Shepherd's Pie

CSA delivery 11/14/2008

2008-11-15T00:15:48Z

I'm heading to the farm tomorrow morning to survey the damage. . . I mean the garden. I'm not sure what will be available but I'm hoping the frost blankets have done their job. Should be more greens like the kale and Swiss chard. I'm also throwing in another jar of preserves: pickled daikon radishes with cayenne flakes.

Remember, those greens can be blanched and frozen for later use. I say this as I'm still canning more and more peppers. . . making my first batch of harissa (a paste of roasted red peppers, chilies, cumin, and coriander).

Not sure if there'll be another week. I'd love to offer a final "bounty" delivery that includes squash, herbs, etc. for Thanksgiving meals. Anything you'd love to have fresh from the farm? Let me know!

CSA delivery 11/3/2008

2008-11-04T00:13:49Z

There are still vegetables available! The mild weather (and a little frost protection) has extended my fall crops a little longer than I expected.

I'm still delivering weekly to a reduced number of CSA subscribers and have extra room for a few more this week. A Wednesday morning delivery is scheduled for the Hyde Park Art Center and the Reader building. Anyone interested?

Orders are still $15 and I'm expecting to harvest fresh kale, Swiss chard, green garlic, and cardoon (popular in Victorian days, find recipes and info at http://italianfood.about.com/library/rec/blr0327.htm).
I'm also including a jar of ajvar, a roasted red pepper relish with eggplants, garlic, onions, and is mildly spicy.

I'm applying to be a vendor at the 61st Street indoor farmers' market on Saturdays. It'll be in the Experimental Station at 61st and Blackstone. I'm planning on selling yarn and preserves at several winter farmers' markets and will be posting dates when they get confirmed. So far I've finished a few batches of fruit butters and ajvar. Quince marmalade is in the works this week if I can schedule kitchen time!

I'm definitely be selling yarn and knitwear at the DIY Trunk Show at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse, on Blackhawk east of Ashland, on November 22.

CSA delivery 10/22/2008

2008-10-23T00:12:14Z

This week's box:
sorrel
sage
basil
tomatoes
peppers (again!)
cardoon!

Mary Jo, your veggies are in the 2nd floor fridge. Julia, I left yours on your desk and Ryan promised to keep an eye on them for you ;)

Sorrel is great in potato soup or in omelets. It's sort of a lemony spinach, but not really.

Cardoon was popular back in the Victorian age, there are a lot of recipes that say to saute or steam the stems and then bake with cheese. ONLY the stems. DISCARD THE LEAVES. I don't think they're edible. I just left the on to show you how it grows. . . and it can grow up to 6 feet tall. Very striking, and beautiful, in the garden.

I left the farm late yesterday so I don't know how bad the frost was. I was at Green City Market today and a few of the farmers who passed through Bridgman (probably 3am) said that the car dealership in town could've scraped the ice off their windows. Everything was white. Sigh. That's it for most stuff. I did try some frost blankets over the eggplants, cardoon, kale, and Swiss chard. . . and 100 feet of peppers. I won't see until Saturday how well it worked, or for how much longer. WGN is now predicting light snow on Sunday/Monday. I'm not looking forward to standing outside at market all day Sunday.

I do have preserves in the works. Plum butter, peach butter, peach/plum/ginger butter, quince marmalade, pickled peppers with garlic, pepper/eggplant relish, pickled daikon radishes . . . and whatever else I can come up with in the next week! I may try a tomato sauce. . .

I'll keep in touch with garden/preserves updates.

CSA delivery 9/25/2008

2008-09-26T00:10:44Z

I've been handing you the boxes for most of the summer but I still wanted to recap the final veggie box:
mini pumpkins
basil
heirloom tomatoes (mainly Italian lobed, Russian blacks, and gold and red currant-sized)
summer squash (mixed varieties)
mini European melon
and, yes, more peppers!

This is the final "official" box but I will continue to make deliveries. Those who paid in full and asked for deliveries put on hold for vacations will get make-up boxes. I've talked to a few of you about this already. . .

Deliveries will be on a week-to-week basis as the season winds down. A frost will end the garden, for the most part. I will try to get one special order of preserves, if I ever get a few free days to start canning.

