Margaret Roach's Rescue Operation: Freezing Stored Garlic/Onions, Reposted by Melinda

Onions chopped to freeze (source)

If you haven't got an appropriately cool place to store your farm garlic & onions (the fridge is a bit too cold, and your basement may be too warm--sheesh, you can't win!), there are ways to preserve them so you have farm garlic & onions year round! Margaret Roach, a blogger and former gardening editor for Martha Stewart, recommends slicing or chopping onions and putting them in freezer bags (or freezer jars, to avoid plastic). You can freeze them in amounts you typically would use in a recipe, or however you wish.

Cloves of garlic in a jar to freeze (source)

With both onion pieces and whole, peeled cloves of garlic (see above), toss them lightly in a very small amount of olive oil first, in order to reduce freezer burn, then place in jars or bags and freeze. After that, you are SET for the winter and spring! (article source) We do follow Margaret Roach's blog, "A Way to Garden," on this blog (see list of blogs in lower-left margin column).

Red Hill Farm, Week #16, by Angela

Wow, Week 16 starting on September 16th!

This is a Full Share and Bi-Weekly Friday pickup week.  Molly will be in the shareroom this week.

This Friday, September 20th, during pickup, Red Hill Farm member Gabriella Follo, will be sharing some tasty bites using Red Hill Farm produce. Gabriella is a personal chef; check out her web site here: http://www.seasonedchefservice.com/pages/06_about.html.

For your menu planning, this week you may anticipate:

• Elba potatoes
• garlic
• onions
• eggplant
• peppers
• lettuce heads
• celeriac (celery root)

Update from Angela

Our new friends George & Wanda from Alaska helped
harvest onions--thanks!

Recently my Dad shared a profound statement applicable to both life and farming: rarely is a harvest in the same season as its seeding. As we pull massive quantities of onions out of the ground this week that were sown back in February, how much time has passed, and how the seasons have changed from their starting point.

Brendan & Molly set Torpedo onions out in the
greenhouse to cure.

The rains continue as well as the weeds, though I caught a trio of farm members weeding down in the hot peppers last Friday. What a blessing! Please feel free to weed while you harvest in the U-Pick field; we are doing our best and aiming to get on some weed crews, but in the meanwhile every tall grass pulled is helpful.

Members caught in the great act of weeding in the
U-Pick--thank you!

Week #8 on Red Hill Farm! By Angela

This is a full share and bi-weekly Friday pickup week.

You can see how onions enjoy the sun!

The blazing sun has done us well & our storage onion harvests have begun. We did pull shallots last Friday & will be distributing them over this week and next week. Please use these sooner than later. Because of the quantities of rain they endured, I do not anticipate them to store well--so, eat them while the eating is good!

The sweet corn is bountiful this week, so invite your friends over & enjoy this all-American taste of summer!

Brendan will be the farmer in the shareroom this week.  Joanne will be available on the farm this Tuesday from 1 pm to 3 pm.

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)