Sauerkraut!

Many CSA members were curious about our kraut making. Here is the basic recipe that we used to process 30# of cabbage.

Sauerkraut Grandma's Way

1.Harvest cabbage and let sit at room temp for a day.

2. Shred cabbage with a knife or electric shredder.

3. Mix 3T salt to 5# cabbage.

4. Let rest for 8-10 minutes.

5. Tightly pack salted cabbage into a crock or large food grade bucket

6. Repeat steps 3-5 until the fermentation container is filled to 4-5" from the top.

7. Cover cabbage with a piece of plastic wrap tucking the edges down against the inside of the container. Cover with a plate that just fits inside the container so that the cabbage is not exposed to the air. Put a weight on top of the plate so the brine comes to the plate but not over it. (I used a full vinegar jug). Let ferment at room temperature, 70-75F works best. Usually takes 3-4 weeks. Preserve by hot packing and boiling water bath.

Cold Tomato Soup

Thank you Sharon for sharing this recipe!

Cold Tomato Soup

3 pounds pealed, cored, and seeded tomatoes

1/4 fresh minced basil

1 T vegetable or olive oil

1 T honey

1 T balsamic vinegar

1/2 t salt

ground pepper to taste

1/2 c. toasted walnuts

1. Puree the tomatoes in a blender in batches. Transfer to a glass or stainless steel bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients except the walnuts.

2. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.

3. Let the soup stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with walnuts.

Freezing Swiss Chard

You might consider freezing some of your swiss chard for winter use.

To freeze:

1. Prepare a sink of cold water. Rinse chard through several changes of water lifting leaves out leaving sand and soil behind. Then separate the stems from the leaves.
2. Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Drop about one pound of whole leaves in boiling water, cover and blanch for 2 minutes (blanch stems for 3 minutes).
3. Remove chard from water and immerse in an ice water bath for 2 minutes. Drain.
4. Pack in zip-closure freezer bags or freezer containers, leaving no headspace. Label, date and freeze at zero degrees for up to one year.

Freezer Slaw

This recipe was provided by Judith and Keith Luebke. Thanks!

Freezer Slaw

1 medium head cabbage, shredded

1 tsp salt

1 carrot, shredded

1 green pepper, chopped

Mix salt with shredded cabbage, let stand 1 hour. Drain, add carrot & green pepper.

Meanwhile, prepare dressing:

1 cup vinegar (I prefer apple cider vinegar)

½ c. water

1 -2 cups sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)

1 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp celery seeds

Mix dressing ingredients. Bring to boil and boil for 1 minute. Cool. Then pour over prepared cabbage mixture. Put in freezer safe containers & place in freezer. Enjoy over our long winters. It’s good fresh, too.

Chicken Dinner with Fried Turnips and Swiss Chard

As you imagine, Joe and I are busy on the farm. There are many nights we don't eat until 9 pm. Like most families, we need quick and simple meals. This does not mean we are forced to eat fastfood or processed meals from a box. If you start with healthy fresh ingredients, most of the work is already done for you. This meal took about 20 minutes labor to make.

Chicken: I placed a frozen pasture raised chicken in a roasting pan and baked it at 325F for about 1 1/2 hours, then turned it up to 375F to finish cooking. A little water was added to the bottom of the pan to keep it from drying out. Remove the chicken when golden and fully cooked. Allow to set up while you cook the turnips and chard.

Fried Turnips: I would like to thank my friend Bryden for convincing me to grow turnips. I admit, until this spring I have never tried them. I didn't take long until I was hooked on this humble root crop.

