The harvest continues, and our best year of green beans is coming to an end. If you are wondering what to do with some of the ones you may not have eaten yet, or that you get in this week’s share, we recommend the recipe below. Many years ago I went to a small restaurant in Webster, New York that had a chef there who was a master at sauces. He was good with simple veggies too, and I had a dish of green beans with Asian five spice powder. The combination was superb, and I’ve used it often. We had the recipe below the other night.

Sweet Potato Greens
There will be a handful of samples of sweet potato greens at the end of the line this week. Ted Carey of KSU, who we buy our sweet potato starts from, has been working to re-introduce the many benefits of this delicious tuber to the area. Among the benefits is that you can eat the leaves of the plant, not just the root. Cooked, the greens are quite mild, but very healthy and full of antioxidants. Rebecca made a wonderful dish the other night based on this recipe. She modifed it quite a bit, using only a couple tablespoons of oil, subsituting fish sauce for the fish, and adding ginger. Google “sweet potato recipes” and see what you like. There is a simple recipe here. If people like them we will make them a regular share item in the fall.

Green Beans with Asian Five Spice Powder
Ingredients:
1 lb fresh green beans
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
2 tsp Asian Five Spice Powder
1 to 2 tbsp butter
pinch of salt
3 tbsp sunflower seeds

Method:
Clean the green beans by snapping off and discarding the stem end, and then snapping the beans in two.
Steam beans for 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender but still crunchy
Transfer to a bowl and mix with remaining ingredients
Serve hot

You can also cook the beans by sauteing them in a skillet for 5 to 10 minutes over medium high heat until they start to carmelize a bit and then tossing with the remaining ingredients.

Bulk Order Week of 9/28/09
Garlic $8.00/lb
Chard $3.00/bunch
Eggplant $3.00/lb
Beets $3.oo/bunch (specify Chiogga (stripped), or red beets)
Jalapenos $2.50/pint, $4.00/quart
Pepperoncinis $2.50/pint, $4.00/quart
Tomato seconds (as available heirloom and hybrids) – $2.50/lb; $2.00/lb over 10 lbs
Basil $2.oo/bunch
Dried herbs $2.00/tin (thyme, marjoram, dried hot peppers, lovage, lavendar flowers, coriander, oregano, rosemary)

Several people have asked us to post some pictures from our weekday vacation last Wed/Thurs. We took a leisurly drive through rural Missouri to Arrow Rock, MO for our first trip off the farm since Spring. It is the site of one of the first major settlements in Missouri. At one time it was at the head of the Sante Fe trail, serving as a major jumping off point for western settlers. Below is a running photo shoot w/some links if you want more info.

Jim the Wonder Dog, Marshall, Missouri. The plaque speaks for itself.

The Down Over bed and breakfast. So named because from Arrow Rock you can go down to New Orleans, or over to Sante Fe.

In the 1830’s the Missouri River took a very different course than where it is today. It swung a mile or so further west to Arrow Rock landing, at the base of the arrow rock where flint could be procured, and just down the bluff from the town of Arrow Rock. The photo on the left is Arrow Rock landing today, dry unless the river is flooding. The photo on the right is the river bank today, much as it might have looked back then.

Spring where travelers filled their water barrels before heading out on the Sante Fe trail. The trail was used more as a commercial trade route than as a path for settlers.

Arrow rock, with flint layer in the bluff.

Tavern in the town of Arrow Rock.

From the Arrow Rock museum. Back then it was possible to feed a 100 member CSA with a lot less plants.

DuPont experimental farm for corn and soybeans. The sign called it the “corn pipeline.” Other signs we say along the road exhorted how a certain brand of seed would yield “More Ethanol Per Acre.” Doesn’t sound like very appetizing crops.

Grain bins in Malta Bend, MO.

Space age water tower near Waverly, MO.

On the veteran’s memorial in Lexington, MO.

Lafayette County Courthouse with cannonball stuck in it’s column from the Civil War battle of September 1861.

broccoli

Besides harvesting the bounty this week we found some time to turn the compost pile. We have a three-bin system. Raw materials go in the first bin and accumulate, then we shovel them into the second, and by the time we get to the third it’s beautiful black gold. The finished product is destined for next February’s first seedlings in the greenhouse.

There is so much in the share this week that we are referring you to past recipes for your meal suggestions. Also, we are taking a short day trip tomorrow and are skimping on our blog time tonight.

