Week 4 Tidbits, by Melinda

We're getting some beautiful and unusual produce items this week, some of which may not be familiar to you. Take black raspberries: they're native to North America and are extraordinarily nutritious with very high levels of antioxidants (beside being totally scrumptious). They're available in most places for only about three weeks, so you rarely find them in markets. Such a treat!

Black Raspberry (photo source)

While superficially they resemble blackberries, they have a hollow core like red raspberries; blackberries don't have that. They also have slightly less sugar than red raspberries and are slightly smaller. Most people use them to make jams or pies. They also make great ice cream!  But vegans, don't despair--for a superb vegan, black-raspberry ice cream, click here.

As well, we're getting that mainstay of greens (practically year-round!), Red Russian kale. And then there's Tatsoi, a beautiful Asian green in the brassica family, along with Tokyo Bekana and Pac Choi. Tatsoi grows in a lovely rosette form, with its short stems and leaves radiating out from a central point. Tatsoi has a very mild flavor and many names: "spinach mustard," "spoon mustard," and "rosette Bok Choi," for starters! Like the other Asian greens we've gotten so far, it has many applications in cooking, from raw in salad, to stir-fried, to sauteed with garlic and lots of other uses!

Tatsoi (photo source)

Another hard-to-find goodie we're getting is "fresh garlic," Basically, that's garlic when the bulb is first pulled up, before it's been allowed to dry to its usual form with the papery skins. It's also called "uncured garlic" (thanks Angela!)

Fresh garlic (photo source)

Fresh garlic is considered a real delicacy in Europe, where people are willing to pay several dollars for one head!!!! Because it's so expensive, frugal cooks use every part of it, including the stalk that rises from the head (if it hasn't been cut off) as well as the thick, moist skins that surround the small fresh garlic cloves. (See recipe below.)

Finally, we're harvesting beets this week, as well as radish greens. Radish greens are a tender but spicy green that makes a great addition to pesto sauces, really bringing a little zing to the party. Of course they also can be steamed, sauteed, stir-fried, etc., like almost all greens.

Black Raspberry Dumplings--This makes 10 servings, so if you have just a pint of black raspberries, feel free to halve the recipe.

• 1 quart fresh or frozen black raspberries
• 1 and 1/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1 cup water
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 3 cups prepared baking mix (Bisquick-type)
• 1 cup of milk [or vegan milk substitute]
• additional sugar, optional
• ground nutmeg, optional

In a 6-qt. pan, combine raspberries, 1 cup sugar, water, and cornstarch; stir to blend. Bring to a

boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to low. Meanwhile, combine baking mix, milk, and remaining sugar in a bowl. Mix until a soft dough forms. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto the berries. Cook over low heat, uncovered, 10 minutes. Cover & cook 10-15 min. more, or until dumplings are cooked through. For a glazed effect, sprinkle the dumplings with additional sugar and a dash of nutmeg before serving. (Click here for source of both photo and recipe)

For another recipe, click here for "Pine Nut Dumplings in Raspberry Sauce"!  (Be still my beating heart!)

Of course people love black raspberry (or red raspberry) jam. If you're feeling adventurous and ready to dive into hot-water-bath canning (it's easy, really!!!), try this simple recipe for canned black raspberry jam (click here). That's from the blog, "Food in Jars," that we follow (see the lower left-hand column on this page). If you're not quite ready for that, try this freezer jam recipe:

Easy Black Raspberry Freezer Jam

• 4 cups crushed berries
• 1  1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 (1.59 oz) packet Ball Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin (check store or see here)

Stir granulated sugar & contents of freezer jam fruit pectin together in a large bowl, till mixed together. Stir in the crushed berries, continuing to stir the mixture for 3-4 min. Ladle the jam into clean half-pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch of head space [empty space] at the top. Put lids on jars & let jars sit on the counter till the mixture starts to thicken. Once it has thickened (~30-45 min.), place your containers in the freezer. You could substitute stackable Tupperware-type containers for the glass jars. The jam will keep up to a year in the freezer or about 3 weeks in the fridge. The recipe yields about 5 half-pint jars or 8-10 Tupperware snack cups full of jam.  (Recipe source)

To Prepare Tatsoi--If you get a whole head, separate the leaves from each other, then wash. If you get just leaves on stems, you're set to wash them. In either case, wrap washed leaves in toweling in a plastic bag to keep in the fridge a few days.

Tatsoi in Mustard Dressing

• 12 oz. washed and chopped tatsoi
• 2 medium scallions, chopped
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (I wouldn't use Trader Joe's brand--it tastes like very hot Chinese mustard)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• [You might also consider adding a clove or two of thinly sliced fresh garlic]

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, salt, & oil to make the salad dressing. In a wide skillet or wok, combine tatsoi, [garlic if using], and the dressing and saute till the leaves are tender and the stalks still crunchy. Add scallions & toss. Arrange tatsoi on serving platter & drizzle with any remaining pan sauce.  (Recipe source)

For 7 more delicious tatsoi recipes, vegan to omnivore, click here.  And for yet another 10 tatsoi recipes, click here!

Finally, for a fabulous sounding recipe for "Tatsoi Panzanella with Spicy Peanut Dressing," click here!

How to Prepare and Use Fresh (or "Uncured") Garlic--
Each garlic head is enclosed on the outside in a thick, ribbed skin. That can be broken open and sliced and used like onions. To then separate the cloves, you must remove the "fleshy, waxy membranes that sheath them" (see photo further up in this post). Separate the cloves from the membranes, but keep it all!!! (See photo below, w/ cloves at left & membranes at right.)

