Culinary Corner: Oh Kale!

Elizabeth focuses on kale this week.  GFF has had consistent kale production since 2012 and some production for a few years prior to that.  We grow two types of curly green kale (Dwarf Blue Scotch and Vates), one type of curly red kale (Scarlet), a flat leaf kale (Red Russian) and a Tuscana type kale (Lacinato).  Our CSA members might notice that we have taken to giving bunches of kale in their shares with more than one variety in them.  We hope you enjoy these thoughts on using kale. [rf]

Dwarf Blue Scotch kale

Kale comes from the brassica family and is rich in vitamins and minerals, making it very popular over the last couple of years as a versatile health food. Raw kale can be bitter and some are off-put by this taste, but there are a number of ways to prepare kale and reduce the bitterness. Almost everyone has tried kale chips and replacing spinach with it in soups and stir-frys, but maybe you're looking for something new? Here are a few new uses for kale beyond stir-fry and stew!

Kale and Walnut Pesto

Don't try this with delicate basil! To get the kale ready, you should blanch it first to soften and dispel some of the bitterness. For this step, I'll often treat the kale like pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add salt, add kale. Boil for about a minute, then drain. Run some cold water over the kale to stop the cooking process, wring it dry in a clean kitchen towel, then you're ready to go!

• 1 bunch of kale, stems removed
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• kosher salt

Pulse the garlic and walnuts in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the parmesan, kale, and lemon juice and pulse until chopped. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to form a coarse puree. Add the lemon juice and kosher salt to taste, pulse to combine.

Red Russian Kale

Massaged Kale Salad

Yes, you read that right! Maybe you don't want to blanch, boil, saute, or otherwise cook out any nutrients from this leafy superfood. Or maybe it's just too hot out and you don't feel like turning on the stove. Massaging the kale helps break down the fibrous leaf without applying heat, so it's a bit easier to digest.
To massage the kale, just remove the stems, chop it up and collect it in a bowl large enough to fit. Massage/roll the kale between your fingertips for a few minutes until it's soft.

• 1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp honey
• Fresh fruit of choice
• Sunflower seeds or pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Massage the kale for a couple of minutes, until soft, then set aside. Whisk together the lemon juice and honey, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking to make a dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss the kale with the dressing, and finish with your favorite fruit and some sunflower seeds.

What the Farmers Do With Their Share

Elizabeth may not be able to get a post together for Sunday, so we're going to have this one ready to go just in case!

Tammy and I typically go through a large share of produce between the two of us and we do admit that it can be a bit of a challenge some weeks.  When you're tired, you just don't want to be inventive or deal with anything extra.  Nonetheless, one of the things that often works very well are various stir fry combinations.  Here is one that we enjoyed recently is shown below:

Fancy Scrambled Eggs

cook in a pan

• 1/4 lb of bacon

while this is cooking cut up

• 1 summer squash
• 1 zucchini
• 1/2 lb of potatoes
• 1 small onion

Add the cut up veggies to the bacon.
Cook until almost tender.

Stir together

• 4 eggs 
• 1/2 cup milk

Add the mixture to the skillet and scramble it all together until the egg/milk mixture is firm.

Add salt and paprika powder to taste.

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We are also a fan of Zuppa Toscana and you can find a recipe we use on the kale tab on our recipe pages.

CSA member Tonya Schmidt mentioned that she had a crock pot version of Zuppa Toscana and was willing to share it with us.

• 1 lb Italian Sausage (spicy preferred)
• 4-6 potatoes, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 c bacon pieces (optional)
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic (3-4 cloves)
• 32 oz chicken broth
• 1 c kale or swiss chard chopped (we would tend to add more)
• 1 c heavy whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp flour

1. Brown sausage in saute pan
2. Cut sausage in half lengthwise, then cut slices
3. Place sausage, chicken broth, garlic, potatoes and onion in slow cooker.  Add just enough water to cover the vegetables and meat.
4. Cook on high 3-4 hours (low 5-6 hours) until potatoes are soft.

30 minutes before serving

1. Mix flour into cream, removing lumps
2. Add cream, kale and bacon to crock pot and stir
3. Cook on high 30 minutes or until broth thickens slightly
4. Add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste

Balancing It Out

Our previous post struck some nerves with some of our farmer friends and you can take that as either a good or a bad thing depending on how you are feeling.  What it means to me is that it is perfectly normal for us to feel this way this time of year.  It's just part of the process.  And, we received other reactions from persons who support our farm that were kind and supportive.  We are very grateful for these words of kindness and they will go a long way to helping us pull out of what is likely just a natural progression through any long season.  As I said at the beginning of the prior post, we will do fine and we know we'll be fine.  We also are aware that we work for some fabulous people and we have amazing friends and family.  And, we are very aware that many things are going quite well this year.

And that is why we made the post we did.  We all gain strength in the telling and the understanding.  And, when we get ourselves to talk (or write about it) it usually means we are ready to move on.

And, if you don't believe this isn't a cycle for your farmers (and likely other farmers who do what we do), consider this post from December of 2013 extolling the virtues of a perfect, but flawed, season on the farm.  And, in case you want to see the other side of the coin - the season when the farmers think all the rows will be straight and the weeds will be well-behaved, go read about Farmer Delusional Syndrome.

One way of moving on is to remind ourselves of what is going well.  Because there ARE things that have gone, or are going, quite well.  In fact, we're very aware that we've had a pretty good season compared to others who have fought a very difficult battle with the weather this year.

1. Excellent variety in our shares
The contents of our shares this season have been very good, if we do say so ourselves.  Thus far, our shareholders have received thirty different vegetables in their shares.  The value received is well above the cost for the season and the quality has been very good.

In short, the CSA has gone very, very well this far into the season and I'm sure we'll do a decent job for the rest as well.  Remember, we let things on the farm bother us, this is true.  Yes, many things didn't and aren't going the way we wanted them to.  But, no matter what, we have found ways to provide our members with an excellent experience.

2. Excellent people in our CSA farm share program

Thank you all for a great festival!

Every year we are reminded exactly how special the people in our farm share program are. With an odd and rare exception here or there, they support our efforts and give us positive feedback when we need it most.  We were reminded strongly of this at the Summer Festival that was just a week ago at the farm. 

But, this is another reason why we ride the roller coaster we do.  We very much want to do well for our share holders.  We take mistakes or failures on the farm even more personally because they could reduce the quality of the CSA experience we want our members to have.  And, when something doesn't go particularly well, we do everything we can to minimize the impact to our members.  It's part of our commitment to the program and it's just the way we think it needs to be.

3. Really, we got some major things accomplished this year.

Getting a new high tunnel up and running was no small thing

The farmer's current "to do list" is eight pages long and several hundred items in length, so it is no wonder he can get overwhelmed and not see some of the great accomplishments of the season.  I believe I am not alone in having a very long list of things that are waiting for me to get to them, so I am not special in that regard.  I can tell you that if any farmer on a diversified, small farm such as ours were pressed, they could easily come up with a similar list of things they need to do.

We should not forget that we did put up our second high tunnel in June and we have still managed to keep everything going this year - despite having a good week taken away form our normally very busy planting/weeding time. We actually had a hatching of our own ducklings this year - which is also a new thing for us.  We'll count that as a fairly major accomplishment, though we can't take much credit for the actual efforts our ducks put into it.  And, we finally get to re certify the West half of our farm as organic this year.  What a relief that is to us!

4. There have been some very successful crops this season.
There is a reason peas were featured in more than one blog post this year.  And, the cucumbers did very well for an abbreviated period of time.  So, we really did mind your peas and cukes!  I took a quick look at the numbers and realized that part of the issue was that we had a rough year with the small cukes (Boothby's Blonde, Parade and True Lemon) - and some of that was simply a matter of running out of time to harvest.  As it was, we picked a record number of A&C Pickling (858) cucumbers and just missed a record with Marketmore 76 (952).

