Posts from — April 2009

Harvesting in greenhouse 33/34.
The bed behind me yielded about 10 lbs, and the one just to the left, another 13.
Next week, we’ll probably harvest the same amount from these beds, plus more from the other beds coming online.

I already had a half-pound bag, plus some, in my refrigerator from the week prior, so with that plus a 1/2 pound waiting on the “house shelf” and 3 more beds coming online for harvest next week, I figured it was time to find a use for my spinach.

Last week, I rescued my garlic from a nasty green mold that overtook everyone else’s stashes on the farm — peeling and storing the good cloves and washing wholly untainted bulbs in hot water and refrigerating. I figured though, that this only bought me some time and I should use the garlic quick before it got funky.

The improvised recipe is below. Master taste-tester Lucy gave some feedback that the garlic overpowered the spinach flavor… I agree and it was a bummer after spending all that work harvesting the spinach, it would be nice to actually taste it…so these are the changes we’ll try next time:

– reduce garlic by half
– increase spinach by 50%
– add a splash of apple cider vinegar
– puree 1/2 the potatoes

RIP*: Spinach & roasted garlic soup with chunks of potato

1/2 lb spinach
2 bulbs garlic
1 lb potatoes
3 cups stock (veggie, chicken, whatever)
1 pat butter
olive oil
pinch ground nutmeg
salt & fresh pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 375. Prep garlic by cutting off both ends of the bulbs. Put on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Throw in the oven.

Meanwhile, dice your pound of potatoes into 1/4” cubes. When they’re chopped, open up the oven (the garlic should start to smell goooooood), toss the potatoes onto your pan and mix around with a tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper. Throw the pan back in the oven

Cut up your spinach if it’s huge. If it’s little, don’t worry about it. Heat your soup pot over medium with a spoonful of olive oil. While it’s heating, take out your garlic. It should be pretty soft by now. Peel off the skins and throw the garlics into the pot. Your pan should be hot now and they should sizzle and smell like heaven. Once you’ve got those in, throw in your spinach and saute until wilted. Then add your stock and bring to a simmer.

Once that’s done, pulse the whole mixture in a blender a few times to break up the leaves — I like a few chunks of spinach to remain. Pour the mix back in the pot, turn your heat to low. Stir it up, add your splash of nutmeg (I grated 1/4 of a fresh clove), salt, and pepper.

Now back to those potatoes… they were little, so they’re probably cooked by now. Take them out of the oven and add to your soup pot.

Add a pat of butter and stir.

Serve hot hot hot.

After the washing station is wiped down with bleach, we fill up two large sinks with cold water.
All the greens go through two washes where we get dirt off and pick out less-than-perfect leaves that snuck in to the harvest. We touch nearly every leaf.

Greens are usually dried in the spinner, but our huge spinach leaves are extra fragile and are dried by gently tossing on an open mesh screen.

Clean greens are laid out on the table for weighing and bagging.

Soon we’ll be switching from plastic bags to something biodegradable. Cool!

* RIP = Recipe in Progress. I love to improvise. There’s nothing more satisfying than pulling together a delicious meal from randomness, but then you come up against the tragedy of never being able to recreate the felicitous arrangement of ingredients & preparation. This is an attempt to keep track of how I cook, improvements and substitutions.

The other night, I made Goi Cuon (or fresh summer roll) — bean sprouts, fried tofu, cucumber, carrot, mint, rolled up in a lettuce leaf in a thin rice wrapper. I didn’t have any cellophane noodles, so I skipped that part and skipped the basil add-in because I could really only afford either the organic basil or the mint at nearly $5 for a box (ours isn’t up yet in the garden).

With it, I threw together a quick improv peanut sauce, much simpler than your usual ingredient-intensive Malay or Indonesian sauce. I didn’t have hoisin, so I couldn’t do a Vietnamese peanut-hoisin sauce either, but it still turned out yummy — recipe down below.

