Showing posts with label Garlic party. Show all posts

Wet Weeks and Garlic Crackers

Looking back at the last couple weeks, it appears as if we're making up for all the rain we've missed during this summer's drastic drought!  The weather has been wet, and it's been more than welcome.  Our water table could use some more soaking to recuperate from this era of general dryness that's plagued us since the winter.  Sure, last winter was mild and nice...and we sure milked it for what it was worth, stretching our season extension all the way up 'til New Years Eve.  But the lack of snow we experienced means depletion of our underground reservoirs; snow melt is a great contributor to these, as well as natural and drilled wells.  We can only ask for a more normal winter with plenty of snow, in spite of warmer weather having its perks.  Colder temperatures and more freezes this winter would be welcome too...hard freezes give us some help keeping bug numbers down for the coming spring!  This spring season was a farm pest extravaganza.  There is more rain to come on Thursday and we hope it continues being wet!  It would also be a great boost for our plants going into the cold season in general.

Fall CSA keeps chugging along!  We are still bringing tables overflowing with produce to our markets, and we still have tons of food we send twice a week to the New Pioneer Co-ops.  This fall has been an amazing harvest, surpassing our rounds earlier in spring.  Last Saturday was our last 8th Ave Cedar Rapids Market, but the Iowa City Downtown market still continues for a couple weeks here.  We also finished up a big Iowa Valley Food Co-op order last week.  We've really been enjoying selling through them to a customer base we normally don't reach, and we will continue doing so through winter...if you're interested, visit www.iowavalleyfood.com  or click the zucchini squash blossom picture under "Iowa Vally Food Co-op."  To buy from the Echollective or anyone else through IVFC, you must become a Co-op Member first.

Grant Wood Farmer's Market starts soon, although we have heard through the grapevine that if they don't get enough vendors, they will not run this winter!  This is a big bummer for us.  We would have to look into a different drop-off site for our Fall CSA shares, which we will be in touch with our Fall CSA members about.  Nothing's decided yet.  Investigation of  the Mt. Vernon Farmer's Market and Tipton Farmer's Market is underway for potential winter vending places.  We are also thinking about selling right in front of Derek's house on Ginter Ave. in Iowa City...and having CSA pickups there.  That way we could still stay very accessible to our Iowa City customer base!

We are also entering Garlic Planting Season!  In past years, this has comprised of our notorious fall Garlic Parties.  All of us (and whoever shows up) get seated in the chilly barn clustered around 6 gallon buckets with open onion bags, cracking open entire bulbs of garlic and throwing fat cloves into them for planting.  For hours.  And days.  It's an arduous process, resulting in tired hands and blisters that serve nothing more than to protect you against yet more garlic cracking.  Then when garlic cracking is over, you just have these useless blisters.  Anyways, we have obtained a contraption that wards against all of that: a garlic cracker!  Grant Schultz, our farming compadre who brought us this impressive apparatus, had only the following comment in regards to how it works: "It's complex, and has lots of moving parts."  Watching it in action, that's practically the exact same conclusion I came to.  It does a lot of stuff and cracks a ton of garlic, way faster than 6 people seated in the barn could, and it's a process I don't understand even when witnessing it.  It is all very voodoo to me.  But oh well, the job get's done, and it gets done faster!

So we are on our way to garlic planting.  A couple of fields have already been furrowed and tilled for garlic next year, where we will lay out each individual clove, give it protective mulch, and let it sleep through winter until spring.  Now that we've got the machine working...we've just gotta get "crackin'!"

We've got a great spread this week!  First time we are featuring a plentiful helping of mizuna.  You've seen it before in braises and salads, we thought the Asian green could stand on its own two legs for once.  It is plenty succulent, mustardy and delicious!  We will also provide mizuna recipes.  We hope you enjoy. 

See you at market!

What to expect:

  • Mixed Baby Kales
  • Sweet Peppers
  • Garlic
  • Spring Radishes
  • Winter Radishes
  • Daikon Radishes
  • Turnips
  • Head Lettuce
  • Bok Choy
  • Potatoes
  • Broccoli
  • Broccoli Raab
  • Winter Squash
  • Tat Soi Bunch
  • Mizuna

Recipes


Mizuna Salad with Aged Gouda & Roasted Portabellas adapted from epicurious.com
 (www.mariquita.com)
  • 3/4 pounds sliced portabella mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 10 cups mizuna, (or other spicy green such as arugula or watercress) washed, dried and torn or chopped for a salad
  • 1 cup coarsely grated aged Gouda cheese

Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.
Toss mushrooms with 3 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a bowl. Roast in 1 layer in a 4-sided sheet pan, turning once, until golden-brown and tender, about 15 minutes. Cool mushrooms.
Whisk together vinegar, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 5 tablespoons oil in a bowl until combined. Toss mushrooms, greens, and cheese with enough dressing to coat.
More Mizuna ideas from The Kitchn
I like it all sorts of ways; it's not as peppery as standard mustard greens so it goes into more things and can be used as a garnish/accent as well as a main ingredient.
It's a good soup ingredient: I make a lot of veggie soups using leeks or onions, a green vegetable, and a starchy vegetable. My favorite combination with mizuna is sweet potato (preferably Japanese sweet potato, but anything works) and onion.
It also holds up a better than lettuce so it's good in salads that need to keep for a few hours or even overnight. I sometimes add it or radish greens to pickled cucumbers. It's good in potato salad, too.
One thing I've done with mizuna:
Heat 3 T olive oil on high, then throw in 1-2 cups thinly sliced summer squash and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring a bit. When somewhat cooked, add 3-4 chopped garlic cloves and a bunch of roughly chopped mizuna, with salt and pepper. Grate a hard cheese (ie Parmesan) to finish off the dish.


Butternut Squash Pizza with Gruyere and Arugula (www.eatliverun.com)
serves 4-6
Print this recipe!

Ingredients:
  • 1 recipe Best Pizza Dough
  • 24 oz peeled and cubed butternut squash (from about one 3lb squash), roasted at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until very tender
  • 6 oz freshly grated Gruyere cheese
  • sea salt
  • red pepper flakes
  • 1 bunch arugula

Directions:
Prepare dough according to recipe directions.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Take half of the butternut squash cubes and puree them in either a food processor or high speed blender until smooth.
Roll dough out into a large circular or rectangular shape (I always go the rectangular route!). Top dough with pureed squash, then sprinkle on cheese. Top with the remaining butternut squash cubes, a sprinkle of sea salt and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
Bake pizza for 15 minutes until bubbly and crust is done. Immediately top with arugula and another sprinkle of sea salt. Let cool before slicing.

Time:
30 minutes (not including time to make and prepare dough)
  

Open-Face Watercress and Winter Radish Sandwiches with Horseradish Cream (www.organicvalley.coop)
  • light rye, sliced thin (or firm white bread)
  • Organic Valley Whipped Butter, softened
  • Beauty Heart radishes, peeled and thinly sliced (or other winter radishes)
  • Sea salt to taste
  • Organic Valley Heavy Whipping Cream
  • horseradish root, Freshly grated (or well-drained prepared horseradish)
  • Lemon juice
  • Watercress sprigs
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Generously butter the bread slices. (To be fancy, you can slice off the crusts first, but that’s not necessary.) Cover buttered surface with sliced radishes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use a very sharp knife to cut them into squares, triangles or halves.

2. Whip the cream until medium-firm peaks form. (See Whip Tips for instructions, but do not add the vanilla or sugar.) Sprinkle horseradish to taste (go easy--you won’t need much, especially if it’s fresh) and a few drops of lemon juice over surface of whipped cream; fold in gently. Place dollops of horseradish cream over sandwiches. Top each with a tiny bundle of watercress sprigs. Transfer sandwiches to a fancy platter. Serve immediately or chill before serving.

Copyright by Terese Allen

(For the Echollective twist: Add local, ethical bacon, or seasonal apple!)


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Please tell us if you can't identify something on the market table, don't know what to do with a particular item, have a food allergy we should know about, or if you have other questions or comments. We love to hear from you!


Derek's House/Ginter Ave. Echollective Farm Stand garlic crackers Garlic party
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Less Hot is Good

Hey folks!  A little relief...finally!...has come our way this week.  Those blistering hot temps in the 90's and higher were really wearying us.  We've been enjoying the drop back into the normal summer 80 degree weather, and these cooler nights that have been adding onto our relief.  Now if we could only get some more rain!

