Birch Point CSA Week 3: The Aliens Have Landed

Q: "What IS that?"  (the most common response to encountering kohlrabi for the first time) 
A: It's the spaceship-shaped vegetable in your share this week-- either green or purple, a round or slightly flattened globe, a member of the broccoli/cabbage family, and soon to be one of your (and your kids') favorite veggies. 

In Your Share This Week

Kohlrabi- My fave way to enjoy: raw!  Peel off skin, slice into sticks or chunks, enjoy as is or with salt or dip of your choice.  OR grate onto salad/slaw. OR cook any way you do broccoli: steam, saute, roast, etc.  Leaves can be used just like kale; that's why we leave them on!

Beets-the first of the season!  You can expect a good variety of beets throughout the season-classic dark red, golden, Chioggia (red-white bullseye pattern inside), all kinds. Roots AND greens are delicious.  Roots: roast, boil, or saute (or GRILL whole beetroots wrapped in foil for a special treat).  Or grate raw into salad- yum.  Greens: saute or steam, or sub for spinach or swiss chard in any recipe.

Lettuce- more beautiful heads to make a salad, eat on sandwiches, etc. You know what to do with lettuce.

Either Arugula OR Baby Salad Mix- Some shares got baby salad mix, some got arugula.  We'll make sure everyone gets everything-- we'll keep the baby greens coming so you get a good mix throughout the season.  Note: all leafy greens have been washed to COOL and RINSE after harvest, but are NOT washed ready-to-eat (unless you don't mind a little grit) ;) If you're a fresh arugula person, excellent. If not, try it slightly wilted, tossed with hot pasta, or arugula pesto.  Note: this is VERY mild arugula-- not the high summer spicy stuff that only the hard core arugula lovers can handle. :)

Garlic Scapes- More!  hope you love garlic.  remember, you can use these ANY way you'd use fresh garlic- just chop/mince the whole thing. And they keep for weeks in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge. Try garlic scape pesto (Recipe below) for a pungent pasta sauce.

Turnips-Might be a new-ish thing for some people! If your only experience with turnips is the pungent purple-and-white kind, give these baby turnips a try-- you'll be delighted. The white ones are a Japanese variety called Hakurei, and the pink ones are called Scarlet Queen.  Both are more tender and mild than the old purple-tops, though the pinks are a little firmer and spicier than the whites.  Both can be used raw in salad (grated OR sliced, salted, and let "sweat" before tossing in) or on a crudite platter with salt or dip.  OR make a turnip-beet root roast (toss in the last of last week's radishes while you're at it), with a creamy bechamel sauce with blended garlic scapes.  Be sure to use the GREENS in any saute, soup, or pesto you might be making, too.

Peas -either sugarsnap (fat, sugary) OR snow peas (flat pods, more savory), both are for eating whole, NOT shelling.  We mostly just eat these raw as a snack, but they're delicious in stir-fries too. Hopefully last night's RAIN will crank up the next week's harvest..

Announcements

1. Market and CSA pickup (Wed and Sat) is still in the Old Town parking deck til Cherry festival is over. 

2. BREAD and COFFEE shares still available- please email or call for info if you're interested!

Recipes

Garlic Scape Pesto

1 bunch garlic scapes
1 c. olive oil
1/2 c. toasted walnuts, pine nuts, and/or toasted sunflower seeds- any combo works
1/4 c. grated parmesan (optional)
juice of 1/2 lemon
generous dashes salt and pepper
Optional: 1 c. any greens of your choice (kale, spinach, parsley, turnip greens, basil, etc)

In cuisinart or blender, process olive oil, lemon juice, garlic scapes, salt and pepper.  Add nuts, process til as smooth or chunky as you like (if you want it creamy not at all chunky, toss the nuts in with everything else and whiz away; if more texture is your thing, whiz til nuts are in tiny chunks, but not creamy- try different textures and see what you like best). Add cheese last and blend just to mix. Use immediately, refrigerate for at least a week,  OR freeze for up to several months.  This is a PUNGENT pasta topper, or dip for fries, or serious salad dressing, or sauce for roasted roots or meats.  To mellow it out a little (if you like), add other greens of your choice. Parsley is one of my faves, but any leafy green thing will do. Yes pesto IS adaptable to what's on hand! Check this blog post I found online for more garlic scape/etc. pesto suggestions.

Turnip-Beet-Any-Root Roast with Creamy Garlic Bechamel Sauce

Turnips
Beets
Kohlrabi (not technically a root, but goes GREAT in this dish)
Any other roots you have on hand

Scrub and chop roots into large bite sized chunks.  Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and roast at 375ish for 30-45 min (longer for larger chunks) or til edges are nicely browned and caramelized and centers are tender. 
Meanwhile, prepare this bechamel sauce (thanks Martha Stewart!), substituting 2-4 garlic SCAPES for the cloves in the recipe.

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small yellow onion, diced small
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• coarse salt
• 4 1/2 cups whole milk 
• In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is soft, 4 minutes. Add flour, season with salt, and cook, stirring, until mixture is pale golden with a nutty aroma, 4 minutes. Whisking constantly, add half the milk. Add the remaining milk and whisk until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, until sauce comes to a boil and thickens, 10 minutes. Use immediately.

• Children's Corner

  By Ava Newell

  Hello! What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground beef!