But anyway, the Goi Cuon meant that today at lunch I opened the fridge to take stock and the first thing I saw was the leftover julienned carrots, cucumbers, and nicely washed & separated mint leaves. The little container of veggies sat right next to the fresh batch of yogurt, set just last night. Add the farm-fresh salad mix on the bottom shelf ($6/half-pound!), some raisins from my 5 lb bag, a bit of tuna, and a few slices from the rye batard I baked in the morning… Salad and toast. Voila!

The yogurt made a yummy dressing with just a bit of fixing up — some kind of North African/Mediterranean inspired dressing to go with the mint and the raisins. The tuna was a little funny in the salad, but I was craving protein. Some shredded lamb, a boiled egg or some nuts probably would have gone over better.

Not the best picture, but you’ll have to excuse it… the camera was out in the barn.

Ginger-Cumin Yogurt Dressing
1/2 cup fresh yogurt (mine was pretty thin)
1 tsp white vinegar (or lemon juice)
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp grated ginger
water (optional)

Mix everything together well by shaking in a jar or whisking. Add some water if your yogurt is especially thick — add only a very small amount at a time and taste — you don’t want to dilulte it too much. Serve over greens. Especially good with mint! Yum.

Simple Peanut Ginger Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup natural peanut butter*, well mixed (I used MaraNatha Organic, no salt added)
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 slices ginger root (peeled, 1/4” thick)
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup water
salt to taste

Add your peanut butter to a pan over medium heat. Stir as the peanut butter heats up and thins out. When the peanut butter loses its body and spreads over the bottom of the pan, add your coconut milk and stir well. once combined, add in your soy sauce and ginger. Be sure to stir well so your peanut butter doesn’t stick to the bottom. Add water, stir, and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Add salt to taste — if you’re using salted peanut butter, you may not need to add any. Remove ginger pieces and discard.

* natural peanut butter has a very different consistency and taste than traditional brands. You could try this with something like Skippy or Jiffy, but I would leave out the sugar at first, and maybe add some oil and possible extra water.

But while you’re working, it’s pretty darn satisfying to pull out entire roots with your hands and see the immediate results of your handiwork:

Half weeded bed of lettuce. Hand weeded, by me + a small circle hoe.

Last night Lucy and I were tired after harvest day, so we decided to forgo our gourmet pretensions and go with a farm delicious “mish mash” .

Pinto beans, brown rice, farm-fresh scrambled eggs, chard harvested today, sauteed with garlicky pasta sauce leftover from Saturday’s potluck, all topped off with rye toast, generously buttered.

Two spicy teas, one with milk, were the perfect beverage accompaniment.

Living here on the farm with access to so much fresh produce, it’s easy to throw together a nutritious (and exciting) meal using some basic and relatively inexpensive add-ons in different combinations.

Pick a flavor palette (Mediterranean, Moroccan, Thai, Indian), throw in some spices, flavored oils, garlic, and you’re good to go.

Our inspiration for this meal was the chard which was harvested just yesterday, having been ressurected a month after the bed had been abandoned to a mysterious case of spotty leaves.

What a gorgeous weekend. Lucy’s friend Lauren came to visit, so Saturday became a day of raucous adventure.

9:00 am — picked up Lauren from the ferry with two varieties of fresh scones in tow

10:00 am – quick trip back to the farm for tea, a tour of the barn, and preparations for our picnic

11:15 am – parked the car in the ferry line to Orcas, hit the free magazine rack outside Ace Hardware, and made a quick stop at the Farmers Market

On the ferry to Orcas

12:30 — arrived on Orcas, drove to East Sound where we picked out a fougasse and rye at Rose’s Bakery, then went walking through algae to a tiny island

Fougasse feud

Algae on my bean boots, algae on my bean boots!

2:00 — picnic lunch on top of Mt. Constitution

Balsamic onion marmalade, fig-anise bread, fougasse, local goat cheese, raw milk sharp cheddar, sweet pickled cucumbers, fresh carrot sticks, farm fresh greens with vinagrette.

3:20 — frolicking to a waterfall

Put your hands UP!

