Paisley Farm CSA blog

“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.)

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…

Hopefully you are all finding your own inspirations in this box, as was I with the warm aroma of roasted winter squash already in the air as it met its early fate in my oven today. A Japanese proverb one said that “One kind word can warm three winter months.” I think a kind and delicious meal can warm all the winter months, and here are a few more ideas of how to use this week’s share…

Parsnips: sweet and nutty tasting, obviously these make a great dish roasted. After roasting you can also puree with plenty of butter and salt for a base that fills in for mashed potatoes, add herbs such as thyme, dill, sage or tarragon as all compliment parsnips…Parsnips can also be substituted for carrots, and if yours taste sweet and tender enough, by all means, grate them into salads raw…along with toasted walnuts to balance their sweetness. Or combine with carrots and potatoes in stews, braises or alongside while roasting a chicken. 

Beets: Again, roasting is an easy staple way to enjoy those (high heat, covered, slip off skins once tender all the way through) where they can then be sliced and/or drizzled with an Orange Balsamic Glaze made by combining a 2 to 1 ratio of OJ and balsamic vinegar with a little honey or sugar, and reducing over medium heat to half. Add fresh orange zest too if you like. This blood toning super food also makes a wonderful soup addition… Or if you’re on a cleansing start to the new year and own a juicer… go to town with a Red Dragon juice of beets, apples, celery and fresh ginger.  

Daikon: …is a Radish…and a bit hotter than red radishes with  juicy flesh. Grate into a salad along side the carrots, dressing with toasted sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, cilantro (I skip the green usually and add seaweed…) and black sesame seeds. Radishes and sweet local carrots remain to be a great way to include raw vegetables into a winter diet, maintaining even more of their nutritional value. 

Quick Bits:  Taking a nod from simple British cooking I heard about rough dicing carrots and parsnips, boiling them with a little water until soft, and then smashing them all together with butter and some herbs like chopped sage or thyme… salting and having a simple pleasant mash side dish that still highlights the vegetables.

From January 10, 2010: A Warm Winter Welcome! 

For some, the signaling of winter came when the days grew short and dark. Colder temps beckon folks indoors; to soups, stews and mugs of hot cocoa. People seem to nest a little more and think that life takes a long nap until it is awaken by the spring. Bidding farewell to salads and watching many farmer’s markets close for the season, some fall into thinking winter means the stop to local produce and goods. Though this scenario is not the case at all, and the Winter CSA shares are here to share the bounty that goes far beyond the summer months. Despite the snow covered grounds and sound of the wind whirling through the trees here at Paisley Farms, the lands and nature are bouncing along right on schedule with a clock that ticks in tune with seasons. Lucky for all of you receiving the Winter CSA shares, you too can participate and experience the rhythm of winter in all its myriad edible forms. 

After a great 2009 with plenty of greens, the new year is already shaping up to just as fulfilling with the official start for the Winter CSA this past week! It also is the start to my writing and help with the Paisley Farm blog so a big hello from me, Claire, a southern food writer and pastry chef living next door to the farm. I extend my sincere appreciation to all of you participating and know that you all truly understand the quality of local food and the meaning of where food comes from. You are taking a step in the direction of better health, a better food system and a better environment overall. I will keep you all posted on what is going on up here on the farms or with the other purveyors, such as ….farms cheese and …eggs. 

Truly a way to honor winter, this selection excited me with possibility! You might have noticed the eggs and spelt berries and thought… hey, this isn’t produce. Well, winter shares function a little differently in that you all can look forward to those items in the coming weeks along with more local grains, fresh dried beans including red beans, black turtle beans and organic soy beans; fresh maple syrup, honey, and local greenhouse mesclun salad mix. Grown in a greenhouse in Highland, NY the greens will be arriving when they have grown a little more.With less sunlight these shorter days, the sweet little lettuces are still getting bigger. More information and pictures of the greenhouse are coming soon, too! Also coming in the next few weeks is local cheese from Brovetto Family Farms, also called Harper’s Field. Producing fine cheeses, this farm even has specialty flavors of cheese such as dill, caraway and some flavored with green tea or a smoky Lapsang souchong. And you thought you were just getting the basics! 

Let’s move to the box for week one, which contained:

• Carrots
• Parsnips
• Daikon
• Beets
• Apples
• Potatoes
• Spaghetti Squash
• Soup Pumpkins 
• Golden Nugget Squash
• Garlic 
• Onions
• Eggs 
• Mustardo Rose Radishes 
• and…Organic Spelt  Berries! 

A few notes on this box exist in that the apples this year were plentiful, but sadly  not all of them had that long of a shelf life according to Michael. Some of the apples this week might be softer, yet are ideal for baking and cooking. Sweet and ready to be had, enjoy those as soon as you can by making a quick applesauce, mixing them into hot oatmeal, making a speedy crisp or crumble, baking them into apple muffins (recipe soon!), roasting first with the parsnips and then mashing together, or cooking them into a sweet and savory braise along side onions (or shallots) and pork or chicken finished with a splash of apple cider or cider vinegar. 

