Salsa!

Another great share, another inspired dish.

The cilantro, peppers and onions were the base of this salsa.
Finely chop one torpedo onion, one of those long curvaceous peppers, and a bunch (or less, as you like) of cilantro. Add chopped tomatoes- I used little cherry tomatoes, which have exploded since receiving them as a little plant in my first share. Salt, dried red chili flakes (or any other chilies), and Voila!

Of course this recipe can vary thousands of times, but this is a simple, fresh satisfying version.

Kale & Sorrel Soup

Oh what a delight to see sorrel popping out of the bag today!
It's too bad it loses its fresh bright green color upon cooking, but it always imparts a wonderful lemony freshness

Sautee until soft: one lovely thinly sliced red onion with 3 cloves of chopped garlic with a generous pinch of salt & a grind of pepper (I use a mix of Szechuan & green)

Add 3 potatoes, coarsely chopped (peeled if you like) & 2 chopped carrots

Add plenty of water, a dash of molasses, a splash of soy sauce, 2 bay leaves, and a heel of your favorite cheese, if you wish

When potatoes soften a bit, add the whole bunch of kale, chopped, large stems removed, and 1/4 bunch of sorrel, some fresh basil & parsley leaves

Simmer til everything is tender, adjust seasoning, remove bay leaves and cheese rind, and blend

Serve with a spoonful of creme fraiche or yogurt or not..

recipe mania

Hi all,
I've been working on a bunch of recipes for Wealth Underground for a project called Your Garden Cookbook, which I am making with my friend Nicole. I'll let you know when it's done.
Meanwhile, I've been delighted with my surprise bags of goodies...
Oh what to do with the cabbage? I had an overdose of cabbage while living in Czech republic for 8 years.


The answer:
Pickle it!

Pickled Red Cabbage

Quarter and thinly slice a head of red cabbage into strips

Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of salt, cover and refrigerate for 2 days, turning occasionally

Drain liquid

‘Sterilize’ an XL canning jar- you can just rinse with boiling water if you’ll eat these fast (which you will)

Bring 1-1/2 quarts of rice vinegar with 1-1/2 quarts water to a boil (you can explore a variety of vinegars)

Meanwhile, layer cabbage with salt, coriander seeds, bay leaves, peppercorns, garlic cloves and star anise- a few teaspoons of each. You could add some sugar, too, if you like

Pour liquid over and cover

When cool, refrigerate for a day or two and enjoy a gorgeous pink zesty crunchy delight!

family fun day!

Visited the farm Sunday as part of the Kids' Day activities, bringing along our goddaughter, Maddie, and her parents (our adopted family), Jim and Jocelyn who drove up from Salem for the day. Even though the day started out a bit cool and overcast, it cleared up and warmed up by the time we arrived, which made for a perfect day to traipse around a farm.

We had a lovely time together, and Chris and Nolan were excellent hosts and guides. They had fun and easy things for Maddie to do and try (she'll be 3 in a few weeks) while handily keeping up with the barrage of questions we threw their way. We also got a chance to meet Camper and his family for part of our tour, and you never saw a cuter kid in a cowboy hat.

I've posted more about it on our website, along with lots of pictures (and if I can get it to work later, a short video) if you want to check it out.

beet eater

Just thought I'd share a picture of our serious beet eater, Camper, hard at work.

Looking forward to Sunday.

~Amy

Chard Lasagna

Hey Sharemembers,
Here's what I remember of the original recipe my mom improvised when I was 10ish. It inspired the one Chris posted on this week's blog (It's the other way "that's been delicious").

From the bottom up, in a rectangular (or not) baking dish).

French Lentils (cooked, or soaked overnight or for at least 6-8 hours). I recommend cooking, but don't overcook them (you want them to have texture in the finished dish).

Thinly sliced potatoes.

Whole raw Chard leaves with ribs removed (you can sauté the ribs up with onions and garlic and add to the lentils). Layered at least 3 leaves thick.

Cheese. Suit to your flavor preferences. Mild and creamy for kids, or strong and pungent if you’re into that). It’s nice for the top of the “lasagna” if the cheese is a melt and brown variety.

Experiment heavily: I remember this recipe from a long time ago, and that it was delicious, but I don’t know all the tricks. ie: what temperature was it baked at in order to get the potatoes and lentils to cook, how many reiterations of these layers did it have? My sense is that as long as there is sufficient moisture in the pan (try using broth for added flavor) you could start with soaked lentils, and raw potatoes and end up with perfection. You’d probably want to bake it covered and at a low temp. 300 for a while, 40 minutes plus? Also try experimenting with seasoning styles; I bet Indian spices, or Black beans and Salsa would make nice variations.

Enjoy!

Grace

Hello, fellow sharemembers!

Hi, my name is Brittney and my husband (Sal) and I are Wealth Underground sharemembers. We live just across the river in St. Johns in a Craftsman-style bungalow with a view of the St. Johns Bridge that we've been fixing up since the day we moved in. You can learn more about us and our house on our website, The Hallway. We first learned about Wealth Underground from last year's St. Johns Farmers' Market and we're big fans. We feel very fortunate to live where we live and to have an opportunity like this one, to support wonderful local agriculture that's committed to the same values we are.

Sal's the chef in the family (literally), so we've been enjoying some amazing creations using our fresh produce since the share started a few weeks ago. And when we start to get a little behind on using things up and another Tuesday is looming, there's always stir fry to save the day.

I pack bento* lunches to take to work, and as you might imagine, all the delicious produce we've been getting in our canvas bag each week has made each lunch a special treat. Thursday's bento was a particularly delicious salad -- it included beets, spring onion, and green and red leaf lettuce from this week's share and a radish from last week's:

• green & red leaf lettuces lining the box
• herb roasted chicken breast
• julienned carrots
• beets roasted with spring onion and a bit of olive oil and sea salt
• radish "flower"
• sunflower seeds
• homemade sweet vinaigrette

Sal always says the secret of good cooking is good ingredients...we certainly have that from Wealth Underground, don't we?

*(Bento, if you don't know, is a Japanese-inspired style of packed meals. Not only is it nutritious, it's great fun, too! And addictive...I highly recommend it.) And if there's anyone out there who does bento, I'd love to hear from you!