Sign up for the 2013 CSA Season

Join us for the 2013 CSA season from August 14th - December 11th.  We are prepping the fields and we have vegetable starts in our greenhouse; this is going to be a fantastic season.

The deadline for sending in the CSA application and deposit is June 1st.

You can download a copy of the application by clicking here.

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Share #14: December 12th, 2012

This is the final Wealth Underground share of 2012.  We want to thank all of our sharemembers for a fantastic season, you're enthusiasm inspires us to grow the vegetables to the best of our abilities. 

Our apologies for the behavior of the gophers this year, who managed to eat all the parsnips and the majority of the beets and carrots.  We plan on having a serious talk with them over winter.

In the share box this week:

Rutabaga
Collards
Chard
Onions
Brussels Sprouts
Winter Squash (Acorn or Delicata)
Garlic
Peppers
Chicories
Tat Soi
Bok Choi
Potatoes

Recipe:

Brussels Sprouts w/ Pancetta (taken from the Produce Bible)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup thinly sliced pancetta
4 shallots (or small onions)
1 tbsp of butter
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced

Instructions:

Preheat the broiler to high.  Spread the pancetta on a baking sheet or on a broiler tray with foil and broil for 45-60 seconds or until crisp.  Set the pancetta aside.

Peel the shallots and cut them into thick rings.  Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes or until just starting to brown.  Add the Brussels sprouts and season with freshly ground black pepper.  Cook, stirring often, for about 4-5 minutes or until partly golden and crisp.  Turn off the heat, cover, and set aside for 5 minutes.

Break the pancetta into large shards.  Add to the Brussels sprouts and toss lightly.  Serve immediately.

Share #13 December 5th, 2012

In your share today:

Red Cabbage

Rutabaga

Acorn Squash

Onions

Garlic

Bok Choi

Kale

Sorrel

Chicories

Parsley

Kale cakes with sorrel sauce

3 cups sorrel leaves

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 garlic clove, crushed

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

1 bunch Kale 

1/3 cup pine nuts

4 ounces kashkaval cheese (or pecorino), coarsely grated

1 egg

6 tablespoons dried white bread crumbs

Mixture of vegetable oil and olive oil, for frying.

1. Make the sauce: In a food processor or a blender, place sorrel, yogurt, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the mustard and salt to taste; process until it is bright green. Taste and add salt, if desired. Refrigerate until needed.

2. De-rib Kale. Bring a large pan of water to boil. Add the leaves, stir and continue simmering for 3 minutes. Drain the kale and allow to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much water as possible. Chop leaves and stalks roughly and put in a medium bowl.

3. In a small skillet, fry pine nuts in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 1 minute, or until light brown. Add nuts and oil to the kale, followed by the cheese, egg, bread crumbs, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. If mixture is very soft and sticky, add more crumbs.

4. Pour enough frying oil into a large skillet to come 1/4 inch up the sides. Shape kale mixture into eight patties roughly 2 inches in diameter and 5/8-inch thick. Fry them for about 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Place on paper towels to absorb oil. Serve warm or at room temperature, with sauce on the side.

Share #12: November 28, 2012

In the share this week:

Collards
Arugula
Kohlrabi
Peppers
Leeks
Acorn Squash
Turnips
Chicories
Garlic

Recipe:

Baked Acorn Squash 
(adapted from "The Pioneer Woman Cooks")

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash
1 tbsp of butter
1 tbsp of brown sugar
maple syrup
salt to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Halve the squash, then scrape out the seeds and stringy membranes. Place the halves, flesh side up, on a baking sheet and sprinkle each half with salt.

Next add butter and brown sugar to the center of each half.  Drizzle squash with maple syrup.

Pour 2 cups water in the bottom of the baking pan.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 30-45 minutes, or until squash is golden brown.

In the last 5 minutes of baking, turn on the broiler and allow tops to get a little more brown and the butter/sugar mixture to bubble.

Share #11: November 21, 2012

In your share this week:
Red Cabbage
Pie Pumpkin
Delicata Squash
Potatoes
Rutabaga
Peppers
Fennel
Kale
Leeks
Chicories
Parsley
Garlic
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Greek Pumpkin and Leek Pie (courtesy of  theNY Times)

2 1/2 pounds pumpkin, cut into large chunks

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3  leeks (about 1 1/2 pounds), white and light green parts only, cleaned and chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill or parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces)

3 large eggs, beaten

Salt and freshly ground pepper

12 sheets phyllo dough

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Place the pumpkin pieces on the baking sheet, drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil on top and cover tightly with foil. Place in the oven, and roast for 1 1/2 hours or until thoroughly tender. Remove from the heat, transfer to a strainer or a colander set over a bowl or in the sink, and allow to cool and drain. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees.

