this week's
HARVEST
1 quart Strawberries
Another week of these beauties... ($5 each)
1 bunch Kohlrabi (3 pc.)
Kohlrabi is not a root vegetable like carrots or beets. The bulb is actually a fat part of the stem, and grows above ground. Both the bulb and the greens can be eaten. The simplest, and my favorite way to eat kohlrabi is raw: Simply peel off the purple skin, cut into slices or sticks for dipping, or into thinner slices or matchsticks for tossing into salads. But kohlrabi can also be cooked. Prepare as above and add to stir-frys for crispness like water chestnuts. Alternatively, kohlrabi can be boiled and mashed like or along with potatoes, or baked in gratins. ($2.25)
1 head Cabbage
Cabbage is part of the Cruciferae family (like kale and broccoli) and is one of the healthiest foods you can eat! Known for its cancer protection properties, cabbage should be a part of your daily diet! See our note on cabbage and cancer prevention following this week's recipes. ($2-3)
1 bunch Walla Walla Onions
A delicious, sweet onion from the Walla Walla Valley in Washington state. ($2.25)
1 bunch White Salad Turnips
Delicious sliced up like an apple and eaten raw. Matthew also likes to put them in soups where they add a nice sweet flavor. The tops are my personal favorite- steam lightly and top with a drizzle of high quality olive oil! ($2)
on the
HORIZON
These are the crops that you can look forward to finding in next week's box...
Carrots
Shelling Peas
Lettuce
Zucchini (possibly)
Onions
June 28th & 29th, 2005 ~ Issue #5
HAPPENINGS news & musings from the fields
NOFA Inspection
The Golden Earthworm Farm is Certified Organic by NOFA-NY and this past Thursday we had our annual inspection to renew our certification. Although tedious at times, the inspection process is necessary to verify that the information submitted on our application is in fact correct, and to show that we are following through on our plans.
By nurturing the soil by the use of composts, cover crops, minerals and natural fertilizers, we create a healthy foundation for plants to grow. Diseases and pests are controlled through the use of crop rotations, resistant varieties, cultivation and biological and botanical pest controls. The use of synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides are prohibited in certified organic production, ensuring a cleaner environment and healthier, better tasting food for us all to enjoy!
DO YOUR PART!
We hope you are doing your part to eliminate harmful chemicals and pesticides from in and around your own home. Need more information? We recommend contacting the following organizations:
Grassroots Environmental Education
Information on all types of environmental health issues, including pesticides, children and breast cancer.
516-883-0887
www.grassrootsinfo.org
Long Island Neighborhood Network
Web-site listing of local Organic landscapers.
www.longislandnn.org
RECIPES from the farm & from our friends
KOHLRABI AND APPLE SALAD WITH CREAMY MUSTARD DRESSING
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon coarse-grained mustard
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 bunches kohlrabi (about 2 pounds), bulbs peeled and cut into julienne strips, stems discarded, and the leaves reserved for another use
1 Granny Smith apple
In a bowl whisk the cream until it holds soft peaks and whisk in the lemon juice, the mustard, the parsley, the sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the kohlrabi strips and the apple, peeled, cored, and diced, and combine the salad well.
A GOOD BASIC COLESLAW
1 medium head cabbage, shredded
1 large onion, diced
1 cup grated carrots
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup white sugar
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dry mustard
black pepper to taste
In a large bowl, combine cabbage, onion, carrots, and celery. Sprinkle with 1 cup sugar, and mix well. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, oil, salt, dry mustard, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Pour hot dressing over cabbage mixture, and mix well.
STRAWBERRY TOPPING
A special recipe from one of our members...
1 1/2 to 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
Place the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes, or until mixture is smooth, clear and syrupy. Remove from heat and add the strawberries. Let stand for 30 minutes, then gently stir to break up some -but not all- of the berries. Chill and serve within 24 hours. Makes about 2 cups. Heaven over vanilla ice cream!
LAUREL'S CHILLED STRAWBERRY SOUP
2 cups strawberries, washed and hulled
1 cup plain yogurt
7/8 cup confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup claret wine (dry red wine or juice)
Wash and hull strawberries. Mush them up in a blender. Add plain yogurt and sugar and blend briefly. Add water and wine. Simmer over LOW heat stirring constantly about 20 minutes. DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL. Chill and serve cold, garnished with a mint leaf.
GRILLED AND ROASTED WALLA WALLA SWEET ONIONS
WITH PINE NUT BUTTER
4 medium Walla Walla Sweet Onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
3 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
lemon wedges and rosemary sprigs for garnish
Toast the pine nuts in a 350 degree oven for 6 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool. Caution: pine nuts burn easily. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and fire up an outdoor grill. Peel onions and cut them in half, top to bottom. Brush onions with oil and place cut side down on the preheated grill. Barbecue until grill marks form. Place on a cookie sheet and finish cooking in the oven until tender, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the pine nut butter. Place the 1/2 cup pine nuts in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until finely ground. Add butter, lemon zest, rosemary, black pepper and salt. Process until mixture is well blended. Spread the tender onions liberally with pine nut butter. Return to the oven to cook just until butter is melted, about 2 minutes.
Serve onions warm, sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese and additional toasted pine nuts. Garnish plates with lemon wedges and rosemary sprigs.
This recipe is from Tom Douglas of The Dahlia Lounge in Seattle.
A NOTE ON CABBAGE and Breast Cancer Protection
Much research has focused on the beneficial phytochemicals in cabbage, particularly its indole-3-carbinole (I3C), sulforaphane, and indoles. These two compounds help activate and stabilize the body's antioxidant and detoxification mechanisms that dismantle and eliminate cancer-producing substances. I3C has been shown to improve estrogen detoxification and to reduce the incidence of breast cancer. In one small human study, researchers found that after I3C was given for 7 days, the rate at which estrogen was broken down through the liver's detoxification pathway increased nearly 50%. In addition, recent research is showing that it's not only how much estrogen a woman has that puts her at risk for breast cancer, but how her estrogen is metabolized. The route of estrogen metabolism via 2OH (2-hydroxylation), 4OH or 16OH pathways determines how active and possibly mutagenic a woman's estrogen actually is. I3C has been shown to promote the formation of the most benign estrogen metabolite, the 2OH form.
A recent case control study published in the journal Cancer Research confirmed that women who eat more Brassica family vegetables have a much lower risk of breast cancer. In this study of 337 women in Shanghai, China (where Brassica vegetables such as Chinese cabbage are frequently consumed), the women’s urinary levels of isothiocyanates (a type of beneficial compound found in Brassica vegetables) directly correlated with their breast cancer risk. Those women with the highest isothicyanate levels (i.e., those women consuming the most Brassica vegetables) had a 45% lower risk for breast cancer compared to those with the lowest levels of isothiocyanates.
This significant protective effect is not all that surprising considering that the isothiocyanates provided by Brassica vegetables, such as cabbage, are capable of numerous breast cancer-inhibiting actions including:
• inducing the production of Phase II enzymes in the liver, which bind to potential carcinogens and remove them from the body
• inducing apoptosis, the self-destruct sequence the body uses to eliminate old or cancerous cells
• beneficially affecting the way in which steroid hormones, including estrogen, are metabolized and the way in which the estrogen receptors on cells respond to the hormone
• and preventing excessive cellular proliferation.
Source: The World's Healthiest Foods, The George Mateljan Foundation