Season Finale

leaves beginning to turn, 1 week ago

The last of the Pase Tomatoes, who knew their

fishy scent could be so potent

Well, the season is wrapping up with little left to harvest. Today was our fellow friend and co-worker Brandon, Basil Killer Wiarda's last day on Riverbend. Ah, he will be missed. The following week another worker, John, will be seeing the last of the farm as well. From then on, there will be three, perhaps four. There is not much to do on the farm besides prep for next year and clean up. Yesterday four of us farmhands plus Greg picked up the squash in the fields, only to find a third of the fruit expected. Apparently, the squash blossoms didn't pollinate, which directly affected the yield of fruit. Not good in this case. Nevertheless, we still managed to fill two wagons full of winter squash. We hauled it from the fields back to the greenhouse where we dusted off the vegetable washer and put it to use for the first time this season. I wonder why we were never told of this earlier in the year...huh. Anyway, we ran through half the harvested squash into the washer. It was quite the job with three nozzles spraying water every which way. Everyone was soaked within the first 10/15 minutes. Tomorrow we will be finish cleaning and curing the squash for storage. Some squash like Blue Hubbard and Blue Kabocha will develop a better, sweeter flavor once stored for months on end. I will have to do a little more research as to why that it is, but for now, I will trust farmer Greg.

Until next time.....

Eat your veggies!

Apologies

Well, as you all know, I have not posted anything new for quite some time. Unfortunately, I am one of those people where I cannot say no when a person asks for help, so I have been quite busy with various events. Let's begin with the Garlic Festival in Hutchinson, then Tour de Farm at Riverbend, and then Picnic Operetta, and catering, and and and working on the farm. I had my longest day yet, 15 plus hours; It was exactly one week to the date. However, now that the season hit it's peak, everything remains to be downhill from here. Slowly, I see the plants die off, harvesting less and less every time. It's sad really. However, Autumn is my favorite time of year for both the weather and food. Now is the season for canning those remaining veggies and move into the hearty goods like squash and brussels sprouts, yummmmmmy! In the past month of my spare time, I have been on a canning streak. Oh, there's heaps left to do, but I have made a decent amount thus far. Those items include: pickled okra, carrots, beets, and kohlrabi; canned tomatoes, peppers, and.....Maybe that's all?

I've also had my fun baking breads. Yesterday was Challah, another was Cinnamon Walnut, and tomorrow will be.....Who's to know? All I know is it's soup season, and what goes better with a warm bowl of soup than freshly baked breads?

Anyway, enjoy the recipes to follow from weeks past:

Sweet Corn Relish

Here’s an alternative way to eat corn, especially if you have heaps of it lying around and don’t know what to do with it. This recipe can easily be multiplied if you have more corn on hand. You can either enjoy this immediately after preparation or jar it and save it for a cold rainy autumn day.

6 ears of corn

1 Tbsp. oil

1 ½ cup red onion

1 1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 cup vinegar

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. mustard

½ tsp. cumin

¼ tsp. celery salt

½ tsp. hot pepper, big bomb variety recommended

Heat a pan with oil and add the onions when hot. Once translucent, add corn and bell pepper. Cook until soft and add remaining ingredients. Adjust seasons as desired.

Process the relish: Sterilize 3 1-pint jars and keep hot. Pour the hot corn relish into the hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles, securely cap each jar, and process using the boiling-water canning method (see Related Links) for 15 minutes. Cool jars, check for proper seals, and store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.

Borscht

4-5 beets, boiled, being sure to save the beet juice leftover

1 stalk celery, diced

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup onion, small dice

1 tsp. caraway seed

1 cup cabbage shredded

4 potatoes, cubed and boiled

Salt and pepper

In a sauté pan, heat oil in a pan, add the onions and caraway seeds. Once the onions are translucent, add the celery and cook for another 3 minutes. When tender, pulse in a food processor with the cooked beats adding the beet water until desired consistency is reached. Salt and pepper or add oil for a varied flavor. Pour in a serving dish, bowl or cup. Saute cabbage in oil, 3 minutes and add in conjunction with the cubed, cooked potato. Season to taste.