2. Peel the cooled pumpkin, and place in a large bowl or in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Purée coarsely or mash with a fork. Stir in the herbs, nutmeg and feta. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick frying pan. Add the leeks. Cook, stirring, until tender and just beginning to color, five to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and continue to cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Remove from the heat, and add to the pumpkin. Beat the eggs, and stir into the pumpkin mixture.

4. Brush a 10- or 12-inch tart pan or cake pan with olive oil and layer in seven sheets of phyllo dough. Place them not quite evenly atop one another, so that the edges overlap the sides of the pan all the way around. Brush each sheet with olive oil (or a mixture of olive oil and melted butter) before adding the next sheet. Fill with the pumpkin mixture, and fold the edges over. Brush the folded-over phyllo with olive oil, then layer five more sheets of dough over the top, brushing each with olive oil (or a combination of melted butter and olive oil). Crimp the edges into the sides of the pan. Pierce the top of the pie in several places with a sharp knife. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. Recrisp the crust if necessary in a low oven for 10 to 20 minutes.

Yield: Serves eight to 10.

Advance preparation: The pumpkin can be cooked and mashed three or four days ahead of making the dish and kept in the refrigerator in a covered bowl. Drain off liquid that accumulates. The filling will keep for two or three days in the refrigerator; don’t add the eggs until you’re ready to assemble the pie.

The finished tart keeps for a few days, but you must keep crisping the phyllo. This is easily done, either in a low oven (250 degrees to 300 degrees) for 10 to 20 minutes or in a hot oven that has just been turned off for 5 to 10 minutes. You can assemble the pie in its entirety, double-wrap it in plastic wrap and foil, and freeze until ready to bake. Uncover, brush the top with olive oil or melted butter, and transfer directly from the freezer to the oven. Add 15 minutes to the baking time.

Share #10: November 14, 2012

In this week's share:

Romanesco cauliflower
Mustards
Chard
Chicories (frisee and endive)
Acorn squash
Onions
Eggplant
Cilantro
Garlic
Peppers
Brussels Sprouts

Recipe:

Chicory Salad w/ Red Onion and Oranges

Ingredients:

1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 medium red onion, sliced crosswise 1/8 inch thick and separated into rings
2 medium navel oranges
2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon chicken stock or chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 heads chicory (endive), stems and center ribs discarded and leaves torn into bite-size pieces

Instructions:

Bring vinegar, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring frequently until sugar is dissolved, then remove from heat. 

Cook onion in a saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes, then drain in a colander. Rinse under cold water and drain again. Stir onion into vinegar mixture and marinate 10 minutes. 

While onion is marinating, cut peel and white pith from oranges with a sharp knife, then cut oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. 

Drain onion in a sieve set over a salad bowl, reserving marinade and onion separately. Whisk mustard, stock, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and oil into marinade. Add chicory, onion, and oranges and toss with dressing. Serve immediately.

Also, here is an past recipe for brussels sprouts.

Share #9: November 7, 2012

In this week's share:

Rutabaga
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Fennel
Potatoes
Garlic
Arugula
Collards
Bok Choi
Delicata Winter Squash
Onions

Recipe:

Golden Rutabaga Cheesecake
From Asparagus to Zucchini (and the Ontario Rutabaga Producers' Marketing Board), published by MACSAC (a Madison non-profit!), 1996.


Ingredients:
3 cups cubed rutabaga
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 2/3 cups fine graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin (vegetarian note: you can use agar instead)
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs, separated
1 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated organic orange zest (orange part only) (food safety note: only zest organic oranges; non-organic citrus is usually dosed with fungicide on the outer skin) 

Instructions:
Boil rutabaga in salted water until just tender. Drain and puree in blender or whip by hand; cool and place in large bowl with cream cheese. Set aside.

Mix graham cracker crumbs and butter. Reserve 1/4 cup and press remainder on bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Chill.

Soften gelatin in cold water in top pan of small double boiler (or prepare agar according to directions). Add 1/2 cup of the sugar, salt, milk, and slightly beaten egg yolks. Cook over boiling water, stirring, until slightly thickened. Beat into cream cheese/rutabaga mixture until smooth and well blended. Cool.

Beat egg whites until foamy; add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff.

Whip cream and fold into cheese/rutabaga mixture. Fold in whipped egg whites. Fold in vanilla and orange zest. Pour into prepared pan, sprinkle with reserved crumbs, and chill until firm.

Note from a veggie chef: You can leave out the gelatin entirely, but it makes for a soupy cheesecake. You may substitute one tablespoon powdered agar (a seaweed protein) for every tablespoon of powdered gelatin.

--Also, here is a recipe for Fennel - http://wealthunderground.blogspot.com/2011/07/share-6-july-6th-2011.html