   In the children`s garden, we previously have been planting in 5 different sections. Rainbow food garden, herb garden, three sisters garden (beans, squash and corn), Poncho`s pot pie garden and the flower garden. We`ve grown lots of vegetables, but not rhubarb. And I bring that up because my mom gave me a recipe for rhubarb custard cake. We made it for Fourth of July.
  Rhubarb Custard Cake
  *1 package yellow cake mix
  *4 cups fresh or frozen Rhubarb
  *1cup sugar
  *1cup heavy whipping cream
  *whipped cream and Mint, optional
• Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Pour into greased 13x9" pan. Sprinkle on rhubarb and sugar; slowly pour cream over top. Bake at 350 for 40-45 min or until golden brown.Cool for 15 min before serving; garnish with whipped cream and mint if desired. Refrigerate leftovers. Serves 12-15.
• MF note: sounds like we should plant some rhubarb in the children's garden!

Birch Point CSA 2015 Week 2 (Newsletter #1)

Welcome! or Welcome Back!
We are so glad you've joined our farm for the 2015 season.  Our first newsletter follows, and this is how newsletters normally go:
1. A list of this week's share items (what's in the box)
2. Announcements/ Need-to-Know important stuff (this is where you learn about changes to CSA pickup, optional extras available to order, on-farm events, etc)
3. Recipes featuring this week's items
and 4. (sometimes) Field Notes- what's up in the fields! Also occasional updates from the Children's Garden, "Meet your Farmers" interviews/profiles, photos from the farm this week, etc.

In Your Share This Week:  Lots of Green Loveliness, some Color, and some Sass

Peas! The very first snap peas of the season- there will be more, if the cool-ish weather holds. Peas love cool, moist times. We've got the cool; if we keep that and add the moist, we're rich in peas. Enjoy fresh (whole pod! these are NOT shelling peas) or tossed in a stir-fry at the last minute.

Baby salad mix- a lovely blend of baby lettuces, baby kales and chards, baby Asian greens, etc.  The salad mix composition changes every week, based on what looks best/what we have lots of.  See if you can identify all the different components!  *Note* All bagged or bunched greens have been rinsed but not washed ready-to-eat.  We recommend submerging in cool water, then spinning dry.

Radishes- more mild spring beauties- spring radishes, esp. those grown in the hoophouse or under row covers, are so much milder than the spicy summer versions of themselves-- the heat or moisture stress really "kicks it up" in the radish world. Enjoy the mellowness :)  If you think radishes are not your thing, give them two more chances: 1. Slice thinly or chop, then toss with a generous amount of SALT. Salt draws out the moisture, making them juicier and more tender, and also cuts the bitterness. Set for 5-20 min, then enjoy as is, or on a toasted bagel/baguette with cream cheese/goat cheese, or in your salad.  2. ROAST them just like potatoes- cut in half or leave whole, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, spread in a single layer in a cast iron skillet or on a cookie sheet, roast at 375ish for 30 min or so, til edges are brown and caramelized, and insides are soft and tender.  They'll taste of radish, but NOT of any bitterness. Mix with potatoes or other roots of your choice.

Bok Choy/Pac Choi (same thing, different spelling)- a most versatile leafy Asian vegetable.  My favorite preparation is a raw slaw (see recipe below), but any variation on stir-fry is a great use of choi as well. Some members will get green choi; others red. The red is starting to elongate, or bolt (send up a flower stalk), but we meticulously taste tested it, and it is still super tender and sweet, not stringy or spicy.  So go ahead and use the whole thing! Leaves, stalks, AND flower buds-- see below for the story of my introduction to "vegetable flower,"

Lettuces- lovely heads of red leaf, green romaine, butterhead, or red romaine.  Use for salad, sandwiches, on tacos, as lettuce wraps, etc. We love growing lettuces, so we hope you'll enjoy the rotating varieties we include with your share-- what are your favorites?

Garlic Scapes!  The flowering stalk of the garlic plant--- use just like fresh garlic, because it IS fresh garlic, just a part of the plant you don't see every day. That's because the scapes only grow in late spring/early summer for a 3-4 week window at most. We remove the scapes from the plants for two reasons: 1. They are DELICIOUS and tender, and a fun variation on garlic, one of our fave foods, and 2. Removing the flower stalk (before it flowers) allows the plant to redirect its energy into growing a bigger bulb instead of a flower, meaning more garlic (bigger bulbs) for us later in the summer.  This way we get two harvests of garlic from each plant!  My favorite preparation is on the grill: toss with olive oil, spread on the grill with anything else you happen to have on there, and let it go til blackened on the tips and soft/tender along the stem. Eat the whole thing. Or steam/blanch, then bread and deep fry, tempura-style, for the most decadent onion-ring-type-thing ever. Or just chop/mince and use in any recipe that calls for garlic.  AND they keep for weeks - just store in an airtight container, i.e. sealed plastic bag, in the fridge.

Locally-grown and milled FLOUR from Grand Traverse Culinary Flours. CSA member Bill Koucky produces both flours and culinary oils from locally grown ingredients!  The Record Eagle ran this story last year- check it out!  Flour AND oil will be available to order soon- this is just a sample to whet your baking whistles (and yes there IS buckwheat flour available for the gluten-averse of ye). Thanks Bill!


