CSA Pickups -- Week 3 -- Radishes!

Roots Farm CSA Week 3: April 26

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This Week:
-Sweet Charlie & Chandler Strawberries
-Sweet Onions (“Vidalia-type Yellow Granex)
-Swiss Chard or Kale
-Braising Mix
-Hakurei Turnips, Easter Egg Radishes, French Breakfast Radishes
-Lettuce Mix
-Arugula

On the Farm . . .
Wow--I go away for one week and everything just explodes into growth out here! The plants have doubled in size! And my goodness, the weeds are beginning to make their presence known. Wow. I’m just so impressed how things grow and grow. Next week our Summer CSA starts, so we’re gearing up for the full swing of summer. If we weren’t busy little bees before, we’re about to become them now.

Radishes
Storage: remove the greens from the roots and store separately in plastic bags. Like all greens, radish greens will wilt with air exposure. The roots should keep well for a week or more, but are best-tasting and most nutritious the fresher they are. Usage: radishes and young turnips are somewhat interchangeable in recipes. Both can be eaten raw, steamed, sauteed, boiled, baked, roasted, and probably grilled, though I haven’t tried that one yet. They also make good pickles. You can slice them thinly and eat them with butter, grate them into salads, add them to stir-fries. The possibilities continue. Don’t be afraid to experiment with cooking them--their texture turns from crunchy to smooth and delicious. Have fun!

RECIPES
Mediterranean Bean & Radish Salad
1 cup dried baby lima beans (1/2 lb)
1 cup peeled diced cucumber
1/2 cup sliced and quartered radishes
2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh dill
10-15 kalamata olives
1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp oregano
salt, to taste

Soak and boil lima beans according to package directions (about 30-45 minutes). They should be cooked but firm. In a medium-size serving bowl, combine beans, cucumber, radishes, dill, olives, and onion. In a small jar, shake together olive oil, vinegar, oregano, and salt. Pour over salad and toss. Serve at room temperature or cold. Makes 4 servings. From The Food and Wine of Greece.

Sauteed Radishes with Radish Greens and/or Arugula
1/4 c. butter
1 lb radishes
4 c. radish greens or arugula
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (1 small lemon)
salt & fresh ground black pepper

Radish greens and arugula both have a peppery bitterness that mellows slightly when they are cooked. You can use either radish greens or arugula, or both, for this recipe.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the radishes; cook, stirring constantly, until tender but still crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cook. Return skillet to stove. Put the green or arugula in the skillet with the wash water still clinging to the leaves. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until wilting, 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat. Add lemon juice and radishes to the skillet; stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Radish & Potato au Gratin
1 lb potatoes
1/2 lb radishes
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
3 oz cheddar cheese
3 oz monterey jack cheese
2 cups whole milk
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8 cup baking dish (I did 2, 8-inch glass pie dishes). Wash and slice potatoes and radishes into 1/2 inch thick slices. Boil until fork-tender. Drain and set aside. In a small saucepan, melt butter, stir in flour, and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and cook until thick, about 4-6 minutes (sauce will coat the back of the spoon). Add salt and pepper. Take off heat. Toss potatoes and radishes with salt and pepper and fold in cream sauce. Pour into baking dish(es) and sprinkle the top with cheese. Bake until brown and bubbly, about 8-10 minutes.

CSA Pickups --- Week 2 --- Braising Mix

Roots Farm CSA Week 2: April 19

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This Week:
-Sweet Charlie & Chandler Strawberries
-Sweet Onions (“Vidalia-type Yellow Granex)
-Swiss Chard or Kale
-Braising Mix
-Hakurei Turnips
-Easter Egg Radishes
-Lettuce Mix
-Herbs: Dill, Rosemary

On the Farm . . .
Things are really growing out here. We’re excited to have turnips or radishes in the basket this week. If you don’t like turnips, still gives these little white ones a try--they’re different. Sweet, tender, and delicious, I eat them raw in salads and love them . . . and I don’t really love turnips all that much, but these . . . Also, the young, tender Braising Mix is coming out--a delightful, mildly spicy medley. I recommend adding some to your salad mix to give it some kick. Or lightly saute them, as in some of the recipes below. Either way, your greens are good for you, so try them out!

