Weekly Share June 5th – 11th

Posted on June 4, 2023 by Tomten Farm

Madeley or Russian Kale
Butterhead or Oakleaf Lettuce
Tendersweet Cabbage
Beets or Carrots
Genovese Basil
Fresh Garlic
Radishes

On the farm we are full swing into summer crops. This past week we planted our watermelon, winter squash, and 3rd succession of tomatoes,  along with the very last succession of lettuces, that we hope will carry a few greens into the summer. This week our 3rd succession of cucumbers and summer squash, 2nd basil, thai basil and last spring scallions all will go into the ground, leaving our greenhouse virtually empty for about a month, at which point it fills up with fall and winter crops (It all happens so fast!). Our main bean planting happens this week marking the last direct seeding for about a month. We will seed Asian long beans, a 2nd round of romano beans, and a smattering of other trials. We still have a last bean, tomato, cucumber, and squash planting which comes in about a month to keep summer crops coming into September. So with this break in planting, we are filling our time with trying to feed and weed our spring crops, many which have gotten very out of hand. We will also trellis tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant over the next few weeks as they begin to put on size.
Large harvests begin to dominate our time and storage space. With the rain last week after a very dry three weeks, our spring cabbage crop is showing a lot of splitting, so in addition to being in the share, we will be putting as many as possible into storage. This week most of our time will be consumed with harvesting our garlic crop. It is looking large and beautiful with a small amount of pest damage; but until we pull it all we never know. Getting it out of the field at full size but before it has died back too much is the goal. As the leaves brown and dry back, each leaf represents a skin around the cloves, the more that die back below ground, the less protection the garlic has once cured and in storage. This can lead to drying out or insect damage making heads unsellable, so time is of the essence and this is the week.
This week’s share, continues to look very springy. It has the first basil of the season and some freshly harvested garlic. If you have been craving some fresh pesto, check out the recipe below, as Marcella Hazan is a master at decadent, fresh pesto. In addition to making a delicious pasta sauce, this pesto can be dolloped on top of roasted veggies, added to a bowl of cabbage and chicken soup, or turned into a delicious vinaigrette. Check out the recips below and enjoy the share…..Autumn & Brian

Marcella Hazan’s Pesto

Beet, Cucumber, & Radish Salad with Basil Pesto Vinaigrette

Mackerel, Beetroot, & Kale Freekeh Salad

Carrot, Radish, & Sweet Pea Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette

Coconut Curry Soup with Chicken, Carrots, & Kale

Cabbage & Basil Salad

Tahini-Smothered Charred Cabbage

New Cabbage with Scallions – The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis
The first time we would cook and serve our newly grown garden cabbage was on a wheat-threshing day. We would cut up many heads and cook them in a large iron pot with liquid from the pork shoulder and a small amount of fat for seasoning. Cabbage cooked that way was a hearty fare, good sustenance for hardworking men. We children usually had the food that was left over from the midday meal that night for supper and thought it was just great. No other food in the world seemed to have quite the good flavor of what was left over from a wheat-threshing dinner.
1 2-pound head new cabbage
1/3 cup tender green scallion tops, cut into ¼” slices
2 cups boiling water, or preferably stock from boiled pork shoulder
3 Tbls freshly rendered fat from bacon or ham
salt and freshly ground pepper
To prepare the cabbage, trim away the outside leaves and cut the head into quarters. Cut away the core, leaving just enough to hold the leaves intact. Place the pieces of cabbage in a bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes or so to wash out any dust or bugs, particularly if it has come straight out of the garden. Remove, drain in a colander, then place in a 3-quart saucepan and add the scallion tops to give added flavor and color. Pour the boiling water or stock over and toss the cabbage with two spoons to make sure that each piece is scalded. Add the fat so that it coats the cabbage, then turn the burner low so that the cabbage boils briskly but not too rapidly for 25-30 minutes –any longer and the cabbage will become too soft and its taste will change. Drain. Toss the salt to taste and a good grating of freshly ground pepper to heighten the flavor. Serve hot.

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Weekly Share May 29th – June 4th

Posted on May 28, 2023 by Tomten Farm

Escarole
Swiss Chard
Spring Onions
Summer Squash & Zucchini
Sugar Snap Peas or Hakurei Turnips
Broccoli or Yu Choy
Mesclun Salad Mix
Dill or Italian Parsley

Swiss Chard & Onion Frittata

Escarole and Roasted Broccoli Salad with Anchovy Dressing

Escarole Salad with Bacon, Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

Turnip Salad with Yogurt Herbs & Poppy Seeds

Halibut with Spring Onion and Summer Squash Sauté

Cacio e Pepe Pasta with Slivered Sugar Snap Peas & Zucchini

Zucchini Salad With Raisins and Pine Nuts – The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
The combination of raisins and pine nuts was brought by the Arabs all the way to Spain and Sicily.
1 lb Zucchini
4 Tbls Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbls Pine Nuts
2 Tbls Black or Gold Raisins or Currants
1 clove Garlic, crushed and chopped
Salt and Pepper
2 tsp dried mint (optional)
Juice of ½ Lemon, or more
Saute the Zucchini quickly in the oil with the pine nuts, raisins, and garlic. Add salt and pepper and dried mint, if using, and cook, stirring, over moderate heat until the zucchini slices are just tender. Serve hot or cold with lemon juice squeezed over the salad.