The next delivery will be FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2008. The art center closes at 5pm so I'll probably be at the cafe (or the art center parking lot). I'll arrive a little before 5pm for the office staff but I can't stick around past 6pm. If it's a problem for pickup and you want your veggies please let me know and we can make arrangements. If not we'll try again the next Thursday.

Some stuff survived the flood. The heirloom tomatoes are starting to take off and I've got a second flush of beans ripening. I saw some pickles starting to form (despite the overgrowth of weeds!). I'm also in talks with an organic apple farmer for a fruit supplement to the veggies.

Next year I may ask for volunteers/veggie trades in the garden. Weeding overwhelmed my summer and the bad weather (cold spring, 2 extremely dry spells, and a few floods) took it's toll on this year's garden. A few hours a week of help will make all the difference. Anyone interested?

CSA delivery 9/8/2008

2008-09-09T00:08:55Z

No, I haven't dropped off the planet! I'm just preparing for this weekend's Renegade Craft Fair. It's my biggest yarn/knitwear sale of the year and it just happens to fall during peak garden production! Did I mention I'm still planting last-minute fall crops (more radishes!).

Deliveries will still be Thursdays through the end of the season (October 2).

I haven't been sending out e-mails because I've been seeing most of you at the drop-offs. Plus, this time of year the boxes are simple: peppers, beans, and tomatoes. I can't predict Thursdays offerings but I'm confident there will be more variation.

I've added a few extra stops on delivery day. Your deliveries will still be before 5pm if you're at one of the offices I deliver to. That means I may be at the Hyde Park Art Center after 5pm, depending on rush hour traffic. I've been harvesting most of the veggies the same day so it's a bit of a rush for me to pick, pack, drive, and deliver. This week I won't be sticking around after the art center drop-off, the front desk will have all the answers and I'll use that time to log into my home computer shoot out an e-mail update.

I've been keeping my notebook with me to update your vacations. Some of you were paid in full for the season and I haven't yet calculated the extended weeks into October to make up for those "make-up" deliveries. I'll be catching up with paperwork the week of September 15 and will contact you individually.

Yes, I may extend deliveries into October. The average first frost date is October 15. The end of the season veggies are my most bountiful but the frost puts an end to most of the garden.

See most of you Thursday.

CSA delivery 8/4/2008

2008-08-05T00:05:24Z

Sorry for the delay in this week's e-mail. I use a dial-up service and last night's thunderstorms kept me off-line (lightning can travel through phone lines).

In the "box" this week"
snap beans (yellow wax and royal burgundy or yellow and green Roma)
green tomatoes
sweet yellow pepper (great in salads)
jalepeño peppers
blueberries (from Rambo farms)

Those of you who didn't pick up have your veggies in the Hyde Park Art Center "Chill Out" room fridge. We're getting to the point where I'll be switching to waxed cardboard boxes and those will have to be left out. This means we'll have to coordinate timely pickups for maximum freshness.

The peppers are finally starting to ripen. The sweet yellow are delish in a simple salad with a little olive or sunflower oil. I was snacking on them like apples as I was picking them ;)

If you're wondering why the blueberries are a little glossy. . . they were harvested in the rain yesterday morning. AND, they're ripe berries. The have a lot of natural sugar in them and that comes out sometimes as a syrup, adding a little gloss to the berry.

The green tomatoes can be fried in cornmeal batter in the traditional manner. Recent recipes include using them in cake (replacing applesauce) or try a green-tomato curry (add vegetables, dal and/or meat):

green tomatoes
onions
garlic cloves
oil
turmeric, paprika, salt and pepper to taste
garam masala (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garam_masala), to taste

Rinse and chop tomatoes (no need to skin them first), roughly chop onions and crush garlic and fry lightly in heated, oiled sauce pan. Add turmeric, paprika, garam masala and salt and pepper to taste. Let stew for an hour, stirring occassionally. Remove from heat and puree in a blender or with a hand mixer. Use as a curry base instead of a jar sauce, or cool and freeze in portion sizes for making a quick meal later on. Curry will keep in fridge for three or four days.