We were a little worried what this would mean for our crops, some of them have already been affected a bit adversely.  There have been some plant deaths, as well as weird, wonky illnesses and diseases as a result of the intense dryness and subsequent intense waterings.  The newly-planted rows of asparagus we put a lot of effort into getting started this year have felt it pretty hard, and many of our new plants may have even died as a result of this intense heat wave.  Our broccoli crowns my have the tendency towards being more yellow than usual, although from some member's reports, they still taste delicious.  Some of our zucchini plants are dying at random.  Perhaps it's those squash bugs that bore into their roots, or some form of root rot, or not enough water, too much heat...or a combination of these.  It is hard to tell.  Either way, they are stressed out.  As a result we have less zucchini than expected, but still a lot of Yellow Zephyr squashes.  Some of the fruits they have produced are rather odd-shaped, but not in any way affecting their flavor.  Our kale varieties have been experiencing some strange rot issues and, of course, the average pest problems, which we have been working diligently to avoid the worst consequences.  In fact, we are reaping a plentiful harvest nonetheless.  We pull in and sell dozens of bunches that look beautiful and taste delicious on our order days, so despite these problems, nothing to worry about yet!  Less intense watering and cutting off kale leaves too close to the ground are great ways to remedy this, which we have been doing so far.   

If you receive produce from us that seems more lackluster than usual, has a strange shape, color, or constitution, please bear with us!  In general, the aesthetic appearance of vegetables (holes, spots, strange shapes, etc) has little to do with their flavor and nutrient content, with some major exceptions, of course. This is one of the facets of organic produce that some people don't understand (we deeply appreciate those of you who do).  No, we cannot procure the most flawless looking produce we can grow, like most vegetables you see in the produce section at the store.  Growing a bunch of kale completely free of holes is near to impossible.  Growing absolutely perfect-looking beets is also a challenge, unless we had those unnatural tools to eliminate those completely natural stress factors plants experience.  We sure don't kill what may effect or feed upon our vegetables naturally with the use of harmful chemicals, and we sure as heck don't grow from genetically modified seed and plants to somehow alter and "perfect" the appearance or "perishability" of our vegetables!  That's what being organic is all about.  And despite the obstacles, we find that the majority of what we harvest turns out looking gorgeous and tasting great. 

We can only do so much to prevent the scores of diseases and pests that are way more prevalent this year as a result of this past mild winter.  Sure, mild winters can be great, but the cold and icy winters typical to Iowa are one of our greatest helpers in keeping pest control down.  Subzero temperatures prevent the usual pests from reproducing in such high numbers by destroying some of their eggs, or disallowing them to reproduce as often altogether.  We are seeing abnormally high numbers of them this season, and we've been doing all we can to keep the worst at bay, as well as minimizing any damage we have experienced.  Such is the fight and plight of the organic farmer, lacking the aid of pesticides (yuck!)  We make this statement in the hopes that you understand what it means to be a CSA member, and to support an organic vegetable CSA in both times of bounty, as well as periods of struggle.  Additionally, we thank you for your patronage and support to make this business possible!  We will continue to do the best we can do to bring our produce successfully (and unscathed!) to your table!  We ask for your understanding in return.

Now, onto more positive things.  The past weekend's Garlic Party was successful and very fun!  A few people showed up, a lot of garlic was pulled and processed, and in fact we got through an entire field!  About an acre of garlic!  We thank all those who attended and helped.  Some folks camped right out here on the property in their tents, and woke up with us for a lovely waffle breakfast.  It was a hot couple of days, but very productive and fun.  In the evening after, delicious food was cooked by farmer Derek featuring our farm's produce, we had tasty desserts that featured the amazing amount of black raspberries that have been ripening out by our woods!  We have the high numbers of bees on our property this year to thank for this.  (Note: if you would ever like to come out and pick black raspberries, you are more than welcome!  We'll have a U-pick arrangement available, and the cost of picking and keeping will be very cheap, plus the berries are super delicious!)

Last week we may have surprised you with our first harvest of potatoes we planted in Spring!  They will be in the CSA box this week as well, and you can expect them from now on throughout the season.  We hope you enjoy(ed) them!

Thank you to those who read and follow us.  That's all in the Echollective's news this week.  Hope to see you at market!

On the table this week:
  • Potatoes
  • Kale (bunch)
  • Sungold Cherry Tomatoes
  • Yellow Zephyr Squash
  • Garlic
  • Garlic Scapes
  • Broccoli
  • Basil

Recipes

Sungold Tomato Nuggets (www.fourgreenacres.com)

Halve Sungold tomatoes (or another flavorful cherry tomato). Scoop out the seeds (and feed the seedy slurry to the chickens...)

Place the tomato halves cut side up on a baking tray.
 
For two quarter-sheet trays of tomatoes (or one regular cookie sheet), mix together a fluid paste of:
  • 3/4 cup good olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons of grated parmigiana cheese
  • 2 (or more, to taste) cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
  • fresh thyme leaves stripped off the stems (or oregano if that's more to your liking)
  • sea salt
  • ground pepper
With a little spoon, dribble the paste into each of the tomato cups.
 
Bake in a 250 or 300 degree Fahrenheit oven. Use your judgment. You want it to be a slow heat that will slowly caramelize the tomatoes into something like a tomato raisin -- a tomato raisin, that is, with an additional little explosion of juicy, savory olive oil.
 
 Freeze them in jars and keep them in an easily accessible bit of the freezer because you'll want to grab a few now and then to give a flavorful lilt to toast with ricotta cheese or a broiled slab of French feta or zucchini pizza or... The possibilities are truly endless.

Broccoli with Black Bean-Garlic Sauce (www.huffingtonpost.com)

Ingredients
Directions
 
1. Toast sesame seeds in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
2. Mix 1/4 cup water, vinegar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add black bean sauce and stir until smooth.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or stir-fry pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broccoli and stir to coat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup water; cover and steam just until the broccoli is tender-crisp, 1 to 3 minutes. Push broccoli to the sides and pour the sauce mixture in the center. Stir until the sauce begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Stir in the broccoli to coat. Serve immediately, sprinkled with the sesame seeds.

Ingredient Note: Black bean-garlic sauce, made from pureed salted and fermented black soybeans, is a widely used condiment in Chinese cooking and can be found with the Asian food in most supermarkets.
 
 
Roasted Zephyr Squash Medley with Fresh Basil Pesto (robotheartrecipes.tumblr.com)
 
INGREDIENTS

Pesto
  • 2 1/2 cups basil leaves
  • 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Veggies
  • 2 large zephyr squashes, cut into medium pieces
  • 1 medium red onion, cut into large wedges
  • 6 large cremini mushrooms, cut into fourths
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
  • shaved Parmesan for serving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: For the pesto, add basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan, and olive oil to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until combined well and smooth in texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate at least one hour prior to using, preferably overnight.
Step Two: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place vegetables into a roasting pan; spread evenly. Toss with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast. Stir after 12 minutes. Return to oven and roast an additional 10-12 minutes, or until vegetables are golden brown and tender.
Step Three: Gently toss pesto into vegetable mixture. Serve topped with shaved Parmesan if desired.

Source: A Robot Heart Recipes Original.

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Please tell us if you can't identify something on the market table, don't know what to do with a particular item, have a food allergy we should know about, or if you have other questions or comments. We love to hear from you!
crop diseases crop problems CSA risk-share
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Garlic Party This Weekend!

Hi everyone!  Hope everyone has been successful at staying cool in this persistent summer heat as of late.  Nearly everyday, it's been 90 degrees!  And the hot nights don't help.  We at Echollective have been tending to take afternoon dips at a nearby waterhole during the hottest hours of the day.  Times have been sweaty and sticky, but we've been hanging in there.  Really early mornings and late evenings, even nighttime, have been our most comfortable work hours and we may all slip into siesta shifts.  It's just too hot in the middle of the day to get anything done!

The garlic pull rages on!  We appreciate everyone who has come out to help thus far.  Just today we have sold our first round of beautiful, pearly-white garlic cloves to the Co-op and the Motley Cow for their dinners.  Really good-looking stuff so far.  No problems with the dryness here!  And yes, this means you'll be seeing your first CSA garlic cloves.  Garlic will be in CSA this week!

Yup, the garlic party is still scheduled for this weekend!  Bring your tent, pants and gloves if need be, some food, maybe beer!  It'll be good times!  Garlic work will be scheduled for the evening, when it is less hot, and you may camp out here on the property.  The property is gorgeous and the firefly show is spectacular.  Everyone is invited, come out and join us for a farm day and night under the stars!

What else is new?  Rescued our bean bushes from a patch of nasty weeds, they are well on their way towards fruiting!  More eggplants have been transplanted into our greenhouses, and we have beds yet to prep for more pepper plants.  Our heirloom slicer tomatoes have just put out their first green fruits, we hope they set beautifully.  Last week we pulled up our first sizable Napa cabbage heads, a little surprise you all received last week at CSA.  Our kale plants have really flourished, producing enormous leaves!  This starts our kale bunching season, there will be plenty of bunches for quite a while now.  Our first broccoli crowns have formed and we have begun harvesting our largest ones!  Many of them look very nice, some of them a bit tinged with yellow due to the dryness.  A good crop so far.  Zucchinis, yellow squash, basil and sungold tomatoes are the crops really raking in the goods for us lately.  Cucumber sprouts are getting bigger!

