THE BEET : VOLUME 12, ISSUE 20--10.29.13 SPECIAL TUESDAY PICKUP THIS WEEK
THE BEET : VOLUME 12, ISSUE 20
CSA Pickup is TODAY, TUESDAY, NOT THURSDAY 10/31. 5PM-7:30PM
There will NOT be a Halloween Potluck this year. Happy Trick or Treating!
In this week’s BEET:
1. CSA Updates
2. Windflower Farm News
3. Fennel Recipes: Fennel and Red Onion Salad with Parmesan, Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Fennel and Rosemary, Marinated Sardines with Fennel, Raisins and Pine Nuts
CSA Updates
- Next week is the last week of the regular CHCSA Season We hope you've enjoyed the past 20 weeks (and will enjoy the two remaining weeks to come and will let us know what you think of the Clinton Hill CSA in the annual survey:
- CHCSA Annual Survey This and Next Week--last two weeks of the season The Clinton Hill CSA Annual Survey will be available during pickup for you to provide feedback on the core. Please set aside five to ten minutes to sit down and let us know what you think of the CSA. Please note this is a different survey from the one Farmer Ted included in his letter. That survey is for feedback for the farm, the survey at distribution will be for the Clinton Hill Core about the entire CHCSA experience.
- Volunteer cancellation If you need to cancel your volunteer shift, please email the distribution manager directly if the cancellation is within 24 hours of your shift so that she can try to replace you: information@clintonhillcsa.org
- Last Lewis Waite Meat Share delivery 11/7 Order by 11/2 through their online order form.
WINDFLOWER FARM NEWS
Delivery #21, Week of October 28, 2013
This week’s share, the second to last of the season, will include a butternut squash, a bag of sweet potatoes, the last of our garlic and fennel bulbs, Rosemary (Tuesday) or Parsley (Thursday), red onions, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, Hakurei turnips, and your choice of two greens (from a list that includes Swiss chard, kale, purple mizuna, a mustard mix. Yukina Savoy, and broccoli raab). I hope you enjoy it. Next week you’ll get more of the same, with the substitution of chiles for fennel, and the addition of carrots and leeks.
We would like to know your thoughts about your CSA experience this year. Please follow the link below to our CSA SURVEY.
Click here for the survey: https://windflowerfarm.wufoo.
Read on to learn more about the WINTER SHARE and to find a link to our sign up page.
Jan and I hope you have enjoyed being a part of the CSA this summer and fall. If you would like more of our farm’s produce, please consider joining us for the winter season.
The winter share consists of four monthly deliveries that will include approximately 2 lb. of our organically grown winter greens (including kales, arugula, spinach, Swiss chard and tatsoi) and 8-10 lb. of our organic storage vegetables (including winter squashes, carrots, potatoes, turnips, beets, sweet potatoes, leeks, cabbages and onions), along with 4-6 lb. of local fruits (mostly apples), and either maple syrup, apple cider or preserves (one of these items per month) from neighboring producers - all packed to fit in a returnable one-bushel box.
An optional egg share from free-range hens is also available this winter.
The four deliveries are scheduled to take place on the following Saturdays: November 23rd, December 14th, January 11th and February 8th. The times and locations of our winter deliveries are below.
- Washington Heights (New Leaf Cafe, 11:00 to 12:30)
- West Harlem (Broadway Presbyterian Church, 11:30 to 1:00)
- Park Slope (226 17th Street, 1:30 to 3:00)
- Clinton Hill (35 Irving Place, 2:30 to 4:00)
- Prospect Park (604 Grand Ave., 3:30 to 5:00)
Click here to sign up: https://windflowerfarm.wufoo.
Prospect Heights and Stanton Street CSA members will receive separate mailings with their winter share sign up information.
Best wishes, Ted
Recipes: Fennel, Fennel, Fennel (from Food and Wine)
Food and Wine has a great slideshow of 19 mains, sides, salads and cocktails using fennel. Below are a few favorites.
Fennel and Red-Onion Salad with Parmesan
Crisp raw fennel, pungent onion, and a sprightly lemon and orange dressing make for a delectable salad. A food processor with a slicing attachment cuts the fennel in no time.
4 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 3/4 pounds fennel bulbs (about 2 large), cored and shaved as thin as possible
- 1 small red onion, chopped fine
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, or a chunk of Parmesan for making curls
- In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, orange zest, orange juice, salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Add the oil slowly, whisking. Add the fennel and onion and toss. Let stand at least 5 minutes but no more than 1 hour.
- To serve, top the salad with the grated Parmesan, or with a few curls of Parmesan shaved from the chunk of cheese using a vegetable peeler. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
Notes Variation In addition to the orange zest and juice, add the segments from one orange to the salad. Using a stainless-steel knife, peel the orange down to the flesh, removing all of the white pith. Cut the sections away from the membranes. Squeeze the juice from the membranes to use in the dressing.
Slicing Fennel by Hand If you are slicing fennel by hand, the easiest way is to cut off the stalks, cut the bulb in half from the top through the root end, lay each half flat-side down, and slice crosswise.
Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Fennel and Rosemary (from Food and Wine)
The Mediterranean flavors of fennel, garlic, and rosemary are perfect with chicken. The fennel and chicken are sautéed and then briefly braised in chicken broth, which becomes a tasty light sauce. ACTIVE: 5 MIN TOTAL TIME: 35 MIN SERVINGS: 4
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large fennel bulb (about 1 1/4 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch slices
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crumbled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/3 pounds in all)
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Method
- In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderately high heat. Add the fennel, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the fennel is golden brown and almost done, about 12 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the fennel is tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the fennel and the cooking liquid from the pan.
- Wipe out the pan and heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat. Season the chicken with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Add the chicken to the pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon of rosemary and cook until brown, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook until almost done, about 3 minutes longer. Add the garlic; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the fennel and its cooking liquid and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and remove from the heat. Let steam 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley.
Marinated Sardines with Fennel, Raisins and Pine Nuts
ACTIVE: 20 MIN TOTAL TIME: 55 MIN SERVINGS: 6
- 1 1/4 pounds fresh sardines, filleted
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons cornmeal
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium fennel bulb—fronds coarsely chopped, bulb cored and very thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Champagne vinegar
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- Season the sardines with salt and pepper and dust with the cornmeal. In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Cook the sardines over moderately high heat until just white throughout, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish and spread the sliced fennel on top.
- In a small saucepan, simmer the Champagne vinegar, raisins, sugar, cinnamon and bay leaf over moderate heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Pour the mixture over the sardines and let stand for at least 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight.
- In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool. Drizzle the marinated sardines with the remaining 2 table- spoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and fennel fronds and serve.