F&F Notes for Henry's Farm Market Friends

Last Market of 2011 THIS SAT

2011-12-15T22:22:27Z

It finally got down into the single digits last week, killing even the hardiest of hardy greens, and finally putting an end to a long season.

Here’s what Henry had to say about that:

But we aren’t worried. We have a 45-cubic-foot freezer full to the gills with frozen corn, beans, edamame, kale, choi, winter squash, tomatoes, as well as strawberries, raspberries, aronia and more. We have boxes of turnips, winter radish, potatoes, carrots, sunchokes and burdock in the root cellar, boxes of sweet potatoes in the basement, jars and jars of canned tomatoes in the pantry and long strands of braided garlic and onions hanging from the ceiling in the garage. All in all, we have more than enough produce to last us until the first chives, sorrel and overwintered spinach are ready to harvest from the field in April.

In this household, buying produce from the store is considered blasphemy, and our full larder means there is no fear that that sacrilege will be committed this winter.

To stave off committing sacrilege in your own household, come visit us at the Evanston Winter Market this Saturday. There is plenty of parking, and all vendors will be inside at the Evanston Ecology Center at 2024 McCormick Blvd., from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

This will be your last chance to stock up on Henry’s great root vegetables and Teresa’s jams, teas, and soaps.

Vendors will not be set up and ready to sell until 9am, so please sleep in and take it easy at home. We look forward to seeing you after 9.

Here’s what Henry is bringing up:

Purple-top turnips, White turnips, Golden turnips

(Try this great Leek, Turnip, and Rice Soup from Martha Rose Shulman)

Rose-heart radish, Black radish

(see below to find out which of these radishes makes Henry a Happy Man)

Beets

Garlic (see garlicky lamb stew recipe below)

Pie pumpkins

Chicory root

Sunchokes

Burdock root

Parsnips

Parsley root

From Henry: ". . . if you are wondering what to do with those scary-looking black radishes, they are the key ingredient in one of my favorite breakfasts. All it is, is thick slices of black radish on a high-quality bagel. That’s it. It is simple, but wonderful. The crunch of the radish is a perfect complement to the chewiness of the bagel. The doughiness of the bagel is the perfect foil for the pungency of the radish. You can add cream cheese or even lox if you want, but you don’t need them. Give me a black radish, a bagel, and a cup of coffee and you have a happy man.”

Teresas Fruit and Herb News

Holiday Gift Central!

“It is more blessed to give than to receive”

Usually I’m in full agreement with that verse, but in this case, I’m pretty sure that the receiver will feel just as blessed as the giver!

After you stock up on veggies at Henry’s stand, come on over and stock up on all of those holiday gifts that you’ve waited until the last minute to buy. I always keep a few extra small gifts on hand for those neighbors, friends, and co-workers who, despite my best intentions, I tend to forget about until the last minute.

We still have lots of Aronia Berry Jam, Aronia Berry Jelly, and Hot Pepper-Aronia Jam left, as well as several kinds of Herb Teas.

ALL JAMS -- CASE SPECIALS! If you want a case of any combination of the jams, please let me know in advance (teresajeans@msn.com) so I will be sure to bring enough up for you.

SELECT SOAP SPECIALS! We will have a BUY 1, GET 1 at HALF PRICE on select soaps.

Stop by and taste and smell all of our wonderful gifts! If you’ve been good this year, maybe you should even buy one for yourself!

Roasted Root Vegetable Stew

1 large rutabaga
2 medium potatoes
1 large or several small parsnips
1 large carrot
1 large sweet potato
1 small celeriac root
1 medium onion
1 T. olive oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 t. dried marjoram or thyme
1 t. freshly finely chopped rosemary (optional)
3-4 C. vegetable broth

Preheat oven to 450 F. To prep the vegetables for roasting, cut everything, including the onion, into 1 inch cubes. Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet or in a roasting pan. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then toss with your hands so everything is evenly coated.

Roast vegetables in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until they are browning at the edges. Just before the vegetables are ready, bring 3 cups of vegetable broth to a boil in a large saucepan. When vegetables are done roasting, carefully add to the hot broth. If desired, add the additional cup of broth. Let soup simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. Using the back of your stirring spoon, press some of the vegetables up against the side of the saucepan until they are smashed to help thicken the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Lamb and Mashed-Garlic Stew

1/2 cup olive oil
1 pound lamb shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes
10 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 leeks, washed and sliced into 2-inch lengths
1 sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 bottle dry white wine

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

2. Heat half the olive oil over high heat in a large Dutch oven. When the oil just begins to smoke, add the lamb shoulder pieces and brown all over, allowing to cook mostly undisturbed, about 8-10 minutes total.

3. Remove lamb pieces to a bowl and discard oil in Dutch oven, then add remaining olive oil to Dutch oven. Add the garlic and leeks and sauté, stirring frequently, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add lamb pieces, rosemary, bay leaf, stock, wine, and season with salt and pepper. When the braising liquid boils, cover the pot and slide into the oven. Braise for 1 ½ hours, or until the meat is tender.

4. Discard rosemary and bay leaves. Serve with crusty bread to soak up braising liquid.

Happy Holidays!

Clarifying Tomorrow! (Who/What/Where)

2011-12-09T16:17:22Z

When I glanced up Wednesday morning I saw a silver mist falling. Walking out, it had enough prickle for anyone to know: snow!

Then last night we got enough to stick, but not enough to cover the recently verdant grass, weeds, and vegetables down in the field.

As we draw down to the shortest days of the year, thoughts deepen. A good interviewer probed me recently, on Times of Abundance, holiday feasting, perfection, imperfection and more here. I’ll paste the whole thing at the bottom of this email, in case you aren’t a subscriber.

* * *

Thanks to everyone who came out in the inclement weather last Saturday to the first Evanston Winter Market at the Ecology Center. We hope you all stocked up on the amazing array of greens and roots that Henry had, because he won’t be there this Sat., but will be there next Sat., Dec. 17. Mark your calendars!

In the meantime, if you want local meats, jams, teas, and soaps THIS Sat., please come to the underground winter market at 1422 Greenwood in Evanston, 9 am to noon. This is at the corner of Greenwood and Ashland, 1 block north of Dempster and 3 blocks west of Ridge. Look for the Organic Meat sign near the garage.

Larry and Marilyn Wettstein will be bringing lots of different cuts of their certified organic Beef, Pork, Lamb, and Chicken. And a few Eggs for the early birds.

Teresa will have her famous Herb Tea blends, dried Culinary Herbs, Aronia Jam and Jelly, including the wildly popular Hot Pepper-Aronia Jam.

All of the Aronia jams/jellies make great glazes for your holiday meats. Simply melt the jam/jelly gently until it liquefies, then paint it on your ham, chicken, or other meat with a pastry brush, or pour it on. Beautiful and delicious!

And our sister Jill is sending up a broad selection of her Red Barn Farm hand-made goat-milk soaps. These are made with her own goat’s milk, plus other organic ingredients. She’ll have holiday favorites such as

Frankinscense and Myrrh

Gingersnap

Christmas Spice

Cranberry

Pumpkin Spice

Plus some of the perennial favorites:

Amazing Avocado

Cafe Au Lait

Honey Oatmeal

Snow’s Simple Soap

Luxurious Lavender

And many more . . . each with the face and name of one of Jill’s goats on the back – a face-to-face connection to the source of this pure and natural soap. (The soap is so pure that we heard some people are using it for an all-natural shampoo, and even as toothpaste!)

All of these soaps, jams, herbs, and teas make great last-minute hostess gifts, and also a perfect answer for those hard-to-please persons on your list!

***Remember, all of the Wettstein meats and Brockman soaps, jams, herbs, and teas will be at 1422 Greenwood in Evanston this Sat., Dec. 10, NOT at the Ecology Center. See you in the morning! ***

Spread the word and bring a crowd.

Cell phone for the Wettsteins on Sat: (309) 251-0211

And at this giving time of year, please remember that money is like manure -- it does the most good when you spread it around -- and The Land Connection can make sure your money does a world of good. Thank you!

Times of abundance

Terra Brockman on food and feasting

Dec 09, 2011 by Amy Frykholm in The Christian Century

Terra Brockman is an advocate for—and close observer of—sustainable agriculture. She founded an organization called The Land Connection that works to preserve farmland, train new farmers and connect people with local food. She lives in central Illinois and is the author of The Seasons on Henry's Farm: A Year of Food and Life on a Sustainable Farm.

What is life like at the farm after the harvest is over?
I call it the wabi-sabi time of year. Wabi-sabi is the Buddhist concept that everything changes; impermanence is itself a thing of beauty. My brother Henry says that this wabi-sabi season is all about "the beauty of sadness, and the sadness of beauty." It is sad in one way to see the leaves fall, the basil blacken, and the tomato and other annual plants turn to mush. But all those dead plants break down and become food for fungi and bacteria and enhance next year's crops.

On an aesthetic level, I love the stark beauty of winter. Everything is stripped away. You get down to the basic structure of things. You get to see in a new way.

What can farming teach us about feasting?
On the farm, there are natural feast times, times of abundance. When you have abundance, you tend to be really profligate with sharing. When the winter squashes come in, for example, any one that has a little softness in it needs to be shared and shared quickly.

My mom's tradition is southern Italian Catholic. My grandma said they used to eat a crust of bread and half an onion—that was their everyday food. Christmas Eve is very spartan in this tradition—dry spaghetti with salt cod. No olive oil even.

Christmas Day includes making ravioli together. We spend hours around a table making these raviolis with two fillings, one with ground beef from my dad's cattle, and one of ricotta and winter greens. It is a feast of shared labor. This isn't a feast where things just appear on the table. In American culture, we often have the idea of the feast appearing magically from the kitchen without labor. We work to produce our feast, but the work is fun and every ravioli is different, oddly shaped, imperfect. They don't look like ravioli from the freezer aisle. The participatory aspect is the most important part of the feast.

How is feasting balanced with times of less abundance?
In February and March, the months before we get the first wild and perennial greens, the root cellar and freezer are emptying out. We are not suffering, we are not hungry, but we are making do with what we have. With the apparent abundance in the grocery store all the time, many people have lost the art of making do and have lost a sense of the ebb and flow of the natural world.

Food is too often seen as an inanimate commodity, not something deeply connected to the earth. In fact, modern industrial agriculture has created a disconnect not only between people and the seasons, but between people's food and their values of caring for others and stewarding the earth. The complicated and opaque food chain that goes through processors, manufacturers, packagers, shippers, advertisers and retailers is damaging to people and to the earth.

One way forward is to reboot our relationship with food—in times of abundance and times of scarcity—making it more local, more personal, more connected and meaningful.