CSA delivery 7/28/2008

2008-07-29T00:04:40Z

In the "box" this week:
beets ("flat top Egyptian")
kale (dwarf curly or "dinosaur")
beans! (yellow and green roma or yellow wax and royal burgundy)
mint
garlic

Yeah, I know, the purple beans cook up green. They are tasty and will still make a pretty plate served with the tender yellow wax. Since I'm not labeling boxes I hope you get to try each variety over the next few weeks.

I'm still fighting pests and weather in the garden. Most of the kohlrabe has been damaged by the groundhogs/woodchucks. They're even starting to take a look at the beans!

The tomatoes and peppers are still developing slowly, but the okra is starting to blossom! I even have some interesting looking cardoon. That's an heirloom veggie that we'll have to share recipes to figure out. It's similar to artichokes but you cook the huge, spikey stems (can grow up to 6 feet?!), blanched then breaded and cooked with cheese for an interesting casserole. I'm hoping there are "lighter" summer recipes that aren't as heavy, as I prefer my summer meals light and easy.

I'll try to update my Google farm page with more recipes and photos. . . but I'm still busy trying to get more fall crops planted (beets, radishes, multi-colored carrots, purple cauliflower, and cabbage). And there's the weeding. . . the constant weeding . . . it's the best defense I have against bugs but they're still trying to munch on the dinosaur kale, "red arrow" broccoli raab, and eggplants. I will try using "bt" on the plants this week to minimize the damage. "Bt" is an Organic-approved bacteria, not a pesticide.

I was also extra-careful while harvesting today. Some of you noticed I have a summer cold. I washed my hands often and used anti-bacterial wipes as an extra precaution. I don't like the anti-bacterial products but it's an extra precaution for your safety.

I still haven't made a decision about the Monday vs. Thursday delivery date. I'll send an e-mail blast when I do. Some of you know I'm a vendor at the Logan Square Farmers' Market on Sundays, drive back to the farm, harvest some, go to sleep, get up, harvest more, then drive in on Monday afternoons before teaching a Monday night class. Normally I can handle it, but if there are rain storms I may not have enough time to get into the field to harvest. The past few years were drought years and I forgot what it's like to have normal rains every week! If I can stay in town on Sunday nights I may be able to de-compress and psych up for the peak harvests coming up!

CSA delivery 7/21/2008

2008-07-22T00:03:51Z

Oops! I forgot to send out a quick e-mail on Monday night.
In the box this week:
beans!
garlic (in the bottom of the bean bag)
dill (not for Michelle!)
Swiss chard
blueberries (from Rambo farms)

Finally, the beans are in. They should be in your boxes through the end of the season and I have several different varieties: yellow and green Romas (flat), yellow wax, and royal burgundy. These are much better than the green snap beans that you find in the grocery store, which are made to take the abuse of shipping and are a bit tough. The yellow beans are sweet and tender and are my faves. I mixed up a few varieties to make your dinner plates interesting (and to make a generous bag).

The garlic is a little small this year but full of rich garlicy flavor. This variety doesn't store well so please use it up in recipes. I was chased out of the fields while picking them by the rain storms and apologize for the small amount. I'll try to get more harvested this week for next week's delivery.

The blueberries come from a neighbor. It's an amazing picking process as they have a giant harvester that goes over the blueberry rows and has "fingers" that pull off the ripe fruit. After that it goes through a conveyer belt and is sorted by dozens of migrant workers in sterile caps and outfits. Those berries were picked Monday morning just before I got to Rambo's, with rain still on them. No refrigeration means they were full of fresh from the field flavor and I hope you enjoyed them.

I'm thinking of switching deliveries from Mondays to Thursdays in a few weeks. Does this cause a problem for anyone? I'm thinking of the knitting group folks, especially since some of you come into Hyde Park from other neighborhoods one day a week. A Thursday delivery will give me an extra day of harvesting and will help create a more generous weekly delivery during the peak growing season. A few of the early deliveries were small and I want to make up for it with beans, tomatoes, and peppers. I'm thinking of switching to Thursdays in mid- to late-August.