Cloves & membranes (photo source)

The garlic cloves can be sliced very thinly (they are delicate) & fried in oil till they're golden, then used in various dishes where you would normally use garlic. Or you can use them raw in salads.

But here's the cool thing!  The membranes can be used to make a "cream of garlic"!  Here are the instructions:

• Bring water to a simmer in a small pan
• Drop in the membranes, then drain them as soon as the water comes back to simmering
• Let them cool & drain about an hour
• Put them in a food processor along with half their weight in olive oil (i.e., weigh the drained membranes, then measure out half that weight in olive oil)
• Process in food processor till smooth and creamy
• Add salt to taste
• Go straight to heaven when you taste it

As the recipe's author notes, you can keep this in a jar in the fridge and use it to add to vinaigrette or other salad dressings, blend it into a stir-fry, or use it to top meat or fish. It's also excellent on canapes, crostini, etc. The source of this wonderfully informative post, as well as the photos, is http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2013/05/fresh_garlic_and_what_to_do_with_it.php

Cream of garlic (source)

For another heavenly recipe for garlic bread made with "fresh garlic," click here.

Preparing Beets--If you've never cooked beets from scratch before, there are a few ways to do it (the point is to get the thick, inedible skin off the beet itself). Step one is to cut off any beet greens at the top, leaving about an inch of stem (save the greens to use as cooked greens or in pesto--they're really nutritious and delicious!). Leave the root on the bottom for the time being (see photo

Trimmed beets (source)

at left)

The quickest way to cook beets is to trim them as described, then put them in boiling water and cook till you can insert a knife into the beets easily. Remove from stove and cool by running cold water into the pan. Let them sit till they're cool enough to handle, then remove from the pan, cut off the stems (cut just under where the stems attach to the beet), then cut off the root. Now you should be able to peel and/or pull the skin from the beet relatively easily. (If you don't want hot-pink fingertips, you can wear vinyl gloves when peeling or otherwise handling the beets. If you forget the gloves, here are instructions for removing the beet stains with lemon juice:  click here.)

Beets can also be steamed in a steamer, following the same directions as for boiling. You lose fewer nutrients if you steam them.

Most people feel that roasting beets is the way to preserve the most flavor and nutrition. But you do heat up your kitchen considerably more than you do with boiling. To roast beets (see source here):

• Trim your beets; meanwhile preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Place samallish beets on large piece of aluminum foil, drizzling a little water or oil on them
• Wrap beets up into a foil packet (large enough to hold them all), crimping the edges of the foil
• Large beets can be wrapped in foil individually
• Place the packet(s) on a baking sheet
• Roast in oven for 50-60 minutes, checking them every twenty minutes or so; if they appear to be scorching, add a little more water or oil
• Small beets will cook more quickly than large ones
• They're done when a knife can be inserted easily into the beets
• To peel, let beets cool till you can handle them
• Holding a beet with a paper towel, use another paper towel to rub the skins off
• If skins don't come off easily, beets may need a bit more cooking
• Beets can be stored in fridge, either whole or sliced, up to a week

Roasted Beets on Greens--recipe source (serves 4)

• 2 bunches trimmed beets
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• juice of one lemon
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 garlic clove ("fresh garlic"!), minced
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• coarse salt & fresh-ground black pepper
• 4 cups tatsoi (or spinach), divided
• 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, divided
• thinly sliced red onion

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets in foil and roast till tender, about 1 hour. Let cool, then peel and dice. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, and fennel and caraway seeds. Season with salt & pepper. Toss with the beets. For each serving, toss 1 cup tatsoi (or spinach) and 1/4 cup parsley. Season with salt & pepper & top with onion.

Beets & Greens Salad (source)

Week 4, by Angela

Hello!  This is a Full Share and Friday B-Weekly pickup week. Molly will be the farmer in the shareroom.

U-Pick options expand to include raspberries this week, mostly the black raspberries, which comprise one row, and a smattering of red raspberries in the other rows. Regarding U-Pick, I want to make a special note about quantities and containers....

Typical U-Pick boxes, though ours are a little greener

1. Please be sure to take the right amount; if you are uncertain about what a half-pint container looks like, then please refer to the top right of the large whiteboard in the shareroom, or ask a farmer. We may not have enough of the half-pint containers, in which case you may use the pint containers, but only halfway filled. Taking the correct amount is necessary so that all the members of the farm get an equal share.
2. Please leave the green containers here at the farm so we can reuse them. You may use them to pick your U-Pick items, then transfer the items to a bag or your own container that you brought with you.
3. Farmers will be available if you have questions about this.

Please note that if you have pre-ordered a fruit share with Indian Orchards, it will be in the Fruit Share fridge, beginning this week.

For your menu-planning, your share this week will include Red Russian kale, fresh garlic, Tatsoi, beets, and radish greens.

Week Three Photo, and Some U-Pick Ideas, by Angela & Melinda

Week 3 Pickup

If you haven't really "gotten into" the U-Pick phase of Red Hill Farm, you're missing out on a lot of good eating. Several of our flowers are edible and *great* in salads or dips. We also have both sweet basil (the usual Italian sort) and Holy basil, located behind the sweet basil closer to the fenceline of Legion Drive (see photo below). Holy basil, also called sacred basil or tulsi, is excellent in teas and is used in Ayurvedic medicine. Thai basil, a variant of holy basil, is used in Thai cuisine, while Sacred basil also is important in Hindu religion and creation myth (click here).

