Paisley Farm CSA blog

For those of you who were members of the Winter CSA and for those who were previous members of our summer CSA shares, this time represents a seeming void of farm connection. What really happens? Maybe the lands go to sleep as the snow has melted but the sun has not come back to reclaim its full time position. Maybe folks start looking elsewhere and losing our values of local food consumption and habits in this half time of the year’s growing and harvest food game. It is easy to revert to other ways of modern living and our society of consumption whilst waiting on Spring and Summer (and another season of our delicious CSA.) But the time is nothing more than the sleepy morning of spring waking up. 

Here is a little list of what you can do or look into while you wait! Waiting does not hold a happy place in today’s world where now now now, bigger faster stronger is the desired way. Waiting though, much like the winter CSA, teaches us a lesson in the beauty of not having everything we want instantly, and looking to new places for entertainment, goods, recreation and other items we desire or need. Below are things to think about or look into until we again launch into a full, bright and satisfying CSA season…so very soon! 

* Earth Day is April 22. By being aware of the impact of our food choices on the earth, I congratulate you on being part of the solution by sourcing our CSA and supporting our local farms. Celebrate by visiting a park, or finding a restaurant that sources local foods and complimenting them on their choice to do so. Plant an herb garden, drive less, stop using plastic cups… oh you all get the picture. Go earth go! 

*Follow our blog and be our friend on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=513018778&ref=ts

*Get outside! Sunny days were made for playing. Go get your does of Vitamin D. Look at trees, find some grass for your toes and breathe the new air in deeply! 

* Rally your friends for a dinner party of sustainable end of winter foods. Say hello to spring and summer and buh bye to winter in a proper and delicious way. 

* Watch food friendly  or food centric films such as King Corn, Killer at Large, No Impact Man, or Food Inc. Even if information you already know, all three worth watching. 

* Take a day trip to visit the Cheese Farm from which all the cheese for the winter CSA and special orders comes from.

Located in Harpersfield NY, the Brovetto Dairy and Cheese House is open 11 to 4. 

phone: 607. 278. 6622 

website: http://www.harpersfieldcheese.com/index.htm

“May simple pleasures fill you with joy” John 15:11 

* Spring Clean the green way. Make a conscious effort this year to use natural cleaners or look into ways to reduce your consumption and reuse what you already have. Give away or donate old items to shelters, recycle plastics and other waste. Let fresh air into your homes and apartments to break up the molds/dusts/etc from winter heaters. Lemon juice and baking soda still hold as the best and cheapest cleaners around. The internet and many books hold more info on this subject. 

* Study up on composting. Buy worms even? http://www.localharvest.org/red-wiggler-worms-eisenia-fetida-C4879

* Want more local foods?? Look into where your favorites come from and how to obtain then in a sustainable way. Breads and other grains can be local. Baked goods and other products can also be sourced close to home. Take a look at your other items you consume day to day, such as coffee, oils, spices and other ingredients… not to say cut these out but just to take an inventory of where things other than your produce comes from. If you would like help finding local breads and other resources from the Hudson Valley, feel free to contact us through the facebook page! 

 Information for the Summer CSA 2010 will be out during April VERY SOON,

STAY TUNED! 

Our website, blog and facebook page will updated as information is available.

We look forward to hearing from you all again! We have the best CSA members! 

“I don’t know what it is… but I want it!”…. ahh, one of my favorite Jessica Simpson quotes…but it came to mind immediately when I found this recipe embedded in a sweet article from PA about local winter eating and the freeing nature of accepting season’s on natures’ terms.

Read the article here, or just try out the recipe below. Complete with nutritional information… this seems like a cool way to make beets into a dessert with an Indian flavor. It takes a while to make but appears to be a gorgeous and aromatic treat. A Halwa is basically a dense, sweet middle eastern dessert… some use carrots, some use grains, some use nuts… but you and me, my local seasonal eating friends, can use beets. Enjoy! 

Beet Halwa

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 pound beets, scrubbed and peeled

1 quart whole milk

1 cup sugar, or more to taste

4 green cardamom seeds

1/4 cup unsalted butter or ghee

Freshly grated nutmeg

Chopped cashews, sliced almonds, or both (optional)

1. Using a grater or a food processor, grate beets.

2. Combine milk, sugar, and cardamom in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat butter in a frying pan. When foaming subsides, add beets and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add beets to milk and bring to a boil again. Continue briskly simmering, stirring frequently, until milk is mostly absorbed, but beets are still moist, about 1½ hours. (Mixture will continue to thicken off heat.) Remove cardamom.

4. Garnish with nutmeg and nuts, if using. Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Per serving (based on 8): 246 calories, 5 grams protein, 35 grams carbohydrates, 34 grams sugar, 10 grams fat, 28 milligrams cholesterol, 94 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.

March is said to be in like a lion and out like a lamb… However we are seeing pretty lamb-y conditions upstate here! The sun is shining and temperatures are temperate enough to wander around and smell the fresh air. 

For this Week:

. A Variety of Cheeses (everyone will get “a cheese” though everyone will not get the same one. For those who’s boxes might have had MIA cheese, that is being replaced this next share.) 

. Red Onions

. Parsnips

. Carrots

. Local Honey

. Butternut Squash

. Empire Apples

. Potatoes 

. Red or Black Beans 

. Eggs

….next week, some more mesclun greens, a special box next week. 

In other news… here is a bit of what has been going on the last few days before this lovely sun got to us! The Word of the Day this past week was… Mud. M. U. D….

Despite the sad reputation mud has in some circles, it is really a very happy byproduct of melting snow and good earth. It is also a sign spring is just around the corner! This past week many of us saw rain, snow, slush, more rain, lots more snow, and little to no sun. As we bid farewell to the month of February, many are quick to want to close their eyes and not open them again until March 21 and the start to spring are here… but not so quick! The last bit of winter and into early spring will bless you with another round of CSA goodies, including lots of beans and grains, as well as an Open House Maple Syrup Demonstration Party at the Farm!!! 

(and the crowd goes wild.) 

At least the crowd known as myself went wild, as there is nothing quite as fun as gathering around in the last bits of snow and tapping the trees for local, delicious Maple Syrup. Come for the Maple Syrup demonstration, where refreshments and snacks will also be provided. There will be an open grill so folks can grill as they please hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage, veggie burgers or whatever tickles your fancy from the barbie! Bring your favorite beverage to enjoy in quantities that suit your agenda, though hot spiced cider will be provided by Michael and family. Being incredible hosts is yet another of their great qualities outside of growing top notch vegetables, roasting darn good lamb and being in the know about great music. It is always a good time with good company up here! So make a day trip out of it and consider lunch already taken care of, too. 

The buckets are hung on the trees with care, in hopes that you all will soon be there… wait….

Here, that is, 284 Pleasant Vale Road, Tivoli NY 12583 (map)… but logistics aside… 

Please join us for the Open House Maple Syrup Demonstration 

@  284 Pleasant Vale Road, Tivoli NY 12583

on Saturday March 20 

from 11 am to 4 pm. 

Maple syrup season actually runs into late April though many think it is a dead of winter event… images of snow make that feasible but with the coating of white on the grounds here, it will just as picturese as ever. A snapshot of you or your youngsters next to the maple syrup trees? Can you say holiday card 2010 picture? Maple syrup has been getting some good press lately in newspapers across America, with one mentioning an indiana syrup producer Tim Burton, of Burton’s Maple Farm. He was quoted as saying “I think you’re going to see more chefs reaching out to farmers and producers.” With maple syrup quickly moving off pancakes and into a broad range of dishes (noted in an entry here.) The demand continues to grow as not just due to the generalized rejection of other sweeteners these days. The flavor of maple syrup is more complex than basic sugar, with different syrups maintaining different flavor profiles. Though Vermont produced over 900,000 gallons in 2009, we are lucky to have local New York state maple syrup being produced right here, right now… and before your very own eyes! (and hands if you come up March 20.) 

Maple syrup might seem common place to some but if you grew up on a tan sweet liquid that flowed out of a woman’s head labeled “pancake syrup” (like myself) you will greatly appreciate the clean flavor and simple goodness of fresh local maple syrup. Real maple syrup also has ONE ingredient… maple syrup. A quick jump over to a nameless brand of syrup gave me this:

INGREDIENTS: CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, CELLULOSE GUM, CARAMEL COLOR, SALT, SODIUM BENZOATE AND SORBIC ACID (PRESERVATIVES), ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVORS, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE.

…and I cried a little inside. For the good of all pancakes and biscuits, bowls of oatmeal and yogurt, vinaigrettes and chicken glazes… please take advantage of our wonderful Maple Syrup.

From our trees to your tables.

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.

“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…

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.

It was brought to the farm’s attention recently that some folks had bad winter squash in their shares… making some question how “fresh” the items being delivered are. There was only a small small fraction that were “bad” with over 95% being quite good with quality entirely maintained. In the world of local eating by the season and thus in our CSA. Unlike a grocery store, where items are shipped in everyday from all over the world, from locales with very different climates and growing seasons, all the CSA food is from local farms. Local farms that harvest as the land and weather determines here, selecting storage crops to enjoy over the winter months. Winter squash, true to it’s name sake, it considered “winter” due to its hard outer skin which allows for storing despite being harvested earlier.

This squash in your boxes was harvested in November and has been stored properly since then, culling out of bad ones as need be. This it the way of local eating. You will not always have 100% perfection and coupled with all the rain of this past year, some of those squash just don’t make it to their final edible endings. Fret not though as there is a beautiful and connecting feeling in knowing you are eating by a time table that is not controlled by grocery managers, stock prices or the food system that has no seasons, no faces and will never tell you no to raspberries in February. So embrace your bad squash and compost it or eat it up super fast if you notice spoilage taking place. A quick slice, peel and trim is all you need to take the remaining good bits to a roasting pan to be cooked and enjoyed. Also, take note that storing these squash in over heated apartments (I know, totally out of most of our control, but worth nothing) does not help either, so try your best to keep these babies cool. 

After a proper burial for the squash lost to the good storage fight, celebrate the replacements that are ready for you! There will be an extra box at the CSA drop offs this week where any bad squash will be happily replaced! 

