Sauvie Island Organics Farm Blog

This Week’s Share

• Arugula
• Broccoli
• Green Garlic
• Kale, Red Russian
• Lettuce
• Radishes, Cherry Belle
• Tomato Plant, Sungold Cherry Tomato

Share Notes

Cherry Tomato Plants: This week each share will receive a cherry tomato plant.
Cherry tomatoes are wonderful snacks and great in salads. They are easy to grow and fun to pick in small quantities. However, they are very labor intensive to pick on a larger scale. For this reason we are giving you your own plant to enjoy. We concentrate on growing many different varieties of slicing, saucing and heirloom tomatoes, which you will see in your shares starting at the end of July.

Tomatoes appreciate full sun, and plenty of space to climb. Bury the plants deep so that only a little stem and the newest leaves are showing. Water them deeply. This will help to encourage a strong root system. They like a trellis to keep their leaves and fruit off the ground. Once established, tomatoes do not need to be watered more then once a week. Use about 5 gallons of water per plant. Tomatoes don’t like wet leaves so try to keep the leaves dry when you water.

If you do not have room to plant the tomato outside you can plant it in a five-gallon bucket with a drain hole. Keep it in a sunny space and remember to water frequently as container plants tend to dry out quickly.

Recipes

Arugula Recipes

Arugula-Green Garlic Pesto
Adapted from the Seacoast Eat Local Blog, http://blog.seacoasteatlocal.org

2 cups arugula, washed
3-4 stalks green garlic, roots removed
1/2 cup pine nuts (cashews, almonds, or walnuts also work)
4-6 oz. chevre, gorgonzola or other soft salty cheese
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium low heat, tossing frequently until mostly golden brown. In a food processor or blender pulse the arugula and green garlic. Add pine nuts, olive oil, and cheese and process until there are no large chunks remaining. Great mixed in with pasta, on sandwiches, or in homemade salad dressings. It will keep fresh covered in the refrigerator for 7-10 days, or freeze for up to 6 months (or freeze up to a year if no cheese is added).

Arugula Salad with Mushrooms
From Recipes from Americas Small Farms by Joanne Lamb Hayes and Lori Stein

1 bunch arugula (about 8 cups loosely packed), rinsed and drained
8 ounces white mushrooms, thinly sliced (you many substitute porcini mushrooms or other specialty mushrooms, but sauté them until tender and let cool to room temperature)
6 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin recommended)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 (6 ounce) piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, at room temperature

Combine the arugula and mushrooms in a bowl. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, and mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle mixture over the salad and toss to coat well. Shave thin strips of the cheese with a cheese shaver or vegetable peeler. Reserve your best strips for garnish if desired, and throw the rest into the salad and toss lightly. Serve at room temperature.

Green Garlic Recipes

Green Garlic Pesto
Adapted from www.culinate.com

4 stems green garlic, roots removed
1 cup raw walnuts, or other nuts you have available
1 to 2 oz. hard, salty cheese (romano, ricotta salata, parmesan, etc.)
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt (sea salt and kosher have best flavor)

Cut root ends of green garlic and discard. Cut into 1-inch lengths, discarding the tougher green portions on top. In a saucepan over medium heat toast walnuts by cooking for several minutes, stirring constantly until they start browning. Place nuts and green garlic into a food processor or blender and pulse/process on low until roughly chopped. Cut cheese into chunks, add to blender/processor, and process. In a steady stream while blender/processor is running, add olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Salt to taste and keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Use with pasta, served over fish, spread on bread, or in whatever way pleases your pallet. If you have to much to use for one meal you can keep in a covered container in the fridge for 7-1o days, or freeze for up 6 months (will freeze up to a year with no cheese added).

Arugula Green Garlic Pesto
(see above in Arugula Recipes)

Kale Recipe

Kale Chips

Note: If you are an already seasoned kale chip lover spread the word to the newbies that it is definitely worth a try, especially if you have kale skeptic children in the house.

Kale (as much or as little as you like)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
salt, to taste,
pepper, to taste (opitional)

Wash kale and remove center stems. Tear kale into roughly chip size pieces. Toss with olive oil and salt. Place kale ‘chips’ in a single layer on a baking sheet and put in a hot oven, 400˚-450˚F. Bake watching closely, you may have to turn a few chips to make crisp on each side…Voila, Salty Kale chip snacks!

Radish Recipe

Radish Butter for Radish Sandwiches

From Local Flavors by Deborah Madison

A good radish sandwich can be nothing more than sweet butter on bread topped with sliced radishes and sea salt. This recipes gets right to business and brings your radishes and butter to your bread all in one step.

6 radishes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
sea salt

Wash and trim radishes. If the leaves are tender and fresh, set a dozen or so aside, stems removed. Slice the radishes into thin rounds, then crosswise into narrow strips. Each should be tipped with color. Chop the leaves. You should have about ½ cup. Mix the butter with the lemon zest until soft, then stir in the chopped radishes, radish leaves, and a pinch of salt. Spread on slices of crusty baguette and serve.

This Week’s Share

• Bok choi, Joi choi
• Broccoli
• Green Garlic
• Lettuce
• Mizuna
• Turnips, Hakurei

Share Notes

• Green Garlic: This is a wonderful spring treat. Green garlic is tender young garlic harvested before the bulb is formed. Perfect either fresh or cooked, use the entire stem.

• Lettuce: These small spring lettuce heads will make a wonderful salad. As the weeks go on the lettuce heads will get bigger and bigger.

• Turnips, Hakurei: These little guys are great to snack on fresh or sliced up in salads, but they also lend themselves well to many cooked dishes. Don’t forget to use the greens, they are tasty as well.
  