Italian Sweet basil at left; Sacred or Tulsi basil at right

Another U-Pick with uses you may not have thought of is sage. Angela says "fried sage is so crispy delicious on top of eggs or a salad; on low heat, warm olive or coconut oil. Set the sage leaf into the

Sage by the barn

oil until it turns brown, then remove it & let it cool to a nice crispy garnish."  You also can see some recipes below.

Sage's scientific name is Salvia officinalis, and there are many different varieties. Like other old herbs, sage has or has had many uses,  in cuisine, in medicine, and in religions (click here). Its traditional classification in Britain as one of the four essential herbs, along with parsley, rosemary, and thyme, inspired Simon and Garfunkle's famous song, "Scarborough Fair" (click here to listen). If you're interested in historical recipes, click here for late mediaeval "Charmerchande" (a lamb stew with sage and parsley; note that the source, "Gode Cookery," is listed in "My Links" in the upper left column on this page (see here--a wonderful site).

Nasturtiums in U-Pick--flowers & leaves are edible

Nasturtiums (see photo above) are delicious--both the flowers and the leaves--in salads. As

Calendula (photo source)

nasturtiums are in the watercress family, they have a spicy, peppery taste, quite refreshing. Plus the round leaves and the brightly colored flowers enhance the look of an otherwise green salad. Calendula, too, is a nice addition to a salad, or use both nasturtium and calendula in the same dish. Calendula (sometimes called pot marigold) has bright yellow or orange flowers (see photo at left). To make calendula tea (see here), pull the petals off the central flower stalk, put several teaspoons in a tea ball, pour boiling water over, and let it steep for ~10 min. Sweeten or not, to taste. Calendula also can be used to make up herbal salves and skin lotions (click here). For six calendula culinary recipes, see http://www.motherearthliving.com/cooking-methods/calendula-officinalis-herb-of-the-year-2008.aspx#axzz2X4NOi6Ic

Pasta with Butter, Sage, and Parmesan--by Mark Bittman (see here), 4 servings

• 1 lb cut pasta, like ziti, or flat noodles
• salt & pepper
• 2 tbsp butter
• 30 fresh sage leaves
• 1 cup or more  freshly grated parmesan

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta till it is tender but not quite done. Meanwhile, put butter in skillet or saucepan large enough to hold the cooked pasta. Turn heat to medium & add sage leaves. Cook till the butter turns nut brown [but not burnt black] and the sage shrivels, then turn heat to low. When the pasta is just about done, scoop out a cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta. Immediately add the pasta to the butter-sage mix & raise heat to medium. Add 3/4 cup of the cooking water & stir; the mix will be loose & a little soupy. Cook about 30 seconds, or till some of the water is absorbed & the pasta is perfectly done. Stir in cheese; the sauce will become creamy. Thin with a little more water if necessary. Season [to taste] with salt & fresh-ground pepper & serve immediately.

Sage & honey skillet cornbread (source)

Sage and Honey Skillet Cornbread--Bon Appetit, Nov. 2007 (source)

• 1 cup cornmeal, preferably whole grain, medium grind
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh sage, plus 12 whole fresh sage leaves
• 1 cup whole milk [or vegan substitute]
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat heavy 10-inch diameter ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron) in oven 10 min. Whisk first 4 ingredients & 2 tsp chopped sage in a large bowl to blend.  Whisk milk, honey, & egg in medium bowl to blend. Remove skillet from oven (use an oven mitt!); add 1/2 cup butter. Swirl till butter is melted. Pour all except 2 tbsp of butter into egg mixture. Add whole sage leaves to the remaining butter in skillet; toss to coat. Arrange leaves over the bottom of the skillet, spacing apart in a nice pattern. Add egg mixture to cornmeal mixture; stir till just combined (do not overmix; batter will be wet and runny). Pour batter over sage leaves in pan. Bake till browned around edges and tester [thin knife or clean broom straw] inserted in center comes out clean, ~22 min. Cool in skillet 10 min. Invert onto platter. If necessary, rearrange sage leaves atop cornbread.

Nasturtium Soup--can be made vegan (recipe source)

• 3 leeks, cleaned & sliced thinly
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tbsp butter or olive oil
• 2 tbsp flour
• 4 cups chicken or veggie broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup fresh nasturtium flowers, chopped
• 1 cup fresh nasturtium leaves, chopped
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. white pepper [or normal pepper if you haven't got white]
• 1 cup heavy cream [vegans substitute 1/2 soy milk & 1/2 soft tofu blended till smooth to make a cup]

In a heavy soup pot, saute leeks & garlic in 2 tbsp butter [or oil] till they're tender. Do not brown them. Add remaining 2 tbsp butter & a little broth. Stir in the flour & cook gently for ~1 min, stirring constantly. [It should thicken.] Slowly add rest of broth & the water & seasonings. Heat almost to boiling & simmer gently for several minutes to blend flavors. Add nasturtium leaves & flowers & simmer another few minutes. Slowly pour in cream & heat gently. Never boil a cream soup or it will curdle.  Enjoy! 

For a lovely essay on nasturtiums, their varieties, and uses, see "Renee's Garden: Easy Edible Nasturtiums" (click here).

