Farm Blog 1: Dreaming in Seeds

Nature journaling students pretending to be goats on the stone wall

70 degrees yesterday but now it is snowing. Welcome to New England my friends. Unfortunately, while we humans LOVE the occasional warm gift in the middle of winter, it is not great for all the wild and domesticated critters that we care for here at the farm. They do best with gradual shifts in temperature. Yesterday the bees, who had been quiet and dormant all winter, hiding in their hive and protecting and warming their queen, woke up and started trying to forage…with ne’er a flower in sight. They left the hive, expending critical energy in a fruitless search. We found a lot of them buzzing at the maple sap as it flows from the trees, but it isn’t really enough to give them a boost. Similarly, the goats were reveling in the warmth, and started shedding all that cashmere from their coats, when they still need it for another couple of weeks.

So, what are we farmers doing right now? Trying to get the word out about CSA shares, of course!!! We need you to help with that by coming and grabbing some flyers from our new office at #5 (right across the driveway from the CSA barn), and posting them in the breakroom, at your gym, or anywhere else you think folks who want to eat more delicious healthy veggies from the farm might be. You can also email me and request a digital copy so that you can email it in turn to your friends, family and colleagues!!!  A little tip- get your shares bought soon and save on annual membership costs which will be going up on April 1^st! 

SIGN UP HERE-- Chestnut Hill Farm CSA!!!!!!!

We are expanding our box share program!!! If you think that your company, school, gym, etc might be interested in being a box share pick-up location, please let us know and we will be in touch to talk about details. Email ddubois@thetrustees.org

We spend most of our time dreaming in seeds! My desk is covered in brightly colored catalogs, each variety description more tempting than the last. My favorites are the charts that tell you whether one TASTES better than another…because that is the best part of CSA, right? The food is super fresh and delicious and we aim to make it the best there is by choosing varieties for their flavor first (and then disease resistance and looks). Having been at this for a long time, I have my favorites, but seed companies and farmers alike are always looking to make the old favorites a little better. Also, some varieties are better for certain times in the growing season and so we have to order multiples to cover the whole season whenever we can (hence the vast number of lettuces). We are also a diverse society and because of that beauty, seed companies are adding more and more amazing veggies from across the globe. Niche veggies from tiny areas of Italy, Pakistan, Argentina are all making their exciting way into our lexicon of foods (I mean, I never ate bok choy or arugula as a child, but they are a favorite now!) and also why I am growing 4 full beds of OKRA for all you lovers of this mucilaginous veggie be you from Greece, Portugal, Brazil, Asia, India or the deep American South (and this is just a few, I had NO idea that okra was so sought after worldwide).  Every year we try a couple of new things to see how they will do in our soils, and sometimes they are hits or misses. Coming up this year is a summer sprouting broccolini from Italy that is super mild and usually bunched/cooked with both sprouts and leaves. Since our summer head broccoli plantings have failed in the heat, we thought to try this instead to fill that brassica gap between July and September. My current seed order is 15 pages of tiny print long…about 365 separate varieties of (and I almost forgot the husk cherries!!!) although a lot of those are flowers.

A sample of the different varieties of each family of veggie we grow:

• ·         Carrots: 9
• ·         Tomatoes: 31
• ·         Sweet Peppers: 11
• ·         Lettuce: 20
• ·         Summer squash: 8
• ·         Winter squash: 12
• 
  

Farm News:

We acquired the additional 39 acres of land across the street from the farm and will be adding trails, fencing and cropland to it in the coming year! The farm is now 170 acres and we are so excited! We have already started tapping the row of maple trees in anticipation of our upcoming MapleFest: the Magic of Maple. This also means that we farmers have moved our farm office into the house at #5, so if you need to find us, you can check there first. We are still working on signage for that, but just come and knock on the door facing the CSA barn (especially if you want to pick up flyers and postcards about the CSA to hang up). Someone is usually around most days, if we aren’t working in one of the other barns/greenhouses/outbuildings, etc.

