Jurassic Kale

Arugula looking robust
photo: Chris Hendershot

Some new crops this week, and some we haven't seen since the spring. Making its seasonal debut this week is arugula--big, spicy leaves that are perfect for a classic Italian pasta dish (see recipe) or a chopped salad if you can handle the heat!

Gleaming white hakureis are back again--those Japanese radish relatives that are a little sweet, a little spicy, and very crunchy. I always eat mine raw--sliced with a sprinkling of salt, but they're also good roasted or sauteed. The green tops are delicious too--add them to your greens sautee. They pair well with kale, chard, collards, or bok choy. And speaking of bok choy, I planted a new variety this year and it's ready for harvest this week. It's a red variety that tastes very similar to the standard green variety I've grown for years. Let me know what you think... maybe I'll grow it again next year if it's popular.

Lacinata or dino kale
photo: Chris Hendershot

My favorite kale variety is also looking robust these days and we're going to harvest a lot of it this week for the kale/chard choice. Lacinata or dinosaur kale is a deep dark green color with a blistered leaf. This is a traditional variety from Italy and can be described as the dark, mysterious and brooding member of the kale family. Its strong kale flavor holds its ground in a garlic-lemon-EVOO saute and it's delicious!

Farm reminders:

Our Fall Festival was a wash out on Saturday, so we've rescheduled for Saturday, October 17th, still 10am - 2pm. See you there!

Tuesday is Farm Fresh Yoga day for the rest of the season! Come to the Yellow House on Tuesdays at 5:30pm for your weekly yoga fix! Free for CSA members and sliding scale donation to our Food Access Fund for friends and neighbors and coworkers.

Thank you to all the members who have already so generously contributed favorite recipes for our upcoming CSA cookbook! We're still looking for more recipes, so if you have a recipe you love and you'd like to share, please email me or bring a copy to CSA pickup any time. We're looking for delicious, seasonally-inspired, relatively simple, and fool-proof recipes.

And don't forget, our end-of-season harvest celebration will be Tuesday, October 27th, starting at 6pm. Potluck and BYOB, it's a fun and DELICIOUS evening--mark your calendar!

Bok choy forest
photo: Chris Hendershot

In your share this week: onions, bunched arugula, hakureis, a choice of kale or chard, bok choy, a choice of radishes or collards, the very last of the hot peppers and the bell/frying peppers (I mean it this time!), leaf lettuce mix (yay, salad!), more beets from Freedom Food Farm in Raynham, and Pick Your Own herbs from the field.






Recipes of the Week

Wondering what to do with your bounty of beets? Two oldies but goodies from the archives:
Susie Middleton's Quick Roasted Beet Slices
Lindsay Grimes' Beet Humus

If you've never tried collards before, now is your chance. If you have and they didn't wow you, try this recipe--super fast and seriously yummy. It's another good one from Susie Middleton's Fast, Fresh & Green that also looks delightful on the plate.

Quick Collard Greens, Confetti-style

1/2 of a large bunch of collard greens
2 Tbs EVOO
1-2 tsp of garlic, minced and rested for 10 minutes
1 big pinch of crushed Red Pepper Flakes (I crush them with a mortar and pestle, but you could run them through a spice grinder too)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp honey
8-10 curls Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional)

Strip the stems from the collard leaves and tear the leaf in half lengthwise. Rinse them, dry them, and stack them up on top of each other. Roll the stack up tightly and slice them very thinly into ribbons about 1/8th inch wide.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and just starting to turn brown, about 1 minute. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and incorporate. Add the ribboned greens and the salt and cook, stirring well, until the greens turn bright green and then darker green and somewhat wilted, about 1 minute. If you cook them for longer, they will start to toughen.

Combine the vinegar and honey in a small bowl (heating slightly in the microwave if you need to). Drizzle over the greens and toss to combine. Alternatively, skip the honey-vinegar dressing and top the greens with a few Parmigiano curls.


Hot and Sour Bok Choy with Mussels
from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Fast

2 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded; discard any that don't close when you press the halves together
2-3 heads bok choy (about 1.5 lb), leaves separated from stems
1 inch fresh ginger, skin peeled and minced
1 fresh hot green chile, minced
Several sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs rice vinegar
2 Tbs soy sauce

Slice the bok choy stems into 1" pieces and cut the leafy parts into thin ribbons. In a medium pot over medium-high heat, add the sesame oil and vegetable oil, then the bok choy stems, then the leaves, and finally the mussels. Add the ginger and chile, the rice vinegar and soy sauce, and about 1/4 cup of water. Cover the pot and cook until all the mussels are open, about 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.


From my culinary crush, Deborah Madison, and her excellent tome, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Arugula, Walnuts, and Ricotta Salata

1 lb whole wheat spaghetti
salt
4 Tbs olive oil, plus more to finish
3 cloves garlic, minced and rested for 10 minutes
2 small dried red chiles, broken in half, or several pinches red pepper flakes
6 or more cups large arugula leaves, large stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
1/2 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
Ricotta salata, thinly shaved

Drop the pasta into plenty of salted boiling water and cook until al dente.
In a large skillet, heat the oil and add the garlic and chile and cook over medium heat until the garlic started to brown very slightly. Add the arugula and a few pinches of salt and saute until wilted. Turn off the heat. When the pasta is done, add it directly to the skillet along with the walnuts. Toss well, sprinkle with shaved ricotta salata, drizzle with a little olive oil and serve.

Big sky
photo: Chris Hendershot