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October 31, 2005
This Week's Bounty
There is a melody of veggies this week. We are moving towards the winter varieties as you will notice with our braising/saute mix. With an abundance of kales and chards, it no longer resembles our salad mix! The mache, a European favorite salad green, is here in abundance. We have a few recipes that will allow you to use many of this week's veggies together. Carmelized onions with Carrots, A mache pear salad , and a fantastic Caramelized Cauliflower recipe that was recently featured in our newsletter highlights the Panther (green) cauliflower, courtesy of CSA customer Molly. This week's fruit is organic Anjou Pears from our friends at Mt. View Orchards in Eastern Washington. Our carrots may not win any beauty contests this week, as their green tops are succumbing to the rain and may stick to the roots, but the roots are crisp and delicious. We hope you enjoy your boxes and look forward to your feedback.
Here are your boxes this week:
Small Traditional Share:
1/2 lb Braising (Saute) Mix, 2 Anjou Pears, 1 bunch Carrots, 2 storage Onions, 1/2 lb Mache (corn salad), 1 bunch Fennel and 1 Celeriac.
Medium Traditional Share
3/4 lb Braising Mix, 3 Baby Head Lettuce, 4 Anjou Pears, 2 bunches Carrots, 3 storage Onions, 1/2 lb Mache, 1 bunch Fennel, 1 bunch Chiogga Beets, 1 head Panther Cauliflower, and 1 Celeriac.
Large Traditional Share
1 lb Braising Mix, 6 Baby Head Lettuce, 6 Anjou Pears, 3 bunches Carrots, 4 storage Onions, 1/2 lb Mache, 2 bunches Fennel, 1 Chiogga Beets, 1 head Panther Cauliflower, and 1 bunch Winterbor Kale.
Note: This is our projected box content. It is possible that we may have to make last minute adjustments to these figures due to circumstances out of our control (Mother Nature, Jeff, etc...) I assure you the value will be at least equivalent to the original list. Thank you for your understanding and patience with the joys of farming.
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Caramelized Onions with Carrots and Sherry
1 medium onion, sliced
1 bunch Willie Green's Organic carrots, sliced into 1/2" rounds, do not peel
2 TBS olive oil
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1 TBS dry sherry
Carmelize the onions in the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the carrots in boiling salted water until just tender. Strain the carrots and add them to the carmelized onion. Add sherry, salt and pepper and serve.
Note: Caramelizing the onion is a slow process that brings the sugars out and can not be done properly in a few seconds. Here is an example of how to caramelize. Cook onions with 1/4 teaspoon salt in 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.
Posted by Jeff at 07:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 30, 2005
Mache & Pear Salad with Hazelnut Cherry Vinaigrette
I made this salad yesterday for the annual Neighborhood Farmer's Market Alliance Vendor/Volunteer Feast. It seemed to be a big hit and was gone in a hurry! For those of you that requested the recipe, here it is.
1 pear, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 TBS lemon juice
1/2# Willie Green's organic mache leaves, trimmed, rinsed and dried
1/4 c. toasted hazelnuts
2 oz crumbled blue cheese
Hazelnut Cherry Vinaigrette
Cut the pear slices in half, drizzle with the lemon juice. In a mixing bowl, drizzle the vinaigrette over the pear and mache. Divide the salad on to four plates. Top with blue cheese and hazelnuts. Serve and enjoy.
Hazelnut Cherry Vinaigrette
1/2 small shallot, finely diced
2 TBS champagne vinegar
1 TBS Tahuya Apiary honey
3 TBS Holmquist Orchards Hazelnut Oil
2 TBS dried cherries, chopped
1 TBS fresh tarragon, finely minced
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
In a small bowl, whisk together the shallot, vinegar, honey and oil until emulsified. Stir in the cherries and tarragon. Season with the salt and pepper to taste.
NOTE: Mache is a very hardy green and will not get soggy if it sits a bit after being dressed, making it a great salad for entertaining or potucks. I pack the dressing and nuts in separate containers and toss the salad when I get to the function, the salad will hold while the diners browse and the partiers revel.