You talk about the fun of making ravioli—but many people feel exhausted by the holiday season.
We've been persuaded by a $5 billion advertising industry that "we are too busy," or "this is so hard you can't make it by yourself." There are billions of dollars of propaganda actively discouraging people from doing simple, fun things and connecting with friends. I think part of my work is trying to open people up to life's simple pleasures.

Holiday exhaustion—spiritual and physical—comes, I think, from not getting together to enjoy and recharge. Making food together is energizing.

People have been misinformed to think that you need four hours to cook a meal. The quickest stir-fry is faster than the fastest fast food.

I have taken to eating a lot of food on toast lately—greens or mushrooms or radishes. It takes less than five minutes to put bread in the toaster oven and slice the radishes or stir-fry the greens as the bread is toasting. It's simple, delicious and satisfying.

Perhaps we are also uneasy with "imperfect" food?
I think that's true. We've been persuaded by advertising that an apple must be bright red and shiny. That view actually sets us up for a very disappointing taste experience—not to mention that apples top the list of the most pesticide-laden produce.

I learned about the importance of imperfection when I lived in Japan. In the Japanese tea ceremony, you have to use imperfect clay bowls because the aging, cracked, asymmetrical bowls force you to see beyond the surface to the spark of light and beauty within. The spark points to perfection within imperfection.

Food is not about some perfect size or color or presentation. It's about joining us to the earth, our fellow creatures, family, guests and ultimately God. It's about life here and now, about seeing the spark of light and beauty in our world and our lives, even with all their imperfection and unpredictability.

Can you say more about imperfection and feasting on the farm?
Every time we harvest vegetables or fruits on my brother Henry's or sister Teresa's farms, there are many things that aren't quite good enough to sell. Since they are "for us"—for the family and apprentices—we call them the "for-us-es"—the imperfect things, too ripe, too misshapen, too big, too small. Even though we can't sell these, they are often the most delicious. The tomatoes that are just on the edge of rotting, the pear with a bad spot. The imperfection is the perfection.

I just cooked up a bunch of "for us" squash. They had soft spots, but I carved them out and the imperfect squash came out perfectly delicious. Bug holes in the greens don't matter either, once you've cooked them. And a worm at the tip of an ear of sweet corn proves that there were no poisonous chemicals used on it.

My dad likes to tell the story of a friend who visited him in the watermelon patch. The friend said, enviously, "You probably get all the best watermelons." My dad laughed, "No, we never get the best ones." He showed him all the cracked, broken, slightly rotten watermelons that were in the "for us" pile and said, "These are the ones we eat."

What's your message to those who don't live so close to the land?
Start with just one item—say, eggs. It's easy these days to go to LocalHarvest or other websites and type in "local eggs" and find a local farmer who raises them in a good way. You'll find that those eggs will be more delicious and more meaningful. If you get just a few items from a local farmer, or even a few herbs from your windowsill, you create a personal connection to food and to the people and place it came from. The bottom line is that good food is food that connects you to the earth and to others—it is a very real communion.

The Greens That Wouldn't Die (get them this Sat)

2011-12-01T23:28:42Z

Wow, here it is December already – and that means the first new Winter Market at the Evanston Ecology Center!

We can’t wait to see you again -- but we can’t unload the truck until 8am, so please don’t come before the official 9 a.m. starting time (unless you’re bringing us hot food or drinks!)

It's hard to believe, but the Greens -- lettuces, chois, kales, and much more -- this week are all still straight from the field. In all of Henry’s 18 years of vegetable-growing, this is the first time he’s ever gotten so much out of the field so late. So come and get them on Saturday, because the low 20s predicted for next week will finally call a close to this season. In fact, Henry said he will be “shocked and dismayed” if he has greens from the field at the next winter market.

And of course there will also be the full complement of root vegetables (Japanese turnips, Purple top turnips, Red turnips, Golden Turnips, Parsnips, Roseheart Radish, Black Radish, Carrots, Rutabaga, Burdock, Sunchokes, Parsley Root, Leeks, Scallions, Daikon, Salsify, Chicory root – and probably others I’m forgetting.)

Plus Teresa will be bringing up her fabulous jams, jellies, herb teas, and goat milk soaps. Get some for yourself, and extras as gifts.

And if you need some reading material for these long winter nights (or for stocking stuffers and hostess gifts), be sure and get Henry’s books (Solstices and Equinoxes and Organic Matters), Terra’s book (The Seasons on Henry’s Farm) and the fabulous second printing of Zoe’s book (The Happiness of Dirt). Farmer-Annotated calendars are now available for $15 each—the perfect gift for home gardeners. Proceeds benefit The Land Connection.

FOOD NOTES: Chicory

It’s going through my head, so go ahead and sing it out loud (from Mary Poppins) . . . “chick-chicory, chick-chicory, chick-CHIK-kory . . . a chicory-drinker’s as lucky as lucky can be . . .”

Although chicory root is mainly roasted and then brewed as a coffee-like beverage, the roots can also be boiled and eaten as a vegetable (nice with butter or béchamel to cut the slight bitterness).

We always learn a lot from our interns, and this year we learned a new way to prepare and enjoy chicory root from our intern Val. She recently discovered a great way to turn chicory root into a sweet snack -- crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside. The trick is to cut them into thicker rounds and roast only until crispy on the outside.

I’ll have to get Val to write up her method next week, but here’s what Henry said: Val cut the roots into rounds, some about 1/8 inch and others about 1/4 inch thick. Then she put them in a 300 oven and roasted them. The 1/8 inch slices got very crisp and carmelized, but the 1/4 inch ones were crunchy on the outside, gooey and chewy on the inside. They are very sweet (no bitterness at all), and would make a perfect snack. You could also sprinkle them on any dish – from scrambled eggs to soups or salads.

If you’re not that adventuresome, then roast up the roots to make the traditional hot chicory beverage-- blended with coffee or used on its own (usually with cream and sugar) as a non-caffeinated coffee substitute. You can also add a bit of Chicory when you brew up your favorite herbal tea. Chicory Root is said to lower cholesterol and improve digestion.

Roasting Chicory Roots

Slice the chicory roots into thin discs, and roast them in a slow oven for 90 minutes to two hours (until browned and completely dry and the house smells like chocolate malt).

Then grind them in a coffee grinder, and steep in a french press for 5-8 minutes (blended with coffee or not).

Here’s a good explanation:

http://honest-food.net/2009/06/05/because-i-can-vol-2-chicory-coffee/

And if you need a few more recipes for the non-chicory items coming to market on Saturday:

Asian Greens recipes

Brussels Sprouts salad recipes

We trust you all had a delicious and relaxing Thanksgiving.

Let Henry know if you counted up the number of items on your plate that were grown from a person you know – and let us know the number!

Thanks Giving Thanks SATURDAY MARKET

2011-11-18T00:58:04Z

“The truck will be very, very full,” says Henry.

It’s late and I’m tempted to leave it at that . . .

But this being the last official Food & Farm Notes for 2011, I’ll stay up and say a little more because here we are once again, at the thankful time of year.

I am grateful for this wabi-sabi season. I am grateful that the tomato plants are now mere skeletons, and will soon fall and feed the life in the soil. I am grateful for the stark architecture revealed in the leafless trees. I’m grateful for family, friends, and fundamental allies I’m grateful for the good earth and all those who work it in a way that applies the Golden Rule across generations—leaving it better than we found it. I’m grateful for every single person who buys food from these farmers, making it possible to do what we do.

What are you grateful for? If you’re a facebook person, share it with us at www.facebook.com/henrysfarm . . . and while you’re there, let’s see if we can’t end the season with over 1000 “likes” (we're at 994 right now)

But way more important than virtual likes are real faces, real words, real hugs . . . so we are looking forward to seeing you THIS SATURDAY:

Indoor Farmers Market, Nov 19th, 8:00am - 1:00pm.

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Lake and Sherman in Evanston

I know this is hard for all you early birds, but this is NOT the regular Evanston Market, and it does not start until 8am because some of the church’s neighbors have in the past considered us unloading the truck an early morning noise nuisance and called the cops.

So, Henry says,“It would be really nice if people didn’t try to buy things while we’re still setting up.” Take it easy . . . sleep another hour, or get up and read your favorite book as the sun rises.

Speaking of favorite books, I will have a small table of reading material at Henry’s stand (far back corner of the church parking lot), which will include hard and soft cover copies of The Seasons on Henry’s Farm, plus Henry’s 2 wonderful booklets, Organic Matters and Solstices and Equinoxes, plus a brand new, hot-off-the-press printing of Zoe’s “The Happiness of Dirt”—hailed by Illinois’s poet laureate Kevin Stein:

"In an era when most stand sorely distanced from the planting, tending, and harvesting of our food, Zoe Brockman reconnects us to the intimate pleasures and pure labor of growing things. Ms. Brockman conjures the seasons of the earth's body and of our own flesh, linking them in writing both limpid and lyrical. Doing so, she feeds the soul that feeds the body just as surely as her beloved garlic, sweet potatoes, and kale."

And don’t forget to pick up your 2012 Farmer-Annotated calendars available for $20, but if you buy 2 or more, the price goes down to $15 each. Proceeds benefit The Land Connection, and these make a great host/hostess gift, especially for home gardeners and farmers market aficionados.

NEWS FLASH - Anyone buying over $50 in vegetables will get a calendar at Half Price!

It is truly an abundant last harvest of the season, so don’t just buy enough for Thanksgiving dinner. Think ahead! And think about how depressed you’ll be when you have to shop in the grocery store again. The more you buy on Saturday, the longer you’ll be able to eat truly delicious and nutritious veggies.

All the greens, even the lettuces, will keep in your fridge for 3 weeks or more. Henry explains that because they’ve already gone through some freezes down in the field, their cells have developed thick cuticles to hold the water in . . . and so they will not get dehydrated and limp in your fridge, but will stay just about the same as they were when we picked. And of course the roots and winter squashes will last for months in a cool, dark place.

FOOD NOTES

I tried calling Henry earlier today to find out what vegetables he wanted me to write about, and it took him hours to finally get back with me. The reason, as I suspected, was that he was at the wash tank under the fluorescent light many hours after sunset, washing the roots and greens that will be coming up to you this Saturday. And here’s some of what you’ll see in a display of outrageous autumnal abundance:

GREENS! (kale, chard, chois, sorrel, cilantro, dill, mustard greens, lettuce, mesclun, and chickweed – see info about the mache-like chickweed below)

ROOTS! (just about everything you can possibly imagine, although not a lot of potatoes. But you will see lots of sweet potatoes, turnips, rutabaga, sunchokes, radishes, carrots, parsnips, burdock, scallions, leeks, beets, and much more)

Plus pie pumpkins, butternut squash, garlic (loose and in braids), popcorn, chicory (fresh and roasted, ready for brewing), and Brussels sprouts.

