Week 2: Volunteers lead to great season start

In your share this week we have microgreens from Sprouted Earth Farm, rhubarb, garlic scapes, red head lettuce, radishes, kale, kohlrabi, and Napa cabbage. For half shares, you will be getting sprouted pak choi. 

This is the second week of our CSA Harvest and one of the largest early season deliveries Heather-Marie has had in her 10-plus years of running her CSA. We are not going to take credit for this success. Instead, we want to dedicate this week’s delivery to all of the people who have helped us in the past few months get this farm up and running. 

At the end of the newsletter, we have added in some delicious recipes to give ideas on how to prepare your fresh veggies from this week’s share! You will also find an update on what’s been going on at the farm.

But first, we want to give a visual shout out to everyone who has helped out on the farm for the last two months.

Volunteers: Images from building a farm

As we’ve said so many times, at the start of May, there was nothing in our field. It seemed daunting to think that we could possibly put up a fence and a high tunnel, create garden beds and put in plants for a CSA season this year.

Consider that we have, in this short time, created more than 50 raised beds, each 100 feet long. We’ve loosened the soil with a broadfork. We’ve spread nearly 30 yards of high-quality composted manure on them. 

But we didn’t do any of this on our own.

Our neighbors, our family, our friends and our CSA members have stepped up to help. Others, who were not able to come out and physically help also supported the farm with generous contributions to the Farm Sustainability Fund. The word “community” is an important one in the name of Rising Phoenix Community Farm. Heather-Marie wanted to be a part of a community, but she also wanted to help build a community of people connected to their food from seed to table.

The help we have received leaves us humbled, but in order for this community to work, we have to do more than receive help. These relationships have to be reciprocal, and we will be looking for ways we can be of value to all of those who have helped us. 

First, though, we want to share a few images of the people who have helped us in the past few months. 

So, let’s get to it.

A quick farm update

This week was an important one for us. On Sunday, we prepared the last of our garden beds for the season. On Monday, with the help from students from UMD’s Land Lab, we put in the last of our transplants: pumpkins and winter squashes. That means that we can now transition to the cultivation of what we are growing, which is at least a little bit of an easier go. 

We can also continue working on some of the infrastructure projects we have planned for this year, including putting the final touches on our fence and completing the installation of our walk-in cooler. (Full confession: We can also finish unpacking after moving in a year ago!)

Last week, the first person to receive a delivery from us was Ed Johnson, and his wife, Janet. Ed’s family had owned this farm since 1906. Five generations. So, to hand him a box of vegetables grown on his family’s farm was a pretty emotional moment for us.

The second box of vegetables was delivered to CHUM Food Shelf in Duluth. Rising Phoenix is part of a group of CSAs in our region that is growing vegetables for this non-profit that provides food for people without the resources to buy food. 

Our members told us that pickup day at the Duluth Folk School went pretty well. The traffic was at a minimum and parking behind the building was pretty easy to find. Remember that you can always pull up at the loading zone parking spot and text us. We’ll run your box out to you.

Looking at the weeks to come, we are feeling optimistic. Cucumbers are loving the heat of the high tunnel as are the tomatoes. We’ve got gorgeous pepper plants and the fingerling potatoes are sprouting. We did take some losses from the heat, which hit us particularly hard with head cabbage. We have more in the ground, but we definitely lost some. 

However, our irrigation system is doing well now, and we’re really excited about our field and our farm.

In July, we are looking at hosting our first event out here. We’ll be in touch soon with more details. 

Recipes for the week

Here are a few of our favorite recipes for this week’s vegetables. Our advice to you is this: Keep it simple. We’re backing that up with a “recipe” for the kale in this week’s share.

Kale

Here’s what we hope you’ll do with our CSA share: Eat it. Sometimes, that means a special meal. Other times, it just means you throw some kale in a dish. Like one of our favorites after a really long day.

Real Fancy Mac’n’Cheese:

1 bunch kale, destemmed and chopped

Your favorite box of mac and cheese

Step 1: Read the instructions on the box

Step 2: Put some kale in the pasta when boiling

Step 3: We recommend eating it. (Out of the damn pot if you want!)

Rhubarb 

Mary’s Rhubarb Cake

Cake ingredients:

1 ½ cups brown sugar

½ cup shortening (oil, applesauce, etc)

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

3 cups* rhubarb

2 cups flour

topping: 1 tsp vanilla

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix all cake ingredients together.  Pour into 9×13 inch pan.  Mix topping ingredients; sprinkle on top of cake.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Devour.  

*You can always add more than 3 cups!!  I think the original recipe only calls for 1 cup.  

Garlic Scapes

Garlic scapes are the tender, green shoots that first emerge from the bulb in the ground, which eventually flower.  By snapping them off, stopping the flowering process, more energy is put into growing nice, big garlic bulbs!

• Use in replacement of garlic bulbs; can be eaten raw or cooked
• 1 stalk = 1 to 2 cloves
• Do not wash and store!  This will make the stalks slimy.  Store in a paper bag in the refrigerator.
• I put stalks, chopped or whole, in ziplock bags in the freezer.

Garlic scape and kale pesto

This recipe was derived from one in the New York Times. After reading that many people thought the pesto had too much kick with just scapes, we decided to add some kale to our recipe. We think it turned out pretty good and fed it to our work crew today served with Asian brown rice noodles. 