Boiled Swiss Chard Salad – The Classic Italian Cookbook by Marcella Hazan
1 bunch Swiss chard leaves
Salt
Olive Oil
1 or more Tbls lemon juice
Pull the leaves from the stalks (reserving the stems for another use, such as Swiss Chard stalks with Parmesan Cheese) and wash in a basin of cold water, changing the water frequently until it shows no trace of soil.
Put the chard in a pan with whatever water clings to the leaves. Add 1/2 tsp salt, cover, and cook over medium heat until tender, about 15 minutes from the time the liquid starts to bubble.
Drain in a pasta colander and gently press some of the water out of the chard with the back of a fork. Place in a salad bowl.
Serve cool (not refrigerated) or lukewarm, seasoning with salt, oil, and lemon only when ready to serve.

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Weekly Share May 22nd – 28th

Posted on May 21, 2023 by Tomten Farm

Mustard Greens
Yu Choy or Broccoli
Butterhead or Red Leaf Lettuce
Hakurei Turnip or Sugar Snap Peas
Daikon Radish
Scallions
Cilantro
Arugula

A little farm update. Our market tables are seeing new crops every week and the farm seems very abundant, although we are noticing a little plant stress due to intense earlier than usual bug and weed pressure. The first two successions of summer crops are in the ground. Our earliest tomatoes are finally getting some size; but due to cooler temperatures it will be awhile until fruit set starts putting on size. This coming week we will direct seed our grain corn and okra crops. The last of our spring lettuces plus winter squash and watermelon will be transplanted in the next two weeks and with that we will have a very empty greenhouse for about 1 month. This coming week we are also processing our annual batch of freedom ranger broilers, which means for a very busy week. Overall, we are seeing a lot of healthy crops and are thankful that the weather has been quite mild for the month of May as it makes it easier on crops that are transplanted and improves direct seeding germination. The work is increasing exponentially though and the first to go is proper weed management, so we have arrived at the point where we cannot get it all taken care of and have to make quick decisions about what to leave behind. So is farming for us, every year; but we never get used to the stress this induces.
All the farm abundance means a very large share for you all this week. Many of these crops are Asian varietals, so they can pair together well. Yu choy is very mild and has a great texture with a slightly crunchy stalk and delicate flowers. It can be paired with the more sturdy and spicy mustard greens in either a simple soup (miso based or chicken stock) or a stir-fry. Mustard greens do really well finely chopped before being cooked as they are a flavor bomb and can really elevate any dish. They are also delicious pickled. Daikon radish is another robust crop, wonderful in a myriad of pickled forms (salted, vinegar brined, base for kimchi, sweet vinegar pickle snack) but also can be great in an Indian style curry or any stir-fry. Check out the recipes below and enjoy the share……Autumn & Brian

Tahini Noodles With Sugar Snap Peas & Daikon Radish

Fried Rice with Broccoli and Mustard Greens (make with daikon & peas instead of celery and carrot)

Shiro Miso Soba Noodles with Poached Eggs, Yu Choy, & Turnips

Indian style Choy Sum

Asian Chicken Soup with Greens 
For the broth:
1 whole chicken
1 head garlic, peeled and smashed
2-3 scallions, cut into large pieces
½ bunch cilantro, leaves, stems and roots, washed
2 inches ginger root, cut into thick slices
1 Tbsp salt & pepper to taste
For the soup:
4 oz. cellophane rice noodles or egg noodles
½ lb greens (bok choy, mustard greens, pea shoots, spinach)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sweet rice cooking wine or mirin
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro, for garnish
Rinse the chicken thoroughly, remove giblet bag and place in a large pot with cold water to cover by 2 inches (around 2 ½ quarts of water).  Add garlic, cilantro, scallions, ginger, salt & pepper.  Bring to a boil and simmer very gently for 1 ½ hours, or until the meat falls off the bone.  Remove chicken carefully to a colander and allow it to cool.  Strain the stock and skim the fat that rises to the surface.  (If you make the stock in advance, refrigerate it overnight and remove the congealed fat the next day.  You can also use a special device for separating fat that looks like a big measuring cup with a spout that pours from the bottom).  When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull off all the meat and shred it with your fingers.  Use a nice handful of the meat for the soup and save the rest for another use (Vietnamese chicken salad, perhaps?).
Meanwhile soak the rice noodles in warm tap water for 15-20 minutes, drain and set aside. If using egg noodles, cook them in boiling water until al dente, drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.  Wash greens and cut into fairly large pieces.  Bring the stock to a boil and season with the soy sauce and wine.  Taste and adjust salt if necessary.  Add greens and chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Place a handful of noodles in each soup bowl.  Pour soup over noodles and serve garnished with chopped cilantro.
Variations: This soup can easily be made into wonton soup.  Get some wonton wrappers from the store (usually sold next to the tofu).  For the filling mix together ½ lb ground pork, 2 finely chopped scallions, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp rice wine, salt & pepper.  Follow directions on the package to fill them.  Boil with the greens in the hot stock until they float.