Plus hand-made goat-milk soaps from our sister Jill’s Red Barn Farm for your last-minute gift needs. Remember, you can Occupy the Holidays by buying locally!

Plus the Wettstein Family and their Organic Meats and Eggs – inside the church.

FOOD NOTES - about that Chickweed . . . it was growing in such a lush green carpet in one of the greenhouses (formerly hosting tomatoes) that Henry decided to pick it for you. It is a beautiful wild green with tiny, pointed, oval leaves on a slender, delicate stem.

Just chop it up a little, and add to your salads. Raw, Henry says it tastes like mache (also known as lamb’s lettuce). You can also cook it like spinach. Or make into a pesto. Or cook in a frittata.

Chickweed has a long and illustrious history as a medicinal plant as well. Applied externally, finely chopped chickweed soothes irritated skin, especially when mixed with marsh mallow (Althaea officinale) root. It's good for cuts, minor burns, eczema, and rashes. Taken internally, it’s said to cure indigestion and a variety of other conditions, including stomach ulcers and rhematoid arthritis.

It may or may not do all of the above, but it is an excellent source of vitamins A, D, B complex, C, and rutin (an accompanying flavonoid), as well as iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, sodium, copper, and silica.

And it’s delicious.

For Chickweed Pesto combine: 2 cloves of garlic, 3 Tablespoons of pine nuts or sunflower seeds, ¼ tsp. salt, 2 packed cups chopped fresh chickweed, ½ cup olive oil, and ½ cup Parmesan cheese in a blender...Blend well! Serve over pasta or just use it as a dip for crackers or vegetables.

Last but not least, at this time of Thanks Giving, all of us [Henry, Hiroko, their children Asa, Zoe, and Kazami, our parents Herman (champion shed-cleaner) and Marlene (champion tomato-sorter), farmhand Matt, interns Val, Brian, and Mustard, plus our ever-changing yet ever-constant cast of market helpers ... . all of us thank all of you!

The bottom line is that good food is food that connects you to the earth and to others – it is a very real communion – and we have enjoyed communing with you this year.

Have a great winter . . . see you Saturday, and then see you in the spring!

p.s. Check out the Chicago Book Expo this weekend. Terra's on a panel Sunday—over the noon hour—the perfect time to talk about food!

Cookbooks – More than Just Great Recipes

Time: Sunday, November 20, 12:00-12:55 PM
Location: Goldblatt’s Building (former Borders) at 4720 N. Broadway.

Bill Daley, Chicago Tribune food writer, will moderate a panel featuring Anupy Singla (The Indian Slow Cooker), Viktorija Todorovska (The Puglian Cookbook), and Terra Brockman (Seasons on Henry’s Farm).

STOCK UP TOMORROW (no winter markets)

2011-11-04T19:38:48Z

Henry just got word that the proposed winter markets at the Oak St. Market won't be happening (rental deal fell through according to the organizers) so . . . be sure and STOCK UP at the Last Regular Evanston Market of 2011 . . . tomorrow morning!

[the pre-Thanksgiving Market at Immanuel Lutheran is still on for Nov. 19 . . . but not all of Henry's veggies will be there . . . and none of Teresa's goodies . . . not even Teresa]

Henry says this Saturday is the last opportunity for you to get many of his vegetables, including the intensely aromatic celery and fennel. Also last chance for daikon and for the deep orange Porto Rico sweet potatoes and purple-skinned, ivory-interior Japanese sweet potatoes.

I packed a lot of gorgeous lettuces and spinach today, so you won't want to miss out on those either. Bring them home, wash them in cold water, and store in a tupperware container with a few sheets of paper towel in the bottom -- they will last a whole month!

Good night

sleep tight

don't let the bedbugs bite

wake up bright

in the morning light

and do what's right

with all your might!

-- Grandma Henrietta

Last Evanston Market -- Savor the Bounty, Stock up on Gifts!

2011-11-03T23:53:57Z

Blow, blow, thou winter wind . . . Freeze, freeze thou bitter sky . . .

Yes, winter is suddenly here, and the Last Market is suddenly here.

But "last" does not mean "least amount of vegetables" by any means. You will be AMAZED (once again) at the quantity and variety of vegetables Henry is bringing up . . . I'll put an extremely abbreviated list of the bounty you’ll find at Henry's stand below, but first . . .

NOTA BENE: Teresa will NOT be at the pre-Thanksgiving market, meaning this Saturday is your LAST CHANCE to get:

Aronia jams and jellies – individual jars $8, but case of 12 jars for $80, or 2 cases for $145 – what a deal!

Herb teas

Fresh-cut Herbs

Dried culinary herbs

Golden Delicious apples

Last of the frozen aronia berries

Dried flower bouquets

Goat Milk Soaps

and Hedge Apples (hasta la vista spiders and mice!)

There is a detailed list of all the different jams, teas, herbs, and soaps at the bottom of this email -- check it out -- there's definitely something for everyone on your holiday gift list.

And don’t forget to email Teresa if you want to take advantage of the “case specials” on jam and jelly -- Email Teresa at teresajeans@msn.com if you want to take advantage of the Case Specials so that she brings up enough cases and you get all your stocking stuffers and hostess gifts at once!

Although Henry WILL be at the pre-Thanksgiving Market (Immanuel Lutheran Church, 616 Lake St, Nov. 19), he says, “If you see it this Saturday, and want it, buy it!” This is because many of the items you see this week will not be around at the pre-Thanksgiving market – most likely including lettuces, squashes, certain sweet potato varieties and more. So if you want any of these things for your Thanksgiving Festivities, get them this Saturday. And don’t worry, at this time of year the greens, even the lettuce, will easily last for many weeks. In fact, Henry says to double your usual purchases this week, because you will have to wait two long weeks before you see Henry's smiling face and beautiful produce again-- and we do not want you to have to suffer the lifeless produce from the store.

At Henry’s stand (a very abbreviated list) --

Lettuce: amazing wall of . . . and don’t wait for the pre-Thanksgiving market because we may or may not have more

Mesclun: crisp, spicy-sweet and substantial.

Chois and Chinese cabbages and broccoli (gai lan): all sizes and shapes.

Kales and collards: all textures and colors.

Turnips and Radishes: all colors, shapes, and sizes – all delicious!

Carrots and Beets

Scallions and Leeks

Burdock and Parsnips

Cilantro, Dill, and Parsley

Popcorn Strands – Hang up as a decoration now, and start popping after Thanksgiving

Garlic Braids – new and improved – see Garlic Note below

Chicory root—great coffee substitute - see note below

SUNCHOKES --These store in the fridge for months. Just put them in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel. They may change color a little as time goes by, but that doesn’t affect the flavor. Henry’s favorite way to eat sunchokes is to slice them up fairly thin and fry them just like fried potatoes. Just sprinkle a little salt over them and they are an addictive snack food. See other recipe ideas below.

And don’t miss the BULK SPECIALS on carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and garlic!

And Bulk Special on any combination of bunched roots or greens: Buy 4 bunches and get 1 bunch FREE!

Farm Notes: After a month of mostly balmy weather, the bitter wind is blowing across the plains. Yesterday was T-shirt weather, but today everyone is bundled in as many layers as possible to keep out the biting wind. It’s howling around the corners of my house as I write, and I wonder how Anya is doing with her filming of the last big greens harvest of the year in the cold rain and blowing wind.

Normally we harvest roots on Thursday and greens on Friday, but that’s reversed this week as we need to rescue all the greens now, before the anticipated low in the 30s tonight. That won’t kill the greens, but it will damage them and the quality will decline, at least temporarily, until the plants can recover and re-grow.

Stock up this Saturday -- all the greens and roots will last for weeks, if not months!

New-Fangled (pretty and practical!) Garlic Braids -- Check out the new style of garlic braids that Henry’s come up with. He’s braiding a set of 6 or 9 bulbs, then braiding in a few inch gap, then another set of 6 or 9 bulbs, followed by another gap, and another set. But there is method to this artistic madness. You use the bulbs from the bottom up, and when the bottom set is done, simply snip it off and you have a perfect garlic braid wall hanging. Then start using the next set from the bottom up . . . etc, etc. Your garlic braid will never look sa d and raggedy -- and will be a source of delight and delectation for you (or that lucky person you’re giving it to) for many months.

NEW this week – Chicory! There has been a “new at the market” feature every single week this season, and this last market is no exception. Henry grinds and roasts the chicory roots so you can make a hot beverage remarkably similar to coffee – especially if you add cream and sugar. You can do a 50/50 with chicory root and coffee, or do straight chicory, or add a bit of Chicory to your favorite herbal tea. Chicory Root is said to have all sorts of beneficial effects, especially for the digestive system. “It’s really good,” Henry says. “Try it!”

Popcorn. Henry will bring more popcorn in strands this week, but cautions that it’s not ready to pop yet . Hang it up and enjoy it as a decoration for a few weeks, and then try popping it after Thanksgiving. These also make good gifts . . . speaking of which . . .

If you don’t have it yet, pick up a copy of The Seasons on Henry’s Farm, and the Henry's companion booklet Solstices and Equinoxes. And don't miss Henry and Hiroko's daughter Zoe's booklet The Happiness of Dirt. This is hot off the press and makes a terrific gift at only $5.

And take a look at the beautiful and informative Land Connection annotated calendar. Annotated by Henry and Teresa, it will let you keep up with what’s happening down on the farm all year long. Your calendar purchase helps fund the land preservation and farmer training work of The Land Connection. (If you can’t get to the market, you can buy calendars at www.TheLandConnection.org and we’ll get them in the mail to you.)

And since we are at the thankful time of year, we’d like to thank YOU for making what we do possible. Thanks for taking the time, making the effort, appreciating good food, and putting your money where your mouth is . . . which leads to . . .

FOOD NOTES: SUNCHOKES (aka Jerusalem Artichokes). These be prepared any way you’d cook a potato – boiled, roasted, sautéed, or fried. Unlike potatoes, sunchokes are also good raw -- crunchy like a water chestnut, with a hint of earthiness and sweetness. Try them in salads, or marinated all by themselves. Henry loves the way his wife Hiroko makes them -- sliced, sauteed in oil, then sprinkled with a little salt. If you slice them very thin, you can even make sunchoke chips that taste like sweet potato chips! Here are a few more recipe ideas:

Pan-Fried Sunchokes in Herb Butter

3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
3 tablespoons coarsely torn fresh sage leaves ( or other herb of your choice), divided
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Melt 1 tablespoon butter with olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add Jerusalem artichokes and half of sage. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until brown and just beginning to soften, turning frequently, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer Jerusalem artichokes to shallow serving bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and sage to skillet; fry until sage darkens and begins to crisp, about 30 seconds. Add lemon juice; simmer 1 minute. Pour lemon-sage butter over Jerusalem artichokes in bowl, tossing to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley.

