Author: Horton Road Organics

What’s in Box #16?

Rainbow Chard: Bright Lights variety.  As the temps cool down, our greens become more beautiful and sweeter. Chard is a pretty good keeper and you can use the stems too. . . they just take longer to cook.

Tomatoes: Early Girl variety. A low-acid slicer. These are dry-farmed in one of our greenhouses which makes the flavor more intense.

Spinach:  Spinach is a cooler weather staple for us. Cold and even frosty nights will make these leaves sweeter. Don’t be fooled by the size of the bag, the greens will shrink down quite a bit when you cook them.

Potatoes: Carola variety. A good all-purpose potato. Can be used in soups, salads and are also good roasted. These have thicker skins now, so no need to refrigerate. Just keep them somewhere dark, dry and cooler for best storage.

Broccolini: One of our treats for this time of year. If you find regular broccoli stems to be too tough, then broccolini will work well for you. The entire stalk is tender, so make sure to use the whole thing in your cooking. Great in a stir-fry or sauteed in some soy sauce or tamari.

Cilantro: Marino variety. This crop is doing well right now. Not a great keeper, so plan to use fairly quickly. Cilantro pesto is an excellent way to store this for the winter.

Sweet Onions: Candy variety. We have now harvested all of our onions from the field. These do not need to be kept in the fridge, but they are also not long-term keepers. You can keep them on your counter and just use them within a month or so. 

Gypsy Peppers: The first of the season! These are a very sweet, heirloom pepper. They are sweetest when they are dark red but can be eaten at any color. The orange ones taste great too, but they will continue to ripen, so no need to eat them right away.

 

Recipes:

Spinach and White Bean Soup

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a47292/spinach-and-white-bean-soup-recipe/

For those chilly nights of late summer/early fall, warm up with this cozy and hearty soup. This calls for in-season carrots, zucchini, and peas, so you can truly get a full taste of Oregon’s harvest. We make a lot of soups in the apprentice barn here as they are simple to make and can provide for an entire week – we will surely be having this! ~ Derek

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Broccolini Almond Pizza

I love pizza and brocolini so what’s better than combing the two? I love the idea of a good ‘ol pizza with the addition of a delicious summer vegetable to start my weekends off right. So open a bottle of wine pour yourself a glass, or crack open a beer and enjoy! ~ Heather

Ingredients:

– Any pizza dough you so desire
– 2/3 cups marinara sauce
– 2 cups low moisture mozzarella cheese
– ½ cup crumbled feta
– ½ lb. broccolini
– ¼ cup sliced almonds
– 1 tsp. Olive oil

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. To prep the broccolini for the pizza, cut off the tough bottoms, boil in hot water for about a minute, pat dry then toss in a small amount of olive oil. Cut any large pieces in half. Cover the dough with the sauce, sprinkle on the mozzarella and feta cheese then add the broccolini. Garnish with the almond slices and any other pizza toppings such as fresh basil or red pepper flakes. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese has slightly browned.

cookieandkate.com/2017/broccolini-almond-pizza-recipe/

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Veggie Samosas with Diced Potatoes

https://www.hotforfoodblog.com/recipes/2010/09/26/vegan-samosas?rq=samosas

These Veggie Samosas are made from scratch so you know they are going to be delicious. If you’re in a time crunch, make the dough ahead of time, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours! ~ Taylor

Looking back on my childhood, I would consider my younger self a “picky eater”.  I attribute this to the fact that my parents raised my sister and I on mostly canned vegetables.  Don’t get me wrong, canned vegetables definitely aren’t a bad thing, BUT when you’re young and you’re told you can’t leave the dinner table without finishing your sodium filled, mushy green beans, you come to despise these vegetables really quickly.  Now that I’m older, I’m appreciative of my parents for feeding me any vegetables at all.  Fortunately, my family now tends to stick with using fresh vegetables as much as possible, and I haven’t touched a can of green beans for a good 15 years.

When I learned that my sister, Kristin, was planning a visit to the farm, I was beyond excited to be able to introduce her to the veggies we grow here and, of course, have her taste them all.  We camped for the first part of her visit here to Oregon, so making meals on a camping stove with fresh vegetables from the farm was a perfect introduction to the goodness that awaited her at Horton Road Organics.  Once on the farm, I gave her a tour and encouraged her to try as many things straight from the ground as possible.  She was a great sport despite being overwhelmed by the beauty and wonderment as every first time visitor here on the farm is.

Photo taken by Kristin during her visit

Before leaving to head back home, Kristin was able to catch the action of our booth setup for the Tuesday farmers market.  She even jumped in to help put the veggie signs in the baskets and managed to peek at the other vendors’ setups.  Curious as to what she thought of her visit, I sent her off with the following questions for her to ponder on her flight back home.

Me:  What is your experience with farms/farming?

Kristin: I have very little personal experience with farming.  I grew up in southern Illinois which is a large farming community so I have some knowledge from growing up around it but my only experience comes from helping my grandpa at a young age in his garden of blackberries, tomatoes, and cucumbers and having a garden myself for the first time this year which includes bell peppers, onions, and kale.