We have 
been working on a new hoop-barn for the goats (and the sheep!!!) And while the weather has made it a little slower going, with mud harder to work in than the cold, we should be done before the goats start to have their babies!

Construction on the new orchard pavilion is going to be a little bit delayed as they try and work out the details for the septic plan for the public restrooms that are a big part of the design. So, instead of a March start, we might not see it start until April. This means a lot more construction during CSA time, but we will make it safe for all our customers to park and pick up their shares and PYO.  

Upcoming Engagement and Education Events- Register

A snowy owl made its way to Chestnut Hill Farm at the end of January

It might be cold outside and winter may still be frosting the trees with ice and occasionally softening the landscape with white, but there is a lot of fun activities on still happening on the farm during late winter and spring seasons.

Barnyard Brew Hike
Thursday, March 1 | 7-8:30PM
Member: $12; Nonmember: $20

Celebrate the full moon each month with a night hike guided by lunar light, topped off with local brews! We'll be hiking the farm's most beautiful trails and wrapping up at the farmstead barn for brews, bites, and a blazing fire. Each month will feature samples of local beers paired with perfect post-hike snacks and a social session with your fellow trekkers. 21+ and registration required. In the event of snow, snowshoes can be provided upon request for an additional $5.
Sign up now!

The Magic of Maple:CANCELLED
Sunday, March 25 | 11AM-2PM
Member Child: $5; Nonmember Child: $10 (kids under 5 are FREE)

Come enjoy all things Maple at our winter festival! We'll be processing some of the maple sap we've gathered since our Tap-a-thon and sample delicious syrups, candies, and other treats. We'll also have crafts and games to keep everyone nice and warm and snacks and demos from our friends at Culinary Underground! Feeling inspired by this treat from the trees? Submit something tasty to our Maple Competition. A panel of judges will award winners for Best Use of Maple in both savory and sweet creations.

Sign up now! 

Egg-ventures on the Farm:CANCELLED
Saturday, March 31 | 11AM-1PM
Member Child: $5; Nonmember Child: $7

Join us for an egg hunt, egg roll, kids crafts, and a visit with our resident bunnies to celebrate spring! There will be three separate egg hunts based on age: Under 5, 5-9, and 10 and up for the more advanced egg hunt participants. All egg hunts will begin in separate areas promptly at 11:30am. The egg roll will start at 12:30pm. If you have 5 or more in your family please register for 2 family tickets so we have enough supplies for everyone. Preregistration is not required but is encouraged to help us prepare.

Sign up now!

Farmstand:

We are taking a little break from the farmstand, although Jesse is here running Meat CSA every other Tuesday for the next few months. You can buy meats from the freezer, including Sockeye Salmon from Papa’s Catch and delicious, ‘no gamey taste at all’, super- tender chevon (that’s the fancy goat) including chorizo sausage. You can also buy maple syrup, our tomato puree, and honey!

·         Farmstand times: Tuesdays from 2-6pm

o    February 27^th

o   March 13^th

o   March 27^th

Recipe of the Week

Salmon Tacos with Avocado Salsa

This was what my son Morgan requested for his 15^th birthday dinner. I used Papa’s Catch Wild Sockeye Salmon from the freezer and grilled it on the stovetop. RIGHT NOW the avocados are coming in perfect!!!!! EAT THEM NOW folks, they aren’t as good later on (and if you are on a budget- these are one of the Clean 15 veggies, which means that they aren’t doused in tons of pesticides and chemicals to make them stay beautiful so you don’t need to buy them organic if you are watching the bills). I’m not a huge cilantro fan, but just a little makes these sing (or sub fresh parsley). This is one of the freshest, most yumtastic meals I’ve made in a long time (it being usually a heavy, comfort food type of winter meal style for us). Just mild spice, so if you like it hot, you will need to have some hot sauce or cayenne to hand. From cookingclassy.com

