Paisley Farm CSA blog

Contributed by Sonya Romanoff

1 cup all-purpose flour & 1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup white sugar and 1⁄2 cup light brown sugar (or maple syrup!)
1⁄4 pound carrots
1⁄2 cup pecans or walnuts
3 large eggs (or the equivalent egg substitute)
1 cup canola oil (or 1⁄2 cup apple sauce and 1⁄2 cup oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 apple

Preheat oven to 350° and oil 12 muffin cups.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk in sugar. Coarsely shred enough carrots to measure 2 cups and chop nuts. Add shredded carrots and nuts to flour mixture and toss well.

In a bowl whisk together eggs, oil, and vanilla. Peel and core apple and coarsely shred. Stir shredded apple into egg mixture and add to flour mixture, stirring until batter is just well-combined. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling them three- fourths full, and bake in middle of oven until puffed and a tester comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.

Cool muffins in cups on racks 5 minutes before turning out onto racks to cool completely. Muffins keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days.

Sonya is originally from Oakland, CA but fell in love with New York (who wouldn’t!) and became a transplant. She lives in north Williamsburg with her boyfriend Daniel, who is also a member of the CSA, and sassy cat Gigi. Sonya is dedicated to maintaining a locally based, environmentally sustainable diet and educating others about the benefits of doing so. She is very happy to be a part of this CSA!

The boxes for this week will also contain Honey Crisp Apples… and you will all be getting more of those as the winter CSA continues. 

The Honeycrisp apple is a tart, juicy and sweet apple with a thick skin who’s flesh is creamy white. Honeycrisps can be quite aromatic depending on maturity, and boast a popular following for their attractive flavor as well as their ability to store beautifully. A Honeycrisp can maintain the integrity of its flavor and texture for over 6 months when stored refrigerated. 

Honeycrisp apples are not old though with a birth date of 1960 when a Macoun and a Honeygold were crossed at the University of Minnesota; who still owns the patents and rights to Honeycrisp apples interesting enough. Some say it was not until 1991, but either way the name of this apple perfectly describes what was produced. Today, Honeycrips are grown all over our New York state for everyone’s enjoyment. 

Best for eating out of hand or salads, these apples also make good sauces and can be baked into pies, crumbles, etc. These are a wonderful option for people looking to eat more fruit as their firm texture and sweet flavor keeps Honeycrisps a friendly apple for all.

Another week swings around and we’ve had snow and more snow (I know the city got plenty)…passed the major February holidays, one of love and the other of presidents….Mardi Gras is upon us with today being Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday tomorrow signals the start of Lent… Time is flying by! Though winter is still being its beautiful self up here, blanketing upstate with snow today. Now, onto the boxes for this week:

*Red Beans

*Black Beans

*Turnips

*Radishes

*Beets

*Baby Spinach from the green house

….Basically the delicious and life sustaining standards but a word about the Cheese and Potatoes this week. Due to the snow and storms (or the warnings of potential storms) those items are coming for the next share. 

Valentine’s menus all around were showcasing the beet in one form or another…some even carved it into soft heart shapes, but beets really don’t need a holiday to be loved. Growing up, the only beets I knew were sliced into soggy rings and floating in a pool of redish purple liquids on the Shoney’s buffet… so needless to say, I see fresh local beets as such a blessing. A heart healthy blessing that is said to have been first cultivated along the Mediterranean, moving into India, the Middle East and China (850 BC.) Beet’s brilliant red color is said to be a “blood builder” but throughout history was used as everything from a laxative to an aprodashiac by the ancient Romans. 

Beets are high in Folate, Potassium, Vitamin C, and Iron to name a few of its nutrients. Beets thus protect against birth defeats, heart disease, inflammation and are an anti-cancer food. Though light cooking is recommended for the most cancer fighting properties. Lately I’ve been hooked on chunks of beets and lentils all mixed into a salad together with goat cheese on top. It can be kept for days in the fridge and can be eaten cold or hot. Over greens it makes a lovely lunch or warm, it can serve as a side dish or a main dish all by itself.

Beets are red, 

Or golden you say?

We love you all, 

Thanks for being part of our CSA! 

…. more later on the next box of goods coming as well as a write up on organic apples. 