It's still hard to believe this year's onion crop

While they won't set records for us this year, the volume and quality of the peppers, beans, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, kale, chard and other crops have been quite good.  Enough to give our CSA members plenty to enjoy and enough for us to freeze for the Winter months as well.  Other crops that are doing less well, such as the tomatoes, summer squash, zucchini, eggplant and lettuce have done well enough that they've made their presence known in shares.  And, while quantity has been low, the taste has been there.  And, we're still looking at some amazing returns for our onions and we've got to explore the potato crop further.  On top of that, those sneaky melons are showing up in shares and treating people to a very sweet bit of Summer!

But, perhaps we are happiest with what seem to be some very successful efforts to support our pollinators on the farm.  We attribute part of the effort to a renewed commitment this year to getting annual flowers interplanted into our crops this year.  We've done this since we started the farm, but recent seasons found us having some trouble getting the flowers into the field at the levels we would prefer to see.  We'll add some pictures later - but I witnessed some of the rewards just this week while I was harvesting.  In a very short period of time, I witnessed at least 2 dozen monarchs, 4 hummingbirds and countless bees and other smaller insects in the row of zinnias by the tomatoes.

Endurance Tests

Every year the month of September heralds the "back to school blues" on our farm.  For those who have read our blog for a while, you know I will put a caveat out there right now just to balance out what follows.  Tammy and I do love our farm and genuinely like what we do.  We've got some of the best customers around and we're pleased to provide them with our great produce.  So, don't get too worried about us just because of one post.

But, every thing that is worth doing has its stages and moments where all is not green beans and sweet corn... or peaches and cream... or whatever you want to use to indicate positive results and feelings.  I sometimes will share such things in our blog to educate others a little bit about what growers, such as ourselves, might be feeling.  We will do our best at every CSA distribution to be positive and interact with you with a smile.  But, just like everyone else, we will have our moments where we don't really want to smile and we aren't feeling all that positive.  We'd like you to understand where some of that might come from and why we sometimes hesitate when you ask us how things are going.  We hesitate because the real answer is so complex, we're not always even sure what the answer is! 

Well, there's ONE field that looks good.

Part I - Building Endurance
Every growing season is an endurance test for the farmers.  Early in the season (March-May), our bodies and minds are not used to the routine.  The struggle at that time is simply the normal process of building endurance for the daily routine that is work on the farm.  But, this is balanced out by Tammy's transition from school to the farm (typically late May) and the addition of seasonal workers (who typically have a school schedule as well).  Add to that the natural promise that the beginning of a season always brings and you have some natural balance to the moments when the muscles ache and you just want to fall into bed and sleep for a week.

Part II - You've Got Endurance - Too Busy to Notice It!
We are quite busy through May, but it is nothing like the next part of the season.  And, actually, this stage probably starts about May 20 at our farm and ends towards the end of July.  The arrival of workers tends to coincide with the time of the season where we're doing so much that a week goes by and we're not entirely sure where it went.  But, the list of tasks completed is always impressive - it's just that the list of the things that need to be done always gets longer.

We're planting, picking, weeding and everything elsing!  We do get sore and we are often very tired.  But, an amazing thing is happening at the same time.  Some of the things we struggled to lift in April are an afterthought as we pick them up.  The list of accomplishments on an early May day looks like we took it easy if we were to happen to review it July.  But, when I review an accomplishment list that was recorded in early July during one of the Winter months, it even impresses me.  That's saying something.

Tammy says, "Why'd you plant so many green beans?"

Part III - External Pressures
There are always external pressures that come to bear in any occupation.  But, it is typically late July into August that the specter of chemical application rears its ugly head.  Additionally, we become very aware that workers are approaching their final days on the farm for the season.  And, Tammy has to begin converting back to school mode.  We're usually every bit as busy in August as we are in June/July, but the tenor of work changes and priorities shift in response to how much time is left with the extra helping hands.  So, while we might be tired and are guilty of thinking thoughts about not working so hard, it is balanced by some new energy to reach closure on some important tasks for our workers (and for ourselves).