Grilled Salmon Tacos with Avocado Salsa

Yield: About 8 tacos

Ingredients

Salmon

·         1 1/2 lbs boneless salmon , skinned and sliced into 3 equal portions

·         1 Tbsp olive oil , plus more for grill

·         1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

·         1 tsp ancho chili powder

·         3/4 tsp ground cumin

·         3/4 tsp onion powder

·         1/2 tsp paprika

·         1/2 tsp ground coriander

·         1/2 tsp salt , then more to taste

·         1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Avocado Salsa

·         2 medium avocados (ripe but semi-firm), peeled, cored and diced

·         1/3 cup small diced red onion , run under cool water to remove harsh bite and drain

·         3 Tbsp chopped cilantro

·         1 jalapeno , seeded and minced

·         1 clove garlic , minced

·         2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

·         1 Tbsp olive oil

·         Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For serving

·         8 6- inch corn tortillas , warmed

·         2 cups thinly sliced red or green cabbage

·         1/2 cup crumbled Cotija cheese

Instructions

1.    For the salmon:

2.    Preheat a gas grill over medium-high heat. In a mixing bowl whisk together olive oil, lime juice, ancho chili powder, cumin, onion powder, paprika, coriander, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Evenly rub mixture over both sides of salmon (I placed the first one on the plate then began to stack the rest over it so the rub didn't all just end up left behind on the plate). Brush grill lightly with oil, place salmon on grill and cook, rotating once halfway through cooking, until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Meanwhile, prepare avocado salsa.

3.    For the avocado salsa:

4.    In a mixing bowl gently toss together diced avocado, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, and olive oil while seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

5.    To assemble tacos:

6.    Break salmon into small portions and layer over center of tacos, add cabbage, avocado salsa and Cotija cheese. Serve warm.

one of the new maple collection 'bags' we are using!

Winter CSA Week 3: See you in 2018!!

First Snow of 2017!!!

We had our first magical snow of the Winter season! However, it has also put a rather abrupt end to our growing season here at the farm (also the rapid drop in temperature that is predicted for this week is sure to make an end to any hope of extra greens coming out of the fields). Luckily, Cole harvested a bunch of leeks before the snow fell and we got in the last of the radishes, cabbage and carrots earlier. Cole and I are off to the New England Vegetable and Fruit Growers Conference in NH for most of this week.  I look forward to this conference every year- the trade show helps us find new suppliers, introduces us to engineers of equipment and products that could improve (or not) our own farms, but the biggest part is that we will be inspired and daunted by the accomplishments of our fellow farmers and farmer-scientists through workshop after workshop of the how’s, what’s, when’s and why’s (or nots). It never ceases to amaze me- we all work so hard to grow food, but we are also citizen scientists collecting data on pollination, yield, plant and soil health, making connections and combating disease, and so many many more and then they share those discoveries/inventions/failures/successes with their fellows so that we don’t make the same mistakes or we will try something new. I can’t wait!!!

The snow is beautiful out there- don’t forget that you are all welcome to come enjoy outdoor sledding, cross-country skiing or snowshoeing adventures here on the farm all winter long. We will have some fun events coming up throughout the cold season (and our woodstoves and campfires will be blazing to keep us toasty as we sip hot cider or cocoa at nearly all of them). Keep an eye on Facebook , thetrustees.org and this CHF blog and MySouthborough.com for updates on all our programming. I am super excited for the wooden reindeer friends that will be showing up around the Christmas holiday and hanging out waiting for bells to be hung around their cute antlers by adorable children.

Storing these veg in your own kitchens:

Winter squashes- actually do best on top of the fridge. They like the warmth and not a lot of humidity, just don’t forget them there! (I typically find one squishy gross squash disaster up there in the spring…)

Carrots and beets and other roots: keep in their plastic bag (or better yet, put them in a zipper lock bag and squeeze the air out) and put in one of bottom drawers of your fridge. They like it cold and with just a little humidity, not a lot or they will try to grow). If you have a nice cold basement- you can also store these roots in clean sand in a rubbermaid container down in the cold.

