Tag: kale

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Week #17 Note from Farmer– About Sage, Kale, Speciality Radishes, Chioggia Beets, Concord Grapes and Seckel Pears

Dear CSA Member,

Happy Fall! It is the first day of fall and it is 85 degrees! The weather has been hot and dry these past few days and will be 87 on Sunday! We have been preparing for the fall season’s harvests along with cleaning out the fields from summer. Below are some tips on some of the items you will be receiving in your CSA share this week.

Sage: A Southern Europe and Mediterranean herb. Pairs well with poultry.

Kale: It is that time of year again. All the Kale is growing beautifully. This week in your share you will be getting Lacinato Kale also know as “dinosaur kale”. Check out this great link for Kale that was sent in from one of our CSA members. Keep this link handy for the remainder of the season! Click Here

Specialty Radishes: This week you will be getting some specialty radishes. It is the first picking of the fall radishes. The radishes have beautiful greens you can make a small salad with. It tastes great with a sweet dressing.

Chioggia Beets: Italian Heirloom variety beet. When sliced open you will notice beautiful stripes of red and light pink.

FRUIT SHARE MEMBERS: This week you will be getting Concord Grapes, Seckel Pears, and Cortland Apples.
*Concord Grapes– Grown by Tousey Farm Delicious sweet grape. Concords are a slip skin grape. You squeeze the grape and the pulp will slip out. All parts of the grapes are good for you. You can eat the skin, pulp, and the seed if you choose. Try this Concord Grape Muffin Recipe.
*Seckel Pears – Grown by Fix Brothers Farm(small sweet pear.) Let them sit out for a couple days to soften slightly.

Enjoy!
-Candice for Everyone at Stoneledge Farm

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Week #18 — Note from the Farmer

Week #18

Dear CSA members,

The seasons are continuing to change; there was a cool bite to the air this morning. As the summer crops begin to fade, the fresh fall greens take their place, bringing new life to the fields. The dry weather has continued through the growing season, bringing with it challenges as well as some benefits – such as not working in the rain and mud. The fungal diseases that can often reduce crop yields during the summer months were not a major concern due to the lack of precipitation.

The majority of our plants are started by hand in the greenhouses and then transplanted into the fields to give them a much-needed head start. During this period, the transplants need constant moisture to help establish the plants. This was a major struggle from early spring until last week, when we finished the last transplants for the season. Fortunately, we have a great staff of excellent farmers who efficiently irrigated our tender crops while conserving water throughout the summer months.

The past several days have been very rewarding with high yields of winter squash, popcorn, carrots and sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes are a crop that we are just learning how to produce in high quantities. The process starts in the winter by ordering organic sweet potato “slips” from a farm in Georgia. The timing must be perfect to ship the slips from Georgia to New York. These tender shoots can survive for only a day or two and need to be planted and watered immediately upon arrival in June. This season we prepared a section of the field with hills of soil prior to the slips arrival. Keeping the rows hilled, weeded and fertilized throughout the season paid off with the best quality sweet potato harvest we have ever had. These slips are expensive but with high yields, they are worth it. Now that we have figured out the needs of this crop, we will double our order for next season and hopefully get the same results.

We have acres of fall greens coming on strong. Lettuce, radishes, mizuna, mustard, arugula and more will soon return, bringing fresh salads to the fridge! We also have an abundance of hardy brassica greens that will continue through the remainder of the year. Potatoes, carrots, beets, winter squash and many more root crops will add some bulk to the weekly harvest. Things are looking good for the fall!

I hope that everyone has enjoyed the season so far and is feeling the healthy benefits of eating our fresh organic produce. Thank you for all your support and loyalty to our farm.

Pete for everyone at Stoneledge Farm

A reminder that this week is a coffee share week!

Winter squash – 1
Lacinato kale – 1 bunch
Sweet potatoes – 2
Ancho peppers – 2
Sweet peppers – 2
Curly parsley – 1 bunch
Shallots – 2
Radish bunch – 1
Serrano peppers – take what you like

Fruit Share:
1 bag- Empire Apples Grown by Fix Brothers Orchard
1 bag – Anjou Pears Grown by Klein’s Kill Orchard

Mushroom Share: Crimini

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Week #19 — Note from the Farmer

Dear CSA Member

Fall is here and the trees are starting to show the beauty of their fall colors. The fall crops that we planted late this summer are starting to come into their season as well. Boc choi this week and the fall seeding of Mustard Greens along with Collards, Butternut, Leeks, Sage and Carrots. There are new recipes on the farm website Recipe section that feature many of the vegetables in this weeks share.

Market place items are great for holiday gift giving and do sell out as we move into the last weeks of the CSA season. There are also bulk quantities of vegetables and new this week is a limited number of broccoli, along with kale, collards, apples and pears. Taking a jar of home made apple sauce from the self is a treat during the winter. Kale is easily frozen and makes a great addition to a winter time nutritional shake. To freeze kale for winter nutritional shakes just wash, chop, stuff cupcake tins and freeze. Once the kale is frozen pop the cubes into a freezer bag. You can also freeze kale loose in freezer bags and then take what you need. Collards can be frozen the same way. When you are mixing a shake add a cube or a handful of frozen greens for an nutritional winter time boost. This is the time of year to preserve the harvest for the long winter that is ahead.

Enjoy the fall and bounty of the harvest.
Deborah for everyone at Stoneledge Farm

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Judi’s Recipe — Week #23

Greetings! This is really the home stretch. I will not be at the CSA next week, so I want to say “ta ta” to you now. I wish you a warm and cozy winter, and look forward to seeing you all next June. Don’t forget that Lewis Waite will be delivering their wonderful products all winter.

Today’s recipe may seem complicated, but, once you assemble the ingredients, it’s very simple. It’s an enchilada recipe that uses kale pulp (yes, pulp!) after you juice the kale. It also uses potatoes and garlic, both of which we are getting this week. I hope you enjoy it, and that you have a delicious week!
Best,
Judi

KALE AND POTATO ENCHILADAS

Juice
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2 bunches kale, washed and drained.

Enchilada Sauce
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2 TBS olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper
2 poblano peppers
1 red jalapeno pepper
1 hot Italian pepper
2 1/2 tsp Ancho chili pepper
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably roasted
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
Enchilada Filling
1 lb yellow or red potatoes
2 TBS olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups kale pulp, from the juice, above
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
3 TBS lime juice
1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish
1 1/2 tsp salt
10 – 12 whole wheat tortillas
3/4 cups queso fresco or any cheese you like

1. Juice the kale first and set aside the pulp to use in the enchilada recipe.

2. Peel and cut the potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Rinse the cut pieces and cook, covered in water, in a large pot over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

3. Preheat the oven broiler. Place the peppers on the top rack of oven and let roast. Check every few minutes, rotating peppers, until they are charred on all sides. Remove them from oven, remove the seeds and rough chop the peppers. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

4. In a sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté 5 to 7 minutes. Add chopped, roasted peppers, chili powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, tomatoes, sugar and salt. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Using a blender or immersion blender, puree sauce until smooth. Set aside.

5. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the kale pulp, and stir to combine with garlic. Add cooked potatoes, lime juice, broth, cumin, and walnuts. Stir to combine. Cook 5 to 8 minutes, until heated through.

6. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread a small amount of sauce around the bottom of the baking dish.

7. In a dry pan over medium low heat, heat each tortilla until flexible. Remove from heat. Dip the tortilla into the sauce and place into the baking dish. Fill the tortilla with some of the filling. Roll the tortilla around the filling and place seam side down in the baking dish. Continue until filling is divided among the tortillas.

8. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the filled tortillas, making sure to cover the edges to prevent dried and tough edges.

Bake in the preheated oven 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle cheese across the top, if desired, during the last 5 minutes of baking.

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Judi’s Weekly Recipe — Week #15

Greetings everyone, and welcome to Week 15!

As many of us have discussed, the shares are getting heavier now that the root vegetables are coming in. This week we have potatoes, beets, broccoli and cabbage. If you have a carrier with wheels, now is the time to start using it.

Here’s an easy, no-cook recipe that utilizes two of this week’s vegetables.

Creamy Kale Salad with Apples and Raw Beets

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1 ripe avocado, halved and seeded
2 TBS white wine vinegar or lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
3 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 oz. kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 small red beet, peeled and thinly sliced
1 crisp apple, cored and cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1. Combine avocado, vinegar, mustard, and oil in a food processor. Pulse until smooth. It will be thick. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Combine kale, beets, apple, and walnuts in a large bowl. Toss with avocado dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Helpful hint: Add some cooked grain for added texture and nutrition.

So easy and great for one of the warm nights we still have left. Enjoy, and have a delicious week!
Best,Judi

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Judi’s Recipe for Week #11

Welcome to Week 11. We’re nearly halfway through the season, and what a season it’s been! Can you believe the bounty we’ve been getting?

This week marks the return of kale – a favorite of so many of our members. By now you all know how to make kale chips, so how about something a little bit different? Her’s a quick an easy recipe for kale slaw with a twist.

CAESAR KALE SLAW
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1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
8 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained
1 garlic clove
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan, divided
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 hard-boiled egg, peeled
1 bunch kale, center stalks removed, thinly sliced crosswise (about 8 cups)

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth. With the machine running, slowly add the oil, drop by drop, to make a creamy dressing.

2. Transfer the dressing to a bowl and stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill.

3. Separate the egg white from the yolk. Place the egg white in a coarse-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Press the egg white through strainer with the back of a spoon; and scrape the egg white from bottom of strainer.

4. Repeat the same process with the egg yolk, using a clean strainer and bowl.

5. Toss the kale and dressing in a large bowl to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and sieved eggs.

NOTE: The dressing can be made up to two days in advance. The eggs can be sieved up to six hours in advance. Cover each bowl separately and refrigerator until serving time.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and all the lovely vegetables. Have a delicious week!
Best,
Judi