From the Garden This Week

From the Garden this Week…

Russian, Curly or Toscana Kale, Green Kohlrabi, Cauliflower or Broccoli or Green Cabbage or Napa Cabbage, Ruby Sky Lettuce (leaf lettuce), Sky Foss Lettuce (butter lettuce), Romaine or Spring Mix with Spinach, Radishes, Rutabagas or Carrots or Beets, Parsley or Cilantro

Upon Request … Bok Choi and Asian Greens

Coming Soon …. Savoy Cabbage, Celery, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Romanesco

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

This week we have Kale coming. You might see one of three varieties, Russian, Toscana or Curly. The Russian has reddish/purple leaves, the Toscana has the darkest pebbled leaves and the curly is curly. They can be used the same, but I do prefer to cook the Toscana and Russian types where the curly kale, is good raw, like cabbage. In the recipe I included today, I wrote it to blanch the kale for a minute in boiling water, but if you had curly kale, you might just keep it raw and massage the dressing into the leaves to soften them. This is an Asian style dressing with tahini and ginger, if you wanted to make extra dressing it would be great on the cabbage coming this week too.

Kale Salad with Tahini Ginger Dressing & Avocado

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon tahini

1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

½ teaspoon sriracha or other hot sauce

1 teaspoon honey

1 garlic clove, pressed or finely chopped

1-2 teaspoons grated ginger

½ teaspoon salt

1 bunch kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped

½ avocado, peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Make the dressing, mix the oil, tahini, tamari, vinegar, hot sauce, honey, garlic, ginger and salt in a bowl or jar, stir or shake to combine. Bring a large pot of water to a boil then submerge the greens for 1 minute until softened. Remove and drain well, set the kale on a towel to remove any excess moisture. Toss the warm kale with the dressing, stirring well to coat all the kale evenly. Slice the avocado over the top and sprinkle liberally with the sesame seeds. Enjoy right away.

A GREAT GIFT IDEA FOR CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR!

Give your friend or family member a GIFT CARD or a GIFT SUBSCRIPTION for our produce once, twice, or even for a season. They can pick up their farm fresh produce on the day it is picked at Cornucopia Natural Foods or have it delivered to their door.

Pick up: $35 per week

Delivery is $42 per week

Email us at wellspringcharitablegardens@gmail.comor call or text Julie at 209-764-5522

Kohlrabi and Root Vegetables…

Kohlrabi is a cruciferous vegetable related to cabbage and broccoli, and not a root vegetable as it grows above the ground. I like to use it like broccoli both raw and cooked. You do need to peel off the fibrous outer layer of the bulb and you can use the leaves like kale. You can also grate the bulb, and use it like slaw. Steam it or sauté it like broccoli, with a little butter and lemon. I used it raw in the slaw recipe here.

I also wanted to include the third recipe, Root Vegetable Fritters, to help use all of the root vegetables that are coming. Eat this just like a potato pancake. You can substitute the flour for any gluten free alternative if you need to. They are great reheated the next day.

Spicy Kohlrabi, Radish and Carrot Slaw

3 carrots, peeled

3-4 radishes

1-2 kohlrabi bulbs, peeled

½ cup sour cream

½ cup cilantro, finely chopped

2 tablespoons prepared salsa, or chopped pickled jalapenos

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

Grate the radishes, kohlrabi and carrots on a box grater and put into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Let the salad sit for 30 minutes if possible and enjoy. This is good the next day but the liquid will come out of the vegetables and make it watery, you can drain off the liquid if desired.

Root Vegetable Fritters

1 medium sweet potato, peeled

2-3 parsnips, peeled

1-2 rutabagas, peeled

2-3 carrots

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup flour

1 egg

2 tablespoons of oil

Peel and grate, the sweet potato, parsnips, rutabagas and carrots. Combine everything in a large bowl and add the salt, pepper and egg. Mix well to combine. Heat a nonstick pan, over medium heat, add the oil and drop 1/4 cup of the vegetable mixture into the pan. Help it to spread out a little then repeat 2-3 more times, so you have 3-4 small pancakes. Turn the heat down and allow them to cook for 8-9 minutes then turn the fritters over and cook for another 6-7 minutes. Remove them and cook another batch to use the remaining vegetables. Enjoy right away, they are also great reheated.

Hachiya Persimmon Recipe

Here is a great way to use the hachiya persimmons, you need to leave the persimmons on the counter until they are very softbefore using. Then gently peel them and let the pulp ooze out, removing any seeds that you might see inside. Then use the pulp directly in the recipe below.

Hachiya Persimmon Overnight Oats

¾ cup rolled oats

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

dash of salt

2/3 cup hachiya persimmon puree

½ cup milk or milk alternative or water

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons honey

Combine the oats, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a jar. Add in the persimmon puree, milk, vanilla and honey. Stir well to combine and let sit overnight. Eat as is or warm in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until hot.

We have officially entered the season of ADVENT. This word comes from the Latin or Middle English word adventus, which means arrival. For thousands of years, Christians have celebrated the coming birth or arrival of the Christ child. It is a time of waiting with hope and anticipation. The traditional advent wreath is often made with evergreen branches and adorned with three white or pink candles lit on the three Sundays preceding Christmas and then one larger or purple candle to be lit on Christmas. The circular evergreen wreath reminds us that God is eternal. The candle lighting reminds us of the way that the light of love and goodness in Christ dispels the darkness of hate and evil. The advent calendar is another way parents and children celebrate the daily anticipation of the Christ. The twenty five days of Christmas are made into a wooden or paper type picture box with 25 separate doors, behind which is tucked an anticipated daily treat. These can be made simple or quite elaborate. Advent traditions are often accompanied by the singing of Christmas carols, the drinking of spiced cider, and the eating of Christmas sweet treats.