Friday October 22, 2010
Back in June, Teresa shared her tales of spending her early youth in the Azores and how this recipe was the primary go-to dish in their family, then and now. This soup is delicious, hearty and packed with anti-oxidants. What I remember distinctly from her interview was sea salt and garlic are used in almost every one of Teresa's recipes. Surely the old way of eating has much to teach us. So happy to have this authentic recipe because Kale is a great winter green and rivals spinach with its nutrient content. And, the soup also calls for cabbage - I had purple cabbage on hand but a savoy would work nicely as well. The colors in the soup were fantastic and it's amazing that the deliciousness is equal to its nutritiousness!! This will be one of my go-to winter soups for years to come. Thank you Teresa!!
Sopa de Couve - Portuguese Kale Soup
Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 quarts of water
1 quart of vegetable broth
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
4 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
Sea salt to taste
2-16 oz of red kidney beans
8 cups of chopped kale leaves washed and rinsed without stems
4 cups of chopped cabbage washed and rinsed
6 medium potatoes peeled washed and cubed
½-cup olive oil
8 oz of Gaspar’s Linguica cut into ½-inch rounds
Preparation:
In a 4-quart pan, bring the water and broth to a boil
Add onion, garlic and sea salt to taste and simmer for 10 minutes
Add the 2 cans of red kidney beans and simmer for 3 minutes
Add the kale, cabbage, potatoes, linguica and olive oil and simmer on low until cabbage and kale are tender/cooked
Let sit for ½ hour before serving
Best served with Portuguese corn bread (recipe to come after I've made it!!)
Thursday October 21, 2010
We have officially fallen below 32 degrees on several occasions in the last 2 weeks. This means that all frost sensitive crops have died. I have to say I wasn't sorry to see the tomatoes go. This has been a stellar year for tomatoes and I am hopeful you all had your fill to make up for our disastrous 2009.
After making my last tomato soup for the year and enjoying every bite, I have turned my attention to the plethora of other foods at our fingertips. Please enjoy some of the recipes below if you are looking for ideas and don't forget to check out our website for more!
Have a great week!
For the farm crew,
Elizabeth
P.S. I was informed by several of you that turkeys don't migrate. Thanks for setting me straight. I hope to see my turkey friends all winter!
A few notes:
1) We still need garlic to be cleaned if you have any extra time. Please ask the person in the barn to set you up.
2) The last two weeks of pick up (week of October 25th and week of November 1st) we will be doing our Annual Fall Sign Up for Indian Line Farm. We ask for a Commitment Form and $100 deposit to hold your space. We will give you more details next week.
3) Please note that the Rainbow Salad Mix this week will need to be given an extra rinse at home. We have an insect problem that I am unfamiliar with at this time of year. We have aphids in the lettuce greens and I can't with our two wash tubs rinse them out completely. They are harmless but I promise you if you take the lettuce you will find them. Consider yourselves warned. On the other hand, the lettuce will be extra sweet as the cooler temperatures encourage the plants to sweeten. Creating sweetness is an anti-freezing characteristic of plants.
Vegetables for the week of October 18th
Choices:
Bok Choy, Brussels Sprouts, Kohlrabi--limited quantity
Cabbage, Baby Hakurei Turnips, Green Tomatoes--limited quantity
Mix and Match Roots:
Carrots
Potatoes, from Thompson Finch Farm--Ancram, NY --see recipe below
Onions--see recipe below
Scarlet Turnips
Red Meat Radish
Daikon Radish
Celeriac--see recipes below
Purple Top Turnips
Beets--see recipes below
Sweet Potatoes!!--Stone Soup Farm, Belchertown, MA
Mix and Match Greens
Chard, Kale, Mustard Greens and Spinach
Acorn Winter Squash--Full Bloom Organic Farm
Rainbow Salad Mix--please wash before eating! 1/2 lb only
Garlic
UPick
Herbs
Fruit Share
1/2 gallon apple cider from Windy Hill Farm for folks on Tuesday.
Bosc Pears from Maynard Farms, Ulster Park, NY--please let ripen a week before eating!
Wednesday October 20, 2010
WBCR-lp 97.7 fm FUNDRAISER!!
Call 413-644-9797 to donate or online at http://www.berkshireradio.org
We need you to keep the "all-volunteer" radio station on-air!!
Thank you!!
Tuesday October 19, 2010
Growing up my Mom and Nana kept them standing on their sides next to the stove for easy access. One was wrought iron thingy, one was a decorative tile and sometimes it was a cutting board. It depended on how many oven-to-table dishes were on the table at one time.
I have two favorites. Both were gifts from neighbors. In fact, as I think about it, they both live(d) in the same house. Our friend Bob sold his house to our newish neighbor, Ricki. Bob is an ironworks artisan/metal sculptor and he made a trivet just for us. It's oh so perfect as we abut Beartown State Forest.
And Ricki, who knows I am chicken CRAZY gave me this one:
I keep mine on the counter with easy access to the table but I like to look at them because they both make me smile and think of two lovely friends!!
What are you favorite trivets?
Monday October 18, 2010
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. This is the view I am blessed with seeing each morning and well most days. The mist, the colors and texture are all too beautiful for words to describe. Soon the color will be gone and we'll enter the season of grays, whites, and browns. Until then, I relish the colors and the frost on the pumpkins and look forward to the smell of the first fire in the fireplace and the cozy, dark days ahead.
Sunday October 17, 2010
Grinch Toes....
...it's that time of year when the fur comes in heavy around Burtee's toes. Very Grinch!!