Clams simmered in Sake with Scallions Japanese Farm Food by Nancy Singleton Hachisu
8 cups small clams
3 cups sake
4 scallions (both white and green parts cut into a medium dice)
1 tsp salt
2 dried japones or arbol chile pepper, crumbled
1 handful roughly chopped cilantro
cooked Japanese Rice for serving
Scrub the clams in several changes of cold water. Drop the clams into a large heavy pot with a lid. Glug in enough sake to fill the pot about three-quarters the height of the clams, then sprinkle with the scallions, salt, and chile peppers. Replace the lid and cook on high heat until the clams have opened. Stir in the cilantro and cook for about 30 seconds more. Serve in bowls as an appetizer or accompanied with Japanese rice. Discard any unopened clams. 

Bitter Greens with Dashi – Japanese Farm Food by Nancy Singleton Hachisu
2 small bunches (1 1/3lb) Bitter Greens: mustard, turnip, or komatsuna
1/3 cup Dashi
2 Tbls Soy Sauce
2 Tbls freshly shaved katsuobushi or 3 Tbls hanakatsuo
Bring a large pot of hot water to a boil and place a large bowl of cold water on the kitchen sink. Hold the bunches of greens by their tops and lower the stems into the boiling water.  Count to ten or twenty, then drop the greens into the pot and cook an additional 1-3 minutes. Scoop out the greens with a strainer and dump them immediately into the cold water. Turn on the tap and plunge your hands into the water, lifting the greens up directly into the stream of cold running tap water to cool them. Pull out a few connected strands and squeeze down the length of the greens to express the excess water. Ley the greens on the cutting board, cut off the end tips, and slice into 2” lengths.
Squeeze the greens one more time and arrange the clumps attractively on a medium-sized saucer with the cut sides face up. Season the dashi with soy sauce, pour over the greens, and sprinkle with shaved katsuobushi right before serving.
Variation: Also nice with some slivered citrus peel, such as yuzu or meyer lemon. Although in this case I would cut back, or omit the katsuobushi.

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Weekly Share May 15th – 21st

Posted on May 14, 2023 by Tomten Farm

Frisee
Spinach
Radishes
Garlic Scapes
New Potatoes
Mesclun Salad Mix
Dill

Week two of the CSA is still filled with lots of salad options; but we also have included spinach, new potatoes, and delicious radishes for some potential warm dishes as well. We absolutely love frisee and the crop looks wonderful this week. We have included a few salad recipes as that is how it really shines; but it can also be cooked or even added to your salad mix, if a bitter green salad is too much for your palate. The hyper seasonal crop this week is garlic scapes, normally we have them for 3 weeks each May and we look forward to their arrival.  A longish scape will be equivalent to 1-2 cloves of garlic. You can mash them, mince them, or use in bigger pieces for some garlic punch. The scape would eventually become the flower bud on each garlic plant. By pulling them out when they are young, more energy is put into growing the bulb, making for larger garlic in the end. At this immature stage the scape is tender with a little crunch and has a superb garlic flavor without a ton of heat. They will store in a plastic bag for at least 3 weeks, so don’t feel rushed to use them all. They can be pickled using the brine for a basic dilly bean recipe, and after a six week wait make an amazing addition to any pickle plate. Other options for the scapes are making garlic butter (blend the scapes, mix with softened butter and a little salt, then using wax paper make the butter into a log roll, wrap in plastic wrap, freeze, and use as needed.) or garlic scape pesto. Feel free to use them as a substitute for garlic in recipes, just add more volume than recipe requires, as the scapes are definitely more subtle than a clove of garlic. Check out the recipes below and enjoy the share…..Brian and Autumn

Creamy Garlic Scape & Dill Dressing

Frisée Salad with Poached Eggs and Bacon

Warm Potato and Frisee Salad

Radish and Garlic Scape Toast

Borani-e Esfenaj (Spinach and Yogurt Salad) the New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
This refreshing Iranian salad has a pure and delicate flavor.
½ pound spinach
½ cup thick-strained Greek-style yogurt
1 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp sugar
salt and pepper
1 Tbls extra-virgin olive oil
juice of ¼ lemon
Wash the spinach and remove the stems only if they are thick and hard. Drain the leaves and put them in a large pan. Cover and set over low heat until the leaves crumple into a soft mass. They steam in the water that clings to them in a very few minutes. Drain, and when cool enough, squeeze out the excess water with your hands. Chop with a sharp knife and mix with the rest of the ingredients.