Posted by Christine at 04:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 28, 2005
Season Extension
With winter approaching... rainy, dark days and the threat of freezing temperatures always lingering, we are always searching for means to extend the season. This year we purchased a piece of equipment that in one pass over... let's say a bed of spinach...
sets wire hoops 15" above the bed, and then lays perforated plastic over the hoops and then secures the edges with soil. We have dozens of these 300' mini greenhouses all over our farm. They keep the rain off the plants and keeps soil temperatures an average of 5-8 degrees warmer than the outside soil temperature. The greens thrive in this mini micro environment this time of year. In addition to these we set up 8 large cold-frames, 12'x 300' to house all our winter lettuces. These are tall enough to comfortably walk through and an absolute joy to work in when the rain is beating down upon the plastic covering. With these two additions to our season extension arsenal we can safely guarantee lettuce and greens through mid- January, perhaps longer if it is a mild winter. So keep looking for all those tasty greens and lettuces at the farmer's markets and our winter C.S.A. program. They tend to be extremely tender and mild this time of year. Now, when you see them and eat them you will know the tender, loving care it takes to bring you Willie's finest during those dark, rainy winter days. Eat well!!!
Posted by Jeff at 03:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 24, 2005
Last of the Summer CSA and Winter Session One
This is the last hurrah for the summer program and we have brimming boxes with some extras this week.
We have a sweet treat for you this week, organic hardy kiwis from Green Water Farm in Port Townsend. These olive size fruits taste like a cross between strawberries and bananas. Just pull off the stem and pop them into your mouth. Delicious!
Also, new this week is mache and daikon radish. Mache's mild flavor does best with a simple dressing of lemon juice or light vinaigrette. Daikon is usually sweeter than the red radish. It is very popular in Asian cooking, either raw in salads, pickled as a condiment or cooked in soups or stews. Try it peeled and grated raw on our salad mix or in our favorite carrot salad. We also have recipes this week for Brussel sprouts and celeriac. Celeriac mash is open to a great number of modifications, here is just one of ours.
All shares will also get a pumpkin! They are kind of big so plan accordingly. 
Small
1/2 pt hardy kiwi, 1/4# mache, 1/4# Brussel sprouts, 1/2# red potatoes from Alden Farm, 1/2# Romano beans, 1/2# daikon, 1/2# salad mix
Medium
Same as the small with additional hardy kiwis, Brussel sprouts, potatoes, beans, salad mix. Plus carrots and collards.
Large
Same as the medium with additional potatoes, beans, daikon, salad mix, collards and carrots. Plus apples and celeriac.>
Posted by Christine at 10:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 23, 2005
Brussel sprouts!
Brussel Sprouts:
Remove the brussel sprouts from the stalk, removing any discolored leaves. On the larger sprouts, use a paring knife to score the stalk ends with an “X”. Boil the sprouts in salted water until “paring knife tender”. Do not under or over cook to ensure the best flavor and texture. Try tossing the sprouts with just a touch of olive oil, bacon bits and sautéed onions. Another option is to place the sprouts in a shallow casserole dish (with or without the bacon and onions). Top with fresh grated parmesan cheese and brown under the broiler.
Posted by Christine at 09:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Carrot-Daikon Salad
This is a really popular recipe at the farm. Whenever I make if to sample at the market, I have to make extras to make sure the market staff left some for the customers!
1 1/2 c. julienned or coarsely grated Daikon
1 1/2 c. coarsely grated carrots
4 green onions minced
1/4 c. olive oil
1 TBS Tamari
1 TBS sesame oil
3 TBS seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp honey
3/4 tsp freshly grated ginger
lettuce leaves to line 4 salad plates
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Let the cut or grated daikon rest for 5 minutes. Gently squeeze ro release the excess water. Toss the daikon, carrots and green onions in a medium bowl.
In a small bowl, pour in the oils, Tamari, rice vinegar, honey and ginger.Whisk together until emulsified. Pour over the daikon mixture. Toss lightly.
Line the 4 salad plates with lettuce. Divide the daikon mixture amongst the plates. Top with the toasted sesame seeds.
Posted by Christine at 08:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Savory Celeriac Mash
Celeriac is a type of celery grown for its knobby root. Although it can be cooked in a variety of ways, mashed with potatoes is the classic pairing. Open to a vast array of modifications, here is one the ways that we enjoy our mash. Please feel free to add comments as to how you prepare it.
Celeriac Mash
1 celeriac root, pared and cut into 1" chunks (about 1.5 cups)
1.5 cups of potatoes, cut into 1" chunks
1 TBS butter
1/4 c. onion finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ground sage
1/4 c. half & half
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Dash of nutmeg
*Optional fried sage leaves as garnish
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the celeriac and potatoes. While the root vegetables are boiling, saute the onion and garlic over medium low heat until very soft and translucent. Do not brown. Add the nutmeg to the butter mixture.
Boil the celeriac and potatoes about 15-20 minutes or until quite soft. Drain them in a strainer. Wipe off any foam clinging to the pan and return the vegetables to the pan. Place the pan back on the warm burner to cook off any residual cooking fluid. Remove the pan from the heat.
