Turtle Times

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Vol. 13, No. 25, Oct. 28, ‘08   7260 NW 58th  St., Johnston 50131  278-4522 (577-9208)

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Rain: Last week total 1.9”

In the Box . . .

Brussels sprouts ‘Diablo’

Cauliflower ‘Veronica Romanesco’

Shallots ‘Saffron’

Winter squash mixture

Turnips ‘Hakurei’

Beets ‘Chioggia’

Pac Choi ‘Mei Qing’

Braising greens

By request:  sage, daikon radish

October Farm Update

There’s never a dull moment at the farm.  It got especially lively when we headed out to harvest Brussels sprouts last Tuesday after morning harvests of beets and leeks that took too long and had put us behind schedule already.  Cutting the base of a Brussels sprout plant, we discovered, is like taking down a tree—the 2 inch trunk was like wood.  Even Ben’s machete didn’t make progress, and I was never going to be able to saw them all off with my little pruning saw.  After a frustrating and panicky start, we tried cutting a bit higher up on the “stem” where it was greener wood.  Then Ben was able to make a difference with his machete.  So accolades to Ben and his swinging arm.  That’s all that got those Brussels sprouts to you last Tuesday.  This week we are wiser and better prepared.

Another new crop this week is the Romanesco Italian cauliflower.  You are either getting a small head, or a piece of a larger one.  We had enough survive to give everyone one, but then some of them did not make heads in time, so we’re splitting them up so that everyone can have a sample.  Excuse the additional beets this week if you are not a beet fan, but these are also an Italian specialty. The ‘Chioggia’ beets are very sweet, especially after roasting. 

Reminder: Fall “pumpkin” themed gathering potluck at the farm greenhouse (or Angela’s home if it’s too cold and cloudy or rainy) on Sunday Nov. 2 around 1 pm—eating 1:30 or 2.  Bring a dish to share and maybe a chair plus your own service.  Haven’t made it out to the farm or met the farm crew yet?  Want to glean from the garden?  This would be a good time to do that.  We still have pumpkins available for anyone wanting to make and bring a pumpkin dish to the potluck.  RSVP so that we can inform you if we have to move the location.

All of the farm is open to gleaning after Tuesday.  Some items that might be left are greens, spinach, beets, daikon radish, turnips, arugula, and herbs.  Come and wander about, thank the garden for its bounty, and breathe a little fresh air before it gets too cold.  Thank you everyone for your participation is this process we call community supported agriculture, because you are indeed a community of people that do that.  And we are grateful for that.  We’ll be in touch in January 2009!

Recipes

This recipe is one that I like and have made numerous times even before we were able to grow our own Brussels sprouts. And this week we have some cauliflower for it, too. (The broccoli Romanesco mentioned in the recipe is the same as our cauliflower Romanesco.)

Brussels Sprouts with Cauliflower and Mustard-caper Butter (Local Flavors,  Madison)

Mustard-Caper Butter: The Vegetables:

2 garlic cloves                                                             1 lb Brussels sprouts

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper                             1 small head white cauliflower

6 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature                   1 small head broccoli Romanesco

2 tsp. Dijon-style mustard                                           sea salt and freshly ground pepper

¼ c. drained small capers, rinsed

Grated zest of 1 lemon

 3 T. chopped marjoram

Butter:  Pound the garlic with ½ tsp. salt in a mortar until smooth, and then stir it into the butter with the mustard, capers, lemon zest, and marjoram.  Season with pepper.  The butter can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.  Bring back to room temperature before serving.  (I sometimes use olive oil instead of butter.)

Vegetables:  Trim the base off the sprouts, then slice them in half or, if large, into quarters.  Cut the cauliflower and broccoli into bite-sized pieces.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt.  Add the Brussels sprouts and cook for 3 minutes.  Then add the other vegetables and continue to cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Drain, shake off any excess water, then toss with the Mustard-caper Butter.  Taste for salt, season with pepper, and toss again.