Garlic.

Every year I write about the garlic harvest as the turning point of the season. It's when we turn our heads to the future and put up our first storage crop. This is the first season on the land at Roots to River that we've had a successful garlic crop. The heads are big and beautiful and healthy. We'll be able to save seed for next year and have enough to store through the winter.  We harvested them this year with a root lifter and picked them straight into a newly purchased pallet bin on the forks of the tractor. This equipment let us pick thousands of heads of garlic quickly without straining our backs. It's amazing when you know an investment in efficiency has really paid off. Today's garlic crop is a success in growing and in harvesting, a hopeful sign that maybe we're going in the right direction.

The share:

salad mix

specialty greens mix

head lettuce

cilantro

parsley

summer squash

cucumbers

kale

swiss chard

collard greens

escarole

eggplants

green peppers

cabbage

napa cabbage

kohlrabi

beets

carrots

cippolini onions

tropea onions

pearl onions

celery

Some recipes:

Cipollini Onions Braised in Red Wine

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/cipollini-onions-braised-in-red-wine-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 pounds cipollini onions, peeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions

In a large straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat, melt butter and add onions. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Saute until nicely browned then add the wine and vinegar. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until onions are completely cooked through and tender, about 15 minutes. Remove lid, turn heat up and let the liquid reduce and thicken until it forms a glaze and coats the onions well.

Recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson, 2008

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/cipollini-onions-braised-in-red-wine-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Summer-Squash Soup with Parsley Mint Pistou

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/summer-squash-soup-with-parsley-mint-pistou-235736

Ingredients

For squash soup

  • 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 lb yellow summer squash, halved and thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots, thinly sliced
  • 1 yellow-fleshed potato (1/2 lb), peeled, halved,
  • 4 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth

for pistou

  • 3/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
  • 1 large scallion, chopped (1/2 cup)
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Make soup:
Melt butter in a 6- to 8-quart wide heavy pot over moderate heat, then cook onion with salt, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add squash, carrots, potato, and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, then simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool soup, uncovered, 10 minutes.

Working in batches, purée; soup in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids) and transfer to a bowl. Return puré to cleaned pot and thin with water if desired; simmer 3 minutes. Season with salt.

Make pistou while vegetables simmer:
Pulse mint, parsley, and scallion in a food processor until finely chopped. With motor running, add oil in a stream, then add water and salt, blending until incorporated.

Swirl 1 tablespoon pistou into each bowl of soup.

 

 

Malaika SpencerComment