Green tomatoes, greens, the environment and more

Hello, This will be my final entry on the Sprout Blog for the 2007 season.

I'd like to mention the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition's great cookbook "From Asparagus to Zucchini." You can reach them at MACSAC 608-226-0300 to get the price for the current edition.

Today, bloggers all over the blogosphere are focusing on the topic of the environment. We at Sprout CSA and Victory Farms of Hanover have been participating in a direct way this season to impact our environment positively. Let us continue to be aware consumers and live lightly on this earth.
Bon apetite, m i m (green tomatoe image by Corruptkitten via flickr.com)

Here are some recipes contributed by Donna Rominiecki, Thanks Donna!

All these years I've been loving beets but throwing the beet greens away. Yikes! No more. This is a delicious way to serve greens, whether collard, kale, or beet.
1 pound beet greens
1 strip of thick cut bacon, chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup of water
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/6 cup of cider vinegar
Wash the greens in a sink filled with cold water. Drain greens and wash a second time. Drain greens and remove any heavy stems. Tear leaves into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
In a 3 qt saucepan, cook bacon until lightly browned. Add onions, cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occassionally, until onions soften and start to brown. Stir in garlic. Add water to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any particles from bottom of pan. Stir in sugar and red pepper. Continue cooking until mixture boils. Add greens, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes (up to 30 minutes for kale or collard greens). Stir in vinegar. (For kale or collard greens continue cooking additional 20 to 25 minutes or until desired tenderness.)
Serves 4.

Crunchy Fried green tomatoes with fresh tomato salsa

2 pounds green (unripe) tomatoes (about 4 medium)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
5 cups cornflakes (about 6 ounces)
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Accompaniment:
Fresh tomato salsa (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut twelve 1/2-inch thick slices from tomatoes. In a shallow bowl whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and cayenne. In another shallow bowl whisk together egg and milk. In a third shallow bowl coarsely crush cornflakes with hands.
Working with 1 tomato slice at a time, dredge in flour, shaking off excess, and dip in egg, letting excess drip off. Coat slices with cornflakes, pressing them to adhere, and arrange slices in one layer on a baking sheet.
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat until foam subsides and fry 3 tomato slices until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. (Be careful not to let cornflakes burn.) Transfer tomatoes to paper towels to drain. Fry remaining tomato slices in remaining butter and oil in same manner. On another baking sheet arrange drained tomato slices in one layer. Bake tomatoes in middle of oven until tender and hot, about 4 minutes.
Serve tomatoes topped with salsa.

FRESH TOMATO SALSA
2 pounds vine-ripened red and/or orange tomatoes (about 5 medium)
2 fresh serrano or jalapeno chiles
1/4 medium onion (preferably white)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Quarter and seed tomatoes. Cut tomatoes into 1/4-inch dice and transfer to a bowl. Wearing rubber gloves, seed and finely chop chiles. Finely chop enough onion to measure 1/4 cup and chop cilantro. Stir chiles, onion, cilantro, and garlic into tomatoes with sugar and lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Salsa may be made 1 hour ahead and kept at cool temperature. Yield: 2 1/2 cups

Fried Green Tomato Stack with Kentucky Tomme on a Fresh Tomato Concasse, Topped with Baby Arugula, Garnished with Nasturtium Flowers

Tomato Concasse:
4 large tomatoes, ripe (suggest one Black Russian, one Green Zebra, one Lemon Boy, and 1 red Better Boy – if available)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Fried Green Tomatoes:
4 large green tomatoes
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup stone-ground white cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup bacon fat
1/4 pound Kentucky Tomme (This cheese is a firm, highly flavored goat cheese from Judy Shad's Capriole Farm in southern Indiana. Can substitute with Swiss gruyere.)
Micro-Greens, for garnish

Tomato Concasse:
Blanch tomatoes briefly in boiling water to loosen the skins, then peel, seed and
juice them. Dice the tomato flesh. Add chives, salt, and white pepper.
Fried Green Tomatoes:
Tomatoes that are showing a little pink coloration amid the green, as they just begin to turn red, are thought to have the best flavor. Slice them, skin on, so that you have 3 (1/4-inch) slices from each. Sprinkle the slices with a mixture of kosher salt, sugar, and black pepper.
For the coating, mix together the best stone-ground white cornmeal you can find (Weisenberger Mills cornmeal is excellent), and flour. Dip the seasoned tomato slices in the cornmeal mixture.
Film a heavy skillet (in Kentucky, a black cast iron skillet is favored) with a generous amount of bacon fat. (Have more bacon fat ready to add to the skillet if the tomatoes absorb too much. If you've dietary qualms about this, use half bacon fat and half canola oil. For the saute, any kind of fat or oil will do, but the bacon clearly gives the best and most authentic taste.) Heat the oil until fairly hot, but not quite smoking. Fry the
coated tomatoes approximately 2 to 3 minutes on each side, being sure not to crowd the skillet. Drain the slices on paper towels, and keep warm in a very low oven.
To assemble:
Slice cheese into very thin slices.
Make sure the fried green tomatoes are still very warm (you may want to slightly increase the oven temperature at the last minute to make sure). On each of 4 warmed plates, spoon out a thin layer of the tomato concasse in a circle that will extend beyond the tomato stack. Place a tomato slice on each plate, and cover (overlapping just a bit) with the thin cheese slices; place another tomato slice on each, and repeat the cheese placement; top each with the remaining slices. Do this as quickly as you can so that the cheese melts just slightly (you may place the plates briefly back in the oven to do this, but guard against the tomato crusts becoming soggy).
When ready to serve, top each stack with micro-greens (we like baby arugula for this extra taste treat), and garnish the plates with nasturtium flowers, adding the piquant taste of watercress to the dish. (If you don't have nasturtium flowers, you might dot the plate with droplets of reduced balsamic vinegar.) Serve at once.


Saute of Shrimp over Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Remoulade Sauce

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped sweet onions
1/2 cup chopped green onions (green and white parts)
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
3 tablespoons Creole or whole-grain mustard
3 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
3 tablespoons ketchup
3/4 cup vegetable oil, plus 1 cup, for frying
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds peeled and deveined medium shrimp
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons Essence, recipe follows
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup minced onions
1/2 cup small-diced green pepper
24 slices fresh green tomatoes, 1/4-inch thick each (about 6 large green tomatoes)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons chopped green onions, green part only, for garnish
Combine the lemon juice, sweet onions, green onions, celery, horseradish, mustards, and ketchup in the bowl of a food processor. Process on high for 30 seconds. With the machine running slowly drizzle 3/4 cup of the vegetable oil into the food processor until well incorporated and slightly thickened. Add the parsley, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the cayenne pepper. Pulse to combine. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. (The remoulade will keep for several days in the refrigerator.)
Place the shrimp in a medium bowl and season with 2 teaspoons of the Essence and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers. Saute for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and continue to saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remoulade sauce, bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook for 1 minute. Cover and keep warm over low heat.
Season the tomatoes with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Place the 1 cup of the flour in a small bowl with the cornstarch and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. In a third bowl, combine the remaining 2/3 cup flour, the cornmeal, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of Essence. Dredge each slice of tomato in the flour mixture. Dip each slice in the egg wash, letting the excess drip off. Finally, dredge each slice in the cornmeal mixture, coating completely.
Heat 1/2 cup of oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. When the oil is hot, pan-fry the tomatoes, in batches, until golden and crispy on both sides, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of oil to the saute pan as needed, preheating the oil before frying the tomatoes. Remove the browned tomatoes and drain on paper towels. Season lightly with salt, to taste.
To serve, lay 3 tomatoes in the center of each plate. Spoon 1/4 of the warm sauce over each plate of tomatoes. Garnish with green onions and serve immediately.
Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
Yield: 2/3 cup
Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William and Morrow, 1993.

At the farm

I wish I'd been more on duty with photographing to show all the good stuff mentioned in the farm report. For those who couldn't make it, you can see a bit of the farm, the food table early on , later it was FILLED with good food, and one of the yummy desserts. Who ever made the squash cake, we need that recipe! I wish I had photos of all the attendees. Did anyone take crowd shots? Pass them along.

Farm Report – October 2007

The picnic at the farm on Sunday was a great way to celebrate the first year of Victory Farms in Virginia. I estimated the size of the group that participated at around 75. The food was great, and while it was a bit warm, shade and breeze made it quite pleasant. There were games for the kids, several farm tours by Charlie, and “door prizes” that included cloth bags handmade by Mim, discounts on next year’s shares and a load of Charlie’s prized compost.

During the farm tour Charlie highlighted some of the features of the ¾ acre array of raised beds, including:
the deer fence that got put up when he spotted a small herd across the field when he first arrived;
the huge compost pile fed by manure from the horses raised on the farm plus plants that had done their task;
the food prep area that included an insulated room kept quite cool with a small AC unit, tables and a sink and a clothes washing machine that they use like a giant salad spinner to spin water from the greens secured in linen bags;
the beehive that was purchased early last spring when he noticed a disturbing lack of pollinators;
the 50+ raised beds, 100 ft. long and 3 ft wide, with irrigation tubing hooked up to a deep well;
the tank system that feeds sea kelp and other nutrients to the plants by injection into the irrigation water;
the plastic sheeting and straw & bark chip mulch used to minimize weeds and loss of moisture;
the frame for the greenhouse where the seedlings are started in late winter.

He also took us row by row explaining what was growing, and what had been there earlier in the year. After a month without rain, it was amazing how healthy the plants looked, and apparently, the wells are holding up fine. He described how some plants were good “companions”, e.g. basil and tomatoes, and how he used the thinnings from some rows to start bigger plants in another row. And he described some of the challenges of the first year in a new environment – weather, primarily. He noted that two workers were able to manage the farm work fairly well, the importance of having the food preparation area close to the field where everything is grown, and the critical role of the compost that allowed planting with much tighter spacing than normal.

Charlie also gave some hints about next year. He plans to extend the rows from 100 to 150 feet, to cut two “aisles” through the field, which would separate the field into four quadrants – thereby shortening the distance to carry produce to a cart from the field. He hopes to increase membership in the CSA to 150 members. I’m sure we will be getting details on how to signup in the next month or so.

John Gallini, SPROUT Member and CORE Volunteer

turnip cakes again

At the potluck picnic last Sunday at Victory Farms, I told a few of the Sprout members that I'd post the link to the turnip cakes process photos and recipe that I was posting on my friend's blog. The recipe is on this blog in the archives but you can also see it at The World According to Muffin Face.
I'll post a few farm photos soon and hopefully some of you who took more photos will end them along to Chris to post them, too. It was a terrifc event.Thanks to the Collins family for providing us with such a great time.

Turnips

Here's a recipe from Andrea Westcot


Maple-Glazed Turnips and Sweet-Sour Turnip Greens

1 bunch turnips - turnips quartered, and greens sliced into 1/2 inch
ribbons
1/2 T butter 2 T maple syrup 2 T water 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar Salt
&
pepper

In a nonstick skillet, melt the butter.  Add turnips, season with salt
and
pepper, and saute until lightly browned.  Add water and maple syrup,
and
cook at a heavy simmer until the water evaporates, and the turnips are
glazed.  Remove the turnips to a plate.

In the same pan, over medium-high heat, add the turnip greens, the
vinegar,
and a dash of salt and pepper.  Saute till wilted.  Serve with the
turnips.

Yum.
(image by Mim)