Ps11farmmkt’s Weblog

This week’s delivery from Stoneledge Farms heralds the beginning of the summer harvest – bright, leafy Swiss Chard (my favorite) & Summer Spinach, crinkly Napa Cabbage, huge heads of  Red Leaf Lettuce and the beginning of the Summer Squash. Escarole is the one veggie that I haven’t used very often so I’ve included a recipe below for Escarole Soup that sounds delicious and easy to make.

This is the last week of school, but the Farm Market will continue to run every Wednesday through the summer from 8:00-11:00.  Shop early though – we sold out last week by 9:30 a.m.

See you at the market.

Deborah Osborne

LETTER FROM STONELEDGE FARMS
We are feeling a bit cold and soggy but the greens are in their glory.  This week there is a rainbow of colors and textures: Bright Lights Swiss Chard, Summer Spinach, Escarole, Red Leaf Lettuce and Napa Cabbage.

We are always working a season or two ahead and this time of year is so busy with many jobs that need to be accomplished all at once.  The early greens are hitting their peak and need to be picked.  The summer vegetables are growing by the day and so are the weeds. We are still planting transplants in the field trying to finally empty the hoop houses.  Fall cauliflowers, broccoli, kale and collards are all little seedlings that are the last of our transplants.  I have been tending for baby plants since February and will be glad when they are finally all in the fields.  Days go by so quickly.

Enjoy the Vegetables-

Deborah for everyone at Stoneledge Farm

•  Bright Lights Swiss Chard
•  Summer Spinach
•  Napa Cabbage   lighter, crinkly cabbage.
•  Red Leaf Lettuce
•  Escarole
•  Garlic Scapes
•  Oregano
•  Chives

Recipes

Swiss Chard with garlic & oregano

Ingredients:

• 10 cups coarsely chopped Swiss chard (about 10 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Dash of black pepper
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Rinse Swiss chard with cold water; drain chard well.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and saute 1 minute or until slightly golden.
3. Add chard. Cover and cook 1 minute or until chard begins to wilt.
4. Stir in oregano, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar.

Escarole Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 head of escarole
• 4 tbsp. minced onion
• 1/4 cup butter
• salt
• 3-1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup raw rice*
• 4 tbsp. grated
• parmigiano cheese

Directions:

1. Wash escarole leaves thoroughly several times and cut into 1? strips.
2. In a large pot, melt the butter and saute the onion until lightly browned. Add the escarole and salt, sauteing the escarole slightly.
3. Add 1/2 cup of the broth and cook the escarole until tender, about 35 minutes. Add the rest of the broth and bring to a boil.
4. Add the rice and cover the pot. Cook for about 15-20 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and add the cheese.
6. Correct the seasoning, adding more salt if necessary. Serve hot.

Credits: Francis Tesser

Notes:
Arborio rice is preferable. If you want to make the soup in advance, cook up to step #3. Add and cook rice only when you plan to serve.

One of the best things about our Farm Market is the opportunity to see our students and families learning about the benefits of eating and cooking with local, organic produce.  Many of the items that come from the farm are unfamiliar – Mizuna, Garlic Scapes, Mustard Greens and Bok Choi are not items that many families prepare and eat on a regular basis.

One of my favorite items in the Farm Bag this week is Garlic Scapes.  The scapes are the first shoots of the garlic bulb that emerge in the spring.  They are cut off so that more energy goes to developing the head of garlic in the ground.   They have a milder flavor than garlic but can be used in the same way – chopped up in sautes or made into a delicious pesto (see recipe below.)

Epicurious.com says about Mizuna:  “Hailing from Japan, this feathery, delicate salad green can be found in farmer’s markets and specialty produce markets from spring through summer. It’s often found in mesclun a special salad-green mix. Choose mizuna by its crisp, green leaves, avoiding any wilted or browning specimens. Refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 5 days. Wash and thoroughly dry just before using.”

PS 11’s very own Robin Zachary – Jacob Resnick’s mom – will show us this wek how some of the greens can be used to create a tasty, kid-friendly, healthy dish.

The market will operate every Wednesday from 8 am to 11 am in front of PS 11, 320 West 21st Street.  We strive to keep the prices of the fruit and vegetables at or below market price to make these delicious, healthy products affordable for all our families.