Spanish TortillaThe Natural Cook by Tom Hunt
New potatoes fried until soft and savory and seasoned with paprika combine in this classic tortilla. Serve as a generous lunch with a salad of peppery green leaves and a handful of the sweetest cherry tomatoes. Serves 4
350g new potatoes, washed
A splash of olive oil
A pinch of sweet paprika
Salt and black pepper
2 onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped (Can use Garlic Scapes)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Cut any large potatoes in half so all the pieces are roughly the same size. Bring to the boil in a saucepan of salted water, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until just soft. Check by pushing a knife into a potato – if it goes in without too much resistance, they are ready. Be careful not to let them get too soft, otherwise they will fall apart during frying.
2 Drain and cool, then dry, cut into cubes and fry in a good glug of the oil over a medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Keep turning to ensure a good all-round, golden, crisp skin. When ready, sprinkle with paprika and salt and set aside.
3 Slowly saute the onions for 15-20 minutes in light olive oil until they are very soft. Add the garlic and fry for another 2 minutes. Add the onions to the potatoes and allow the whole lot to cool. Now add the eggs and mix, crushing the potatoes a little as you do so. Season with salt and pepper. Now taste a little of the mixture and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
4 Heat a deep 15-20cm frying pan with a good splash of the oil. When it begins to smoke, pour in the egg mixture: be careful as it may spit. Shake the pan from side to side with the handle so it doesn’t stick.
5 Reduce the heat to its lowest and cook for 4-5 minutes. Put your finger in the middle and feel how far through the egg is cooked. When it is cooked halfway through, it is ready to turn. Have a large plate ready to tip the tortilla on to. Using a tea towel and being careful of your hands and arms with the hot oil – and working over the sink in case of any spills – flip on to the plate.
6 Return the pan to the heat. Scrape off any bits that may have stuck and add a little more oil. When it’s hot, slide the tortilla back into the pan, raw-side down. Shake from side to side again to make sure it isn’t stuck. Using a wooden spoon, tuck the rough edges underneath to make them rounded, then cook for a further 5 minutes. Slide on to a plate and allow to cool. Serve at room temperature.

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Weekly Share May 8th – 14th

Posted on May 4, 2023 by Tomten Farm

Fava Beans
Mesclun Salad Mix
Bibb & Butterhead Lettuce
Spring Beets or Carrots
Russian Kale
Fresh Garlic

It is finally here, the first CSA share for 2023. We are so glad you decided to join us and partake in the bounty that this season will offer. This is our 12th CSA season, so for many of you, our early Spring offerings will be more or less similar to past years, with perhaps slight alterations to the vegetable pairings week by week. Farming is complicated and always changing, especially with the acceleration of our current climate crisis and its very real effects on our seasons and extreme shifts. In contrast to so many business fields and our culture in general we are not looking for new and different things to add each year, to wow our customers and keep ourselves “relevant”. In fact we have done quite the opposite, we have simplified and focused. At year 3 and 4 we began simplifying our crop plan and decided not to expand to growing on more acreage, but rather to spend our time focusing on crops that we wanted to eat and thought we could manage in this climate (even if they may not love it). Radicchio and chicories for example were something we loved eating; but naturally they are wild and variable crops not easily suited to Virginia’s often erratic and slightly too warm summer temperatures. Growing them has provided some challenges; but we kept on, with more success year after year. We still have so much to learn of course, especially in growing 18 different varieties; but the satisfaction of getting more familiar with this family of crops is exemplified in how they grow. In the field once they have grown massive leaves and began heading, they literally look like rotten mush and there is this fine line between that rotten mush having a perfect, strikingly beautiful and bitterly delicious head underneath and a few weeks later it might actually just be rot; but when you find it and unearth it, it is exquisite. In less dramatic fashion this is the joy of digging potatoes by hand or pulling carrots, or watching a 2 lb tomato ripen, or a perfect looking lettuce in early May. By late May usually the lettuce is damaged by pests, or trying to bolt (go to flower), or not heading correctly, or a myriad of things. But those perfect times are always worth it.
Back to the simplifying versus changing it up year after year. Farming is a strange occupation as there are a lot of factors thrown at you constantly and some are completely out of your control, so it can be a hectic and chaotic job at times; but it is also a slow process overall, with lots of moments of quiet and reflection. When crops fail, it will take an entire year to run that experiment again or to trial different methods and even the following year, the conditions are never exactly the same. So much of the actual work of growing is done by the sun, rain, and soil, all things we can aid or support but not control. To learn and acquire knowledge as a farmer is a slow game. After over a decade in this we are both still learning so much and often the changes we make year to year seem very small from the outside but there is a lot of complexity on our end and the satisfaction of beginning to understand a crop or a family of crops needs, variability, and that sweet spot where they thrive is quite exciting in a very quiet, small, and detailed way.
So as we step into this season with our fingers crossed for lots of abundance, we will flex and shift based on what is thrown at us. But right now we are happy to report that the fava beans are thriving, the lettuce is spectacular, the garlic is still young with some sweetness although it is beginning to bulb and clove, and our early spring beet planting is lovely and happy, so all is good. Please check out the short article about Fava Beans if you are new to them (you do not have to peel the outer layer from the bean). Use all of the garlic, tops and all, not just the white part. If it seems a bit fibrous cook it longer (like a leek). Lastly have fun making lots of salads, it is the time of year to eat lettuce. Check out the recipes below and enjoy the share…..Autumn & Brian

