The Garden Club Blog

Garden Club: Fall Week 10

Contents:
Arugula
Turnips
Little green tomatoes
Lemon grass
Load of Peppers (Liz, Barley’s Garden Patch, Norman)

• • Bells: green, light green red & purple
  • Poblanos: the smaller dark green ones
  • Pimentos: smallish red & green

We must have timed something right...the last week of Garden Club coincided with the first frost. Liz pulled up this morning with literally a trunk-load of peppers and I thought it was the perfect way to end the fall season. This is when the importance of where our Garden Club experiment truly comes to life. Normally, I wouldn’t be able to buy 100 pounds of peppers at one time, they may have ended up in the compost at Liz’s farm. That is the hard part about being a farmer: sometimes you have more than you can sell and sometimes not enough.
Our primary goal with our Garden Club experiment was to be able to purchase more local produce from small farmers.  This we achieved, we purchased almost $20,000 of additional local produce for the Garden Club baskets this year. Our hypothesis was to determine if one small farmer could feed 30 families.  It turns out that no, it takes a small network of farmers to achieve the quantity and variety needed. We have some great ideas on how to improve Garden Club next year, so we hope you consider signing up again. We had some successes and some failures, and I thank all of you for supporting us through both. Regardless of whether you enjoyed your weekly bags, just remember that you directly benefited many local farmers. The greatest impact was for our lead grower,  High Tides & Green Fields. Dev’s husband was able to retire this year and they were able to add a new greenhouse so that next year they will be able to grow even more beautiful food. Dev & Kip thank you also for this opportunity.
Please send in the surveys from last week. Your feedback is needed to improve our project in years to come.
Again, thank you and good luck with your mountain of peppers. Remember, they freeze well. :)

Stuffed Peppers:
Ingredients:

                   
Directions:
                       

Source: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/stuffed-peppers-4/Detail.aspx

Poblano Chile Pepper Soup
Ingredients:

                   
Directions:
                       

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Poblano-Chile-Pepper-Soup/Detail.aspx

Garden Club: Fall Week 9

Contents:
Braising Greens
Turnips (with greens)
Tatsoi (Oriental green similar to Bok Choy)
Fresh Italian Parsley
Cherry Tomatoes
Garlic (organic, non-local)
Pasta (gluten free, non-local)
Oregano, Basil, and Thyme (1/2 T of each)

Greetings Garden Clubbers!
Only one more week of Garden Club after this, I hope everyone has enjoyed trying new things and maybe found a new favorite dish. I’ve attached a survey, please fill it out and bring it back next week. We have lots of great ideas on how to improve Garden Club for year 2, but I want to hear your honest feedback as well!

Recipe
Farmer’s Market Pasta
2 T olive oil, halved
1/2 red onion, diced
1 giant handful of your choice of greens
2 medium turnips, diced
1 handful of beans, ends removed (or 1 can)
1/2 cup corn kernels
about 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 T basil, chopped
1/2 T oregano, chopped
1/2 T thyme, chopped
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t crushed red pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2  t salt
1/2 lb pasta, cooked
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella balls (or any other mild cheese)
1 link cooked Italian sausage (or veggie sausage, optional)
Parmesan cheese
Your favorite tomato sauce
Parsley
Preparation:
Boil 6 cups of water in a large saucepan. Add turnips. Cook until soft. Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add beans to water and cook for about 4 minutes (if you have canned beans, do not cook them). Add beans to the bowl with the turnips. Cook pasta in boiling water.  Meanwhile, heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and greens. Cook until onion is translucent and greens are wilted. Add corn, turnips and beans. Saute for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano, and thyme. Combine with pasta, mozzarella and sausage. Drizzle with remaining olive oil.. Top with tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, and parsley.

Time: 30-45 minutes
Menu: serve with salad or alone
Drink Pairing: dry white wine
Serves: 2-4

Enjoy!

Contents:
Mixed sweet peppers
Shishito peppers
Mustard greens mix
Divine Fair Trade Milk Chocolate
Red Starkrimson Pears (not local)

This is maybe the most literal meaning of a “rain check.” Due to the heavy rains overnight and this morning, Dev couldn’t finish harvesting the rest of this week’s items. Dev will pick this stuff next week and your next bag will be extra full. We decided to throw in some gorgeous red pears and some chocolate to help make up the difference.

Most of you probably know that October is Fair Trade month and Divine Chocolate is one of my favorite companies. Not only is their chocolate fabulous, but 45% of their company is owned by the farmers in West Africa. If you would like to learn more about the chocolate industry, this Sunday evening at 7:00PM at Meacham Auditorium (in the Union), some student groups will be showing a film, the Dark Side of Chocolate.

Mustard Greens Recipe                                                        

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 pound mustard greens, washed and torn into large pieces
• 2 to 3 Tbsp chicken broth or vegetable broth (vegetarian option)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil

                                                                               
1 In a large sauté pan, sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat until the onions begin to brown and caramelize, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute more, until fragrant.
2 Add the mustard greens and broth and cook until the mustard greens are just barely wilted. Toss with sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Contents:

Mixed Greens
Lemongrass
Basil
Sweet Peppers
Pears (Moonlighting Farms, Norman)

Basil Pesto

1.5 cups         Fresh basil leaves
2-5 cloves         Garlic, peeled (or 2 Tbl. chopped garlic)
1/4 cup            Pine nuts or Pecans
1/4 cup             Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup             Freshly squeezed lemon juice (or 2 Tbl. lemon juice)
1/4 cup            Olive oil

Put basil, garlic, nuts, cheese in blender and turn on.  Drizzle in the lemon juice and and olive oil. Continue to pureé until smooth paste is formed.  Makes 3/4 cup pesto. Serve on baguette bread, focaccia, or on freshly cooked pasta.

 
Contents:
Turnip greens
Apples
Rosemary
Squash: mix of pattypan, yellow, zucchini
Sweet pepper mix

Roots vegetables (like turnips, beets, and radishes)  are often under-appreciated and even more unfortunate is when the greens are not eaten. The fall season should bring us a bounty of these mighty roots, they grow great in Oklahoma this time of year and again in the spring, so we should really all start learning how to cook with them. Today we start our journey through the world of root veggies  with turnip greens. There are many ways to prepare turnip greens, mostly they are braised or boiled often with bacon or ham. I wanted to find a more interesting turnip greens recipe so I found one for Creamed Turnip Greens and one that utilizes the in-season apples and maybe any leftover sweet potatoes you may have.
Creamed Turnip Greens. Here is the link to it’s source:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001673165

Sweet Potatoes, Apples, and Braising Greens

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into quarters, then cut crosswise into 1/8-inch slices
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 3 tablespoons melted
• 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 3 medium baking apples, such as Sierra Beauty or Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and cut into quarters
• 6 cups loosely packed braising greens such as kale, chard, or collard greens, stems removed and torn into 2-inch strips
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 400°F.
On foil-lined baking sheet, toss potato slices with 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bake until cooked through and slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Keep warm.
In heavy medium skillet over moderate heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add apples and sauté until tender and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Keep warm.
In heavy large pot over moderate heat, combine remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons water. Add greens and sauté, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Lower heat to moderately low and add sweet potatoes and apples. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in parsley, remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Serve hot.
Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sweet-Potatoes-Apples-and-Braising-Greens-240487#ixzz11nE51l51

Contents:
Pansies
Garlic Chives
Yellow Delicious Apples
Bartlett Pears
Greens Mix (mustard, lettuce, kale, oriental greens)
Sweet Peppers

Hooray for cooler weather and the return of greens! For those of you who were in the Spring Garden Club, we all eat a lot of greens. One of my favorite quick meals is just a big salad topped with fruit, nuts and cheese. We eat salad almost everyday at our house, and I find that the bags greens shipped in from California just don’t compare to the local greens.  Matt found this great recipe for a warmed vinaigrette that I can’t wait to try with the greens and seasonal fruit. Top it with some walnuts or local pecans for added protein and crunch. Also, pansies are edible so if you really want dress it up, garnish your salad with a petal or two. Beautiful!

Green Salad with warmed vinaigrette

     1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

     1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

     1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

     1/8 teaspoon black pepper

     2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

     8 cups arugula leaves (any greens are fine)

     1 apple, unpeeled, thinly sliced

     1 pear, unpeeled, thinly sliced

     1/2 cup (3 ounces) blue cheese, crumbled

 In a small bowl, whisk together the  mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Whisking constantly, slowly add the oil; heat gently and pour over salad.

Contents:
Sweet potatoes
Okra
Mushroom assortment (Om Gardens)
Jalapeño peppers
Basil

The highlight of this week’s bag is probably the gorgeous assorted mushrooms from Om Gardens, including lions mane, grey oyster and shiitakes. If you’ve never tried their mushrooms before you are in for a treat, Steve and Jacki of Om Gardens grow their mushrooms organically just east of Norman. Check out this video online to see how their grow rooms work. Very cool! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyQbQraSep4. There are some many great ways to use these mushrooms that I suggest you do some exploring, but I thought that they would pair well with the jalapenos and basil in an omelet. When substituting fresh herbs for dry, the dry to fresh ratio (according to Martha!) is 1 to 3, so use 3/4 teaspoon fresh basil in this recipe (or more if you love basil). I’ve also included an easy oven sweet potato fry recipe. Sweet potato fries are the new not thing at restaurants right now, but they are super easy to make at home. There’s enough here for a crowd, I think I’m bringing mine to my Aunt’s football watch party! For an awesome dipping sauce combine soy sauce with a little bit of honey or agave nectar and sprinkle the fries with sesame seeds after taking them out of the oven.

Smooth & Cheesy Omelet

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 large fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup cottage cheese
• ground black pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and peppers; saute until soft. Sprinkle with basil and remove from pan.
2. Pour eggs into pan and return to heat. Cook eggs until semi-solid, then flip. Place mushroom mixture and cheese on top of omelet. Season with pepper and fold in half. Cook until firm. Serve warm.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Smooth-and-Cheesy-Omelet/Detail.aspx
Oven Sweet Potato Fries   

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into wedges
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of cayenne pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss sweet potato wedges with oil, salt and pepper. Spread the wedges out on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until browned and tender, turning once, about 20 minutes total.

Source: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/oven_sweet_potato_fries.html

 

Large tomatoes - Smith Farms
Okra - Smith Farms
Peppers -- Mixed Oriental (some hot, some not--good luck)
Microgreen Arugula
Lemon Grass

Greetings Garden Clubbers! For those of you that are new to Garden Club, this may be the first time you’ve seen Dev’s microgreens.  This cute little sprouts are grown right in the plastic container and are just baby seedlings only a few weeks old. Add microgreens to salads, sandwiches, soups, etc. for a potent punch of flavor!

Grilled Okra Salad

• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 tomato, cubed
• 1 red onion, diced
• salt to taste
• 32 pods fresh okra

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil grate. Combine the vinegar, tomato, onion, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
2. Cook the okra on the preheated grill until a few black areas have developed on its skin, about 5 minutes. Toss the okra with the tomato mixture, and serve. Serves 4

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Okra-Salad/Detail.aspx

Californian Rib Sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 cups rice or wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp chopped fresh lemon grass
1 small hot chilli chopped (remove seeds)
1 large shallot, chopped
Directions:
Rub 2 lbs ribs with black pepper. Add the rest of the ingredients. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator
Source: http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/12542/californian-ribs.html

Contents:
Apples (Gustafson Farms, Blanchard)
Butternut Squash (Steve Sheild, Blanchard)
Sweet Peppers
Dried Hot Peppers
Basil
Zucchini & Yellow Squash (Peach Crest)

It makes a lot of sense when you think about it, but often times crops that are in season at the same time go well with each other. So we’ve seen apples and butternut squash a lot lately, and I’ve heard about people making a soup with both of these, but I found two other recipes that use both of these fall staples together, one sweet and one cheesy! I can’t wait to try these! Dev’s peppers are still prolific, if you still have peppers left over from last week, never fear, I have the solution for you! Peppers freeze really well and I’ve included instructions on how to do just that today. One of the tricks about eating seasonally is learning how to “put up” things for the winter months. I like to keep peppers in my freezer all winter long to add flavor and color to winter soups and stews! We’re getting close to the end of zucchini and yellow squash for the year, so I hope you enjoy the last of these summer treats.