Please feel free to share your recipes, cooking ideas, feedback and insight about our Farm Market by email at ps11programs@aol.com or on our blog at http://ps11farmmkt.wordpress.com.  We look forward to seeing  you at the market.

Deborah Osborne

LETTER FROM STONE LEDGE FARM

Among the top favorite vegetables that members look forward to receiving each year are Garlic Scapes.  They are the long, curly tailed seed head that emerges from the garlic plant early in the season.

The scape will develop seed if left but the seeds are small and take years of planting and re-planting to deliver any sizable garlic bulbs.  The preferred method of propagating garlic is each year to save the best bulbs which are broken apart into individual cloves and planted in October.  Each clove will yield a garlic bulb the next July.  The scapes are removed when they start to curl and the energy that would go into producing seed goes to the garlic bulb.

The scapes have a delicious garlic flavor.  Garlic scape pesto is a favorite.  Remove the very end of the scape and the rest of the scape can be used. Look to some of the CSA websites that are listed on the farm website under a previous blog for recipe ideas. There are also more photos of the garlic plants in the Photos section of the farm website.

Enjoy the vegetables-Deborah for everyone at Stoneledge Farm

•  Garlic Scapes
•  Red Leaf Lettuce
•  Buttercrunch Green Leaf Lettuce
•  Bok Choi
•  Mizuna
•  Summer Spinach      This spinach is a little more resilient than the spinach you may be familiar with.  Most varieties of spinach will bolt or send out a seed head early in the season.  Summer Spinach will last
right into the summer.  It has a larger leaf, spinach flavor.
•  Mustard Greens
•  Lemon Balm, Lemony mint flavor.  Good in tea.

Recipes

Garlic Scape Pesto (courtesy of eggsonsunday.wordpress.com)

Ingredients
1 cup chopped garlic scapes
1/3 cup walnuts
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Blend everything but the olive oil, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Slowly drizzle in the oil with the motor running, and blend until emulsified and smooth. Add a little more oil if you like yours a little looser, but I found this amount to be just right for me. Taste and add coarse salt and pepper as needed.

June 10, 2009

We are so excited to begin our 2nd year of the PS 11 Farm Market. As members of the Chelsea CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), we receive our produce from Stoneledge Farm, a 90 acre, certified organic farm located in South Cairo, Greene County, New York in the foothills of the Northern Catskills.

The market is run by 3rd grade students (Ms. Levenbaum & Ms. Tallarico’s 2nd graders will begin running the market this spring and these students will continue to run it with the rest of the 3rd grade classes in the Fall). The students will have the opportunity to learn about healthy eating, good nutrition and local foods & produce, as well as learn how to make change, weigh & sort produce and interact with the community.

The market will operate every Wednesday from 8 am to 11 am in front of PS 11, 320 West 21st Street. We strive to keep the prices of the fruit and vegetables at or below market price to make these delicious, healthy products affordable for all our families.

Please feel free to share your recipes, cooking ideas, feedback and insight about our Farm Market by email at ps11programs@aol.com or on our blog at http://ps11farmmkt.wordpress.com. We look forward to seeing you at the market. Deborah Osborne

LETTER FROM STONE LEDGE FARM

Welcome to the first delivery of the 2009 CSA season. The early season brings the first healthy greens in abundance. Many of the early greens are in the Brassica family: Mizuna, Bok Choi, Chinese Cabbage. This group of vegetables grow best in the cool conditions of spring. They are a welcome taste of what is local and fresh. There is one insect pest, the Flea Beetle, that thrives on the plants. We do what we can to keep the leaves whole, but the little pests will leave holes no matter what our efforts. Our farm uses “Floating Row Cover” to protect the plants. It is a light weight fabric cover that creates a physical barrier between the plants and the insects. We can roll up the cover and use it over and over. Even with our best efforts, some of the insects do maneuver their way to the plants and you will see small, round holes in the leaves. The holes are cosmetic and Joni Mitchell runs through my mind as we pick and wash the arugula. A few variations in the lyrics and, “I don’t care about spots on my Mizuna, Leave me the birds and the bees – please” . All of the vegetables are rinsed to get off the field heat and clean them a bit. They will need a good washing again when you get them home. The leafy greens will keep best if washed, rinsed and dried well and stored in a plastic container or bag in the refrigerator. Enjoy the vegetables-Deborah for everyone at Stoneledge Farm

• RHUBARB very tart perennial that is only available for a short time in the spring

• RED LEAF LETTUCE (Red Tide)

• MIZUNA green with serrated leaves. Good in salads or lightly cooked

• ARUGULA

• BOK CHOI white, crunchy stems, dark green leaves

• CHINESE CABBAGE (Rubicon)-described in the seed catalog as “sweet, tangy, juicy and delicious”. This makes a great fresh slaw or used in stir fry.