So, What's Up with Fennel? By Melinda

Fennel (Finocchio in Italian) is a pretty, bulbing plant with stalks above the bulb and delicate fronds on the stalks. It has a somewhat sweet anise or licorice flavor, especially when it's raw. Though it's the bulb that's used most often, you also can use the stalks to make broth, or you can chop them finely & saute with other veggies (stalks are NOT inedible!). The fronds can be chopped and added to salads or used as a garnish on other dishes. I'm thinking of adding some to my next pesto.

Photo Source

The fennel bulb, thinly sliced, is crunchy, a bit sweet, and tastes like anise or licorice, though not as strong as the candy. It's delicious, thinly sliced and raw, in salads. When it's cooked in various preparations, however, the anise taste becomes more mellow and far less pronounced. Still, it brings a richness to dishes that's hard to beat, especially given that it's quite low in calories!

So how do you prepare fennel bulbs? First you cut a small slice off the root end, then slice the whole bulb in half vertically. When you look at the halves, you'll see a triangular core in each half, just above where the root was. With a sharp knife, gently cut out the core in each half, slicing inward from each side of the core toward the center; then remove the core. Then  you can either chunk it, slice it, or dice it. See the video below for a demonstration.

Roasted Fennel with Parmesan--by Giada De Laurentis (source)--vegetarian

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 fennel bulbs, cut horizontally into 1/3-inch thick slices, fronds reserved
• salt & pepper
• 1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange the fennel in the dish. Season w/ salt/pepper and sprinkle with the Parm. Drizzle w/ the oil. Bake till the fennel is fork-tender & the top is golden brown, ~45 min. Chop enough fennel fronds to make 2 tsp, then sprinkle over roasted fennel and serve.

Carrot Fennel  Soup with Parsley Walnut Pesto--vegan

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onions, peeled & chopped
• 1 fennel bulb, cored & thinly sliced, fronds reserved for garnish
• 6 cups veggie broth
• 1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled [or just scrubbed?--that's what I'd do], sliced in 1/2-in. rounds
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 sprig fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp [or to taste] salt
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice or apple-cider vinegar
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• cream or milk (cashew, soy, almond, etc.--or dairy if desired) for garnish
• parsley walnut pesto (see below)

Heat oil in 6-qt pot on medium. Add onion & cook 5 min., stirring a bit, till softened. Add fennel, cook another 5 min., stirring occasionally. Add stock, carrots, parsley, thyme, & salt, then bring to boil. Turn heat to low & simmer, partially covered, till carrots are very tender, ~30 min. Add lemon juice or vinegar.

Picture source

Remove soup from heat & let cool a bit. Use an immersion blender (aka "stick blender" or "boat motor"--see here: it's a really handy, inexpensive device to have) or an upright blender (blend in small amounts) to puree the soup till very smooth. Reheat soup in pot, add pepper and swirls of cream or milk if using. Serve w/ a spoonful of parsley pesto in each bowl. (recipe source)

Parsley Walnut Pesto--makes ~1 cup

• 2 loosely packed cups parsley leaves, rinsed & dried
• salt to taste
• 2 cloves peeled garlic
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided

Combine parsley w/ pinch of salt, garlic, walnuts, & 1/4 cup oil in food processor or blender. Process till smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of container as necessary & adding remaining 1/4 cup oil gradually. Store in jar in fridge up to 2 weeks or in freezer up to 3 months. (recipe source)

Week #2 Pickup, Thoughts and Ideas, by Angela

Second-Week Share

This year we're trying an experiment on the farm that connects us to the classic traditions of companion planting. The "Three Sisters" (corn, squash, and beans--see below) benefit each other in the use of space and nutrients. The corn will grow up, the squash grows out, and the beans climb the corn. (For more info on the Three Sisters, click here.)

The start of a "three sisters" planting--corn, squash & beans

Our winter squash this year has been planted alongside popcorn and dried beans (see above). It tickles my fancy to witness these plants thrive as they increase in girth and vitality. Among other things, this field is faring quite well in our eruptions of rainfall.

Unhappy lettuces

Like a forgotten bag of wet lettuce, our lettuce heads in the field (see above) have been turning to slime on the bottom, with too much hydration; good thing we plant in successions!

Grass groves next to the tomatoes

Unintentionally, the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants have cover crops, between the rows, of some dormant ryegrass seeded far too late last season (see above). As the picture here shows, it's a bit unruly at the moment, but I have a good feeling it'll be under control by the power of the weed- whacker soon.

Workshares Mary & Sandy washing
salad greens

Josh washing fennel bulbs

All in all, we're coming together over good fresh food. Let us continue to work together both in the fields and in our thoughts.

"Fridays at the Farm" Greens Recipes, by Joanne

Here's some info about kale, then the recipes. Kale's in the Brassica family, which includes cruciferous veggies like cabbage, collards, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. One cup of chopped kale contains 33 calories, 9% of your calcium minimum daily requirement (MDR), 206% of vitamin A MDR, 134% of vitamin C MDR, and a whopping 684% of vitamin K MDR. It's also a good source of the minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.


Curly kale

Kale's carotenoids and flavonoids are the antioxidants associated with many anti-cancer health benefits. Kale is also rich in eye-health-promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds.

Beyond antioxidants, the fiber content of kale binds bile acids and helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially when the kale is cooked instead of raw. The fibrous components of kale do a better job of binding with bile acids in your digestive tract when they've been steamed. That makes it easier for bile acids to be excreted, resulting in lower cholesterol levels. Raw kale still has cholesterol-lowering ability--just not as much.

