WILD HARE WEEKLY WINTER #6/8

We’re back at it this week, and WOW. What a beast February has been, and what an amazing group of people you all are out there. I cannot thank you enough for the outpouring of understanding and kindness that flooded my email inbox and popped up all over social media after we had to close up last week. If your faith in community needs restoring, look no further than the people who are bagging up their farmshares alongside you this week. Thank you for being a part of this CSA.

While the weather was busy being unpredictable last week, we were getting the Spring & Summer CSA Signup info posted online and preparing for the arrival of 75 additional day-old-chicks, hatched on Valentine’s Day <3. We’re already thinking ahead to this time next year, when we hope to be a little less tight on eggs. If all goes according to plan (ha), these girls will be a JV or second string of players for team Wild Hare. Winter time leaves us contemplating many of the “coulda, shoulda, woulda” scenarios like these, given that much of what we’re experiencing in the here and now was set in motion a year or more prior. In spite of the fact that he spent so many days shaking snow from them, Mark is going to crunch the numbers and see what it would take financially and structurally to get a bit more leafy green stuff under hoop houses a year from now as we try to become more and more self sustaining with every year. We have to make changes gradually and affordably, but thanks to your extreme patience and support, we have every good reason to consider what year-round farming looks like for us in 2020 and beyond.

If it didn’t catch your eye on social media, Ashley Rood of Rogue Farm Corp interviewed Mark and I for an article that is part of a series called “Changing Hands” for Capital Press —A Full Root Cellar, Hard Earned: Wild Hare Organic Farm. This week, we’re going to pull something truly lovely from that root cellar—vibrant and delicious Purple Daikon Radishes. I’ve been holding onto these bright and beautiful babies for when the depth winter had really set in, knowing that they’d provide a much needed pick-me-up at some point. The snow finally disappeared over the weekend, revealing the snowstorm’s damage to the first round of harvest on the Purple Sprouting Broccoli. Meltdowns come in many forms. Gorgeous radishes help. Sunchokes do too—you can read on about them below, along with this week’s recipes.

Best,
Katie

IN THE FARMSHARES THIS WEEK:

Purple Daikon Radishes
Winter Squash
Sunchokes and/or Smilin’ Eyes Potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Honeycrisp Apples

SEASONAL RECIPES, TIPS & INFO

What Katie has to say about, Sunchokes—aka, Jerusalem Artichokes

Sunchokes are neither Artichokes nor do they hail from Jerusalem.  They're actually relatives of Sunflowers, producing a tiny yellow flower in the latter part of the year.  The tubers so just happen to taste a whole lot like globe artichokes.  Roasting Sunchokes with Olive Oil is a great way of showcasing their nutty flavor, and they even make a great addition to soups, salads and my latest favorite—stir fry.  They don't need to be peeled--just wash and go.  While just about everyone loves the flavor of a Sunchoke, some people may find them challenging to digest, because they are high in inulin, a non-starchy dietary fiber that isn’t readily digestible by enzymes in the human body. Instead, like many prebiotics, they’re broken down by your own intestinal flora, the good bacteria that makes for a healthy gut. At any rate, they’re a tasty winter treat that you’re sure to enjoy.

ROOT VEGETABLE & QUINOA SALAD
WITH PICKLED SUNCHOKES
Saveur

6 tbsp. kosher salt, plus more
8 oz. sunchokes, unpeeled and cut into 1⁄4-inch-thick batons
1 tsp. celery seeds
1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
1 cup champagne vinegar
1⁄2 cup white wine vinegar
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. Aleppo pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1⁄4 cup olive oil
4 baby carrots, scrubbed clean
4 each red radishes, small kohlrabi, small parsnips, and small turnips, halved
2 small daikon radishes, halved and cut crosswise into 1⁄2-inch slices
1 head garlic, halved
1 bunch thyme
1⁄2 cup red quinoa, rinsed
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1⁄2 tsp. fish sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

SUNCHOKE CASHEW STIR FRY
Heidi Swanson, 101 Cookbooks

1 teaspoon peanut or sunflower oil
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon peanut or sunflower oil, plus more if needed
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
3 medium shallots, chopped
1/2 serrano chile pepper, deveined and minced
1 cup very thinly sliced sunchokes, well scrubbed
Kernels from 2 ears of corn
1 1/2 - 2 cups day-old, cooked brown rice
1 egg, beaten (optional)
1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus more to taste
1/3 cup toasted almond slices
1/2 cup toasted cashews
fine grain sea salt and pepper, to taste
plenty of chopped fresh basil (in Katie's humble opinion, this can be omitted if you're basil-less)

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE & LEMON
Jerusalem:  a Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi
I love this book.  

1 lb / 450 g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and cut lengthwise into 6 wedges 2/3 inch / 1.5 cm thick
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, or 1 medium whole chicken, quartered
12 banana or other large shallots, halved lengthwise
12 large cloves garlic, sliced
1 medium lemon, halved lengthwise and then very thinly sliced
1 tsp saffron threads
3 1/2 tbsp / 50 ml olive oil
2/3 cup / 150 ml cold water
1 tbsp pink peppercorns, lightly crushed
1/4 cup / 10 g fresh thyme leaves
1 cup / 40 g tarragon leaves, chopped
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

ROASTED DELICATA SQUASH SALAD
WITH WARM PICKLED ONION
The Kitchn

2 medium delicata squash
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey (or use agave to make it vegan)
1/4 teaspoon caraway seed
1/4 cup minced red onion
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 large apple, finely diced
1/2 cup chopped celery hearts (preferably with leaves)
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, cut into strips (optional)

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

 

SUNCHOKE SOUP WITH PUMPKIN SEEDS
Bon Appetit, November 2008 

8 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 pounds Jerusalem artichokes (also called sunchokes)*
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped leek (white and pale green parts only)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
7 cups (or more) vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Ground white pepper
Shelled pumpkin seeds, toasted
Pumpkin seed oil (optional)
Sautéed chanterelle mushrooms (optional garnish)

CONTINUE TO RECIPE