Wait! Stop! Don’t Peel Those Fava Beans!

Beet & Blue Cheese Salad

Chickpeas and Kale in Spicy Pomodoro Sauce

Beets and Fava Beans with Anchovy Vinaigrette

Julienned-Carrot and Kale Salad

Smashed Fava Beans, Pecorino, and Mint on Toast Six Seasons  by Joshua McFadden
This is a loose pesto of fava beans and mint, with plenty of olive oil. Use it as a pasta sauce or as a dip for vegetables, spoon it over crushed new potatoes, or spread some on toasted country bread.
1 ¼ lb Fava Beans in their pods
1 stalk green garlic roughly chopped
4 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves
salt & pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 – ½” thick slices bread
Shell the fava beans. Blanch beans for about 30 seconds in boiling salted water and then rinse well with very cold water. If desired, make a small slit on the bean, gently squeeze out two halves of the bean and peel off the membrane skin (it can be a little tough).
Put the green garlic and a pinch of salt into a food processor and pulse a few times. Add half the mint leaves and pulse a few more times so the garlic is fairly fine. Add the peeled favas and 1 Tbls olive oil and pulse again. Your goal is to bash up the favas but not completely puree them. You may need to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl between pulses.
Scrape the mixture into a bowl, season with some pepper, and stir in 1/8 cup grated pecorino cheese and the lemon juice, and adjust the consistency with olive oil so that its loose and luscious. Brush the bread on one side with olive oil and grill or broil until crisp. Arrange on plates, top with the fava mixture and the rest of the mint leaves, torn if their big, and finish with a nice shower of grated pecorino and a drizzle of oil.

Roz bel Ful Ahdar (Rice with Fava Beans) the New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
In Egypt this is prepared in the Spring, when fava beans are very young and tender. It is served hot as an accompaniment to meat, or cold with yogurt and a salad. Egyptians do not remove the skins of the beans.
1 pound fresh fava beans, shelled
salt
vegetable oil
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic or 1 green garlic stalk, minced white & greens
1 cup fresh dill, chopped
1 1/2 cups basmati or long-grain rice (wash)
pepper
2 ¼ cup water
Boil the beans in salted water for a few minutes, until they are tender, then drain. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan and fry the onion until soft and golden. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or two. Then add the drained beans and sauté a little, stirring and turning them over. Add the rice, and stir until transparent. Add the salt, pepper, and chopped dill and pour in the water. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat, covered, for about 20 minutes, until the rice is tender.

Sauteed Greens with Olives (Misticanza) from Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden
The key to this dish is to cook it quickly at high heat so that you can taste each green in your mix.
extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (use cloves and stalk of fresh garlic)
¼ tsp dried chiles flakes
10 cups lightly packed torn mixed greens (such as kale, escarole, turnip greens, beet greens, chard)
kosher salt & black pepper
¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted & halved
2 Tbls lemon juice
Heat a glug of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes – don’t let it burn! Add the chile flakes and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the greens a handful at a time, tossing until wilted between additions (if you can, start with the tougher greens such as kale or escarole). Season generously with salt and black pepper and cook until all greens are wilted and softened, about 3 minutes more after your last addition.
add the olives and 2 tablespoons lemon juice and toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more chile flakes, salt or lemon juice. Finish with a nice drizzle of olive oil.

