Pete's Musings
Hi Folks,
Who
knows what is says about the economy when people start thieving
turnips? Couple weeks back I came over a rise in the road near one of
our remote fields. A woman was leaping out of the field to a waiting
pickup with an armload of turnips. I pulled over and greeted the
sheepish looking couple. I said not to worry, any that you steal are
fewer that my CSA members will have to eat this winter and that will
make them happy. All joking aside, we won't give you too many turnips.
Things
are going great here on the farm. We have not seen such bounty before
at Pete's Greens. Between a really nice growing season, better growing
practices, appropriate equipment, some beautiful new land, and the
knowledge we accumulate and put to use each year we are likely to have
food spilling out of our new building at the end of October. It's
exciting but also a little daunting as there is much to be done to get
the rest of the crops in.
We
hope you'll consider signing up for our fall CSA period. We have 3
acres of crops under cover insuring more leafy greens such as kale,
chard, napa cabbage, pac choi, head lettuce and more. These crops reach
their culinary peak when grown in the cool greenhouse of fall as frosty
nights bring out sweet flavors. Our storage crops are through the roof;
onions, carrots, beets, potatoes, cabbage, celeriac are in already or
finishing nicely in the fields. We grow storage crops such as carrots
and beets as late as possible so they do much of their sizing in the
cool days of fall. This leads to sweeter flavor and better storage
quality.
Deb
has been a busy bee in the kitchen freezing and canning crops at
harvest peak. She'll be running the pepper roaster again this fall and
soon it will be time to cook and freeze 10,000 lbs of High Mowing Seeds
squash puree. I had some pickles Deb made yesterday that were awesome,
ate the whole quart for breakfast.
Secure
your winter food supply! Join us in a local eating adventure! Support
us as we grow and create infrastructure to make eating locally
year-round fun and exciting! Signups are looking strong and we're likely
to sell out so join soon. Thanks ~ Pete
 The nicest field of carrots we have ever grown
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Storage and Use Tips
Watermelon
- This week you will all receive one of our Watermelons. They are
sweet and delicious and perfectly ripe (at least all that I have tried
have been!). You can dig in right away.
Spicy Salad Greens -
The salad mix this week is a zesty mix of cress, mizuna, tatsoi, red
Russian kale and arugula. It will have a little more bite than our
regular mix and will go great with the Ginger dressing that follows in
the recipe section with some grated carrot and radish on top.
 Fresh Ginger
- Melissa ans Iris picked Ginger for the share yesterday and it's just
beautiful. This young, fresh ginger is probably different from the type
you are accustomed to purchasing in the store. Ginger's aroma, texture,
and flavor varies depending upon the timing of its harvest.
Early-harvest young ginger is tender and sweet, while older, more mature
ginger is more fibrous and spicy. This ginger also won't store long. Eat it up in next couple weeks.
Fresh ginger's light spiciness, warmth, and mellow sweetness complement
a range of dishes, from sweet to savory. Beyond the traditional Asian
applications like stir-fries and dipping sauces, ginger is equally at
home with everyday ingredient like maple syrup and is great for baking
and for smoothies and creamy custards too.
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Pete's Greens Harvest Celebration &
Anais Mitchell Concert at the Farm!
Saturday September 29th
Harvest & Farm Tours - Will we see you this Saturday?
We
are gearing up to receive guests and show people around on Saturday.
Really looking forward to it and I hope many of you will make it to the
farm!
There are two afternoon tours and all are welcome! We'll have some snacks in the barn too.
During the time the first tour begins, Pete
will take a group out to the field for some harvesting fun if people
are interested (kids will have a good time). If you think you might
join us for this, let me know. Would be good to have a rough head count.
And if digging in dirt isn't your thing, you can skip the harvest and jump on a farm tour.
Harvest Dinner at the Farm
The
menu for our harvest dinner looks great! Chicken, roasted squash,
fingerlings, brussels, lovely salad, and plenty of desserts. There will
be a variety of dishes and something for everyone. Dinner is only $20
per person or $5 for kids 5 and under. CSA members are invited to join us for half price, adults $10, kids for free.
To take advantage of your CSA ticket discount on Higher Ground website, use the code: goodeats. Or just email me.
A portion of the proceeds from our dinner will go to benefit the Vermont Farm Fund
which offers 0% loans money to farms who have suffered disasters, and
quick low interest loans to farms and food producers who are innovating
to increase the diversity of local foods in Vermont.
Anais Mitchell Concert at the Farm is a benefit for VT Farms
 And
how lucky are we to have Anais Mitchell play at the farm? Anais is
returning to Vermont for her first state-wide tour since the acclaimed
Hadestown appearances. Special guest and long-time collaborator Michael
Chorney will accompany Mitchell for these shows.