This is our last call to those who might want a farm kitten!  All three available ones are being picked up July 10th by a very interested prospective owner.  After that, you've got a couple months to wait for our other litter to grow up!  However, it is on a first-come-first-serve basis, if you would like one come and get one before July 10th or they'll all be gone.  Please email us if interested.  These kitties really need homes, the sooner the better!

A big thank you to those who follow us in our Newsletter.  If you are just a passerby or casual reader, please feel free to sign up for this CSA Newsletter, especially if you are involved in our CSA!  We find that it has been very helpful to those who participate.

Hope to see you at market!

This week's CSA:
  • Kale bunch
  • Sungold cherry tomatoes
  • Napa cabbage
  • Zucchini
  • Yellow Zephyr summer squash
  • Garlic
  • Garlic Scapes
  • Basil
  • Pea Tendrils


Garlic Scape Recipes

This week we are dedicating our recipes to the eccentric, exotic, yet delicious garlic scape, thanks to one of our CSA members, Elizabeth Hinds, who took it upon herself to experiment with this unusual vegetable.  Not just anyone can say they know what to do with garlic scapes, but as Elizabeth put it, after messing around with it you wonder "what CAN'T I do with garlic scapes?"  These recipes are of her invention.  Thanks Elizabeth!


Beef Stirfry (with garlic scapes)
  •      ½ cup garlic scapes, roughly chopped
  •     1 med onion, halved and cut into 5mm slices
  •     1 lb stew beef, marinated in red wine vinegar* for at least 30 mins
  •     ⅔ cup peas (fresh or frozen)
  •     ⅔ cup broccoli (fresh or frozen)
  •     ¼ cup shoyu (can use soy sauce)
  •     ¼ cup hoisin (also called Peking sauce)
  •     1 tbsp raw sugar   
  •     3 tbsp butter

Melt the butter in a large wok and cook the onions over med-high heat until translucent, but still somewhat firm, about 5 minutes. Remove the onions, leaving as much butter in the wok as possible. Increase the temperature to high, add the meat (drain off most of the marinade first) and cook until just browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the meat, leaving the juice, and add back the onions and other vegetables to cook for about 5 mins (if using frozen veg, add a few minutes for thaw time). Add back the meat and toss in the shoyu, hoisin sauce and sugar. Cook for 1 min, then serve over rice. Serves 3-4.
    *note: I usually make my own red wine vinegar from leftover wine. In a large mason jar, add red wine and spike with 1 tbsp  unpasteurized apple cider vinegar (Bragg’s works well). Cover with cheesecloth and screw on the band. Let sit on the counter for a couple of days before using and add red wine as available. 


Garlic scape pesto
  •     ½ cup garlic scapes, roughly chopped
  •     ½ cup snow peas, roughly chopped
  •     1 oz raw cashews
  •     1 cup olive oil
  •     ⅓ cup grated parmesan
  •     1 tbsp lemon juice

Pulse together the scapes, peas and cashews until they are chopped into small pieces. Add the olive oil, parmesan, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Blend for about a minute, scraping down the sides as needed. Makes 2 cups.


Infused Olive oil
  • 2 garlic scapes, cut to fit container and sliced in half lengthwise 
  • Sprig of rosemary
  • 2 cups extra virgin olive oil

Wash the rosemary and garlic scapes and let dry completely before beginning (any water in the oil will encourage mold growth). Drop the scapes and rosemary into a clean, dry, sealable glass container (~16oz) and cover with the olive oil. Store in a cool, dry spot out of direct sunlight. Oil will be ready to use after about 2 weeks.


Spring vegetable soup
   
  •     2 turnips, sliced into 4mm thick disks
  •     2 radishes, sliced into 4mm thick disks
  •     bunch of spinach, stems removed
  •     ¾ cup barley
  •     3 qts garlic scape vegetable broth

Cook the barley in the vegetable broth until tender, about an hour. Spread the turnips and radishes in a single layer on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Add all of the vegetables to the broth and barley and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add salt to taste. Serves 4-5.