Add the half and half to the butter mixture, stirring to blend. Pour the butter mixture over the celeriac and potatoes. Mash with a potato masher or mixer.
Posted by Christine at 08:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 17, 2005
Seasonal eating with CSA
This is going to the last hurrah for two favorite crops. This will be the last of the raspberries for CSA. It will be red, gold or a mixture depending on what is looking the best that day. Berries this time of year are very full of water and fragile. Plan on eating them right away. This is also the last week that we will be able to guarantee good haricot vert. Again, the beans harvested this late in the season have a shorter shelf life than those harvested in peak season. They are very slender, tender and exquisitely flavored. The small shares are getting an extra produce variety this week so everyone can get this last chance.
We are also providing you with "Happy Rich" Broccoli, which is very similar to the kailaan you received last week. It is a new variety that we are testing and we are very interested in your feedback. You can read more about it and give us your opinions here.
Mache is a European salad green with a slightly minty flavor. It is making an appearance in the large shares this week and makes a great salad with apples. Our sweet onions finished a few weeks ago, so now we are offering yellow storage onions from Desert Ridge Farm.
We are giving traditionals both bok choy and fennel this week because they are looking great now but will not survive if we get an early frost. After much deliberation, we decided to go with some of the more fragile crops this week to ensure that we don't miss any opportunities. Later today, Brett will be blogging about the challenges of this transitional time of year if you are curious to learn more about how we decide what and when to pack crops for the traditional boxes.
One of the biggest benefit to being part of a CSA is developing a relationship with a farm. We take your participation as an investment in the farm and want to make sure you benefit from that investment. One of the ways that we do that is to provide you first dibs on additional produce. Sometimes we are confronted with produce that is second quality, most often due to weather damage. When available we will be offering this to our CSA customers for no or minimal charge on a first come basis. This week we expect that some scarred or blossom rot tomatoes will be available. Just cut off the damaged area and enjoy the great taste of vine ripened tomatoes. If any such produce is available, it will be in a marked box next to the name labeled boxes.
Small
1/2lb salad mix, 2 yellow onions, 1/2 pt raspberries, 1 bunch Happy Rich Broccoli, 3/4lb haricot, 1 bunch fennel, 1 bunch baby bok choy and 1 bunch gold beets
Medium
The same as small with additional salad, onions, Happy Rich and haricot. Plus cabbage.
Large
Same as the medium with additional salad, onions, haricot, fennel, bok choy and beets. Plus mache and gala apples.
*****NEXT WEEK: Everyone will get a pumpkin!*****
Posted by Christine at 02:13 PM | Comments (0)
Happy Rich Broccoli
We are testing a new variety this year. Although Happy Rich is very similar to kailaan, it has a sweeter taste compared to kailaan which is more bitter with a classic Asian flavor and tastes vaguely like asparagus. Both greens have slender, tall stalks with edible heads and leaves. Kailaan is more slender, with fewer buds and the buds flower white. Happy Rich is stockier with buds that are more like traditional broccoli, but the head, stalks and leaves are all edible. The stalks of both are much more digestible than traditional broccoli.
We stir-fried both and lightly dressed with oyster sauce. We like them both that way, with some preferring the kailaan.
Greens with Oyster Sauce
1 bunch Happy Rich or kailaan
1/2 TBS cooking oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 TBS oyster sauce
Discard the leaves. Cut the entire stalk into 1/4" slices. Cut the heads into small bite size pieces. Heat the oil over high heat. Add the cut greens and sesame oil. Cook a few minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp tender and lightly browned. Remove from heat. Add the oyster sauce and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
When steamed, we thought the kailaan was too bitter for our palates but that is a classic means of preparing it.
Which do you prefer?
Posted by Christine at 01:44 PM | Comments (0)
Chantrelle Chicken with Fennel
This is a tasty autumn dish. Chantrelles are widely available now and the ones that Foraged and Found have are beauties. Chantrelles and fennel make a lovely pairing and give this simple dish a complex flavor.
1 TBS cooking oil
3 boned and skinned chicken breasts cut in to 1" pieces
Salt & Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 c. sliced sweet onion
3 cloves garlic sliced
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 bunch of fennel (one large head or a bunch of smaller heads)
1/3 lb chantrelles*, sliced
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 tomato diced
Heat the oil to medium high in a large saute pan. Add the chicken. Lightly season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Let the chicken brown on one side then stir. Add the garlic and onions on top of the chicken, don't stir them in. Let the chicken brown on another side, then stir the garlic and onions in. Once the chicken is browned on all sides, add the fennel, chantrelles and wine. Cook until all the liquid as been absorbed. Season with additional salt and pepper. Garnish with diced tomato.