Cabbage, Kale, Lettuce: So these also do well in a high humidity fridge drawer. Cabbage will last for months, but kales and lettuce need to be eaten sooner!

Potatoes: These like to be at room temperature or colder, but not freezing and low humidity. The important thing for them is darkness. Throw out any green potatoes- they are bad for you. I keep mine in a dark corner cabinet.

Onions: room temperature is fine. The red ones will want to sprout, don’t worry about that, eat the green shoots (I actually let mine green shoot for most of a winter once and they just kept growing back) and eat the whole onion in a short time (you will be getting more!)

Summer CSA sign-ups are OPEN!!!!Give the gift of health and fresh delicious food this holiday season by buying your loved ones (or yourself!) https://goo.gl/zqzdWi

What’s in Your Share this Week:

·         Cabbage, green & red

·         Leeks

·         Onions, white

·         Kale-Appleton Farm, Ipswich

·         Lettuce/Salad

·         Butternut Squashes from Seaview Farm in Rockport, MA

·         Potatoes, Upswing Farm, Dover

·         Carrots, Appleton Farm, Ipswich

·         Beets, Appleton Farm, Ipswich

·         Purple Radishes (so good!!!so beautiful)

·         Tomato puree (a little taste of Chestnut Hill Summertime in a jar)

·         You may pick your own Sage, Thyme and Oregano from the beds near the CSA parking area if you can find them under the snow!

Upcoming Engagement and Education Events- Register on-line (https://goo.gl/otZo12)  or in the farmstand:

It might be cold outside and winter may be coming upon us quickly, but there is a lot of fun activities starting up on the farm for the winter season

• ·         Farmstead Solstice Stroll- On December 21 from 6-8p Join us as we celebrate the winter solstice, a traditional new year’s holiday that dates back 5,000 years and has deep agricultural roots. Join us as we light up the night with a Solstice stroll and celebration at the farm. Participants will meet in the parking lot for a guided candlelit walk through the woods that will include presented passages from the story "The Shortest Day" by Wendy Pfeffer. After hiking the trails throughout our pastures we'll gather back in the orchard to warm up by a fire and enjoy hot chocolate and s'mores as we welcome the new season under the stars. 
•       There are reindeer visiting the farm, and they want you to find them and put on their Christmas bells and ribbons. We will have baskets outside the farmstand with bells for you to take on your Reindeer Quest. Starts the weekend before Christmas.
•  

Farmstand:

This week! CSA Members take 10% off dry goods in the farmstand!!! That’s right, stock up on honey, puree, tea, coffee and more. Other sales going on as well, look for them this week.

Our farmstand will continue to be open on Tuesdays during Meat CSA pickups so don’t forget about us. If you haven’t already, like our page on Facebook so that if/when we update days/hours open, you don’t miss out.

Recipe of the Week

Beet and Greens Cheddar Crumble

This is like a veggie version of mac and cheese and it sounds so so so good. I snagged it from the NY times….

INGREDIENTS·        
          1 pound medium beets·        
           3 sprigs fresh thyme branches plus 3/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
·         ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
·          Kosher salt and black pepper
·         1 ¼ pounds beet greens, Swiss chard, kale, spinach or a mix
·         11 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, more for greasing pan
·         1 1/3 cups  all-purpose flour (divided in half)
·         2 cups milk
·         9 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated (2 1/4 cups)
·         2 to 3 tablespoons English mustard powder, to taste
·         1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
·         ½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce, more as needed
·         1/4 cup  rolled oats
·           toasted hazelnuts, chopped (3 tablespoons)
·         1 ½ teaspoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
·         ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
       2 garlic cloves, peeled

· 

1.   PREPARATION 
    Combine beets, thyme branches, garlic and peppercorns in a large pot. Cover with cold salted water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; cook until beets are tender, 15 to 30 minutes depending on size. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add greens and cook for 2 minutes (do this in batches if necessary); remove with tongs and transfer immediately to a bowl of ice water. Drain well.

2.    Once beets are cool enough to handle, peel them and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Roughly chop greens’ leaves and stalks.

