Ichiban Eggplant
Fresh Cabbage
Last week was our last official week of our 2011 farm season. We took a little extra care as we prepared the shares – happy to finally be sending off baby carrots, broccoli, collards and other cold season crops like cabbage and squash. It’s been a great year and we will miss seeing our faithful members each week. We got a lot accomplished on Farm Volunteer Day thanks to a small but dedicated group of willing workers. Special thanks goes out to Andrew Kulley, John and Ty Thomas and Tiffany Gershon for pitching in to help clean up the fields in preparation for next season. We enjoyed sharing a pot of calico beans with the group at lunchtime, an Appelget Family favorite. A fellow farmer was kind enough to plant some rye for us in our back field recently. Cover crops add organic matter when they are tilled into the soil and their root system provides organic mater and opens passageways that help improve air and water movement. Read more about cover crops.
I’ve had a few requests for potluck recipes so I thought I’d share this terrific recipe for a green gratin from Whole Foods shared by Chef Cristin Mallinder.
Green Goat Cheese Gratin
The slight tang and creaminess of goat cheese brings richness to this baked gratin of wilted greens and leeks for a satisfying, ultra-tasty side dish using fresh ingredients. This was a popular dish at our potluck and Cristin was nice enough to share her recipe. Fresh local greens abound this time of year so it’s an excellent time to try a new recipe incorporating them.
Ingredients
4 teaspoons butter
3 leeks (1 1/2 pounds), dark green parts removed, remaining light green parts thinly sliced
2 pounds organic greens (about 3 bunches chard, kale and/or collards ), stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
3/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 (6 ounce) log Chèvre (goat cheese) , rind removed
20 Wheat Square Crackers, crumbled
Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large saucepot, melt butter over medium heat. Add leeks and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in greens, cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until just wilted, stirring occasionally. Cook greens in batches if your pot doesn’t hold them all at once. Transfer greens mixture to a bowl and set aside. Add milk to saucepot and heat just to a simmer. Remove from heat, crumble in goat cheese and whisk until melted. Stir in greens mixture until combined, then transfer to a shallow 3-quart baking dish. Bake 10 minutes, then top with cracker crumbs and continue baking until crumbs are toasted and greens are heated through, about 10 minutes longer
Serves 8
Fresh from the fields: Winter Squash, collards, lettuce, eggplant, carrots and broccoli.
On the home front, a natural gas line was run up to the house yesterday which is a milestone for the farm. We are now officially modernized with water, sewer connection and natural gas! Our new heater is still on order and we’re hoping to get a call any day. In the meantime, we’ve been making do with a few small but efficient electric heaters and extra layers of clothes. Having the oven on helps to warm up the kitchen so I plan to do my part by making my first pumpkin pie of the season today using this recipe. This isn’t my Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie but rather my go to shortcut pie recipe that I use with a store-bought pie shell. Like pumpkin pie? You can have a pie in the oven in 15 minutes with very little cleanup. Your place will smell incredible and you can look forward to a delicious dessert. What’s in your oven?