Contributed by Daron and Romney Jacob

Daron and Romney Jacob haven’t lived in Williamsburg since before it was cool, but they appreciate the neighborhood’s quaint shops and variety of restaurants (current favorites: Mesa Coyoacan, Roberta’s, Bakeri). Their cocker spaniel, Jah, loves to chase squirrels in McCarren Park. All of them hate the L train.

“Wow, it really snowed last night! Isn’t it wonderful?Everything familiar has disappeared! The world looks brand new! 

A new year…a fresh clean start !It’s like having a big white sheet of paper to draw on! A day full of possibilities! It’s a magical world, Hobbes, ol’ buddy…let’s go exploring!” 

–Bill Watterson: It’s a Magical World: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection

If you’re in the city, you’re getting more than we are up here…but it’s a blustery snow day. Perfect for fire building… skiing… or cooking a big pot of beans if you still have them around! The easiest way to tackle this is to quick soak the beans, and then chop up all the veggies you have left around… making a great big pot of vegetable and bean soup or stew (depending on how hearty your selection ends up being.) 

Here is the best way to soak beans but for a quick soak, follow this process but only allow the beans to soak after the first boil for 1 to 2 hours:

Beans require a two step process of soaking and cooking. Soaking the beans allows the starches that cause gas to start to dissolve, while the cooking makes the beans tender and digestible. Most of the gas causing starches will be in the soaking water, so always drain the beans after a soak, and use clean water when cooking them. This can be used for any beans (except lentils and dried peas which do not require a soak,) and the cooking times will vary a bit by bean, as some take longer than others to become tender. 

According to the California Dry Bean Advisory Board, this is the best method for gas free beans: 

SOAK: Place 1 pound of dried beans (washed and sorted) in a 5 quart sauce pan with 10 or more cups of boiling water, and boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside overnight. By morning 70-90% of the indigestible sugars will be in soaking water. Drain and rinse beans thoroughly, then proceed with cooking. 

COOK:  Do not add acidic ingredients when cooking beans, or wait until the end of cooking to do so. These ingredients will stop the process by which beans absorb liquid and soften, causing a much slower cooking. Test doneness by pressing or mashing the beans in between two fingers, or with a fork. 

–Return the beans to the sauce pan, and cover with 3 times their volume in water. Add herbs or spices but no salt. 

–Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally. Do not boil the beans again, as this will cause the skins to rupture. Add more water if needed, and begin testing beans after about 45-60 minutes.

–Beans can be eaten right after cooking, or used in recipes, but you can also freeze beans for later use. (1 pound of beans will yield 5-6 cups cooked.)

Simple Root Veggie Medley, contributed by Alice Eisenberg

Take all the root veggies from the share and cut into equal size chunks- sweet potato’s, squashes, pumpkins, potato’s, onions or whatever you have at home (cooking time depends on the size you cut veggies too). Toss all of the ingredients in olive oil, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper. Rough chop a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme and toss with root veggies. Pre-heat oven to 350. I make my chunks of veggies about an inch or so big. some squashes can take a bit longer to cook… I use a baking sheet and put a single layer of veggies with 1/2 cup orange juice. Roast for about an hour til soft and enjoy.

Alice lives on the east side of Williamsburg and works in Park Slope and rarely feels a reason to leave the boro. She has been know to spend more hours in foreign countries in supermarkets than on the beach.

Golden Hubbard Squash Soup, contributed by Matt Temkin

Start by cutting up and roasting the squash in the oven at 375 for 45 minutes in a water bath. Let the squash cool, and start your soup base in a pot on the stove. I used 1 red onion from the box, along with 6 cloves of garlic. Dice the onion and sweat until almost translucent and add the garlic, minced.

Extract the flesh from the squash and blend to a smooth consistency. (Here I added 1 thumb of ginger.) You may need to add water to your blender of squash. (Some of this water should be the water bath.)

Place all ingredients in the pot (with the onions and garlic) and simmer. Add a teaspoon of kosher salt, a half teaspoon of pepper, and cinnamon to taste.