Anais
grew up on a farm in Addison County and with this tour shows her
commitment to Vermont Farmers. A portion of the ticket proceeds from
each of these shows will go to benefit the Vermont Local Food &
Farms Fund, an extension of the Vermont Community Foundation.
The Fund’s mission is to support both the immediate needs and long-term
strategies of nonprofits that are working to build a creative,
sustainable food system in Vermont.
Anais Concert Tickets - $20/person
 Tickets
Schedule of Events
1:00 PM Field Harvest w/ Pete
1:30 Farm Tour (folks can choose one or the other)
3:30 PM Farm Tour
5:00 PM Join us for a localvore Harvest Dinner!
7:30 PM - Anais Concert
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Can you Post to your Front Porch Forum?
Please
tell freinds and neighbors about the Fall Winter Good Eats share! If
any of you are able to post something to your front porch forum or other
neighborhood email group to spread the word, please email me! I'll send you a little blurb that you can use or edit.
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There's only 2 deliveries left after this week.....
Fall Winter Good Eats Share
* October 17th - Feb 13th *
Have you secured your winter food supply?
We have a fantastic share coming up. I hope you can all join us.
 New Delivery Sites
We have added Bessery's Market on North Ave in the new North end of Burlington.
And we are returning to the Little Garden Market in Charlotte.
New Route Confirmed
Yay! We have worked out a delivery route that will take us south through Barre, Northfield, S. Royalton and Woodstock on Wednesday. Now just to line up the actual delivery locations and pick up times.
FIVE SHARE TYPES
Localvore Share
- a great mix of organic vegetables and high quality locally produced
staples like cheeses, eggs, flours, grains, cooking oils and more.
$46/week.
Veggie Only Share - a diverse mix of vegetables all year long. Great for households of 2-4 people. $29/week.
Small Veggie Only Share - a smaller selection of weekly vegetables designed for households of 1-2 people. Just $22/week.
Pete's Pantry Share
- NO vegetables. A weekly delivery of high quality locally produced
staples like cheeses, eggs, flours, grains, cooking oils and more
$17/week.
Meat Share
- a MONTHLY selection of locally and consciously raised meats. You can
expect Pete's Greens pastured chicken with beef, lamb, sausages, duck
and possibly trout from producers we know and love. $200 for four $50
monthly deliveries
See website for more info or to sign up!
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Share your Good Eats feedback on Facebook?
Would you be willing to share your Good Eats experience with others? I'd love to have some current recommendations on our Facebook page so that others can read your comments and decide whether they'd like to join. Thanks!
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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.
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Localvore Lore
This week we have a cheese that I adore, an award winner from Salisbury, VT. Blue Ledge Farm's
Lake's Edge is a mold ripened goat cheese that was named one of 100
Best Cheeses by Wine Spectator and was awarded a 2nd place ribbon by the
American Cheese Society. It is wonderfully tart and creamy with a
distinctive streak of vegetable ash running through it. Greg Burnhardt
and Hannah Sessions milk a mixed herd of Nubian, Alpine and Lamancha
goats and milk on average 75 goats 10 months a year. The goats' access
to grasses, leaves and fresh air help to produce a milk which is clean
and sweet tasting and that comes through in the cheeses the farm
produces.
The bread this week is a loaf made special for us at Red Hen.
It's Randy's Crosset Hill Round, a naturally leavened bread in the
style of pain de campagne-- a mixed wheat and rye bread. This loaf
celebrates this year's harvest of Vermont wheat, which they have just
begun to bake with. All of the wheat flour in this bread (92% of the
total) is from two different Vermont farms-- Gleason Grains in Bridport
and Aurora Farms in Charlotte. Gleason's flour is stone-milled and
lightly sifted, retaining much of the bran and all of the germ.
Aurora's (sold as Nitty Gritty Grains) is roller-milled by Champlain
Valley Mills. Randy is really happy with the quality of the wheat, let us know how you like the bread!
We
also have some of the flour this bread was baked with coming to you
this week. You will receive Ben Gleason's Snake River Sifted Wheat
Flour, produced by taking finely milled whole wheat flour and sifting a
portion of the bran out. In the end, only around 8% of the total weight
of the wheat is sifted off (as opposed to about 30% for white flour).
The end result is a lighter wheat flour that can be used in many places
you would use an all purpose flour with a tastier and healthier result.
The flour is wonderful for breads & pizza dough, and you can use it
for muffins and pancakes and baked goodies. I use this flour alone for
pancakes and muffins and sweet breads. For cookies and sweeter
confections I have been using a mix of this flour and Tom Kenyons VT
white that you received earlier this share.
