P I C K L I S T
collard greens - heirloom tomatoes - carrots - golden squash - yellow onions - garlic - corn - jalapenos - bell peppers - herb (parsley or oregano)
THIS WEEK IN FARMING: We are all starting to feel a deep loss. The loss of Summer. As the calendar days move into August we are hit with the feeling that Summer never really came. We’ve all just been existing in a state of eternal Spring. While there have been some nice hot sunny days peppering all the rain accumulating since June, it is evident from the fields that this season is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S. Even the winterbor Kale, the absolute workhouse of a vegetable, the blue ribbon allstar crop that gives her all when everything else fails, is crying tears pleading for sunshine. I went to pick kale after harvesting your CSA collard greens and I was astonished by the yellowing of their leaves- as sure signs of over saturation. Yeesh. The tops of the plant look alright, so I am hoping we get some sun to shake her out of this moldy funk. But who knows - totally unpredictable climate times ahead.
ARE YALL SICK OF ME CRYING OVER THE WEATHER? GAH! ME TOO! However it really affects our food! Your Food! If we had more sun and heat, if we had an actual Summer, your CSA shares would be overflowing with peppers of all colors and sweetness, ripe melons, AND we’d still have an abundance of blueberries. Don’t get me wrong, I'm a sucker for a week of collard greens, heirloom tomatoes, alliums, and corn, but I just can’t help but think of past Summers and their easy breezy bounty. With all this said, and with no surprise to anyone, blueberry season is indeed slowing down. So before it slips away, come hang, pick blues (it's free!), bring bug spray, and rejoice in what we DO have.
BLUEBERRY GLEANING Taking place SATURDAY!
Open to the entire Edgewater Farm C.S.A. community
WHERE: TBD! I will email yall Friday with an address for your googling
WHEN: Saturday!!!, August 12th from 1-3pm; rain or shine though we will cancel in case of thunder and lightning
HOW: You pick! Bring your own containers, we will have zero supplies for you to pick into. FYI, if you have a used yogurt container and a shoelace, poke holes in the yog. Container, string the shoelace through, and make yourself a picking necklace- it’s fashion forward and an extremely efficient way to pick- very hip, all the kids are doing it.
WHY: BECAUSE it is the quintessential New England past-time, and sharing is caring.
FARMY FOODIE PRO-TIPS:
1) slice your peppers into rounds. There’s no law against using whole jalapeños, but smaller pieces will soak up the brine faster.
2) Bring 1 cup distilled white vinegar, 2 Tbsp. kosher salt, 2 tsp. sugar, up to 2 Tbsp. spices (e.g., peppercorns, coriander seeds, and/or mustard seeds), chopped fresh herbs (like cilantro), and 2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan You’ll want enough liquid to cover the peppers, so feel free to scale this ratio up or down as needed.
3)Transfer sliced peppers to clean glass jars and pour over the brine, leaving ½ inch of headspace between the liquid line and the rim. Screw on the lids and let the jars cool before transferring to the fridge. Your pickled jalapeños will be best after 48 hours and last up to two months refrigerated.
Collard greens:
I really love collard greens. I think they are the perfect hardy green for all your hardy green needs. They fry up beautifully and I have been known to use collards for chips instead of kale. I am particularly fond of frying bacon, throwing in some collard greens and eating both bacon and greens atop crusty bread. Just add salt and you have perfection. But if you reaching for a recipe to dazzle your kitchen look no further, than the following by Toni Tipton-Martin
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 STOCK
2 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 DUMPLINGS
1 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.