• RADISHES

• SAGE with Flowers The flowers are beautiful on the sage which grows as a perennial. Strip the leaves and use with any poultry dish. Enjoy the flowers as a bonus.

Recipes

Oriental Greens Slaw
Ingredients:
Thinly sliced cabbage (or mix of Oriental Greens) (8-10 cups)
Chopped fresh cilantro (it must be fresh) (1 cup)
Minced chopped jalapeno (1) or put that on the side for the grown-ups
Chopped fresh garlic scapes (1/2 cup)
Garlic salt (1/2 tsp or 1 tsp)
Vegannaise (vegan mayonaise) 1/2 cup, more or less
Fresh squeezed lime juice from 2-3 limes

Mix all together. Serve it as a side dish to rice and beans, or serve it as a topping for any kind of taco you like. I traditionally use this as a topping for fish tacos. Ali Smith, PS 11 Chelsea CSA

Rhubard Compote

* 6 cups 1-inch pieces fresh rhubarb (from about 2 pounds)
* 1 1/4 cups sugar
* 1/3 cup water

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until rhubarb is very soft and begins to fall apart, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
3. Transfer compote to medium bowl. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.) Serve cold.

Serves: makes about 3 cups

Join us on Wednesday, June 10th to celebrate the opening of the PS 11 Farm Market, 320 West 21st Street from 8 am-11am.  Ms. Levenbaum & Ms. Tallarico’s 2nd graders  (soon to be 3rd graders) will be running the market during the month of June.  The PS 11 Farm Market is a member of the Chelsea CSA and the produce available at the market is from Stoneledge Farm in South Cairo, NY.

Stoneledge Farms fields in spring

Well, this is it…our last farm market of the season.  I have really come to depend on having healthy, fresh, seasonal vegetables on my table and this farm market has made it easy for me.  I’ll have to work a lot harder this winter to keep such an abundance of fruits and veggies in my diet.  Enjoy the holidays, and the last bounty of the harvest.  See you in the Spring.  Debbie
Letter from Stoneledge Farm:

Beets  •  Potatoes  •  Carrots•  Turnips•  Celeriac•  Garlic•  Carnival Winter Squash  •  Brussels Sprouts  •  Sage  • Apples & Pears

Pan-Browned Brussel Sprouts
Gourmet, April 1999

1/2 pound Brussels sprouts
2 large garlic cloves
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts

Trim Brussels sprouts and halve lengthwise. Cut garlic into very thin slices. In a 10-inch heavy skillet (preferably well-seasoned cast iron) melt 1 tablespoon butter with oil over moderate heat and cook garlic, stirring, until pale golden. Transfer garlic with a slotted spoon to a small bowl.
Reduce heat to low and arrange sprouts in skillet, cut sides down, in one layer. Sprinkle sprouts with pine nuts and salt to taste. Cook sprouts, without turning, until crisp-tender and undersides are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
With tongs transfer sprouts to a plate, browned sides up. Add garlic and remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until pine nuts are more evenly pale golden, about 1 minute. Spoon mixture over sprouts and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.               Serves 2 or 3 as a side dish.

The students were so excited to meet Speaker Christine Quinn and Senator Tom Duane on Wednesday, November 12th at the Farm Market. In all the excitement this week, I neglected to post the letter from Stoneledge Farm and the list of produce. Better late than never….

Letter from Stoneledge Farm

The patchwork that makes up the CSA harvest season has only the last couple of pieces to be worked together. We have two more deliveries after this week and our last delivery will be the week of Thanksgiving.