Announcements:

1. Cherry Festival Market Relocation: Starting Saturday, July 4, farmers' market is RELOCATED to the Old Town Parking Deck off Eighth or Lake St.  Saturday, July 4, Wed. July 8, and Saturday July 11, come find us and your CSA share on the ground level of the parking deck. As an incentive, the first 100 people to visit the market during festival days will receive $5 of their market purchases!

2. Bread and coffee shares ARE still available- you can start any week.  9 Bean Rows bread is $4 per week, bread is baker's choice- a rotating mix (one loaf per week).  Coffee is $10 per week, you sign up for light OR dark roast, and get a nice variety from within your roast preference each week (12 oz bag, whole beans).  Please email birchpointcsa@gmail.com to sign up or for more info.

3. Strawberries: if you (Tuesday people) ordered strawberries from Ware Farm, they are here today.  Sat and Wed people-- we are waiting, with baited breath, to hear if more berries will be available. The most reliable thing for you to do is to contact Bernie and Sandee Ware directly (warefarm@centurytel.net or 231 864 3242)and order flats for pick-up at market.  (Skip the Birch Point go-between entirely, since you'll be at market/in town for your CSA pickup anyway.)   I will let you know if we can take orders for more flats next week.

4. Tuesday people: remember BAGS and coolers or boxes to carry your share home.  We don't supply containers for on-farm pickups. However, we do accept donated stashes of used, clean plastic bags.  Bring your collection and leave it in the barn for when you (or fellow CSA members) forget your containers.




Recipe

Asian-ish Slaw, using Choi of your Choice, or any Asian leafy green, for that matter :)

1 head bok choi (or substitute a small napa cabbage, komatsuna, or a few tatsoi heads), finely chopped across the grain, stems,  leaves, and all.
1-3 garlic scapes, thinly sliced
1-3 dried hot peppers, crushed with the side of a knife or mortar-and-pestled, OR 1 tsp ground cayenne (optional)
1 med onion, thinly sliced
1 handful cilantro, coarsely chopped
1-2 sweet peppers, very thinly sliced (optional)
1 carrot, grated or julienned
4 Tbsp black sesame seeds (sub white if black unavailable)
1 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1 tsp ground ginger or one generous knob fresh ginger, minced
juice of one large or two small limes
generous sploosh of toasted sesame oil
salt and pepper

1. Make dressing: lime juice, sesame oil, ginger, cayenne, salt, pepper. Mix well in bottom of large bowl.
2. Add finely sliced/chopped vegetables: choi, scapes, peppers, carrots, onion. Toss with dressing.
3. Add seeds, toss.
4. Add cilantro just before serving, toss lightly-- keep that cilantro fresh til the last minute!
Enjoy room temperature or refrigerated.

"Vegetable Flower"
While I was the farm manager at the MSU Student Organic Farm, we hosted several student volunteer work parties. One spring day a class was ripping out the overgrown, weedy hoophouse that still harbored over-wintered Asian greens, among other things.   Blong, a Hmong student, questioned why we were ripping out the bolted Chinese cabbage, without distributing it to our CSA members. Upon investigation, it turned out that, at least in his family, bolted (flowering) Asian greens were a delicacy! And that there is a Hmong word for it, which translates to "vegetable flower."  We tried it, and he was right-- just as delicious as the non-bolting versions of themselves. Ever since, I've not hesitated to harvest and distribute to CSA members the bolting bok choi, napa, or other Asian greens-- they take a little explaining sometimes, but they are just long, there's nothing wrong!  I hope you enjoy whatever color and shape of bok choi you find in your share this week. And please do share your favorite recipe for bok choi or any other slightly uncommon veggie-- your fellow CSA members would love to hear from you.

Birch Point Fall-Winter CSA Week 7: the penultimate week

Warm weather!  Thursday was the loveliest day since summer, I believe. I hope you all got outside for a good stretch of Thursday. Friday wasn't bad either... this reprieve from bitter cold and gray has got spirits up, even though the ground is still frozen solid.  We'd love to harvest the last few root veggies that were still in the ground when the deep freeze hit, but it may be next week before that happens.    In good news, the sunshine has warmed up the hoophouse to the point where the baby greens are harvestable!  Most things we grow in the winter hoophouse can handle a certain amount of freezing and thawing (e.g. kale, spinach, arugula, lettuce, claytonia, parsley), but quality is much higher when the greens aren't actually frozen solid at the time of harvest! Today they were nicely thawed out and perky, so we were able to harvest a lovely winter salad of arugula, baby kale, and a smattering of lettuce-- mainly arugula and kale, a handful of red lettuce just for color.  Hope you enjoy this special treat!
Remember: next week is our final week of CSA for the fall-winter season.   We look forward to seeing you-- if shares are outside of Bldg 50, be sure to come say hello when you pick up your box!

In This Week's Share

Winter Squash-the squash we carefully harvested, cleaned, sorted, and stored is just starting to show signs of not loving its storage life-- parts of the squash field sustained minimal frost damage this fall before harvest, which can shorten storage life.  We've been on the lookout for rot all fall, and I'm impressed that it's just now showing up.  Squash normally keeps for several weeks up to several months, but once soft spots develop, the best thing is to use it up or cook and freeze it for later.
For maximum storage life (of non-compromised squash), keep at approx 50 degrees F in a relatively dry environment.  Attics or garages that stay well above freezing, spare rooms that are minimally heated, or root cellars with good ventilation are all good for squash storage. What's bad for squash storage: temps too close to freezing or much above 60 degrees F, high humidity, bruising.

