Clink the link to read a great informational article on how to get the best use out of your CSA!
How to Use Up Every Single Molecule of Your CSA
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Make Your Own Hot Pepper Flakes
Hot Pepper Flakes
from: oldworldgardenfarms.com
Select hot peppers of your choice. Wash and rinse the peppers off, cut off the stem and then dry them off with a towel and place on cookie sheets. Make sure you line the cookie sheets with aluminum foil.
from: oldworldgardenfarms.com
Select hot peppers of your choice. Wash and rinse the peppers off, cut off the stem and then dry them off with a towel and place on cookie sheets. Make sure you line the cookie sheets with aluminum foil.
Turn on the oven heat to a very low setting (usually 160 to 170 degrees) and let the peppers roast on low for about 8
to 10 hours. If you have to leave just turn off the
oven and resume again when you come home – no harm done at all to the
drying peppers.
When your peppers have turned crisp and dry (usually 8 to 10 hours – but
it can be a few more or less depending on the dryness of the peppers)
take them out and let them cool completely. Then place into your food
processor or food chopper and in a matter of seconds you have fresh
home-made pepper flakes.
If you want to make hot pepper powder (like
cayenne) – just simply take your flakes and run them through a food mill
to remove the seeds – and your left with a fine powder that can be
used in dishes, soups, and sauces.
Store in an airtight container.
Tips:
1. When handling hot peppers wearing gloves when preparing them protects your hands.
2. Mix up a few teaspoons of hot pepper flakes or powder in a gallon jug of
water. Let it stand for a day or two and then use a mister to apply to
plants where bunnies or other critters can be a problem. One taste of
the hot pepper on the leaves and they tend to leave it alone. Just
remember to re-apply after any rain that might wash off the hot spray.
Bok Choy Chicken
Bok Choy Chicken
From: Rasamalaysia
2 tablespoons oil
8 oz bok choy, sliced into pieces
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced into pieces
Marinade:
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
Sauce:
1/2 heaping tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
3 dashes white pepper
1 teaspoon wine
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Directions:
Marinate the chicken with the ingredients in Marinade for 10 minutes.
Combine all the ingredients in the Sauce in a small bowl, stir to blend well.
Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a wok until the oil becomes hot. Add the chicken and quickly stir-fry until the surface of the chicken turn opaque or white. Dish out and set aside.
Heat up the remaining oil in the wok until hot. Add the ginger into the wok and stir-fry until aromatic. Add the chicken back into the wok and do a few quick stirs. Add in the bok choy and stir to combine well.
Transfer the sauce into the wok and continue to stir-fry until the bok choy is cooked but remain crisp.
Dish out and serve with steamed white rice.
From: Rasamalaysia
Ingredients:
6 oz boneless and skinless chicken breast, cut into thin pieces2 tablespoons oil
8 oz bok choy, sliced into pieces
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced into pieces
Marinade:
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
Sauce:
1/2 heaping tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
3 dashes white pepper
1 teaspoon wine
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Directions:
Marinate the chicken with the ingredients in Marinade for 10 minutes.
Combine all the ingredients in the Sauce in a small bowl, stir to blend well.
Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a wok until the oil becomes hot. Add the chicken and quickly stir-fry until the surface of the chicken turn opaque or white. Dish out and set aside.
Heat up the remaining oil in the wok until hot. Add the ginger into the wok and stir-fry until aromatic. Add the chicken back into the wok and do a few quick stirs. Add in the bok choy and stir to combine well.
Transfer the sauce into the wok and continue to stir-fry until the bok choy is cooked but remain crisp.
Dish out and serve with steamed white rice.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Hydroponics
A few of our greenhouses here on the farm are dedicated to hydroponic growing practices. We use NFT(nutrient filled technique) for our hydroponics. We add a mix of essential nutrients to the water used to feed our plant roots. An automated system constantly monitors the pH levels in the water and will adjust the amount nutrients needed to maintain a balanced system. Click here for a video.
The seedlings sit in a bed of constantly flowing water. This constant flow ensures algae and other fungus will not grow. The pH of this water must remain at a level of 5.6.
The seeds are placed in a porous tray and set in a trough. On the left you can see the seeds beginning to crack and open up. On the right they begin to sprout. The trough has a constant stream of water running through it.
On the right you can see the roots beginning to reach out from the porous tray. When these seedlings are between 20-30 days old, they are transferred. Once, transferred, new seeds are planted to take their place. The seedlings are transferred to a white tray that suspends the plants over another constant flow of water. The plants will stay in this tray until they are fully grown and ready to be harvested. Once harvested, the newest seedlings are transferred and so on. This process will continue all season.
The are many benefits to hydroponic farming that make it a great addition to our farm.
1. Extended growing season:
Due to the ground being frozen from Nov-March, hydroponic growing allows us to plant crops earlier and later in the season that otherwise we could not plant in the ground. This allows us to offer customers a wide variety of produce options, even in the colder months when some crops are difficult to grow outside.
2. Climate Control:
By having hydroponic crops in the greenhouses we can control the climate. This is especially handy in the early months when weather can be unpredictable in deciding when we can begin planting. If it is an usually cold season we can ensure we have options for our customers to choose from. Even during the main season climate control is an added benefit. Rain and heat can become excessive at times but inside we can control how much water and heat our plants get.
3. Faster Growth Rate
Plants growing hydroponically have a 30-50% faster growth rate than our crops outside. This allows for less time between plantings that we would be without a certain crop.
4. Higher crop yield
Due to the fact that the plants are off the ground and inside, out of the elements, allows for them to yield more fruit. We are not losing a significant amount of product to insects, fungus, and disease. All these factors are much more easily maintained in hydroponic farming.
