Category Archives: Our Farm

2016 CSA Winter March 19

 

  • Chard
  • Baby Salad Mix 8×8
  • Baby Arugula 8×8
  • Baby Red Ribbed Sorrel
  • Flat Parsley
  • Dill
  • Cilantro
  • Mint
  • Rose Geranium
  • Butternut Squash
  • Sorrel Pesto

2016 CSA Winter March 19

Renew or signup for CSA at https://specials.planetearthdiversified.com/pay-online

With the advance of a cold spell approaching, let’s appreciate the comfort of the butternut squash. We like to oven roast by cutting it in half, removing the seeds and placing it open side down in about an inch of water…baking it about 45 minutes at 350f or until it is soft when forked and the skin is separating. This flesh can be eaten as is, topped with favorites from sweet to savory, such as butter, nuts, cheese, sage, cinnamon, etc. Make another meal out of it by blending it in the food processor to make a creamy soup. We have used cream, sour cream, sage, arugula, peppers and curry powder as additions for texture and flavor. The flesh can be used in recipes such as you might find for pumpkin. Below is a recipe from allrecipe.com that looked really good!

Squash soup

Squash soup

1 ½ cups squash, 3 eggs, ½ cup water, ½ cup vegetable oil, ½ cup white sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup raisins, ¼ cup walnuts; preheat oven 400f; grease 20 muffin cups. Combine eggs, water, vegetable oil, and the white and brown sugars with the squash. Whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda, spice and salt, adding it to the squash mix until smooth, folding in raisins and walnuts. Spoon into muffin cups at ½ to 2/3 full, and bake about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then move to a wire rack.

To your health & pleasure, always, love, leslie.

 

Chickweed

2016 CSA Winter February 20

 2016  CSA Winter February 20  -Chickweed Pesto

  • Rainbow Chard
  • Baby Salad Mix 8×8
  • Baby Arugula 8×8
  • Baby Green Sorrel
  • Flat Parsley
  • Dill
  • Cilantro
  • Mint
  • Poultry Herb Blend
  • Butternut Squash
  • Chickweed Pesto

Im so grateful that my Dad would take us camping and my Mom would teach us about picking the right kind of berries…this budded a fascination with what was edible out in the “wild”. And the wild was everywhere, even the city. My favorite plant drawing of my Dad’s is of a dandelion, coming up out of New Orleans’ pavement. Noticing the wild in the yard or sitting on electric lines wasn’t too hard in such a lush city as ours, but this backyard connection to the environment stayed with me throughout all my journeys. One plant epitomizes a thread in the tapestry of those experiences: Chickweed. Once i started studying plants with handbooks, Chickweed was a plant that seemed to thrive just about anywhere in my world, and i would find it hiking high in the mountains or strolling along a valley stream. Noticing it is still important to me as i regularly chomp on this stuff while working and use it for skin irritations or injury. Stellaria Media is the scientific name of this useful ally and crisp low-lying green. It has a demure white flower in the shape of a small bursting star. It is rich in vitamins and nutrients and carried some of the surviving Native peoples on the Trail of Tears being that it grows up twice a year, even under the snow! This strong plant is considered a weed by many, but maybe these folks don’t know how useful it is. Stellaria is the plant that healed our Sunny Girl when she was a kitten, having an abscess from a sting or a bite to the neck. This precious herb gives so much; i like to use it from the inside out. So this week, from our garden in the middle of winter, we bring you fresh ground Chickweed Pesto! Try this with a white fish or chicken and your sorrel for a yummy meal. The pesto can be used to turn your butternut squash into a savory treat by cubing the peeled flesh and rolling the squash in dobs of pesto, then roasting it.
The Chard, beautiful colorful and nutritious! Try this as a quick pan fry with walnuts. i like to use my cast iron skillet for just about everything…a little olive oil, adding nuts to roast a bit and then the greens at the end.

 

 Chickweed

Chickweed

Chickweed

Chickweed

Chickweed

To your health & pleasure, always, love, leslie.

Red Vein Sorrel

2015 CSA Summer September 12th

2015 CSA Summer September 12th

  • Eggplant Medley
  • Watercress Box
  • Red Ribbed Sorrel
  • Pepper Medley
  • Garden Tomatoes
  • Potatoes
  • Lemon Verbena
  • Rose Geranium
  • Poultry Herb Blend
  • Tarragon
  • Thai Basil
  • Squash/Zucchini
  • Squash Blossoms
  • Gourmet Cucumber
  • Butternut Squash

Something new to try this week as well as some new twists on flavors you are familiar with. Starting with the red ribbed sorrel: it has a tangy and earthy flavor, a slight blend between green sorrel and dandelion greens. It stands out nicely when added to a salad that includes cuts of your cucumber. The Thai basil, red ribbed sorrel, and rose geranium are highlighted in pictures this week because they have all had a spotlight when included in a spring roll, which is a rice paper wrap around some greens and herbs, sometimes including meat like chicken, pork or shrimp, which is not fried like an “egg roll” but served fresh with raw greens, vegetables and herbs. Traditionally here at the farm these are vegan with an addition of edible flowers…even the squash blossoms can be cut into the roll up. Thai basil and red ribbed sorrel do well in generous amounts but when using the rose geranium (and really, you must try this!) scissor cut the geranium thin and use sparingly throughout the roll. Rice paper wraps are easy to use…slip into heated water for just a few seconds, place on a moistened bamboo cutting board, and fill with the fresh ingredients of your choice. Roll up like you would a burrito, tucking in the sides for a classic presentation. When using the smaller rounds, often times the ends are left un-tucked with nice tufts of greens showing at each end. For a dipping sauce, we like to combine flavors of plum sauce, pepper sauce, sometimes fish sauce, rice vinegar, and honey. Pictured to the left is an expression of the squash blossoms and rose geranium being served as tempura, lovingly prepared for us at the Thai Cuisine and Noodle House. The zucchini squash, eggplant, and peppers also lend well to this kind of preparation.
This is a gentle reminder that October means frost and canning time is now for many folks. Pickled peppers and cucumber slices can be easily made for future use and try any number of the herbs as an accent. Have a beautiful week!