Share # 15, September 24, 2011

What's Bretton holding? Find out in "Digging For Gold"!




IN THE BOX:

Kale - Russian and curly variety

Broccoli

Napa (Chinese Cabbage)

Beets

Celery- new! Michigan celery has super flavor

Scallions

Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes - new!

French Sorrel - lemon-flavored salad/cooking herb, green spear-shaped leaves

Tomatoes

Daikon Radish - long white root veggie

Garlic

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: Digging For Gold

This week we harvested the sweet potatoes!


First we had to find the rows in a sea of foliage.
Then we had to carefully dig, trying not to spear any of the sweet spuds.


Feeling around for the buried treasure.



Here's a find!



A good "catch" off of one vine!

Billy takes the harvest home.photos thanks to Angie Martin






NOTES FROM THE FROG HOLLER RECIPE BOX:

Sweet potatoes! A favorite way to prepare them on the farm is to wash and slice the potatoes into appropriate sizes for roasting. Toss with olive oil, salt, cinnamon and cumin. Spread on a cookie try or roasting pan and roast at 400 degrees, turning the slices every ten minutes or so until done - soft and slightly browned. Delicious! If you're looking for a different approach, you might want to try Curried Sweet Potatoes. Or the Best Of Both Worlds Potatoes Anna offers a hearty fall dish to warm your belly and stick to your ribs!

Another dish reflecting the fall season is this Lentil Vegetable Super Soup.
Pick up some Mill Pond bread at our next door neighbor Farmer's Market stall and you'll be good to go!

Daikon Radishes are often grated and served to accompany tempura and fried dishes, as Daikon is said to help in digesting oily foods. The What's Cooking America web site offers these helpful tips for using Daikon, a not-so-familiar vegetable in the States but one that is the most grown in Japan! We hope you are starting to make an acquaintance with this nutritious and versatile vegetable!

from the web site:

Preparation - This is an extremely versatile vegetable that can be eaten raw in salads or cut into strips or chips for relish trays. It also can be stir-fried, grilled, baked, boiled or broiled. Use the daikon as you would a radish. It may be served raw in salads or grated for use as a condiment (if you don't have a Japanese-style grater, use a cheese grater and grate just before serving), pickled, or simmered in a soup. They are also preserved by salting as in making sauerkraut. Daikon also is used in soups and simmered dishes. To prepare, peel skin as you would a carrot and cut for whatever style your recipe idea calls for. Not only is the root eaten, but the leaves also are rich in vitamin C, beta carotene, calcium, and iron, so they are worth using instead of discarding.

A Japanese secret to cooking daikon is to use water in which rice has been washed or a bit of rice bran added (this keeps the daikon white and eliminates bitterness and sharpness}.

For Chips, Relish Tray Sticks or Stir Fries - Simply peel Daikon with a peeler and cut crossways for thin chips. Dip thin chips in ice water and they will crisp and curl for a Daikon chip platter with your favorite sour cream or yogurt dip. Cut into julienne strips for relish trays, salads or stir-frys.

Nutrition Information - Daikon is very low in calories. A 3 ounce serving contains only 18 calories and provides 34 percent of the RDA for vitamin C. Rich in vitamin C, daikon contains active enzymes that aid digestion, particularly of starchy foods.

Sorrel is a surprisingly lemony-flavored herb that works well chopped fresh into salads. We also add it along with parsley and mint to tabooli. Sorrel Soup is a traditional recipe and here is one version of this creamy soup with citrus accents:

Sorrel Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 pound sorrel
2 tablespoons butter
6 cups water
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 egg yolk

Clean and shred sorrel, then chop. In a large heavy pan, heat butter. Add sorrel and cook, stirring, for ten minutes until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Add the water, potatoes and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Strain and mash or puree the vegetables. Stir the cooking liquid into vegetables and return to pan. Bring to boil. Stir in milk and yolk. Cook until hot, but do not boil. Serve with French Bread. (from the Mill Pond stall!)


NOTES FROM THE FARM BAND: AKA The Billy King Band

You don't see Billy King at the market much, as he is the go-to guy for most of the tractor operation and maintenance and that keeps him pretty busy out on the farm. But he's handy with a guitar as well as a wrench and will be playing at a few upcoming gigs. He'll be with the farm band - Kenny, Angie and Chrissie for the first gig, and with other musicians for next ones.

The band will be playing at the Westside Farmers Market on Thursday, Sept. 29, around 4:00 PM. Come on over to the "other" farmer's market!

Billy will be playing at The Grand Ole Opera, a benefit for Kat Snips, an organization dedicated to provided low cost vouchers for spaying and neutering cats. Saturday, October 1, time TBA but probably around 4-5 PM. Info and location on their web site. Email the farm to find out when Billy is playing.

Billy will also be playing at the Interfaith Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, October 8. He is one of the "and friends" and will be playing and singing his original tunes and favorite covers. A friendly venue for listening to good music!


Have a great week and Happy Fall everyone!