4:10 — back on the ferry to Friday Harbor, sleeping in the booth next to wild children

5:15 – brief stop at Marketplace for a bottle and some supplies

5:58 — frolicking at South Beach

6:41 — photo shoot in the South Beach field for our indie album

Otter Lair Lane

“False Bay… I thought you were wide and deep…”

“… and I gave to you my heart to keep…”

7:30 – back to the bunkhouse for potluck

10:01 — wine & fleet foxes in the watertower

BED.

Whoa. What a crazy graphic.

We were planning a potluck up by the house and I wanted to make something that reminded me of home, so I went for a traditional Singaporean goody — something I made with Ah-Mah while I was at home the past few months.

Curry Puffs are traditionally deep fried and filled with delicious, thick curry and sometimes half of a hardboiled egg. The Curry Puff could be seen as similar to a samosa, though its flavors are different and Curry Puffs seem to usually have meat while it seems the reverse is true for its South Asian cousin.

The recipe for the dough was adapted from an empanada dough recipe in Gourmet magazine — a double batch turned out to be perfect for the amount of filling I made.

Everything can be made ahead and assembled as the whim strikes.

Curry Puffs, Empanada Style
Makes 30.

Filling:
1 lb potatoes, diced finely into 1/8” cubes
1/2 lb your choice of ground meat… I use turkey and it’s yummy
1/2 lbs onions, minced
2 tbsp curry
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
4 tbsp of oil of your choice (optional, see instructions)
1/4 cup water (optional, see instructions)

Pastry:
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons salt
2 sticks (1 cup) frozen unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 large eggs
2/3 cup ice water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 egg, to brush on

The filling’s easier to work with when it’s cooler, so it’s best to do it at least a little while in advance (I usually do it the day before and refrigerate). The dough needs to rest at least an hour, but it can also be frozen and used later if that’s more convenient for you.

For the filling, the oil you use will depend on the meat you’re using. If you’re using a highly fatty meat like some ground pork, you’ll want to fry the pork first for 4-5 minutes, until almost cooked and drain off all but 2 tbsp of grease. Then add the onions and potatoes and fry until done.

If you’re using ground turkey which is much leaner (but still has great flavor) heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet on medium-high until a drop of water sizzles in the pan. Throw in your onions and fry for 3 minutes, until they start to become translucent. Add in your ground turkey. If the turkey starts to stick, add a little more oil. Stir well, breaking up the chunks of ground meat.

When the meat is almost cooked (about 5 minutes) add in the potatoes and stir well. Add your spices and stir to mix thoroughly. Again, if you’re using turkey, the mixture may be pretty dry and may start to stick. I add the 1/2 cup of water here to help it cook and to keep it from sticking.

Cook 8-12 minutes,; stirring every so often, until potatoes are soft. Let cool.

For the dough: Add flour and salt into a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub in butter lumps until the mixture looks like coarse meal (little pea/pebbly sized pieces of flour/butter). When you’re rubbing, the butter will kind of squish flat in your fingers. That’s good. That’s what we mean by rubbing. Those thin squished flour/butter finger pancakes will make for a nice uniform flaky dough. Yum.

Once that’s done, whisk together eggs, water, and vinegar in a bowl. Add this into your flour mixture with a spoon or spatula until it just comes together into a shaggy mass. It’s okay if some of the flour is still in your bowl.

Pour out your mixture onto a floured surface and squeeze it together in a rectangular block (dimension’s not too important, but do make sure the dough comes together. Some cracks are fine). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap — you can use the wrap to help you compress the dough into a nice shape. Chill for at least an hour.

To assemble: I really should have taken pictures of this process. Next time, I promise! For now, I’ll describe as best I can.

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Break your dough into 4 parts. Keep the parts you’re not using in the refrigerator until you’re ready for them. Flour your area well. Flour your rolling pin (or wine bottle!). Set out a little pan or cup of water for yourself to use for sealing your pastries.