Serves: 2 people

Ingredients:

• 4-6 Sliced medium-sized turnips
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
  
• 1/3 cup Fine cornmeal or corn flour
• 1/3 cup White flour
  
• 1 Egg
  
• 2 T Water
• 1/8 cup finely chopped green onion tops
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Olive oil
• 1 T Butter
  

Method:

1. Mix flour, corn meal, Parmesan cheese, onion, salt, and pepper in a shallow pan. A pie pan works well.
2. Whisk together water and egg in a small bowl
3. Dip all the turnip slices into the egg mixture then toss in the flour mixture. A light coating will do.
4. In a skillet or wak, pour just enough olive oil to cover the bottom then add the butter.
5. Bring pan to medium heat.
6. Place coated turnips into the pan.
7. Cook until lightly brown then flip. It only should take a couple minutes per side.
   
8. Drain on a towel or paper bag.

Swiss Chard

After the turnips are remove from the skillet, toss the swiss chard in. Cook until the greens begin to wilt. Add some nuts for texture.

There you are, a quick healthy meal.

Vegetarian Creamed Radishes with Greens

My mother is not a fan of vegetables. So as a child, my sister and I were fed peas and beans in a cream sauce. This recipe is loosely based on that side dish but with a wider variety of healthy ingredients. I recommend using organic dairy products if you can. They contain no hormones or antibiotics. Better yet, find small local dairy that will sell you grass-fed dairy products.

Serves: 1-2 people

Ingredients:

• 4 Sliced radishes
  
• Handful of cooking greens such as swiss chard, beet greens, and spinach
• 4 T Cottage cheese or your favorite cheese
• 1 T Flour
• 1/2 cup whole milk, can sub 2%
• 1/2 T Butter
• 1/4-1 tsp. garlic to taste
• Paprika to taste
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Melt butter in a wak or large sauce pan on medium heat
2. Add flour when butter is melted
   
3. Blend with a fork until smooth
4. Add 1/4 c. milk, stir until sauce thickens slightly
   
5. Add radishes and stir to prevent scalding the cream
6. If the sauce becomes too thick, add more milk
   
7. When the radishes begin to soften slightly, add the greens, garlic, cheese and the remainder of the milk
   
8. Stir until the green are slightly cooked, don't overcook
   
9. Add paprika, salt, and pepper to taste
   
10. Serve

Optional:

Add green onions, bacon or turnips. Experiment with what's in your refrigerator and spice rack!


This recipe creates a saucy side dish. If you would like less cream, cut the butter, milk, and flour in half and prepare normally. That is my preferred way to prepare this dish.


Tips:


The beet greens turn the cream a pinkish color, which I don't mind. You can also make this dish with just swiss chard or spinach if you don't care for the pinkish tint.

This dish is quick and easy, but needs constant attention while the sauce is in the pan to prevent scalding and burning. Keep the pan on medium heat and stir constantly.

Enjoy!

Chinese Cabbage with Old Fashion Bacon

I pulled away the protective row covers in the garden and to my surprise the Chinese cabbage is ready. An eager head had produced a flower stalk. Because it had bolted, I thought it would be a perfect specimen for this new recipe. It is loosely based on a dish from Jasper White's Cooking from New England. It is a simple recipe but tastes great! Here it is served as a side dish but would make a great entree.

Ingredients:

• 4 Strips real bacon, medium cut (We used our pasture raised pork bacon but Schmidt's Meat Market has awesome bacon too.)
• 1/2- 1 Head Chinese Cabbage
• 1 1/2-2 Red and yellow bell peppers.
• Optional: 1 Carrot, Onions, garlic, anything else you might deem appropriate.

Can also be cooked vegetarian style, just sub the bacon with some butter or flavored olive oil.

Method:

1. Cut the bacon into strips apx. 1 1/2" long and 1/4" wide.
2. Chop cabbage into big chunks.
3. Chop peppers into large chunks. We used frozen peppers that were harvested from our garden last fall.
4. Begin frying bacon in a wak or skilled on medium to medium-high heat.
5. When bacon is 3/4 done add peppers.
6. Scald cabbage in boiling water for 1 minute. This will sweeten the cabbage but don't overcook.
7. When the peppers and bacon are nearly done, add the cabbage.
8. Toss the ingredients in the skillet a few times to meld the flavors. Don't over-cook.
9. Serve