RECIPES
Simple Greens Soup
2 Tbsp butter or oil
1 small yellow onion, medium-diced
1 lb root vegetables, medium-diced
4 cups water or vegetable broth
1 bunch greens (1/2-1 lb) washed and chopped
½ cup heavy cream (optional)

Heat butter or oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onions; cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until they are translucent (don’t let them brown). Add the root vegetables and water or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are soft when pierced with a fork, approximately 15 minutes. Add the greens and cook them until they wilt, about 3 minutes. Puree the soup with an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender or food processor) until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. For a creamy version, add heavy cream at the end and heat through. Makes 4 servings. From the From Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook.

Asian-Style Green Sautee
2 Tbsp sesame oil
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
½ lb mixed greens, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp tamari
freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in wok or large skillet to moderate heat. Add garlic and sautee 2 minutes. Remove garlic and set aside. Sautee the greens until just wilted. Remove from heat, and stir in vinegar, tamari, pepper, and garlic. Serve immediately. Great as a side dish or with rice. Makes 2-4 servings. From the From Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook.

Greens & Taters Fry-Up
1Tbsp butter
1 tsp chili oil or vegetable oil with some crushed red pepper
1 baking potato or 3-4 small red potatoes, thin-sliced
1 leek or small onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper
½ lb greens, washed
½ tsp dried ground thyme
¾ cup cooked sweet corn
3 sprigs fresh oregano, torn up (or other fresh herbs except mint)
½ tsp paprika
grated Parmesan (optional)

Heat butter and chili oil in large nonstick skillet over medium flame. Add potatoes and leeks or onions, and season well with salt and pepper. (You may also partially cook the potatoes first in salted water until nearly tender before frying them.) Let the potatoes brown lightly in the pan on one side for several minutes. Toss potatoes, season with more salt and pepper, and let them brown lightly again. When potatoes are almost tender, toss in greens and thyme, then add a little less than ¼ cup water, cover the pan, and raise to high heat. Let steam until greens are nearly done, 1-2 minutes. Uncover, add corn, oregano, and paprika, and allow potatoes to finish cooking and browning. Season to taste and top with Parmesan, if desired. Serve with fried eggs if you like. Makes 2-4 servings. From the From Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook.

CSA Pickups -- Week 1 -- Chard!

Roots Farm CSA Week 1: April 12

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This Week:
-Swiss Chard
-Sweet Charlie Strawberries

-Sweet Onions (“Vidalia-type Yellow Granex) -Green Scallions-Astro Arugula
-Lettuce Mix-Herbs: Dill

-Carrots
Roots Newsletters . . . Welcome to the Roots Blog, home of our weekly CSA newsletter, workday announcements, and various farm musings. Newsletters generally upload on Monday or Tuesday of each week and include announcements of what you may find in your baskets this week, photos, recipes, farm news, events announcements, and more. RECIPES will always be at the end of the blog, so scroll down if that’s what you’re looking for. Otherwise, read on . . .

First CSA Pickup!
Well, here we are--our first week of CSA pickups for 2011--wow! Is it that time already? Well, it’s actually 2 weeks earlier for us than we’ve ever begun before. Thanks for joining us on this new adventure! And it has been an adventure so far. Mishaps in the greenhouse, mice in the germination chamber, and slow-growing days of short sunlight--all have cropped up for us this Spring and have been plentiful providers of learning opportunities if not of produce plants. But we’re prevailing. Nothing gets us to learn like pushing our limits and we’re learning what it takes to have food ready earlier and earlier into the Spring. Thankfully, the weather has been in our favor and things have really put on a growth spurt this last week. Those plants are moving and changing FAST! Which means more food for everyone today. Yay!