Jamie Oliver’s Sauteed Jerusalem Artichokes

Jerusalem artichokes are sweet and almost garlicky and mushroomy and gorgeous. You can scrub and roast them whole like mini jacket potatoes and split them open, drizzled with a little chilli oil. You can even use them in a salad with smoky bacon. A Jerusalem artichoke’s best friends are sage, thyme, butter, bacon, bay, cream, breadcrumbs, cheese and anything smoked.

To serve 4, you will need 1 to 1 ½ pounds Jerusalem artichokes. Peel them, then cut them into chunks. Place them in an oiled frying pan and fry on a medium heat until golden on both sides. Then add a few bay leaves, 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced, a splash of white wine vinegar, some salt and pepper, and place a lid on top. After about 20 to 25 minutes they will have softened up nicely and you can remove the lid and the bay leaves. Continue cooking for a couple of minut es to crisp the artichoke slices up one last time, then serve straight away.

Parmesan Sunchoke Chips

sunchokes, sliced on a mandoline

1 quart canola oil, for deep frying

Italian parsley, chopped

Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat the oil in a sauce pan, and keep it at around 320º. Fry in small batches until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto paper towels. Season immediatly with grated parmesan. Garnish with chopped parsley.

The best part about making sunchoke chips is the infinite variations and options you have: sea salt and vinegar, bbq and blue cheese, ranch, cheddar and bacon, anything at all. Have fun.

Teresa’s Fruit and Herb News

Last Week to Stock up Holiday Gifts!

Before I get to the Holiday Gift News, let me just say that I will have more fresh-cut herbs (mint, sage, oregano, thyme, and others), more gorgeous dried flower bouquets, more hedge apples, more Golden Delicious apples, and the LAST of the frozen aronia berries this week.

I will NOT be going to the pre-Thanksgiving Market, so this Saturday will be your last chance to shop for our locally grown and/or made gifts. Buy a few extra jams, soaps, or teas for those people who “drop in” during the holidays. And don’t forget to treat yourself by stocking your own shelves this winter – you deserve it!

Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you for another year of being my “co-producers”! Thank-you especially for all of your warm friendships that I value so much. I hope all of you have a restful, healthy winter. We will see you in the spring!

Take care,

Teresa

Here is a complete list of the gifts we will have this week:

******Jams******

SPECIAL PRICE ON CASES! 1 case of 12 for $80 and 2 cases for $145. Please email Teresa at teresajeans@msn.com if you want to order cases!

Aronia Berry Jam Aronia berry jam contains the entire berry—skin, seeds, and pulp, all chopped up, so you get the maximum nutrition and fiber. The flavor is a combination of wild grape, apple, and cherry.

Aronia Berry Jelly—Jelly is made by first juicing the cooked berries and then making the jelly with that juice. Similar flavor to the jam, but I think the true flavor of the aronia berry comes out in the jelly-a nice tannic quality like a fine dry red wine.

Hot Pepper Aronia Berry Jam-Ever since I introduced this jam last season, it has been my best seller. It contains about 10 different varieties of hot and sweet peppers for a satisfying and quite addicting complex flavor. It is great on toast with eggs in the morning or spread on cheese as an hors d’oeuvre. It’s also great on a turkey sandwich or as a glaze on duck or pork.

******Hand-Made Herb Teas******

It’s time to get enough tea to last you through the long winter. Stock up your favorites as we do run out of some of the varieties. When I started making herb teas that very first year (10 years ago now!), it was only a way to use up the fresh herbs that didn’t sell at the market. Now, it’s something that people know me by, and I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to. We have found it difficult to keep up with demand this year, which, I guess, is a good problem to have. They make really nice gifts too.

All teas: 1 bag of 8 teabags---$4

2 or more bags of 8 teabags---$3 each

Aronia Berry Tea-An anti-oxidant powerhouse, this tea contains dry aronia berries, orange peel, and hibiscus. It has a fruity, sweet flavor and a gorgeous red color.

Mint Tea-This is spearmint blended with peppermint and chocolate mint. Good hot or iced. A perennial favorite.

Chamomile Tea -Plain chamomile flowers. Tastes great iced or hot with a little lemon and sugar added if desired. Stress reliever and stomach soother.

Peter Rabbit’s Tea-A blend of chamomile, lemon balm, lemon thyme, and catnip. All four of these herbs have a calming effect, so this is a good bedtime tea. Also good for children.

Lemon Medley Tea-A blend of lemon grass and mint with a little sage and thyme thrown in for their aromatic qualities. One of my favorites.

Sunny Lemon Tea with Chamomile-This one IS my favorite. An incredibly fragrant tea, it’s a blend of lemon grass, chamomile, wild mint, and cloves. Both lemon grass and chamomile are good for the stomach.

Blue Shiso Tea- This is a blend of Britton shiso, lemon verbena, lemon grass, and ginger. It has a sweet, fruity flavor with a hint of root beer! This one is also taking off with customers. Very unique!

Catnip Tea-This tea will NOT make you roll around on the floor and chase imaginary mice! Instead it is very calming and it has a nice “green” flavor. Of course, you can use this for your cat too.

******Dry Herbs******

Oregano

Tarragon

Thyme

Parsley

Sage

Green Shiso

Nepitella

Dill

******Red Barn Farm Soaps******

My sister, Jill, makes these soaps with her own organic goat milk, organic olive oil, and organic coconut oil, along with organic herbs, essential oils, and other special oils. Scroll all the way to the bottom to read about Jill’s Holiday Soaps! To read more about Jill’s farm, where our father and grandfather were born and raised, go to www.redbarnfarmsoaps.com.

Almond Joy-This is one of my all-time favorites. It has the delicate scent of almonds because it contains not only ground organic almonds, but sweet almond oil and almond extract.

Amazing Avocado-This soap’s rich nourishing ingredients give it a lather that really is amazing. The shea butter and avocado oil both contain vitamin A which gives skin elasticity. The whipped cream mixed with the goat milk gives it a rich creamy lather that softens the skin.

Aronia Berry-This soap includes pure organic aronia juice (made from the aronia berry) which is incredibly high in antioxidants. We get our aronia juice from Sunny Lane Aronia Farm, a local enterprise. The antioxidants contained in the aronia juice help prevent harmful oxidation of the skin. With a sweet, delicate scent, this soap is refreshing and summery.

Café au Lait-This soap includes organic espresso powder, a well-known beauty treatment that invigorates the skin. Coupled with a vanilla fragrance, this soap is one of our most popular.

Eggstra Cleansing-This fun soap includes finely ground eggshells from our free-range chickens that give it a slightly gritty texture. Scented with sandalwood, this soap is ideal for an avid gardener or anyone whose hands need extra scrubbing at the end of the day.

Gentleman Farmer-This soap is a great soap for gardeners as the yellow cornmeal gives it just enough scrub to remove the toughest dirt from tired hands. The same cornmeal gives it a golden hue not unsimilar to the color of ripe corn. To further complete the general gardening theme, the soap is scented with organic lemongrass and cedarwood essential oils.

Honey Oatmeal-This soap is by far our most popular. Its sweet vanilla-honey fragrance is hard to resist. The oatmeal protects and exfoliates the skin while the honey gently moisturizes. This soap is ideal for sensitive skin.

Indian Summer-New last fall and a big hit with customers, this soap has lots of moisturizing agents to help you get your skin ready for winter including shea butter, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, hazelnut oil, lanolin, wildflower honey, and french red clay. It has cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for a nice fall fragrance.

Lemon Balm-This long-lasting soap has a refreshing lemon-herbal scent. Lemon balm is thought to have a cleansing and rejuvenating influence and is a great soap to keep next to the kitchen sink.

Luxurious Lavender-A slight variation on the original Lavender, this soap has buttermilk as well as goat milk. Buttermilk has been used for centuries as a beauty treatment and leaves skin feeling smooth and healthy. With lavender’s timeless fragrance, this soap is perfect for relaxing in a hot bath.

Pumpkin Spice-This autumn soap is a rich orange color due to the organic pumpkin it contains. Pumpkin has vitamins A, E, and F as well as lutein, which are all beneficial to the skin. The spices: nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove give it a stimulating, warm aroma.

Rosemary Mist-This soap has rosemary essential oil which gives it a vitalizing and strenghtening fragrance. The ground rosemary gives it a pale green color with darker flecks of the herb marbled throughout. It is hard and exceptionally long-lasting.

Snow’s Simple Soap-Named for one of our more personable goats, Snow’s Simple Soap is a natural cleanser. It includes sunflower oil, sweet almond oil, and castor oil, three oils that not only moisturize but help your skin retain the moisture. What’s more, the soap has NO added fragrance but still has a sweet, delicate scent. In addition, this soap has a rich, creamy lather.

Tea Tree Chamomile-This herbal soap includes organic chamomile flowers and tea tree essential oil. Chamomile is naturally soothing and refreshing while tea tree has a purifying, uplifting scent.

White Tea Pomegranate-This soap is a dark, rich brown reminiscent of a delicious cup of well-brewed tea. The addition of organic pomegranate juice gives this bar a unique quality–it is almost unbelievably hard and long-lasting. The soap has a dense lather with a creamy tinge. Also in this soap are sweet almond oil and organic apricot oil, both of which have skin benefits including superior moisturizing and softening qualities. The addition of organic bergamot mint and organic lemon essential oils provides a gentle herbal fragrance that complements the hint of tea aroma imparted by the ground white tea.

Christmas Spice-Peppermint and pine needle essential oils give a holiday fragrance to this hard, long lasting soap. Pretty with flecks of ground pine needles and green swirls made by adding spirulina powder.

Cranberry-This soap has a pretty red color (from burgundy oxide, a mineral) and a delicate scent of orange essential oil and rose absolut oil. It also contains ground organic cranberries. So pretty paired with the Christmas Spice for a gift!

Frankincense and Myrrh- For those people who ask, as one of my customers did, “Do you have any soaps that don’t smell like food?” This is it, scented with Frankincense and myrrh essential oils, and also containing castor oil and shea oil for extra softening. Last year, this soap was our best seller of all of our holiday soaps.

Gingersnap-This is another pretty pairing with the cranberry soap. It has organic ground ginger and vanilla essential oil giving it a sweet cookie scent.

btw, if you don't have your locally raised Thanksgiving turkey (or other holiday meats) yet, check out your options on the Slow Food Chicago website here

http://www.slowfoodchicago.org/index.php/thanksgiving-turkeys-holiday-meats-2011/

and order now!