Brussels sprouts- the last of these little lovelies for the season!  Brenin harvested them frozen earlier this week, and they are still so sweet and tender, if on the small side.  If you think you're (or someone in your household is) not a Bsprout fan, try this: trim and clean, and slice super thinly across sprouts, then fluff into a frizzy, fluffy pile (basically destroying the evidence that they started out as sprouts).  Saute onions with olive oil or butter til tender and browned, add shredded sprouts and a generous sprinkle of salt, saute on med heat til bright, bright green and tender.  If it starts to dry out or stick, sploosh in a spoonful or two of water. Toss in pan with balsamic vinegar and/or lemon juice- balsamic vinegar will add more sweetness, lemon more acidity.  I also like to throw in some dried cherries or cranberries, chopped, at the last moment of cooking. There. See what the haters say now.

Rutabagas!  I think rutabagas are delicious.  The secret?  Bring out their sweetness- they ARE sweet, but also pungent.  If you love pungent, go for it; you're in your element.  If not, take advantage of caramelizing and maximizing surface area-- e.g. rutabaga fries (cut like steak fries, brush with olive oil and bake at 375 til brown and crisp on edges, soft at centers) with  ketchup OR spicy mayo (half-half mayo and your favorite hot sauce), rutabaga-and-potato gratin (see recipe below), rutabaga hash browns --use some combo of potatoes and rutabagas (half-half or any ratio, really), and mashed rutabaga (straight up roasted- not boiled- rutabaga OR mixed with potato).  These techniques maximize the transformation of starches into sugars, not changing the inherent rutabaga-ness, but allowing their inner sweetness to shine through.


Salad mix-- a winter combo of baby arugula, baby red Russian kale, and lettuces (barely any lettuce-- this is mostly arugula and kale).  These greens are so tender I hope you'll try them with the most nominal of dressing- e.g. olive oil and salt, grape seed oil and verjus (the hyper-local equivalent of olive oil and lemon juice), or the like.  Let the delicate greens shine as themselves rather than a vehicle for heavy dressings!

Onions- either Rossa di Milano (big red) or a mix of small reds and yellows.  Try chopped, roasted onions along with your rutabaga and carrot (and last week's potatoes if you still have some) in a roasted root medley.

Carrots- a rainbow mix of orange, purple, and/or white.  Enjoy fresh or roasted.  I made a lovely purple-and-orange carrot slaw the other day with just grated carrots and an apple, onions, toasted sunflower seeds, cilantro, a minced dried hot pepper, and a sesame oil-rice vinegar dressing. YUM!

Ida Red Apples- another installment of certified organic apples from our friend Gene, the organic orchardist in Northport. Ida Reds are great for fresh eating OR baking; they also store well if you can't use them immediately- keep them cold and humid (refrigerator=great, but anywhere that stays slightly above freezing is fine (breezeway, drafty attic, etc).

Rutabaga and Potato Gratin
SERVES 6–8
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 lb. rutabagas, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 tbsp. minced thyme leaves
2 cups (about 4 oz.) grated
Gruyére cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 425°. Heat butter and oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat; add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 6 minutes. Stir in flour, and cook until smooth, about 1 minute. Add milk and cream, and stir until smooth. Add potatoes, rutabagas, and 2 tsp. thyme, and bring mixture to a boil; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are slightly tender and broken apart, about 5 minutes. Stir in half the cheese and salt and pepper, and then transfer to a 9″ × 13″ baking dish; top with remaining cheese and bake until golden brown and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining thyme before serving.

And an Even Fancier (more delicious sounding) Brussels Sprout Recipe
Brussels Sprouts Chiffonade with Caramelized Onions

Birch Point Fall-Winter CSA Week 6

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!  Brenin was out in Portland visiting old and new friends, and Jess and I hosted all our parents plus a handful of friends here at the farm for dinner-- check out some menu/recipe suggestions at the end of this blog inspired by our Tday dinner (it was delicious and almost entirely raised/grown by the people at the table!).
Note: we were packing shares as dusk turned to darkness this evening.  While we're careful to sort and select the nicest produce for your shares, it can be difficult in the dark, as you might imagine, to be as thorough as we'd like ;)   IF you find squash with soft spots, or a green potato, for example, please let us know-- it's possible we missed some!  Suggestion: if you ever are faced with squash with soft spots, the best thing is to cook it and freeze the cooked squash ASAP-- it'll keep for months in your freezer.

In this week's share:

Celeriac-- the alien-looking root veggie that's the most versatile winter food ever.  Use them any way  you'd use a potato- boiled, mashed, fried, roasted, pureed, etc.  Or go the traditional route and use in soups and stews-- chunked into bite sized pieces or pureed for creamy soup.  Save the skins (you have to peel these b/c it's nearly impossible to get all the grit out of the root hairs) and use in soup stock. I often find great recipes and info on other CSA farms' blogs and newsletters, and recently came across this celeriac page from Radical Roots farm in VT- enjoy!
Potatoes: either red (Red Maria), white (Katahdin) or red French fingerling. Oh potatoes, we'd be hard pressed to find a food as versatile and universally appreciated (perhaps celeriac ... one day!!!).
Leeks: hope you enjoy these lovely alliums as much as we do! Besides using leeks any way you'd use onions, also try them in this frittata recipe OR baked (sliced lengthwise) in a casserole dish with plenty of cream and/or plain yogurt, goat cheese, and bread crumbs. YUM.
Winter Squash: Kabocha or Buttercup (both dark green with sweet, flaky flesh-- even better than pumpkins for "pumpkin" pie, but so, so delicious baked whole/halved, or sliced into wedges, brushed with olive oil or melted butter, and roasted in a single layer on a cookie sheet).
Cabbage: harvested frozen solid out of the field, most of these cabbages are best for cooking rather than fresh eating. Chances are good they'd be fine fresh, but since we've had some REALLY cold nights without the protection of deep snow, it's possible the cell walls sustained enough frost damage to change the texture of the leaves-- which doesn't matter for cooking but can make fresh eating less satisfying. In honor of Jess's Polish heritage, and his dad's constant quest for good Polish food, here's a recipe for golumpki, or traditional stuffed cabbage rolls. Note: you can stuff cabbage with anything you like/anything you've got-- feel free to stray from the traditional suggestions!
Onions- sweet little roasting onions-- peel and roast whole or halved, OR slice and use exactly like large onions.
Sunchokes/Jerusalem Artichokes: a most versatile and tasty root veggie!  Check out this Brooklyn foodie's blog entry about sunchokes if you missed it the first time around.
Kale OR braising mix-- hoophouse-grown, the braising mix is a blend of kales, swiss chard, and parsley and can totally be eaten as salad if you're into non-lettuce salads. The big kale is from the field and as sweet as it ever can be!

Our Thanksgiving Feast (can be replicated any time this fall/winter!)

Roasted Winter Squash-- slice into 1" wedges, skins still on but seeds/inner pulp removed, brush generously with olive oil, arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake @ 365 for 20 min OR til tender and caramelized/browned around the edges. YUM.
Celeriac Remoulade-- a variation of Farmer John's involving matchsticked celeriac, chopped cornichons and capers, dijon mustard and mayo, lemon juice, salt and pepper. So tangy!
Turkey- raised, slaughtered, cooked, and served by our friend Andy (he called her Annabelle)
Chicory-Pomegranate seed salad: Finely chopped Sugarloaf chicory from our friends and neighbors Nic and Sara of Loma Farm, English walnuts from our friend Todd Springer of Gray's Fruit Farm on Old Mission, sliced Spygold apples from our friend Gene of Garthe Orchard in Northport, and gorgeous pomegranate seeds from our 24-hour pal, Fred Meijer. Toss with a lemon-olive oil-tarragon dressing.
Mashed potatoes with garlic- need I say more?
B&B (Beets & Brussels)- beets chopped and roasted, B-sprouts sliced in half or left whole and roasted. Tossed together with a light vinaigrette, served warm.
Tomato Tart from Kate Fiebing: (something like this recipe) her own garden's sungold cherry tomatoes, roasted and frozen back in August, brought out to share in the cold and grey of November! A savory pastry-crusted delight.
Panade with kale, tomatoes, and gruyere from Barbara Piskor- a savory "bread pudding" in a shallow baking pan. Yum!  Try panade with any combo of veggies you happen to have on hand.
Cornbread we made here, sourdough from Nic, and fruit-nut nearly-journey-bread from Nic.
Pumpkin, Pecan, Apple, and Chocolate pies from Barb Ferrarese and Kate Fiebing- drowned in Shetler's whipped cream of course.

Birch Point Fall-Winter CSA Week 4&5: Rolled into one box!

Remember: this week's box is the DOUBLE share, and next week (Sat. Nov 29), there is NO CSA pickup.  In case you missed earlier communications, members (you) voted to double up on this week's box, to ensure extra bounty for Thanksgiving!  And also to skip next week, since many folks will be out of town for Thanksgiving, and/or still in a food coma from Thursday :)

In this week's double share:

Beets: either giant specimens suitable for roasting or grating fresh, or smaller roots for boiling/roasting/steaming
Carrots: Rainbow mix of orange, purple, and white, many of which are small and perfect for roasting whole.
Potatoes: either gold or redskin
Onions: either yellow, red, or cipollini
Leeks: Life is bleak without a leek.  Use interchangeably with onions.  Stores well! (and don't believe anyone or any recipe who says to only use the white parts-- the green parts are totally edible and useable; just slice across the grain finely and cook a minute longer)
Cabbage: a savoyed (crinkly-leaved) variety called "Dead On," one of our faves! Use for slaw OR cooking.
Brussels sprouts: as per earlier note, be sure to double check sprouts on the lower end of the stalk for quality-- we sorted as much as we could, but may have missed some funky sprouts.  Slice in half to examine the insides.  Halved, caramelized sprouts make a lovely Thanksgiving dish on their own OR with cubed, roasted winter squash and sauteed leeks/onions, and sherry vinegar.  If your stalk happens to have leaves on it, slice them up and include them with your Brussels sprout dish and/or with your kale- delicious!
Kale: Holy kalesicles, batman!  Harvesting frozen solid kale from under the snow is an adventure, as you might imagine!  It also means the kale will be a little wilty when it reaches you-- never fear, just thaw out (if it's still icy), store and/or prepare as usual, and it'll be delicious-- extra sweet from the cold.
Winter Squash- You may see either Buttercup/Kabocha (dark green outside, with dry, flaky orange flesh inside-- makes the BEST "pumpkin" pies!!!), Potimarron (red, teardrop shaped, sweet and creamy), Sunshine (also red, but a kabocha type so a little dryer than Potimarron, which it closely resembles), or Blue Ballet- a baby hubbard-type, blue-gray, moist fleshed, and an excellent keeper, if you need to store it rather than use this week.
Celeriac- the funny-looking, alien-like root with hairy skin (requires peeling!) that tastes like celery but cooks up like a potato. In fact, mashed potatoes WITH celeriac is one of our fave Tday dishes!  They'll store reliably for a good long while, so no rush to use them up.  Once you're in the mood for a winter soup, celeriac will be happy to help.
Garlic-- also delicious with mashed potatoes. Or just about anything for that matter!
Parsnips- the tannish-white root veggie that resembles a fat carrot.  Look carefully at the long, white roots in your box-- some are parsnips; some may be white carrots!  Parsnips are slightly scraggly-looking (usually) with tan overtones. Carrots have a much thinner skin and slightly crispier texture.  You can always taste them to get a positive i.d- carrots taste like carrots; raw parsnips are similar but much earthier AND denser and slightly fibrous.  Cooked, parsnips are even sweeter than carrots, but raw parnsips are only for the hardiest palates and jaw muscles.
Last but not least- organic Apples from our friend Gene Garthe in Northport!  These are a variety know as Spy Gold, and excellent eating OR cooking apple.  Firm and slightly tart, they're delicious out of hand but also make an amazing pie or applesauce.  We hope you enjoy this special addition to our own farm-grown produce.