Garlic Scape and Turnip Green Risotto
  •     ½ cup garlic scapes cut into 1cm rounds
  •     1 cup arborio rice
  •     ½ cup dry white wine
  •     4 cups vegetable broth
  •     2 tbsp olive oil
  •     ¼ cup chopped fresh sage
  •     greens from 2 turnips, chopped medium
  •     ½ cup freshly grated parmesan

Bring the vegetable broth to a simmer in a separate pot. In a medium saucepan, saute the garlic scapes in olive oil until lightly browned. Add the sage, turnip greens and rice, tossing to coat. Cook for about 2 mins before adding the wine. After the wine is completely absorbed, begin to ladle in the hot broth, about ½ cup at a time, and stir until absorbed. Repeat this until all of the broth has been added, then stir in the parmesan just before serving. Serves 4.

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Please tell us if you can't identify something on the market table, don't know what to do with a particular item, have a food allergy we should know about, or if you have other questions or comments. We love to hear from you!
broccoli garlic harvest Garlic party
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Heat of Summer!

Hello everyone.  The real-deal summer is finally here!  Now we are starting to see our days become shorter and shorter, if only by a few minutes.  Our cool crops will soon fade away, making way for our hotter ones.  FarmHack was a great success!  We hope those that attended enjoyed it, as they all seemed to do. We had a storm that night, but that did not deter our campers!  In fact, the weather in general has been pretty good to us.  We got quite the dumping of rain on us Sunday morning!  At least an inch.  The soil in some places is still wet, and it's been nice to get the watering break, while seeing all our broccoli and kale flourish!

Our head lettuces may be almost all gone, but the zucchinis are just popping right off the vine!  This past week has also seen our first sizable harvest of Sungold cherry tomatoes.  We've been selling both to the restaurants and co-ops this week.  Sungolds won't make it into the CSA shares yet, but the zucchinis will, along with our Yellow Zephyr squashes.  Basil has been picked in plenty, and CSA'ers will be seeing that too!  We've still got some braising and salad mixes to boast, one last harvest of beets and turnips, and this week will feature pea tendrils (or shoots) again.  What to look forward to in the coming weeks with the arrival of hot weather: several hundred pepper transplants have been plugged in, some of which are flowering and bearing fruit already.  Eggplants have been freshly transplanted into our greenhouse, with more on the way into the ground.  Cucumbers have been direct seeded and will sprout soon.  Our green bean plants are looking huge!  We'll expect beans to bear in about a week.

This week also signifies the start of our great garlic pull!  Several of us have been out in the field already pulling up plant after plant.  It's a bit early this year, but so it goes.  Though it looks like garlic problems have been rumored and rampant throughout Iowa, the cloves we've been pulling up are big and gorgeous, for the most part.  No problems here!  We've taken on a lot of extra people for the garlic endeavor so we can get all our stuff into the barn and cleaned for sale as quick as possible, ideally by the end of summer.  Thank yous so far for the garlic pull go to: Colin, Charlies, Dominic, Claire, Jesse, Lucas (our intern), Matt, and Chimo.  Over a ton of garlic has been pulled, cleaned, chopped, and hauled into the barn to be crated for curing.  Wow!  Which reminds me: The weekend of July 7th is our big garlic party!  I know, in the last newsletter I said it was a weekend earlier, but the date changed!!!  Come out with your tent, gloves, maybe some good food and some laid back garlic work where you'll get to meet other like-minded folks interested in sustainable, local agriculture!

Well, that's all the farm news we got for now.  Hope you're ready: CSA is switching gears for the heat of the summer!  Hope to see you at market, and taste a little of the summer!

In this week's box:
  • Braising mix
  • Salad mix
  • Zucchini
  • Yellow Zephyr Squash
  • Beets
  • Turnips
  • Garlic Scapes
  • Mint
  • Basil
  • Pea Tendrils

Recipes

Crunchy Zucchini Rounds with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese (www.health.com)

Ingredients
  • 2 zucchini
  • 1/4 teaspoonsalt
  • 1/4 teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
  • 2 ouncessun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil (about 24)
  • 3 ouncesgoat cheese
  • 2 tablespoonschopped fresh chives
  • 2 tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Slice zucchini into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. (You should have about 24 slices.) Lay out on large platter; season with salt and pepper.
2. Place a sun-dried tomato on each slice, then top each tomato with a pinch of goat cheese. Sprinkle tops with chopped chives, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil; serve.
 