Me: What is your definition of organic?

Kristin: Organic- grown having contact with ONLY substances pulled from nature itself.

Me: Having never been to Oregon, what is your first impression?

Kristin: My first impression of Oregon was the kindness and acceptance of its locals, the beautiful weather, abundance of trees, and the lack of chaos downtown that normally accompanies a city.

Me: Are there any vegetables growing on the farm that are new to you?

Kristin: Yes, there were several new veggies whether is was the vegetable itself or the specific variety the Horton Roads was growing.  Some of these included fennel, spicy salad greens, and red russian kale.

Me: What has been your favorite vegetable to eat during your visit?

Kristin: The basil or sweet corn that we ate raw which was new to me!

Me: What has surprised you most about Horton Road Organics?

Kristin: Being used to large, open, mile long fields of corn and soybeans back home, I was surprised with the intimate feel each bed had.  It was like each one was a secret garden.

Me: Did you learn anything new?

Kristin: Tons. I feel like I learned a little bit of everything from local climate to the extremely wide range of flavor and spice in salad greens!

Me: How was your overall experience here on the farm?

Kristin: My overall experience was enjoyable and peaceful.  I also had the pleasure of attending the Tuesday market that Horton Road Organics has a stand at in Eugene.  Their set up and display was by far the most attractive and enticing of the booths!

Taylor is loving her first experience in Oregon and first time working on an organic farm. Her favorite vegetable to harvest at Horton Road Organics is kale.

What’s in Box #15?

Salad Mix: More delicious greens for you this week. For best storage, keep greens in the fridge, in a plastic bag or other covered container, with just a little bit of moisture to prevent wilting.

Tomatoes: Early Girl variety. Surprisingly, this week will only be our 2nd pick of the season. A low-acid slicer. These are dry-farmed in one of our greenhouses which makes the flavor more intense.

Spinach:  As we approach Fall, these greens continue to get tastier with the cool nights. They are a good keeper and can added to so many dishes from soups to casseroles.

Radishes: Cheriette variety. Crunchy and delicious. The cooler weather will tame the fiery summer flavor.

Carrots: Merida variety. These sweet roots are excellent keepers. If stored in a plastic bag with a little moisture, they will last for months.

Celery: Tango variety. This crop can be hard to grow and needs quite a bit of water. For those who love celery, these stalks have a wonderful, strong flavor.

Gypsy Peppers: The first of the season! These are a very sweet, heirloom pepper. They are sweetest when they are dark red but can be eaten at any color. The orange ones taste great too, but they will continue to ripen, so no need to eat them right away.

 

Recipes:

Marinated Tomato Salad

Fresh and simple, this easy tomato salad is a wonderful addition to any meal. ~ Heather

Ingredients:

– 6 to 8 ripe Early Girl tomatoes
– 4 green onions
– 1 cup olive oil
– 3 to 4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
– 2 tbsp. brown sugar
– Salt and fresh ground pepper
– Chopped parsley leaves, about a handful
– 12 fresh basil leaves finely chopped

Cut the tomatoes into wedges then halve the wedges. Combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Pour over tomatoes and toss. Finally add the herbs and toss to combine refrigerate then serve.
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/marinated-tomato-salad-with-herbs-recipe-1925166

lickmyspoon.com/recipes/tomatoes-an-addiction-early-girl-tomato-sauce/

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Creole Sauce

Source: Salsas & Sauces (Gina Steer)

Makes about 3.5 cups

To turn this sauce into a southern gumbo soup, simply add rice and shrimp (or tofu). My favorite is gluten free imitation crab or lobster, which can be found at most Safeway stores. Adding cayenne for an extra kick is also highly recommended. –Reiden

Ingredients:
2 T sunflower oil
2 sweet peppers seeded and thinly sliced
1 onion thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 fresh jalapeno seeded and chopped
2 t coriander
2 t ground cumin
1 lb. ripe tomatoes peeled and chopped
1 ¼ cup vegetable stock
4 oz okra trimmed and chopped (1 T corn starch or guar gum can be added as a thickener if okra is unavailable)
1 T chopped cilantro
salt & pepper

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan, add the sweet peppers, onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Saute stirring frequently for 3 minutes. Add the ground coriander and cumin and saute, stirring frequently for an additional 3 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat the simmer, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes or until the sauce has reduced slightly.

Add the okra to the pan with salt and pepper to taste and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the fresh cilantro and salt and pepper as desired.

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Cream of Celery Soup

3 quarts chicken stock
3 pounds celery, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound carrots, julienned
1/2 pound onions, chopped
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
3 quarts hot milk
1 c. margarine

Pour the chicken stock into a large pot, and bring to a boil. Add the celery, carrots and onion to the pot.

Whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, and milk; add to the pot along with the margarine.

Boil for 10 minutes. Then, there are two options:

1. Strain out the vegetables by pouring through a sieve, or if the vegetables are large enough, a colander may be used. You can just eat the remaining creamy broth.
2. Use a blender (a stick blender works well) to blend all of the broth and veggies together. This will make a thicker soup.