Butternut Squash and Apple Casserole

• 1 small butternut squash, about 2 pounds
• 2 apples, cored, peeled, sliced
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/4 cup cold butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Peel squash, scoop out seeds, and cut in small pieces.
Place squash and apple slices in oblong baking dish (7x11-inch). Blend remaining ingredients with fork or pastry cutter until crumbly.
Distribute over squash and apple.
Cover and bake butternut squash casserole at 350° for about 45 to 50 minutes.
Butternut squash recipe serves 6 to 8.
Source: http://www.dianaskitchen.com/page/veggies/9910_14.htm

Butternut Squash, Apple, Onion Au Gratin

• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• 1 butternut squash - peeled, seeded and sliced
• 4 apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9- x 11-inch glass baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Place flour, salt, and cinnamon into a large plastic bag. Add squash, apples, and onions; shake until lightly dusted.
3. In glass dish, layer 1/2 of squash, apples, and sweet onion. Pour 1/2 cup chicken stock over the top, then sprinkle 1/2 of cheese. Layer with remaining squash, apple, and onions. Pour remaining chicken stock over the top, and cover with foil.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.
5. Take out and sprinkle with bacon crumbles and remaining cheese. Return, uncovered, to oven; bake for another 5 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Source: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/butternut-squash-apple-onion-au-gratin/Detail.aspx

Contents:
Sweet potatoes (Steve Sheid, Blanchard, OK)
Apples (Gold Rush and Golden Delcious, Freedom Farms, Blanchard)
Peppers (assorted sweet, High Tides & Green Fields)
Heirloom Tomatoes

Greetings Garden Clubbers! Welcome to the fall season! Though the temperatures are still rather warm during day, the mornings are getting more and more pleasant. Some summer staples will linger in our bags, while fall will bring us a whole new variety of delicious crops to try. I’m excited because the weeks basket features one of my personal favorites, sweet potatoes! The recipe I selected is for grilled sweet potatoes and a really easy apple dessert, both would be great to try out for you tailgate parties this week! What a great way to kick off a new season of produce and football!

For those of you that know Dev, you know that peppers and cherry tomatoes are her specialty. The tomato plants took a beating in August, but a few of these little gems survived. Peppers can be added to almost any recipe for a flavor boost.

Most of you are veteran garden clubbers, but for the new folks, I just wanted to give a quick lowdown of what to expect. Each Friday, Dev from High Tides & Green Fields, delivers the weeks best picks from her farm and other nearby farms to Native Roots. Our crew sorts it into the bags and we provide recipes, serving suggestions, and often spices. We will also post photos and the recipes on our blog each week. We invite and encourage you to give feedback on the blog as well: what you liked, what you didn’t like or share your own recipes with fellow garden clubbers!
Visit the Blog here  http://www.nativerootsmarket.com/blogs/the_garden_club_blog
Also, each week please bring back your green bags so we can reuse them, thanks.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
2. Divide the sweet potato cubes in half, and place each half in the center of a rectangle of aluminum foil. Top each portion with about half of the butter. Sprinkle about half of the brown sugar, cumin, and cayenne pepper over each portion. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the corners of the aluminum foil together and seal to form a pouch around each portion.
3. Cook on the preheated grill, turning pouches every 10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Sweet-Potatoes-2/Detail.aspx

Easy Apple Crunch

Ingredients:

• 4 cups peeled, cored, sliced apples
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup softened butter

Preparation:

Directions for apple crunch.
Place apples in a lightly buttered baking dish, about 9 1/2 x 6 or 9-inch square. Add water. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle crumb mixture over the apples. Bake apple crunch at 350° for 35 to 45 minutes, or until apples are tender. Serve apple crunch warm with ice cream, if desired. Apple crunch serves 6.
Source: http://southernfood.about.com/od/dessertrecipe1/r/bl30214d.htm