We hope you'll enjoy some lovely ROASTED ROOTS,
Cabbage-Apple-Pomegranate Salad,
Squash pie,
Caramelized Brussels sprouts with Squash and Cranberries,
Kale and Leeks (perhaps with chickpeas?)
and Apple-Celeriac Slaw
with your family and friends this week.

Thank you SO much for being part of the farm this fall!  Remember: no CSA pickup next week (Nov. 29).  We'll see you the following week (Dec. 6) as usual.

Birch Point Fall-Winter CSA weeks 1-3

Happy SNOW DAY!!!  Welcome to the first fall-winter CSA newsletter, in which you'll find a list of each week's share items, recipe suggestions, announcements that you need to know, and news from the farm. We'd been working to get the fields cleaned up (irrigation lines in, trellises down, the very last cover crop sown) before this snow, and mostly succeeded, though this is more snow than we'd anticipated for this early in November! Today's challenge was harvesting and cleaning produce from the snow-covered beds.  Things like root vegetables, kale, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and leeks don't mind sub-freezing temperatures, but once the ground and the stalks freeze solid, as you can imagine, it's harder to pick them!  So we've got a bunch of crops harvested and in cold storage, but we'll continue to chip away at the greensicles in the field as long as possible, to bring you the freshest (if coldest) veg possible.  I have to say, as sexy as hoophouses are (and you'll see some baby greens from the hoophouse before this CSA session is over), I am WAY more impressed by plants that survive in the field in these conditions and continue to provide hearty, nutritious food until the snow/ice is so solid that we can't get to them, or the deer mow them to the ground. We hope you're enjoying the selection of delicious winter food so far-- your feedback is always appreciated!

Last week: 3 items may require explanation:
1. Braising Mix or Napa cabbage: some shares got sweet little napas; others got braising mix. We spoke with most of you in person about it, but if not, just FYI, that was a spicy mix! Intended for a quick steam or saute rather than as salad. Of course if you like it spicy, braising mix makes a fine salad, too ;) Napa makes a fine salad, slaw, or stir-fry-- the best of both worlds of lettuce and cabbage.
2. Celeriac-- the knobby, hairy root that smells and tastes like celery (the leaves look just like celery too)- the best winter stew, soup, or stock veggie!  Besides soup, celeriac is wonderful roasted or boiled and mashed with potatoes, and/or shredded and fried with potatoes.  It also keeps for several weeks (or more) in the fridge or in your root cellar. You'll see more celeriac this fall, so no need to hoard them.
3. Sunchokes/Jerusalem Artichokes-- not an artichoke at all, resembles ginger, and may stump you if you've never had them.  They are a tasty root veggie, native to North America, in the sunflower family, and you can use them any way you'd use a potato: bake, boil, fry, roast, OR (unlike a potato) eat raw- grated or thinly sliced into salad=yum. Here's a wonderful blog entry from a Brooklyn blogger about sunchokes- enjoy!

In this week's share:

Potatoes- Possibly the most versatile food ever...?  You'll continue to see a mix of various redskins, golds, German butterballs, fingerlings, etc.
Beets-either small with tops (fresh harvested!) or giant w/out tops (from storage). See below for a simple borscht recipe.
Cabbage-purple, green, or Deadon, which is a savoyed (crinkled) leaf cabbage that fades from robust purple outer leaves to pale green, tender inner leaves- one of our favorites.
Kale or Collard Greens- frozen and oh so sweet!  sometimes I wonder why we bother eating greens before they've been frosted-- cold temps turn starches to sugars, bringing out the best flavor possible. The leaves were a little zorched (read: soft) from freezing, but they are delicious as ever.
Leeks- Did you know you can use leeks exactly the same as onions?  They are slightly milder than most onions, hold up as well or better, and (I think) are more elegant.  and YES you can use the green parts!  I don't know why people say you can't- they're perfectly good. IF they're slightly more fibrous than the white sections, just slice them finely across the grain and saute a minute or so longer.  Or if you don't want green color in a dish you're preparing with leeks, be sure to save the green part for making soup or stock.
Onions- you'll continue to see a mix of red, yellow, and/or cipollini--tiny, flattened Italian heirloom onions-- note: they aren't always this small; the drought this summer was hard on them. In fact, there's a song about this year's cipollini (you'll get the tune): One-two, one-two, tell the people what we grew: We grew some itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, microscopic Cippollini.  But they're still delicious and perfect for roasting whole or halved ;)
Brassica Surprise: Either broccoli OR cauliflower OR romanesco (the green, fractalicious cousin of cauliflower- prepare the same way). As most things, harvested frozen solid from the snow- enjoy!
Hot peppers- yes, you've gotten a good amount already, and you may get more!  It turned out to be a good hot chile year.  If you can't use all those chiles in a week, try drying or freezing.  To dry: cut in half (large or juicy hot chiles), use a dehydrator or oven set at the lowest temp available with the door slightly ajar, dehydrate til dry.  Or thread onto a string (small, thin-skinned chiles), hanging in a well-ventilated, dry spot until dry.  Store in an airtight jar once thoroughly dry. To freeze: cut in half (or not), freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet or plate in the freezer, then seal in bag when frozen andreturn to freezer (IQF, or Individual Quick Freezing, to avoid a frozen pepper brick-- easier to remove individual peppers later, as you need them!)

Farmer John's Holmski Borscht Recipe (http://caloriecount.about.com/farmer-johns-holmski-borscht-recipe-r416108) 

Makes 6 servings

Farmer John's Holmski Borscht

Recipe Ingredients for Farmer John's Holmski Borscht

1	beet
2	tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3	tablespoons (canola or olive) oil
1	medium onion (chopped)
2	large carrots (sliced)
4	cups cabbage (shredded about 4 cups)
2	tsp salt (and 20 whole pepper corns)
1	potato (1 or 2)
1/3	cup dill (plus 4 bay leaves and parsley)
2	cloves garlic (minced)

Recipe Directions for Farmer John's Holmski Borscht

1. Bring large pot of water to boil over high heat.
   
2. Grate beets and saute for 10 min. in large skillet with half the oil and add the cider vinegar. Set aside.
   
3. Put the rest of the oil in a skillet and add sliced carrots and onions and saute until onions are just translucent and carrots have browned on both sides.
   
4. When the water boils add in cabbage and cook until tender (about 10 min.)
   
5. Add potatoes and cook until tender 15 to 30 minutes.
   
6. Add beet mixture and when soup returns to boil carrots and onions, 4 bay leaves and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook for 4 or 5 more minutes
   
7. Remove from heat. Stir in dill, parsley, and garlic.
   
8. Let soup stand for 20 minutes.
   
9. Garnish with sour cream and dill

CELERIAC, POTATO, LEEK & APPLE SOUP from CSA member Diane Samarasinghe

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 leeks, white and light green part only, halved lengthwise, cleaned and sliced or chopped

Salt to taste

2 pounds celeriac, peeled and diced (retain tops for bouquet garni and garnish)

1 large russet potato (about 3/4 pound), peeled and diced

2 granny smith or braeburn apples, cored, peeled and diced

2 quarts water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock

A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf and a couple of sprigs each thyme and parsley, and a stem or two of the celery from the celery root, if still attached

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Slivered celery leaves for garnish

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat and add the onion, leeks and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the celeriac and a generous pinch of salt, cover partially and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often, until the celeriac has begun to soften. Add the potatoes, apples, water or stock, salt to taste, and the bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 1 hour, or until the vegetables are very tender and the soup is fragrant. Remove and discard the bouquet garni.

2. Blend the soup in batches in a blender (cover the top with a towel and hold it down to avoid hot splashes), or through a food mill fitted with the fine blade. The soup should be very smooth. Strain if desired. Return to the pot. Stir and taste. Adjust salt, add freshly ground pepper, and heat through. Serve in small bowls or espresso cups, garnished with thin slivers of celery leaves.

Yield: 16 to 18 demitasse servings or 8 bowls

Advance preparation: You can make this a day or two ahead and reheat. The soup can be frozen, but you will need to blend it again when you thaw it.

Nutritional information per serving (8 servings): 134 calories; 2 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 28 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 128 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 3 grams protein

Nutritional information per serving (16 servings): 67 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 14 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 14 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 2 grams protein

CSA Week 18: the End is Bittersweet- Appreciation and Gratitude

We'll miss you!  Hope to see you at the indoor market
in Bldg 50, Saturdays from 10-2, starting Nov. 1

Well, friends- this past week WAS the last week of CSA for the season (unless you joined early and got a message about your bonus share week- you know who you are).  What a wild season.  Brenin and I have loved working together this first season of collaboration.  We couldn't have asked for a better crew than Jae and Christina, who we think will both be back next year!  And our work shares-- best work sharers ever!  Not to mention farm members-- best group of farm members ever! The past few weeks have been defined, for me, by pregnancy-induced slowness and dependency, which is an incredible, humbling learning curve in itself, and everyone else around here has stepped up, and then some, to keep us on track.  They couldn't be more competent and productive, and I couldn't be more appreciative.   Thank you, members, SO much for weathering the nutty weather with us, and for all of your support through the skinny times and enthusiasm in the bountiful times!  Sorry it took so long to get this newsletter out, but I hope the suggestions below help navigate your last box. Whether you have a winter share or shop as market customers, we hope to see you all at the indoor winter market in Bldg 50, starting the 1st of November (Saturdays 10-2). -MF
Brenin's two cents: "You only know what you know until you do what you do"-BWR

AND-reminder! Party tomorrow (Sat Oct. 25) at Birch Point:

2-5 pm Garlic Planting- dress to get cold and/or muddy! Bring your favorite work gloves and 8" measuring stick.
5-6 pm Mingling and music in the Red Barn
6-7:30ish Potluck in the Red Barn-- Dress for cold weather; the barn is unheated. Bring a dish to share and your own place settings.

