18 June 2009

Arugula, Beets or Hakurei turnips, Bok choi, Garlic scapes, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Mustard greens, Scallions, Basil, Mint

 Hi there folks!  How are you doing this evening?  My name’s Thomas, and I will be your farmer tonight.  Can I start you off with something to drink?  Perhaps a mint/basil syrup and bourbon cocktail garnished with a slice of kohlrabi?  Some water?  Tap or rain?

Let me tell you about tonight’s specials.  This week the farm is offering a very fresh, very tender kohlrabi.  It is presented with a few kohlrabi leaves, kohlrabi skin, and just a touch of greenhouse dirt enriched with compost.

We also have some very nice garlic scapes, hand harvested from the tops of garlic plants and arranged in curlicues for no obvious reason.  You will find they have a flavor very reminiscent of garlic, with a not so subtle garlic aroma and a garlicky finish.

Our mustard greens of the day are mustard greens.  They are being served in an assortment of shapes and colors. 

For lettuce we have either red oakleaf, red leaf or green boston.  The farm chooses the one it thinks will suit you best.  They are all being done en tete this evening.

There’s a lovely arugula with rubber band, which I think is just terrific.  I could eat it all the time.

If you are in the mood for roots, perhaps you would enjoy beets or turnips with their greens. 

The scallions are just in.  I have not had a chance to try them yet, but they look absolutely terrific.

For an Asian twist, we have a hefty artisanal bok choi with contrasting leaf and stem textures.  

And finally, for herbivores we have mint and basil. 

Unless somebody already drank them.

But enough silliness.  You don’t want a joke; you want a recipe.  Fair enough.  So take equal parts sugar and water and stir together in a pot. Put over medium heat and slowly bring to a boil, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved.  As soon as the mix comes to a boil, turn the heat all the way down and simmer for five minutes.  Take the syrup off the heat and add basil and mint leaves.  Let the herbs steep until the mixture has cooled and then strain them out.  Put roughly equal quantities of good bourbon and syrup in a glass, add ice, stir and sip.  A few of those and I think you will find all your worries about how to prepare bok choi ebbing away.

And if that does not work you can try going to the farm website, theallegedfarm.com, and checking the recipe section to see if there are any good ideas there.  Or try adding more bourbon to your next drink.

Perhaps, though, you already have a good bok choi (or mustard green or garlic scape or kohlrabi or cocktail (or kohlrabi cocktail)) recipe, something you think other members might appreciate as they nurse a drink and mull over the array of vegetables on their kitchen counter.  If you send it to me I will add it to the recipe collection on the website.

In addition to recipes, you will also be able to get newsletters from the website and information about farm events, such as our farm days and fall open house/pie contest.  I am still figuring out the dates for most of these, but I can say that the first farm day will be on Sunday, July 19^th.  It will be a chance for you to come and see where those kohlrabis come from and meet the farm crew (well, not Josh; he’s off to Alaska in a couple of days to fish for salmon) and maybe find out just how much fun you can have while weeding onions.  I will remind you of the date and offer further details in future newsletters.  

In the meantime, in this newsletter I will offer further details about those garlic scapes since I know I have not put a recipe for them on the website and I recognize that it might not be immediately apparent what you should do with them other use them in some sort of children’s game.  While they make fine toys, they make a better sauce.  Just cut them into 2 inches pieces and put them in a blender with about ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup grated parmesan, salt, pepper, a few hot pepper flakes, a splash of vinegar and some basil leaves and puree until you have a smooth sauce.  You can use it on pasta or grilled meat and fish or as a dip for vegetables, such as slices of kohlrabi.  You can also just cut them into pieces and sauté them in olive oil over medium low heat with a generous amount of salt until they have started to go a little brown in spots and are somewhat tender.  They have the texture of good green beans and a sweet garlic flavor.  Some of those, perhaps a few sautéed turnips and scallions or some steamed bok choi, a nice green salad with arugula; sounds like a good meal to me. 

Are you ready to order?