- Sweet Potatoes
- Carrots
- Arugula
- Gold and Red Beets
- Fresh Thyme
- Swiss Chard
- Fresh Ginger(!)
Notes from the Farm Kitchen
Ginger, or zingiber officinale, has got to be one of the most interesting and unusual plants we've ever grown. Despite the fact that it is a tropical plant, we had heard that some farmers were having success growing it in the Midwest by planting it in the protected enviornment of a hoophouse or high tunnel. Matt is a farmer who's always up for a challenge, so last winter he ordered some seed pieces from Hawaii. On a chilly April afternoon, he and our two six-year-olds planted the ginger pieces into plastic crates filled with 6 inches of potting soil. The crates stayed warm in the greenhouse, and by early summer, the ginger pieces had produced beautiful, 10-inch-tall leafy growth. At that point, our crew transferred them from the plastic crates into beds that had been dug in one of our hoophouses. Throughout the summer we kept the beds weeded and well-watered. We also hilled the plants twice with compost to protect the emerging knuckles of ginger.
We knew that the longer the plants stayed in the ground, the more rhizomes they would put out, so we waited until this week to harvest most of the crop. If I had to give this experiment a letter grade, it would probably be a B+. We're excited about the fact that we managed to grow any ginger at all, but we're a little disappointed with the yield. Next year we'll try planting a pink variety that is supposed to produce bigger rhizomes in a shorter amount of time. In the meantime, I will definitely enjoy cooking with the ginger we harvested this year. And every time I see it, I'll say to myself, "How cool is that?!"
(By the way, my preferred method for storing ginger is to keep it in a paper bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. If you won't use all of it in the next two weeks, I would encourage you to freeze it in a zip-lock bag. When you are ready to cook with it, use a knife to shave the peel away, then use a microplane to grate the desired quantity.)
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| Jeff digs up ginger rhizomes in the hoophouse on Wednesday. |
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| Donna and Tyler sort and bunch ginger in the packing shed. |
The Week's Featured Recipe...Starring Golden Beets!
During the 2009 season, a woman named Kim Marsin lived and worked here at Sandhill Organics. In addition to being hardworking and passionate about sustainable agriculture, Kim has a great sense of humor. Toward the end of her stay here, Kim introduced me to Kelly Reiss, a friend of hers who is the creator of an online vegan cooking show called The Vegetarian Librarian. When Kim and Kelly asked if they could make a webisode at the farm featuring Sandhill Organics' beets and carrots, I happily agreed. Click here to view their video. (And please try their cake--it's delicious!)
Golden Beet Carrot Cake
1 1/2 cups golden beet puree
4-5 cups grated carrots
1 cup brown sugar
1 more cup brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup soy yogurt (OR 2 overripe bananas, OR 4 egg equivalent)
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
- Chop off the top and bottom ¼ inch of cleaned beets. Place beets in boiling water until a fork will remove easily from the beet (similar to boiling a potato).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and start grating your carrots. No need to peel them if they are organic, just clean them well.
- In a large bowl combine grated carrots and 1 cup of brown sugar. Set aside.
- By now the beets should be ready. When they have cooled a bit slide the beet through your fingers to remove the outer beet skin. Place de-skinned beets into food processor and puree. Mix beet puree, vanilla, remaining cup of sugar, yogurt and oil into your carrot mixture.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix. Gradually stir this into your wet mixture. Add raisins and nuts. Pour evenly into a 9 x 13 pan.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes (until cake passes the toothpick test). Let cake completely cool and frost with vegan cream cheese frosting. EAT!
Three More Delicious Recipes to Make this Week...
Crushed Sweet Potatoes with Garlic and Ginger
from The Washington Post, November 18, 2007
3 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed well, then cut lengthwise into quarters
4 sprigs fresh thyme
5 cloves of garlic
1 cup nonfat vegetable broth
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon good-quality olive oil
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Have ready a large, lidded baking dish.
- Combine the sweet potatoes, thyme sprigs and garlic in the baking dish. Pour the vegetable broth over and season lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Cover (or use aluminum foil, wrapped tightly) and bake for 1 hour or until the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a fork and the garlic is tender.
- Transfer to the stovetop; discard the thyme sprigs and use a potato masher to crush the sweet potatoes. Add the grated ginger and the brown sugar, stirring to mix well. Drizzle the oil over the top, mixing just to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Serve warm.
Roasted Beets With Chiles, Ginger, Yogurt and Indian Spices
from The New York Times, October 7, 2011
1 3/4 pounds beets; a mix of red and yellow is nice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon lime juice, more to taste
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel the beets and cut into 1-inch chunks. Toss with the oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally, then sprinkle with mustard seeds, coriander and cumin and roast until the beets are tender, about 15 minutes more.
- While the beets roast, prepare the dressing: using the side of a knife or mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with a pinch of salt until it forms a paste. Place yogurt in a bowl; whisk in garlic paste, jalapeño, ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt and lime juice.
- Scrape the warm beets into a large bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Ribollita is a hearty Italian vegetable soup mixed with pieces of toasted rustic bread. This version is healthy, filling and delicious!
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling on bread
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, 1 minced and 1 whole
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 bunch Swiss chard or beet greens, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can cannelloni beans, drained
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 (3-inch) piece Parmesan rind
4 to 6 ciabatta rolls, halved lengthwise or 1 loaf, sliced
grated Parmesan, for serving
- Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, pancetta, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion is golden brown and the pancetta is crisp, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Add the chard, beans, thyme, stock, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Drizzle the ciabatta halves with olive oil. Toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the top of the toasts with the whole garlic clove. Place the toasts in the serving bowls and ladle the soup over the toasts. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.
Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... butternut squash, celeriac, yellow potatoes, spinach, white salad turnips, garlic, lettuce and more.
