WEEK 15: What’s in the box this week?
Garlic | Carrots | Celery | Lettuce | Red onion | Summer Squash| German Butterball potato | Oly Oly Sweet Onion | Broccoli | Rainbow Chard

Another chicken success.  Last time we butchered chickens I wanted to tell you all about how lonely and quiet it was without them around while I cut the lettuce.  This time I want to tell you all about how relieved I am to have them all in the freezer.  My freezer and yours.  The first batch were a standard big red rooster type, the second batch were white ones that get real fat real quick.  There is a three week investment of time and feed involved in the red ones, but its worth it because they make better company.  The red ones seem grateful when you feed them.  The white ones seem like they might eat you if you don’t get the food into the pen fast enough.  Many thanks to those of you who supported our chicken project with your purchases.  If you missed out, you can have another chance next year.  Colin is right now planting a cover crop of clover that is just the kind the red chickens like best.  So far we raised the chickens in what passes for a yard around here.  But next year, they are moving up to a whole quarter acre section of the farm, with a special pasture cover crop just for them.  After they are done with that section, it will be super rich and ready to grow veggies the following year.

Someone from Michigan was telling me about her CSA experience there, and it involved way too much Chard.  I asked if the farmers gave them recipes and she said yes, and still it was just a lot of Chard to deal with.  Well that reminded me that we haven’t been giving all of you nearly enough of the stuff.  And our rows of Rainbow Chard in the field are as lovely as any flower bed, and abundant.  If I don’t steam it and serve with balsamic vinegar and salt, I like to make “Dolmas” with Chard.  Here’s how:

Make a pot of rice, or other grain, quinoa, bulgur, whatever.  Saute onions, garlic, maybe some very tiny pieces of carrot, celery, and squash.  Mix the sauted ingredients with the cooked grain.  This is your filling.  Take the mid ribs out of the chard, give it a light steam.  Allow it to cool so that you can touch it.  Place one leaf on a greased baking sheet or dish, put a spoonful of filling at one end and roll it up, tucking the ends under.  Repeat until all leaves are filled and rolled, then put into the oven to finish cooking the leaves and meld it all together.  I just remembered that I like currants or raisins in the filling also.

This morning when I was cutting lettuce with no chicken chatter of any color, I was able to more clearly meditate upon my daily lettuce meditation.  Lettuce cutting is not particularly difficult, in fact it is very easy, and this is why I like to do it.  I could easily ask one of our amazingly helpful workers to do it.  But only I ever do it.  I come out in the morning with a big list of harvest work, point the crew in several directions and then I relax and go cut some lettuce.  I’ve never even tried to meditate sitting still on a cushion and keeping a clear mind.  I can’t sit still very well.  But I can completely empty my racing mind while counting heads of lettuce to 24 ( the number in a standard case) over and over again.  I know of at least one other farm where the farmer only ever cuts the lettuce while the crew does other harvest work.  I used to wonder if it was because he and I were the specially skilled lettuce cutter types, but now I think it has more to do with clarity and simplicity.

Stir-Fried Celery and Carrot Strips - Fast and Healthy Ways to Cook Vegetables

2-3 Tbsp. Oil                     
1/4 cup chopped onion
5 cups thinly sliced celery ribs, cut at angle
3 carrots cut in julienne, matchstick strips
1 tbsp soy sauce          
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Add the celery, carrots, and onions.  Saute until almost tender, about 6 minutes.  Stir in the soy sauce or salt and almonds.  Cook and stir until celery is tender-crisp, about 2 minutes longer.  Makes four to six servings.

Tofu Broccoli Cashew Peanut Madness-Rob Summerbell

1 Tbsp butter
1 onion chopped
1 minced garlic clove
1 pound tofu, cubed
2 TBSp tamari 
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
3 tsp. Lemon juice
1/4 tsp. Cumin
cayenne to taste
1 medium head broccoli peeled and chopped
hot, cooked brown rice
handful of roasted cashews, chopped

Heat butter or oil in skillet; add onion and garlic; sauté until soft.  Add tofu and 1 tbsp tamari; sauté until brown.  Remove from pan.  In same pan, mix peanut butter, lemon juice, remaining 1 tbsp tamari, cumin, and cayenne.  Thin with up to 1 cup of water to obtain gravy like texture.  Stir in tofu mixture.  Steam broccoli.  Serve sauce over broccoli and brown rice, topped with cashews.  Four servings.  

Farmer Genine would make this with almond butter, as she is deadly allergic to peanuts.