Good press for Honey Brook Farms

Our CSA pickup site was in the news this week, featured in a front page article in the regional section of the New York Times. They even had a picture of the garage in South Orange where we pick up our vegetables every week. They also carried this sidebar with information about joining this and other New Jersey CSAs.

As an experiment this week, I weighed the tomatoes we got: 1.2 lb. of grape tomatoes, plus a separate box containing 3.2 lb. of regular tomatoes and two heirlooms weighing in at 2.4 lb combined. That's a total of 6.8 lb. of organic tomatoes.

• Basil
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Peppers
• Hot Peppers
• Potatoes
• Scallions
• Summer Squash
• Tomatoes
• Heirloom Tomatoes
• Grape Tomatoes

Watermelon Granita

1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons crème de cassis
about 3 pounds watermelon, seeds and rind discarded and the flesh chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

In a small saucepan stir together the water, sugar, and crème de cassis, boil the mixture, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved, and simmer it for 5 minutes. Transfer the syrup to a bowl and chill it, covered, until it is cold. In a blender puree the watermelon in batches, forcing it as it is pureed through a coarse sieve set over a large bowl, pressing hard on the solids. I don't really know how much watermelon I used, but it was probably roughly 5 cups of puree that came out of the blender. Stir the syrup and lime juice into the watermelon puree, and transfer the mixture to an 8-inch-square metal pan. Freeze the mixture, stirring and crushing the lumps with a fork every 30 minutes, for 2 to 3 hours, or until the granita is firm but not frozen solid. Scrape the granita with a fork to lighten the texture and serve it immediately. I was going to garnish with a sprig of mint but forgot....

Slightly modified from this epicurious post.

Homemade mozzarella

It would never have occurred to me to make mozzarella from scratch until Alice & I both read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle this summer. It was an interesting book, and got us thinking even more about eating seasonally and locally, including canning our own produce.

One of the striking things in the book was how casually they make cheese. They even gave a website to order cheesemaking supplies from, so we went ahead and ordered a kit for $25. It comes with citric acid, rennet tablets, salt, a thermometer, cheesecloth, and instructions. The only part of this that's actually hard to find separately is the vegetable rennet, which comes in 10 tablets, enough to turn 40 gallons of milk into mozzarella. We will order this separately in the future if we run out.

The recipes are available online here and here for mozzarella. I think we've tried it a total of six times now, with 4 successes and 2 failures. The failures we attribute to excessively pasteurized milk, and we have been keeping a list of brands that work and brands that don't (Trader Joe's and Farmland have been good, Shoprite and Borden's have not). When it works, it really takes about half an hour to turn a gallon of whole milk into about ¾ pound of cheese. The process can be summarized as curdling the milk with citric acid and rennet, then squeezing out the whey while heating it up until it is firm enough to knead. We've made ricotta twice, too, which is even easier, you just curdle milk with citric acid (which initially looks as disgusting as it sounds) and strain it through cheesecloth. The ricotta ends up drier than store-bought, but we think it may be more like the Italian style.

One trick with making mozzarella is knowing when to add the salt. The first time, I added the salt to the milk initially, and I think it came out with the whey. I think the secret is to add the salt at the very last stage, when the whey is almost entirely out, but the consistency has not yet changed to the glossy, resilient final product.

It's fun to make and watch, and good, but not noticeably better than other fresh mozzarella. As for the locavore credibility, I'm not sure it save you much having the milk transported in gallon form from the dairy, instead of being transported as much more compact cheese. If you're comparing local milk with imported mozzarella, sure, you are eating a more local product if you make it yourself, but if the sources are comparably distant, my guess is that you would have a lower impact buying it as cheese.

Truffled Corn and Wild Mushroom Fettuccine

1/2 lb pancetta or bacon, cut into 1 inch strips
2 cups corn kernels from 3-4 ears of corn
2 1/2 teaspoons of salt (not tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound mixed wild mushrooms (such as wood ear, chanterelle, and/or shiitake, stems wiped clean, and sliced)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 lb fresh fettuccine
1 tablespoon white truffle oil, or more to taste
3 ounces parmigiano-reggiano, grated (about 3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels and drain. Let cool and coarsely chop
2. Add the corn, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and give off the juices, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the pancetta, and cover to keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, bring 1 gallon water and the remaining teaspoons salt to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add the fettuccine and cook, stirring occasionally to separate the noodles, until al dente, 4-5 minutes for fresh, or about 10 minutes for dried. Drain the pasta and return to pot.
4. Add the corn mixture and truffle oil and toss to coat evenly. Add the cheese and basil and toss again. Serve hot.

From Chad and Becky, from their Emeril cookbook (don't know which one).