Panzanella Salad

For a slight variation, replace the tomato with musk mellon. It's unbelievable!

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/3 small French bread, baguette or ciabatta, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/3 teaspoon koshersalt

1 large ripe tomato

¼ red onion

1/8 cup basil leaves, coarsely chopped

½ cup fresh mozzarella balls

Vinaigrette

2 cloves

¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. champagne vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large sauté pan. Toss in the bread and salt cooking over low to medium heat until nicely browned, about 8-10 minutes. Add more oil if necessary.

Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together and drizzle over chopped tomatoes, onion, basil and cheese in a large bowl. Add the bread cubes once finished and season with salt and pepper to taste. It’s best to wait for 30 minutes for the flavors to marry.

Curried Eggplant

Earlier last week, we were fortunate to have Alma, one of the best restaurants in Minnesota, come to the farm to prepare us lunch. Brian, the Sous Chef, brought his crew to prepare for us an extravagant dinner. It was his main course, which inspired me to create such a dish. Never would I have thought to add cucumber in a cooked meal, until now that is.

4 cups eggplant, medium dice

2 medium cucumbers, matchstick length

1 cup yellow onion, medium dice

1 red pepper, small dice

1 Hungarian hot pepper, optional, small dice

3 Tbsp. curry powder

2 pinches sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups brown rice

¼ cup wild rice

1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

2 Tbsp. butter

½ cup milk

First things first, cook your brown rice and wild rice in separate pots. While that is cooking, heat a sauté pan and add the butter. Once hot, add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the peppers and eggplant, cooking until soft. Stir in the curry, sugar, cucumbers, salt and pepper. Once everything is mixed well, add the milk and keep on low heat, simmer until the rice is finished cooking. When the rice is soft, combine both varieties of rice and add the walnuts. Either combine the curry eggplant mixture with the rice or serve separately.

Until next time, happy cooking!

Potato Basil Salad

Being basil is the theme of this week, I thought to try a potato vinaigrette salad. It’s quick, easy and tasty. You can mix it up any way you choose by adding different vinegars or herbs.

4 cups potatoes, boiled, cooled and diced

1 T. toasted mustard seeds

1/8 cup minced fresh basil

1/8 cup olive oil

1 T. champagne vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients in one bowl and mix well. Set aside for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator for flavors to combine and imbue with the potatoes.

Zucchini Fritters

I wanted to do something different, so I decided it would be nice to cook Greek cuisine for this week. To garnish and add texture, I prepared a cucumber tzatiki sauce and together, the flavors merry well. If you have orange blossom flower water, add it to your fritters to lighten the taste and cut through the fat from the oil. It is not necessary, but is quite lovely. One can find the flower water at Holyland deli, a specialty grocer or greek deli.

Serves 4-6

2 cups zucchini, grated

2 green onions, sliced thinly

¼ cup fresh basil chopped

½ cup flour

1 carrot, grated

salt and pepper

1 egg

1 tsp. orange blossom water

2 Tbsp. oil

Add the zucchini, onions, basil and carrot in a bowl while preparing a cast iron skillet or frying pan adding oil to the pan.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg slightly with a fork and add the orange water. Together add the egg mix to the zucchini mix with the flour and 1 tsp. salt. When the oil is hot, spoon the mixture onto the pan being careful not to make the fritters too thick. If too thick, they will not cook thoroughly, so flatten out uniformly. You may have to prepare them in batches, as I cooked three at a time, the circumference of a softball. Cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes and let rest on a towel. Salt and pepper to taste.

Results are IN

So, I'm sure you are all dying to know which bread won the taste test. It took several individuals to make such a decision. Everyone from the farm found both recipes to be lacking in one quality the other possessed, so it was declared to be undecided. However, amongst others at Noemia's Barbeque, it was decided that the Beet Zucchini bread was the clear winner. I must apologize for the late results. But wait no more, here is the recipe...

