Farm Fresh newsletter 09-25-2010

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all enjoyed last night's Harvest Moon as much as I did!  Although I wasn't harvesting by the light of the full moon, I will be doing so tomorrow by the light of the sun to bring you the freshest vegetables possible.  Fall does not mean an end to the farm garden - it just marks another season of vegetables.  Most of the same vegetables that I grow in the cool spring weather will make an appearance again in the fall.  This means a return of the crisp, delicious fresh lettuces - the romaine lettuce is looking beautiful at the farm right now, and I'll be bringing some to market as well as oodles of other organic vegetables.  I've provided a fall theme with this week's recipes, so look below for an autumn salad and 2 different takes on a delicious greens & beans soup.  Hope to see you at market this week, but if you can't make it there is always the option for a pickup at my house (just email me 24 hours before you want to pick up your order).

Freeport Farmers Market, Saturdays 7:30-11:00 in the CVS parking lot on South Street.

Available this week:

• Lettuce: romaine heads and possible a looseleaf mesclun mix
• Kale: nutritious greens are great raw in salads or cooked in soup or saute
• Turnip Greens: use these in this week's soup recipe or try some mixed in a lettuce salad!
• Swiss Chard: another green that's great raw or cooked, as with all greens it's so good for you.
• Radishes: the fall crop is still coming in, French Breakfast heirloom variety, mild with just a hint of spiciness
• Cucumbers: a few still growing, lemon cucumbers as well as the traditional green slicing cuke for your salad
• Kohlrabi: perhaps a few kohlrabi this week
• Heirloom Tomatoes: I know I said they were done, but there are still a few plants with ripe tomatoes on the vine!  Perhaps 10 of the 300 plants are still alive. :-) Get to market early, or get an order in soon if you want a few!
• Winter Squash: one of my favorite vegetables.  I'll have several varieties of winter squash at market, including: White Acorn, Delicata (sweet potato squash), Apple Dumpling, Butternut, Hubbard. 
• Gourds & corn shocks: for your fall decorations.  Almost a dozen different types of gourds!
• Pears: some green Bartlett pears this week

Thanks all!

Penny
http://all-natural-mama.blogspot.com/


RECIPES

Cranberry Pear Tossed Salad

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup apricot nectar (I would think you could sub. honey here if you don't want to search for this nectar)
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 12 cups torn mixed salad greens
• 3 medium pears, sliced
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

Directions

1. For dressing, in a bowl, whisk together the first six ingredients; set aside. In a heavy skillet, melt sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add walnuts; stir to coat. Remove from the heat.
2. In a large salad bowl, combine greens, pears and cranberries. Drizzle with dressing. Add nuts and blue cheese; toss.

Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry navy beans
• 1 large bunch kale, rinsed, stemmed and chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound spicy linguica sausage, sliced (or substitute your favorite sausage)
• 1 cup chopped shallots (can substitute onion)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste (optional)

Directions

1. Place the navy beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse before using.
2. Cook the soaked beans in a pressure cooker in 4 cups of water for 25 minutes. Use the natural release method to release pressure. Do not drain.
3. Bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil. Add the kale and simmer until kale is bright green and tender, about 2 minutes. Drain in a strainer, and cool under cold running water. Set aside.
4. Heat olive oil over medium heat in the soup pot. Brown the linguica slices on each side, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add shallots to pot and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Pour in a splash of chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits of sausage.
5. Return the sausage to the pot along with the beans and their cooking liquid. Stir in the chicken broth. Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Add the kale and cook about 4 minutes longer. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste.

Spicy Black Bean, Chorizo and Turnip Greens Soup

In this soup, turnip greens are a fresh touch added at the end of cooking. They brighten the flavors and bring their own texture to the mix.

Makes about six 1-cup servings

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces (about 2 links) uncooked chorizo sausage, casings removed
• 1 to 2 teaspoon mild olive oil or vegetable oil (this may be optional; see directions)
• 1 small (3 ounces) onion, minced (3/4 cup)
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
• 15 to 16 ounces canned black beans, such as Wegmans "Food You Feel Good About" brand, rinsed and drained (may substitute 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans)
• 1 medium (8-ounce) potato, cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/4 cups; may substitute 8 ounces of red potatoes)
• About 5 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken broth
• Salt (optional)
• 8 ounces (1 bunch) turnip greens (stems removed), cleaned and cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-wide strips

Directions:

Line a plate with several layers of paper towels.
Heat a medium pot over medium heat. If the sausage is very lean, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Add the sausage meat, using a spoon to break up any large clumps. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the sausage pieces are lightly browned (they will not be cooked through).
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to the paper towel-lined plate. Add the onion to the pot and cook for 3 to 4 minutes over medium heat, adjusting the heat so the onion softens but does not brown. If the pan is dry, add 1 teaspoon of the oil.
When the onion is soft, add 1/4 teaspoon of the cumin, stirring to incorporate. Cook for 1 minute, then add the black beans, potato and 4 cups of the broth. Return the sausage pieces to the pot, crumbling them to the size of dried beans.
Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a slow boil; taste and add cumin or salt as needed. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the potato pieces are just tender. Add the turnip green strips, stirring to combine.
If the soup seems too stewlike or thick, add broth to achieve the desired consistency. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low so the soup is barely bubbling at the edges; cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the greens are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot.