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Harvest Dinner

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Hi Everyone,

We had an incredible Harvest Dinner last year with fabulous food and a warm fall evening.  We would like to try this event again this year!  

When:  Saturday, September 15th @ 6pm ( if Mother Nature is not cooperating, we will use September 22nd as an alternative date)

Where:  At the garden!  Last year we set up tables in front of the barn.

What to bring:  Your tastiest fall dish!  Preferably with produce from the garden but not mandatory! Your beverage of choice. 

We will supply plates, cutlery, cups and tables. (Does anyone remember where the chairs came from?)

Please let me know if you'd like to help organize. And we'll need help to set up and clean up. 

Hope to see you there!

Jeannie

Vacation reply

one word. Hawaii!!

Hill Leeks, not Onions?

We know that our leeks need to be gently hilled to increase the edible white portion. But what about the onions?

A few years ago in Ontario, I saw a beautiful field of onions. The baseball-size bulbs were perched on top of the ground with just the very bottom rooted to the ground. This led me to wonder whether they were able to grow so large because they were not hilled, or whether there were other conditions.

I found the following opinions saying they should not be covered. If you know otherwise, please weigh in.

1. As the onion begins to bulb the soil around the bulb should be loose so the onion is free to expand. Do not move dirt on top of the onion since this will prevent the onion from forming its natural bulb.

2. Do not hill up soil on onions as this can encourage stem rot.

3. Onion bulbs should sit on the surface of the soil. Do not cover.

Vicky

Harvest Update

Please read below for up to date info on harvest news:

• Green beans 
  • Need picking this week. Some of them have gotten away on us and are too big for tender eating. You could leave those on the vine for those who are interested in shelling them when they get bigger still. But generally, good idea to pick the rows clean.

• Cucumbers
  • Marshall picked a 5 gallon bucket that is in the shed. Please help yourself to these before end of day Monday. Tuesday morning I'll pick up remainder for food bank. There will be lots of pickling size cucumbers for picking this week.

• Carrots
  • All carrots in garden 1 were pulled because of an infestation of some kind and are in the shed. Please help yourself before end of day Monday. I'll pick up remainder on Tuesday morning for Food Bank.

Corn is not quite ready yet, but very soon.

Vicky B

Mosquitos got on their Jogging Shoes and Suckin' the Blood out of EOGG's Generosity.

Thanks Vicky, we won't be there this Saturday but thinned out carrots, and took 100 lbs zucchini to Youth Emergency Shelter today.   They were quite thrilled.  

To Do List:

Cucumbers are ready for harvesting, and there are lots of beans to be harvested. Who ever is thinning beets and carrots please hill them as the roots of the remaining beets and carrots become stressed out and don't cont' developing.

 Field two just needs a little thinning of carrots, not too aggressive! Baby carrots are edible too : )  Please take zucchinis they are delicious and good for you and you can do a lot with them.              

See the full gallery on Posterous

Remaining peas that are drying out in the pea patch need to be put into the compost, basil requires pinching, and potatoes need to be hilled once more, Dyle and Marshall looking for two more good men to give them a hand : D

Garlic was harvested last Saturday and is presently drying out in the barn in a safe location, garlic area was tilled and is presently awaiting seeding of snap peas and sugar peas. 

Remember to pull out those weeds when you come upon them while harvesting : D Broccoli in field two is tasty but worm infested, as is the cabbage in field two.  Cabbage in main field is good however.  

Soup of the Bakony Outlaws

by Randall Price

Bakony is a mountainous region of Hungary near Lake Balaton, and the outlaws must have been both gourmet and gourmand to inspire this hearty, flavorful soup. I've seen other "Bakony" recipes, and mushrooms seem to be the common bond. Maybe they were roving mushroom thieves. You'll notice that many of the ingredients are diced pretty fine, which gives the soup a wonderful texture and lots of flavor, but if you need to save some time, you can chop a bit more coarsely, though you should keep the bacon and veal very small.Serves four as a meal or eight as a first course.