Posted by Christine at 12:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 10, 2005
CSA box this week
This week we introduce several new vegetables. Panther is a green cauliflower. It has a slightly drier consistency than white cauliflower, making it an excellent addition to stir fries. It is tasty raw or cooked. Romanesco is a cross a heirloom hybrid of cauliflower and broccoli. It has a "fractual" shape, spirally with cone shaped flowerettes. It can be cut up and cooked like cauliflower or broccoli, but many prefer to serve it whole so diners can appreciate it's unique shape. Misty roasts it and serves it whole, her recipe is here. Kailaan is also known as Chinese broccoli. It has stalks like tall, slender broccoli, wide collard like leaves and has small white flowering heads. Part of the mustard family, it is very popular in Chinese stir fries and has a slightly more potent taste than broccoli. It is good raw in salads or cooked. This is also the first appearance of Brussel sprouts. Although we haven't had a good frost yet to really sweeten them up, this is still a favorite of many of our customers. If it is a favorite of yours, please pipe in with any recipes or serving ideas for your fellow CSA members.
This week, we are doing "make it yourself" salad mix. Combine the head lettuces with our saute mix to get just the balance of lettuce and fall greens that you prefer. Our saute mix is blended to hold up in sautes, braising and other hot dishes, but it is also delicious raw.
The berries are just about done, wet weather may prohibit us being able to offer quality berries in sufficient quantity again this season. For fruit this week, we have Gala apples from Brownfield Orchards in Chelan. Brownfield was the first certified organic orchard in the state and has been in the family for three generations. These apples are crisp, sweet and delicious.
The tomatoes are also just about done for the season, but first dibs are going to small and medium shares this week. Try combining them with the Yukon Gold Potatoes from Alden Farms in one of my favorite recipes: Italian Potato Casserole. I posted this recipe earlier for our summer customers but I wanted our winter customers to know about it as well. Substitute the spinach that the recipe calls for with saute mix.
Small Shares:
1/4lb saute mix, 4 baby heads lettuce, 1/2# yukon gold potatoes, 1/4# Brussel Sprouts, 2 Apples, 1 head panther cauliflower, 2 tomatoes.
Medium Shares:
All of the above, minus the cauliflower. Plus more saute mix, lettuce, potatoes, sprouts, apples and tomatoes. In addition you will receive: Romanesco, gold beets and Kailaan.
Large Shares:
Everything in a medium share with additional amounts of saute mix, lettuce, potatoes, apples & Kailaan. In addition, there will be chiogga beets, fennel and golden raspberries(weather permitting).
Posted by Christine at 08:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 09, 2005
Roasted Romanesco
1 lb Romanesco
1/2 walla walla onion
1 TBS olive oil
2 tsp Balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 finely chopped cheddar cheese
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1 TBS butter
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mince garlic and chop onions, combine in
a bowl and coat with Balsamic and olive oil. Boil entire head of Romanesco for 7 minutes, remove from water and immediately place in baking dish. Pour garlic, onion, oil mixture over broccoli. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Approximately 7 minutes prior to completion top broccoli with diced cheddar cheese. It will be golden brown and tender when finished. The mixture at the bottom of your baking dish makes a great sauce to pour back over the head of Romanesco.
Posted by at 09:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 06, 2005
Thanks for making it all worth it!!
Well, it is still busy here in early October, We are currently juggling around orders from our wholesale account at Charlie's Produce, the Summer and Winter C.S.A programs, (which so conveniently for me overlapped this year) nine markets weekly, countless special requests and orders, and we have two bulk orders of miscellaneous produce to Pike Place's C.S.A program. All the while keeping things maintained, cleaned and protected from harsh weather to ensure a diversified crop and maintain the highest quality for our customers through fall and into winter. After working at Good Ol' Willie's for over 5 years and managing for 3 or 4 seasons? (It's all one long day really).
Posted by Brett at 03:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 04, 2005
Lemony Spinach with Pine Nuts
Spinach is such a lovely and versatile vegetable. I especially enjoy the compliment of lemon with the slight bite of spinach, raw or cooked. This cooked dish is light, but satisfying to the senses.