3.    Prepare the béchamel: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt 5 tablespoons butter. Stir in 2/3 cup flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes; roux should smell cooked but remain white. Slowly whisk in milk until mixture forms a thick, smooth sauce. Stir in 8 ounces Cheddar (2 cups) until melted. Stir in mustard powder, Worcestershire and Tabasco. Season with salt to taste.

4.    Make the crumble topping: In a small bowl, stir together remaining 2/3 cup flour, the oats and the hazelnuts. Use your fingers to work in 6 tablespoons butter, the remaining 1 ounce Cheddar ( 1/4 cup) and the Parmigiano-Reggiano. It should be a mixture of large and small pieces. Season with a pinch of salt, pepper and the nutmeg.

5.    When you are ready to assemble the dish, heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Spread a layer of béchamel on the bottom. Top with a layer of beets, followed by a layer of greens and stalks. Season generously with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with thyme leaves. Spread another layer of béchamel on top and repeat process to fill dish (you will end up with 3 or 4 layers). Cover entire surface with crumble topping. Transfer dish to oven and bake until bubbling and golden brown in spots, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Cover crops germinating in PYO field

Winter CSA: Week 2 I’m still stuffed and my fridge is full.

Sunset across the fields

Hello all and I hope you had a warm and wonderful meal and gave thanks for all that is blessed in your life. We hope that you could use some of the veggies that went home with you two weeks ago to bring a locavore twist on your holiday. If you did, let us know about it! We would love to see your recipes- you can send them to Des or to Kira or post them on our Facebook page.

As usual, I spent most of the holiday in the kitchen, cooking. It is one of the few times of year that I go into the kitchen as gleeful as a child making cookies because I’ve given myself permission to take the day off and be completely immersed and deliberate in my cooking glory. There is no rush on the day, and it all happens in sequence because nothing fits in that oven with a 30lb turkey basting away for 6 hours. I don’t think about whether the recipe is ‘healthy’, I experiment with ingredients going into the stuffing and it gets better every year. I throw the kids out of the house (conveniently not raining this year) and I just chop and sauté and bake and make glorious food.

One of the dishes that was new to our repertoire this year was a cabbage slaw (because this really was a ridiculously good cabbage year and it is SO sweet after being frosted that I was inspired by all of you to try a couple of the slaws you have been telling me about eating). Please try this recipe (see below) because even if you think you don’t like cole slaw, you will like this one. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. One thing about this recipe is that I loved it on the first night when all the veggies were crisp, but my partner loved it the next night because he said the flavors are better when everything had a chance to meld. You be the judge.

We also hope that you’ve managed to get out to visit one of the amazing special places in our area during these last, impossibly gorgeous, warm days of the late fall. I’ve been walking the farm trails in the last couple of weeks, first with the Southborough Conservation Commission, our head Steward and our CR monitor from Sudbury Valley Trustees, and then with family on the day after Thanksgiving when we gathered to celebrate a second time. I love the strange diversity of our woods- its wide branching, field grown white oaks (sometimes called Lone Wolf trees), gangling tall pitch pines, and red maples, bright and slender. It’s like nowhere I’ve ever lived (being predominantly hemlock, ash and sugar maple forests of western mass and Vermont or the live oak, saw palmetto, prickly pear and scrub pine of Florida’s eastern coast) and I find it fascinating. I love the second growth field edges filled with black cherry and warblers. The snags full of woodpeckers and flying squirrel nests, the chipmunks and hawks that live so enmeshed with us humans. Coyotes have been having a blast lately- yipping and yowling across the hills at night.

Just because it is chilly out don’t miss the opportunity to explore the winter woods! Nature’s secrets are all revealed as the leaves fall to mulch back into earth and you can see old bird nests, hidey holes, winter homes of squirrels, paper wasp creations (wasps are scary when the nests are active in summer, but check out the nests up close if you can right now- they are incredible). We explored the Turenne Wildlife Habitat here in Southborough over the weekend. The planted bird garden habitat is fabulous even in the late fall! It was filled with birds- our new find was the white-throated sparrow who was just as curious about us as we were excited to see it. There is a fun letterbox to find as well if you are interested in treasure hunting expeditions.  

