Inspired by Farmer’s Daughter
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup squash puree 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup sugar 3 beaten eggsContinue reading »
We have been named one of three finalists this year for the Leopold Conservation Award. The Leopold Award recognizes “extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation on the land of exemplary private landowners.” It is given by the Sand County Foundation, in conjunction with the California Farm Bureau Federation and Sustainable Conservation.
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The trick to this dish is to simmer it gently so the cauliflower and potatoes don’t overcook. The cauliflower should be cooked through, but still retain some toothsome texture. Reducing the stock with the fennel and leeks adds flavor. Use a waxy potato rather than something like a Russet so the potato does not disintegrate and turn to mush.
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A variation on a Quickle, this uses a hot brine to soften up the carrots a little. I enjoy using lavender in savory dishes, and find lavender and fennel go well together.
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This is a substantial salad that is good when it is hot. It is composed of recipes that are already on the website except for the lavender quickled carrots. Lavender is fun to use in savory dishes and goes well with fennel. The meaty blandness of the beans and the vinegar of the dressings keep the lavender from being too much. The lavender should come across as a piece of pleasing music heard from the next room, not like someone wearing too much scent sitting down next to you.
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Peeling the squash before cutting makes it easier. Don’t worry about getting all the peel off; a little left on is fine and looks nice. Save the seeds to roast; just wash well and dry, then oil and sprinkle with salt and bake 10-15 minutes at 350°F or until done. Eat as is or save and use as garnish for this dish.
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As an organic farm, we never use any genetically modified (GM) seeds. This is required by the National Organic Program and enforced by the organic certifying agencies, so buying certified organic is one way that consumers can know that something they are buying is not GM. Unfortunately, there is currently no way to know if the non-organic items you might buy are GM or not, unless the company specifically says no GMOs on the label.
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This is a basic for any Japanese kitchen. In fact, dashi plus miso and some shreds of vegetable equals “miso-shiru”, or miso soup. There are various styles of hana-katsuo (dried bonito flakes)-some are smoked or dried over wood fires, others are not. I especially like using the smokey ones for miso soup as the year turns cool. Look for these flakes in Japanese or oriental markets, some “health-food” stores, and better groceries. In Watsonville, look for them at Yamashita Market. You can find them online as well.
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This is the recipe for traditional miso soup. It includes the recipe for “dashi” (which is the starting point of many Japanese recipes), which is the base of miso soup. There are instant dashi packets out there, but they never taste as good as home made, and are frequently laden with additives such as MSG. Dashi may be frozen for “instant” soup, so do not be put off by the idea of having more than enough dashi if you only want a bowl or two.
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This dish would be served as a separate course, or in a bowl of it’s own with the main course. The rounds of carrot look like little islands in their broth. Chantenay carrots really show their flavor when cooked slowly, as the are here. Dashi is the basic broth used in Japanese cooking, and is the base of miso soup, among many other things.
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Croutons are a way to add crunch. Here, it is the romaine that is the crunchy part, with the butternut cubes crisped on the outside and sweet and melting inside as a foil for the crisp and slight bitterness of the romaine. The roasted pumpkin seed oil adds a nice flavor and a lot of depth to this salad.
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Yesterday’s rainstorm failed to live up to its’ billing down here in our area—at most we got a tenth of an inch or two. In some ways I should be happy it didn’t rain more—we can continue to pick the strawberries as long as they stay more or less dry, and the beans don’t like the wet, cool weather either—but it’s always sort of a let-down when something you have worked so hard to prepare for doesn’t materialize.
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Watermelon radishes share many qualities with turnips. They cook up like turnips, but they are amazingly colored inside, like a late Autumn sunset. When cooked, the colors soften a little but are still vibrant. This cooking method softens the slight bitter quality and plays up the sweetness.
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Those of you who’ve been part of the farm community for awhile know that things don’t always work out as planned. Farmers are at the mercy of so many variables that we sometimes lose a crop or have unexpected outcomes due to weather, pest infestations, variability in soil conditions, seed issues and other factors.
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INGREDIENTS:
1 pound filet beans, trimmed and washed 3-4 “spring” onions, halved through the root and sliced lengthwise into 1/8th inch wide strips ½ cup white wine such as chenin blanc, rousanne, chardonnay 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 4-6 ounces heavy whipping creamContinue reading »
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups cooked cranberry beans (see recipe for “Basic Braised Shelling Beans” on site) 1 bunch collard greens, stemmed and shredded 1/8th inch, washed 2-3 “spring” onions (1 cup) sliced thinly into shreds 3 cloves garlic, minced ¼ cup diced ham, or a 1-inch chunk from the end of a prosciutto (Some delis will save these for you if you ask. They are excellent for seasoning dishes such as this.) slashed with a few deep cutsContinue reading »
INGREDIENTS:
1 head cauliflower, broken into florets and florets halved 1-2 bell peppers or Corno di Toro (any colors are fine), seeded and cut into ½ inch dice 1 tomatoes, cut into medium dice 2-3 “spring” onions, cut into medium dice (around ¾ to 1 cup) 2 cloves garlic, mincedContinue reading »
from Jeanne and Steve
We had a lovely time at our Harvest Fair and Pumpkin Patch last Saturday. Thank you to all those of you who were able to come, as well as all of our wonderful volunteers. The weather was perfect, the cider press was a big hit, as was the music, the food, the face painting, the crafts, the hayrides, and the bunnies, ducks, goats, cows, horses, and bees. Some pictures below; plus, Chef Andrew has written up recipes for all of the great fair food that we had to offer at the event.
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Here is my version of this fairly ubiquitous eggplant dish. It can be anything from sublime to downright nasty. The trick is to use good olive oil-not too much, fresh eggplant so the dish is not bitter, and grill the eggplant to get a nice charred, smokey flavor in there. If you can’t grill, use the broiler, but lower the rack so the eggplant has time to take on flavor before carbonizing. Also, be sure the tahini you use is fresh. This is the main culprit for nasty babaganoush. There is nothing like oxidized, rancid tahini to destroy a dish.
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This is for a salad of cilantro infused roasted beets with lettuce, but will work on things like shrimp salad, chicken (hot or cold), or shredded cabbage and/or jicama.
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