The Land Has A Quality of Time Which Steadies Us.

4:16 PM Unknown 11 Comments

"The land has a quality of time which steadies us.  When you come to a place, honor her rhythm and her voice."

~Fredric Lehrman








While we don't have any to offer yet, sungold tomatoes are really starting to pop and we are excited to get them coming to you soon! The winds of change are blowing at the farm and my time here has come to an end.  I will miss your smiling faces and beautiful spirits at market and will also miss chatting here with you on the blog.  But I am passing the torch and am sure the lineage of farm speak here will keep doing just fine. :)  So, onto the CSA news. This week's share is a super yummy one:

Potatoes
Kohl Rabi
Turnips
Scapes
Kale Bunches
Rainbow Chard Bunches
Romaine Lettuce
Zucchini
Something a little extra? :)

Now for what to do with that kale!

Massaged Kale with Outstanding Miso Sesame Dressing (high raw, vegan, gluten free)

Makes 1 1/4 cups

1/4 cup mellow white miso
3 tbsp agave nectar
1/4 cup tahini (raw is preferable, but roasted is fine, and less costly)
2 tbsp tamari
1 tsp grated, fresh ginger
1/2 cup water + more as needed
1) Blend all ingredients together on high. Add more water if the mixture is too thick.

1 bunch curly kale
1 large beefsteak tomato, chopped
1 large bell pepper (or 2 small), chopped
1) De-stem, chop, and wash kale well
2) Add about 1/3-1/2 cup of the miso dressing to the kale. Using your hands, “massage” dressing into salad well, till it’s a little wilted in texture.
3) Add tomatoes and peppers, and toss. Serve!

Compliments of Choosing Raw: http://www.choosingraw.com/outstanding-miso-sesame-dressing/

Thanks for another week of membership with us.  It has been an honor to serve you all.

Jess

11 comments:

Officially Summer!

7:26 AM Unknown 34 Comments

"What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will fade."
~ Gertrude Jekyll










We are well into the summer CSA but it is now officially summer, the heat and crazy storms are on! So many people got hit this week with really bad storming and while we got a good bit of rain, we also got really lucky to have avoided the damage as with our surrounding areas.  Our hearts go out to all were affected and we also give thanks for being narrowly missed. We do though look forward to some more dry weather so we can out into the fields with a tractor and get work done that is being put on hold.  The deer are certainly active and as much as they like to eat our chard and lettuce it makes us happy to see them simply munching on clover, as the one pictured here was doing next to the house!  

Now to what you are munching on this week:

Lettuce Heads
Summer Potatoes
Turnips
Garlic Scapes
Kale Bunches
Chard Bunches
A surprise or two :)

What to do with turnips?! They often perplex people and these early spring and summer ones we grow are great to eat raw but you can also boil them. With a quick boil, they are a delicious addition to any meal.  Dice, boil and drizzle with olive oil.  Add a little sea salt, cracked black pepper and/or a squeeze of lemon and they are divine!

We hope your transition into summer is going smoothly and appreciate each and every one of you who support local foods and our hard work to get them to you.

Your Echo Team



34 comments:

Rain Makes Rainbows

1:55 PM Unknown 2 Comments

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
~ Dolly Parton






Rainbow Chard Freshly Picked


We have had our fair share of rain!  One storm in particular bruised up a good bit of our lettuce and bok choi fields and a lot of stuff is beginning to bolt with this heat wave we are having.  So it goes this time of year.  We do still have a lot growing and thriving.  We are doing our best to get it to you before the deer eat it!  They are particularly fond of the rainbow chard and lettuce heads.  Many a baby fawn have been spotted in the fields and we can hardly blame them.  We grow good food.
It is a crazy busy week as our right hand man, Will Lorentzen, is getting married and the farm owner, Derek Roller, will be out of town.  So thank you to all of you, in advance, as this week will be a one of maintenance more than one of all out work. Congrats, Will and Adrian!

Considering the damage from the storms, we should have a pretty great CSA offering this week. We have:

Asparagus
Bok Choi
Lettuce Heads
Shiitake Mushrooms
Bunched Rainbow Chard
Turnips
Scapes
Lambs Quarters
Bunched Kale

Here is a simple and delicious way to use rainbow chard!

Sautéed Rainbow Chard with Garlic and Lemon

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced (or you can use your scapes!)
4 pounds rainbow or ruby chard—thick stems discarded, inner ribs removed and cut into 2-inch lengths, leaves cut into 2-inch ribbons 
Salt and freshly ground pepper 
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  1. In a large pot, heat 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Stir in the garlic and cook over moderately high heat until lightly golden, about 1 minute. Add the chard leaves in large handfuls, allowing each batch to wilt slightly before adding more. Season the chard with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the leaves are softened and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chard to a bowl. Wipe out the pot. 
  2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot. Add the chard ribs and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the wilted chard leaves and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle with the lemon zest and serve right away. 

Compliments of:  http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/sauteed-rainbow-chard-with-garlic-and-lemonhttp://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/sauteed-rainbow-chard-with-garlic-and-lemon

Additionally, a side note about Lambs Quarters...

It is a local wild food, belonging to the same family as spinach and chard.  It is super nutritious and ours is pesticide free. :) It is a lovely cooked green.  Just treat it like you would spinach.  It makes really yummy pesto!