The spelt berries, hailing from Pederson Farms in the Finger Lakes, might also be new to some of you. Spelt is an ancient grain and relative of wheat that was mentioned as far back as the bible and was a popular staple in Europe from the bronze age through the medieval ages. Once in America it was overshadowed by wheat but is making a great come back and is worth trying in our current over-consumption of wheat products. These berries are the whole grain with the germ, bran and endosperm including meaning you get all the B vitamins, fiber and protein. Though *not* gluten free, it is easier for many to tolerate than wheat. Spelt berries can be used in pilafs or stirred into soups or cooked ahead and kept in the fridge for using in quick side dishes or cold grain salads. To cook spelt berries, it is a 2 : 1 ratio of water to grain, which can be seen in the recipe below. Being the most natural form of the grain, they do take a while to cook, about 50 minutes to an hour or more. Worth the wait though! 

Speaking of Spelt Berries, according to Tasting Table, Roman’s restaurant in Fort Greene, romansnyc.com served

“a spelt-berry soup ($7); thick with speck, cabbage and melted Parmesan, it conjures the comfort of corned beef and sings promises against the chill of January.”

Which to me was inspiration of how to try these in your own soup making! Speck is a type of ham, and the name given to an Italian prosciutto. Basically for the soup you would include a meat like bacon, prosciutto or even a smoked turkey leg could work and cook with a Parmesan rind and/or stir the cheese into your finished soup. 

Spelt Berries with Winter Squash 

variation on recipe from cayuga organics

• 2 cups of spelt berries
• 3 lbs of winter squash, peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
• extra virgin olive oil, 6 or so tablespoons 
• 1 minced shallot (or onion) 
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
• 1/2 teaspoon Djion mustard 
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries*
• 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds*
• 1 teaspoon thyme*

salt, fresh pepper to taste 

** I left the cranberries and thyme out, replaced the seeds with toasted pine nuts, stirred in wilted spinach and crumbled goat cheese over this. 

1: Preheat oven to 375^ - 400^ F. 
2: Combine the spelt with 6 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until tender, which is actually a bit chewy for spelt, about 50 minutes. Drain and reserve. 
3: Toss the squash with olive oil and salt and roast for 40-50 minutes. At this point add the shallot (or onion), toss again and return to the oven to continue roasting for 10-15 minutes… until the squash is browning and soft. (don’t let this get crispy.) Remove from oven and cool slightly
The spelt berries and/or the squash could both be made ahead. 
4: Combine the vinegar and mustard, season to taste and whisk in 4-6 tablespoons of oil. 
5: In a large bowl, add the cranberries, seeds and thyme IF using these… OR in the variation… add wilted spinach or other cooked greens, and toasted pine nuts. 
Add your spelt berries and roasted squash cubes… 
Pour over dressing and stir gently to combine… again, taste and season as preferred. 
6: IF variation, crumble cheese over….. OR serve immediately warm. 
This will keep chilled in the fridge for 2 days and can be eaten warm, room temp or cold. 

Again, a big thank you to all…and Enjoy!

Much more to come as the season bounces right along. 

Though we don’t have collards in our shares this week, you might be able to use the beet greens in the same way as a substitute. And for the next time we get parsley, see the lovely spread recipe below. Thanks to Tanya Weiman for the contributions!

Source: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/collard_greens_with_bacon/

Collard Greens with Bacon

[note: weigh the collards first to see what proportion of the recipe is needed.]

Chef’s tip: don’t overcook the bacon. It should be barely brown around the edges and still somewhat raw-looking in the middle.

Ingredients

  * 4 strips thick-sliced bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
  * 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  * 2 garlic cloves, minced
  * 2 Tbsp sugar
  * 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  * 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  * Several dashes hot sauce
  * 1/4 cup apple-cider vinegar
  * 2 pounds collard greens, stems removed, sliced into 3-inch-wide strips (can substitute kale or chard)
  * 1 cup chicken broth (or water)

Method

1 Put bacon in a large pot and cook on medium heat until it just starts to brown around the edges, stirring occasionally. Mix in the onions and cook until they’re soft and starting to brown, stirring occasionally.

2 Add the garlic, sugar, salt, pepper and hot sauce and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, about a minute. Pour in the vinegar, bring to a simmer, and cook until the amount of liquid is reduced by half, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

3 Stir in the collard greens and the chicken broth (or water) and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the greens are completely wilted and have lost their brightness, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with additional vinegar and hot sauce and serve with a generous ladle of the pan juices from the pot.

Serves 6 to 8.
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Parsley Spread

Source: http://www.thinkeatdrink.com/immunity-boost-cold-recipes/fresh-garlic-parsley-spread/ which doesn’t seem to be working right now, here’s an archive: http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:wQYLy01UhbYJ:www.thinkeatdrink.com/immunity-boost-cold-recipes/fresh-garlic-parsley-spread/

Fresh Garlic Parsley Spread

August 11th, 2006 by Rumblefish

Garlic Parsley Spread

Servings: Makes enough to intoxicate four people with pure goodness.