Bounty

• Cilantro
• Chard
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Onions
• Parsley
• Peppers
• Hot Peppers
• Potatoes
• Scallions
• Summer Squash
• Tomatoes
• Grape Tomatoes
• Heirloom Tomatoes
• Watermelon

Heirloom tomatoes!

• Beans
• Chard
• Cilantro
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Peppers
• Hot Peppers
• Potatoes
• Grape Tomatoes
• Tomatoes
• Shallots

Plus some cut flowers.

Bubble and Squeak

We don't post our old standbys often enough. This is one, that's simple, filling, and doesn't need any meat or side dishes. Bubble and squeak is just fried potatoes and cabbage. I'll often add onions or garlic, and maybe sausage if we have it around. Tonight we used up some grated beets we had, so it was nearly red flannel hash. It's good winter food, but we get potatoes and cabbage through much of the late summer and early fall from the CSA, so we'll make it almost any time. This is probably the first week we got both this year.

Hail damage!

Note from the farm this week:

CROP UPDATE
We had a severe thunderstorm on July 23rd that included large hail. We had hail as large as 1", and know that it damaged the tomato, scallions, beets, summer squash and early watermelon crops, and destroyed completely the remaining chard and summer lettuce. We are still assessing the damage and will keep members apprised via the "This Week Page" on our website. This is the first time we have had damaging hail in our 17-year history! But never fear; we're still open for business!

So, no more lettuce, but we got:

• Cabbage
• Garlic
• Onions
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Summer Squash
• Tomatoes
• Grape Tomatoes

Everything looked pretty good, but the zucchini (above) was a bit pockmarked from the hail.

Another view of this blog

Salad fixins

The lettuce isn't as good these days, but we have nice grape tomatoes to go with it now. First potatoes this week, too; maybe we'll make potato salad.

• Basil
• Garlic
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Summer Squash
• Grape Tomatoes
• Tomatoes

Stuffed Cabbage

This is a good, hearty meal. We agreed that a higher rice/meat ratio in the fillng would be good. I might leave out the raisins next time, but they were fine. We had about ⅔ head of cabbage to use up, so they were slightly overstuffed. I used 2 fresh tomatoes and a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes for the sauce, and left out the sugar, and cooked it in a 325°F oven instead of on the stovetop. That worked fine, except for the fact that it was a 90° day today, so the oven wasn't ideal. This may be a better winter/fall dish.

Friday Night Stuffed Cabbage

Friday night dinner meant stuffed cabbage, challah, and chicken when artist Brenda Miller was growing up in New York. Her mother, Florence, who came to America in 1932 from Moldavia, "made the whole house smell like cabbage," Brenda remembers. "We ate this as an appetizer, with plenty of challah to sop up the juice."

1 Savoy Cabbage
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Juice of 1 small lemon
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon raw white rice
6 fresh tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
¾ cup raisins
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Cut cabbage across the base and separate the leaves. Any leaves that are not large enough to roll should be chopped.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Blanch the cabbage leaves until they are soft. Drain in a colander and cool under cold running water. Drain and pat dry. Lay the leaves flat on a cutting board and cut out any thick ends, in the shape of a small triangle, at the bottom of the leaves.

In a mixing bowl, combine ground beef, egg, salt, pepper, half the lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of the chopped onion and the raw rice.

In a nonreactive large pot, combine the remaining chopped onion and the chopped cabbage.

Place 1 tablespoon meat mixture on the lower third of a cabbage leaf. Fold the base of the leaf over the meat mixture and then fold each side toward the center. Roll to form a cylinder. Place each cylinder on the onion and cabbage in the pot as you finish it.

Pour the tomatoes, tomato sauce, raisins, remaining lemon juice, the sugar, oregano and paprika over the cabbage rolls. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, covered, over low heat for about 2 hours, to get all the flavors mingled.

Serves 4 to 6.

From Molly O'Neill's New York Cookbook

Tomatoes have arrived!

Only a few small tomatoes, but they are delicious. No basil, unfortunately, to go with them and our homemade mozzarella.

• Beets
• Chard
• Cucumbers
• Green Garlic
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Parsley
• Peppers
• Summer Squash
• Tomatoes

banana vanilla popsicles

Inspired by a recipe from Locopops, in Durham NC, where our friend Sara used to work. However, they make theirs classier.

One box instant vanilla pudding (see what I mean about classier?)
1.25 cups milk
3/4 cup cream
one ripe banana, mushed
about 1/2 cup crushed vanilla wafers

Make the instant pudding with the cream and milk, beating for about a minute and a half, then adding the banana and beating for another half minute. Add the vanilla wafers and just beat enough to mix them in evenly. Put into popsicle forms and freeze (it's super lumpy, so do this fast, and use something like chopsticks to help get air bubbles out).