Summer CSA Sold Out!
Thanks for your help pointing folks in our direction. This past week we sold our final Summer CSA share. We may re-open to accepting members later in the summer when veggies are plentiful, but for now, our shares are all full. Anyone you know that’s interested can sign up for our WAITING LIST to get first notification of when we re-open. All they have to do is email us at RootsFarm@hotmail.com and write “WAITING LIST” in the subject line. We’d love to have a long waiting list and the CSA always full, so keep spreading the word. Thanks again, folks!

Workday Success!
Our Saturday weekend workday went great! We had 15 people out here on the farm--transplanting, shovelling, shaping beds, applying compost, weeding, mulching, and fighting back the honeysuckle from our fenceline. It was an amazingly beautiful morning full of industrious folks. Followed by another round of Becky’s kale and scallion quiche and Sara’s carrot muffins. We’ll host another next month, so mark your calendars--Saturday, May 14th is the next one! Join us!

Farm News
Our new walk-in cooler is now operational--all we’ve got left to do is apply the finishing touches! It’ll be nice for us to have that much more cold space on hand. Last year, we maxed out our 5 refrigerators and were still shuffling things into coolers--not this year! This year, there’s enough cold space to walk in and look around, to be towered over by cool produce, to pack things with elbow space to spare in their boxes--yay! Exciting times.

In the field, the braising mix and kale are growing quickly now and will be ready soon--maybe even next week! The sweet onions are really bulbing up and taking on some size. Turnips will be coming out next week. And the heads of lettuce are filling out right on schedule. We’re seeding tomatoes and basil in the greenhouse, and arugula, beans, and corn in the fields. The pasture is one red wave of blooming crimson clover, and the strawberry plants are about to be another red wave of fruit.

Event: Conscious Movement, Conscious Food -- Wednesday, April 20th
Don’t forget! Next week Roots Farm is partnering with Sangha Yoga Studio and the Foundry Park Inn & Spa to bring you Conscious Movement, Conscious Food -- an evening of Hatha yoga and delicious local delights. Wednesday, April 20th! Give your body the deluxe treatment. Join Sangha Yoga Studio's founding director Meghan Burke for an ALL LEVELS HATHA YOGA CLASS in a twinkle-lit ballroom . . . stretching, breathing, detoxifying . . . from 6-7:15pm ($10). Followed by a delicious, 3 course vegetarian or vegan meal prepared by executive chef Martin Smetana of the Foundry Park Inn & Spa using produce supplied by your very own Roots Farm at 7:30pm ($15.95 + tax & gratiuity). You can reserve your space for either yoga, the dinner, or both by calling the Foundry Park Inn by April 18th: 706-410-1968. You’ve experienced our food in your kitchen--now see what a professional chef will create in his! Hope to have you with us!

Event: Old-Timey Seed Swap -- Saturday, April 30th
Here’s something you might be interested in--get ready for the 14th Annual Old-Timey Seed Swap. The Seed Swap is brought to you by FOLK and PLACE with help from The Center for Integrative Conservation Research (CICR) and UGA Anthropology Society. Join us on Saturday, April 30th from 1pm until the campfire dies at Grove Creek Farm (formerly Agrarian Connections Farm) in Crawford, GA, only fifteen minutes east of Athens.

Since 1996, the Old-Timey Seed Swap has been a place for folks to share stories, knowledge, music, and heirloom seeds in the spirit of preserving and reviving the South’s traditional agricultural ways.

Come enjoy kids’ activities, including games and face-painting, live foot-stompin’ music (bring your instruments for the evening fire-side jam!), and delicious local whole-hog BBQ. Browse the booths of local artisans and farmers, and don’t forget to bring seeds and plants to swap!

Locally produced food and drinks provided by PLACE, SlowFood Athens, and the Clamberskull Brew Collective. $5 food donation and $3 for drinks--or bring a side dish to share. Bring a chair/blanket to sit and a mug for drinks!

For directions visit www.grovecreekfarm.org

Featured Veggies . . .
Each week, I’ll feature a fruit or veggie that’s appearing in your baskets and provide some recipe ideas for how to use it. You can also check the recipes page of our website for links to five years worth of recipes, all listed by vegetable. Plus, we have copies of the cookbook From Asparagus to Zucchini for sale--it’s one of our favorites and was created for CSA members like yourselves! Ask us for a copy for your home!