3 Tbs. oil 
2 onions, cut in 1/4-inch dice 
2 oz. bacon, cut in 1/4-inch dice 
1-1/2 Tbs. sweet paprika 
8 oz. thin veal cutlet, cut in 1/4-inch dice 
2 to 3 cups homemade or low-salt canned chicken stock 
2 medium carrots, cut in 1/4-inch dice 
2 medium turnips, cut in 1/4-inch dice 
8 oz. mushrooms, cut in 1/4-inch dice 
2 medium potatoes, cut in 1/4-inch dice 
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut in 1/4-inch dice or 4 canned seeded, chopped tomatoes 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
1 cup sour cream 
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour 
1 cup heavy cream or crème fraîche 
3 Tbs. snipped fresh dill, plus small sprigs for decoration 

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven and cook the onions and bacon over medium heat until the onions start to color, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the paprika and cook, stirring, another 2 minutes to release and develop its flavor. Add the veal and just enough stock to cover it. Cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the carrots, turnips, mushrooms, potatoes, tomatoes, and more stock, reserving about 1 cup; don't worry if the liquid doesn't cover the vegetables at this point. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, another 20 minutes. Add a little more stock if the soup looks too dry during cooking, bearing in mind that more liquid will be added later.

Put the sour cream in a small bowl and stir in the flour with a fork or whisk; stir in the cream. Pour this into the soup and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in the chopped fresh dill and toss some sprigs on top for decoration, if you like.

 

 

Roasted Turnips with Maple and Cardamom

 

by Susie Middleton

3-1/2 lb. purple-top turnips, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice (10 cups) 
3 Tbs. vegetable oil 
Kosher salt 
1 oz. (2 Tbs.) unsalted butter 
3 Tbs. pure maple syrup 
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract 
Generous pinch crushed red pepper flakes 
1/4 tsp. ground coriander 
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom 
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice 
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh cilantro (or a mix of parsley and mint) 

Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 475°F. Line two large, heavy-duty rimmed baking sheets with foil. In a mixing bowl, combine the turnips, oil, and 11/2 tsp. salt. Toss to coat well. Divide the turnips between the two pans and spread evenly in one layer. Roast for 20 minutes. With a large spatula, flip the turnips. Swap the pans’ positions and roast until tender and nicely browned on a few sides, 15 to 20 minutes. (The turnips on the lower rack may be done sooner than those on the upper rack.)

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the maple syrup, vanilla, and red pepper flakes, and then the coriander and cardamom, until the sauce is heated, 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat.

Transfer the turnips to a large mixing bowl. Gently reheat the sauce, if necessary, and stir in the lemon juice. With a heatproof spatula, toss the sauce with the turnips. Add half of the cilantro and salt to taste and toss again. Transfer to a warm serving dish and garnish with the remaining cilantro.

make ahead tips

This dish can be made a day ahead. To reheat, put the dressed turnips (without the cilantro) in a large nonstick skillet and cover with a lid. Heat gently over medium-low heat until warmed through,stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.Add the cilantro and season to taste with salt just before serving.

 

Hi Ho Hi Ho its off to work we go.......

Well after a long wet reprieve it sure felt good to get my hands dirty and some productive work done on the farm.  Wednesday evening we had a fine crew show up, we turned up the ground and sowed more lettuce, spinach, and arugala.  Carrots and beets were thinned in field two, as were the zucchini which were quite epic in size.  Brenda kindly dropped off beets and zucchini to Meals on Wheels, and zucchini keep producing, just keep picking.  On Saturday we need to thin rutabagas, they should a name a car "the Rutabaga", arrrruuugahhhhhh! 

A little birdie told me we will be picking garlic today and doing some braid work. Beans are also ready for picking so bring your sunscreen, mosquito spray, energy and smiles : D 

See the full gallery on Posterous

see you out there,

Elvira : D 

Chocolate Zucchini Cake adapted from Saveur serves 8-10 2 medium zucchini, trimmed and grated (I grated mine on the medium holes of a box grater) 9 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided 2-3/4 cup flour 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted 1-1/4 teaspoon baking soda  1 teaspoon salt 1-1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup buttermilk * 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar *if you don't have buttermilk on hand, which I frequently do not, simply add 1/2 tablespoon vinegar to 1/2 cup milk (whole or lowfat) and let sit for 15 minutes. Works. Working in batches, put a small mound of the grated zucchini in center of a large square of double-layer cheesecloth (I used a thin tea towel).  Gather corners together and squeeze out as much water as possible from the zucchini.  Transfer zucchini to a bowl and set aside.  (I had about 2 cups of this squeezed zucchini. Do not obsess about the amount, though.  This is a very forgiving recipe when it comes to the amount of zucchini.) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Butter a deep 9" cake pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together into a mixing bowl and set aside. Beat together the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, 3-4 minutes.  Add oil, beating well. Beat in one egg at a time, add vanilla, reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 alternative batches.  Stir in reserved zucchini. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes (Start checking after 1 hour - baking time could be faster.)  Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.  Invert onto a rack to cook completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar. The Italian Dish http://theitaliandishblog.com