Beet Zucchini Bread

2 cups whole-wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. ground ginger

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. clove ground

¼ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cup minced candied/crystallized ginger

3 eggs

1 cup canola oil

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ cup beets grated

1 cup zucchini grated

Zest of one orange

Add toasted walnuts for an additional crunch

Preheat the oven to 350.

Prepare two loaf pans by buttering and laying down parchment paper.

Combine in a large bowl the all purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, clove, crystallized ginger, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a second bowl, whisk the eggs. Combine the oil, sugar, extract, beets, zucchini, beets and orange zest.

Add the two bowls together and mix with a wooden spoon. Pour into the prepared pans, ¾ full and sprinkle additional salt and sugar; bake for 55-65 minutes.

The Zucchini Bread Battle

As some of you know, I write recipes for Riverbend's CSA newsletter. Well, yesterday I heard some mention of beets for next week! Really, I thought, beets!!! I just adore beets with their bold colors and versatility. Immediately, I new I'd include my Cold Beet Soup, to further expound on a later day; however, I continued and thought of something absolutely brilliant. What about Beet Zucchini bread? How lovely really. Last week all I could think about food wise was zucchini bread, which is why I thought to combine the two flavors and make perfection. But that's not all. Anyone who knows me, can tell you I am incapable of following recipes. Every time I try to prepare according to the instructions, I go on to disagree and proceed with what I think seems to be most logical. I will admit, I have made mistakes a time or two, yet for the most part, my adjustments do work well.

Anyway, I began to look up a zucchini recipe and started to think more and more about variations of zucchini bread. Take for instance my two ideas,

Gingered Beet and Zucchini Bread

Apple, Walnut and Zucchini Bread

Here's where the inner dispute takes place. Now that I've baked off both types, I find myself unable to proclaim the best after an intensive taste test. I guess my lucky guinea pigs on the farm, co-workers, will have to help me decide. Using your virtual taste buds, tell my which you think sounds more appealing and enticing.

Until next time, happy eating!

Gratin Dauphinois, Kale and Farro

It is a French classic with an Italian flare. I was inspired to prepare this gratin style dish when Nate, another worker from Riverbend, cooked a wild rice, sausage gratin. It was absolutely brilliant. The problem I find with traditional Gratin Dauphinois is the richness. My version has broth instead of cream with added veggies and grain. Traditionally, the dish is made with potatoes, onions, cream and butter. Being I like to mix things up and put a spin on things, I decided to add an Italian grain called farro. Farro is a pure form of wheat with the husk still intact and displays a firm, chewy texture giving versatility in cooking. In the end, the final product came out elegant with a beautifully browned topping. Serve it with a salad to bring freshness to your palate.

1 pound potatoes, Cranberry Red preferred
1 cup farro, or whole grain like brown basmati or wild rice
1 bunch kale, lacinato preferred
1 tbsp. garlic
¼ pound fontina Val D’Aosta cheese (can be purchased at Surdyk’s, or simply choose another variety of fontina), cut into several small, thin squares
1 small onion, diced
1 ½ cup milk
1 ½ cup broth
1 tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese to garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 ° F

In a sauce pan, add about 2 ½ cups salted water and one cup farro. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer the grain with the closed lid for 15-30 minutes until tender. Drain off water if any remains and set aside.

Prepare the veggies as such: wash and thinly slice the potatoes with the skins on to 1/8 inch rounds (may use a mandolin if one is available). Cut out the rib of the kale and dice; the remaining leafy bits should be shredded as well, but kept separate. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a cast iron 12-14 inch pan, heat butter and sauté onions, garlic, and kale ribs. Once the kale ribs are tender, add the kale leaves. Then, layer the cooked farro on top the kale/onion mixture. Fan out the potatoes on top in a layered fashion and proceed to add the cheese, laid out randomly. Sprinkle salt and pepper once more. Once everything is assembled, add the milk and broth to the pan, bring to boil and put in oven for 25-30 minutes.