  * 10 sprigs of regular bright green parsley (not Italian flat leaf)
  * 4 medium size garlic cloves [I LOVE garlic, but even 1 or 2 raw garlic cloves were too strong for me the first time I tried this, so this time I parboiled 4 cloves for a few minutes before chopping finely]
  * Kosher salt
  * Lemon
  * Extra light olive oil
  * A dash of apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar

First, take the cloves of garlic and hit them once with the blade of your chef knife. This makes them way easier to peel. Wash and dry the sprigs of parsley. Cut of the majority of the stems off and bunch them up tight in a ball. Go ahead and run through the parsley once with with your knife. It will be easier to handle later.

Next, gather your garlic up and smash them even flatter. Run through the garlic once with your knife. This also makes everything faster.

Lastly, place the garlic and parsley close together. Start mincing. [I parboiled the garlic and chopped finely, then did the rest of prep in a food processor, streaming the olive oil in until the desired consistency. I also added just a scant dash of lemon, as the first time I tried it the lemon overpowered the other ingredients. I also added some freshly-ground pepper.] Keep mincing and folding the two ingredients together until the colors and texture are even. Throw the mixture in the ramekin. Pour enough olive oil to barely cover the ingredients. I usually add a teaspoon at a time until the mixture has soaked up just enough to be a paste. Throw a dash of vinegar in there, a few drops of lemon and a pinch of Kosher salt. Mix well. Cover the ramekin and let the flavors infuse for an hour in the refrigerator.

Now you have a delicious, healthy spread that goes great over bread, on crackers, in a salad dressing, on fish, or with pasta.

Note: Do not just use a garlic press for this recipe. It ruins the paste.

A recipe contributed by Lisa Tran, originally sourced from epicurious.com.

Brazilian Collard Greens

Collards are normally associated with long, slow cooking, but cutting them
into thin strips reduces cooking time dramatically. The result is a bright,
lively flavor that will make you realize these greens are more versatile
than most people think.<

ingredients

1 1/4 pound collard greens, stems and center ribs discarded and leaves
halved lengthwise
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil

preparation

Stack half of collard leaves and roll into a cigar shape. Cut crosswise
into very thin strips (1/16 inch wide). Repeat with remainder.

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Heat oil in a
12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook garlic,
stirring, 30 seconds. Add collards with 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook,
tossing, until just tender and bright green, 3 to 4 minutes.

PS. A squeeze of lemon makes this even more tasty!

This recipe comes from Tanya Weiman at the Jimmy’s CSA, which she says, “always comes out  *amazing*, and I’m still pretty new in the kitchen! I halve the recipe, and it works out perfectly with our csa share portion I love that it uses the stems too.

A couple other things I’ve been doing is with the chives, chopping them up and adding to plain cream cheese to spread on bagels, or mixing into mashed potatoes. My best use of the mint so far was chopping finely and mixing into ground lamb to make some very tasty lamb burgers! Also I’ve been using the cucumbers to make batches of tzaziki, yum…”
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Like Annie mentioned this week in the add-on email, it’s been a rough season for tomatoes. Check out the Times article from today attesting to the crop losses:

Northeast Tomatoes lost, Potatoes May Follow

Although we may not get tomatoes in abundance this year, the peaches are looking beautiful and pair well with basil too. Grill a couple of halved and stoned peaches,  layer them over mozzarella or slather with chevre and nestle a couple of citrusy green basil leaves in between. Drizzled with a little market honey and coarse sea salt, you might be able to forgive the tomatoes their unfashionably late arrival.

Today is definitely a soup day and from the looks of it, it will be a pretty soupy weekend too. Luckily we’ve all got some luscious heads of kale and a bunch of snappy mint to keep us company.

Stale Kale Bread and White Bean Soup 

This is a pretty simple soup, lovely for a crowd or just one, and you can adjust all of the ingredients to your liking.

2 tbs. olive oil

2 carrots chopped, 3 celery stalks chopped, 1 onion chopped, 4 garlic cloves chopped

1 handful each curly blue kale and lacinato kale, stripped from stems and torn into pieces

5-6 cups chicken stock

1 TKoz. can whole tomatoes and 1 TKoz. can cannellini beans

1 cup stale bread diced (1 inch)

2 bay leaves, 8 basil leaves julienned, 1 tps. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 

finely chopped chives and pecorino romano for garnish

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Saute carrots, celery, onion and garlic until soft, about 7 minutes. Add kale, chicken stock, tomatoes and beans with their liquids, bread, herbs and spices. Simmer mixture 20-25 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Ladle out a bowl and garnish with chives and grated cheese.

Mint and Lemon Mojitos

Mojitos and soup might not be an obvious pairing, but when you’re pining for summer weather while trying to stay dry, it works pretty damn well.

10 mint leaves, 1 tsp. sugar, 2 slices of lemon with rind already zested (keep zest)

1 1/2 oz. white rum, gin or vodka

soda water and cracked ice

Muddle mint, sugar, one lemon slice and half of lemon zest together in the bottom of a tall glass. Add the ice and pour over the spirits and couple of splashes of soda water. Swizzle the ice and liquids without mussing up the mint and lemon too much. Squeeze the second lemon over top and add the rest of the zest to garnish.

Forget umbrellas and rain boots. Think soup and gin.