Hydro-cooling broccoli and cauliflower

Part IV - Are We There Yet?
And, here we are - the beginning of September - and this phase usually starts during the end of August.  So, we've been in it for a little bit.

I don't think I've said it enough, but I am proud of Tammy and the work she does.  It is amazing to me (and it should be to you as well) that she puts so much of herself into teaching Social Work at Wartburg College and then comes home and does the same for the farm.  But, the reality is this - we have to work to phase her out of as much of the farm operation as possible while keeping her involved enough to stay happy.  After all, we are partners in this effort and I wouldn't have it any other way.

The net result is that much of the farm work is done by yours truly (no I am not trying to diminish any help I DO receive - I appreciate all that I get!  So, thank you Kory for help with cleaning and packing this Fall.  And thank you Tammy for continuing to help with the poultry and the green beans!).

But, the biggest difficulty is that we are at the point in the season where you fully realize that there is an end in sight and a big part of you just wants to skip the in-between parts and jump right to the end.  Wouldn't it be nice to dig all of the carrots and potatoes and hand each CSA member 15+ pounds of each and then call it a season?  It's right after that thought that I realize the CSA continues deep into October.  Then, after that, we typically do a Fall share for a smaller number of people.  And, oh, by the way, you have ducks, turkeys, two flocks of hens and two flocks of meat chickens to deal with still.  And, if you wanted to plant any more Fall/Winter crops, you'd better do that now (or else).

It's also the time of season where you do a little reflecting simply because all of the personnel changes encourage reflection.  As a result, you look at all of the things that were supposed to be done by now (and aren't).  Then you look at all of the things that you wanted to have done by now (and aren't).  Then...you take a deep breath and look at the things that HAD to be done by now (and aren't).  Some of these things can never be corrected and others you should just let go of because you know something more important will suffer because you choose to still try to finish them.

This is often an exercise in negativity since the focus is on what wasn't done and all of the things that didn't quite work out.  We still haven't put up a walk-in cooler.  The broccoli isn't providing the side-shoots we expect every year.  The new approach to keeping the weeds out of the winter squash failed and now you have a mess on your hands in that field.  It's difficult and it is hard to want to keep at it.  Especially when you know it all seems to come down to you and your shortcomings.

In short, we question whether we are actually any good at what we do during this time of the year.  After all, if we were any good, we wouldn't be in the same pickle this year with the weeds as we were last year (and the year before that....etc etc).

Part V - Renewal

Then, I looked closely at this door.

Two small, seemingly insignificant words - "thank you".  And, we're suddenly feeling better about things.  A successful morning picking more than enough melons for our Waverly members and scouting that shows we'll be able to do the same for Cedar Falls this week.  A kind word from someone else during distribution.  And, a general feeling that most people seem to "get it" at least enough to know that we're doing our darndest to make it all work for those for whom we grow produce and raise poultry.

It's still going to be a battle for the next few weeks, but eventually, the renewal wins out and we're ready to begin looking at how we're going to keep improving.  Preparing to complete the cycle and entering the final stage.

Part VI - Reflection and Anticipation
Time to put the season into perspective and begin planning for an even better year than all those that came before.  Perhaps I'll save that for another post.

Thank you for helping the farmers through their own personal endurance tests!

Culinary Corner: Onion Options

This installment may be a bit off of the regular Sunday schedule, but it makes it no less useful and interesting!  Elizabeth focuses on some options for using some of the excellent onion crop coming in at the farm this season.  We hope you enjoy reading about some different options for the onions our members receive.  And, the crop is good enough that some of these onions may appear in other venues this year! [RF]

A recent harvest at GFF

It seems like almost every recipe I made in school started with "sweat an onion.***" Onion appears everywhere, from mirepoix as a flavor base for stocks and mother sauces, to basic stir-fries, but not all onions are created equal. There are three basic kinds I'd like to focus on: Standard white onions, red onions and sweet onions. On GFF, you may recognize these as White Wings, Red Wings, and Ailsa Craigs, respectively. [ed. note: A fourth variety on the farm are the yellow storage onions, this year the varieties are Dakota Tears and Sedona]

The biggest difference between the red and white onions and the sweet ones is sulfur. Sulfur compounds are those annoying, naturally-occuring chemicals in onions that make you cry, and that give raw onions their acrid bite. These can be cooked out of regular onions, but you won't find as much of them in sweet onions. For this reason, sweet onions are my go-to slicers for sandwiches and salads. I tend not to cook with sweet onions, but they are also very good in stir-frys where all the vegetables still have a bit of crunch to them. [ed. note: A GFF favorite is to grill rings of Ailsa Craigs on the grill with hamburgers]

Ailsa Craig Exhibition sweet onion

So what about those red and white onions that are showing up in your shares? Here are a few ideas beyond the standard "chop and sweat."

Red Onions

Red onions add a pretty pop of color to whatever you're cooking and you'll often see them sliced thinly in salads, or used in salsas. One of my favorite ways to prepare red onions is by pickling them. The acid of vinegar or fruit juice turns the muted red into a vibrant pink and adds a sharp, bright taste to whatever dish you add it. I have two versions, a traditional apple cider vinegar recipe, and a citrus version that uses lime and orange juice. Try both and pick your favorite!

Redwing Onions

"Traditional" Apple Cider Vinegar recipe:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/pickled-red-onions-1222211

Citrus Pickled Red Onions:
http://www.chow.com/recipes/10839-pickled-red-onions

If pickling isn't your thing, I also love turning red onions into a jam for a sweet topping to savory dishes. Red onion jam is really good with cheese and meats and the recipe is relatively fuss-free. I like this one here from a user on AllRecipes:
http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/222719/red-onion-marmalade/?mxt=t06rda


White Onions

My absolute favorite onion recipe comes from my mom's best friend. Her family is French and every year for New Year, she makes a huge pot of French Onion Soup. She'll start early in the day on NYE and we'll eat a bowl at midnight for good luck. I got the recipe from her and I love it for cool fall days when a hot bowl of soup with oodles of melted cheese warms me from head to toe.

White Wing Onions

Marlaine's French Onion Soup

3 lbs onions
3 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
1 gal of beef broth
olive oil for sauteeing
loaf of French Bread
1 lb Gruyere**
1 lb Swiss**

Peel the onions and cut into 1/2" slices. Saute in a large pan with olive oil. Add the butter and saute until golden. Add the flour, stir and cook about 5 mins more. Slowly add ~1/3 cup beef broth and mix until well combined. Transfer to a large stock pot and add remaining beef broth. Add salt/pepper to taste. Cook on med-low for a couple of hours. To serve, pour hot soup into an oven-proof bowl. Add about 1/2 cup shredded cheese and top with a thick slice of toasted and buttered French bread. Top with another generous helping of cheese and broil until golden.


**Note: Gruyere is a flavorful aged cheese that doesn't melt very well on it's own. When combined with a mellow cheese that does melt well, like Swiss, you get all of the flavor and none of the gritty chunks of stubborn cheese that refuse to melt. Marlaine recommends shredding the cheese the night before and laying it out on a cookie sheet to dry out a bit. It's less stringy when it melts!
 
*** Also Note: Sweating an onion for those who do not know, we found this website had a decent and simple explanation for sweating vegetables [RF]. http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/how-to-sweat-vegetables/

Scavenger Hunt 2015

The Summer Festival at the Genuine Faux Farm for 2015 featured great food, great music and lots of fun for all ages this year.  We are grateful for the help we received in the set up (and tear down) phases this year and we think everyone had a good time!

We'll post more on the subject on a day when we are less tired.  But, for now, we thought we'd share our photos for the 2nd annual GFF photo scavenger hunt!  We'll follow up later this week with photos that give more location/context.  So, those that attended and missed some of them can see the 'key.'