Henry’s CSA

Food & Farm Notes

Week 25 – November 13, 2007

 

In Your Share This Week:

Daikon

Japanese Turnips

Green Peppers from the greenhouse

Choice of: Pumpkin or Winter Squash

Choice of: Two different cold-hardy Chois

Choice of: Rose-Heart Radish or Black Radish

 

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FARM NOTES: reading the weather

 

It should come as no surprise that everything Henry wrote about last week came to pass. After 13 (or is it 14?) years of growing vegetables on the fertile bottomland of the Mackinaw Valley, Henry can read the weather, and its effects on vegetable roots and leaves, as clearly as you’re reading this.

 

So this week, you’ll see some of the hardy chois that made it through the cold nights last week, as well as some of the roots harvested before the deep freeze, and the last of the green peppers, harvested from under the protection of the greenhouse.

 

I’m going to leave the Farm Notes at that, as it is late, and I’m just back from a very full week in Mexico. The official reason was an International Slow Food Congress in Puebla, but many of the highlights for me took place during our pre-conference travels to small towns in Veracruz state, particularly to a citrus and vanilla farm near the small town of Gutierrez-Zamora. The owner, Norma Gaya, is the 5^th generation of a family that immigrated to Mexico from the Piemonte region in Italy. She is now working with 500 small farmers to teach them organic methods so that her company’s vanilla products can be certified organic. She is also certifying her grapefruit and orange groves, something quite rare in Mexico, and has opened a San Antonio office so that her vanilla products (beans, extract, and a vanilla liqueur) will soon be available in the U.S. Any vanilla aficionados who want more information, please send me an email.

 

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Sign up for Next Year’s CSA NOW!

 

This is the next-to-last CSA for 2007, and so, as Henry explained in last week’s notes, now is the time to lock in this year’s price, and ensure that you will not be wait-listed for next year’s CSA. If you bring a check with you tomorrow, you’re guaranteed to be a member next year, and you pay $364 instead of $390.

So, please return your sign-up form with your check if you are rejoining, and use the back of your sign-up form to make any comments and ideas on how Henry can make the CSA even better next year.

 

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Food NOTES: winter radishes & Japanese Turnips

 

It insults radishes, the most ancient of appetizers,

to chop them up and bury them in a salad.

—British food writer Jane Grigson

 

This week, we’ll give you various ways to compliment, not insult, the venerable radish. The crunchy roots you’ll be getting this week are perfect in a salad all by themselves . . . or lightly sautéed, or cooked in soups, stir-fries, and main dishes.

Winter Radishes

Botanically, all radishes are members of the vast Crucifer family. As a practical matter, radishes can be grouped into two general categories, those that are smaller, grow quickly and are generally eaten raw (often called spring radishes), and the winter radishes, which require a longer growing season, are much larger, store well, and are frequently cooked.

The “winter” radishes are the original radishes, valued not only for their taste, but for the fact that they kept well all winter long. Winter radishes include the large white Daikon, the turnip-shaped Rose-heart radish, and the Black radish. Feel free to substitute any type in the following recipes, and even add in some mild Japanese turnips as well.

 

Winter Radish Salad

1 lb of any winter radishes and/or Japanese turnips

2/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup wine vinegar

salt to taste

1.      Peel the radish. Slice finely (or cut into small cubes). Dress with oil, vinegar and salt.

2.      Let sit 15 minutes or more before serving.

 

Rose-Heart Radishes are a revelation and an inspiration to any cook who ever wanted to be an artist. From a distance they look like medium sized turnips. Upon closer inspection, you see that the white exterior has moss-green shoulders and a touch of pink near the root. Slice one open and stand back! The deep fuschia interior is breathtaking. The next step is to slice another lengthwise (assuming the first was crosswise). The two slices will each have that brilliant interior, but each has its own stunning pattern. After this, let your creativity take you where it will.

Rose-heart radishes are also called Misato or Xin Li Mei. According to Joy Larkcom, they are eaten as a fruit in northern China, and they are wonderful unadorned, with the interior being sweeter and the portion near the skin hotter. When cooked, they become sweet and delicious. They are also excellent chunked into soups and stews or may be roasted with other winter roots.

 

Rose-Heart Radish Salad

2-3 large radishes, peeled and sliced paper thin

1/4 cup coarse salt

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1/2 cup wine vinegar

1/2 onion, peeled and thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

 

1.                  Place radish slices in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Cover with a heavy plate and refrigerate overnight.

2.                  Drain off all the liquid and wash in cold water in a colander. The slices will be transparent and tender.

3.                  Prepare a dressing by combining the oil, wine vinegar, onion, salt and pepper, and pour over the radishes. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

Black Radishes are black on the outside and pure white within. There is no need to peel them. The crisp white flesh highlights the black skin when sliced, leading to all sorts of fanciful monochromatic creations. Just grab a sharp paring knife or a vegetable peeler and carve or slice strips, stripes, and curlicues.

 

The black radish is almost as strong as horseradish. It is popular in much of Asia and Europe. In certain eastern European Jewish communities, I am told, they make a delicious radish preserves called Eingemachts with grated radish cooked in honey or sugar and flavored with ginger.

 

Black radishes are good stir-fried or in soups. Raw, they can be salted to tame their bite. The following dish also mellows the bite of the radish. It is a variation on a traditional creamed kohlrabi dish from Hungary.

 

Creamed Black Radishes

1 pound small black radishes

1 quart water

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tb butter

1 Tb flour

1tsp sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup milk

salt, pepper, and/or fresh-grated nutmeg to taste

 

1.      Peel the radishes (leave a few strips of black if you like) and then quarter them.

2.      Put the salt and water in a saucepan and add the radishes. Boil until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid, and set the radishes aside.

3.      Heat butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook over low heat until golden, about 2 minutes.

4.      In another saucepan, heat up 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, sugar, cream, and milk. Add to the flour mixture and whisk until boiling. Simmer 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5.      Place cooked radishes in the cream and simmer another 2 minutes. Season as desired.

 

 

Daikon have a medium bite when raw, but are very mellow when cooked. The name (dai = large or great; kon = root) reveals that this is a large radish—but the more radish, the more you can do with it. Raw daikon can be grated, slivered, diced, or sliced to add its crunch and zip to relishes and salads. For salads, thin-sliced daikon is especially good with carrot and sesame (seeds and/or oil). Stir-fried daikon slices, strips, or cubes are turnipy-sweet. Chunks of daikon boiled briefly in miso or another broth make a mild and delicious soup.

Sautéed Daikon or Japanese Turnips

1 pound daikon (or Japanese turnips)

1-2 Tb butter or canola or peanut oil

Dash of salt and/or sugar

2 Tb minced parsley, chives, or dill

 

1.      Scrub the daikon. There is no need to peel it if it is fresh. Slice into 1/8 inch slices – either whole circles, half-circles, or on the diagonal.

2.      Heat a wok or heavy pan and add the oil. When oil is hot, add the daikon and stir-fry a minute or two. Add the sugar and salt to taste. Continue to stir-fry over medium-high until radishes are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, toss with herbs, and serve.

 

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