The vegetables that you see in your share are the hearty and the brave. They are able to withstand the fluctuations in the weather, the extreme cold and heavy rains that are part of fall weather. I think they must make us hearty as well as we head toward winter. Most of the flavors are intense and the vegetables are ones that grow well in our colder fall temperatures. Enjoy the vegetables-Deb

This week:

Shallots • Beets • Carrots • Potatoes• Acorn Winter Squash • Celeriac • Parsley • Dry Beans (These are still in the shell and you might want to bring a small bag or container to bring them home. Shell, rinse, soak and cook like any dry bean. These are a French Horiticultural Variety that are a small, white dry bean) • Siberian Kale • Romanesco Cauliflower • Apples • Pears

Here’s a recipe (courtesy of Deborah Donnenfeld) to use the Celeriac (Celery Root):

Celery Root Purée
11⁄4 pounds celery root (celeriac) peeled and trimmed, cut into 1⁄2 -inch dice (about 21⁄2 cups)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1⁄2 -teaspoon celery seeds (optional)

Steam celery root for 10-12 minutes.
Transfer celery root to a food processor, add butter, and process until smooth.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve sprinkled with celery seeds, if desired.

Wednesday, November 19th will be our final Farm Market for the season. We’ll be back in the Spring!!

This week will be a special week at the PS 11 Farm Market. Speaker Christine Quinn is scheduled to visit our market on Wednesday, November 5th at 9 a.m. We will also have visitors from the Chelsea CSA as well as from the Sylvia Center.
The Sylvia Center is a non-profit that teaches children about healthy eating through hands-on cooking and nutrition programs. Children from the PS 11 Afterschool program, in partnership with NY Cares, began cooking classes at the Sylvia Center in Soho last year. These cookings classes inspired us to begin our farm market which lead to our partnership with the Chelsea CSA and Stoneledge Farm.
Stop by the market on Wednesday from 8:00-10:00 – we’ve been selling out early. The produce available this week is:

Carrots • Purple Top Turnips • Sweet Potatoes • Red Russian Kale • Shallots • Sage • Baby Bear Pie Pumpkins • Romanesco • Butternut Winter Squash • Apples • Bosc Pears

Letter from Stoneledge Farm,

Each year many of the CSA sites have members complete a member survey to gather their opinions, suggestions and input. One of the items on the survey is a suggestion list of vegetables that members would like to see in their share. We take the suggestions very seriously and consider how they would fit into our growing conditions, the amount of
land we have available, cultivars that are available to us under Organic Certification requirements and how the vegetable would fit into our harvest plan. After careful consideration and investigation if we feel the vegetable would work, we give it an experimental try. To make the experiment useful, we need to plant enough to see what
production levels will be, what the vegetables needs will be, how the
vegetable will fit into the plan.

This week you will receive Sweet Potatoes in your share. Sweet
Potatoes are a vegetable that we have been interested in producing and
also has shown up on many member surveys. We did a lot of research
into organic production methods, and this year planted two 600’
rows. As many members that attended the farm visit days may
remember, the plants were beautiful but the proof would be in the
digging. The Sweet Potatoes produced very nice tubers and we will
have enough for everyone this week. Next year we hope to expand our
plantings of Sweet Potatoes. It is a great feeling of accomplishment
when an experiment has such positive results.

Enjoy the vegetables-Deb

RECIPES & TIPS
(courtesy of Deborah Donnenfeld)

You can take any combination of any 3-5 vegetables on the above list and roast them together with chopped sage, rock salt, and pepper. Cook at 400 for 30-40 minutes, shaking the pan every 10 minutes or so. Chop up some kale and toss it in with the rest for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking time. I’ve never roasted romanesco, but I imagine you can toss it in with the other vegetables for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking time.

Otherwise… romanesco is DELICIOUS just steamed for 2 minutes and tossed with olive oil and salt and pepper.

Butternut Squash Soup
Trim the top and bottom off a 2-pound Butternut squash, then cut the squash into 1 1/2-2 inch rounds (makes it easier to peel). Scoop out the seeds, and peel the skin off with a paring knife (using a cutting board – not holding it as you would to pare an apple). Cut each round into 4-6 pieces.
Chop 2 large onions coarsely and sauté in 2 tablespoons of butter on a medium flame in your soup pot, until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes.
Add your chopped butternut squash, + 2 large cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add 1 quart of vegetable broth, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until you can mash the squash against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon.
Use a hand blender, or a regular blender (in batches), to purée. Stir in 1/2 cup milk or cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with chopped parsley, if you feel like it.

October 28/29, 2008
Week #20

Letter from Stoneledge Farm,
The fall weather has been difficult to adjust to from one day to the next. One morning last week it was so cold, the fields were completely white covered with a heavy frost. The next morning the weather was almost warm as a new wind blew in. The crops of fall seem to relish the ups and downs and their flavors intensify and sweeten.

