April 29th, 2011

One look outside will tell you this is pretty undesirable farming weather. David's spring is off to a pretty rotten start. He's anxious for the fields to dry up enough to begin planting in earnest. Some sustained periods of sunshine and warmth would be welcome as well.

In the meantime, our pickings will be a bit slim. In your boxes this week, you'll find some eggs, baby arugula and kale, as well as a gorgeous bag of wild watercress (pictured above).

Watercress is actually a member of the nasturtium family that grows wild in springs and streams in this region. Snip off some of the larger stems (they are entirely edible, of course, so certainly use them if you are cooking your cress) and toss with a bit of excellent olive oil and some sea salt for a tangy, extremely healthful salad.

In honor of what those crazy Brits are doing around the royal wedding, you can also indulge in this classic:

Snip the larger stems off a handful of watercress and chop coarsely with a knife. Combine two tablespoons softened butter with one tablespoon mayonaisse along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Smear on crustless bread and cut into pretentious little tea squares....or act like a barbaric Yank and smear it liberally on a toasted whole wheat bagel.

Watercress is also great in egg salad: just fold some chopped watercress and a pinch of cayenne into your favorite recipe.

Enjoy!

April 22, 2011

This Week You'll Receive Some of the Following:

Eggs
Kale
Baby Arugula
Wheat Bread
Wild Ramps

Ramps
Allium tricoccum

Ramps are usually referred to as “wild onions” or “wild leeks” and they are one of the first things to emerge from the forest soil in the springtime. Their pungency is remarkable (stronger than onion and funkier than garlic) and they can be used like scallions or shallots. The entire plant is edible, including the green leaves: just trim off the tiny root end (as with a scallion) and wash them carefully.


Steamed Kale with Ramp Vinaigrette

1 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 ramps, sliced thin (including greens)
Splash red wine vinegar
1 bunch kale, including stems
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steam the kale just until wilted (if using young kale, steam for 2-3 minutes; if using fully grown, fibrous kale, steam for 7-10 minutes), then transfer to a warm bowl. Meanwhile, assemble the vinaigrette. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium low heat, then toss in the sliced ramps and sauté about one minute, just until fragrant. Add a tiny splash of simple red wine vinegar along with some sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Whisk to combine, then drizzle the vinaigrette over the steamed kale and serve immediately.



Ramp and Gruyere Quiche

1 pie dough (store bought is fine, though home-made is quite a bit better)
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (you may substitute Comté or Swiss)
4 eggs
4-6 ramps, including greens, minced
1 T. butter, plus more for pie dish
Sea Salt and Pepper
1/3 cup half and half
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter a 9.5 inch pie dish then unroll the pie dough into the dish. Cover with a piece of foil and place a smaller dish inside to weight the crust down. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven, take off the foil, and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, sauté the ramps in the butter just until slightly wilted and fragrant (about one minutes), then remove from heat. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sautéed ramps, half and half, a pinch of cayenne, and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper.

Arrange the grated cheese in the bottom of the pre-cooked pie dough, then pour the egg mixture over the cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes or just until set (if you shake the quiche slightly, it should not move). Allow to cool for at least ten minutes before serving.

Letter from David Yoder

April 15th, 2011

You'll receive the following this week:

Maple Syrup (produced by local farmer, Manas Byler)

Eggs

Baby arugula

Baby turnip greens

Mixed lettuce

Egg noodles (from Yoder's Sweet Shop, Freonia, PA)

Here's a version of Pasta alla Carbonara to try out with those noodles and oodles of eggs (serves 2-3):

Egg noodles

3 eggs, separated (yolks reserved individually)

1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

3 slices bacon or pancetta, diced

1/2 cup minced onion

Olive oil

Black Pepper

Salt

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil for the noodles.

In a deep skillet, cook the bacon in a little bit of olive oil until most of the fat has rendered. Transfer the bacon to a towel and drain off most of the fat.

Drop the noodles into the boiling water and cook until just al dente. While the noodles are cooking, return the pan to medium heat, add a touch more olive oil and the onions and saute until the noodles are done (about five minutes). Turn off the heat, then add the cooked noodles to the hot pan along with the egg whites, the cheese, and some generous grinds of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Toss very well to combine.

Divide the pasta into serving portions and top each with one egg yolk. Serve immediately. Toss the egg yolk with the pasta on your plate and it will cook with the residual heat of the noodles.

April, 2011

Welcome back for another growing season!

Farmer David has been disappointed with the tardy arrival of spring, but has already begun constructing hoop tunnels in his upper field and is harvesting baby greens from his wood-heated greenhouses.

He is also supplementing our boxes with products from other farmers and producers this year, which means your investment in local foods will extend beyond just one family farm.

You'll be receiving some the following items, all produced within ten miles of the Yoder farm:

Maple Syrup

Baked goods and bread from Yoder's Sweet Shop

Honey from Powell's Apiary

"Wholly Cow Pastures" Organic Sharp Cheddar Cheese

as well as, from David's farm: bags of mixed greens (baby turnip greens, arugula, and spinach), turnips, and rhubarb.

As soon as the weather warms up, the crops will take off. In terms of planting, David is about four weeks ahead of most other farmers and he expects that our boxes will be filling up quickly in the next three weeks or so.

In the meantime, thank you for your investment in local food!