Gratitude: It Has Been Rad(ish)

10:44 AM Unknown 1 Comments

"Radishes grow just about anywhere. People think, 'Oh it's just a radish.' But radishes are delicious, and people don't think of cooking them."

~ Emeril Lagasse





(Black Spanish Radish)


First this week, we want to thank all our CSA members for putting your faith in us and this Iowa prairie land to feed you and yours.  This pick-up will be the final of the fall sequence and we are happy to report that you are still getting greens!  We also want to thank Tim Tabor and the Kirkwood School for Children for providing us all with a meeting place in town to exchange with as much ease as possible.  It is with deep gratitude that we end out this round of community supported agriculture.  We are by no means calling it quits for the year, though, and will be offering boxes on a weekly basis so keep your stoves ready for what that will entail.  More info on that to come soon.

So, the Black Spanish Radish.  Some of you have asked us what the heck they are and what you should do with these exotic beauties.  They are a delicious and easy to use radish, just like any of the others we offer and are great raw or cooked.  If you don't want to get too complicated, they are easily diced and added to a potato roast for added interest in flavor and texture or they can be roasted on their own with a little oil and salt/pepper.  They can certainly stand on their own as a side dish.  

This week you will get black radish, diakon radish, watermelon radish and potatoes so you could easily do a medley roast and keep it simple.  If you want something a bit more adventurous we suggest you try healing pickles.  It is still fairly easy, fun and healing!

Healing Pickles (Shiver Me Liver Pickles)
  • 3-4 watermelon radishes
  • 2 black radishes
  • 1 daikon
  • 2 inches turmeric root
  • 1 thin burdock root
  • 2 cups of brine (1 tablespoon of salt dissolved in 2 cups of room temperature water)
  1. Slice all veggies to about 1/3 of an inch (~1 cm) thick
  2. layer them into a quart jar until you are just below the shoulders of the jar
  3. Pour brine over and weight your veggies down, using either the ghetto jar method, some jar weights or another method of your choice.
  4. Allow to ferment for 2 weeks.  The brine will become gorgeous within a couple hours.
  5. Remove weights once you’re happy with the acidity level, put a lid on it and stick it in the fridge.
For more guidance and inspiration you can check this out at phickle.com.

They also provide detailed info on pickling and fermenting in general with the following link:

http://phickle.com/index.php/getting-started-and-faq/pickles-getting-started-and-troubleshooting/

"Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute."

~ Wendell Berry


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Still Going Strong

7:17 PM Unknown 4 Comments

"Life is either a daring adventure, or it is nothing."

~ Helen Keller





(Sunset on the farm)

This is my first year at the farm and I am many things all at once but you could call it humbled to be succinct.  It amazes me to witness and participate in how growing food for locals is this amazing dance of being super present to current conditions and drawing upon past experience while forward thinking at all times.  If I were not working with people, especially Derek Roller and Will Lorentzen, who know how to do this, working with all the foreseeable and unexpected together, I would have nothing to share here because I only type that we have LOTS of vegetables to offer our CSA members this week because they are so committed to and good at what they do.  I am learning so much.

As the weather turns toward bitter and biting, we still have some great local food to give our community and it is always something I am honored to be a part of but it is during this time especially that I become reflective as we still press on.  We could stop now but it is in the extra mile that one can really appreciate endurance.

This week we are finally seeing a a little less greens going into the boxes and for mid-November, that is pretty darn good!  We still have greens, lovely spinach and also lots of winter squash, garlic, onions... considering all we faced this year with flooding conditions along with nowhere even close to tomato favoring weather.  We even have heirlooms to offer still!

Here you go:

Kale
Red Onions
Yellow Onions
Garlic
Potatoes
Leeks
Diakon Radish
Pie Pumpkin
Butternut Squash
Bunched Spinach
Cherokee Purple Tomatoes
Turnips
Watermelon Radishes
Black Radishes
Carrots

*Due to the freezing cold temps, CSA pick up at the Kirkwood School for Children has a slight change to it.  You will still pick up there but instead of your goods being on the deck, you can go one step further from the deck and into the mudroom door where your boxes will be.*

Most of our members know and appreciate that they can leave their used boxes at the drop off site for reuse but we would like to remind you all that now we are back to boxes full time, please return them.  We make good use of them and you sleep better at night knowing that.  

Also of note:  You may have two boxes this week since you are getting two winter squashes which take up a lot of space.  So please look closely to see if you have a second box with your name on it.  It will be with your primary box.  Just make sure you are looking for it.

If anyone has troubles or questions let us know!

Otherwise, here is a yummy way to cook some of your goodies:

You can do this with butternut squash or pie pumpkin.  The link provided offers this as a pie, which I have adapted and made but used the extra in little ramekins and fell in love with.  So I offer this adaptation for ramekins but you can easily make a pie with this filling.