New this week to your share is Celeriac or Celery Root. The Celeriac have grown well this year with all of the rain we received this summer. This is a vegetable that is new to some members. It is very good in soups and stews and also grated in slaws. The Celeriac also stores very well.

The weeks are clicking away. Please place your orders for honey and maple syrup soon. There is an order form on the farm web site:

www.stoneledgefarmny.org to down load. The end of the season comes so quickly and there is nothing better than some upstate New York maple syrup or honey with winter squash.
Enjoy the vegetables-Deb

Carrots, Celeriac, Winterbor Kale, Gourds (I know these are just for decoration, but they are so beautiful and are a lasting reminder of the colors of fall), Parsley, Garlic, Shallots, Broccoli,
Delicata Winter Squash, Red Ace Beets, Bosc Pears & Apples

It seems that fall has finally arrived – the air is crisp and the leaves have changed and are falling off the trees. I love this time of year and the vegetables that we receive this week from Stoneledge Farm will help fill our tables with the bounty of the harvest. Here is the letter that I received from Deb Kavakos, who owns Stoneledge Farm with her husband Pete:

Dear Member:

We are starting to work away at the vegetables that we have harvested earlier in the season and have been curing in the greenhouses or in the barn. We always feel a little squirrel like as we start to look towards our stored treasures. Shallots and also Delicata Winter Squash are ready for distribution and will be in your share this week.

We have grown Shallots for two years now and they are quickly becoming one of our favorite onion type vegetables. The shallots are started in the green house as one of our earliest seedings in March. When they are transplanted into the field in the spring they look a lot like blades of thick grass. Shallots are harvested before the frosts and the bulbs have grown thick and beautiful with a reddish tinge to the skin. Some of them split and will have two or more bulbs, some stay as singles and grow quite large.

The Delicata Winter Squash, or as some call it the Sweet Potato Winter Squash, is one of the favorite winter squash varieties. The skin is not as hard as some of the varieties and it will cook well washed and placed whole in the oven to bake. When it is soft to the touch, remove the squash, cut in half and remove the seeds. The squash is a bit thinner skinned and fleshed and could dry out if cut before baking.

Enjoy the fall weather and harvest-Deb

The produce that we will receive on Tuesday:

Carrots (This is a new variety, although they are orange colored like the Bolero. The variety, Ya Ya is harder for us to harvest because the greens are not very hardy, but the carrot is so sweet and juicy. I think that by this time with all of the carrots that we have produced this year, everyone is becoming a carrot expert and you will be able to taste the difference. A carrot is not just a carrot! • Potatoes • Delicata Winter Squash • Shallots • Broccoli • Cheddar Cauliflower • Oregano • Collards • Purple Top Turnips with the greens (If you like Mustard Greens, you will also like Turnip Greens. The bottom should be used separatly. )

We will also receive some apples and pears – some or all of the following: Fortune, Winesap, Mutsu, Golden Delicious Apples and Bosc Pears.

Enjoy the vegetables, and thanks for supporting our Farm Market.  We are open Wednesday mornings from 8-12 at PS 11, 320 West 21st Street, NYC.

Debbie Osborne

Welcome to our new blog. The PS 11 Farm Market began last spring in partnership with the Chelsea CSA. We receive local, organic, seasonal produce from Stoneledge Farm in upstate NY – 120 miles north of NYC – every Tuesday from June through Thanksgiving. Third grade classes then operate the market on Wednesdays from 8 am – Noon (or until they sell out!) What an experience this has been…. not only have our students had the opportunity to learn about healthy eating, good nutrition and local foods & produce, but they are learning how to make change, weigh & sort produce and interact with the community. We have also helped to make healthy, fresh foods available and accessible to our community and we have been sharing with each other our recipes and techniques for using and cooking with the produce we receive. On Thursdays when I walk to PS 11, I am overwhelmed by the response that I get from parents – “The golden delicious apples were the best!” and “The turnips were a huge hit last night!”. So this blog is an opportunity for you to share your recipes, feedback and insight about our Farm Market. I will post the letter from the Farm on Tuesdays to let you know what veggies & fruits we will be getting and our 3rd grade students will write about their experiences with the market. We look forward to blogging with you! Deborah Osborne