Storing these veg in your own kitchens:

Winter squashes- actually do best on top of the fridge. They like the warmth and not a lot of humidity, just don’t forget them there! (I typically find one squishy gross squash disaster up there in the spring…)

Carrots and beets and other roots: keep in their plastic bag (or better yet, put them in a zipper lock bag and squeeze the air out) and put in one of bottom drawers of your fridge. They like it cold and with just a little humidity, not a lot or they will try to grow). If you have a nice cold basement- you can also store these roots in clean sand in a rubbermaid container down in the cold.

Cabbage, Kale, Lettuce, Spinach: So these also do well in a high humidity fridge drawer. Cabbage will last for months, but kales and lettuce need to be eaten sooner!

Potatoes: These like to be at room temperature or colder, but not freezing and low humidity. The important thing for them is darkness. Throw out any green potatoes- they are bad for you. I keep mine in a dark corner cabinet.

Sweet potatoes: similar to regular potatoes for temperature, tho if you have room they will last longer in the humid drawer of your fridge. Don’t worry about light for them- and don’t worry about any little shoots (those are edible actually).

Onions: room temperature is fine. The red ones will want to sprout, don’t worry about that, eat the green shoots (I actually let mine green shoot for most of a winter once and they just kept growing back) and eat the whole onion in a short time (you will be getting more!)

What’s in Your Share this Week:

·         Cabbage, green & red

·         Leeks

·         Onions, red and white

·         Lettuce/Salad

·         Butternut Squashes from Seaview Farm in Rockport, MA

·         Sweet potatoes, Upswing Farm, Dover

·         Potatoes, Upswing Farm, Dover

·         Carrots, Appleton Farm, Ipswich

·         Beets, Appleton Farm, Ipswich

·         Purple Radishes (so good!!!so beautiful)

·         Spinach, Appleton Farm, Ipswich

·         You may pick your own Sage, Thyme and Oregano from the beds near the CSA parking area.

Upcoming Engagement and Education Events- Register on-line (https://goo.gl/otZo12)  or in the farmstand:

It might be cold outside and winter may be coming upon us quickly, but there is a lot of fun activities starting up on the farm for the winter season.

·         Chestnut Hill Art and Craft Festival December 1^st from 7-9p and December 2^nd from 10-5: this annual event is not actually a Trustees event, but is closely related and part of the farm history. Come enjoy and buy from local artists and craftsman for unique and special holiday gifts. We will be there with gift baskets and a variety of edible farm products! This event is held at 2 locations- one is across from the farm at 10 Chestnut Hill Rd, but please park in the trailhead parking area. The other location is at the L’Brie Fellowship on 79 Lynbrook Rd in Southborough, just a few short minutes away from Chestnut Hill.

·         Woodland Décor Workshop- Saturday, December 2^nd from 11-1. Inspired by the beauty around you and want to try your hand at making your own gorgeous holiday decoration? A wreath, a swag, or more? Walk through the woods of the farm with Kira and harvest some beauty to turn into a gift or decorations in the coziness of our classroom. All materials provided. $

·         Barnyard Brew Hike!!!! Start your weekend early and come take a walk in the moonlight with us in December! We’ve been hearing owls, nighthawks, deer and coyotes lately (don’t worry- they are TERRIFIED of us humans but are awesome running across the landscape under the moon). We will have either a craft brewer joining us or a selection of brews to enjoy from a local brewery and we will mingle and delight in the full moon and the beauty of the autumnal season. It will probably be cool and brisk, so dress accordingly even though we will finish our hike by the campfire with some tasty treats. Thursday evening from 6-730p on December 7^th.