Orange and Avocado Salad with Pea Tendrils (goodcheapeats.com)

Ingredients
  • 2 handfuls mixed greens, including a generous portion of pea tendrils, coarsely chopped
  • 1 orange, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
  • 2 tablespoons Tarragon Balsamic Dressing or other favorite dressing
Instructions
 
Layer the ingredients on a dinner plate in the order listed.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 1

Beet Ravioli Stuffed with Ricotta, Goat Cheese and Mint (www.marthastewart.com_

Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese (about 6 ounces), drained 30 minutes
  • 3/4 cup fresh goat cheese (about 5 ounces), room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint, plus small sprigs for garnish
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 recipe Fresh Beet Pasta Dough (click link for recipe!)
  • Semolina flour or fine cornmeal, for dusting
  • 2 tablespoons coarse salt
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

  1. Make the filling: Stir together cheeses and herbs; season with salt and pepper.
  2. Make the ravioli: Dust a baking sheet with semolina or cornmeal. Work with each sheet of dough just after it's been rolled. Cut sheet in half crosswise, and trim each half to a 3-inch-wide strip. Space tablespoons of filling 3 1/2 inches apart along center of 1 strip. Top with remaining strip, and gently press around filling to seal, working from center out. Using a fluted pastry cutter, cut into 3-inch squares. Transfer ravioli to sheet, and cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining pasta dough and filling. (To store, lightly dust ravioli with semolina, and refrigerate between layers of parchment in an airtight container for up to 4 hours. Alternatively, freeze ravioli in a single layer on a baking sheet, about 15 minutes, and then pack as described above; freeze for up to 1 month. Do not thaw before cooking.)
  3. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add salt and half of the ravioli. Cook, stirring occasionally to separate, until edges are just tender, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a colander to drain. Drizzle with oil, and toss gently to coat. Transfer to a bowl, and loosely cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining ravioli.
  4. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, about 4 minutes.
  5. Divide ravioli among plates (if first batch has cooled, return them to hot water for 15 seconds, then drain). Spoon brown butter over ravioli. Serve immediately garnished with mint.
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 Please tell us if you can't identify something on the market table, don't know what to do with a particular item, have a food allergy we should know about, or if you have other questions or comments. We love to hear from you!


 
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FarmHack and Upcoming 1st Garlic Party

Hello folks!  Yet another productive week out here at the Echollective.  A couple days of nourishing rain have put our crops where they need to be.  Garlic will soon be pulled and last weekend's rain gave our bulbs just enough water for the home-stretch.  Yep that's right everyone...the weekend after next (June 30th-July 1st) ushers in the first Echollective garlic party!!!  Everyone's invited.  Come out and join us!  Garlic will be pulled by all and then cleaned right there in the field.  It is relaxing, laid back work.  And boy, we are glad that we've been running around putting sprinklers on all our mulched garlic beds, because it seems that a lot of garlic farmers in Iowa are experiencing some bizarre garlic behavior...wrinkly, lumpy bulbs!  Fortunately we haven't seen much of this in our bulbs, only barely a touch of it here and there.  We think this must be due to the intense dryness in between these rains, warping garlic cloves into strange shapes.  It sure was a hassle to get our garlic a drink of water, but we think it will pay off....in fact we may, as a result, have some of the best garlic around in Iowa!

The watering hustle has paid off for our other crops, too.  Our broccoli is simply huge now!  Their leaves form a cooling canopy for their beds.  Their stems are certainly thick enough that we'll be expecting crowns anytime soon.  In the hot, hot heat, however, sometimes broccoli flowers get kinda wonky and gross, so we'll see.  At least we've planted another plot of broccoli not too far behind our other one, full of Gypsy broccoli, a hot variety that is famed for enduring the sun's intensity a lot better.  We hope for good crowns from those, and those broccoli transplants are coming along quite well.  And if all else fails, well....broccoli leaves are pretty tasty and beautiful in a braising mix!  Broccoli in any form is incredibly healthy for you, full of vitamins, iron, and antioxidants.

We have new produce on the way, while some of our current vegetables are on their way to kicking the bucket....either they're flowering or simply cannot pump out more veggies.  This is the reality of things as the heat of summer starts to turn the thermostat up a notch.  Sugar snap peas are about done with what they can produce, and we are reaching the tail end of some of our tasty salad mix constituents like bok choy and mizuna (japanese mustard).  Arugula has long since flowered.  No more spinach!  Although we were able to procure a few bunches at market this past weekend.  Our kale though, even the remnants of our winter varieties, continue to grow bigger and bigger.  Our new hot crops are kicking in...we picked our first few zucchinis yesterday!  We are pleased with the size and health of our current squash plants, they are really pumping out flowers and there are quite a few little zukes on the way.  Along with those were our first Sun Gold cherry tomato harvests.  We managed to get a few pints!  Mmmm, they are juicy and sweet, it is pretty hard not to eat them as you pick them.  As you may know, we are now picking bunches from our already robust basil plants!  You probably received a bunch or two in your CSA.  More bunches will be on the table this week.  We have plans to get ground prepared today for more basil starts, which will be inter-planted with our first cucumber crop, the seeds of which were just sown today.  Last but not least, our potato plants are at the point that we will be pulling up our first harvest of New Orleans red fingerlings in just a couple weeks!  Our farm seems at its most bountiful.