Sweet Potato Ravioli with Lemon Sage Brown-Butter
Mashed Hakurei Turnip and Potatoes
Variations on Fried Peppers and Onions
Sweet Potato Latkes
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Sage
Radish and Arugula Salad
Ruggieri Zucchini Fritters

Japanese Sweet Potatoes
While we didn’t have quite the harvest we hoped for (the voles ate a portion of the crops), we are able to give everyone some sweet potatoes. The Japanese variety have a beautiful purple skin with cream white flesh, so don’t be alarmed that these aren’t like your normal sweet potatoes. Be aware though that the flesh will darken after being cut and exposed to air, so use them immediately upon cutting. Cook them like you would any sweet or regular potato. The orange sweet potoatoes will be dug this Saturday and handed out in two weeks.

Bulk Order Week of 9/21/09
Green beans $2.50/lb
Garlic $8.00/lb
Broccoli $3.00/bunch
Sweet Peppers $5/lb
Chard $3.00/bunch
Eggplant $3.00/lb
Jalapenos $2.50/pint, $4.00/quart
Pepperoncinis $2.50/pint, $4.00/quart
Tomato seconds (as available heirloom and hybrids) – $2.50/lb; $2.00/lb over 10 lbs
Basil $2.oo/bunch
Dried herbs $2.00/tin (thyme, marjoram, dried hot peppers, lovage, lavendar flowers, coriander, oregano, rosemary)

Chiogga Beets
An heirloom Italian beet, they are growing as well as they ever have for us right now. After sowing the seeds and letting them come up, we thinned them a little farther apart than normal. That, along with the mild weather of August/September, and the oats/vetch cover crop that preceeded the planting probably all contributed to the success.

The white and red banding of this beet makes it half as red, and much milder than the deep red beets most of you are probably used to. The greens are also quite tender and delicious, both raw and cooked.

Chinese Cabbage
Also know as Napa cabbage, this is the first time in over a year that we have had a good crop. Rather than repeat myself, check out our October 7, 2008 blog for a kim chee recipe and more info on Chinese cabbage.

Beet Hash
A month ago our good friends from Bad Seed, Brooke and Dan, came by for a Sunday brunch. Their contribution was a delicious beet hash that they often make. Here is our stab at it, it turned out great. This works well with any beets. You can also add some chopped beet greens for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Ingredients
1 bunch of beets
1 onion
2 large cloves of garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp dried oregano, marjoram, summer savory or thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter

Method
Cut the tops and root end off the beets. Cut them into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Stack the rounds and cut them into matchsticks. Chop the onions and garlic.

Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil for 2 minutes on medium high heat. Add the beets, salt, and oregano. Mix. Cook for 5 minutes more.

Stir and turn heat to medium low. Cook for approximately 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Add butter during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Hash is ready when beets are tender and slightly browned.

Bulk Order Week of 9/14/09
Green beans $2.50/lb
Garlic $8.00/lb
Broccoli $3.00/bunch
Chard $3.00/bunch
Eggplant $3.00/lb
Jalapenos $2.50/pint, $4.00/quart
Pepperoncinis $2.50/pint, $4.00/quart
Tomato seconds (as available heirloom and hybrids) – $2.50/lb; $2.00/lb over 10 lbs
Basil $2.oo/bunch
Dried herbs $2.00/tin (thyme, marjoram, dried hot peppers, lovage, lavendar flowers, coriander, oregano, rosemary)

German Potato Salad
We all have our comfort food. For me, potato salad is high on the list. I grew up in Cincinnati, a city steeped in Germania. The potato salad of choice there is the German variety, served hot, warm or cold and dressed with bacon grease and vinegar.

I also like a good mayonaise based dressing on my potato salad, but have learned that our farmhands are not so inclined. So the last time we fried up some Parker Farms bacon, I saved the bacon grease to make some potato salad the German way. It was more warmly recieved. Sorry that I don’t know of a way to convert this recipe for those vegans and vegetarians in the CSA. If you have any suggestions please add a comment to this blog.

I used the recipe below as a starting point, adding some chopped sweet pepper. Also, I only used the leftover bacon grease we had, sans bacon bits.

Ingredients (from AllRecipes.com)
3 cups diced peeled potatoes
4 slices bacon
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Method
1. Place the potatoes into a pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain, and set aside to cool.
2. Place the bacon in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Fry until browned and crisp, turning as needed. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Add onion to the bacon grease, and cook over medium heat until browned. Add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and pepper to the pan. Bring to a boil, then add the potatoes and parsley. Crumble in half of the bacon. Heat through, then transfer to a serving dish. Crumble the remaining bacon over the top, and serve warm.

Bulk Order Week of 9/7/09
Jalapenos $2.50/pint, $4.00/quart
Pepperoncinis $2.50/pint, $4.00/quart
Tomato seconds (as available heirloom and hybrids) – $2.50/lb; $2.00/lb over 10 lbs
Basil $2.oo/bunch
Dried herbs $2.00/tin (thyme, marjoram, dried hot peppers, lovage, lavendar flowers, coriander, oregano, rosemary)