·         Digital Photography Series: Places and Objects Our own former Trustees photography master, Mark Gardner is leading this photography series on the farm. Bring your own cameras, but Mark will guide and lead this photography adventure around the farm. $

·         Farmstead Solstice Stroll- On December 21 from 6-8p Join us as we celebrate the winter solstice, a traditional new year’s holiday that dates back 5,000 years and has deep agricultural roots. Join us as we light up the night with a Solstice stroll and celebration at the farm. Participants will meet in the parking lot for a guided candlelit walk through the woods that will include presented passages from the story "The Shortest Day" by Wendy Pfeffer. After hiking the trails throughout our pastures we'll gather back in the orchard to warm up by a fire and enjoy hot chocolate and s'mores as we welcome the new season under the stars.

Farmstand:

This week! CSA Members take 10% off dry goods in the farmstand!!! That’s right, stock up on honey, puree, tea, coffee and more. Other sales going on as well, look for them this week.

Our farmstand will continue to be open until mid December on Tuesdays and Saturdays for our regular hours and we will be open after that on Tuesdays during Meat CSA pickups so don’t forget about us. If you haven’t already, like our page on Facebook so that if/when we update days/hours open, you don’t miss out.

Vegetable of the Year- Cabbage

The humble cabbage is often overlooked as something that is just a ‘filler’ vegetable or one that we remember only as that strange boiled soup/stew that our grandmothers made to torment us. The cabbages in the grocery are frequently very old and have lost most of their sugar and crisp texture. They were also varieties chosen for their long shelf life and not necessarily their flavor. In the last few years, the revival of the farmer’s market, fresh markets and

CSA have led to a resurgence in cabbage varieties that return flavor and sweetness to the common cabbage. These varieties have crunchy texture, a bright sulfur bite and a higher sugar content (which also makes for better home-made kraut). It doesn’t just lie there begging to be ignored in a slushy heap on the plate.

This year the weather (rainy spring and warm fall) and the current soil composition of our fields, favored cabbage above all other veggies. We were able to offer cabbage in some form (green, red, napa) in the share every week. We found that our favorite way to eat it was raw. Thinly sliced and mixed with other veggies- it was beautiful and delicious- and it was an easy side that even the kids enjoyed.

Cabbage Slaw, Southern style (non-dairy)

So I have a mandoline slicer that I use to do all the veggies in this but the cabbage. I highly recommend one to make this as quick and easy as possible.

1 small red cabbage, or half a green cabbage and half a red, cored and thinly sliced- about 6 cups

1 red onion

2-3 carrots (about 1 cup)

2 purple radish (also about ½-1 cup)

You can also add up to a cup of other veggies that you enjoy raw- fennel, red radish, salad turnip, daikon, beets, etc

¼ cup vinegar (cider, white wine or rice)

¼ cup good oil (EVOO, avocado, sunflower)

Juice from one lemon

1 Tbsp sugar (yes, this seems weird, but it doesn’t make the salad sweet, it helps to meld flavors)

Salt and pepper to taste

Other favorite spices: Garlic powder, onion powder, caraway, fennel, etc. Just sprinkle a little in to start and go from there.

Optional: 1 diced ripe avocado (I would not do this if you plan on making a big batch for the week and leaving to sit in the fridge. Instead add it just before serving so it doesn’t turn gray and odd looking on you)

Mix all of the veggies together with vinegar, juice, oil and spices. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve. Crispier veggies the first day, second day and on the veggies get softer, but the flavors deepen.

Another recipe that I found while perusing the Wegman’s holiday mag was the following:

Roasted Carrots & Kale with Cranberries and Sunflower seeds

Ingredients:

2 lbs carrots, cut in 1 in pieces on the bias

4 Tbsp good EVOO or herby flavored oil

Salt and pepper to taste

½ bunch kale, destemmed and chopped

½ cup dried cranberries

2 Tbsp roasted sunflower seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450. Toss the carrots and ½ the oil in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast about 20 min, until tender, turning once halfway through. Remove from the oven, add kale and season again and drizzle with remaining oil. Roast 5 min more. Remove from oven, add cranberries and sunflower seeds and toss to combine before serving.