Did you guys see me on the cover of the Tribune's food section last week? Sorry I didn't shamelessly self-promote then, but here's a link (without dorky photo of me with a pickle jar on my head): http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/chi-home-pickling-preserving-16jul16,0,5750295.story

CSA delivery 7/14/2008

2008-07-15T00:02:52Z

In the "box" this week:
kohl rabe (purple and white)
beets (Egyptian Flat" and "Golden")
curly kale
pea shoots and snow peas
green onions (starting to bulb!)

I wasn't expecting the beets and kohl rabe to be ready so soon but the recent cool and wet weather helped them develop nicely. I'm glad to offer them to you this week. Eat Green Foods made a wonderful slaw with kohl rabe and carrots (vinegar-based not cream). Another good option is a Granny Smith/kohl rabe slaw, a tart combination that's great for those hot summer days.

I walked through the garden today and the snap beans are in full bloom and little beans are starting to grow! Expect them to be included next week. . . the varieties ripening are a yellow "Roma" (flat and large), "Royal Burgundy (purple that cooks green), and those tiny green French fillets called "Masai."

I've had some crop loss on the broccoli raab and will try to find seed for a fall harvest. I'm still putting in seed for a purple cauliflower that likes to ripen in the cool autumn weather. Last week was a full-throttle planting and weeding session for me. I finally got those 5,000 tomato, pepper, and eggplant seedlings in the ground (planted and watered by hand!). I also planted three more bean varieites, including the Asian yard-longs. And I've only got a few more rows of weeding around the okra and green beans (plus the ornamentals that I use to dye wool).

The melon plants are starting to grow well, and I have six types of basil slowly growing, waiting for the heat to take off. Did I mention that I usually package sweet basil as if it's a bouquet of flowers? Plenty available and remember that pesto freezes well for winter use. I'm hoping they'll be available at the same time as the tomatoes start next month.

If you're taking a week off please send me an e-mail reminder so I can mark it on my calendar. If you're paid in advance we can extend your deliveries into October to compensate (or I can offer you bulk crops if you're interested in canning/freezing for winter).

There was one leftover bag in the fridge from last week. Since I'm not labeling the bags I have no idea who didn't pick up their orders. Once I switch over to the boxes I will be labeling boxes. If you're paying week to week and didn't pick up you will still be charged. These early boxes were difficult to fill because of crop failure so the additional produce would've made larger offerings for the other subscribers (and I hate to see food go to waste).

CSA delivery 7/7/2008

2008-07-08T00:01:39Z

In the box this week:
rainbow Swiss chard
"dinosaur" kale
green onions
long red radishes
parsley

It's good that I gave the chard/kale a rest last week and supplemented with that strawberry offering. They grew nicely in those two weeks and I was able to package up larger amounts for you. The onions are starting to develop bulbs so they're getting substantial. I may not let them dry in the fields but offer them as a fresher offering in upcoming weeks.

The beans are in blossom! That means they're be in your boxes within the next two weeks. I didn't plant any "green beans" this year, instead of some "royal burgundy" (purple), "Yellow Roma" (flat, large, and sweet as butter), "Green Roma" and a few weeks behind that a yellow and green mix of French fillet beans (thin, tiny, and delicate).

Kohlrabe is also starting to develop nicely. I'm still fighting the groundhog family for them, I caught one in the patch last night when I got back from the market. I also found a few deer tracks near my snow peas! They head for the good stuff, don't they?

I'm still behind in planting. The weather has been either too dry or too wet. We have to first brush chop the weeds down in the field, plow the field, disc the field, pile up hills, lay plastic/drip tape in the field. . . then plant! This morning we brush chopped until the rains came. I'll be lucky if the water gets hooked up before I get to the planting stage. The last few years I was poking holes in the plastic with my dibble, placing the plant in the hole, watering the hole with a gallon of water (aiming carefully, too large a hole lets the weeds grow through), then squeezing the dirt around the plant's roots. I have a little over 5,000 seedlings to plant. Yes, my back does get a little sore for a few days but my muscles are developing and the winter fat is quickly disappearing. Anyone interested in the Videnovich Farms workout? I may ask for volunteers (generous bonus late veggies in return?) if I get any further behind in weeding.

CSA delivery 6/30/2008

2008-07-01T00:00:03Z

In the "box" this week:
strawberries! (off-farm supplement but tasty and super-fresh)
dill (except for Michelle)
parsley
lavender
garlic scapes

I had some left-over bags at the Hyde Park Art Center. 3 complete orders weren't picked up, but I also had two extra bags with the herbs and garlic. Did you grab strawberries and forget the rest? Or did someone steal two quarts of strawberries?! E-mail me with any problems (and please check your name off the list on the refrigerator). I've started teaching a class at 6:30 on Mondays at the art center so we'll have to work out a way of not interrupting the knitting group or my class for a few weeks.

As promised, I found some tasty strawberries. Most I've sampled (from three states!) haven't had much flavor but these met my high standards ;) And the off-farm supplement came in perfect time because my garden is in a slump. Despite all those news reports of floods, my garden was a bit too dry and the crops are a little slow in maturing. Sunday did dump quite a bit of rain and the crops revived . . . as did the weeds. Guess what I'll be doing all week . . . yes, removing loads of wild purslane and lamb's quarters (weeds) and feeding them to the sheep. Some CSAs offer these as additions to their boxes but I'm hesitating because I'm not a fan. If you want to try them (Google for recipes) let me know and I can add them next week.

Kohlrabe and snap beans are developing nicely. They're both a few weeks from maturing. I'm fighting the groundhogs for the kohlrabe, there may not be leafy greens attached but the bulbs are starting to form nicely (I have both a white and purple variety). Kohlrabe is in the cabbage family and can be made into a delicious slaw made with apples. The beans? I don't think I planted any green ones this year, mostly purple and yellow in all shapes and sizes. My fave is the Roma Gold, a large, flat, yellow bean that is so tender and sweet.

I'm also still planting more beans, beets (and other root veggies), cucumbers, summer squash, etc. I'm hoping for a marathon week of planting/weeding with the predicted cool and moderate temperatures. Just imagine how much darker I'll be next Monday! There's a definite farmer's tan going on and despite Nancy's teasing, no, my neck is not red! Yes, I'm wearing sunblock and a huge straw hat every day but those are long days in the sun at the farm. Now if I can get rid of those flip-flop lines. . .

I'm looking forward to the August boxes, my personal faves. It's the start of the "high season" for our local agriculture, but July will absolutely bring you some pleasure (blueberries!).

CSA delivery 6/24/2008

2008-06-24T23:59:12Z

In the box this week:
baby Swiss Chard
green onions (scallions)
scapes (garlic tops)
sage
fennel fronds

It's still a little dry in my garden, despite all those rain forecasts and flooding in the western area of this region. Add a hungry family of groundhogs with exquisite tastes (golden pea shoots and kohlrabe tops!) and my garden has had a few setbacks in production. Next week I will supplement with strawberries from a neighbor until something different in my garden starts to kick in!.

A few good recipes were shared today during my drop-offs. A sage/garlic/brown butter sauce added to mashed potatoes! Yum. Another was a tofu/Swiss chard combination. I think baking the tofu with soy sauce/olive oil, then frying some onion and garlic, place the baked tofu on top, top that with fresh Swiss chard, cover with a lid and wilt down the chard leaves (both the garlic/onion mix and the chard will release juices that will be absorbed by the tofu). Seems like you could replace the tofu with fish if you're interested.

Garlic scapes? So many recipes for this one, it's been popular lately. It's the tops of a hard-necked garlic and by removing them the bulbs will grow larger (the tops also contain mini-bulbs). Steam them as you would asparagus, stir fry them with other veggies, the possibilities are endless. The NY Times had an article: link

CSA delivery 6/16/2008

2008-06-16T23:55:34Z

In the boxes this week:
green onions
green garlics with scapes attached
summer bok choy
Swiss chard
dill
lavender

* * *
Recipes?

Swiss chard, the simple saute in oil with garlic and chili pepper is still the easiest way to prepare most greens: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000965swiss_chard.php. Another way I like to prepare most greens is to cook them down a bit (steam or boil), drain the water by squeezing, chopping it up and throwing it between layers of filo (phylo) dough with some feta cheese. Brush each layer of filo with a little bit of oil (I prefer sunflower or canola), layer about 4 or 5 filo leaves, then add a bit of crumbled feta and the chopped chard (or other greens) with some sauteed onions). Do this a few times, no rules, this is peasant cooking. Finish with a layer of filo, brush the top with oil and bake until well browned at 350 degrees. Yes, Swiss chard can replace spinach in spanakopita.

The summer bok choi is great for stir fries. This is all there is so far as I had crop damage this year (groundhogs!). I thought I'd throw it in your bags this week as it was starting to go to seed and wanted you to have at least a taste before it's gone. I may try another crop or two before the year is up.

lavender recipes? Lots and lots of them. Add it to lemonade, shortbread cookies, here's a good place to start: http://www.napa-lavender.com/content/recipes.htm.

This tart recipe has been tempting me ever since it came out in March, I may bring this to Monday night knitting soon (if it's not too hot and humid): lavender-honey tart: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/CHOCOLATE-HONEY-TART-241875

farm report:

Monday was an almost perfect day for harvesting! Low humidity, low temperatures but lots of wind. Our farm in southwest Michigan isn't getting any of that headline flooding, just weird patches of dry ground that need watering (my nasturtiums are wilting!) and other patches that the tractor gets stuck in. There are delays in planting tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, and squash. Weather predictions for this week look great and I'm hoping to crank through and get everything in the ground (as well as keep up with those weeds trying to choke out the cardoon).

CSA delivery 6/9/2008

2008-06-12T14:37:32Z

It's starting to pick up!
In the boxes this week:
asparagus
green garlic
long red radishes
mustard greens (curly tips)
collard greens (two-toned leaves)
broccoli raab (aka "rapini")

Please add recipes, comments, and suggestions to the "pages" section of
http://groups.google.com/group/videnovichfarms

A few recipe tips.
mustard greens (or any "greens"): saute garlic, add the leaves, when
they wilt add a little red wine vinegar, reduce, serve over pasta.
http://www.seasonalchef.com/greens.htm suggests also adding toasted
pine nuts and raisins. Mmm.

That seasonalchef.com link also includes a broccoli raab recipe. There
will hopefully be plenty more rapini for the next month. In the past
it's grown like a hydra, two stems growing from the previous cuts. This
crop is a non-bunching form of broccoli and the whole plant is edible.
Great steamed or in stir-frys.

I have no idea what will be available next week. This weather has been
funky and farming has never been a friend to early predictions. The
Swiss chard and kale have been weeded and the recent rains create
favorable conditions for these plants. The sugar peas are in bloom. The
radishes are waning with the warming temperatures. I hope to bring them
back in late autumn. Garlic scapes should be available soon. Those are
the curly tops to the hard-necked garlic I grow. Delish steamed or
fried and make a wonderful pesto or aoili. Did I mention the garlic is
a special red variety originally grown by my grandfather in eastern
Serbia? It's one of the true Videnovich family heirloom veggies that
I've been growing since I was about 3 or 4 years old (when grandpa came
to visit). The other family heirloom are the quince fruit, available at
the end of the growing season (and in my special quince and
rose-scented geranium-infused marmalade). Here's a link to grandpa
during that visit:

CSA delivery 6/2/2008

2008-06-03T14:40:56Z

More green stuff. In the boxes this week:
green onions (scallions)
radishes
sorrel
mint
sweet marjoram (winter-hardy oregano)
pea shoots

Mint and sweet marjoram can be used fresh or dried. Quite a few of you
mentioned mojitos and mint juleps. . . nice ;) I'll keep that in mind
for future CSA deliveries. Please keep the feedback coming, it gives
me direction for how to put these orders together.

recipe ideas:

sorrel: This is a common European vegetable. Here in the States it's
used as an herb. It's like a lemony spinach. Great in potato soup, egg
or fish dishes. Here's a blog that mentions it:
http://www.foodbuzz.com/recipes/307213-s-is-for-sorrel-sauce

pea shoots: delish thrown in salads. Also it's great in a quick stir-
fry with garlic, ginger, and soy. Taste like peas, even the tendrils!
Lots of nutrients in this one.

sweet marjoram: use it fresh or let it dry for later use. It's great
for all sorts of meats and egg dishes. Also great as an herb vinegar
or herb butter. Here's a link: http://www.superbherbs.net/Sweetmarjoram.htm