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Recipes
It's a ginger fest in honor of the fresh ginger!
Fresh Ginger Dressing or Marinade
This
is a super simple and tasty dressing. It will be great as salad
dressing on this week's spicy greens mix, and works well as a drizzle on
kale, pac choi, chicken, fish, etc. Just mince the garlic and ginger,
and put all ingredients in a jar and shake to blend.
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
3/4 cup olive oil (or better yet 1/2 cup olive or vegetable, 1/4 cup sesame oil)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/8 cup soy sauce
2-3 tablespoons honey
Fresh Ginger Cake
This
Epicurious recipe by David Lebovitz is a winner. Deb served Ginger
cake for kunch today, I missed out but I hear it was delicious.
4 ounces fresh ginger
1 cup mild molasses
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil, preferably peanut
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup water
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs, at room temperature
Position the oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to
350°F. Line a 9 by 3-inch round cake pan or a 9 1/2 inch springform pan
with a circle of parchment paper.
Peel, slice, and chop the ginger very fine with a knife (or use a
grater). Mix together the molasses, sugar, and oil. In another bowl,
sift together the flour, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper.
Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan, stir in the baking soda, and
then mix the hot water into the molasses mixture. Stir in the ginger.
Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the batter. Add the eggs, and
continue mixing until everything is thoroughly combined. Pour the batter
into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 1 hour, until the top of
the cake springs back lightly when pressed or a toothpick inserted into
the enter comes out clean. If the top of the cake browns too quickly
before the cake is done, drape a piece of foil over it and continue
baking.
Cool the cake for at least 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of
the cake to loosen it from the pan. Remove the cake from the pan and
peel off the parchment paper.
Potatoes with Ginger and Garlic
This recipe from Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking I have made many times. Simple and very good.
1 pound potatoes
11/2 ounces ginger root, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt -- (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper -- (to taste)
1tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon fennel seed -- (optional)
Boil the potatoes in their jackets. Drain and allow to completely
cool. (Can be done the night before.) Peel and cut into 1-inch
cubes.
Put the ginger, garlic, turmeric, water, salt, and cayenne into a
blender or food processor. Blend until it becomes a paste.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick or cast-iron pan over a medium
flame. When it is hot, add the fennel seeds. Let them fry for a few
seconds. Now put in the spice paste. (Careful -- it will spatter and
spit.) Stir and fry for 2 minutes. Add the potato cubes. Fry,
stirring continuously, over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes or until
potatoes have a golden-brown crust.
Garlic and Ginger Pac Choi
Serve this delicious Asian style side dish alongside grilled chicken and some rice for a great simple meal.
2 small heads of Pac Choi
1 TB finely minced ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 TB tamari or soy sauce
6-8 drops of toasted sesame oil
Use
a chef's nice to make thin slices across from the bottom of the Pac
Choi head up freeing the stalks as you do so. Wash the stalks to remove
any trapped silt from between stalks. Chop the white stalks crosswise
into 1/2 to 1/2 slices until you reach the leaves. Chop leaves into 1 or
wider ribbons and set aside.
Heat a saute pan on the stove top and add
some cooking oil. When hot add the stalks and let them sizzle for a
minute until they are just starting to soften a bit. Add the ginger,
garlic and the red pepper flakes. Saute for 1 more minute. Add the
tamari, 6-8 drops of toasted sesame oil, and the leaves. Saute until the
leaves have wilted.
Ginger Lemon Potato Salad
This
recipe is adapted from one I found on the NPR website and I love the
looks of it. I was specifically looking for a cold ginger potato salad
because norland potatoes are such a nice potato for the purpose.
2 pounds red norland potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1.5 tsp lemon zest and a good splash of lemon juice
2 scallions, thinly sliced (plus extra for garnish, if desired)
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon water
1/2 jalapeno pepper (the more seeds, the hotter the flavor)**
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint (plus extra for garnish, if desired)
Scrub
the potatoes well, rinse thoroughly and pat dry. Peel and cut into
1-inch pieces. Add to a medium-size pan of water. Bring to a boil,
reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a
knife, yet still hold their shape, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and cool.
To
prepare the lemon grass, remove the tough outer layers of the stalk.
Once you reach the tender middle, mash it lightly with the side of a
large knife to release its oil and fragrance. Then mince it.
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except potatoes.
Place cooled potatoes in a large bowl. Pour lemon juice and zest over
the potatoes and toss well until evenly coated. Garnish with additional
finely chopped scallions and fresh mint, if desired. Serve at room
temperature or slightly chilled.
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