Next time I might use a banana and a half, and more vanilla wafers. The vanilla pudding is a shortcut--we should be making this with heavy cream and some vanilla and sugar. The problem I have is that our popsicles almost always come out too grainy--with large ice crystals. For cream ones, instant pudding helps a lot. For juice ones, I haven't found a solution. I think the problem is that they freeze slowly--the lovely Locopops ones don't have this problem at all and I think they must be frozen in a colder freezer. I have yet to stoop to the point of taking the popsicle mold to work to make them in the -80, though.

Pasta with homemade pesto, sauteed tomatoes, and homemade mozzarella

Today I made pesto with basil from the csa (no garlic yet--we get our first garlic of the year Sunday!). For dinner, I made gemelli pasta, sauteed some grape tomato halves in butter (also our last non-farm tomatoes for the summer!!), and tossed the tomatoes, pesto, cream, and little chunks of homemade mozzarella with the pasta. Served with grilled french bread with olive oil, and very tasty.

Homemade mozzarella? Stay tuned.....

Chard and Beet Green Pie

We've had good and bad experiences with recipes from Mark Bittman. He is responsible for us making both No-Knead Bread and Banana Goulash. This is a pretty easy biscuit-style crust for a vegetable pie, but it didn't work as smoothly as I had expected. There wasn't nearly enough dough for both a top and bottom crust that size, so I made another half batch quickly to finish the top, and the bottom was too thin to be substantial. I would either double it or leave out the bottom crust entirely. And 8 chard leaves wouldn't make much of a pie, unless he uses chard that's a whole lot more substantial than what we get. I used over a pound of combined beet greens and chard. A little less would be OK, but not a lot less. Like his previous cookbook, The Best Recipes in the World, this one seems rushed, like the recipes haven't been fully tested. This recipe is definitely close to something good and easy, but needs a little work.

Kale or Chard Pie
2 tbl. butter
About 8 large kale or chard leaves, thinly sliced [I used much more]
1 medium onion, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped mixed herbs, like parsley, thyme, chervil, and chives
6 eggs
1 cup whole-milk yogurt or sour cream
3 tbl. mayonnaise
½ tsp. baking powder
1¼ cups all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Put the butter in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. A minute later, add the kale and onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are quite tender, about 10 minutes; do not brown. Remove from the heat, add the herbs, then taste and adjust the seasoning.

Meanwhile, hard-cook 3 of the eggs, then shell and coarsely chop. Add to the cooked kale mixture and let cool while you make the batter.

Combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, and remaining eggs. Add the baking powder and flour and mix until smooth. Lightly butter a 9×12-inch ceramic or glass baking dish. Spread half the batter over the bottom, then top with the kale filling; smear the remaining batter over the kale, using your fingers or a rubber spatula to make sure there are no gaps in what will form the pie's top crust.

Bake for 45 minutes; it will be shiny and golden brown. Let the pie cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing it into as many squares or rectangles as you like. Eat warm or at room temperature.

From How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, by Mark Bittman

Stuffed Zucchini, Turkish Style

This leaves us with only one zucchini to use before we get more on Sunday. This has been a standard for me for a long time. The herbs and cheeses are flexible, I will often swap out the dill and swiss cheese.

I've always wondered: how Turkish is this?

Stuffed Zucchini, Turkish Style

4 medium zucchini (about 7" long), halved lengthwise
3 tbs. butter
¾ cup finely minced onion
3 smallish cloves crushed garlic
3 beaten eggs
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
¾ cup grated Swiss cheese
2 tbs. freshly chopped parsley
1 tbs. fresh, chopped dill (or ¾ tsp. dried dill weed)
1½ tbs. flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika for the top

Scoop out the insides of the zucchini to leave a half-inch rim. Chop the innards into little bits and cook in butter with onions, garlic, salt (a few shakes) and pepper until onions are soft. Combine with flour, cheeses, herbs and beaten eggs. Correct salt and pepper. Fill the zucchini cavities and dust the tops with paprika.

Bake at 375ºF for 30 min. or until the filling solidifies. Serve with a fresh tomato salad.

From the original Moosewood Cookbook

Green-wrapped Flavor Bundles

Filling
1/2 pound boneless lean port or lean ground pork
1 T. tamarind pulp, dissolved in 1/4 c. warm water
3 T. peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 c. chopped shallots
3 T. minced garlic
2 T. palm or brown sugar
1 or 2 T. fish sauce
1/2 to 1 tsp. salt, to taste
1 T. minced ginger
2 T. dry-roasted peanuts, finely chopped

Wrapping and topping
about 30 pieces Thai-style pickled cabbage, or Bibb or other tender leaf lettuce leaves
1 stalk lemongrass
2 T. minced ginger
2 to 3 scallions, trimmed and minced
1/2 c. chopped coriander leaves and stems

If not using ground pork, cut the port into small cubes and then mince to even consistency. Set aside. Place a sieve over a bowl and press the dissolved tamarind through the sieve; discard the pulp. Set the tamarind juice aside.

Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil and, when it is hot, add the shallots and garlic. Stir-fry until golden, then add the pork and stir-fry until it has all changed color, about 4 minutes. Add the sugar, the tamarind juice, the fish sauce, and salt and cook until the liquids have almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and peanuts and stir-fry for another minute. The mixture should be the consistency of paste and somewhat salty tasting. Adjust seasonings if you wish. Remove from the wok and let cool. You will have about 1.5 cups filling. (Can be made ahead and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)

To make a flavor package, put a leaf of pickled cabbage or lettuce on the palm of one hand, then scoop up a scant tablespoon of the filling and place it on the leaf. Sprinkle on a pinch of minced lemongrass, a little ginger, a pinch of scallions, and another of coriander. Fold the leaf over to make a bundle, or leave it open, like a filled cup, and place on a platter. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and greens. Or instead, serve these roll-your-own style. Makes about 2 dozen.

from Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Alford and Duguid


I often include dry-roasted grated coconut (not the sweetened kind!) and sometimes tiny lime wedges as additional toppings. Served tonight with lettuce-wrapped salmon (including a leaf of Asian basil in the wrapping of each), and leftover Javanese sambal, from Sunday's dinner that included sweet chili grilled chicken.

Zucchini-Crusted Pizza

This is good way to use zucchini, and pretty tasty. The crust wasn't as crispy as I had hoped, I baked it around 20 minutes, I would let it go longer next time.

Zucchini-Crusted Pizza

A normal pizza on top, with a beautiful, substantial-yet-tender crust: golden, with flecks of green and a slight crunch.

The Crust:
31⁄2 cups grated zucchini
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup flour
1⁄2 cup grated mozzarella
1⁄2 cup grated parmesan
1 Tbs. fresh basil leaves, minced (or 1⁄2 tsp dried)
salt and pepper

Salt the zucchini lightly and let it sit for 15 minutes. Squeeze out the excess moisture.

Combine all crust ingredients and spread into an oiled 9x13-inch pan. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the surface is dry and firm. Brush the top with oil and broil it, under moderate heat for 5 minutes.

Pile all of your favorite pizza toppings on (tomato sauce, olives, sauteed mushrooms, strips of peppers, lots of cheese - etc.) and heat the whole mess in a 350ºF oven for about 25 minutes. Serve hot, cut into squares, with a big tossed salad.

From the original Moosewood Cookbook

Bread and Butter Pickles

This was our first try at real, canned pickles. I've been a fan of making quick pickles for a while, and made a big batch of bread & butter pickles each of the last couple summers, but I always had a big jar of them that ended up taking up too much space in the fridge and hanging around too long. Since we started canning jams recently, I thought I'd try making some pickles to put up as well. The cucumbers and onions were all from our weekly CSA share.

We canned four pint jars, and had about ½ a pint left to refrigerate, which we tried today. They're pretty good, and crunchy - I had been afraid that they might not hold up as well to cooking, but they seemed fine.

Bread-and-Butter Pickles
about five 1-pint jars

Wash, then slice ⅛ inch from the ends of:
2½ pounds pickling cucumbers
Cut crosswise into ¼-inch thick slices. Peel, then cut the same way:
1 pound 2- to 2½-inch onions, preferably red
Combine the cucumbers and onions in a large bowl along with:
3 tbl. salt
Mix well to dissolve the salt. Cover with a clean wet towel, then top with 2 inches of ice. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. Discard the ice; drain the vegetables, rinse, and drain again. Combine in a 4-quart or larger saucepan:
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups sugar
1 tbl. mustard seeds
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
¾ tsp. celery seeds
¾ tsp. ground turmeric
¼ tsp. ground cloves
Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Cook uncovered until the syrup boils. Add the vegetables, stir to mix, and continue to heat until the syrup just begins to boil. Using a slotted spoon, pack the hot slices into hot pint jars and then add the hot syrup. Leave ½-inch headspace and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

From The Joy of Cooking: All about Canning and Preserving

Beets, etc.

This week:

• Basil
• Beets
• Cabbage
• Chard
• Cilantro
• Cucumbers
• Dill
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Summer Squash

The first beets are exciting. Time to make cold beet borscht.

The zucchinis are getting big enough to stuff, and we've got enough cucumbers to make pickles.

The farm has started a recipe blog. We haven't made anything from it yet, but it looks interesting. The recipes are different than those in the weekly newsletter.