Recipes

Broccoli Recipes

Terrific Teriyaki
Adapted from the Tassajara Recipe Book by Edward Espe Brown

Note: This teriyaki is simple to prepare and great as marinade for tofu, chicken or beef, then used to sauté with any combination of fresh vegetables: this week broccoli, joi choi, hakurei turnips and green garlic would all be great additions to the sauté.

Teriyaki Sauce:

1 cup soy sauce
½ cup sake or white wine
½ cup sugar (or part honey)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
3 stems green garlic, finely chopped
¼ cup sesame oil
1½ teaspoons dry mustard

For Teriyaki Dish:

1 ½ pounds tofu, chicken, or beef (marinated overnight)
5-6 cups chopped vegetables, try a combination of broccoli, joi choi, hakurei turnips, and green garlic

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat to boiling, then simmer for 10 minutes. Marinate two blocks of drained and cubed tofu or 1 ½ pounds chicken or beef cut into ¾ inch pieces overnight. If using tofu pour the marinade over the tofu while still hot, let cool to room temperature and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. If using meat let the marinade cool some, then pour over uncooked chicken or beef and let marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

When ready to cook pour the marinated tofu/meat and all of the marinade into a large sauté pan or wok. Begin cooking over medium-high heat. When tofu/meat and marinade is completely heated and partially cooked add the vegetables (if using joi choi greens and/or turnip greens add those in the last 5-7 minutes of cooking so they don’t over cook). Cook in marinade for 10 minutes and check tenderness of vegetables. Add greens and cook for another 5 minutes or until all vegetables are tender and ready to eat. We suggest serving this dish over rice or soba noodles.

Cheese and Broccoli Soup
From Vegetables Soups by Deborah Madison

4-5 cups broccoli florets
1 cups chopped broccoli stems
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons butter or canola oil
1 onion, chopped
1 celery rib, diced and leaves chopped
½ pound yellow-fleshed potatoes (Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn work well), peeled if desired and diced
1 stem green garlic, chopped
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 bay leaf
1 pinch of dried thyme
1 tablespoon flour
½ cup light cream, milk, or reserved cooking water from broccoli
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard, or to taste
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
Rye or whole wheat bread, toasted

Separate the crowns from the broccoli stems (reserve stems for use), then separate the crowns into florets. Thickly peel the stems, quarter them, and chop into small pieces. Bring a quart of water to a boil and add 1 scant teaspoon salt and the broccoli florets. Cook for about 3 minutes, then scoop out the florets, reserving water. Rinse under cool water and set aside.

Melt the butter (or heat oil) in a soup pot and add onion, celery, potato, broccoli stems, garlic, cayenne, and herbs. Cook over medium-heat for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then. Add ½ teaspoon salt, stir in the flour, then pour in 3 cups of the reserved water from the broccoli, saving any remainder. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer, covered, until the potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the cream or additional broccoli water as needed to thin the soup. During the last few minutes, add the florets and allow them to heat through.

Remove the bay leaf, puree the soup (if desired), and return it to the pot. Stir in the mustard, then taste for salt and season with pepper. Just before serving, stir in the cheese, but don’t let the soup boil or the cheese will toughen. Serve with toast on the side or broken in the soup.

Green Garlic Recipes

Note: Green garlic is featured in some of the other recipes this week, but the recipes below calls for the entire 4 stems included in your share for this week.

Grilled Green Garlic
Recipe from Field of Greens by Annie Somerville

Note: The strong fresh flavor of green garlic hold up well on the grill.

4 stems green garlic, root and loose leaves removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the loose leaves and roots of the green garlic (and save for making veggies stock if you wish). Brush green garlic with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. When the grill is ready, brush with olive oil to prevent sticking. Grill until marks appear, then turn and grill the other side.

Terrific Teriyaki
(see recipe above in Broccoli Recipes)

Mizuna Recipe

Mizuna Salad with Roasted Portobello Mushrooms and Gouda
From Gourmet Magazine, August 2009

6 oz. slice Portobello mushrooms
¼ cup olive oil (extra virgin olive oil is recommended)
1 tbsp. plus 2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 bunch mizuna
½ cup coarsely grated aged Gouda cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425˚F with rack in middle. Toss mushrooms with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a bowl. Roast in 1 layer in 4-sided sheet pan, turning once, until golden-brown and tender, about 15 minutes. Cool mushrooms.

Whisk together vinegar, mustard, 1/8 teaspoon salt, a dash of pepper, and remaining olive oil in a bowl until combined. Toss mushrooms, greens, and cheese with enough dressting to coat.

Hakurei Turnip Recipes

Turnip and Turnip Green Soup
From Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters

½ yellow onion
1 stem green garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ tablespoon unsalted butter
1 bunch hakurei turnips with greens (about 1¼ pounds)
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
1 small piece prosciutto or smoked bacon (leave out for vegetarian)
4 cups rich chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

Peel and thinly slice the onion and green garlic. Put in a nonreactive pot with the olive oil and butter and 1 tablespoon of water and stew, covered, until they are soft and translucent. Trim off the stems and greens form the turnips and reserve the greens. There is no need to peel the turnips. Trim off their roots, slice he turnips thin and add them to the pot. Stew them for a few minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the bay leaf, thyme, proscuitto or bacon, stock, and salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat form about ½ hour. Wash the turnip greens and cut them into ½ inch wide strips and stir them into the soup. Simmer the soup for another 10 minutes or so, until the greens are soft and tender. Garnish the soup with a few curls of shaved Parmesan.

Terrific Teriyaki
(see recipe above in Broccoli Recipes)