**Anyone taking anticoagulants such as warfarin should avoid kale, because the high level of vitamin K may interfere with the drugs. Consult your doctor if you think this may apply to you before adding kale to your diet.**

Kale may be a powerhouse of nutrients but it also contains oxalates, naturally occuring substances that may interfere with calcium absorption. Hence avoid eating calcium-rich foods like dairy at the same time you eat kale in order to prevent any problems.

Kale is higher in iron than beef--and iron helps with the formation of hemoglobin and enzymes and is essential for liver function and cell growth.

For some good websites on kale and its properties (and many other foods, too), see http://www.whfoods.com/index.php, http://nutritiondata.self.com, and http://www.rawfamily.com.

Sweet Kale Smoothie

• 2 cups of chopped kale
• 1 cut-up banana
• 1 cup of frozen mango chunks
• 1 cup of frozen pineapple
• 1 cup of water (or 1/4 cup of orange juice)

Mix all together in a blender or food processor till smooth, and drink!


Kale Smoothie (http://alaskavegan.wordpress.com/)

Kale Salad with Avocado and Apples

• 1 bunch kale, tough stems and center ribs removed
• 1 avocado, peeled & chopped
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger root, minced
• 1/2 medium onion, minced
• 1 large apple, cored & chopped
• 1/2 cup raw cashews, chopped

Roll up each kale leaf and slice thinly, crosswise. Add to bowl along with avocado and lemon juice. Using your hands, massage lemon juice & avocado into the kale leaves until kale starts to soften and wilt, and each leaf is coated, ~2-3 min. Mix in garlic, ginger, onion, & apple. Top w/ chopped cashews.  Serves 4. (recipe source)

Cucumber Dill-icious Soup--recipe by Valya Boutenko (see here)--the page has other green smoothie and soup recipes too. This makes a very thick soup, served cold or at room temp. It almost can be used as a dip, too!  Makes about 2 qts. For commonly asked questions about green smoothies and such, click here.

• 2 cucumbers (no need to peel if they're organic), cut in chunks
• 1/2 bunch dill
• 1 large avocado, peeled & chunked
• 5 leaves dino kale, stems removed
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 lime, juiced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled

Starting with the cukes, gradually add all ingredients to the blender, letting each become incorporated before adding more. If necessary, add a bit of water. Below is a video by Sergei Boutenko about making smoothies of this sort.

"Pretty-Much-Anything" Pesto, by Melinda

I've discovered over my years as an RHF member that sometimes you can't get through all our wonderful greens while they're still crispy fresh, especially if you're also growing greens at home or you don't have a large family.  So to use the greens while they still have all their nutritive value, I discovered that lots of them--and I mean HUGE quantities--actually can be processed down to much smaller amounts by using them as the basis for pesto. This also allows you to keep them (in  compact, frozen form) into the depths of winter--it's so great to crack out a truly summery pesto sauce for dinner while the winds and snow are howling outside!

Dino (or Lacinato) kale

Here's one I made in the food processor last week, using all of the kale (removing only the toughest stems), the spinach, and the garlic scapes--everything left in its raw state.

• 1 large bunch of kale, stems removed if desired
• 1 bunch of spinach
• several cloves of garlic, or to taste
• 8 to 10 garlic scapes
• a sufficient amount of olive oil to get the food processor to do its work
• about 1/4 to 1/2 cup pecorino romano or parmesan cheese (vegans can use a vegan parmesan substitute or just leave out the cheese altogether)
• about 1/2 to 3/4 cup nuts (walnuts are good for their hearty flavor, but almonds, cashews, pine nuts, etc., work just as well)
• several tbsp dried chopped basil OR a handful of fresh basil (or to taste)
• about 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

Add all your greens to the food processor bowl (do in several batches if necessary) and add enough oil to get it to start chopping down the greens. You'll be astounded at how "small" all those huge greens become!  Gradually add the other ingredients to your processor bowl, each time incorporating them with what's already in there, scraping down the sides of the bowl and adding a bit more oil as necessary.  Process until it's as smooth as you like. It's ready, then, to use or freeze.

Other veggies or greens that can be incorporated into your pesto include beet greens, radish greens, turnip greens, scallions, dandelion greens, foraged greens like purslane, lightly steamed chopped kohlrabi or carrots (their nutrients are more available if lightly cooked), and so forth. Be imaginative! Be creative!

Followup from Share Week #1, by Angela

The rainwater tanks are officially full! Torrential waterfalls spewed from the overflow spouts this past Friday during the persistent rainfall (notably, there was no waterfall in the entryway due to our new gutters, though still much flooding from the sheer quantity of liquid dropping from the sky).

Washed clean from a long winter, the rain has opened a new season on the farm in much the same way the spring-greens-filled shares may nourish your bodies with a transitioning shift. Green foods, as a whole, are purifying and promote renewal. Through the many explanations of nutrition and science that I don't fully understand, humans thrive on the consumption of chlorophyll ("the blood and green-coloring principle of plant life").

Week #1's beautiful share of garlic scapes, Tokyo bekana,
kale, romaine lettuce (huge!), & spinach!

As your body applauds the kales, lettuces, Asian greens, etcetera; may you be renewed with your return to the farm, just as the farm leaps with delight in the presence of community within the fence line. Membership is still available for your friends or family to join us this season. Please email redhillfarm@osfphila.org or call (610) 558-6799 for a registration form or more information about membership. (New membership registrations will be prorated for pickup dates that have already passed.)

