It is April, and the moving parts of the farm are move-ING. (And if they aren’t, Mark is probably in the shop trying to remedy that). Our crew has been doing a whole lot of seeding and planting, all while learning methods for trellising, irrigating, driving and using the John Deere tractor for transplanting. They even had a chance to work together to put a new cover over one of the chicken houses and a secondary “hoop-house within a hoop house” last week to protect all of the tomato plants from frost. For all of the gardeners out there, know that we should have the first of our vegetable starts for sale next week—we’ll watch the weather and post an update next Monday. We like to set you all up for success at home.
Meanwhile, working our way through the greenhouse harvests—the crew harvested the remaining mustards (as you can see from the photo below), and we’ll be progressing onto those lush beds of Turnips next week too. Yet, somewhere in the midst of things, I’m supposed to get everyone hyped up about eating Parsnips one more time this week. Thankfully, inspiration is came my way courtesy of Sue, one of our CSA members who brought me a delicious cup of Heston Blumenthal’s Parsnip Granola that she made a couple of weeks back. You might be incredulous, but it really works “ in a Carrot Cake kind of way” according to Mark who has been looking at these Parsnips longer than anyone, having seeded them himself. He also happens to love Carrot Cake and eats a mug of Granola for breakfast almost every day of the week and will probably devour what I’ve made before the week is halfway through. So, if you really want to eat like a farmer this week, scroll down for the recipe. I haven’t tried it yet, but it makes me think that this Parsnip Berry Cobbler might be worth a shot.
Parsnips aren’t the only vegetable you might be enjoying the sweeter side of this week. Pucker up! We're going to have a bit of NW Rhubarb. I've included a couple of the Rhubarb recipes that members have enthusiastically shared over the years below, as well as the Rhubarb Sauce that my daughter has come to love. I love it because it is equal parts delicious and easy to make. It is just way too good with nice thick yogurt and a sprinkle of chia seeds for garnish and contrast. If you're not ready to use your Rhubarb just yet, you might chop yours into small pieces and freeze it for later. You could hold out for our local Strawberry season, but I have become a huge fan of Straight Up Rhubarb Pie and Bluebarb. And, while the tartness of Rhubarb just begs to be whipped up into something sweet, there are plenty of savory options to consider. Have fun with it!
Happy Earth Day,
Katie
IN THIS WEEK’S FARMSHARES:
Parsnips
Mustard Mix (Large Shares)
Rhubarb
Frozen Blueberries
Onions
Eggs
RECIPES & SEASONAL TIPS
GRANOLA WITH GRATED PARSNIPS
Katie Green, inspired by Heston Blumenthal, Daniel Humm & Sam Sifton
2 C Rolled Oats
2 C Chopped Nuts & Seeds of your choice (ie: Pecans, Walnuts, Cashews, Almonds, Pistachios, Grated Coconut, Pepitas, Flax, Chia, Hemp—whatever you like!
1 lb Parsnip, grated (about 2 cups, firmly packed)
Choice of Sweetener: 8 oz Honey or Maple Syrup (if you’d prefer Brown Sugar, use 1/2 C along with 1/4 C Olive Oil)
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 T Salt
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Combine Oats and your chosen Seeds & Nuts in a large bowl. Set aside.
Combine desired Sweetener, Cinnamon & Salt in a 2 quart saucepan over medium-low heat. When the sugars have dissolved, add the grated Parsnips and stir to coat and cook for two minutes. Remove from heat.
Add the oats and nuts to the Parsnip mixture and stir very well to combine and then spread the mixture into a thin and even layer on your prepared baking sheet.
Bake for about 35-45 minutes or until the oats are a toasted golden color, stirring the pan once or twice during baking. The granola might seem slightly soft coming out of the oven but should crisp up as it cools. Allow your granola to cool thoroughly before storing it in an airtight container.
RHUBARB SAUCE
Katie Green
2 C Rhubarb, chopped
Juice and zest of 1 Orange
2 T Honey or Sugar
1/4 C Water
Combine ingredients in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally to keep any sugars from burning, and bring to a boil. Then, turn the heat down to low, allowing the mixture to simmer and soften for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and serve with your favorite bowl of of yogurt, oatmeal or ice cream.
RHUBARB CUSTARD
Katie Green
1 lb fresh Rhubarb
2 cups All-Purpose Flour, divided
½ cup Butter, chilled
1 cup Sugar, divided
½ tsp Salt, divided
3 Eggs
1 T Vanilla Extract
Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
Dice rhubarb stalks into small pieces, place in a bowl with 1/2 C of sugar, stirring to coat the bits of rhubarb. Set aside while you make the crust.
In a large bowl combine 1 ½ C flour, remaining ½ C sugar and ¼ tsp salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture and then press the crumbs into the bottom, and halfway up the sides, of your prepared baking dish. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes or until golden.
Meanwhile, prepare the custard. Whisk together the eggs, vanilla, the remaining 1/2 C flour, and ¼ tsp salt. Combine with the sugared rhubarb and pour over the warm, but golden crust. Place baking dish back into the oven, reduce temperature to 350 F and bake for 35 minutes. If the custard is still jiggly, bake for five minutes more.
SKILLET CHICKEN WITH RHUBARB
Melissa Clark
1 (5½-pound) whole chicken, cut into eight pieces
1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
1 teaspoon black pepper, more as needed
5 sprigs thyme, preferably lemon thyme
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch spring onions or scallions, white and light green stalks thinly sliced (slice and reserve greens for garnish)
2 stalks green garlic, thinly sliced, or 2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup dry white wine
¾ pound fresh rhubarb, cut into ½-inch dice (3 cups)
1 tablespoon honey, or to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
CARAMELIZED ONION & PARSNIP FRITTATA
Food 52
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups onions, thinly sliced (about 2 medium onions)
2 cups parsnips, thinly sliced
10 large eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped thyme
salt and pepper to taste
BERRY CHEESECAKE OVERNIGHT OATS
Christine Byrne
½ cup fresh (or frozen, thawed) blueberries
1 tsp honey
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup lowfat cottage cheese
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
12 almonds, chopped