Matt is a drummer/percussionist. He plays drums at Stephen Wise Free SynagogueNational Yiddish Theatre/Folksbiene. “On Second Avenue” starring Mike Burstyn, and “A Yiddish Vaudville” starring the late Bruce Adler. He is currently playing percussion for “The Big Bupkis” at the New Yiddish Rep. He also leads his own band, Matt Temkin’s Yiddishe Jam Band, which has recently released their first album Poykler’s Shloft Lied. Along with concerts they are available to play private parties.

Hello, your Maple Syrup here.

I love a good breakfast meeting but sometimes I like to feel a little more sexy and smooth… especially with Valentines coming up. Here is a simple way to make me into mousse.

6 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
3 Egg yolks
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla or…
1 to 2 teaspoons grated orange peel* optional
1 cup heavy cream

Combine syrup, yolks and salt in a double boiler… Whisk constantly until mixture is thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon…this will look like marshmallow cream, and color will become tan and darkened… about 5-7 minutes.

Take care not to overcook this mixture so it doesn’t curdle. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla OR orange peel. Place over a bowl of ice if you want to cool this mixture quicker… but allow to cool.

Whip the cream until firm but not dry peaks form…Once mixture is cool, fold in the cream in two editions.

Refrigerate or freeze in ramekins…if frozen, let sit for 20-30 minutes to soften.

Serve with walnut cookies or glazed hazelnuts or sliced pears or stewed apples…

It’s Week Three!

An exciting box this week is coming to you…complete with the maple syrup talked about last week. The box contains:

Maple Syrup

Apples… organic & local

Mesclun mix greens from the Green House

Red Beets

Eggs

Potatoes…chippowa or russet

Onions

Carrots

Red or Black beans 

and more local delicious Cheese!

Of course, menu ideas are still bouncing along with hashes and poached eggs. Stuffed onions and beet soups keep you warm, and who says salads disappear in the winter? The greens are a perfect way to keep raw foods in your diet during this season. The carrots I have been trimming of the woody core (compost it!) and turning into a sesame and carrot slaw of sorts or stuffing grated carrots into sandwiches. 

Getting the Local Harvest newsletter, this past week I noticed a great winter recipe from a close neighbor of ours here in upstate New York. Though being on the other side of the Hudson, New Paltz is a fun little town, with plenty of local eaters as well. 

Thank you Local Harvest Newsletter ! 

Cheese and Potato Tart

This tart recipe was shared with us by Agnes Devereux of The Village TeaRoom Restaurant and Bake Shop in New Paltz, NY.

It’s delicious winter food — dense with potatoes and heavy with cream and cheese. The original recipe calls for Toussaint cheese, a raw milk cheese The TeaRoom gets from Sproutcreek Farm in Poughkeepsie, NY. Cheddar or another semi-soft cheese may be substituted. Serve with an escarole salad or other bitter greens.

For the crust:
One recipe of your favorite pie, tart, or pate brisée crust for a 8″ spring form pan

Serves 4

For the filling:

• 1 ¼ lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 ¼ c. whole milk (no ultra pasteurized)
• 1 c. heavy cream (no ultra pasteurized))
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 T. butter
• 1 medium onion, diced into ½” pieces
• 1 egg
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 8 oz. Toussaint cheese, crust removed and grated or cut into ¼” thick slices, OR 8 oz. grated cheddar or cheese of your choice

Line the spring form pan with refrigerated crust and chill for 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees until cooked but not browned, 15 – 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350.

Combine potatoes with 1 c. of the milk, cream, 1 sprig thyme and 1 garlic clove. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a gentle boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Discard thyme and garlic and let potatoes cool in the liquid.

Warm the butter in a pan over medium to low heat and add the onions, remaining thyme, garlic and salt and pepper until the onions are translucent and tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat, discard thyme and garlic and set aside to cool.

Drain the potatoes, straining the milk and cream into a liquid measuring cup. If necessary, add extra milk to equal 1 ¼ c. liquid. In a bowl whisk together the egg and a pinch of nutmeg and then add the milk and cream mixture. Season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine.

Scatter ½ the onions, half the potatoes and ½ the cheese in the baked tart shell. Then add make a second layer with the remaining onions and potatoes. Top with the remaining cheese. Pour the milk/egg mixture over the filling and cover with foil. Make sure foil is tented and not touching the surface of the tart.

Bake for about 45 minutes, remove foil and bake a further 15 minutes. Let cool for 30 -60 minutes before serving.