You lose one squash… and you gain another. Now doesn’t that feel better?  

Now that we’re on the subject of Butternut Squash, it is one of the uniquely American foods. The word “squash” comes from a Native American (Massachuset Indian) word meaning “eaten raw or uncooked,” though today we consume most of our squashes cooked. Part of the North American Food Package along with beans and soughum (each continent has a given food package of native foods,) butternut squash is thus puritanically American. Particular apples, concord grapes and maple syrup are also foods with an American birth right. Speaking of maple syrup….

Maple syrup is coming next week! Drum roll please and for your enjoyment links to a recipe and article on perfect pancakes if the syrup makes its way to a brunch near you. Maple syrup is one of the original American foods, with history telling the Indians taught the early settlers this practice. Much like how we have to store foods after harvesting, the Indians did the same and maple syrup, made after boiling off the water from maple sap of the tapped trees, added sweetness and variety to their diets into the winter months and beyond. Depending on the tribe, there are varying legends as to how maple syrup was first made, but there is no denying its role in today’s food stuffs. Now that natural eating is the only way to go with many steering clear of refined cane sugar, this sweetener is like liquid gold. With a characteristic aroma and flavor, few can deny the goodness of real and pure maple syrup. In fact, making sugar in North America is one of the toughest agricultural challenges. Some other countries have the ability to grow and process sugar easily but here we must extract sugars from plants, saps, etc. 

Make it with Maple Ideas:

<> Perfect Pancakes! recipe included My Pancake Recipe

<> Use in oatmeal, baking or sweetening tea… Swirl into yogurt….

<> Spread over toast or make a maple salad dressing, adding in toasted nuts and a good cheese…

<> Combine equal parts with Dijon mustard for a spread to put on chicken or pork before roasting… 

<> Drizzle over french toast, bread puddings, ice cream….

<> Maple glazed parsnips and/or carrots make a tasty side dish…

Week 2 is here! After last weeks grain mix up, Spelt berries… more info CSA Spelt Berries…

I’m here to break down the box for this week… which gets exciting with the addition of cheese and black turtle beans! 

Week two box contains:

Carrots

Parsnips

Beets, red and golden

Empire Apples 

Chippowa Potatoes

Butternut Squash

Garlic 

Onions, red and yellow

Eggs 

Green house local Salad Greens 

Harper’s Field Cheese in a variety of flavors

and….. Black Turtle Beans!

Carrots are still crispy and delicious. Parsnips keep me excited and have found their way into a puree under bay scallops and spinach for me this past week. Beets never fail to be champs; raw, roasted, juiced or stewed. The salad greens are a total fresh greens treat during winter days as well as the butternut squash for it’s humble familiarity….and versatility. 

Harper’s Field Cheeses can be read more about on their website Cheese!  and I would love to hear how everyone is using or eating the flavor they got! Share! I’m making cheese straws in true southern style… recipe soon. 

Beans, beans, the magical…. stop right there. Here is a piece I wrote on black beans with a little recipe, too! You could certainly sub potatoes or other winter squash cubes for the butternut/ sweet potato in this recipe. It could easily work under poached eggs as well as a riff on breakfast burritos and make for a lovely brunch or dinner. 

Beans, sweet potatoes, and corn provide for complex carbs, protein, iron, fiber, and not to mention, many other nutrients in this recipe. 

Warm Black Bean and Butternut Squash OR Sweet Potato Salad 

2 medium sweet potatoes (washed, peeled, and cut into bite sized chunks) 

OR butternut squash, 1 small-ish one, peeled and cubed

1-2 Tb olive oil 

1-2 cups chopped onions (amount based on your preference) 

½ cup diced red or green bell pepper 

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 finely diced jalapeno (optional)*

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon oregano 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon generally)

1 ½ cups cooked black beans (about 1 can, drained, if you do not cook your own beans)

1 cup corn kernels (canned or frozen both work)

1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

squeeze of lime juice, optional

***optional: a slash of orange juice OR diced avocado

1. Place the butternut squash OR sweet potatoes in pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender (do not overcook, or the squash/potatoes will become mushy, which you do not want.) 

Remove from heat, drain, and keep warm. 

2. Meanwhile, in a deep skillet, sauté the onions and peppers in olive oil, until they soften. Add the garlic and jalapeno, stir and sauté about 1-2 minutes. Stir in spices, sauté 1 minute or so. 

3. Add the beans and corn, cover and cook until heated through. 

4. Remove from heat, stir in the sweet potatoes and chopped cilantro. 

5. Transfer to a bowl and stir in lime juice if using…. and enjoy! 

This salad tastes great with a side of toasted corn bread, or grilled meat, tofu or shrimp. It can be served warm or cold, and feel free to alter the spices to your tastes, or change things up by trying this option:

  Leave sweet potatoes out, and do not cook any ingredients. Stir all together in a large bowl, adding 1 cup of chopped tomatoes for a black bean relish that is delicious as a side dish or over other foods. Have fun with these local black beans. 

*remove the seeds to temper the heat of the pepper, or omit completely if serving this to children.

<> More on the value of fresh dried beans and recipes later this week <>

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.