Week #2 (June 10th to 14th) Pickups on Red Hill Farm, by Angela

This is a "Full Share" and "Friday Bi-Weekly"-pickups week. Brendan will be the farmer in the shareroom this week. If you have any questions or would like to make a purchase, seek out his friendly face (or look for the most "farmerly" man if you don't know him yet).

This is Brendan w/ a
butterfly on his forehead. The 
butterfly will be gone when you
see him this week!

For your menu planning, this week's pickup includes salad mix, Dinosaur kale (aka Lacinato kale), those fabulous romaine lettuce heads, pac choi (an Asian green), and more of the delicious garlic scapes.

All members are welcome to our Farm Event this Friday, "Fridays at the Farm"! That's this Friday, June 14th, featuring a presentation and demo on "New Green Recipes You'll LOVE" by Christa Mantey, RD, from 5:30 pm to 7 pm. The demonstration will be at 6:15.

Please join members for relaxation, friendship, and fun. Bring your own beverage/snacks; we will provide iced tea and a light snack.

First Week of Pickups, by Angela

Beautiful Romaine lettuces

Our first week of pickups was a wild one, with rain "book-ending" our Monday and Friday.

865-gal. rain-harvesting tank irrigating the
sunflower patch

Great fun to have everyone back on the farm and feel the farm come alive again. Joanne worked with kids in the children's garden on Tuesday, planting and exploring.

Joanne with Lily and her mom Caroline smelling herbs

We also had a visit from the third-graders at Drexel Neumann Academy, which was lively and delightfully loud.  Ahhh, the transplanting continues as my brain sprawls in a few million different directions peacefully, as we move into the time of just nurturing our growing crops.

Brendan & Josh transplanting summer
squashes

Notable Novice Days on the Farm, by Angela

Cooling off at the faucet

Last week hit 90 degrees for the first time since last September.  Blazing hot and blessed be, on those two days five novice Sisters and one of their director Sisters joined us in the field.

The whole crew weeding beets

We planted sweet corn, okra, eggplant, and peppers, along with hours of weeding crops that were swimming (rather, nearly drowning) in weeds.

Weeding peas

Thank you, Sisters, for all your hard work.

Having fun with hand tools

Toyko Bekana, by Melinda

Tokyo Bekana is a wonderfully sweet, tender, Asian green.  It's light greenish in color and can be used instead of lettuce in a salad or in place of cabbage in a slaw.  As the folks at "The Funny Farm" blog describe it, "So. Tokyo Bekana. Looks like lettuce. It has a nice sweet flavor with the crunchy crisp texture of lettuce. It is a type of mustard (Brassica juncea) so has lots of antioxidants and other nutrients. It is easy to grow. It is prolific. It has withstood 15 degree cold. Supposedly it will grow in summer [here in Atlanta, GA]. I will find out this year about that. It is an open-pollinated heirloom variety, so the seeds can be saved and replanted."

Tokyo Bekana (source)

I have to say that it's one of my favorite greens. Just a couple general suggestions about Tokyo Bekana. As noted above, it's terrific raw, torn up in salads; you can slice it and make it into slaw with some sort of mayo-like dressing; you can saute it with other greens like kale and spinach and use it as a layer in a lasagna dish; it's good in stir fries; and I would imagine (I plan to try this) that it would be lovely in a delicately flavored miso soup, perhaps along with some chopped tofu, mushrooms, and/or edamame (green soy beans, called "sweet beans" in the South).  OK, a couple recipes.

Tokyo Bekana Salad with Crunchies

The Greens

• One head or bunch of Tokyo Bekana [this salad can also be made with Bok Choi or Napa cabbage, but Tokyo Bekana is tenderer]
• Cilantro to taste
• Green onions (scallions) to taste

The Dressing

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 1/2 tsp agave syrup or honey

The Crunchies

• 1 tsp canola or other mild oil
• 1 bag ramen noodles (use only the noodles, not the flavor packet)
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds

To prepare greens, cut the very end of the stems off the Tokyo Bekana stalks. Coarsely chop remaining leaves & stems into 1/2-inch pieces. Chop up the scallions and cilantro and add to the Tokyo Bekana (use as much or little scallion and cilantro as suits your taste).

Mix together all the dressing ingredients in a jar or bottle and shake it up really well (shake again before using).

To prepare the crunchies, lay the unopened bag of ramen noodles on the counter and whack them with something heavy (rolling pin? mallet? can of soup?) until they're fully crushed.  Sounds like something your kids might enjoy!  But do try not to pop the bag & have the noodles scatter over the floor where the dog will eat them. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and add 1 tsp canola oil. When hot, pour in the noodles (discarding flavor packet) and the almonds. Stirring occasionally, cook till the noodles are golden brown.

Combine everything in salad bowl, toss, & enjoy!  (Click here for recipe source, the "From Scratch Club")

Hot Poppin' Tokyo Bekana (Gluten-Free)

• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 small pieces chopped fresh ginger
• mounds of Tokyo Bekana
• 2 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce
• 1 tbsp brown rice vinegar

In a wok or large skillet, warm sesame oil on medium heat. Add sesame seeds and stir till you're overwhelmed with the nutty fragrance, the seeds darken a bit, and you wish you had a spring roll. [Melinda loves the way this woman writes!]  Add the garlic & ginger, but watch out! (The sesame seeds freaked out and flew out of the pan in all directions when I added the garlic and ginger. This was quite a surprise to me, but I persevered through the stings, and I stirred, yelped, and danced in front of the stove....) After a minute, add greens by the handful, cooking them down. In 3-5 minutes, they'll still be a beautiful, light, spring green, and the stems should still be crunchy. Serve the greens with plain quinoa. The nutty taste complements the Asian flavor of the greens. Drizzle with leftover saute sauce.  (Recipe source, Gluten-Free Cat!)