Have a super week folks and thanks again for joining us in keeping food local!

Your Echo Team

2 comments:

Scape Time!

7:27 PM Unknown 1 Comments

"There are many miracles in the world to be celebrated and, for me, garlic is the most deserving."
~ Leo Buscaglia













You have all asked us about them, eagerly and patiently awaited them and here is Gwen picking them, yes; garlic scapes are now on the menu.  Keep reading to find out what else she discovered! Not only are scapes fun because of their unique shape and as a conversation piece for dinner parties, they last for a long time in the refrigerator and taste amazing in just about anything.  I find them to be an amazing compliment to egg dishes. (see recipe below)

We are always finding all kinds of surprises on the farm as we work.  Today, Gwen found a little tree frog on a scape.  I guess they like them!  Tree frogs have good taste and so do our CSA Members. :)








This week's pickings:

Spinach
Asparagus
Bok Choi
Head Lettuce
Spring Turnip
Braise Mix
Scapes!
Sneaky Surprise

With this week's abundance, my recommendation is an egg dish.  Scapes and asparagus go so well with eggs for breakfast or dinner.


Garlic Scape Pesto Scrambled Eggs with Asparagus and Mushrooms

Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon garlic scape pesto
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 4 cremini mushrooms (sliced)
  • 4 asparagus spears (cleaned, trimmed and cut into 1 inch slices)
  • salt and pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Lightly beat the garlic scape pesto into the eggs.
  2. Heat the oil in a pan.
  3. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
  4. Add the asparagus and saute until tender, about 3 minutes.
  5. Add the eggs and stir until they are cooked, about 1-3 minutes.
  6. Season with salt and pepper.


 If you do not want to make the pesto, simply dice the scapes and add them.  They stand alone just fine! If the pesto sounds fun, here is a recipe to try.  It is super easy.  Also, you can easily add some of your spinach from this week too.

Garlic Scape Pesto

  • 1 cup garlic scapes (sliced 1/4 inch thick)
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts (toasted)
  • 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (grated)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • lemon juice to taste (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Place everything into a food processor and blend.
Compliments of:

http://www.closetcooking.com/2009/07/garlic-scape-pesto-scrambled-eggs-with.html 

We hope you are staying cool this week.  It has been a hot one!

Your Echo Team



1 comments:

Hello Deer.

7:30 PM Unknown 4 Comments

“If you are doing the right thing for the earth, she's giving you great company.” 
~ Dr. Shiva Vandana













Look at who is popping up out of the ground with vigor and spirit? Candy onions!  While we tend to them, many varieties of lettuce, garlic, asparagus, kale, arugula, radishes, asian greens, bok choi, spinach, rapini, leeks, peppers, tomatoes, basil, rosemary, mint,  rainbow chard and many others, nature always throws a curve ball or several. One of our greenhouses was lovingly foraged by deer.  We will just assume they are grateful for our hard work. He, he... We are finding fawns tucked into our cover rye and vetch as we attempt to work peacefully with these beauties.  They really just got away with come mouths full of rainbow chard.  Deer must love rainbows as much as we do.  It is a good thing we planted a lot of it and in various areas.  That said, the chard that is left standing in greenhouse three and the stuff in our new CAT house looks and tastes pretty amazing! 

Earlier this spring, I was fortunate to go see Dr. Shiva Vandana speak at the Englert Theater.  What an amazing woman and presence she is.  She speaks to the importance of seed protection and how much women actually play a part in that if we band together with our sisters and our brothers to speak for this.  Not just speak for this but to actually do something that encourages communities having the right to growing their own food however they see fit, with the pressures of big agriculture constantly posing curve balls.  I was so very inspired by her and I hope you all have the chance to meet her or at least read some of her material.  Or watch videos on youtube.  Pure inspiration and motivation.

We, here at Echollective, are doing all we can to lead the charge here locally and our CSA members are every bit a part of it as we are with their intimate support and enjoyment of how it works from the ground up.  Our market shoppers and those who look for us local grocery stores and New Pioneer Co-op are also hugely important to this way of life being restored.  Thank you so much to all of you!

Now.  This week's CSA share!

Spinach
Asaparagus
Arugula
Radishes
Mint
Head Lettuce
Braise Mix (Cooking greens)
Asian Greens
Spring Turnips
(Surely something else)

Usually, simple is a good way to start with a vegetable that you are not familiar with.  Our Asian greens are either Vitamin Greens or Tokyo Bekana.  Either way, to gain familiarity with the flavor you can taste a bit of it raw, which is delicious, and also cook a really simple side dish with it to give your taste buds a friendly introduction. :)  Here is a simple recipe to get you started with them if you are not already integrating them into your meals.


1 bunch vitamin greens (washed, trimmed, and roughly chopped)
1/2 red onion (sliced)
1 tablespoon olive or grapeseed oil
salt and pepper

In a wide Dutch oven or  deep sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and a pinch of salt.  Sauté, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent and just begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes.  Add vitamin greens and toss until the greens begin to wilt.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until greens reach desired tenderness, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Thanks, Cucina Girl!

http://www.cucinagirl.com/2010/12/vitamin-greens.html

And thank you again, to all of you who support us in supporting you full circle.

Your Echo Team

4 comments: