Monday, September 26, 2011

News from the farm

As many of you heard, about 10 days ago we had some very unusual weather in most of our fine state, including our farm-temps plummeted down to an almost record breaking 27 degrees. While some things were salvaged due to their hardier nature, that kind of low actually melted all the warm weather veggies plants: tomatoes, peppers, cukes, zucchini & summer squash, beans, the vines of the winter squash & pumpkins and saddest of all to me, melons. We did our best to salvage what was there, hence the continued tomatoes ect. last week, but I'm sorry to say that was about it. It's also sad because it appears to have been a fluke thing and this fall is going to continue on with moderate temps that would have normally continued ripening things for however many more weeks. Rest assured, we will do our best to round out the season with cooler season crops that will continue to mature for another month without difficulty.

Aside from the weather, I want to make sure to remind everyone that today is 39 weeks pregnant for me. Perhaps I will try to post a picture of your dedicated veggie farmer because I guarantee I've grown more than what you see in your boxes every week-a very special little pumpkin has been with me for every seed planted, every walk down the rows, every pulled weed, and every lifted bin of produce.  I'm guessing that this will be the last week I will be able to work until after the baby comes, so as stated in the 2011 CSA contract in the beginning of the season, I will take my leave of you all for a couple weeks to enjoy some well earned time with my little one. Most of you with a half share are within a week of being finished with your 9 weeks of the season and I will contact you directly via phone or email about finishing the season in October if we still have some to go.

That's all for now...

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Recipe: Catch-all Pot Pie

Cooler days are ahead and it might become safe to turn on the oven after tonight, so I'll post this one I made at our house a week ago to rave reviews. It was super easy and allowed me to use up all kinds of veggies I had left over. As with most of the recipes posted here, feel free to be loosey goosey with quantities of herbs and veggies because it's more about using what you have on hand. The only measurements that need to be adhered to are the ones for the biscuit topping. So here goes...
(From the Moosewood Restaurant New Classics - one of my all-time favorite cookbooks)

-2 cups coarsely chopped potatoes and sweet potatoes if you have them
-2 cups chopped carrots and/or parsnips
-1 or 2 chopped onions
-Shitakes or other mushrooms
-Several cloves of minced garlic
-3 cups of stock or water
-tsp of dried or fresh thyme, oregano or rosemary
-tsp salt if not using stock with salt already added
Combine above list and simmer for 15 minutes in large pot. While this is cooking, create mixture of 3 tbsp cornstarch in 1/2 cup or so of water for the gravy. Also during this time create the biscuit topping:

-2 cups white flour
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tbsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-6 tbsp melted butter
-1 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
-1 tsp chopped fresh dill
sift together dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Combine these into one bowl mixing as little as possible to make a soft dough. If you get zealous with making sure every lump is gone it will make the end product tough and hard instead  of a light biscuit.

Add to simmering veggies the cornstarch mixture and any softer veggies like peas, corn, summer squash, okra, tomatoes, pretty much whatever. (If you're not familiar with cooking okra, keep the ratio of okra mass to tomato mass at least one to one-the acid in the tomatoes cuts the acquired taste and texture of okra.)
Allow veggies and thickener to simmer for 5 more minutes or so and then pour into a lightly greased deep baking dish. Carefully spoon blobs of the biscuit onto the top and then bake for 30 minutes or so at 350. A knife should come away from the center of a biscuit clean when they are done.
Enjoy-we sure did!