Who will bring the rain?
Well, we're still hoping for that rain to come douse our little plants with life. Our measly drip irrigation system is just not up to the task of watering the whole farm or even all of our fall crops. It's hard to watch plants suffer knowing that it is the fault of our infrastructure that is keeping them from thriving.
These are the growing pains of a small farm. Last year we started with nothing, buying what we thought we needed. And now just like any other business our needs continue to grow and so do the questions of which direction to go and what tools we will need to get there. Obviously, our next step is to dig a well. Maybe someday we'll have a barn and pack house. Maybe a newer tractor and some greenhouses...a girl can dream. For now we're making do. Hoping for rain, knowing that maybe our beets won't be the biggest, but they'll still taste good. We plunge into fall watching the clouds, excited to see what the harvest will bring.
Super rainbow chard!!
Truck full o beans!!
Truck full o kale!
eggplant nose.
The share!
salad mix
head lettuce
asian greens
arugula
swiss chard
collard greens
kale
napa cabbage
sweet peppers
hot peppers
beans
potatoes
beets
carrots
radishes
hakurei turnips
onions
tomatoes
cherry tomatoes
parsley
cilantro
Cook time!
Green Bean and Radish Salad
This salad is our version of one served at Auckland-based artisanal honey producer BeesOnline. A chile-infused honey compliments the spicy radishes and gives the green beans some sweet heat.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. green beans, trimmed
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ lb. radishes, trimmed and quartered
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. honey, preferably chilli honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Blanch green beans until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and quickly plunge green beans into a bowl of ice water, to cool them. Drain.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add green beans, radishes, and garlic and cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add honey, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook until vegetables are just beginning to caramelize, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer salad to a large bowl; set aside to let cool slightly.
3. Season salad with salt and pepper to taste and divide between 4 small plates. Serve at room temperature.
Beef, Beet and Cabbage Borscht
Beef, Beet and Cabbage Borscht
Contributed by Andrew Zimmern
- ACTIVE: 45 MIN
- TOTAL TIME: 4 HRS
- SERVINGS: 6 to 8
- •MAKE-AHEAD
- •STAFF-FAVORITE
Andrew Zimmern’s Kitchen Adventures
This was all I ever wanted to eat growing up, and I still crave it more than I care to admit. This Eastern European cabbage soup is really more of a schi than a borscht, but why quibble over names? In America in the ’60s, unless you were Russian, this was borscht. Funny how that works. It’s a meal in a bowl to be sure, but small portions are a great starter. I have been making this for decades; it’s a battle-tested classic. —Andrew Zimmern
short ribs
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 pounds English-cut beef short ribs
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 8 cups beef stock, chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
borscht
- 1/2 tablespoon juniper berries
- 1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 1/2 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
- 2 dill sprigs
- 2 oregano sprigs
- 2 parsley sprigs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 beets (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and diced
- 1 small rutabaga (1/2 pound), peeled and diced
- 1 leek, diced
- 1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
- 1/2 pound carrots, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 1/2 head savoy cabbage (1 pound), cored and shredded
- Half of a 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes and their juices
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Sour cream, chopped dill and grated horseradish, for serving
- PREPARE THE SHORT RIBS In a heavy medium pot, heat the oil. Add the short ribs and cook until browned all over, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and stock and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours. Transfer the short ribs to a baking sheet and let cool. Strain the broth through a fine sieve. Discard the beef bones and dice the meat.
- MEANWHILE, PREPARE THE BORSCHT Wrap the juniper berries, peppercorns, coriander seeds, dill, oregano and parsley sprigs in a double layer of cheesecloth and tie tightly into a bundle. In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the beets, rutabaga, leek, onion, carrots, celery, cabbage and the herb-spice bundle. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften and the cabbage is wilted, about 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and wine and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the strained beef broth and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. Stir in the vinegar and the chopped meat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the borscht with sour cream, chopped dill and horseradish.
Cheesy Mashed White Beans With Kale, Parmesan, and a Fried Egg
About This Recipe
Yield:Serves 4
Active time:30 minutes
Total time:30 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium garlic cloves, finely minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 ounces grated sharp white cheddar cheese
- 2 ounces grated Parmesan (plus more for serving)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups finely shredded kale
- 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup finely sliced scallion whites and light greens
Procedures
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add beans, cream, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer, then mash beans lightly with a potato masher. Add water until a loose, porridge-like consistency is reached. Stir in cheddar and Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add kale, season with salt and pepper, and cook, tossing and stirring frequently, until wilted and starting to crisp, about 4 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and transfer to a bowl.
Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add eggs, season with salt and pepper, and cook until whites are set but yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes.
To serve, stir half of scallions in white beans and adjust consistency with water as necessary. Transfer to warm bowls, top with sautéed kale then with a fried eggs. Sprinkle with remaining scallions and grate some Parmesan over the top. Serve immediately.