White House Gardens Week #18, Octover 14, 2010

The first frost was last night, Tuesday.  I picked peppers again last night because I didn’t want to lose them to the frost.  This has been an amazing year for peppers.  I have never had so many red ones to put in your shares.  I planted an abundance of pepper plants this year because I have been frustrated in previous years with the lack of ripe peppers.  I have not had time to check to pepper plants to see if they were damaged by the frost.  There will be more in your shares next week if they weren’t damaged. 

What an amazing fall we are having!  The weather has been perfect for the fall crops; lots of sunshine and cool temperatures with adequate moisture.  The broccoli plants are coming along nicely, but we might not have cauliflower before the season ends.  The plants are growing very slowly, as everything does this time of year.   It’s possible we may have to wait a couple of weeks for the cauliflower, like last year.  It wasn’t until the second week of November that the cauliflower and broccoli were ready so I added another pick up after the season ended.  It’s possible I will have extra onions and potatoes for sale on the last pick up, October 28th.  More on that later, but they will probably be in 2 and 3 pounds bags, at $2.00 per pound. 

It has also been a great year for potatoes.  There are two kinds in your share this week, German Butterball and Bintje. 
Lettuce  Winter Density, a romaine
Kale  Cavolo Nero, also known as Tuscan Kale or Dinasour Kale.  This is a very prized kale for it’s great taste, not widely available.  Use as any other kale.  The center rib should be removed before cooking. 
Brussels Sprouts  Brussels Sprouts grow on a tall stalk.  The sprouts are snapped off the stalk.  Last year I gave you the entire stalk, this year I cut them off for you.  The end of the sprout needs to be trimmed and the outer leaves removed if they are damaged before cooking.  Try roasting the sprouts:  toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast on a flat try or cookie sheet at 400 degrees until tender and a little crispy.  The sprouts are not all the same size, cut the larger ones in half so that they all roast at the same rate.
Beets  Red Ace in large shares, Chioggia (candy stripe beets) in small shares.
Broccoli Raab  A member of the same family as broccoli, cabbage, etc.  The stems, leaves, and florets are all edible.  See a recipe in the newsletter.
Potatoes  German Butterball and Bintje
Carrots  With tops. Remove the tops if you are storing them for an extended period.  The tops will continue to pull moisture from the roots, causing the roots to wilt.  The tops are also edible.  See   " What To Do With Carrot Tops   Recipe included in the newsletter for Roasted Carrots.

Peppers  Red and yellow bell peppers
Red Onions  

Broccoli Rabe with Oil and Garlic
From Lidia’s Italian American Kitchen by Lidia Bastianich

Sometimes you see broccoli rabe cut into little pieces, but I like to serve the whole stems with the leaves attached.  If you peel and trim them the way I describe below, the stalks will cook at about the same rate as the leaves.  Broccoli rabe is a vegetable I like al dente.  By that I don’t mean really crunchy, but with some texture left to it. 

1 pound broccoli rabe
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
Salt
¼ teaspoon crushed hot red pepper, or to taste
¼ cup (or as needed) water
Makes 4 servings
To trim the broccoli rabe, first cut off any wilted or yellow leaves and the tough ends of the stems.  Then, holding a stem with the florets in hand, nick a little piece of the end of the stem with a paring knife and pull the little piece of the skin toward you, peeling the stem partially.  Continue working your way around the stem until it is peeled.    As you peel the stem, some of the large, tough outer leaves will also be removed;  discard those as well.  Repeat with the remaining stems.  Wash the trimmed broccoli rabe in a sinkful of cold water, swishing the stems gently to remove all dirt from between the leaves.  Let the leaves sit a minute or two undisturbed, to allow the dirt to settle to the bottom of the sink, then lift the broccoli rabe from the water with your hands or a large skimmer.  Drain in a colander.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Scatter the garlic over the oil and cook, shaking the pan, until golden brown, about 1 minute.  Carefully lay the broccoli rabe into the oil and season lightly with salt and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper.  Stir and toss to distribute the seasonings.  Pour ¼ cup water into the skillet and bring to a boil.  Cover the skillet tightly and cook, lifting the lid to turn the stalks occasionally, until the broccoli rabe is tender, about 10 minutes.  Taste, and season with additional salt and crushed red pepper if necessary.  Serve hot. 

Roasted Carrots
Serves 4 to 6.   Published November 1, 2010.   From Cook's Illustrated.

1 1/2
pounds carrots , peeled, halved crosswise, and cut lengthwise if necessary to create even pieces (see illustrations in Cutting Carrots for Roasting)
2
tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

Table salt and ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. In large bowl, combine carrots with butter, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; toss to coat. Transfer carrots to foil- or parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and spread in single layer.
2. Cover baking sheet tightly with foil and cook for 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue to cook, stirring twice, until carrots are well browned and tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to serving platter, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

White House Gardens Week #17, October 7, 2010

Week #17    October 7, 2010
The recent rains provided at least an inch of much needed moisture.  The fall crops grow much slower with the cooler temperatures and shorter days.  The broccoli and cauliflower are progressing nicely, and Brussels  sprouts will be in your share next week.  I would rather pick the Brussels  sprouts after a frost, which makes them sweeter, but they are ready now.  Most of the crops I will be harvesting in the next 3 weeks are covered with row cover to keep the deer from helping themselves to a salad buffet. 

The deer will begin to move out of the woods with the cooler temperatures, especially if we get a frost and there is nothing left for them to eat.  I have tried many ways to keep them out of the garden, unsuccessfully.  The row cover does a good job of “hiding” the crops from the deer .  The last 3 shares will probably include broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, kale, beets, fennel, chard, turnips, broccoli raab, carrots, potatoes, and onions.  Hopefully we will have a warm, dry October to help these crops along. 

Lettuce  Winter Marvel, a butterhead
Arugula  Not in all shares
Sweet Pepper s  Long, red Carmen, my favorite.  Try making  Pureed Red Pepper & Potato Soup from Recipes For Health or see the recipe from Denny Archey in the previous email I sent.
Lima Beans  These are fresh, in the shell limas.  Try to shell them as soon as possible.  Shell them and cook them soon, or store in the frig in their shell for a short time.  They are at their best when cooked and eaten soon.  This was my first attempt at growing limas, and I think I will do it again.  The plants were beautiful, but the beans take a long time to mature.  Some of the pods may have large beans and some may not have much at all.  (Think baby limas)  They are not easy to shell:  try snapping off the tip and pulling the “string” down on both sides, which should help to open the pod easier.  I have cooked them several times and my favorite method is to steam/sauté them.  Put the shelled beans in a skillet, add enough water just to barely cover, salt, and a tablespoon of butter.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook, covered, until barely tender, about 8 minutes.  Remove the cover, turn up the heat, and boil away the water until the beans are completely tender. 
Potatoes  Rio Grande Russet and Adirondak Red.  Most of the russets are small, a result of not being able to keep the potato plants healthy and free of disease for the entire growing season.  Russets are good for baking.  Adirondak Red has red skin and pinkish-red flesh which is a result of naturally occurring anthocyanin pigments, chock full of anitoxidants.  Its color fades when boiled, but remains when roasting, baking or frying. 
Kale  Red Russian variety.  See previous newsletters for recipes.  Or try freezing kale and other greens to use during the winter.  See a recipe from shareholder Pat Brannon for freezing greens in the newsletter. 
Onions  Yellow onions for cooking
Delicata or Acorn Squash  Delicata has mulit-colored skin, Acorn is dark green.  Both can be used in recipes calling for winter squash, however the skin of the delicata is edible, the acorn is not.  I like to roast winter squash, either cut in half or cubed.  Scoop out the seeds and roast, cut side down, at 400 degrees until tender.  Baste with melted butter, sprinkle with brown sugar, and broil until browned.   Or cut into cubes and add to potatoes, onions, peppers, toss with olive oil, S & P, and roast at 400 degrees until tender.

Freezing all kind of greens…
Debbie asked me to share with you a simple method for freezing greens. This week we have mustard greens in our box, but you can freeze any type of greens, even those tops from turnips, kohlrabi and beets. These make a pleasing addition to winter stews and soups, especially those minestrones.
If you are freezing the greens from beets or other roots vegetables, cut the greens from the root while they are crisp and fresh. Young tenders greens yield the best results, so start with the freshest possible.
Fill your sink or a bowl with cold water and give the greens a good rinse.
Remove the toughest portion of the stems. You can freeze the stems, but chop them first and set aside. 
Fill a 4 quart pot about 2/3 full with water and bring to a boil. If you are saving the stems, throw them into the pot first and wait about 1 minute before adding the greens. Add the greens and cover the pot. Now watch the clock! For all except collard greens, blanch for blanch for an additional 2 minutes. For collard greens, blanch 3 minutes.
If you have lots of the same type of greens you can use the same blanching water several times, adding more hot water from the tap from time to time to maintain the water level.
While the greens are blanching prepare a large bowl with ice and cold water.
Using a slotted spoon or strainer with a handle, quickly remove the greens from the pot and transfer to the ice bath for about 2 minutes.
Drain well. You can gently squeeze the excess water from the greens, but be gentle, as to not crush those tender greens.
I use quart size, freezer zip loc bags, removing as much air from the bag as possible before zipping. Be sure to label the bag so you remember what kind of greens you have blanched. Once they are frozen, all they will all look the same!