Ingredients:

7 garlic scapes broken into small pieces

1 bunch of 7 kale leaves. Pull kale off of stems and break into small pieces

½ cup (or more) olive oil

¼ cup (or more) grapeseed oil

2 tablespoons lemon 

½ cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (or you an use parmesan cheese)

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: 

This is pretty simple. Throw all of these ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree until it has the consistency you like. If it is too dry, you can add water to make it the consistency you like. 

We plan on freezing some of this and will also just make some to have with eggs, potatoes, etc. However, it is most often served with cooked pasta. Toss with olive oil and add roasted veggies, capers, etc., if you want to make it fancy.

Red Lettuce

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps “Tastes from Valley to Bluff”

These are really tasty!  You can substitute mushrooms or tofu for a vegetarian option.

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 pound ground turkey breast

½ c green onions, sliced

1 ½ T fresh ginger, finely grated

½ tsp red pepper flakes

3 cloves garlic, mined

1 T soy sauce

1/3 c Hoisin sauce

8 lettuce leaves, washed, dried, chilled

¼ c sliced almonds, toasted

1.  Sauté the bell pepper in the vegetable oil for 2 minutes.  Add the turkey, green onions, ginger, red pepper flakes, and garlic.  Stir while cooking for 5 minutes or until the turkey is no longer pink.

2.   Add the soy sauce and Hoisin sauce.  Heat thoroughly for one minute.

3.  Spoon the turkey mixture into each lettuce leaf.  Sprinkle with the toasted sliced almonds, roll up tightly, and serve immediately.  

Radishes

Creamy Radish Dip “Farmstand Fresh” Summer 2014 collection by Fine Cooking Mag.

1  8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

4 Tb unsalted butter, softened

1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced (or garlic scapes)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce; more as needed

½ tsp fresh lemon juice

½ tsp celery salt

1/8 tsp paprika

Dash of hot sauce (optional)

Kosher salt

1 cup finely chopped radishes

¼ cup finely chopped scallions, white and green parts only

Fresh vegetables and crackers, for serving

Put the cream cheese, butter, garlic (if using), Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, celery salt, paprika, hot sauce (if using), and salt to taste into a medium bowl.  Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined (you can also use a mixer on low speed, if you like).  Stir in the radishes and scallions.  Chill for several hours to allow the flavors to blend.

Taste and add more salt, Worcestershire sauce or hot sauce, if needed but be careful not to let the Worcestershire sauce overwhelm the delicate flavors.  Serve with fresh vegetables and crackers.

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi (along with ideas for radishes!)

• Most people eat kohlrabi raw– peeled, sliced and cut into sticks, like carrots.  
• Can also be used in a non-traditional slaw with grated kohlrabi, turnips and/or radishes, chopped parsley, scallions and dressing of choice.
• Can be sliced or cubed and added to soups, salads or stir-fries.

Kohlrabi Tops and Bulbs with Mushrooms and Lentils from the blog “Urban Vegan”

1 bunch of kohlrabi bulbs and greens

1 T plus 1 tsp olive oil

6 cloves garlic, sliced

2 tsp Spanish smoked paprika

8 oz. sliced mushrooms [I used Baby ‘Bellas]

1 1/2  cups cooked lentils, or 1 15 oz. can of your favorite beans, drained and rinsed

About 5 scallions greens and whites, sliced 

Salt and pepper, to taste

Peel kohlrabi bulbs. Cut into 1/8-inch slices, then julienne. Trim tops and chiffonade.Set aside.

Heat oil over medium in a Dutch oven. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Stir in Spanish paprika to color the oil and cook for about 4 more minutes or until garlic is soft.

Add mushrooms and kohlrabi bulbs.Stir, cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Check moisture level from time to time: you may need to add salt and/or water or broth [1 T at a time] if mixture gets dry.

Add greens and scallions. Cook covered until soft, about 15-20 minutes more, again checking moisture level and adding broth or water if it gets too dry. Stir in lentils for the last 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve warm or room temperature. Serves 4

Napa Cabbage

Asian Noodle, Mushroom and Cabbage Salad

This is why we grow Napa Cabbage!  Don’t let the long ingredient list scare you off, this salad is amazing.  

12 large dried shiitake mushrooms

1 Tb peanut oil

3 c. thinly sliced Napa Cabbage

1 Tb minced garlic

14 green onions, 12 halved and cut into 2½ in. pieces; 2 chopped

3 Tb soy sauce

1 1-lb package fresh thin Chinese egg noodles or one 12 oz package dried Chinese egg noodles (** I just use regular wide egg noodles)

1/3 c. oriental sesame oil

2 Tb lemon juice

1 Tb unseasoned rice vinegar

2 tsp sugar

3 hard boiled eggs, 2 thinly sliced, 1 chopped for garnish

1 c. fresh cilantro

1 Tb minced ginger

1.  Place mushrooms in medium bowl with boiling water to cover.  Set until softened, 45 minutes.  Drain.  Cut off stems and discard.  Thinly slice caps.

2.  Heat peanut oil in heavy wok over medium-high heat.  Add cabbage, ginger, garlic and mushrooms.  Stir-fry until cabbage wilts, about 2 minutes.  Add 2½ in. green onion pieces; toss until tops begin to wilt, about 30 seconds.  Remove from heat.  Mix in 1 Tb soy sauce.

3.  Cook noodles in boiling water until just tender but still firm to bite.  Drain well.  Place in large bowl.  Whisk sesame oil, next three ingredients and 2 Tb soy sauce in small bowl.   Add to noodles.  Add sliced eggs, ¾ c. cilantro and cabbage mixture; toss well to blend.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover and chill.

4.  Sprinkle salad with the 2 chopped green onions, chopped egg and remaining ¼ c. cilantro.