Hello CSA Members!
This week I have a couple of community announcements to share with you:
Renata Wadsworth and Lola Love Pottery invite you to attend our 3rd annual Holiday Pottery sale!
(Bring your friends, co-workers and family, forward this email, and/or spread the word!)
What: Awesome deals on beautiful pottery. Seconds will be sold for as little as 1$, and everything else will be marked down 10-50% !!!!
When: Wednesday Dec. 16th from 5-8pm - Tomorrow!!!
Where: At Renata's pottery studio
379 Gunderman Rd., Danby.
We will be donating 10% of the proceeds to Healthy food for all, making wholesome, locally grown veggies accessible to low-income families.
Directions from Ithaca: Take 96B south past Ithaca College. In the town of Danby make a right at the old Danby Market onto Gunderman Rd. Travel just over two miles to #379 on your left hand side. It is an old blue and white farm house, and there will be a sign out front.
Important Notes: No early birds! The door will be locked until 5pm. That being said, if you are looking for specific items, keep in mind that you will find the most selection at the beginning. (We do get busy, and pots sell fast) We have come up with some great ideas to make check out smoother- and hope to avoid lengthy lines. And lastly, bring your own bags and/or boxes if you have them.
If you are unable to make it out the evening of the sale...don't fret! We will leave everything set up and will be open by appointment through the weekend ending December 20th.
For more information, or directions from other locations, call Renata at (607)227-4272 or Lola at (607)592-8287
Attention Farm pick-up members: If you pick up your share at either Stick and Stone or Three Swallows, please take your box, and do not open or take things out of any other boxes or bins in the coolers. The produce stored in there is carefully sorted and counted - and counted on by the farmers! Growing and storing storage crops is an art and a balancing act, please don't make it any harder by taking or re-arranging stuff that isn't intended for you. Thanks!
SNOW PLOWING: My brother has recently acquired a plow for his truck, and will be plowing the parking area at Three Swallows for us this winter and he can plow for you too if you'd like! Give him a call if you're in the Danby area, or anywhere else - Anthony Church - 564-3182 or 342-6133.
If you haven't tried your hand at Lacto-fermenting, this is a good week to get started! If you're an old hand at making live pickled foods, you'll be glad to hear we will have Napa Cabbage, daikon and carrots in the share this week - perfect for a batch of kimchee.
Briefly, lacto-fermeting is an old preservation process where, unlike canning, live cultures are present in the finished product. Examples are sauerkraut (not always lacto-fermented) and kimchee, sort of a Korean version of kraut. Lacto-fermented vegetables are packed with good stuff for you.
Lacto-fermentation is a method of food preservation - and creating yumminess - that is very old. It uses only salt and sometimes water and/or whey to ferment vegetables. According to Wikipedia: "Lactic acid fermentation is a biological process by which sugars such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose, are converted into cellular energy and the metabolic product fermental acid." Lacto-fermented foods are "live" meaning that they have living cultures in them, similar to yogurt. It is also referred to as 'wild fermentation". All the cultures in the world who are known for the longevity of their people consume live-fermented foods!
You can find lots of info on the web about this process.
In Your Share This Week:
Napa Cabbage
Daikon Radish
Carrots
Leeks
Potatoes
Winter Squash
Collards
Brussels Sprouts
Red Russian Kale
Ideas for the week:
Make kimchee with your Napa Cabbage! It's also great raw as a winter salad.
Add Daikon radish to your kimchi, or eat it as a crunchy snack. Yummy in miso soup too!
The kimchee would love some carrots, or grate them in a winter salad.
Risotto is versatile and not so hard to make - it just asks for time spent stirring at the stove - a good way to unwind, multi- task during a phone convo or listening to the news, or a good job for a busy 6 year old (or anyone hanging around). I'll add a recipe for leek and winter squash risottobelow.
Collards may be prepared similarly to kale, though it does hold up very well, lending itself to long cooking in stews and soups. A classic is a white bean, collard and ham soup.
Kimchee
Traditional Kim Chi Recipe By Dr. Ben Kim on February 17, 2006Ingredients: Napa cabbage - approximately one pound
4 cups of cold water
3 tablespoons of sea salt
1 tablespoon of fresh garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh green onions (scallions), finely chopped
1 teaspoon of dried red chili pepper flakes (more if you like things spicy, less if you don't)
1.5 to 2 teaspoons of sugar
You can add carrots, daikon, turnips, etc. - slice thinly.
Directions: Separate and wash cabbage leaves. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sea or kosher salt evenly on cabbage leaves. Place salted cabbage leaves in a large bowl, add 4 cups of cold water, cover with plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator overnight. Be sure that water covers all cabbage leaves - place a plate or other heavy object on top of leaves to ensure that they stay covered with water. The next day, pour off water and thoroughly rinse cabbage leaves. You can shake them gently in the sink to remove excess moisture. Place cabbage leaves back into large bowl and add garlic, green onion or scallions, ginger, dried red chili flakes, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of salt. Use your hands to rub seasoning evenly into all cabbage leaves. Be sure to use gloves to do this, otherwise, your hands will burn from the chili flakes. If you are pressed for time, mix seasoning ingredients with about a cup of warm water before adding them to cabbage to allow for easier distribution on cabbage leaves. Transfer seasoned cabbage leaves into a large glass bottle. Be sure to use firm pressure with your hands to push down on cabbage leaves as they stack up inside the bottle. Transfer any liquid that accumulated during the mixing process into the bottle as well - it will become kim chi brine. Some liquid will also come out of the cabbage leaves as you press down on them as they are stacked in the bottle. Leave about 2 inches of room at the top of the bottle before capping it tightly with a lid. Allow bottle of kim chi to sit at room temperature for 2-3 days. Your kim chi is now ready to eat. Use scissors or a knife and cutting board to cut cabbage leaves into 2 inch pieces before serving as a side dish to a bowl of rice, soup, and perhaps a piece of fish. Refrigerate remaining kim chi and take out small portions right before meals. The refrigerated kim chi will continue to ferment slowly in the refrigerator over time, becoming more sour and flavorful with each passing day. So long as you use clean utensils to take out small portions, it will keep for up to a month in your refrigerator. Kim chi, Korean miso soup, a bowl of rice, and some dried anchovies are a typical Korean meal - high in omega-3 fatty acids and friendly bacteria.
Note: you may adjust the amount of cabbage you use and/or add other vegetables - hakurei turnips are a great addition - but remember to have at least a 2% salt content by volume. Then you'll be fine!
Winter Squash and Leek Risotto
Winter squash, peeled and cubed
2-4 Leeks
5 cups veg. or chicken stock or water
1 tbs. butter
1/2 cup white wine (if you have it around)
1 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice - avail. at Greenstar and Wegmans
1/3 cup grated Parmesan or crumbled feta
2 tbs. cream (optional)
salt and pepper
Oil and salt the squash cubes and roast in oven until soft.
Warm stock in a sauce pan.
Slice leeks. In a large frying pan melt butter and saute leeks.
When leeks are soft add the rice and heat, stirring to coat grains with butter, for a minute or two. Pan should be over medium heat.
Add wine and stir until absorbed.
Add warm stock 1 cup at a time, stirring until the liquid is absorbed before adding the next cup.
Before adding the 5 th (last) cup of liquid add roasted squash cubes.
Just as the last of the liquid is absorbed add the cheese.
Finish with cream, if using, and salt and pepper to taste.
The basic method of preparing risotto can accommodate many different flavor combinations - I'll continue to make suggestions throughout the season.
Enjoy your week and your veggies!