See you Saturday--it's supposed to be a sunny day!

Sweet Potatoes, Celery, 50-head Braid of Garlic, Apple Butter, and home-grown, hand-made gifts!

2011-10-27T22:31:27Z

FARM NOTES

Last week we had the Amazing Nine-Pound Daikon. This week you must come see the Amazing 50-Bulb Braid of Garlic! Of course, Henry also has the usual 12-head and 8-head strands as well. But if you want a 50-bulb strand (or want to give it to that special garlic lover in your life), and don’t get the one he’s bringing this week, just let Henry know and he will make you one for the final regular market of the season, next Saturday, Nov. 5.

Continuing the Amazing Saga of Vegetable Life on Henry’s Farm . . . Henry is announcing NEW items coming to market this week – Celery and Shungiku.

If you’ve only had the pale, watery celery from the store, you are in for a treat . . . one whiff will tell you: this is something completely different -- fabulous in soups.

Shungiku are edible chrysanthemum leaves – here’s one recipe, and you can find others online.

And a few items that were new in recent weeks -- which you should be sure and snap up this week: Chinese broccoli (gai lan), Chinese Cabbage, Delicata Squash, and Sweet Potatoes.

I had a super simple salad last night of sliced Chinese cabbage, garlic, salt, and olive oil . . . and it was so incredible I couldn’t stop eating it. The Chinese cabbage is also fantastic sautéed with butter, or cooked up with a little bacon, ham, or ground pork.

The Delicata are amazing this year – just cut in half and bake until a fork goes in, and then eat them right out of the shell. They are so sweet and rich and custard-like, you could even serve them for dessert.

And the sweet potatoes . . . well, I just posted a couple pictures on www.facebook.com/henrysfarm so you can see for yourself the deep orange, lusciously moist Beauregard and the purple-skinned, almost white interior of the Japanese sweet potato. In addition, Henry has the moist Georgia Jet, and the buttery Porto Rico (yes, I spelled it correctly – and you can check out Foodista’s tasting notes here). If all goes well, Henry will have samples of the different varieties for you to taste . . . so come early!

In addition, Henry will have bulk specials for the sweet potatoes, potatoes, and carrots – if you buy 5 pounds or more. And you know you’re going to need more than 5 pounds to get you through the winter . . . so stock up now.

Teresa’s FRUIT and HERB NOTES

Teresa will have more apples this week, but fewer different kinds of herbs this week. However, she says she has all the good ones for your fall needs, including sage (see Apple, Sage, and Squash Bread recipe below), thyme, mint, and parsley (among others).

And don’t forget this is the season of gifts. You’re going to buy them anyway, so make it easy on yourself and get them at the same time you do your weekly fruit and vegetable shopping.

And support your local farmer.

And we have something just right for everyone on your list:

***Dried Culinary Herbs

***Dried Flower Bouquets

***Herbal Teas

***Frozen Aronia Berries

***Aronia Jam and Jelly, plus Apple Butter too

***Goat-Milk Soaps – with pure, organic ingredients. More information at www.redbarnfarmsoaps.com.

Apple Sage and Squash Bread

1 ¼ cup oil

1 c brown sugar

¾ cup white sugar

4 eggs

1 ¼ cup pureed butternut squash

1 ½ Tb chopped fresh sage

1 c flour

1 c whole wheat flour

2 tsp Baking soda

1tsp Cinnamon

½ tsp cloves

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp salt

3 medium to large apples, peeled and chopped

½ cup raisins

Preheat to 350. Grease and flour 2 9-inch loaf pans Cream together oil, sugar, and eggs. Blend in squash. Add sage. Sift together dry ingredients, then stir them gradually into the creamed mixture. Add apples and raisins. Stir until well blended. Divide batter between pans and bake 50-60 minutes.

Last-minute ANNOUNCEMENT: Terra spent today (Thurs) with all the amazing speakers for the Symposium at the Chicago Botanic Gardens Friday, Oct. 28 entitled Lifeways and Greenways: Social and Ecological Connectivity. It will be great--so skip out of work and come if you can! http://www.chicagobotanic.org/school/symposia/symposia_JMP.php

Amazing Lettuce & Spinach; Gold Delicious Apples & Frozen Aronia; and a Nine-Pound Daikon!

2011-10-20T14:50:52Z

Contrary to popular opinion, which says that when cold weather comes local food is gone, you will be AMAZED by the abundance and variety of vegetables, fruits, and herbs at Henry’s and Teresa’s Evanston Market stands this week.

If fact, when I called Henry -- down in the cold, wet fields -- to ask what to feature in this week’s Food & Farm Notes, he paused and then said, “There are so many wonderful things right now, I don’t know what to say.”

A moment later though, this is what he went on to say:

The daikon this year are incredibly large and delicious, and they just dug up a 9-pounder that resembles a small turkey. So come see the Amazing Nine-Pound Daikon, as well as the Amazing Wall of Lettuce, back by popular demand, and for a limited engagement – one week only!

And don’t overlook the equally Amazing Spinach – thick and rich and sweet. Look for it on the salad table along with the Mesclun.

Right now, Henry and the apprentices are digging the First Fall Carrots. Check out the huge bunches of orange, purple, and rainbow carrots, with gorgeous greens as well.

To sweeten the pot (and persuade you to roll out of bed Saturday morning, rain or shine, and get to the market), Henry is announcing an “End of Season Special: Buy 4 Bunches; Get 1 Free!” This covers all bunched root and greens, and unbunched chois -- so be sure and stock up in multiples of 4!

And don’t overlook the very last of the tomatoes and peppers, and the delicious baby fennel.

And don’t forget that the holiday season is upon us, and you will need Holiday Gifts – Home-Grown & Hand-Made! These special gifts are available nowhere else – so check these out and buy now before they’re gone.

At Henry’s Stand:

***Garlic Braids

***Books about Farm Life by Henry, Terra, and Aozora (get the whole set, including Organic Matters, Solstices and Equinoxes, The Seasons on Henry’s Farm, and The Happiness of Dirt)

***Farmer-Annotated Calendar (all proceeds benefit The Land Connection)

At Teresa’s stand (just north of Henry’s):

***Herbal Teas

***Frozen Aronia Berries

***Aronia Jam and Jelly, plus Apple Butter too

***Dried Culinary Herbs

***Dried Flower Bouquets

***Goat-Milk Soaps – with pure, organic ingredients. More information at www.redbarnfarmsoaps.com.

One more ANNOUNCEMENT: Terra will be part of a Symposium at the Chicago Botanic Gardens on Friday, Oct. 28 -- entitled Lifeways and Greenways: Social and Ecological Connectivity--register here: http://www.chicagobotanic.org/school/symposia/symposia_JMP.php
Other Speakers include:

Peter Forbes, co-founder of the Center for Whole Communities

Sherry Williams, President and CEO, Bronzeville Historical Society

Tom Montgomery Fate, professor of English at the College of DuPage, with readings from and discussion of his memoir, Cabin Fever: A Suburban Father’s Search for the Wild.

Ed Collins, Natural Resource Manager, McHenry County Conservation District

Sophie Twichell, Friends of Ryerson Woods, Lake County

FOOD NOTES - Green Tomatoes

Beyond Fried – Green Tomatoes other Ways

Every week, the talented chef Carlos Ysaguirre buys lots of veggies from Henry, and then does amazing things with them at his restaurants Acre and Anteprima in Andersonville. When Henry was there last Saturday after the market, Carlos served him a grilled shrimp salad with chunks of green tomato that Henry said were either raw or very lightly sautéed. Henry said the tomatoes were still crispy and fruity, and the salad utterly delicious and refreshing. So I did a quick Google search and didn’t find the exact salad (you’ll have to go to Acre and figure it out for yourself), but I did find other similar ways to move beyond fried green tomatoes.

Green Tomato Salad With Home-made Russian Dressing

1 ½ or 2 pounds green tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 teaspoons sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 cup Mayonnaise

1/4 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion, soaked for five minutes in cold water, drained, rinsed, and drained on paper towels (optional)

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley

1 hardboiled egg, cut in wedges

1. Toss together the tomatoes, vinegar and olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Line an oval or round platter with the tomato slices, overlapping them slightly.

2. Whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt and ketchup. Stir in the capers and red onion. Spoon the dressing over the tomatoes. Sprinkle on the parsley, garnish with hard-boiled egg wedges, and serve.

GARLICKY GREEN TOMATO SALAD with FENNEL

6 sliced green tomatoes
1 thinly sliced onion
1 bunch thinly sliced baby fennel
1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper
2 Tb minced garlic

Put all the vegetables into a large mixing bowl. Make a simple vinaigrette (or use your favorite prepared salad dressing). Pour enough dressing over the vegetables to coat generously. Toss well and serve.

Burmese Tomato Salad (Yum Makruatad Keow)

4 large green tomatoes, sliced

1 shallot, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon chopped peanuts, dry roasted and unsalted peanut

1 tablespoon fried minced garlic plus 1 teaspoon garlic oil (the oil that the garlic was fried in)

1 to 2 tablespoons white vinegar (or lemongrass vinegar)

1 teaspoon toasted dark or light sesame oil

½ teaspoon black sesame seeds

Salt to taste

Place green tomato slices on a large platter.

To make salad dressing, combine the shallot, peanuts, fried garlic, garlic oil, lemongrass vinegar, and sesame oil in a small bowl and whisk until combined. Pour over green tomatoes and garnish with black sesame seeds.

Baked Green Tomatoes

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons water
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
3 green tomatoes, sliced

Combine bread crumbs, olive oil, water, garlic, and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil or butter. Place tomato slices in a single layer on the baking sheet. Top each tomato slice with crumb mixture. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes, or until topping is light brown.

FOOD NOTES; FENNEL – Food of the Gods

Fennel is a versatile vegetable that plays an important role in the food culture of many European nations, especially France and Italy. Its reputation dates back to Greek myths that associated it with Dionysus, the god of food and wine.

It was revered by the Greeks and the Romans for its medicinal and culinary properties, and for good reason. One cup of sliced fennel has only 27 calories, but large amounts of Vitamin C, folate, and potassium. In addition, fennel has unique phytonutrients including the flavonoids rutin, quercitin, and various kaempferol glycosides that give it strong antioxidant activity. The most interesting phytonutrient in fennel may be anethole--the primary component of its volatile oil. In animal studies, the anethole in fennel has reduced inflammation and helped prevent cancer. Researchers have also proposed a biological mechanism that may explain these anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects by showing how anethole is involved in the shutting down of a intercellular signaling system called tumor necrosis factor (or TNF)-mediated signaling.

All three parts of fennel--the base, stalks, and leaves--are edible. The bulb is often used in salads or on sandwiches—or on its own. The stalks can be used for soups, stocks and stews, while the leaves can be used as you would herbs such as parsley, dill, or tarragon.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

· Slice thinly and put in a bowl of water in the refrigerator for a dessert, or a quick snack

· Add to a green salad instead of radish or cucumber

· Sauté fennel and onions as a side dish

· Adorn your sandwiches with sliced fennel

· Top thinly sliced fennel with plain yogurt and mint leaves.

· Pair fennel with cheese, fruit, and a citrus-y vinaigrette.

Here are two lovely Italian recipes from Lynne Rossetto Kasper, and an equally lovely Jewish recipe by way of Lisa Vogel Comforty.

Florence Fennel Salad

1 or 2 fennel bulbs, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 or 2 cloves garlic, peeled and put through a press, or finely chopped

1 Tb lemon juice

2 Tb white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese shavings

Combine all ingredients except the Parmesan in a bowl and toss well. Serve on a platter with Parmesan cheese shavings scattered over the top.

Sauteed Fennel in the Jewish Style

2 bulbs fennel

2 Tb extra virgin olive oil

1 or 2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup water, or chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the bulb in half lengthwise, and then cut into strips between 1/4 and 1/2 inch wide.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, turn the heat to low, and cook 6 or 7 minutes. As soon as they begin to turn a light blond or gold color, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and reserve.

Turn the heat up to medium-high, and add the fennel to the pan with the garlic oil. Saute about 10 minutes, turning the pieces so they become golden brown on all sides. Once the fennel is browned, add the water (or chicken broth) to the pan and sprinkle the fennel with salt and pepper. Cover the pan tightly and cook over medium-low heat for 5-8minutes, or until the fennel is tender. Uncover the pan and boil away any liquid remaining. Sprinkle the fennel with the reserved garlic and serve on a heated platter.

Baked Fennel

From Israeli Cooking on a Budget, by Sybil Zimmerman by way of Lisa Comforty

2 fennel bulbs

1/4 cup butter

1 oz Parmesan Cheese, grated (1/4 cup)

Clean fennel bulbs, removing ferny leaves, stems and stalk. Cook in 1 qt. boiling salted water until tender. Drain and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Place in baking dish, cover with melted butter blended with cheese. Bake in moderate oven until surface is brown.

And don’t forget the Daikon, a large, mild radish that is high in nutrition (like all of the Brassica family), and low in calories. It’s excellent raw or cooked, and can be boiled, grilled, sautéed, or put into soups or combined with roasted root vegetables.

Daikon Salad

In Shizuo Tsuji’s Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art, the author pairs carrot and daikon in a refreshing dish with a sweet and sour dressing called amazu. You salt shreds of orange carrot and white daikon radish to release their liquid, then knead the vegetables to create icicle-like shards. The dressing is made from mild rice vinegar, sugar, and water heated and then cooled. Toss it with the crunchy vegetables and refrigerate the dish for at least 30 minutes (it’s even more flavorful if left overnight). Traditionally, the salad is served in small plates but add this mixture to a bowl of salad greens and you have an appealing variation.

2 or 3 medium carrots, cut into 2 inch by one-half inch matchsticks

1 medium daikon (1 to 2 pounds), cut into similarly sized matchsticks

1 tsp salt

¼ cup rice vinegar

1 to 2 Tb sugar

¼ cup water

1. In a large bowl combine the carrot and turnip or daikon radish matchsticks. Add the salt and toss lightly. After several minutes, mix and lightly knead the vegetables with your hands. Working over a colander set in a bowl, gather up the vegetables in your hands and squeeze out the liquid. Rinse and dry the bowl. Place the vegetables in it.

2. In a glass bowl, mix the vinegar, sugar, and water. Heat over a flame or in a microwave for 1 minute or until the sugar dissolves. Cool to room temperature.

3. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the vinegar mixture onto the vegetables. Mix with your hand and then squeeze the liquid from the vegetables. Discard the liquid.

4. Add the remaining dressing to the vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to two days.

Teresa’s FRUIT and HERB NOTES

Teresa’s out picking about twice her usual amount of Herbs as I (Terra) write, because a low of 31 degrees is predicted for tonight, meaning that in both Teresa’s and Henry’s fields it will definitely be in the 20s – meaning all but the very hardiest herbs with die tonight.

The good news is that all the herbs being rescued right now will be ready and waiting for you Saturday morning. And at this time of year, the herbs keep extremely well – probably because they’ve already acclimated to refrigerator temperatures outdoors, and don’t even notice they’ve been plucked and placed in a refrigerator. So stock up now! The bunches will last for weeks in your fridge, or you can dry the herbs and then crumble them into a jar and keep them indefinitely.

Another indefinite keeper this week are Teresa’s beautiful Dry Flower Bouquets. If you keep them out of direct sunlight, these colorful arrangements will last practically forever. So stop by and get some for your home and as gifts for upcoming holiday hosts and hostesses.

And don’t forget to pick up some Frozen Aronia Berries for all your smoothie, oatmeal, muffin, and other needs. Much of Teresa’s aronia was eaten by the birds, and so we have much less than usual this year. If you want aronia berries, get them this Saturday!

Teresa’s also bringing up more Golden Delicious Apples – which are good for everything from eating to cooking. Here’s a link to Deborah Madison’s recent post on how to make fabulous apple sauce, syrup, and jelly. And here are two of Teresa’s favorite things to do with apples:

Apple Coconut Bread

1 1/2 c. white flour

1 1/2 c. wheat flour

1 c. sugar (I use less)

1 T. baking powder

1 c. coconut flakes

1 1/2 c. milk

1 egg

2 c. apples, chopped in 1/4 inch pieces

1 c. raisins

Combine milk and egg. Add the dry ingredients. Do not overmix. Stir in the apples and raisins. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Delicious warm out of the oven with butter!

Hiroko’s Apple Cake

(Makes 9X 9 pan)

8 T. butter, melt and cool

2 eggs

1/2 c. sugar

1 c. orange juice

2 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. allspice

1/4 t. ginger

4 c. chopped apples (1/2 to 1 inch chunks)

2 c. raisins

1 c. walnuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the butter and eggs. Add the sugar and orange juice and blend well. Add all of the dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Stir in apples, cranberries, and walnuts. The batter will be very thick and it will seem like there is not enough batter compared to fruit, but don’t worry. Spread in a 9 X 9 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes. Use a tooth pick to test for doneness. Serve warm with ice cream. Also delicious at room temperature.

See you Saturday rain or shine -- Come get your picture taken with the daikon the size of a turkey -- And indulge in the amazing abundance of the season!

Roseheart Radish, Rutabaga, and Apples for Sauce on Special!

2011-10-13T21:01:03Z

Six deer grazed quietly in front of my house just before sunrise, barely visible through the gauzy mist. After the mist lifted, I was struck with wonder yet again, thinking if it weren’t right here in front of me, I would not believe a world could be so beautiful, so lustrous, so vibrant with red, green, and gold against the bluest sky.

Last night the wind came up near dusk, and suddenly there was a great raining down of leaves, many of which now lie in puddles near the trees that formed them, glowing faintly under the Hunter’s Moon. This is the 3^rd night in a row for the full moon, an unusual occurence, so go out and take a look if it’s not overcast where you are.

"The autumn wind!
    The mountain's shadow
    Trembles before it."
-    Issa, Autumn Wind

At this time of year we usually have to bundle up in layers to brave the frosty mornings. Instead, Henry and his field hands, apprentices, and family have been working in T-shirts under the brilliant skies. Of course it won’t last forever, but it’s led to some nice late-season tomatoes and peppers you will see this week.

You know that you need to get these and other summer crops while you can-- but Henry also admonishes you to get any and all winter squash for your holiday and freezing needs NOW. There aren’t many this year, and they’re going fast.

We thank you for your support of the Red Hidabeni turnips last week. Give Henry your vote, yea or nay, if they should be on the seed order for next year. And if you missed out last week, Henry will have more Hidabeni this week, plus a similar red salad turnip – so give them a try.

RUTABAGA - This is the first week that Henry will bring the purple-shouldered, creamy fleshed rutabagas – with their vibrant greens – so pick up some of those as well, and get two veggies for the price of one. The greens can be cooked as you would kale or collards . . . I’ll include a few recipe ideas below. For the roots, you can roast them with other veggies, or peel, chop, steam, and mash as you would potatoes.

ROSEHEART RADISHES are also coming to market – both loose and in bunches. They are big, but don’t worry, they’re supposed to be large, and it makes prepping easier as there is a better volume to surface ratio.

Rosehearts are the mildest radish – quite sweet, in fact. One of my favorite things to do with it is simply to peel it, slice it into rounds, and place on a piece of toast or bagel, with butter or cream cheese. (You can do the same with the black radish, which does not need to be peeled.) This makes for a quick breakfast, lunch, or snack.

But they’re also great cooked – roasted with other root veggies, sautéed or stir-fried, or put into soups.

Click here for my Zester Daily article about the roseheart radish, plus a couple simple recipes, one for sweet and buttery sautéed radishes, and one for a raw, marinated radish salad. And here’s another seasonal salad . . .

Winter Radish Salad with Apples and Escarole

1-2 black radishes or roseheart radishes sliced very thinly into half-rounds
1 large (or 2 small) apple, cut into small chunks
1 large head of escarole, washed and broken into bite-sized pieces

Toss the radishes, apples, and escarole with two to three tablespoons (or to taste) of a simple vinaigrette. Add some chopped fresh sage if you like

Lentil and Root Vegetable Stew, with Rutabaga Greens

tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled, chopped (1 1/4 cups)
2-3 celery roots, peeled, chopped (3 cups)
2-3 rutabagas, peeled, chopped (2 cups)
1 pound brown lentils, rinsed
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
8 cups (or more) vegetable broth
Rutabaga Greens (or 1 large bunch kale), leaves coarsely chopped

Heat oil in large pot over high heat. Add onion and next 3 ingredients; sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until beginning to soften and brown, 10 to 11 minutes. Stir in lentils and herbes de provence. Add broth and kale. Bring to boil, stirring to incorporate kale. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover with lid slightly ajar, and simmer until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add more broth to thin, if desired. Season with salt and pepper.

Rutabaga Casserole

3 pounds rutabagas, peeled and diced

2 teaspoons brown sugar (divided)

1/2 teaspoon dill seed

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup sour cream

Place rutabagas, 1 teaspoon sugar, dill seed and salt in about 1" of boiling water, and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Drain, mash, and stir in remaining sugar, salt, butter, and sour cream. Turn into a 1 1/2 -quart oiled casserole dish, cover, and bake in 350° oven for 30 minutes or until tender. Uncover and place under broiler to brown.

Potato (or Rutabaga) and Greens Fritatta

1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
2 large onions or 3 scallions
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/4 cup cubed (1/2 inch) cooked potato or rutabaga
3/4 cup cooked rutabaga greens
2 slices bacon cooked and crumbled–optional
8 large eggs, beaten (

1. preheat oven to 350F

2. In 10-inch ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over med hea. Add the onion, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper. Cook, turning with tongs, until well browned, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the vinegar and cook 1 min. longer. Add the potatoes or rutabaga, greens, bacon(if using), and 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper. Pour the eggs over veg and stir to blend. Cook over med heat until the mixture begins to set, about 3 minutes. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 15 min, or until set. Let stand 5 min, then invert onto a spatter. Cut into wedges to serve.

Teresa’s Fruit and Herb News

Special Golden Delicious Deal! Or Time to Make Applesauce for Winter!

Have you always wanted to make your own organic applesauce, but you just couldn’t afford to buy that many apples at the regular price? If so, then this is your week, because we will have some Golden Delicious apples (just slightly past their prime, but perfect for applesauce) for you to do just that. There will be

no minimum purchase and the price will be only $2/box. That’s 60% off the regular price!!

We will also have our good-for-eating (or anything else you want to do with them) Golden Delicious for the regular price of $5/ 1 box, $8/ 2 boxes, or $10/3 boxes.

Asian and European Pears

We will bring up the last of our Shinko Asian pears and the first of our Korean Giants. These are my two favorite Asian pears, they’re beautiful and delicious this year, and there aren’t many of them, so come early.

I’ll have a very few of our “Henry’s Pear”, so called because I grafted it from Henry’s huge old tree. They are a little lumpy and need a few days to ripen fully, but are juicy and sweet when they are ripe.

More Hedge Apples!

A little history about the Osage Orange tree from whence the curious lime green hedge apples come. The Native Americans used the wood for making bows, which is why the French trappers called the tree Boise d’Arc. Early settlers did not like the tree since it had painful thorns, the wood was so hard that it could chip an ax blade, and it burned so hot that it could crack an iron wood stove. These trees were native to Texas and Arkansas and were imported to the plains states to use as a living hedge (hence the name “hedge” apple) back in the 1840s. In only 4 years, the thorny branches would grow into an impenetrable hedge that cattle and other livestock could not walk through. When full grown the hedge could be 40 feet wide and tall. When barbed wire was invented, the wood was used to make fence posts, which it was perfect for since it is so hard that it never rots. (Well, I’m sure it must rot eventually, but it takes a long, long time!) Recent research shows that elemol, a substance extracted from the fruit has the ability to repel mosquitoes.

We will have our 10 for $10 Special again this week, so stock up.

Frozen Aronia Berries and Frozen Applesauce with Aronia Berries

Most of you know by now that we had a disastrous end to our aronia season when birds ate over ¾ of our entire crop. Because of this, we were not able to make any aronia juice and we only have very limited amounts of frozen berries. I will bring some up to the market this week and some the following week. If you want some for your winter smoothies and morning oatmeal, stock up NOW!

I also will have some home-made applesauce with aronia berries added for a beautiful bright red color and lots of added anti-oxidants. No sugar added. Sweet and delicious!

HERBS

With our recent “Indian Summer” the herbs look and taste heavenly. At this time of year, it could all disappear with one frosty night, so enjoy them NOW!

I love roasted vegetables in the fall and it is fun to try different herb combinations. This recipe is good with any roast-able vegetable such as potatoes, carrots, onions, rutabaga, turnips, or sweet potatoes.

Roasted Parsnips with Mint and Sage

4 parsnips, peeled and cut into large sticks
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1. Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

2. Place the parsnips into a mixing bowl and toss with the olive oil. Sprinkle in the garlic, honey, salt, and black pepper to taste. Toss until evenly coated, and spread out evenly onto a baking sheet.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until the parsnips are tender, about 30 minutes. Scrape into a mixing bowl, and toss with the mint and sage.

STOCK UP TIME!

After this week, there are only three markets left in the season. Yikes, how time flies! So, this is the time when you need to check your cupboards and check your gift closet and start making a list of what you need. Here are all of our stockable items:

******Hand-Made Herb Teas******It’s time to get enough tea to last you through the long winter. Stock up your favorites as we do run out of some of the varieties. When I started making herb teas that very first year (10 years ago now!), it was only a way to use up the fresh herbs that didn’t sell at the market. Now, it’s something that people know me by, and I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to. We have found it difficult to keep up with demand this year, which, I guess, is a good problem to have. They make really nice gifts too.

Aronia Berry Tea-An anti-oxidant powerhouse, this tea contains dry aronia berries, orange peel, and hibiscus. It has a fruity, sweet flavor and a gorgeous red color.

Thai Spice Tea-A blend of cinnamon and Thai basils and a piece of cinnamon stick make a fragrant, invigorating, exotic hot drink.

Mint Tea-This is spearmint blended with peppermint and chocolate mint. Good hot or iced. A perennial favorite.

Chamomile Tea -Plain chamomile flowers. Tastes great iced or hot with a little lemon and sugar added if desired. Stress reliever and stomach soother.

Peter Rabbit’s Tea-A blend of chamomile, lemon balm, lemon thyme, and catnip. All four of these herbs have a calming effect, so this is a good bedtime tea. Also good for children.

Lemon Medley Tea-A blend of lemon grass and mint with a little sage and thyme thrown in for their aromatic qualities. One of my favorites.

******Dry Herbs******

All Herbs: $4 each

Basil

Oregano

Tarragon

Thyme

Parsley

Sage

Dill

******Jams******

Aronia Berry JamAronia berry jam contains the entire berry—skin, seeds, and pulp, all chopped up, so you get the maximum nutrition and fiber. The flavor is a combination of wild grape, apple, and cherry.

Apple Butter- Apple Butter contains our own apples, organic sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, and cinnamon, but no butter! It is sweet and tangy at the same time and really delicious. Try some Saturday!

******Red Barn Farm Soaps******

My sister, Jill, makes these soaps with her own organic goat milk, organic olive oil, and organic coconut oil, along with organic herbs, essential oils, and other special oils. The soaps are all very gentle, the scents are delicate, and the bars are long-lasting. To read more about Jill’s farm, where our father and grandfather were born and raised, go to www.redbarnfarmsoaps.com.

We have more than ten varieties to choose from, so come see and smell them all. Paired with one of Jill’s brochures, these are really nice gifts.

See you at the Evanston Market!

Autumn Turnips (of Purple, Red, and Gold), plus Apples, Pears, and HedgeApples

2011-10-06T23:48:39Z

FARM NOTES: I’m not sure where this week has gone, but it sure has (gone!) . . . and it’s been gorgeous. I walk out of the house and am surrounded by molten gold as the morning sun blasts through the locust, hickory, and sassafrass. Then it hits the scarlet maple and viburnum in a blaze of bugles so brilliant that I think I must be in a technicolor dream. But it's just October in Illinois -- just heaven on earth.

I have been younger in October
than in all the months of spring
walnut and may leaves the color
of shoulders at the end of summer
a month that has been to the mountain
and become light there
the long grass lies pointing uphill
even in death for a reason
that none of us knows
and the wren laughs in the early shade now
come again shining glance in your good time
naked air late morning
my love is for lightness
of touch foot feather
the day is yet one more yellow leaf
and without turning I kiss the light
by an old well on the last of the month
gathering wild rose hips
in the sun.
- W. S. Merwin, The Love of October

As those of you who made the pilgrimage to Henry’s Farm last week know, we couldn’t have ordered a better day for our Annual Farm Tour and Potluck. (Check out the photos on Henry’s Farm facebook page . . . and feel free to share your photos there, too.) Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed the beautiful sunny afternoon--and another special thanks to those who pitched in and helped us harvest and cover up the winter squash before the anticipated hard frost.

We did have a frost Saturday night, which killed the cucumbers and beans, so we bid those adieu for this season--but it merely singed the peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants, and you will see more of those as long as the weather stays warm. You’ll also see more and more Asian greens, and other cold-hardy salad and cooking greens this week – so enjoy!

FOOD NOTES: TURNIPS!

This week Henry is featuring 3 varieties of turnips: Golden (rich taste—great in soups), Purple Top (the classic turnip – good any way you like), and the beautiful Red Hidabeni Turnips. The first two will be just the roots, but Henry will keep the tops on the Red Hidabeni because they are beautiful and delicious (and you get two veggies for the price of one).

True to their name, the Hidabeni Turnips are red and the shape of a flattened globe. (“Hida” means “flat” in Japanese, and “beni” means a particular shade of red that comes from the pigment of the benibana (safflower), which has been painted inside sake cups and small plates since ancient times.) The Hidabeni are also large, which seems to scare some folks. But they are NOT tough or woody at all. In fact, they are so tender and mild that there is no need to peel them, and you can eat them raw in a salad as you would a radish. Or cut them up and marinate them in oil and rice wine vinegar for a refreshing and beautiful salad on their own. Each piece will have a beautiful, fairly thick red ring at the edge, and a white center—festive and delicious!

And, of course, turnips are good for you. They have about 1/3 the calories of a potato, and are an excellent source of Vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, manganese, pantothenic acid, and copper.

But still . . . the size issue has made the Hidabeni a tough sell at the market the past couple of years, and Henry is considering not putting them in his seed order this winter. So please try them this week, and if you like them, let Henry know . . . or else you won’t be seeing these beauties next year.

The golden turnips have a rich taste and are great with other roasted root vegetables, or in soups (see Italian Turnip Soup recipe below).

The purple top turnips are a classic – very popular throughout Europe, where they are baked, boiled, or sautéed – see recipe ideas below. I actually had a turnip pizza at Eataly in Turin last year . . . something like this:

Turnip-Mascarpone-Bacon Pizza

First, thinly slice the turnips, steam, drain, and toss in a small bowl with a bit of olive oil. Then fry bacon until crispy, and crumble into small pieces.

Brush olive oil lightly over a thin pizza dough, then liberally smear with roasted garlic cloves. Next, spread a layer of mascarpone cheese, and sprinkle on the crispy bacon. Then add the steamed turnip slices.

Bake pizza about 12 minutes at 475. The high temperature makes the turnip slices curl upward into beautiful white flowers with crunchy brown edges.

Stir Fried Red Turnips

4 turnips, peel on, cut into strips
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
seasoning of choice (chipotle powder, paprika, black pepper, sea salt)

Wash turnips. Slice and then cut slices into strips as for French Fries. Toss in olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and seasonings of choice. In a heavy skillet, pan sear and then gently stir fry over medium heat until the turnip is cooked through and soft. If you would like them crispy on the outside, just before removing from the pan, turn up the heat and brown.

Crispy Turnip Oven Fries with Parmesan

3 pounds turnips (any variety)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil and lightly grease.
Peel the turnips, and cut into French fry-sized sticks, about 1/3 by 4 inches. Place into a large bowl, and toss with the vegetable oil to coat. Place the Parmesan cheese, garlic salt, paprika, onion powder in a resealable plastic bag, and shake to mix. Place the oiled turnips into the bag, and shake until evenly coated with the spices. Spread out onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until the outside is crispy, and the inside is tender, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Carmelized Purple-TopTurnips

3 cups diced peeled turnips
1/4 cup water
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 tablespoon butter, or more as needed
2 tablespoons white sugar

Place the turnips into a skillet with the water and chicken bouillon cube over medium heat, and simmer until the water has evaporated and the turnips are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the butter, let melt, and sprinkle on the sugar. Gently cook and stir the turnips until the butter and sugar cook into a brown, sticky coating on the turnips, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Skillet Turnips and Potatoes with Bacon

from Lidia Bastianich

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces thick-cut bacon slices, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 large garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
1 1/2 pounds turnips, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 1/2 pounds white-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

Mix 1/4 cup water, vinegar, and sugar in small bowl. Combine oil and bacon in heavy large skillet; sauté over medium-high heat until fat is rendered, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Add turnips and potatoes; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sea salt and toss 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook until vegetables are almost tender, stirring and turning vegetables occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Push vegetables to 1 side of skillet. Pour vinegar mixture into cleared space. Toss vegetables with vinegar mixture. Spread vegetables in even layer in skillet; cook until golden and slightly crisp on bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn vegetables over; spread in even layer and cook until browned and slightly crisp on bottom, about 4 minutes. Continue to turn, spread, and cook vegetables until tender, golden, and crisp around edges, 7 to 8 minutes longer. Season with more sea salt and black pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with parsley.

Classic Turnip Greens

1 bunch fresh turnip greens
1 medium piece salt pork
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons bacon drippings, butter, or margarine
Pinch of sugar (optional)

Place greens in a saucepan and add the pork, water, and salt. Cook, covered, for 45 minutes over medium heat, or until tender. Remove the pork and pour the greens into a colander to drain. Place in a pan and chop scissor-like with two knives. If necessary, add more salt to taste. Keep hot and add the bacon drippings and a pinch of sugar.

Braised Turnip Greens with Turnips and Apples

2 pounds turnip greens or other braising greens torn into small pieces
1 (3/4-to 1-pound) ham hock, rinsed
3 1/2 cups water
3 tart-sweet apples
1 1/4 pounds turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Bring greens, ham hock, water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a large heavy pot. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until greens are almost tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel apples and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Add turnips and apples to greens with vinegar, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and cook at a bare simmer, covered, stirring and turning ham hock occasionally, until turnips and apples are tender but not falling apart, about 20 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in butter and salt to taste.

Remove ham hock and finely chop any tender meat, discarding skin, bone, and tough meat. Add chopped meat to pot.

Glazed Turnips With Scallions and Parsley

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
3 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch-thick wedges
21/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Melt butter in a wide 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, then add turnips, stirring until well coated. Add broth, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until turnips are just tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

Continue to boil turnips, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced enough to just glaze turnips, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with scallions and parsley.

Rice with Turnips Milanese Style - Riso con le Rape alla Milanese

"Here's a refined dish, that’s perfect for coddling our stomachs after a banquet or other event that has tried our digestions," writes Adriano De Carlo. "Indeed, if you have overdone things, rice with turnips is the best thing you can cook . . . It will restore you...."

1 pound turnips
3/4 cup short grained rice
5 cups beef or vegetable broth
1 clove garlic
A small bunch parsley
Freshly grated Parmigiano (about a cup)

Mince the parsley and the garlic. Bring the broth to a boil in a casserole. Shred the turnips into the broth, and then stir in the rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is just shy of being done, then add the parsley mixture and half the grated cheese. Serve with the rest of the grated cheese for those who would like a little more.

Italian Turnip Soup

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb turnips (Golden are great) peeled,and cut into ½ inch diced pieces.
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup long-grain rice (Arborio if you have it)
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
3/4cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Melt the butter and oil in a large saucepan until frothy. Toss in the turnips and sauté, tossing frequently, until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Pour in the broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook, covered, over medium heat for about 15 minutes (until rice is al dente). When ready to serve, stir in salt and pepper to taste, then parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Ladle into bowls and pass the extra Parmesan separately.

Teresa’s Fruit and Herb News

It’s Apple Season!

And pear season too. Today I had two apples as snacks during the day, a pear with my lunch and another couple of pears in my salad at supper. Take advantage of our bounty -- it won’t last forever!

Like last week, we will again have a lot of apples and pears for you this week, but the number of varieties are dwindling. We will have:

· our lemony-tart Turnbull Pears that are crunchy and hard like an Asian pear,

· the sweet and juicy “Mystery” Pears that many of you loved last week,

· and our wonderfully crunchy, sweet Shinko Asian Pears.

In the apple department, we have:

· the truly delicious Golden Delicious, a blend of mostly sweet with just the right amount of tartness, good for everything from eating out of hand to baking to sauce,

· the old-fashioned Red Delicious, not as visually stunning as the grocery store variety, but better tasting,

· and Cortland, getting a little past its prime, but excellent for making a pretty pink applesauce!

Look for our quantity discounts on our apples. The more you buy, the more you save! Stock up for making applesauce before we run out.

And It’s Hedge Apple Season!

The frost last week was not as damaging as it could have been, so the hedge apples are still going strong. We managed to find a lot of really nice pretty ones this week, so if you are buying them for decorations, this is the week to get some. My intern, Rebecca, is taking a whole crate home to use as part of her table decorations for her wedding party. Isn’t that neat? And, if you haven’t gotten your quota yet for bug control in your house, now is the time. Why? Because we will be having a 10 for $10 special!

Raspberries

The frost got a few more things last Saturday, but the raspberries was not one of them, so we have at least one more week of sweet red and gold raspberries.

Jams and Jellies You Won’t Find Anywhere Else!!

Come by and sample all of our preserves. Save on case specials for all of those holiday gifts.

Lemon Grass-Stock-Up Time!

The lemon grass was something that the frost would have gotten, so we harvested it all and will have the last of it this week. Lemon grass keeps for about 3 weeks in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. To freeze it, chop it in 1 to 2 inch lengths and freeze in a ziplock bag with all of the air squeezed out.

Eggplant Curry with Lemongrass and Coconut

3 large red chillies , deseeded and stalks removed, chopped

6 garlic cloves , roughly chopped

knob of fresh ginger , peeled and chopped

2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and chopped

2 tbsp ground turmeric

1 tsp chilli powder

2-3 eggplants (about 1lb 5oz), quartered lengthways, then halved

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sugar

6 shallots , finely chopped

1 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)

1 can coconut milk

1 can vegetable stock or water

small bunch coriander , roughly chopped, to serve

1. Using a food processor, pulse the chillies, garlic, ginger and lemongrass to a coarse paste. Set aside. Mix the turmeric and chilli powder together and rub it all over the eggplant wedges.

2. Heat the olive oil in frying pan, then brown the eggplant, remove from the pan and set aside. Cook the paste, sugar and shallots for a few mins, then return the eggplant to the pan. Add the fish sauce, coconut milk and stock or water, mix well, and bring the liquid to the boil. Reduce the heat and cook gently until the eggplant is tender, but not mushy, about 15 mins. Season to taste and sprinkle the coriander over the top. Serve hot with steamed rice or bread to mop up all the juices.

Teas, Soaps, and Dry Herbs-Great Gifts!

Stop by and see and smell all of our olfactory-pleasing products. It’s so much more fun to give or receive a gift that is useful and unique!

See you soon!

Killing Frost = LAST CHANCE for Summer Crops

2011-09-30T15:31:12Z

The killing frost originally forecast for Saturday night, is now forecast for tonight! So in addition to the usual huge Friday harvest, everyone is rushing around like mad today -- picking ALL of the tomatoes, ALL of the peppers, ALL of the cucumbers, summer squash, okra, beans, edamame, and shiso.

Speaking of the shiso, Henry says both the red and green shiso are now flowering, and the flowers are delicious -- in salads or any way you like to use shiso (search "shiso" in the Food & Farm Notes archives for recipe suggestions). Henry also says the flavors of the red and green shiso are quite different, so pick up a bunch of both -- last chance this season!

While the killing frost shuts a big door, it opens another. As in life, when one thing (summer crops) end, another thing (autumn greens) begins.

Henry says this will be the first week for the delicious Chinese (Napa) Cabbage, and Yu Choi (look for the slender stalks, elongated deep green leaves, and small yellow flowers). It's also the first week for the full complement of turnips -- Japanese (white), Golden, Red, and Purple-topped.

And finally, if you need more reasons to come down to the farm tomorrow . . . Cider-Pressing and MUSIC! As always, we will have the apple press set up for you and your family to throw our organic apples and pears into the grinder, and then press the ground up fruit and drink the fresh cider.

This year we are very excited to have two local bands -- so that you can enjoy alternating sets from Ten Feet Tall and Peter Adriel. all afternoon and into the evening.

There is also a very strong rumor that Chef Carlos Ysaguirre and his staff from Ante Prima and Acre will be coming down and doing something extraordinary with pork.

So make your favorite dish, and come share it with others in the fertile fields tucked into the Mackinaw River Valley--and get to know Henry's family and your fellow fans of Henry's Farm!

Any last minute questions? Call Terra's cell: 847-338-1861.

make apple cider

F&F Notes for Henry's Farm Market Friends

Last Market of 2011 THIS SAT

Clarifying Tomorrow! (Who/What/Where)

The Greens That Wouldn't Die (get them this Sat)

Thanks Giving Thanks SATURDAY MARKET

STOCK UP TOMORROW (*no winter markets*)

Last Evanston Market -- Savor the Bounty, Stock up on Gifts!

Sweet Potatoes, Celery, 50-head Braid of Garlic, Apple Butter, and home-grown, hand-made gifts!

Amazing Lettuce & Spinach; Gold Delicious Apples & Frozen Aronia; and a Nine-Pound Daikon!

Roseheart Radish, Rutabaga, and Apples for Sauce on Special!

Autumn Turnips (of Purple, Red, and Gold), plus Apples, Pears, and HedgeApples

Killing Frost = LAST CHANCE for Summer Crops

STOCK UP TOMORROW (no winter markets)