Aside from the typical green vegetables, work is being done today to set up a mushroom fruiting shed by our mushroom farmer Will and a handful of others.  Colonized mushroom bags will be hung in a high-tunnel/hoop-house structure covered with white tarping to minimalize the effects of light and heat, and to trap moisture pivotal for the fungus to fruit, or send out mushrooms.  Soon we will have oyster mushrooms by the pound growing right here at Echollective.  Come check it out sometime, or feel free to contact us to stand in on an inoculation, the process by which mushrooms are "planted" and "grown."  Will has the hopes of providing affordable workshops someday, which we will let you know about, if and when they happen.  It is fascinating, informative and fun!

FarmHack IOWA after-party will be held here on the property tomorrow, June 20th!  Be there or be square.  New Belgium beer will flow!  A delicious farm dinner, featuring Echollective produce will be prepared on-site.  Awesome electric tractors, biodiesel farm vehicles, and other machinery will be shown off by their respective owners.  And when the sun goes down, mother nature's light show...the fireflies out here are pretty breathtaking.

Hope you have all had an excellent week.  See you all at market!

CSA Box this week:
  • Braising Mix
  • Salad Mix
  • Beets
  • Turnips
  • Nettles
  • Garlic Scapes
  • Mint
  • Bok Choy
  • Head Lettuce
  • Basil

Recipes

Lemon Basil Shrimp and Pasta (www.myrecipes.com)

Ingredients
  • 3 quarts water
  • 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
  • 1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 3 tablespoons drained capers
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups baby spinach
 Preparation
  1. Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add pasta; cook 8 minutes. Add shrimp to pan; cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done and pasta is al dente. Drain. Place pasta mixture in a large bowl. Stir in basil and next 4 ingredients (through salt). Place 1/2 cup spinach on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 1/2 cups pasta mixture.

Red Curry Bison Short Ribs with Baby Bok Choy (www.eatingwell.com)

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2-2 teaspoons red curry paste, (see Note), or more to taste
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 3 1/8-inch-thick slices peeled fresh ginger
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro stems plus 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves, divided
  • 6 scallions, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 3 pounds bone-in bison short ribs, or 2 pounds boneless (see Note), trimmed
  • 2 cups thinly sliced red onion
  • 1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce, (see Note)
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice, or more to taste
  • 3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 1 cup “lite” coconut milk, (optional)
  • 6 baby bok choy, cut in half, or 3 regular bok choy, cut into quarters
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation
  1. Place curry paste to taste, garlic, ginger, cilantro stems, scallions and water in a blender or food processor. Blend or process to form a loose paste. Add more water if the mixture is too dense to blend.
  2. Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add ribs and brown on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes total. Stir in the curry mixture, onion, broth, fish sauce and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and cook, turning the ribs every 30 minutes, until the meat is very tender when pierced with a fork, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
  3. Transfer the ribs to a plate; cover and keep warm. Add tomatoes and coconut milk (if using) to the broth; bring to a simmer. Add bok choy; cover and cook until the bok choy bases can be pierced with a fork, 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size. Season with pepper and more lime juice, if desired. Serve topped with cilantro leaves.
Creamed Turnips (www.simplyrecipes.com)

Ingredients
  • 3 pounds turnips
  • 6 black peppercorns
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus 1 teaspoon
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper
  • Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Preparation

1 Peel and cut the turnips into large chunks. In a large saucepan of boiling water, add the tablespoon of salt, the peppercorns, cloves and bay leaves. You may want to tie the spices into a sachet or cheesecloth bag — this makes it easier to remove them later. Boil turnips until tender, 15 to 20 minutes, then drain and remove the spices.
2 Return the turnips to the pot they boiled in and add the cream. Turn the burner to medium-low. Bring this to a gentle simmer and mash the turnips with a potato masher. Add the white pepper, the teaspoon of salt and freshly grated nutmeg to taste and serve at once.

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Please tell us if you can't identify something on the market table, don't know what to do with a particular item, have a food allergy we should know about, or if you have other questions or comments. We love to hear from you!

 
basil cucumbers FarmHack IOWA
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