Contents of Share This Week
- summer squash and/or zucchini (5-7)
- cucumbers (5-6)
- heirloom tomato mix (5-7) – Some are yellow, red, and even green. All are ripe.
- sweet peppers (2-3)
- hot peppers and/or jalapenos – We are finding the jalapenos are super hot when cooked, but neither are that hot raw. Wow!
- chard (1 bunch)
- red lettuce (2 heads)
- mesculun mix (1/2 pound)
- parsley (1 bunch)
- onions (2 lbs)
- green or yellow beans (1 lb)
- dozen eggs or sprouts (zesty mustard mix, sunflower seed, mung bean)
Announcements
- Eggs this week for those for you that get eggs with your share.
- Please return your boxes, egg cartons, and clean, clear plastic bags. Thank you so much!
- Remember that you are always welcome to visit socially and/or to volunteer. Give a call to schedule a time.
- All of our newsletters are archived on our website http://www.soulfirefarm.com/?cat=3
- Pasture raised, whole chickens for sale. Order here.
Recipes
Korean Radish Salad – Musaengchae (or muwoo saengchae, mu saengchae)
Ingredients
daikon radish
vinegar
salt
hot pepper flakes
sugar
garlic
green onion, scallion, etc.
sesame seeds
Directions
- Peel a radish and cut it into thin matchsticks.
- Put 3-3½ cups of radish matchsticks into a large bowl.
- Add 1 tbs kosher salt and mix it by hand. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Squeeze out any excess water from the radish strips.
- Add 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 stalk of chopped green onion, 1 tbs vinegar, 2 ts hot pepper flakes, and 2 ts sugar.
- Mix together by hand until well combined.
- Add 1 ts roasted sesame seeds and mix it up a bit more.
Serve with rice.
AND for the more adventurous…
I dont like offering recipes that call for many out of season ingredients, but this sounds too good to pass up. You can probably find the spice mixes at one of the Asian markets in Albany. Please let us know if you try it…
Ggakdugi Kimchi (Korean Pickled Daikon Radish)
Ingredients
For two 24-oz jars, you’ll need:
For brining:
1 large daikon, about 3 cups worth, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tbsp salt
For spicy seasoning:
1 2-inch knob of ginger, grated or minced finely
4 or more cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp Mam Ruoc (Vietnamese Fermented Shrimp Paste) or Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese Fish Sauce)
1 tbsp or more of gochujang (Korean chili paste)
2 tsp sugar
Optional: Scallions, or chives or whatever alliums you wish
For non-spicy seasoning: 2 tblsp sugar 1/2 cup white vinegar
Directions
Peel and cut daikon into 1-inch chunks.
In a big bowl evenly mix 2 tbsp of salt over the daikon.
Fill up the bowl with water until the daikon is covered. Put a plate over the daikon and something heavy to weigh it down. I use my mortar. Leave overnight at room temperature.
The next day, drain the brined daikon into a colander and rinse.
With your hands, squeeze out excess moisture.
Now it’s time to make your seasoning mixture for the spicy version.
Take a knob of ginger and a few garlic cloves and mince it in the food processor.
Dump it into a big bowl and add a few tsps or so of shrimp paste, a tbsp or more of Korean chili paste (the more the spicier), and 2 tsp sugar. It must be the bright red Korean chili flakes and/or paste. Other chilies won’t taste the same.
Mix thoroughly and taste. Make adjustments if necessary.
Add any scallions or greens, then the drained daikon. Use gloves if you don’t want your hands to get smelly. Mix thoroughly.
Pack the kimchee into jars about 75% full. You don’t want to fill it to the brim as the kimchee will actually bubble as it ferments and may pop the top if it’s too full. But do pack the kimchee into the jar tightly so that it can ferment better.
For the non-spicy version
Add 1 cup of white vinegar and 1 or 2 tbsp of sugar, depending on how sweet you want the pickles to be.
Mix with the daikon thoroughly and pack into the jar.
Fill the jar with water. Screw the lid on tightly and in about a week, it’ll turn to pickles.
Try eating some fresh if you like, or set the jars at room temperature for a few days to ferment, then refrigerate.
News on the Farm
Last Sunday we slaughtered and processed 60 chickens with some volunteer helpers, including Micheal and Shelly of Roxbury Farm in Kinderhook, home of the largest CSA in the eastern US (over 1100 shares). We had a wonderful time together sharing knowledge, good company, and intention and gratitude around the cycles of life and death – on the farm, in the seasons, in our lives. We get better every time and produce a better product every time as well. The chickens are beautiful and delicious. You can order them by using our online order form here. We accept EBT for chickens.
This week also marked the beginning of some big changes on the farm. First, Leah is back at school so Jonah is managing things solo now, of course with the help of our awesome interns Sindhu and Dane. We also are beginning expansion of our growing area again. We will be increasing the size of our growing area by 64%, and aim to increase our shareholders to close to 40 for next season. This is very exciting for us! And lots of work too.
And finally, the materials for our greenhouse (hoophouse, high tunnel, whatever you want to call it) are in aneat pile waiting for us to start building next week. It will be a 16×36 area where we start seedlings, some early season crops, and possibly grow winter greens. Basically, we just like to make sure there is always something new to check out when you come and visit. So when are you coming to visit?
