
Salt and pepper taste
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Brush the pie pan with olive oil and set aside. In a medium size sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil; add the onion and carrot and cook until onion begins to soften; stir in the chopped Swiss chard and cook a couple of minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Mash the potatoes and add the egg, cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Combine with the Swiss chard mixture; adjust seasoning, if necessary, and spread in the pie plate. Drizzle the top with olive oil and sprinkle with more grated cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Serve scooped from the pie dish.
Tangelo delicious
Source: Tsate
6 Tablespoon (80g butter) softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 tangelos, rind finely grated, juiced
3 eggs, separated
1/3 cup self-rising flour, sifted
1 1/4 cups milk
Pure icing sugar, to dust
Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a 5cm deep 6-cup capacity ovenproof dish. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, rind and yolks until light and creamy. Using a large metal spoon, fold in flour. Gently stir in 1/3 cup tangelo juice and milk until just combined. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into batter. Spoon batter into dish and place in a baking pan. Pour hot water into pan so it comes halfway up side of dish. Bake pudding for 50 to 55 minutes or until risen and golden. Dust with icing sugar. Serve.
Cabbage & Chard Fried Rice
Source:BlueApron
2 Eggs
1 cup Jasmine Rice
4 oz Shiitake Mushrooms
3 cloves Garlic
3 Scallions
1 bunch Green Chard
1 Carrot
1 Sweet Potato
½ head Broccoli
¼ head Napa Cabbage
In a small pot, combine the rice, a big pinch of salt and 1½ cups of water. Heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer 11 to 13 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Fluff the finished rice with a fork. While the rice cooks, cut off and discard the mushroom stems; thinly slice the caps. Cut the broccoli into small florets. Remove the root ends of the scallions; thinly slice the scallions, separating the white bottoms and green tops. Peel and mince the garlic. Peel and slice the carrot into thin matchsticks. Separate the chard leaves and stems. Slice the leaves into ribbons; small dice the stems. Peel and mince the ginger. Peel the sweet potato; grate on the large side of a box grater. Remove and discard the core of the cabbage; thinly slice the leaves. Crack the eggs into a medium bowl; beat until smooth. In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of oil on medium-high until hot. Add the mushrooms and broccoli; cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 to minutes, or until the mushrooms have softened and the broccoli is bright green. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Wipe out the pan. In the same pan used to cook the mushrooms and broccoli, heat 2 teaspoons of oil on medium-high until hot. Add the garlic, ginger, chard stems and white bottoms of the scallions; cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the carrot, sweet potato and ¼ cup water; cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until the carrot and sweet potato have softened slightly. Add the cabbage, chard leaves and ¼ cup of water; cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until the chard leaves have wilted. Add the eggs and cooked broccoli and mushrooms to the pan of vegetables. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes, or until thoroughly combined and the eggs are cooked to your desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat. Add the cooked rice and sweet soy sauce to the pan of vegetables; stir until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. SDivide the fried rice between two dishes and garnish with the green tops of the scallions. Enjoy!