Paisley Farm CSA blog

Take a look at what is coming your way! Consider this produce-baby-pictures…they grow up so fast… 

 Rows of cauliflower and broccoli… so vast. so soon delicious.

 Big leaves, but not dry. Very moist, delicate and full of life. Plants are amazing creatures when you get this close. 

Squash blossoms!

Yes, the little blossoms chefs go crazy over are all over your squash right now. The little one on the bottom is still developing but you can sure tell a yellow squash when you see one. 

Leeks… leeks… and more Leeks… These were planted by Mothers and families from an NYC school. A big thank you for all their hard work. Looks great and we are all very excited about fresh leeks soon! 

 Crop covers… these are our way of shielding cucumbers from pests. Bugs love cukes but covers like this create a natural way to control them and protect your cucumbers! 

 Baby cucumber! This wee one was about 2-3 inches long and looked more like a swollen gherkin right now, but will have a good future after growing under Hudson Valley sunshine.

Great produce speaks for itself. We were mentioned in the current issue of Edible Brooklyn by our friends at Dressler  in Williamsburg. 

“That may be because it’s something Dobkin’s done for decades.  Though Dobkin was raised in Manhattan, his father has land up in the Hudson Valley, where Dobkin grew up picking-his-own at nearby farms and orchards, and still stops by to load up his car with produce for the drive back to Brooklyn. (He also gets great ingredients delivered from places like Tivoli’s Paisley Farm, whose baby mustard greens he can’t seem to stop praising: “I’ve never tasted anything that delicate, yet that assertive,” he raves.) He cites his time at Gramercy Tavern and the Screening Room, both places known for simple, ingredient-driven food, as formative, too.

“Smart people start with what they know,” he says. “You’d be a fool,” he says of chefs or restaurateurs who don’t plan a business around what they love to eat, “to go with something else.” ”

Read more Edible Publications here. 

We are assertive…and delicate. The best of both worlds… much like this upcoming season. A mix of vegetables shares, fruit shares and egg shares, oh my! A little something for everyone to find their favorite to rave about. 

Don’t miss out on these beloved baby mustard greens and all our other goods!

Secure your spot now! 

Sign up HERE! 

Love & Greens, 

Paisley Farm 

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. 

“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.)

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.