What to Do With Your Share---Week 4

Physical exhaustion is the name of the game this time of year, so we are glad that most of the vegetables we grow are edible raw. A simple stringing and a snap pea is an appetizer, a Hakurei turnip is ready to go right out of the bag, and quick washing, tearing and spinning makes a lettuce salad.

Believe it or not, one of the tastiest of raw vegetables is the kohlrabi. We pulled some of this week’s share last week, as they were at prime picking stage, and we didn’t want the hot weather to toughen them up. Some may have a little bit of fiber in the very center, but the ones that we have been noshing on have been crispy and juicy.

One thing that can perplex folks is how to peel a kohlrabi. Well, former FSF apprentice and local urban farmer Julie Coon can show you the proper way. In a new video series she is working on, she and cooking partner Danika Hanson prepare a scrumptious mix of lentils, couscous, Hakurei turnips, kohlrabi and curry.

Go to about the 5:00 mark to see the simplest way to peel a kohlrabi. You cut off the top and bottom, and then set it on the counter and cut down the sides, like you are taking corn off a cob.

So now, what else to do with that wonderful kohlrabi? The simplest thing is to cut it into slices or chunks and smother it with your favorite dressing. A more “complex” approach is to make a refined and tasty salad.

Depending on your tastes, you can make whatever you want. If you like Asian cooking use a dressing like the one in last week’s stir fry salad. If you are a hard core Midwesterner, use ranch dressing. Another style is to copy a jicama salad recipe and substitute the kohlrabi for the jicama. That is what we did last year, so check out that blog or simply search for jicama or kohlrabi salad.

Radish Dip
Last November, member Ann Flynn sent me this recipe for radishes. If you still have some in the fridge (and some dill and green garlic), this is a great way to use them. In Ann’s words “This dip is delish.”

1 cup finely chopped radishes

1 package of cream cheese (8 oz)

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp dill weed

Combine all ingredients. Use as a sandwich spread or on crackers or vegetables.

Finally, a shout out to our good friend Bill McKelvey, who took such beautiful photos and portraits during his visit last weekend. Here is Bill in front of the lens, and someone not pictured in Rebecca's post...Rebecca!

What to Do With Your Share---Week 6

The roots are taking over from the fruits and leafy greens of the early shares. Turnips, kohlrabi, beets, carrots and onions are now in the majority. Their heartiness is good for you, and if you cook them right, the taste is too.

A week ago we trialed the beets. The trial was a success. We utilized an Asian dressing to test them out.

Beet Salad with Asian Dressing
Ingredients
1 bunch of beets
2 scallions or ¼ cup chopped fresh onion
1 to 2 medium carrots

Dressing
1/8 cup sesame oil
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce
Juice of ½ lime
1 squirt Sriracha hot sauce
1 tsp honey
1/8 tsp salt

Method
Top the beets and boil until tender
Quickly cool beets and peel off skin when cool
Mix all dressing ingredients together
Cut into desired size, add chopped onion, grated carrots and dressing



We were recently persuaded to try kohlrabi in a new way, by using it like jicama. Jicama is the root of a plant cultivated more in Central and South America than here, that is similar to kohlrabi. Rebecca modified the Clementine Jicama Salad recipe from epicurious.com. I thought the grated kohlrabi in this salad was shredded coconut. It was delicious.

Kohlrabi and Orange Salad
Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic or garlic scape
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
2 oranges, peeled, separated, and cut crosswise into chunks
1 kohlrabi, peeled and shredded
2 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup crumbled fresh cheese
1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (try Al Habashi in the River Market)

Method
Whisk together garlic, salt, lime juice, oil, honey, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
Add oranges, kohlrabi, onion, and gently toss.
Season with salt and sprinkle with cheese and pumpkin seeds.

In the Share - Week 23

KOHLRABI F  I have heard from many kohlrabi lovers since I mentioned that it is not everybody's favorite.  One said, "I LOVE kohlrabi. It's yummy raw, kind of like broccoli stems or jicama, and it's delicious roasted. Great for salads or in sticks for dipping in dips like hummus. What's not to like?" Others offered that they make kohlrabi fries by dipping them in batter and baking them. " You'll have your chance to try a new recipe.  Since the positive comments began pouring in, the kohlrabi have swelled to softball size.

BULB FENNEL F/P  See Tom's post for more on the finocchio

LETTUCE F2/P1  We rescued many a head from the mud today.  They are triple-rinsed but will need a final rinse in your kitchens.

BEETS OR HAKUREI TURNIPS F

POTATOES F/P  Purple Viking is our new favorite potato.  Large and pretty in purple with white, fluffy flesh. 

GARLIC F/P

CABBAGE F  The last of the compact varieties.  The big heads are starting to mature.

GREENS CHOICE F  Bok choy, tat soi and yukina savoy, all great in a stir-fry.

GOLD BALL TURNIPS P  Just the roots with the tops removed to make them a bit more manageable.

BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER OR NAPA CABBAGE P  The first two are almost done.  The Napa is just starting.

NEXT WEEK:  More lettuce, cabbage, greens.  Watermelon radishes, carrots and leeks.

FARM REPORT:
The farm is very soggy and we are worrying over the tender crops left in the field.  We are approaching 10 inches of rain in the month of October.  Most vegetable crops like 1 inch per week and much more than that leads to pooling and stagnant conditions.  A soil is like a sponge and right now ours is full of water, not air.  The stiff north wind that blew today was a good first step in getting things to dry out.  Sunshine is forecasted for the next five days and should do a lot of good.

 

In the middle of this wet weather, Tom and I took a couple of days off the farm and ended up visiting our water downstream.  The farm resides within the Fishing River watershed which enters the Missouri River near Missouri City.  Across the river sits Fort Osage, originally constructed in 1808 to conduct trade with our allies, the Osage Indians.  The usual story of death, displacement and hardship followed.  The Osage are in Oklahoma now and our farm sits on their old hunting grounds

the river view from Fort Osage