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Weekly Share November 7th – 13th

Posted on November 6, 2022 by Tomten Farm

Savoy Cabbage
Collard Greens
Mesclun Salad Mix
Seminole Pumpkins
Cateto Polenta
Mix Roots
Parsley
Celery

This is it! The final CSA week of 2022 has arrived. It has been an abundant season with lots of diversity and as always a few failed crops. Most of the damage this year was from deer pressure. The poor okra plants never got past a juvenile phase, our fall beets got ravaged, and the beans got set back a few times. This is by far the most abundant fall season we have had in our 11 years of growing here. We are still loaded with crops to take us into the winter season, so lots of veggies for the colder months. Today we had a great group of CSA members out on the farm for our annual garlic planting. All the garlic is in the ground awaiting a great 2023 season. In 6-8 weeks the sprouts will emerge and hang out until early Spring when they begin to grow strong. So officially we begin to wind down this season and move into the next. For us this means harvesting loads of crops to put into storage, turning our attention to our high tunnel plantings and beginning winter infrastructure and cleanup projects. All the while we continue markets with as much winter diversity as we can; because we want all of you well fed especially through the winter months. So don’t despair vegetables are still in abundance.
This week’s share includes a bag of this year’s cateto corn crop. It is great used as a polenta and is ground integral (no sifting). It is a delicious beautiful orange corn with superb flavor. We have also included some awesome greens, both our collard greens and savoy cabbages are huge and tasty this year. Both crops can be rich and sweet when slow cooked. Each share will get a few stalks of celery, a crop we have always struggled to grow and are happy to say looks and tastes great this fall. It has a great crunchy texture and is much more flavorful than store bought celery. Make sure to use the leaves, especially good in soups or as an aromatic base to dishes. Last but not least you will get a fabulous Seminole pumpkin. They pumpkins store very well in a cool, dark environment. They make fabulous pumpkin pie, so feel free to hold onto it for thanksgiving festivities, if you can. Or make one of the recipes below. Enjoy the share….Autumn and Brian

Shaved Carrot and Radish Salad with Herbs and Pumpkin Seeds

Berbere butter Braised Carrots with Polenta

Reginetti with Savoy Cabbage and Pancetta

BA’s Best Stuffed Cabbage

Pumpkin Spoon Bread

Polenta, Gorgonzola, and Savoy Cabbage Torte

Stewed Pinto Beans and Collard Greens

Andouille and Collard Greens Soup with Cornmeal

Seminole Pumpkin Pie

Savory Seminole Pumpkin Soup

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Weekly Share October 31st – November 6th

Posted on October 30, 2022 by Tomten Farm

Fennel
Kohlrabi
Radicchio
Swiss Chard or Spigariello
Mesclun Mix or Arugula
Garlic
Dill

This week’s share includes so many farm favorites that make rare appearances in our main season; but are enjoyed through the “off season”. Radicchio and kohlrabi, are staples for the winter season. Fennel like so many Italian specialty crops just do not like our erratic weather, preferring a more temperate, even climate; so the fall crop, if the weather works out, is far superior to our spring crops, making robust, sweet, crisp heads. Spigariello is also rare, as we only grow it in the fall. It takes some time and good conditions to get robust with tender side shoots and will begin to toughen after a strong frost, so it has a short season.

Actually a cross between broccoli and kale, Spigariello has long edible stems with curled green leaves like rabe.  It produces tiny edible flowers that are not quite florets. Spigariello can look like broccoli rabe; but it tastes more like a sweeter broccoli cousin. It may even be a milder genetic forbear to broccoli rabe.  Like so many of the bitter greens we grow and enjoy in this country today, Spigariello is a southern Italian native.  Though it is on the lighter end of the bitterness spectrum, it shares the hearty, full-bodied flavor that is so typical of greens in this region.  Farmers in California first imported the seeds from Naples and Apulia in the 90s. The variety continues to be uncommon commercially, but has gained a cult following among chefs and small farmers.              -Baldor

Use this green as you would broccoli rabe or kale. Make sure to use the stems, they are sweet, tender, and delicious. Right now we are harvesting two main radicchio types: pallo rossa (red, dense, most commonly seen) and lusia (speckled, tender leaves, more mild bitterness). Any recipes below will work for either types, cooked or raw. The pallo rossa will hold up better to cooking; but feel free to explore. 
As the CSA season is winding down, this is the second to the last week, we wanted to add a good portion of garlic into the share, as we had an amazing crop this year and have a lot. Our garlic has been refrigerated, so if you are storing for awhile we suggest you keep it in refrigeration, so it stays more stable. Check the recipes out below and enjoy the share…. Autumn & Brian

