Pete's Musings Tomato grafting! Grafting is the process of joining part of one plant to part of another plant. Many of our favorite tomato varieties don't have the most vigorous roots and their roots are prone to root disease. So we grow a rootstock variety that has very vigorous, healthy roots but makes an inedible tomato. We seed the rootstock and the eating varieties at about the same time and when they are 3 weeks old we cut both plants in half. Then we mate the top of the eating variety plant to the bottom of the rootstock plant. We use a special clip to hold the two halves together and keep the potentially mortally wounded plants in a special tomato hospital for about 4 days. When everything is working correctly they rapidly grow together and within 5 days the splice is completely healed. There is alot that can go wrong but this year we have it dialed in and are achieving a 99.5% success rate on our 1500 plants.
What a meltdown in the last week. We may be seeding crops outside as early as this weekend. That will be the earliest ever by about 10 days. Happy to see an early spring and to get farming. Best ~ Pete |
Changes to Your Delivery? If you will be away some upcoming week, and need to make changes to your share delivery, let us know at least 1 week before the change. You can have your share donated to the Food Pantry, or you can skip your share delivery and you will retain a credit on your account toward the purchase of your next share. |
Storage and Use Tips You can find loads of information and tips about using our vegetables on our website. Over the next several months I plan to improve the organization of the info that is there so that it is easier to locate veggie storage and use tips and search for various recipes etc. This week I will begin by providing links to storage tip info that is there. |
June 20th - October 10th, 2012 Our Summer Share spans three seasons of vegetable production on the farm. The share begins with loads of Spring veggies all Pete's Greens has to offer from yummy overwintered crops to summer favorites and lots of new stuff in between. During the summer growing season we have incredible abundance and variety providing you with over seventy varieties of locally grown vegetables with unique flavors, colors and shapes as well as all the summer staples you are familiar with. In June we will start out with tender salad greens, fresh basil, European cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh picked zucchini, spring salad turnips, Napa Cabbage, Asian greens, chard and lots more spring vegetables. And then come all your summer favorites like peas, beans, carrots, sweet peppers, heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, sweet corn and much more! The Localvore Share brings you the same fresh vegetables and wonderful local staples and artisan products to fill your pantry. Monthly delivered Meat Shares are available too! Join now and be rewarded with a healthy, local and delicious season of Good Eats! |
Localvore Lore We have a new product for you to try this week, VT Beancrafters Organic Black Bean Burgers. These tasty organic burgers are made largely with VT ingredients by Joe Bossen in West Rutland, VT. Cooking Instrucstions - The burgers come baked, so you only need to get them hot. They do best pan-fried in cast iron with a bit of sunflower oil, but also cook well on grills and in toaster ovens. To bake - brush lightly w//oil. Bake on a greased pan for 8-12 mins at 400F. To pan fry - set burner to med/hi. Once hot, add a bit of oil and spread in pan, toss in burgers straight from freezer. Cook first side til burgers slides freeely on the pan with light shaking. Then flip and cook other side for a minute or two. Try them crumbled into a tortilla with a fried egg and salsa. Mmmmm. From Joe: I hope you all enjoy the little dose of locavore yum that's in each of our bean burgers you've been graced with this week. While they are indeed 'burgers' and function wonderfully as such, i encourage you to explore their culinary potential free from the limitations of that title. try them over a bed of polenta and wilted greens with chutney, in a breakfast sandwich with salsa, pan-fried in a touch of oil and crumbled over a salad, nachos, or pasta. they'll be good company in any of those settings and more. vegetarian reubens? yes indeed.
Feel free to check out our website or even me directly with questions or for ideas. If you love them, we keep a list of grocers, coops, farmstands and restaurants that use our burgers and other products on our website as well. we even offer seasonally-varying locavore catering. Holler any time. Hope this finds you smiling with your mouth full. ~ Joe To go with the burgers, we are sending along Elmore Mountain Bread "Foagies". These delightful foccacia breads make a sandwich or burger something special. They are made with Quebec Milanaise Organic Unbleached Wheat, Water, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Yeast. Especially good grilled or toasted. Pete's Kitchen Chicken and Vegetable Stock is made right here in our on-farm kitchen. The chicken stock is made using fresh celeriac, onions and carrots, and chicken bones from our farm and Misty Knoll and seasoned with peppercorns, bay leaves, salt, thyme and garlic. The vegetarian stock is made with fresh carrots, onions, shallots, parsnips, garlic and celery and seasoned with salt, thyme and peppercorns. Keep frozen until you want to use. Thaw in the refrigerator or if in a pinch put in a warm water bath in a pot. Once thawed, use within a week. We have Butterworks Farm Organic Yogurt this week. Jack and Anne Lazor have a herd of about 80 Jersey cows who produce milk for their on-farm yogurt production. Most sites will receive Non Fat Vanilla, a few sites will receive a mix of Non-Fat Vanilla and Whole Milk Maple. Both of these flavors are sweetened with local maple syrup and the vanilla is flavored with natural vanilla. The non fat yogurt is unique among other non fat brands in that no thickeners are used in the making of the yogurt. The structure of the Lazor's jersey milk allows them to make non-fat yogurt thickener free. This is delicious yogurt
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Recipes Russian Cabbage Borscht - If you have never made borcht, or thought perhaps you wouldn't like it, this recipe is worth a try. It calls for beets, cabbage, potatoes, onions and broth, all of which are in your share this week. This is the recipe from the original Moosewood Cookbook and I have made it year after year and it never disappoints. It is rich, sweet, hearty, tangy, all at once. Extra delicious with a dollop of sour cream in each bowl. 2 TB butter
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
1-1/2 cups thinly-sliced potato
1 cup thinly-sliced uncooked, peeled beets
1 large, sliced carrot
1 stalk chopped celery
3-4 cups shredded cabbage
1 scant tsp caraway seeds
4 cups stock or water
1.5 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp dill (or less if you aren't a big dill fan)
1 -2 TB. cider vinegar
1-2 TB tsp. honey
1 cup tomato puree
Place potatoes, beets and water (or stock) in a saucepan, and cook until everything is tender. Save the cooking broth.