1/2 lb Willie Green's Organic Baby Spinach
1/2TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
juice of half lemon
2 TBS toasted pine nuts
2 TBS freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Trim the stem ends off of the spinach. If it has been really muddy lately, you may want to wash and spin the spinach. Heat the olive over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant but not browned. Add the lemon juice and heat to high. As soon as the mixture begins to boil, add the spinach and turn the heat to low. Toss the spinach in the flavored oil until coated and it begins to wilt. Remove from the heat. Top with cheese, nuts and salt & pepper. Serve immediately.
Posted by Christine at 01:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 03, 2005
Celeriac Chips with Remoulade
Celeriac, or celery root, is a root vegetable with distinctive celery flavor. Classically, it is combined with Remoulade, a cold mayonaise based sauce with herbs, pickles, capers and/or anchovies. This is fun and casual pairing of the two.
2 celeriac, peeled
peanut oil
1/2 c. mayonaise
1/2 TBS pimento, diced
1 spicy dill pickle, diced
Salt & freshly ground pepper
Slice the celeriac paper thin, a mandoline is a great help here. Lightly wash the slices to remove root hairs that grow from the nobby root crevices. Lay on a paper towel and pat to dry. Heat about 2" of peanut oil in a heavy pan until it is hazy but not smoking. Place one slice in the oil. If it doesn't sizzle vigorously, remove the chip and allow the oil to heat further. Once hot, add a small handful of chips to the oil. Cook until golden brown, turning for even cooking. Remove with a slotted spatula and drain on paper towels. When cool, place in a bowl and add salt to taste.
In a small bowl, combine the mayonaise, and pimento. Stir in half of the diced pickle. Add remaining pickle and salt and pepper to taste. Some of us on the farm like a lot of pickle in it while others prefer the more complex flavor with pickle and pimento balanced. Serve the remoulade as a dip to the chips.
Posted by Christine at 10:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pond Side Dinner Much Appreciated
I told you about the exquisite dinner I prepared for our Monroe Stand raffle winner a few weeks ago. Now I have an update. Our winner wrote me a beautiful letter I would like to share we you:
Jeff,
Thank you for one of the best evenings I've had. I truly feel like I won the Big Lottery after having your wonderful meal!
I enjoyed every bit of the dinner. I also had fun talking with Noah and all of your employees. They made me feel welcome.
I enjoyed your produce all Summer and look forward to being a loyal customer for years!
I am so glad that I won that opening day raffle!
Thank you again
Cheryl N.
Now, the next time I offer a raffle dinner prepared by yours truly I hope to see a little more enthusiasm from our loyal customers:) All joking aside, I hope to be able to offer things like this more often, because we really love showing off the farm and showcasing our produce on such a personal basis.
Posted by Jeff at 05:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Summer/Winter CSA
This is the 1st week for Winter CSA and the 17th week for Summer CSA. A true blending of the seasons. We can all see by the weather this last week- Fall is here. This is an especially busy time of year for us at the farm and I would like to extend our appreciation for your patience and our gratitude for you participation in our various CSA programs. This is the life blood that keeps us going through the winter.
We supply you with recipes each week, they usually appear in this blog with the box inventory, but this week we are a little behind. We will try to balance recipes that take highlight the contents of traditional CSA shares and what our Custom CSA customers may be choosing. Recipes will be coming later this evening in a separate Blog. We encourage our customers to post their own recipe ideas as well. You can search past farm and customer contributed recipes here on the blog.
At this point in the season we are still able to provide you with 100% Willie Green's produce. The celeriac may be new to you. It is related to celery but it is grown for it's bulbous root. This nobby root has a celery flavor and is delicious mashed or diced in soups or stews. The contents of this week's boxes are as follows:
Small Share
1/2 lb Salad Mix, 1/4 lb Spinach, 1 bunch Carrots, 1/2 lb Romano Beans
1 bunch Radishes, 1 head cauliflower, 1 - 1/2 pint Red Raspberries
Medium Share
3/4 lb Salad Mix, 1/2 lb Spinach, 2 bunches carrots, 3/4 lb Romano Beans, 2 bunch 1 head cauliflower, 3 Heads Baby Lettuce, 1 lb Celeriac
Large Share
1 lb Salad Mix, 3/4 lb Spinach,3 bunch Carrots, 1 lb Romano Beans, 2 bunch Radishes, 2- 1/2 pints Red Raspberries, 6 Tomatoes, 1 head cauliflower, 2 lb Celeriac, 1 bunch Collards, 2 Chioggia Beets
Note to Summer CSA small and medium share customers: We are still trying to get you each a pint of late Strawberries-weather permitting. The strawberries will be in addition to your regular box.
Posted by at 04:42 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack