THE PICK LIST:
STRAWBERRIES - RHUBARB - ARUGULA - CILANTRO - GARLIC SCAPES -
TOMATOES - ZUCCHINI - 2# PASS TO PICK!
For returning CSAers- this week’s newsletter is a lot like last-year-at-this-time’s newsletter, but it is still relevant, so forgive me….
Today I’d like to remember the old days of Edgewater Farm- The days when fruit at the grocery store was not available all year round. Or if it was available it was incredibly expensive. Today we can go to almost any chain grocery store in January and buy a quart of California strawberries no matter the season.
Forty years ago, there was no category of “locavore”, because everyone was a locavore. No one looked too far from their region for food. Everyone picked their own strawberries because frozen berries and stored apples were everyone’s winter fruit.
Now that we have the luxury of imported food items PYO berries is not necessary to fulfill that want of fruit in winter, however for those that prioritize shopping local or knowing your food down to the farmer that grows it, there is a need to head into the fields right now and Pick Your Own Berries by the pound while the picking is good.
Personally, I farm to eat the food we grow all year long- I know it’s origin, it’s grown with a lot of heart- and that feels good. I am forever ecstatic in January to open up the chest freezer and pull out the Summer’s harvest and remember that we grew and picked and processed these strawberries. To the folks that leave our strawberry field with containers and containers filled of fruit to store throughout the winter, I get you. I also thank you for choosing our farm to help you get through the colder darker months, making December- January- February- March a little sweeter and a little brighter.
As for you- the CSAers- come winter you will be ecstatic about your freezer or pantry. Like a strawberry, your weekly share is best enjoyed fresh, but for those of you that need a little pick-me-up-taste-of-summer during winter months, there are plenty of recipes headed your way for freezing, canning, fermenting and preserving (ahem, see Garlic Scape-Cilantro- Pesto recipe below).
And for the CSAer that is inspired by the season to PYO and get in on the winter-berry challenge… (or if you just want to pick some quarts and call it good) In your CSA share this week you will find a pass to pick 2#’s of berries out of our PYO patch in Cornish- you can OF COURSE pick more, but the first 2 pounds are on us. The picking right now is insanely good- maybe it’s peak season, or maybe it’s just the berries finally catching up to late June.
Regardless, please join us in the strawberry patch during picking hours: 7-noon, and again in the afternoon 4-7pm, for your own opportunity to pick and take part in one of the best New England past times.
Address to pick: 949 NH Route 12A/ Cornish, NH
SEE WEBSITE’S PYO PAGE FOR MORE INFO:
TIPS - TRICKS - RECIPES:
GARLIC SCAPE AND CILANTRO PESTO
1 cup chopped garlic scapes (6 to 8 scapes, or about 1 bunch, cut into 1-inch pieces, tips removed and discarded)
1 bunch cilantro, leaves and stems coarsely chopped ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds, toasted and cooled
1/3 cup local cold-pressed sunflower oil 2 tsp. lime juice or apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine scapes and pumpkin seeds in food processor and pulse until coarsely ground.
Add cilantro, lime juice and oil; pulse until evenly chopped.
Season with salt and pepper. Use within a week in the fridge or freeze.
Serve tossed with pasta and fresh grated Parmesan cheese, or try mixing 1/4 cup into alfredo sauce. Also fantastic on a hard cheese platter or in a grilled cheese sandwich… OR REALLY ON ANYTHING. GO WILD.
The following notes and recipe are from our dear friend, Executive Chef Peter Varkonyi of the New Restaurant in Royalton, WILD ROOTS. This guy is driven by local farms, therefor everything on the WILD ROOTS menu is sourced within our region. As a result he works weekly with over 40 farms to bring the very best of the season to the table. The menu changes sometimes daily and the food is dynamite. So when harvesting mass amounts of Cilantro and garlic scapes, I turn to Peter. #knowyourchef
Tip of the week: Roots Pack a Punch! (CILANTRO)
Use the whole herb (leaves, stems, flowers, and root) Almost all herbs experience different moments of flavor and texture throughout the season. In our high heat and humidity climate herbs tend to bolt quickly. Meaning go to seed, so rather then simply use the minimal leave output, use their stems and roots. Cilantro for example has a pungent root similar to horseradish. Using a micro-plain or zester, grate the cilantro root over tacos or fish for the extra bite or over a grilled skirt steak for fajitas. For the homestead type let your cilantro plant go fully to seed producing the freshest green buds of coriander. Then pickle the seed in your favorite dilly bean recipe. Texture and flavor experience!
Greens and Garlic Scape Dumplings (Traditional Term Malfatti) With Cilantro & Aged Goat Cheese
1lb greens (arugula or whatever you have in your fridge left over from earlier weeks
1/2c Minced Cilantro ( Reserve Stems and Root For Garnish)
3/4c Grated Aged Goat Cheese (Spring Ledge Farm Riley's 2x4)
3tbl Olive Oil 1 Medium Onion (Finely Diced) 3ea Garlic Scapes (Finely Diced)2tsp Kosher Salt 1/4tsp Cumin Seed Toasted 1 1/4c Bread Crumbs
4 Whole Eggs 1/2 lb Butter
1) Heat olive oil in pan, place greens, onion and garlic scapes in pan to slowly sweat and tenderize. Once greens are cooked down and water has evaporated place on sheet pan and in fridge to cool.
2) Place cooled greens mixture in cuisinart and blend until evenly pureed. While blending add salt, toasted cumin seed and eggs.
3) Remove mixture from cuisinart and place in bowl.
4) Add minced cilantro, grated goat cheese, and bread crumbs. Using a rubber spatula fold all ingredients together and incorporate evenly. Place in fridge overnight covered to allow bread crumbs to absorb moisture.
5) In a large fry pan, place butter. Over medium-low heat melt butter and allow to slightly darken (brown butter.) Using a small ice cream scoop or two spoons scoop dumpling mixture into brown butter. Dumpling should be the size of a golf ball. Recommend doing 5-6 dumplings at a time (small batches.) Once dumplings are in use a flat spatula to gently press down, turning round dumplings in disks. Once gold brown on both sides remove from pan and keep warm.
6) Once all dumplings are cooked and ready use a microplane or zester to grate cilantro root over top and minced cilantro stem. A bit more grated goat cheese as well.
7) Serve warm with friends.
option: if butter is not your friend feel free to substitute 1/2lb of butter for 1/3c Olive oil.