Hot Poppin' Tokyo Bekana (source)

I'll end by saying it's very difficult to find recipes for Tokyo Bekana. Not even many CSAs grow it, so we're lucky to have it!

This just in!!!!

Kale and Mint Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing, from Amanda and Merrill, one of the blogs we follow!  http://food52.com/blog/6837-lacinato-kale-and-mint-salad-with-spicy-peanut-dressing

Picking Kale, Tacuinum sanitatis

Garlic Scapes, World's Most Graceful Veggie, by Melinda

Garlic scapes are (or would be) the flowering tops of garlic plants--I say "would be" because to get the largest, fullest garlic bulbs from the garlic clove you originally planted, you need to prevent the

Garlic scapes (source)

garlic plant from flowering (the flower draws energy from the bulb). As the garlic clove tries to grow into a full plant, it sends up a graceful stalk with an elongated but roundish shape at the tip, a shape that eventually will open into a garlic flower. To prevent that, garlic farmers clip off those beautiful stalks and, wonder of wonders, they're not just edible, but scrumptious!

Btw, there's some disagreement about the tops of the scapes. Some people say to cut off the flower & the part above it b/c it's too tough. Other people use it. As well, some folks think there can be a tough section at the bottom of the scape, where it was cut, but I'd test that out before removing the bottom. These things are "green gold"!  Don't waste 'em!

Garlic scapes can be used to make a divine pesto (see the recipe in the share room this week) or you can click here for another. But they have other uses too, in soups, stews, omelets, etc.

Steamed Garlic Scapes--rather like asparagus or string beans, but with that extra something! Instructions:  you can steam them whole till just tender and serve w/ melted butter or olive oil, like asparagus.  Or, cut them in shorter pieces, steam, and serve instead of string beans. You also can add the shorter pieces to stir fries.

Scapes Roasted with Chicken--My friend David Wilson lightly coats the bottom of a baking pan with oil, then lays the scapes (either whole or cut) on the pan bottom and places chicken breasts, legs, or thighs atop the scapes.  Bake in 350 oven till chicken is done through. The scape flavor infuses the chicken, and the chicken flavor infuses the scapes. David also has done the same thing, scapes on bottom, chicken atop, on a George Foreman grill!

Scapes on Pizza--You can grill your scapes (whole) beforehand for a smoky taste, then plop them atop a pizza and bake for required time.  Click here for source & photos for Scapes Pizza.

White Bean & Garlic Scapes Dip

• 1/3rd cup sliced garlic scapes (3 or 4)
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste
• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt, more to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans (or white kidney beans), rinsed & drained
• 1/4 cup olive oil, more for drizzling

In food processor, process scapes with lemon juice, salt, & pepper till finely chopped. Add beans & process to a rough paste. With motor running, slowly add oil through the feed tube & process till fairly smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 tbsp water, or more, till mix is the consistency of a dip. Adjust seasoning to taste, spread out on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, & more salt if desired. (Source)

Sauteed Garlic Scapes--recipe by William Woys Weaver, from Mother Earth News (click here)

Sauteed Scapes (source)

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 8 oz. young garlic scapes, trimmed [of either top or bottom, or neither]
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 tsp black pepper or to taste
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup haloumi cheese, cut in very small dice (haloumi is a sheep or goat cheese made in Cyprus & available at large markets here. It doesn't melt. But other salty cheeses can be substituted, e.g. aged cheddar or aged chevre)

Heat oil  in broad skillet & add sugar. Stir to caramelize the sugar for about 2-3 minutes & add the scapes. Cover & saute over medium-high heat for no more than 3 min., shaking the pan a bit to keep scapes from burning. After 3 min., add chopped tomatoes and wine. Stir, then cover & reduce heat to low; continue cooking for 5-6 min., till scapes are tender but not soft. Season, then add haloumi and parsley and serve at room temp. Can be used as an hors d'oeuvre or side dish. Or even a main dish for two people!

For more recipes, including garlic-scape carbonara (pasta dish w/ eggs & bacon), garlic-scape risotto, pickled dilly garlic scapes, and more, see "Sarah's Cucina Bella" by clicking here.

Kale 101, by Melinda

Kale is both delicious and nutritious, and it has a myriad of uses!  But if you haven't worked with it before, you might be wondering how to prepare it.  The three most common kinds of kale are Red Russian kale (with pink leaf veins), "dinosaur" (aka Lacinato) kale, with nubbly leaves, like a dinosaur's skin, and curly kale, whose leaves are--obviously--heavily curled.  See below.

L. to R., Lacinato, curly kale, & Red Russian (source)

Unless you have baby kale (2-3" tall & tender), kale is best cooked or otherwise processed. The whole leaf is  edible, including the stem if chopped, but some people find the stem too tough--it's your preference.