Swiss Chard
Facts: Chard (Beta vulgaris) is a close relative of the beet that has been cultivated for its leaves instead of its roots. The leaves are big and tender and often substituted for spinach in recipes (which it’s also related to). Indigenous to the Mediterranean, chard is often referred to as Swiss chard due to its initial description by a Swiss botanist in the 16th century. Chard is high in vitamins A, E, and C, and minerals like iron and calcium.
Storage: Keep your chard in a closed plastic bag--air is your enemy and will cause this delicate green to wilt quite quickly (though you can revive it by soaking it in cold water for a while). Chard will keep for a week or more in good conditions. Cooking: Most often, folks like to de-stem chard and cook the stems for longer than the leaves. It’s a texture issue that I’ll leave to your personal preferences. You can use chard as you would any leafy green. Chard is good in salads, on sandwiches, in casseroles, stews, and more! Try it massaged! Bake it into lasagne! Either way, you’ll be seeing it often this year, so go ahead and begin experimenting to find your favorite recipe!

RECIPES

Massaged Chard
1 bunch chard, de-stemmed
1 lemon, juiced
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp molasses or honey
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sesame seeds

De-stem the chard and chop or julienne it into bite-size pieces. Place the chard in a large bowl or tupperware and drizzle the rest of the ingredients over it. Then, either massage the chard with your hands for 3-5 minutes or put the lid on and shake it vigorously in all directions. Taste and adjust for your flavor preferences. Serve warm or refrigerated. Makes 3-5 servings.

Chard & Arugula Salad with Strawberries

2 cups chard, large stems removed

2 cups arugula

1 cup sliced strawberries

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

¼ tsp salt

3 Tbsp olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

Make the vinaigrette first. Add the red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and salt to a salad bowl, then gradually add the oil while whisking until emulsified. Add the chard and arugula to the vinaigrette and toss gently. (If your greens are larger than baby sized, I recommend chopping them into bite-size pieces or ribbons.) When greens are lightly coated, transfer to salad plates, top with the strawberries, and finish with a generous grinding of pepper. Makes 8 servings.

Note: to easily create ribbons with your greens, try the chiffonade technique. Stack your greens in a pile, roll them up, then slice the roll thinly and voila! Beautiful delicate ribbons.

Chard Rolls Filled with Winter Vegetables

2 Tbsp olive oil

8 large chard leaves, stems removed and diced finely

1 onion, finely diced

3 carrots, finely diced

½ lb potatoes, finely diced

6-8 cups additional finely diced vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, parsnips, parsley root, or celery root

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tsp chopped tarragon or ½ tsp dried

salt and freshly milled pepper

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 cup water or vegetable stock

1-2 Tbsp butter or vegetable oil

Put medium pot of water on to boil. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the chard stems, onion, other root vegetables, garlic, and tarragon. Season with ½ tsp salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook over medium heat until tender, 20-25 minutes. Add the lemon juice. Plunge the chard leaves into water for 4 minutes, then set on a towel to drain. Cut away the thick part of the base of each leaf. Place the leaves, smooth side down, on the counter. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of filling just above the cut notch at the bottom of each leaf, then fold the sides over the filling and roll up the leaves. Keep the remaining filling in the skillet and set the rolls right on top of it. Add the water to the pan, do the leaves with butter or vegetable oil, and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve the rolls with the extra vegetables and their juices. Makes 4 servings. From Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone by Deborah Madison.

April Weekend Workday -- THIS SATURDAY!

April Weekend Workday:

THIS SATURDAY -- 9am-Noon

Plus a farm-fresh BRUNCH!

Come join us out in the fields for a lovely Spring morning on the farm. We'll be transplanting, seeding, weeding, preparing rows, mulching, and much more! It should be a lovely day out and we'd love to get our hands dirty with you. The saying is true--many hands make light work. Some come on out and do some light work with us and then celebrate a job well done with some farm-fresh delights. We'll be here--all we need is YOU!