What's in Your Share This (Past) Week:

Winter Squash: a mix of Acorn, Sweet Dumpling, Delicata, Buttercup, Butternut, or Red Kuri.  Again, these should keep a few weeks at least-- if you see any soft spots developing before you're ready to enjoy them, just cook and freeze for later. The long-storing varieties (Butternut, hubbard, Eastern Rise, and to some extent kabocha/buttercups) may keep fine for several months; but they did get frosted, which can shorten their storage life, so keep an eye on them if you store them for later.
Potatoes: large or fingerling
Napa Cabbage: Jae Gerhart's favorite crop!  Time for kim chee, slaw, cabbage rolls, egg rolls, stir-fry, or simply marinated wedges grilled or roasted in the oven. There really isn't much you CAN'T do with a Napa cabbage.
Leeks and/or Onions- Leeks should store in an airtight container (e.g. sealed bag) in the fridge for WEEKS if you need them to. Onions do best in cool, dry conditions, like a root cellar, frost-free garage or unheated guest room.  Keep them on the kitchen counter if you'll use them in the next couple of weeks.
Celeriac/Celery Root-just like any root veggie, remove greens before storing to maximize crispness and shelf life (attached greens continue to transpire moisture away from roots, leading to rubbery roots. Remove greens and use first). *Think SOUP!
Beets OR Carrots- same (remove greens to store)
Sweet Peppers- the very last, but beautiful and still sweet!
Hot Peppers-your choice among hot paper lantern, limon, hinkelhatz, serrano, jalapeno, thai hot, and fish.
Romaine Lettuce- some of the last fall heads out of the field-- small but crisp and tasty.
Brussels Sprouts: they did size up in time for CSA to get the very first harvest!  If you think you're not a Brussels sprouts fan, please try these before you turn up your nose. Most bad experiences w/ B-sprouts are a result of store-bought (i.e. California-grown) sprouts, which have never seen a frost in their lifetime.  Frost sweetens sprouts and many other fall green veggies like nothing else can-- the extreme cold turns some of the starches to sugars, which is why late fall collard greens, kale, B-sprouts, and even cabbage taste sweeter than their summer counterparts. Since we did have a good frost last Wednesday in Grawn (where the B-sprouts are growing), they should be sweet and flavorful. See "Recipes" for preparation suggestions.  Heads Up:  B-sprouts have sustained a certain amount (10-20%) of damage from cabbage worms and from black rot.  We tried to sort out the infected plants and only give CSA the good ones, but if you get a stalk with worms and/or that is soft and black inside the sprouts, PLEASE let us know so we can replace it!  (the only way to tell for sure is to cut open every sprout, so we may miss a few) Reminder: If your stalk happens to have leaves on it, be sure to use them!  Brussels leaves are just as tasty as the sprouts themselves-- either use just like kale, or chop and toss into the pan along with your B-sprouts (and caramelized leeks with Balsamic vinegar reduction perhaps?).

Recipes

Feeling Cheesy?  Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes with Leeks and Chives (can sub minced onions or minced, blanched leek greens for chives):
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Goat-Cheese-Mashed-Potatoes-with-Leeks-and-Chives-12790

Pan-Seared Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar Reduction
1 c. or more Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced in half lengthwise (tiny ones can be whole)
Any/all leaves from the Bsprout stalk, trimmed and chiffonaded
1 small onion or 1/2 large leek, sliced thinly
1 c. toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar (not fancy- just for cooking)
Coarse salt
Pepper

Saute leeks or onion and a pinch of salt in a generous amount of olive oil in a med-large skillet over med heat for a few minutes until translucent. Increase heat to high, add a good sploosh more olive oil, and when hot (not smoking), add chiffonaded B-sprout leaves and halved sprouts, stirring to coat with oil.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, 3-5 minutes or until sprouts are nicely browned where in contact with the pan. Add enough balsamic vinegar to cover the bottom of the pan, and toss everything to coat.  Reduce heat to med-low, cook til vinegar is reduced to a thick syrup that coats everything, stirring occasionally.  Toss with nuts, more salt to taste, and a good amount of fresh ground pepper.  We served this for Thanksgiving last year-- even family members who claimed not to like Brussels sprouts loved it.
Variation: Asian-ish theme: substitute tamari or shoyu for balsamic vinegar, sub vegetable oil for olive oil but finish (to serve) with a good sploosh of toasted sesame oil, sub peanuts and/or sesame seeds for walnuts/pecans.

Before we know it, this will be
farm life again!

Back in the spring- our newest addition!

Your farmers at the Harvest
Gathering festival in Sept