Roll out your dough in a rectangle to 1/8 to 1/4” thick — about half the thickness of a National Geographic? This is really a personal preference thing, but if you’re a beginner, err on the side of too thick because then the pastry will be easier to work with.

If the dough breaks apart while you’re rolling, don’t fret. Just massage it into a ball and try again. As the dough becomes warmer and the butter melts, it will be easier to roll and work with. Just watch out for too much squeezing and handling, there’s the danger of the dough becoming tough and elasticky which leads to funny-shaped curry puffs.

Once you’ve rolled out your dough, find a cup or a round tupperware or something with a relatively sharp edge and a diameter of at least 4 inches. Cut out as many circles as you can from your dough.

Take one circle in the palm or your weaker hand (my left). Use the other hand to spoon 1 heaping tbsp of filling into the center of the circle. Dip the tip of a finger into the water and use it to wet one half of the outer edge of the circle. Fold the circle in half with the filling in the middle. Squeeze the outside edge shut — about 1/4” edge should be left around the semicircle. Make sure it’s tightly sealed. These look a lot prettier when they aren’t oozing out filling. To make the edge a little fancier, you can use a fork to crimp the edges or use your fingers to make a twisted crimp. To do that, once you’ve sealed the thing shut, pinch one corner with your thumb and forefinger and pull it towards you. Take the next section above it and do the same thing and so on until you’ve worked your way around the pastry.

Lay them out as you go on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or well-greased). Repeat until you’re done. Brush the tops with a beaten egg (your fingers work fine if you have no pastry brush).

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, or until golden yellow on top.

Today I biked over to Sweet Earth Farm to help out in the garden. I arrived around 9 and pitched in to slice up some strawbs and get things on the table. Our hosts, Amanda Zee, Ron & Elaine fixed a spectacular farm breakfast — walnut molasses waffles, fresh yogurt, fresh fruit, 5 kinds of toppings and yummy sausages.

I met the newest addition to the family, just hatched a few days prior in the Zee’s incubator:

We were 11 — me, Colin, Colin’s girlfriend Christy, Amanda & her daughter Ayana, Ayana’s dad Jesse, David T, his friend Sheri, Ron & Elaine, and Ti, a Sweet Earth intern. We sat down to eat around 9:30 and got out to the garden a little after 10.

I pulled out three wheelbarrowfuls of quackgrass, horsetails, chickweed, thistle, and other troublesome plants choking the raised beds in the main garden. The strawberry patch was particularly fun — using the fantastic hori hori knife I brought with me from the Synergy toolshed to attack the most stubborn roots.

The style of farming at Sweet Earth is very different from Synergy — I think the best way to describe it would be more relaxed. It made me want to see more of how other farms are run. Other small farms, like Sweet Earth, and also larger operations. Perhaps there’s more farm interning in my future.

Some of the others took a little walk to see the pond and the new baby lambs over at Lacrover Farm, but I stuck with the weeding until 2 when we broke for lunch — homemade pizza & molasses-raisin-oatmeal cookies. Yum.

After lunch, we started to put up a new hoop house for growing things that like the heat like tomatoes.

I headed out a little before four and took the long way back to avoid the nasty, nasty hill on W. Valley road, and for some variety. I went past the alpaca farm, English Camp, Duck Soup Inn, and got home in a little over an hour.

Shower, a tall glass of water, a snack on one of Lucy’s scones, and now I’m beat.

View

in a larger map

Tonight the lights went out around 7. Not just on San Juan Island, but on Orcas, Lopez, Shaw… We’re still not sure what happened, but we surmise it has something to do with a main cable coming from the mainland.

Apparently a few winters back, the power went out completely for 5 days, which meant no heat, no water (the pump requires electricity), no lights, no indoors stove. It would be a little easier to imagine doing this right now. It will probably only drop to 30 F tonight, so toilet stops in the forest, outdoor cooking with propane… all that doesn’t sound too bad. But when it’s 15 below, Yuck!

Colin and I celebrated the 2 hours with take-out pizza (my first time eating out since coming to the island!) and a game of candlelight scrabble.