Blessing Falls Family Farm

Here’s what’s expected in our Spring week 7 shares:
(Shares may vary slightly depending on field/garden conditions)

Full Share: Carrots (double portion), Swiss chard, Rosemary, Cabbage (double portion), Broccoli or cauliflower, Radishes, Onion, Kale, Mizuna, Turnips, Beet greens, Squash, Amaranth leaves, Bok choy or Fennel, Edible flowers, Beans or Blackberries

Half Share: Carrots, Swiss chard, Rosemary, Cabbage, Broccoli or Cauliflower, Radishes, Edible flowers, Onion, Kale, Squash or Turnips

Blessing Falls Spring CSA – Week 7 Full Share. (clockwise from top left) Carrots, turnips, cabbage, Bok choy, amaranth leaves, chard, onion, blackberries, Portuguese kale, cauliflower, beets, squash, Rosemary, kale, Chinese cabbage, radishes

Recipes

This week you will receive some edible flowers in your share! We hope you enjoy adding them to your dishes. You may receive cosmos, zinnias and/or cilantro flowers.

Here’s a great blog post by another farm that we really enjoyed reading! They have posted 10 unique recipes that include zinnias!

Another recipe you’ll love is Chopped Salad using many of the varieties we’re harvesting recently.  Here’s a salad we made for Mother’s Day last Sunday.  Simply chop, dice, and mince the following into a large bowl and enjoy.  Optionally serve with ranch dressing.

Blessing Falls Spring Garden Chopped Salad

1 cup Cabbage – chopped
1 cup Beet Greens – chopped
1/2 cup Broccoli – chopped
1/2 cup Cauliflower – chopped
1/2 cup Carrots – diced
1/2 cup Cucumber – diced
1/2 cup Avocado – diced
1/4 cup Dill – minced
1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

try adding other varieties from this week’s share: squash, radish, chard, etc.

We continue to receive beneficial rains and so far the farm has been spared from severe weather.  A few more calves are expected, the blackberries are beginning to ripen, and our new pigs are settling in well.

Here’s what’s expected in our Spring week 6 shares:
(Shares may vary slightly depending on field/garden conditions)

Full Share: Chard (double portion), Radishes (double portion), Dill, Carrots, Beet greens (double portion), Cabbages (double portion), Broccoli or cauliflower, Kale (double portion), Mizuna, Onion, Lettuce or squash, Edible flowers or microgreens, Turnips

Half Share:  Chard, Radishes, Dill, Carrots, Beets, Cabbage, Broccoli or Cauliflower, Kale, Mizuna, Onion

Blessing Falls Spring CSA – Week 6 Full Share. (clockwise from top left) Carrots, Swiss chard, broccoli, edible flowers (cosmos), dill, kale, radishes, red cabbage, green cabbage, beets, squash, Portuguese kale, onion, mizuna, turnips

Recipe: Try these beautiful baked beet chips!

Ingredients
3 medium-large beets, rinsed and scrubbed
Olive or canola oil
Sea Salt + Black Pepper
2-3 sprigs rosemary, roughly chopped

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place oven rack in the center of the oven.
Thinly slice beets with a mandolin (or a sharp knife), getting them as consistently thin as possible. They should curl a little when cut. This will ensure even baking and crispiness.
Divide between two baking sheets and spray or very lightly drizzle with olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and the rosemary. Toss to coat, then arrange in a single layer, making sure the slices aren’t touching.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy and slightly brown. Be sure to watch closely past the 15 minute mark as they can burn quickly.
Remove from oven, let cool. Then serve.

We also made Radish Greens Soup last week.  We simplified it by not using the food mill or straining it – instead we used our stick blender right in the pot.  Even our picky 8 year old loved it!

Find lots of other great recipes for this week’s veggies on our Pinterest page

Here’s what’s expected in our Spring week 5 shares:
(Shares may vary slightly depending on field/garden conditions)

Full Share: Chard (double portion), Lettuce mix, Mizuna, Radishes (double portion), Broccoli or cauliflower (double portion), Onion, Cilantro, Dill, Cabbage, Beet greens (double portion), Turnips or peas, Carrots, Kale, Spinach

Half Share: Chard, Lettuce mix, Mizuna, Radishes, Broccoli, Onion, Cilantro, Dill, Cabbage, Beet greens

Blessing Falls Spring Week 5 Full Share. (clockwise from top left) Radishes, Swiss chard, turnips, beet greens, broccoli, spinach, lettuce mix, cauliflower, cilantro, dill, onion, Chinese cabbage, kale, mizuna, carrots

Here’s a good recipe for your greens and onion

One Pot Pasta

Ingredients
4 cups of water
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 sausage links, sliced into bite size pieces
3 sprigs of basil, washed and chopped
1 16 oz. box of pasta (we like penne)
1-2 cups of any combination of veggies you’d like to use (kale, chard, spinach, beet greens, mizuna)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a large pot except for cheeses. Cook on high heat, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender and water has cooked away, – about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cheeses and serve!

Here’s what’s expected in our Spring week 3 shares:
(Shares may vary slightly depending on field/garden conditions)

Half share: Lettuce mix, Beet greens, Portuguese Kale, Spinach, Chard, Mizuna, Green onions, Dill, Cilantro

Full share: Lettuce mix, Lettuce head, Portuguese Kale, Spinach, Chard, Green onions, Dill, Cilantro, Sunflower sprouts/pea shoots, Chinese cabbage, Broccoli or Microgreens or Peas, Parsley, Mizuna, Beets (double portion)

Blessing Falls CSA Spring 2016 Week 3 – Full Share

Recipe

Here’s one of our favorites. We’ve also made this recipe with broccoli or green beans as well as mizuna.

Chinese Turkey with Mizuna 

Ingredients 
1 lb. ground turkey
1 tbsp. Sesame oil
1 green onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp. garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. Soy sauce
1 tbsp. Rice vinegar
2 tbsp. Hoisin sauce
1/2 tbsp. Sugar
Half bunch mizuna, washed and torn into smaller pieces
1 tsp. Red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions 
Brown turkey with garlic and green onion in sesame oil. Add all other ingredients; cook over medium heat about 5 minutes until mizuna is just cooked. Serve over rice.

Here’s what’s expected in our Spring week 2 shares:
(Shares may vary slightly depending on field/garden conditions)

Half share:  Kale, Lettuce (double portion), Spinach, Chard, Cilantro, Green onions, Mizuna or sunflower sprouts 

Full share: Kale, Lettuce (double portion), Spinach, Beet greens (double portion), Cilantro, Green onions, Mizuna or sunflower sprouts, Broccoli greens, Pea shoots, Microgreens, Onion scapes, Chard, Dill, Asparagus or extra kale

Blessing Falls CSA Spring 2016 Week 2 – Full Share

Here’s a super easy, family favorite recipe! You can use your greens in this recipe and it’s easily adapted to include almost any veggie or herb! Add onion or onion scapes for some extra flavor too!

Sausage and Penne Pasta

Ingredients:
1 box Penne Pasta
1 package Eckrich sausage links
1 Tablespoon crushed garlic
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch Swiss chard or kale
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:
Cook and drain pasta. Meanwhile, slice sausage and brown in skillet with olive oil and garlic. Wash greens and tear into smaller pieces if necessary. Add greens to sausage a little at a time (they will cook down so you can continue adding more). You may need to add a little more olive oil as you add the greens. Add sausage and greens to pasta. Salt to taste. Sprinkle with Parmesan after serving.

Here’s a note on using onion scapes:
http://eatingrichly.com/what-are-scapes-and-how-do-i-cook-them/

One of our CSA member families posted several recipes they enjoyed with last week’s share (see our Facebook page).  All recipes serve 2.

Greens w/ bacon & apple:
Swiss chard & beet greens
4 slices of bacon
1 Gala apple
1 small red bell pepper
1 small onion
Fry the bacon, drain it (not completely). Sautee bell pepper & onion w/ bacon. Add sliced apple, chard & beet greens, cook until greens are soft but not mushy.

Baked kale w/ garlic & parmesan
Kale
Olive oil (about 1 Tbsp)
1/4 c shredded parmesan
1/4 c grated parmesan
1/4 c minced garlic
Tear kale into small pieces. Toss kale w/ olive oil. Add garlic & cheese, mix thoroughly. Spread on cookie sheet (might want to use parchment paper). Bake at 400 until kale is crispy and cheese is starting to brown (15-20 minutes), stirring every 5 minutes (optional, but it does even the cooking).

Grass Fed Ground Beef & sprouts warm salad
Sunflower sprouts
Mizuna
2 green onions, chopped
8 oz grass fed ground beef
2 tsp seasoned salt (or other seasoning mix)
2 oz soft cheese (I used Laughing Cow, but goat cheese would work well)
2 Tbsp raspberry vinaigrette dressing (I use Ken’s Lite Raspberry Walnut)
Brown ground beef w/ your seasoning. Cut cheese and mizuna into bite-sized pieces. Toss all ingredients. Eat it immediately so you get the alternating hot and cold.

Work that began last October with the spreading of compost and planting of cover crops has now begun to yield an early spring harvest.  We’re grateful to have our first week’s harvest to share with Blessing Falls CSA members.  We’re thankful for the members continuing from 2015 and for the new members who have joined us for the first time this year.  Their financial support early in the season is critical to making our farm a success, since so many of the big expenses such as seed, irrigation supplies, fertilizers, mulch, etc. come due well before there’s anything growing in the garden!

Here’s what’s expected in our Spring week 1 shares:
(Shares may vary slightly depending on field/garden conditions)

Half Share: Kale, Green onions, Spinach, Mizuna, Beet greens, Swiss chard, Sunflower Sprouts

Full Share: Kale, Green onions, Spinach or lettuce, Mizuna, Beet greens (double portion), Swiss chard, Sunflower sprouts or Microgreens, Cilantro, Dill, Peas, Asparagus, Strawberries, Rutabaga or Kale Flowers or Daikon radishes, Broccoli greens
(Strawberries and some asparagus grown by our friends at Bernhardt’s Farm in Elgin)

Blessing Falls Farm – Spring 2016 Week 1 Full Share

Here are a few quick tips for the veggies you may not have cooked with before. Swiss chard is a favorite green of ours. It’s great fresh in a salad or cooked in a pasta dish. Beet greens are easily sautéed with a little olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Sunflower sprouts and microgreens are extremely versatile and delicious as a topping on salads, pizza, or almost any dish. Mizuna and broccoli greens add texture and flavor to a stir fry.

Here’s a super simple recipe for a Chinese Daikon Radish soup from Steamy Kitchen.

Ingredients:
1 pound pork, cut into large chunks
6-8 dried shrimp (optional)
2-3 dried scallops (optional)
One 2-inch piece of ginger, cut into chunks
2 whole cloves garlic
1 large Daikon radish, peeled and cut into chunks
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2-3 tomatoes, cut into quarters
Salt to taste

Directions:
Bring a large soup pot filled with water to a rolling boil. Add pork and bones and let boil rapidly for 10 minutes. Remove pork and set aside. Drain and discard the water, clean the pot if needed. Fill the pot with new water to make the broth (approximately 4 quarts) and add in the pork, bones, shrimp, scallops, ginger, garlic. Bring to a simmer and then turn the heat to medium-low, or hot enough to just produce a gentle simmer for 30-40 minutes.

Occasionally, skim the soup of any fats or particles and discard. Add radish, carrots and tomatoes to the soup and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Season with salt (or fish sauce) to taste.