5. Healthier plants
As stated previously, our hydroponic plantings are less susceptible to insects and disease than some of field crops. Also, they maintain the nutrients from the water better than our field crops. If we have a heavy rain, much of those nutrients are lost in the runoff. In hydroponics, all those nutrients go straight to the roots, with none being lost.
 |
| Automated monitoring system |
 |
| Drum of mixed essential nutrients |
The seedlings sit in a bed of constantly flowing water. This constant flow ensures algae and other fungus will not grow. The pH of this water must remain at a level of 5.6.
The seeds are placed in a porous tray and set in a trough. On the left you can see the seeds beginning to crack and open up. On the right they begin to sprout. The trough has a constant stream of water running through it.
On the right you can see the roots beginning to reach out from the porous tray. When these seedlings are between 20-30 days old, they are transferred. Once, transferred, new seeds are planted to take their place. The seedlings are transferred to a white tray that suspends the plants over another constant flow of water. The plants will stay in this tray until they are fully grown and ready to be harvested. Once harvested, the newest seedlings are transferred and so on. This process will continue all season.
Here you can see the roots that are supplied with nutrients by the
constantly flowing water. The water is fed into the tray by small white
tubes. The roots are underneath the tray while the leaves grow out of
the top. Hydroponic lettuce is pictured above and below.
The are many benefits to hydroponic farming that make it a great addition to our farm.
1. Extended growing season:
Due to the ground being frozen from Nov-March, hydroponic growing allows us to plant crops earlier and later in the season that otherwise we could not plant in the ground. This allows us to offer customers a wide variety of produce options, even in the colder months when some crops are difficult to grow outside.
2. Climate Control:
By having hydroponic crops in the greenhouses we can control the climate. This is especially handy in the early months when weather can be unpredictable in deciding when we can begin planting. If it is an usually cold season we can ensure we have options for our customers to choose from. Even during the main season climate control is an added benefit. Rain and heat can become excessive at times but inside we can control how much water and heat our plants get.
3. Faster Growth Rate
Plants growing hydroponically have a 30-50% faster growth rate than our crops outside. This allows for less time between plantings that we would be without a certain crop.
4. Higher crop yield
Due to the fact that the plants are off the ground and inside, out of the elements, allows for them to yield more fruit. We are not losing a significant amount of product to insects, fungus, and disease. All these factors are much more easily maintained in hydroponic farming.
5. Healthier plants
As stated previously, our hydroponic plantings are less susceptible to insects and disease than some of field crops. Also, they maintain the nutrients from the water better than our field crops. If we have a heavy rain, much of those nutrients are lost in the runoff. In hydroponics, all those nutrients go straight to the roots, with none being lost.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Sweating Your Eggplant
Slice up your eggplant and add salt(about 1/2 cup for a large eggplant).
Let it sweat for about an hour. Rinse thoroughly before cooking with them to remove all the salt.
The benefits of sweating your eggplant are:
Reduction of bitterness
Firms the flesh which will reduce the amount of oil they absorb if your are frying them, etc.
From: From Farm to Family
Broccoli Slaw
Broccoli Slaw
(works great with cauliflower also!)
From: Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
2 heads of broccoli
1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
Buttermilk Dressing
1/2 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
1/3 cup mayonnaise (this is more than is in the original, to thicken the dressing further)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot or red onion
Directions:
Trim broccoli and cut it into large chunks. From here, you can either feed it through your food processor’s slicing blade, use a mandoline to cut it into thin slices, or simply had chop it into smaller pieces. I used the stem and the flowerets, but if you have a broccoli stem aversion you can just use the tops. (P.S. My favorite way to prep the stems is to peel them — the tough skin is why most people think they don’t like broccoli stems; the broccoli underneath is juicy and crisp — then use the mandoline or a knife to cut them into thin slices.)
Toss the sliced broccoli with the almonds, cranberries and red onion in a large bowl. Meanwhile, whisk the dressing ingredients in a smaller one, with a good pinch of salt and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the broccoli (if you’ve skipped the stems, you might not want it all; I otherwise found this to be the perfect amount) and toss it well. Season well with salt and pepper to taste.
(works great with cauliflower also!)
From: Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
2 heads of broccoli
1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
Buttermilk Dressing
1/2 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
1/3 cup mayonnaise (this is more than is in the original, to thicken the dressing further)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot or red onion
Directions:
Trim broccoli and cut it into large chunks. From here, you can either feed it through your food processor’s slicing blade, use a mandoline to cut it into thin slices, or simply had chop it into smaller pieces. I used the stem and the flowerets, but if you have a broccoli stem aversion you can just use the tops. (P.S. My favorite way to prep the stems is to peel them — the tough skin is why most people think they don’t like broccoli stems; the broccoli underneath is juicy and crisp — then use the mandoline or a knife to cut them into thin slices.)
Toss the sliced broccoli with the almonds, cranberries and red onion in a large bowl. Meanwhile, whisk the dressing ingredients in a smaller one, with a good pinch of salt and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the broccoli (if you’ve skipped the stems, you might not want it all; I otherwise found this to be the perfect amount) and toss it well. Season well with salt and pepper to taste.
Apple Cider Sangria
Apple Cider Sangria
From: How Sweet It Is
From: How Sweet It Is
Ingredients:
1 bottle (standard size) of pinot grigio
2 1/2 cups fresh apple cider
1 cup club soda
1/2 cup ginger brandy
3 honey crisp apples, chopped
3 pears, chopped
Directions:
1 bottle (standard size) of pinot grigio
2 1/2 cups fresh apple cider
1 cup club soda
1/2 cup ginger brandy
3 honey crisp apples, chopped
3 pears, chopped
Directions:
Combine all ingredients together and stir, stir, stir. Refrigerate for an hour or so (or longer!) before serving.
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