Pasta with Spigariello, Bacon, & Garlic

Fall Harvest Salad

Cheesy Baked Pasta with Radicchio

Roasted Fennel Salad With Apple And Radicchio

Kohlrabi and Fennel Salad

Kohlrabi Fritters with Crisp Kohlrabi Leaves, Lemon, Crème Fraiche & Dill

Kohlrabi with Citrus, Arugula, Poppy Seeds, and Crème Fraiche – Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden – Serves 4
1 lb Kohlrabi, peeled and any gnarly bits cut away
½ cup Crème Fraiche
2 Tbls Poppy Seeds
Kosher Salt and Pepper
4 large handfuls Arugula
3 oranges, tangerines, or other sweet citrus, segmented, juice reserved
2-3 Tbls Citrus Vinaigrette
Cut the kohlrabi into little wedges about the same size as orange segments. Toss with 3 tablespoons of the crème fraiche and the poppy seeds. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Spread a nice swoosh of the remaining crème fraiche onto each plate. Quickly toss the arugula with citrus segments, reserved juices, and citrus vinaigrette. Arrange the arugula and oranges on each plate and top with the kohlrabi.
Citrus Vinaigrette
1 orange, 1 lemon, 1 lime, 1 ½ Tbls honey, 1 Tbls champagne vinegar, ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Zest all the citrus into a bowl, Halve the fruit and squeeze all the juice into the same bowl, to get 2/3 cup juice (fish out seeds). Whisk in the honey, vinegar, 1tsp salt and several twists of pepper.
Taste and adjust the flavor with any ingredient if needed to make it more vibrant. Whisk in the olive oil a few drops at a time or slowly drizzle the oil into a blender or food processor with other ingredients. Store in the fridge for up to 2-3 weeks.

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Weekly Share October 24th – 30th

Posted on October 23, 2022 by Tomten Farm

Carrots
Napa Cabbage
Yu Choy or Bok Choy
Arugula or Mesclun Mix
Jyoti, Khmer, & Serrano Chilies
Scallions
Cilantro
Ginger

Vegetarian Egg Roll Bowls

Braised Beef Short Ribs

Yu Choy Sum Miso Soup

Spicy Thai Red Curry Meatballs with Jasmine Rice & Yu Choy

Sesame Ginger Carrot Salad

Spiced Coconut Carrot Soup

Spicy Shrimp And Napa Cabbage Stir Fry

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Weekly Share October 17th – 23rd

Posted on October 16, 2022 by Tomten Farm

Winter Turnips
Cushaw Winter Squash
Goldrush Russet Potatoes
Broccoli Rabe or Lacinato Kale
Assorted Late Season Tomatoes
Assorted Green Peppers or Eggplant
Mesclun Salad Mix
Parsley

It looks like a frost is coming later this week, so after this very warm and sunny weekend we are going to do a final harvest of eggplant, basil, and all of our peppers and chilies. Late last week we cleared our main tomato plantings, leaving a lot of green tomatoes (some will ripen and others will be used green). We still have a small planting of late season tomatoes, including our winter storage varieties, protected in one of our tunnels and due to slow ripening we will continue having tomatoes for a good while; but within two weeks the peppers and chilies will be gone. So we have included some of these late summer goodies in your share along with delicious fall greens and roots. The medley of summer and fall vegetables is getting cut a little short due to a early October frost. This week’s share also includes a piece of our Cushaw winter squash. For those of you new to the CSA these heirloom squash can grow very large and tend to do very well in our climate. They were domesticated between 7000 & 3000 BC in Mesoamerica and have deep roots throughout Appalachia, Louisiana, and the Southwestern US.

The word cushaw is derived from an Algonquin word, although the plant itself ultimately derives from the indigenous peoples of Central America and the West Indies, possibly Jamaica.  In Jamaica they replaced the edible gourds that West and Central Africans were used to.  When African Virginians moved across the Piedmont into the Appalachians, they brought the sweet potato pumpkin with them, and like the banjo (Kimbundu: mbanza) it became part of Southern Appalachian culture.  Cushaws are made into cushaw butter, pie filling, puddings, and are cooked on their own.   – The Cooking Gene by Michael Twitty

The flesh is light-yellow; it is mild and slightly sweet in flavor; meaty in texture and fibrous. It is sometimes called cushaw pumpkin and is often substituted for the standard, orange, jack-o-lantern pumpkin in pie-making. The cushaw has a green summer squash flavor and scent to it. It has a smoky-ness in taste and is moist without being wet. It is used for both savory and sweet dishes and is great for northern climates because it provides vitamin C for the winter and stores very well. In some Native cultures, the seeds are toasted for snacks or ground and made into sauces and moles. The flowers are stuffed and/or fried. Sometimes the flesh of the fruit is used for livestock feed….. Author Lois Ellen Frank (Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations) cites the Akimiel O’odham and the Tohono O’odham, whose homeland stretches from Phoenix, Arizona, to east central Sonora, Mexico, as cushaw growers. The land is some of the hottest and driest in North America; cushaw, a heat-hardy plant, is grown there with the summer rain. In addition to the plant’s tolerance for heat, the green-striped cushaw’s large, vigorous vines are resistant to the squash vine borer, which kills other squash and pumpkin plants that aren’t protected with pesticides. This quality may account for the green-striped cushaw’s longevity—natives could count on it when other species didn’t survive. –  Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity

This year we had a very small harvest of these squash, so each share is going to get a small to medium cut that will need to be refrigerated and processed within 7-10 days. A very easy way to store it is to peel off the skin, cut into large pieces then boil or roast until tender, then cool. At this point you can puree or leave in pieces, put in containers or bags and freeze to use whenever you want. Otherwise make a delicious coffee cake, squash soup, or one of these great recipes this week. Enjoy the share…..Autumn & Brian

Pasta with Winter Squash and Tomatoes

Broccoli Rabe with Bulgur and Walnuts

Pan-Roasted Turnips

Skillet Turnips and Potatoes with Bacon

Potato Hash with Tomatoes, Pepper, and Kale

Moroccan Cushaw Salad

Rich Squash Pie – The Fannie Farmer Cookbook
Basic Pastry Dough for a 9” pie shell
1 cup pureed cooked winter squash
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, slightly beaten
3 Tbls brandy
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp powdered ginger
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp mace
Preheat the oven to 425. Line a 9” pie pan with pastry dough. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and beat until smooth and well blended. Pour into the lined pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 and bake for 45-60 minutes more or until the filling is firm.

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Weekly Share October 10th – 16th

Posted on October 9, 2022 by Tomten Farm

Beets
Fennel
Escarole or Frisee
Black Twig Apples
Lacinato Kale or Broccoli Raab
Maules Red Hot or Leutschauer Paprika
Peppers
Garlic
Dill

We are excited for this week’s share as it includes some very special items, perfect for cooking with our current fall like weather. On the farm we have 3 very old apple trees, two Black Twig and one Arkansas Black.  We have been very sporadic in our management and care of these trees, although we annually mulch the ground around their trunks and every few years we do emergency pruning. Our yields from these trees is equally as sporadic; but this year we had a really good harvest and utilized our September CSA workday to get them sorted and packed away in our cooler for storage. For the first time in years we are able to include a few Black Twig apples in each CSA share. Black Twig apples originated in Tennessee around 1833, maybe being a seedling from Winesap and closely related to Arkansas Black. They have firm yellow flesh and a concentrated tart flavor, sometimes we describe as – similar to a jolly rancher, intensely sweet and tart. Our apples have a lot of exterior damage and some interior damage; but what can be eaten is so delicious and will standout even in small amounts. Think about eating them with your favorite cheese, grated in a salad, or even paired with pork or something very salty.  This week’s CSA sees the return of some favorites; dill, fennel, and escarole (some people may get Frisee, as the deer are doing their best to damage the escarole). Everyone will get Broccoli Raab, this week or next. This green is almost always perfect when sautéed with garlic, anchovy, and red pepper. Either the Maules red hot or Leutschauer paprika would be perfect in this mix. Mince part of a pepper and add to the pan with the garlic, the mild heat will not disappoint when paired with bitter greens.  Fall is truly here, so get cooking and enjoy the share……Autumn and Brian

What is Broccoli Rabe? (And How Should You Cook It?)

Sausage, Fennel, and Broccoli Rabe Sheet Pan Dinner (Use Kale as a substitute)

Winter Salad of Beets, Fennel, and Apples, with Stilton and Maple-Candied Pecans

Barley Soup with Greens, Fennel, Lemon, and Dill

Escarole and Fresh Herb Salad with Apples and Pomegranates

Escarole And White Bean Salad With Fennel And Gruyere Cheese

Escarole and Rice Soup – The Classic Italian Cookbook by Marcella Hazan
1 head escarole (3/4-1 lb)
2 TBL finely chopped yellow onion
¼ cup butter
Salt
3 ½ homemade meat broth or 1 cup canned chicken soup mixed with 2 ½ cups water
½ cup rice preferably Arborio
3 TBL fresh grated parmesan
Detach escarole leaves discard any that are bruised and wash the rest in multiple waters until clean. Cut into ½ inch wide stripes In stockpot sauté onion in butter over medium heat until nicely browned. Add escarole and a light sprinkling of salt. Briefly sauté the escarole, stirring once to twice. Add ½ cup of broth and cook over very low heat until escarole is tender (25-45 depending on freshness and tenderness). When escarole is tender add rest of broth, raise heat and bring to a boil. Add rice and cover. Cook rice 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until just al dente, firm to the bite. Off the heat, mix in the Parmesan cheese. Taste and correct for salt, spoon onto plates and enjoy.

Posted in weekly share | Comments Off on Weekly Share October 10th – 16th