P I C K L I S T
COLLARD GREENS - SWEET POTATOES - OREGANO - PURPLE TOP TURNIPS - LEEKS - ACORN SQUASH - CARROTS - GARLIC - BEETS - MINI BROCCOLINI BUNCHES - LETTUCE
BREAD: CHEDDAR JALAPENO SANDWICH BREAD (!!!)
Oh Goodness gracious, it is impossible to hide from all this change that is currently brewing. So much energy around the election, the Lunar eclipse, and now the weather. On Monday Roy and I were harvesting collard greens in tank tops and the sun felt so hot and so good, and we were both so aware of this extremely fleeting moment. On Tuesday we all woke up, stepped outside to greet the day and promptly ran back inside to put on 10 more layers, all our woolies, and our neoprene gloves. We saw this change coming about a week ago in the 10 day forecast. Ever since, we’ve been working hard to accomplish as many outdoor tasks as possible before the hard frosts really sets in. For example, Carrots are being dug and stored nearly daily. Turnips also harvested. And around the farm, the great button up for winter continues. Tasks include pulling rebar from the field, storing remay in bins, cleaning greenhouses, oiling tools, etc…. Also we’ve been thoughtful in what we pick and when. Allie and I knew this day would come in which we’d be hemming and hawing over late fall harvests while on the 48th bunch of kale and the chill drops right into your bones. So this week we treated ourselves to harvesting from inside a greenhouse. Oh it is such a farmers dream! When temps turn south, you step right in, shut the door, and you are existing in a tropical bubble. Ray was savvy enough to think ahead about this. While we were still harvesting for Summer CSA back in August, he was seeding, planting and prepping for this moment in which it is waaaaaaay more fun to pick in a toasty greenhouse than the blustery cold. So on Monday of this week when the sun was hot, we picked all the field veg: collards, oregano, leeks, purple top turnips and on Tuesday we harvested baby broccolini bunches and lazy lettuce from the greenhouse while outside the cold wind blew.
Pro-tips:
MINI BROCCOLINI BUNCHES: I know! I know! These cuties are too small to base an entire meal off of, BUT they are so dang tasty! Eat the whole thing, stalk, leaves, flowers, etc! Hopefully by cutting all the plants back we will see a regrowth by the last CSA pick up (fingers crossed)!
Beet and Turnip Gratin Servings 8 by Brandon Matzek
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (1 for the skillet, 8 for the sauce)
4 1/2 pounds mixed beets and turnips (I used red, gold and chioggia beets, peeled and sliced thin crosswise (I used an mandolin)
3/4 cup finely chopped leeks
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 12-inch cast iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of butter.
Working from the outside in, tile sliced beets and turnips in a rosette pattern. I started with red beets on the outer edge, then gold, turnips, and chioggia. If you don't want to fuss with all of that, check out the note above.
Warm 3 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet set over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until soft, stirring frequently (about 4 minutes). Add the garlic and thyme and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute more. Take the pan off the heat, and stir in the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is melted and incorporated, season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Pour the butter-garlic mixture evenly over the prepared beets and turnips, then pour over the chicken stock. Cover the skillet tightly with foil, then bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and cook until the top of the gratin is just starting to brown and get crispy (about 30 minutes). Let the gratin cool for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped chive just before serving.
SERVINGS: 6/ TIME: 4 HOURS, MOSTLY HANDS OFF
SOURCE: JUBILEE, BY TONI TIPTON-MARTIN
I was unable to get ham hock or smoked turkey wings the week I made these (in the more unevenly-stocked months of the pandemic) and decided to use bacon (8 ounces thick-cut in 2-inch segments) instead for the smoky flavor. The broth doesn’t have the depth of a broth made with bones, but the flavor was excellent.
SMOKY SOUL STOCK2 smoked ham hocks or smoked turkey wings (see Note)
2 medium onions, quartered
4 celery stalks, including leaves, halved
2 carrots, trimmed and quartered
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
GREENS AND DUMPLINGS1 1/2 quarts Smoky Soul Stock (above)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound collard greens
2 small dried red chile peppers or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste (used 2t diamond in greens)
Black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups coarsely ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt, to taste
Make the Smoky Soul Stock: In a large heavy stockpot, bring 3 quarts water, the smoked meat, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaves to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, until the flavors are well-blended, about 2 hours. The broth develops a stronger flavor the longer you let it simmer.
Remove the meat from the broth. When cool enough to handle, pull it off the bones (discard the skin, fat, and bones). Chop the meat and reserve for another use. Use a fine-mesh sieve to strain the stock. Refrigerate the stock until the fat floats to the top. Use a slotted spoon to skim off the fat and discard. Store the stock tightly covered in the fridge or freezer.
Make the Collard Greens with Cornmeal Dumplings: In a saucepan, bring the stock, onion, and garlic to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer while preparing the greens.
Thoroughly wash the greens and trim away the stems, if desired. Discard the stems or chop small. Stack 2 or 3 leaves on a cutting board and roll tightly into a log. Slice the greens crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide ribbons. Place the greens and the chiles in the broth and return to a simmer. Cook, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours for very tender greens; you may cook them for less if you have young greens or prefer greens with more chew. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Spoon out about 1 cup of the potlikker (the cooking broth) and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the reserved potlikker, and heat to just below boiling. Remove the potlikker mixture from the heat and whisk half of it (1/2 cup) it into the dry ingredients, and more if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time (I needed almost the full cup to reach a thick batter consistency). Let stand 5 minutes. When cool enough to handle, use wet fingertips (or in my case, a big scoop) to shape the dough into 6 dumplings.
During the last 15 minutes of the collards’ cooking time, carefully drop the cornmeal dumplings into the pot with the greens, making sure the dumplings rest in the potlikker. Cover the pot and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve the greens and dumplings in bowls with plenty of potlikker.