From the Garden this Week

From the Garden this Week…

Kale, Carrots, Radishes, Cabbage or Parsnips, Mixed Salad Greens, Arugula, Green Onions, Beets, Chives, and Assorted Citrus

Coming Soon…White Salad Turnips, Bok Choi, Asian Greens, Salanova Lettuce

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

This week we have radishes coming. I have found that I prefer to cook them instead of eating them raw. It mellows out the peppery bite and brings out their natural sweetness by caramelizing the root. In the salad recipe below, I use the radish greens as part of the salad. When you get the radishes home, remove the greens from the roots, like you should do for the carrots. The greens won’t last more than 2-3 days. When you cook the radishes, leave them alone in the pan. When I get asked about the difference between a professional and home cooks, home cooks tend to want to touch the food in the pan when they cook, where a professional cook, will leave things alone (usually to do something else). By leaving the radishes alone in the hot pan, you allow them to brown and this will add flavor to the dish without adding any additional ingredients.

Sautéed Radish Salad

1 bunch radishes

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons oil, divided

4-5 cups salad greens, washed, dried and chopped if needed

2 carrots, shredded

1 teaspoon sliced chives

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt and fresh ground black pepper

Remove the greens from the radishes, trim the stems off and add to the salad greens. Slice the radishes in halves or quarters, so they are approximately the same size (larger radishes into quarters and smaller into halves). In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Add the radishes and move them around so the cut side is facing down in the pan. Turn the heat down to medium, and leave them alone in the pan, letting the radishes brown for 4-5 minutes. Turn the heat off, add ½ teaspoon salt and stir the radishes so that they cook on the other side while you prepare the salad. In a large bowl add the dried salad greens, the radish greens, shredded carrots and chives. Add the radishes to the bowl with the lemon juice, the remaining 1-tablespoon oil and salt and fresh ground pepper. Toss and taste, add additional salt, pepper, and lemon juice or oil if needed.

Root Vegetable Soup

This week we have parsnips and golden beets coming. I do recommend roasting parsnips like potatoes, they are sweet and roasting is an easy way to enjoy them. This Parsnip and Beet soup is a different way to go, that is simple to make. I added turmeric that, with the beets will give it a beautiful golden color. The center of the large parsnips can be woody, so instead of trying to cut it out in the beginning, strain the soup when it is finished.

Parsnip Beet Soup

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 2 cloves garlic, peeled 1-tablespoon turmeric

1/8-teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional) 1 teaspoon salt 2-3 parsnips, cut into 1-inch pieces 2-3 golden beets, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 cups water

1 tablespoon sliced chives

In a large pot, sauté the onions and oil for about 4-5 minutes under medium heat until soft. Add the garlic, turmeric, cayenne and salt. Stir for a minute and add the parsnips, beets and 2 cups water. Heat everything until boiling and stir occasionally. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Blend with an immersion blender and taste. Add additional water to thin the soup if desired. Strain to remove any woody pieces of parsnip. Season with salt and pepper if needed and serve with the chives.

Metaphors of Soul and Soil…

This week I want to share something I am learning from the beautiful rose buds in my garden. I contemplated what would happen if I tried to force a rose bud open into a fully blossomed flower. If I forced the petals apart, I would destroy the flower. Several things in my life came to mind immediately that I am trying to “force open.”

I confess that I get anxious and am often tempted to rush things and try to make things happen in my own strength. Gardening grounds me in the reality that God’s patient process of slow development over time far exceeds anything I can do in my own strength. That truth gives me a peaceful and restful place to do my part, let others do what they can, and then wait and trust. God has truly given me the grace of watching the magnificence of this over and over in the inception and the development of our garden. I knew that I was not a garden professional. I knew I could not do much of the needed physical labor. I knew that that if this garden were to grow, it would only happen if we had a team of market garden professionals mentoring a volunteer workforce. Many CSA’s close because of labor costs. In order to stay at around 50% overhead, we need volunteers to shoulder the lion’s share of the workload. I have stood in awe of how just the right number of volunteers show up each week. I am in awe of the donations of time, equipment, and materials. I am in awe of God. Waiting on God’s Timing is the Beauty of a Rose Bud Unfolding.