  • 1 large butternut squash or pie pumpkin , cooked and pureed, about 1 1/2 cups pureed squash
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup evaporated milk or half-and-half
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
I substitute the butter with coconut oil and use whatever milk I have on hand.  I also use a thickening rice flour instead of all purpose.  AND....

Really importantly, I do not puree anything unless I am making baby food.  I enjoy this with a hand beaten texture.  Do what you prefer.

To cook squash:

Cut the squash in half lengthwise; remove stem and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash, cut side down, on a foil-lined oiled baking pan; add about 1/2 cup of water to the pan. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 400° for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the squash is tender and can be easily pierced with a fork. Let cool completely then peel and mash or puree the squash or put it through a food mill.

Measure 1 1/2 cups of the squash and set aside.

Reduce oven to 350° F and position an oven rack in the center of the oven. In a mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat the squash with the brown sugar. Add eggs, evaporated milk, spices salt, flour, butter, and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Pour the filling into the chilled pie and place on the center oven rack. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until set. Check after about 35 minutes and loosely set a ring of foil or a pie crust protector over the browned crust so it won't get too dark. When the filling is set, transfer the pie to a rack to cool. Serve just warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped topping or whipped cream.

Via: Southernfood.comhttp://southernfood.about.com/od/pierecipes/r/r71128d.htm

Wishing you all wellness for you and yours this season of giving thanks.  We are grateful to be your farmer.

Your Echo Team


"It is simple... go the extra mile and you stand out from the crowd."
 ~ Robin Crow

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Web of Life

10:55 AM Unknown 1 Comments

"Humankind has not woven the web of life.  We are but one thread in it.  Whatever we do to the web we do to ourselves."

~ Chief Seattle



The days have gotten much shorter out here and we are working hard to get everything out of the ground and properly stored, while putting lots of garlic seed into the ground!  We are definitely finishing of the growing season with some fun and appreciation for the working relationships that have developed amongst ourselves and with the land.  As a new resident here, I am sensing and finishing the season with gratitude for all I have learned here as well as all I have yet to learn.  The challenges of a small, conscious and beyond organic farm are many and I am humbled on a daily basis here.  As the season of giving thanks approaches, I have a lot to be giving thanks for.  The humans, animals and plants alike out here have given me riches greater than I could have imagined before beginning to work here this year.





Sewing the garlic brings the circle around and as we plant, dance, laugh and sometimes cry I am reminded of what seems just like yesterday when my boys were pulling the first garlic of their life out of this ground with smiles on their faces this spring.  Just as we are putting some of it back in for next year's spring and summer.  



Oh, how I look forward the next scape flush and bringing them to you all in their full green garlic splendor!  But for now, we are winding down.  This month, our planet's full moon is known as the Beaver Moon according to the Farmer's Almanac.  Native tribes have other variations also, such as Freezing or Frost Moon and Deer Rutting Moon, which we can vouch for out here on the farm after stumbling upon some randy activity in the back woods.  Farming this land through the seasons sure does open a new perspective on how to give and take in a respectful way within the web of life.

We still have a some great dividends for our CSA members this week:

Braising Greens
Red Onions
Yellow Onions
Garlic
Potatoes
Sungold Tomatoes
Yukina Savoy Bunches (Asian Greens)
Leeks
Butternut Squash
Cherokee Purple Tomatoes
Bok Choi
Carrots
(Element of Surprise)

Here is a DELICIOUS and easy way to use some of the goodies from your box!

GARLIC HASH BROWNS WITH KALE

By Jason Wyrick

Serves 2 Ready In: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

2 Yukon Gold potatoes, shredded
1⁄4 teaspoon salt 
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
6 cloves garlic, minced 
2 to 3 large kale leaves, shredded 
Pinch of salt
Option: 2 cups shredded sweet potato instead of Yukon Gold potatoes

Hash browns are a comfort food, and they donʼt have to be heavily fried to be good. The added garlic makes them irresistible.

From 21 Day Weightloss Kickstart

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 375° F. Rinse the shredded potatoes and pat them dry. Toss them with the salt and pepper. Spread the shredded potatoes on a baking sheet lined with a silicon baking mat. Bake the shredded potatoes for 10 minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven and toss the potatoes with the minced garlic, then spread them back on the mat. Return them to the oven and bake them 5 more minutes.

While the potatoes are baking, lightly saute the shredded kale over medium heat in a large pan with about ? inch of water and a pinch of salt in it. Do not replenish the water when it evaporates. It is only there to get the kale to quickly wilt. Once the kale has completely softened, about 8 to 10 minutes, set it aside and let it cool until you can comfortably handle it. Squeeze the kale to get rid of excess water, then toss it a bit to separate the cooked shreds.

Plate the crisped potatoes, top it with the kale, and serve.

Compliments of Forks Over Knives.









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