C.S.A. Week 8

We are in our fourth growing season here and are finally, seriously, looking into purchasing a tractor.  Up to this point we have gotten by with a walk-behind Troy-Bilt roto-tiller.  It owes us absolutely nothing, but is starting to be too small for the job at hand, and slowly falling apart.  Its a chore to break ground with the walk behind to say the least, long hours with lots of passes back and forth to break up the sod.  Now that our ground is broken, a tractor would open up options for different implements that would take better long term care of the soil.  We are particularly interested in a spader.  The spader digs vertically with shovel like paddles instead of flipping and pulverizing the soil like a tiller does.  The idea is that the soil is alive and acquires a vertical structure made up of root hairs, bacteria, microbes, and much more.  When we till, we are breaking all this goodness apart for the sake of an easily prepared garden bed. A spader would protect the soil structure much better than a tiller which is why we are so interested in purchasing one. Spading implements, however, are not very popular here in America and have proven to be difficult to find. They are only made in Europe and are widely used over there. While there is still plenty of leg-work to do here on the farm, spaders and powerful machines are on the mind...

In this weeks share:

• Sweet Corn-from Hancock Family Farm
• Cipollini Onions
• Bok Choy
• Carrots
• Sweet Peppers
• Green Cabbage
• Parsley
• Assorted Tomatoes

Balsamic Glazed Cipollini Onions

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 Cipollini onions, trimmed and peeled
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 cup store-bought low-sodium chicken broth or stock
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat olive oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat.  Add onions stem side down and cook until lightly browned.  Flip and repeat onions on other side.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add vinegar and sugar and cook until slightly syrupy.  Add chicken broth and garlic and thyme, bring to a boil.  Transfer to oven and roast until onions are easily pierced with a sharp knife (15-20 minutes). 

GREEN CABBAGE AND CARROT SLAW

Ingredients

Coleslaw

• 2 cups finely sliced purple cabbage (one small cabbage will be more than plenty)
• 2 cups finely sliced green cabbage (one small cabbage will be more than plenty)
• 2 cups shredded carrots (I used store-bought shredded organic carrots, but you could also grate them on a box grater, in a food processor, or julienne the carrots with a sharp knife)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• Up to ¾ cup mixed seeds (I used mostly pepitas—AKA green pumpkin seeds—and sunflower seeds, with some sesame seeds and poppy seeds)

Lemon dressing

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
• 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon salt

1. In a medium serving bowl, combine the prepared purple and green cabbage, carrots and parsley. Set aside.
2. Measure out your seeds into a small skillet. Toast over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the seeds are fragrant and the pepitas are starting to make little popping noises. Pour the toasted seeds into the mixing bowl and toss to combine.
3. To make the dressing, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil with 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Add the garlic, cumin and salt and whisk until thoroughly blended.
4. Drizzle the dressing over the slaw and toss until all of the ingredients are lightly coated in dressing. Taste and add an additional tablespoon of lemon juice if the slaw needs a little more zip. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate to marinate for up to several hours.