Potato Love

June 18th, 2013
Comments Off

From the cafeteria of Solar City the amazing team that powers Growing Heart Farm.  Thank you Emily Kofsky for making it all possible

Solar City Potato


CSA – Week 3

June 12th, 2013
Comments Off

In This Week’s Share

  • lettuce - loose leaf in a bag
  • chicory - green or red leafy head
  • spinach - small dark green leaves in a bag
  • arugula - light green baby leaves in a bag
  • salad mix - green and red baby leaves in a bag
  • kale - large purple and/or green leaves
  • swiss chard - large green and colored leaves with colored stems
  • radishes - multi-colored round roots (greens are tasty too)
  • turnips - all white and purple and white roots (greens are tasty too)
  • beets - red and yellow roots (their greens are tasty too)
  • kohlrabi - either a white or purple bulb with leafy greens attached
  • oregano - fragrant green herb

Every other week half share members: this week is an “A” week.

Farm News

 

Is it really the middle of June already? We just planted our last row of tomatoes, and in the very same day we began seeding fall crops in the greenhouse. Tiny broccoli and cauliflower are emerging amid their leafy foliage and summer squash blossoms are just beginning to peek out. Beets and turnips are forming bulbs, with green bunching onions not far behind. Summer crops are still a little ways off but the pepper, eggplant and tomato transplants are standing tall and looking healthy.

 

Recipes

Our chicory and arugula can be pretty intense – when greens are that fresh they retain their sharpness. So sometimes we like to pair them with something rich – like a cheesy or eggy or meaty sandwich - or something sweet, like a honey vinaigrette.

This recipe calls for just radishes, but you can definitely add in the turnips and beets (and all their greens) from your share this week as well.

Rainy days call for some braised greens. Use any of the large leafy greens in your share in thisMediterranean braised greens recipe.

And finally, we found a new favorite this week. It quite simply entails grating up any vegetables you have, mixing them with a bit of egg and flour, and pan frying. The result is a latke/fritter/pancake amalgamation that is great by itself, but is truly amazing with a yogurt-avocado sauce. This is thebase recipe, but we only used one kohlrabi, added julienned kale and chard, a handful of flour and an extra egg.

Kolhrabi Carrot Fritters with Avocado Cream Sauce

 

Ingredients

2 kohlrabi
1 carrot
1 egg
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ cup grapeseed or vegetable oil (enough for ¼-inch depth in a large skillet)
½ avocado
¼ cup plain yogurt
½ lemon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Green onions (for garnish)

Directions

1. Cut the leaves off of the kohlrabi, and peel the bulb. Peel the carrot. Shred the vegetables in a food processor (quick and easy!) or using a grater (slow method). Squeeze the shredded vegetables in a tea cloth (or with your hands) to remove moisture, then add to a bowl with 1 egg, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon cayenne, and mix to combine.2. Place ½ cup oil in a large skillet (enough for ¼-inch depth). Heat the oil over medium high heat, then place balls of the fritter mixture into the oil. Fry on one side until browned, then fry on the other side. Remove and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain excess oil.

3. In a small bowl, mix ½ avocado, ¼ cup plain yogurt, juice from ½ lemon, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt to make the sauce (or blend together in a food processor).

4. Serve fritters with avocado cream sauce and sliced green onions, if desired.

Notes
These fritters are best eaten warm the day of making; they don’t save well. Like anything made with avocado, the avocado cream sauce will become brown after exposure to air. Make sure to cover the surface with plastic wrap when storing.


CSA – Week 2

June 5th, 2013
Comments Off

Welcome to Week 2 of our 2013 CSA!

We sincerely hope everything went well last week. A couple of updates on the pick up routine:
  • At the Nathan Love pick up location, at 407 Broome St in SoHo, please buzz #7A to get in, but go to #6.
  • At the Awakening Center in Williamsburg/Greenpoint, please walk in the cafe side of the building and walk to the back room to gather your share. Don’t forget to check your name on the clipboard for that date.
  • For the Park Slope location, at 1666 8th Ave, buzz #4 to get in and walk to the back of the foyer to gather your share. Don’t forget to check your name on the clipboard for that date.
Just like last week, one black bag and one white bag make up a full share.
For every other week half share members, this week is a “B” week. So “B” week half share members will get their first share this week. “A” week members have the week off. (Full share members and paired half share members, you can ignore this.)

Pick Up Locations

SOHO - Nathan Love 407 Broome St - 5pm-7pm
WILLIAMSBURG/GREENPOINT - Awakening Center 607 Manhattan Ave - 6pm-8pm
PARK SLOPE - 1666 8th Ave #4 - 6:30pm-8:30pm

In This Week’s Share

  • lettuce - big frilly red leafed head lettuce
  • chicory - reddish lettuce-like head
  • spinach - one bag of green leaves, some may have a red stem
  • arugula - light green baby leaves in a bag
  • salad mix - green and red baby leaves in a bag
  • mixed braising greens - larger dark red and bright green leaves in a bag
  • kale - mix of purple and green leaves in a bunch
  • collard greens - flat dark green leaves in a bunch
  • swiss chard - green and colored leaves in a bunch
  • radishes - multi-colored round roots in a bunch
  • chives - green shoots with purple flowers

 

Veggie Notes & Recipes

 

We always marvel at how beautiful radishes are, but we didn’t realize they had such a profound history. They were apparently deemed to have a godly quality in ancient Rome, and were thought to have some other special benefits as well…

A chive vinaigrette would go perfectly with the lettuce and mixed greens in your share.

We turned our braising greens into a delightful and easy side dish with this simple recipe.

Spinach and chard are in the same family, and they go hand in hand in this breakfast/brunch dish:

Baked Eggs with Spinach and Chard

Recipe from: Fork Knife Swoon
Recipe type: Breakfast, Brunch
Makes: 2 Servings

 

Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp fresh garlic, finely minced
  • 2 cups packed fresh spinach leaves, roughly-chopped into bit-sized pieces
  • 2 cups packed fresh Swiss chard leaves, removed from stem and roughly-chopped into bit-sized pieces
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1-1/2 tbsp half-and-half or heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese, finely grated
  • kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

 

What to do
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Carefully break the eggs into small bowls so that the yolks stay intact. Set aside.
  2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two, until just beginning to brown. Add the spinach and the Swiss chard to the skillet, and cook, stirring occasionally until the greens begin to wilt and cook down but are still bright green, about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Remove the greens from the heat and divide into 2 oven-safe ramekins or small, shallow baking dishes. Top each with two eggs. Drizzle each dish with the cream, then top with a sprinkling of Parmesan and a pinch of salt and pepper.
  4. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cream begins to bubble and the eggs are cooked to your desired doneness. Serve immediately.

We all love kale chips, but kale has much more to offer. Try it raw in this salad:

Seedy, Nutty Kale Salad + Miso Tahini Dressing

The recipe for the dressing makes more than needed for one batch of kale salad. I store the remainder in the fridge, and use it up fairly quickly; as employed here, or alongside roasted root vegetables, or spooned over a halved avocado.

Kale is a sturdy green, so can stand up to both an assertive dressing and a thorough leaf massage. Don’t hold back on either.

For the dressing, makes around 1 cup

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/3 cup white (shiro) miso
  • 1/3 cup tahini, stirred
  • Juice from a largeish orange
  • Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
  • Runny honey, fresh lemon juice or rice wine vinegar, and water, as required
  • Toasted sesame oil or olive oil, optional

For the salad, enough for 2 to 4

  • Approximately 6 cups baby kale, as above, or the same of Tuscan kale, as below
  • 3 tablespoons mixed raw nuts and seeds, I used black and white sesame, shelled sunflower seeds and flaked almonds
  • 1 decent-sized crisp, sweet apple
  • 3/4 cup assorted sprouts

Method

Sort the dressing first. In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic into a paste. Stir in the miso and tahini, then most of the juice from the orange. Season with salt and pepper, then taste. Here’s where you’ll have to decide how best to proceed; fiddle with the dressing until there is a balance of fat and acid. You’ll want to smack your lips when it’s right. You should be able to taste the orange — give it a boost if necessary with more orange juice, and maybe a scant spoon of honey. If the dressing tastes flat, add lemon juice or rice wine vinegar. The dressing should be the consistency of pouring cream; stir in some water, or a few drops of either of the oils, until it runs easily off the spoon.

To assemble the salad, grab a large bowl. Tear the kale into bite sized pieces, and add to the bowl along with a few tablespoons of the dressing. Using your hands, squish and bruise the kale, working the dressing into the leaves. Once completely coated, toss the kale lightly to fluff it up. Set aside.

If desired, toast the seeds and nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat. Cool.

Cut the apple into eights. Remove the core from the wedges, then slice thinly. Add to the bowl of kale, along with the sprouts, half the seeds, and another drizzle of dressing. Again with your hands or a pair of tongs, toss the salad with the dressing. Check for seasoning and serve, topped with the reserved seeds and nuts, and extra dressing at the table.


G<3F featured by Liz Blake in New York Natives

May 31st, 2013
Comments Off

 

 

http://newyorknatives.com/native-underground-conscious-lifestyle-growing-heart-farm-with-lewis-kofsky/#.Uaf4QWRATUM


May 29 Bounty

May 30th, 2013
Comments Off

WELCOME BACK TO G<3F 2013!  So glad to have you all aboard – Thank you for all your support through the off season and all your help getting us to full subscriptions again this year.  Now it is real and we are literally harvesting months of hard work.

Bravo Hilary for holding it down solo since February and making the first Delivery happen in May.  Impressive.  Welcome Julie, G<3F 2013 Farmer #2.  Hope you enjoyed your first trip down to the big apple.  I dont think we are in Ojai anymore.

We have been juicing and making smoothies and stir fries daily with the first greens of the season.  So excited for what is to come.  Events are kicking into full swing as are work weekends and midweek farm getaways.  Keep in touch and if you have an opening in your calendar and looking to spend a bit of time getting to know your veggies and farmers a bit better, drop us a line.

more soon on current projects underway and upcoming events.

lewis

The Office Share at Nathan Love


CSA – Week 1 Begins Today, May 29th, 2013

May 29th, 2013
Comments Off

Instructions for First Pick Up

Welcome to Week 1 of our 2013 CSA!

Your shares will be prebagged and awaiting you at your drop location, but we recommend bringing a backpack or a cloth bag so transporting them is easier and you have a back up if your plastic bag splits.

There will be a clipboard at each location with instructions and a list of all the members picking up there. Please check the box next to your name for the current week when you pick up your share.

Each week there will be 2 full shares in each green plastic bin – 2 (biodegradable) white bags and 2 black bags. The contents of each black bag will be the same, and the contents of each white bag will be the same. One share will consist of two bags – one black and one white.

For full share members, be sure to take ONE white bag and ONE black bag.

If you are a half share member with a partner, you and your partner can divide up the contents of one black bag and one white bag however you wish. Please try to be as neat as possible during the division process so as to keep our hosts’ space clean.

If you are a half share member for “A” weeks, take one black bag and one white bag.

If you are a half share member for “B” weeks, you will not pick up this week. Next week will be your first share, and you will take one black bag and one white bag then.

We are very thankful to our hosts at each location, so please be respectful of their space. If you have any questions or concerns about the pick up situation please contact us at csa@growingheartfarm.com.

Pick Up Locations

SOHO - Nathan Love 407 Broome St - 5pm-7pm
WILLIAMSBURG/GREENPOINT - Awakening Center 607 Manhattan Ave - 6pm-8pm
PARK SLOPE - 1666 8th Ave #4 - 6:30pm-8:30pm

In This Week’s Share

  • lettuce - green or red head lettuce
  • spinach - dark green head with pointy leaves
  • arugula - light green baby leaves in a bag
  • mixed salad greens - mixed color baby leaves in a bag
  • kale - frilly purple-ish/green leaves in a bunch
  • collard greens - flat dark green leaves in a bunch
  • swiss chard - green and colored leaves in a bunch
  • radishes - multi-colored round roots in a bunch
  • kohlrabi - bright purple bulbs with purple-green leaves attached
  • chives - green shoots with purple flowers
  • oregano - green herb
  • sage - light purple herb
  • mint - green herb with square stem

Notes on the vegetables

Part of eating seasonally and subscribing to a CSA means lots of greens in the springtime. So your shares will be heavy on the greens for the next week or two, but soon there will be plenty of variety – we have planted pretty much every vegetable that can grow in our climate.

We will do our absolute best to keep your veggies cold and crisp. But if your some things do get a little wilted by the time you get home the best thing to do is place them in very cold water, let them dry out, and then put them in individual bags to keep fresh in your fridge.

We will only pick the nicest vegetables we have for your CSA shares. We don’t use any chemicals or sprays, so there may be some minor holes and slight cosmetic defects, but nothing that will affect a vegetable’s taste or nutritive value. We wash everything before we send it your way, but you may find dirt in hard to reach places, such as between the leaves near the root of head lettuce or spinach. We will do our best to provide you with clean produce, but for items that we would have to ruin to completely clean, please be understanding of a little soil. It’s organic.

Farm News

Keeping up with the weather has been a challenge, but a fun one for a couple of formerly Californian farmers. In the past week, we’ve seen it all: 90 degree heat, 100% humidity, driving rain, thunder and lightning, 35mph wind and two frosty mornings. In MAY. Though all this meteorological trauma has left us farmers riddled with anxiety, it appears that our crops have faired better. We used row cover supported by wire hoops to protect vulnerable plants from the wind and frost and almost all of them pulled through. We’d like to think that the hardship the plants face now will only make them stronger and more full of vitality when they reach maturity, and eventually, your plates. All in all, we are thrilled that we’re ready to start the CSA this early and can’t wait to share our bounty with you.

Recipes

You’ll have a couple of bags of baby greens in your share. Those are great to throw in literally any dish, but they really shine in a simple salad. Alice Waters, the queen of simplicity with quality ingredients, suggests a perfect vinaigrette:

Alice Waters’s Garlic Vinaigrette:

Ingredients

1 small garlic clove

Salt

2 tbs. red-wine vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

3 to 4 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

(1) Wash the greens and dry them well, first in a salad spinner and then by rolling them up in a towel. Refrigerate until used. (2) Put a peeled garlic clove and 2 big pinches of salt in a mortar and pound into a purée, with no chunks remaining. Add the wine vinegar, grind in some black pepper, and taste for the balance of salt and vinegar. Allow to macerate for a few minutes, and (3) whisk in olive oil. Taste the dressing with a leaf of greens. It should taste bright and lively without being too acidic or oily; adjust the salt, vinegar, or oil as needed. To dress the salad, put several generous handfuls of greens in a large bowl. Toss with about three quarters of the vinaigrette, and taste. The greens should be lightly coated but not overdressed; add more dressing as needed. Adapted from In the Green Kitchen by Alice Waters (Clarkson Potter; $28).

 

You can never get enough kale, so we’ll be including it in your shares for the next few weeks. Here is some useful info on this superplant, plus a bunch of recipes.

 

All the larger greens in your share are great for stir frying and adding to soups. But they can also be used as vehicles to transport other delicious items to your mouth. This recipe for quinoa collard wraps is especially tasty.

Quinoa Collard Wraps:
(makes 4 wraps)

8 large collard greens leaves – washed and dried
2 cups quinoa – sprouted or cooked
1 tablespoon sesame tahini
freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup roughly chopped carrots
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 small shallot – chopped
1 tablespoon of miso paste (I used unpasteurized chickpea miso from South River)
1 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil (decreased from the original 3 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups of grated raw beets
1 avocado – peeled, pitted and sliced
1 cup sprouts or microgreens

Cut the end stems off each collard leaf and shave down the stalk, making it the same thickness as the rest of the leaf.
Mix tahini and a bit of lemon juice into the quinoa, set aside.
Combine carrots, ginger, shallot, miso paste, honey and vinegar in a food processor until smooth, adding sesame oil and salt at the end.
Using 2 leaves at a time, overlap them halfway to create a bigger wrapping surface. Place an even amount of carrot spread in each wrap. Top with quinoa, followed by beets, avocado and sprouts. Fold the collard sides over and roll tightly like a burrito. You can serve it immediately or store in the fridge, wrapped, for about 2 days.


Farm to Yoga Community

May 14th, 2013
Comments Off

great to see other farms joining in the fun


What veggies are in season now?

May 12th, 2013
Comments Off

This great map from epicurious can tell you.


Starting to look like food…

May 6th, 2013
Comments Off

With just about a month to go until the first CSA delivery things are starting to look less like sprouts and more like full blown vegetables. The persistent cold throughout March and April had me worried about being ready for an early June start date, but now it seems a little more plausible. The pac choi and lettuces are starting to head up, arugula is getting its first leaves and radishes and turnips are just beginning to poke out of the ground. Spinach and kale are well into adolescence  and the perennial herbs are coming back strong.

Thanks so much to everyone who has already signed up for the CSA. It’s looking like it will be a great season. We do still have a few spots left, so if you haven’t signed up yet now is the time to do so! Visit our CSA page for the enrollment form and details on how to sign up, or email us at csa [at] growingheartfarm [dot] com.


Raven Crest Botanicals CSA

April 24th, 2013
Comments Off

Delivered to your door