• To prepare kale if you don't want the stems, either pull the leaves away from the stems with your hands on both sides of the stems, or just cut the stems out of the middle of each leaf.
• If you're using the stems, just hold a bunch of kale leaves in your hand, lay them on a cutting board, and slice them crosswise in about 1/2-in. to 1-in. slices, including the stems. Or if you want shorter pieces, cut the bunch in half vertically before you cut it horizontally. Chop any extra stem at the bottom of the leaf into about 1/4-in. chunks.
• Here's a video that shows you how to do all that (she's using curly kale, but the principle is the same for all kales):

Three Basic Cooking Techniques

(Source)

Once you've cut your kale, you can either steam or boil it in a little water, saute it in oil with spices and/or herbs, or "massage" it with oil to tenderized the greens enough to make a kale salad.

Steaming or Boiling--With the water treatment, steaming is probably healthier, as it retains more vitamins--if you have a steamer pot with a perforated insert that you can drop in and lift out, it's easy; but you can also get inexpensive steamer devices you drop into pots of varying sizes (see above), as it opens out like a flower opening its petals (these can be bought at most markets or online).

Fill your steaming pot with about a half inch of water:  you want it to be below the bottom of the steamer device. Bring water to a boil, drop in your chopped kale (and stems if using) and cover. Let steam about a minute, then lift lid and stir the kale around so it all gets evenly steamed. You should steam it till it's softened and diminished in bulk but still bright green. At that point lift the steamer device out of the pot. let it drain, and the kale is ready to serve hot with seasonings of your choice--salt, pepper, butter, olive oil, chopped herbs, garlic etc.  If you want to refrigerate or freeze the kale for later, remove the steamer device from the pot and dip into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Let it drain, then pack into containers.

Boiling: If you don't want to be bothered with steaming, you can accomplish much the same thing by boiling some lightly salted water (not a huge amount) in a large pot, stirring in your chopped kale, and boiling for a couple minutes. Then drain through a colander or sieve and serve (save the cooking water as a flavorful veggie stock). Or, drain and run under cold water to stop cooking; drain again, then put in containers in the fridge (it'll keep a couple days) or the freezer.

Sauteed Kale
Clean and cut your kale as above, with or without stems.  Pour some olive oil into (or melt some butter in) a skillet, throw in a bunch of crushed garlic to taste (well, you don't have to use the garlic if you don't like it--try adding herbs instead), toss the kale in the skillet, and let it cook down, stirring a bit to get it coated with all that goodness (I'm making myself hungry). It should be soft and diminished in bulk but still bright green. That's a basic technique that works with almost any cooked green, and you can play many variations on it. Serve hot or freeze in containers.

The Zen of Massaging Kale
This is borrowed directly from a fabulous post on "Dash and Bella," one of the blogs in our blog list at left (see here).

Preparing to massage kale

Instructions for massaging kale:  After washing and chopping the kale, put the greens in a large bowl, pour on several tablespoons of olive oil, then gradually massage the leaves with the oil mix until they get limp but are still bright green. They should lose about 2/3rds of their volume and still be bright green. As the D&B blogger poetically instructs, "Squeeze and twist the leaves until they wilt down and explode in all their green glory.  Know that you could do this all day long and be quite content" (click here for the rest of her post). Actually the massaging only takes about five minutes. At that point you can refrigerate the massaged kale for several days, but don't dress it till you're ready to eat it. Here's one recipe; there are other dressing suggestions in D&B's blog post.

Massaged Kale with Anchovy Vinaigrette (This can be halved or otherwise altered to your taste--e.g., if you don't eat anchovies, add some kalamata olives at the end--they're in the same "taste family" as anchovies, but w/o the fishiness. In fact, you can dress this salad with anything, even a simple vinaigrette, a store-bought dressing, or whatever.)

• 6 anchovy fillets, packed in oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp sherry wine vinegar (or any vinegar you like)
• ~1 tbsp chopped shallot (or substitute mild onion)
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 4-8 tbsp olive oil (for the dressing)
• 2 big bunches kale, any kind
• 3-5 tbsp olive oil (for massaging the kale)
• crunchy salt

Heat a skillet on medium heat. Add anchovies. Use a spoon to press on them, breaking them up so they gradually "melt" into a paste. Once they're a paste, turn heat to low and add the garlic. Cook for 30 secs until the garlic is fragrant. Whisk in vinegar. Add shallots (or onion) & cook for ~30 seconds. Take off the heat. Whisk in mustard. Slowly whisk in half the olive oil. Taste, and if it's too tangy, add more oil.

Massaged kale (source)

Add a pinch of crunchy salt to the massaged kale. Drizzle with a few tbsp. of anchovy vinaigrette, toss, and taste. Let sit at room temp. for 20 minutes, then taste again & add more vinaigrette if desired. Either serve plain or add thin slices of parmesan or pecorino cheese, or any cheese, nuts, fruit, meat, or poultry. The salad's quite versatile.

One Final Kale Technique--Baked Kale Chips

This is about as easy as it gets. You should be able to buy the necessary "cooking parchment" paper at any decent supermarket or online. Wash one bunch of kale leaves and strip from the stems. Dry the leaves, either with an absorbent dishtowel or in a salad spinner, and tear them into bite-size pieces.  Preheat oven to 350. Line a non-insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle one tbsp. of olive oil over the kale and toss to make sure the leaves are pretty well coated. Salt to taste & toss again. Bake till crispy & edges of the leaves are browned but not burnt, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool before eating!  (Click here for a different recipe that doesn't require the use of parchment paper.)

Torn kale ready to bake (source)