This Week’s Share
Broccoli and Shelling Peas will be rotating through your shares. If you did not see them last week you will enjoy them this week.
Additional Onion Notes:
This week’s share includes our first harvest of onions for the season. These onions were planted in late October from transplants we started last year in late July. They are Sweet Spanish onions of two varieties – Siskyous Sweets and Walla Wallas. Some of the onions in this planting have started bolting. When a plant bolts it sends up flower stalk, then a bud and eventually, a flower blooms. Onions are a biennial plant meaning that they produce seed in their second year of life. Usually, some of the overwintered onions we plant bolt pre-maturely. The temperature fluctuations of our spring trick the onion into “thinking” it has gone into a second year. Once the onion puts up a flower stem, the energy of the bulb goes into this endeavor and the bulb starts to disappear. We harvest these bolting onions for an early taste of onions in the share because there is still a usable portion of bulb around the flower stem. You can use them as you would any sweet onion.
Recipes:
Green Garlic Soup
Adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables
1 lbs green garlic, about 12 plants
½ lbs potatoes
2 medium onions – spring onions from your share will work
¼ lbs unsalted butter
Salt
2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
To clean and prepare the garlic, trim away root end and peel away any tough or dirty outer leaves. Cut away tough upper portion of the green leaf. Lower portions of the green are fine to use. Cut the clean garlic into thin rounds or half circles. Peel potatoes and cut into half inch cubes. Peel and chop onions. Melt the butter, add onion and cook slowly until translucent and tender. Salt, add garlic and potatoes, cook these together for five minutes, add stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook the soup until potatoes are tender. Check seasoning. Can be served rustic and chunky, or pureed. Serves 6
Green Garlic Mayo
From Epicurious
2 eggs
½ tsp salt
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 stalks green garlic, white and pale green parts chopped roughly
3 tsp lemon juice or rice wine vinegar
2 tsp more rice or white wine vinegar
1 ¼ cup canola oil
Whirl ingredients except oil in food processor. Slowly add oil while the food processor is running.
Kale and Walnut Pesto
Adapted from Farmer John’s Cookbook
¼ cup chopped walnuts
½ tsp salt
½ lbs kale coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic minced – you can substitute green garlic here to make as garlicky as you like.
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup parmesan cheese
Ground black pepper to taste
1. Toast and chop walnuts in a dry heavy skillet over high heat stirring constantly, until they become brown in spots and become fragrant. Immediately transfer to a dish to cool.
2. Bring two quarts water to boil. Add salt and then kale. Cook kale until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain
3. Put garlic kale and walnuts in blender or food processor. Pulse until well combined. With blender or food processor running pour in olive oil steady and smooth.
4. When ingredients are combined transfer to a bowl. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper to taste and serve hot. Makes about 1 cup
Green Barley and Kale Gratin
Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
2/3 cup pearl barley, rinsed
Salt and pepper
1 large bunch kale, about 1 ¼ lbs
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 ½ cup milk or vegetable stock
¼ tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
½ cup grated Gruyere or provolone
In a saucepan, add the barley to 1 quart boiling water with ½ tsp salt and simmer, uncovered until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain. While its cooking, cook the kale in a skillet of boiling salted water until tender, 6 to 10 minutes. Drain then puree with ¼ cup of cooking water until smooth.
Preheat oven to 375. Melt butter in small saucepan, whisk in flour and add milk. Cook, stirring constantly over medium heat, until thick. Season with allspice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Combine all the ingredients, check the seasonings, and then transfer to lightly buttered baking dish or ramekins.
Bake until lightly browned on top, about 30 minutes. If you use ramekins, run a knife around the edges, and then unmold them by giving them a sharp rap on the counter. Present them browned side up. Serves 4 to 6