Begin cooking the onions in butter in a large kettle. Add caraway seeds and salt. Cook until onion is translucent, then add celery, carrots and cabbage. Add the broth from the beets and potatoes and cook, covered until all the vegetables are just tender.
Add potatoes, beets and all remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer slowly for about 30 minutes. Taste to correct seasonings. Serve topped with sour cream and extra dill weed, if desired. Indian Red Lentil Soup with Savoy cabbageI have been eating and enjoying lentils lately, and this looked like a great recipe for this week. ½ cup of red lentil, picked over and rinsed
¼ tsp turmeric
2 medium carrots, diced small
3 medium onions chopped
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp grated fresh garlic
1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1.5 lbs tomatoes, cored and diced
½ head Savoy cabbage, chopped
1 Poblano pepper, seeds and ribs partially removed, cut into small squares (or half a frozen jalapeno - seeds and ribs removed)
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp ground chili pepper (e.g cayenne)
4 tbsp canola oil
½ bunch chopped cilantro
(optional)
Wedges of lemon
Salt
Place lentils, turmeric, carrots and in a large pot. Add about 5-6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook, covered, until soft. These foam up a bit so to avoid a mess, keep lid partially off. Stir every now and then to prevent sticking. Add a bit more of water if needed but don’t overdo. Lentils are ready when soft and mushy with a thick consistency. Turn temperature down, add cabbage, cover pot and let simmer.
Toast cumin seeds in a large pan for a couple of minutes just to bring the aroma out. Transfer to a dish and set aside.
Using the same pan, add oil then mustard seeds and fry them. As they begin to pop, about a minute or so, add onions, Poblano pepper and sauté until onion becomes translucent (about five minutes). Push onion mix to one side of the pan. Add garlic and ginger. Cook until raw smells are gone but avoid burning. Stir everything together. Add toasted cumin seeds, chili pepper, coriander and cumin powders to onion mixture. Stir again. Add tomatoes and a cup of water. Bring to a boil then reduce temperature to simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes.
Pour onion/tomato mix over lentils and fold together. Add salt to taste. Simmer for another 10-12 minutes. Stir in cilantro.
Serve with basmati rice and a wedge of lemon. Thai Winter Squash Soup
Having puree in hand makes this a super easy soup to put together and the soup is a flavor explosion (one of my favorites). In traditional Thai fashion, it combines sweet, sour and salty flavors and has a kick too. The lime and coconut both come through beautifully.
Vegetable oil
1 onion,
3 cloves garlic
2 thumb sized pieces of ginger
3-4 cups of winter squash or pumpkin puree
1 qt chicken or vegetable stock
3 TB Fish sauce
2.5 TB brown sugar (or maple syrup, or maple sugar)
2 TB Lime juice
1 can coconut milk
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
Puree the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor. Put a small amount of oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and stir for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Then add the pumpkin puree, stock, fish sauce, brown sugar or maple syrup, lime juice, and crushed red pepper and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Before serving, add the coconut milk. Taste the soup. You may want to add a fresh splash of lime just before serving.
Simple Roasted Beets
I sometimes hear from folks that they don't really know what to do with beets. If you are one of these, try roasting them. It intensifies the sweetness in the beets until they are nearly irresistable. I keep a container of roasted beets in the fridge and throw them on each salad I make. And then I am sad when I run out.
Scrub beets and cut off stem and root ends. Chop into 1/2 to 3/4 inch dice. Spread beets one layer deep in a roasting pan. Drizzle with sunflower or olive oil and give a good stir til all are coated. Then put in 400°F oven and roast til they are tender and even a bit browned on edges. Probably 20-30 minutes. Then remove from oven and serve hot, or let cool, put in container and save for uses cold.
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