One of the things I enjoy at farmers markets is the display of each stand. I love the colors of the ruby red radish mountains piled high next to beautifully bunched carrots. It’s fun to walk around to the different stands and see the fullness of variety and how everyone has their display baskets just overflowing with fruits and vegetables. If you’ve ever been to the tail end of a market, you know that even as the afternoon comes to a close, most farm stands still have much to offer us. So once the market closes and all the tents are down, what happens with that food? Do we bring it all back to the farm in hopes of selling it at the next market? Or do we cook up a gigantic dinner back at the barn and eat what we can, and then some more?

While it is nice to be able to bring food back to farm and continue to sell it, the truth is that this can only be down with very few things. The majority of the produce we sell at market is best eaten within the next few days. And while it is nice to have leftovers to share amongst our community here on the farm, sometimes we can make but a dent in the amount with our appetites alone. Most of the leftover produce then is donated. We work with a few organizations to provide them with a variety of produce as the market winds down, and they each distribute it in their own unique ways.

After Saturday market, we drive from downtown to the Eugene Mission in the Whitaker. The Mission has been in this location on 1^st Ave since 1967, and provides shelter to 350-400 people per night. Their goal is to provide holistic wellness to the homeless women, men, and children who enter and are accepted with open arms. Part of this wellness is to address the immediate needs of these folks with shelter and food. Much of the food that we deliver is served that night or the next day to the current residents. When I’m there, albeit just briefly, the environment is very open and caring. The folks we speak to who work in the kitchen are kind and loving. Many of them have been homeless themselves and are in turn compassionately serving others in similar situations. The Mission’s goal is to provide long-term solutions and empower its residents.

We also attend Tuesday market, which is downtown just catty-corner from our Saturday location. On this day, we work with the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. This is a group that includes many individual tribes that originally inhabited this land. The ancestors of the tribes spoke at least 11 different languages and had differing cultural practices from village to village. The organization now provides a number of services to this community of tribes. The food that is collected is distributed to low income tribal families within the county. They also supply their community with housing, education, childcare, employment assistance, vocational rehabilitation, elder services, and health care. They’re also very active in addressing recovery projects including environmental conservation and urban development.

On Thursdays, our third and final market of the week, we work with First Place Family Center, an organization here in Lane County that supports the needs of children and their families who are low income and either at risk of losing their housing or transitioning between housing due to job loss. The staff at the center support a holistic healing approach tailored to each family. This may include job searching assistance, GED classes, drug and alcohol treatment, locating affordable housing, money management, and other programs. They also have a Kids Early Childhood Program, located on Amazon Pkwy, that serves children experiencing homelessness in their early years. This is an environment provided for kids to have the freedom to play…a necessary ingredient in childhood development that can be missed when a child is afflicted by a trauma such as homelessness. This center also provides health services, a pre school, and links families to essential community resources.

While harvesting in the early morning in the field, I love thinking about all of the people who will be eating the food and reflecting on the powerful implications of community.

Welcome to September!  Today has been a cooler and breezy day on the farm.  For those of you who were able to travel during this Labor Day weekend, we hope you enjoyed your time away. We are picking the first of our slicing tomatoes this week. It is funny that they are called “Early Girls”!  We usually start harvesting them much earlier than this!!

What’s in Box #14?

Salad Mix: More delicious greens for you this week. For best storage, keep greens in the fridge, in a plastic bag or other covered container, with just a little bit of moisture to prevent wilting.

Tomatoes: Early Girl variety. The first ones of the season. A low-acid slicer. These are dry-farmed in one of our greenhouses which makes the flavor more intense.

Napa Cabbage:  A great time to make slaw or kimchi.

Sweet Onion: Candy variety. These are harvested fresh and have not yet been cured for storage. So, please keep them in the fridge for longer storage.

Potatoes: Nicola variety.It is still a great time for potato salad. These should keep well for a while too, so you could save them for soup when the fall weather arrives.

Fennel: Orion variety. Crunchy like celery with an anise flavor.  The bulb can be eaten raw or cooked. Flavor will lessen when cooked. The small feathery fronds can also be used as garnish/herb in many dishes. Excellent in slaws, salads and stir-frys.

Zucchini: Raven variety. Great sliced and grilled. Use in place of noodles as a hot or cold dish. These can also be used to make sweet pickles, if you are into preserving.

Recipes:

Tomato Sauce

When tomatoes are in abundance it’s difficult to find a way to eat them all. This is an easy way to use up your plethora of tomatoes in a delicious way. ~ Heather

Ingredients:
Yields enough to coat ½ pound pasta
– 1 quart of early girl tomatoes peeled
– 1 clove garlic minced
– 1 tbsp. sugar
– 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Sautee garlic, then add tomatoes, sugar, balsamic vinegar, and sugar into a large pot. Simmer until thick. Serve any way you please and enjoy!

lickmyspoon.com/recipes/tomatoes-an-addiction-early-girl-tomato-sauce/

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Sweet and Sour Napa Cabbage

Napa cabbage is certainly a pretty vegetable and can be shredded and added to a whole variety of dishes. However, this recipe lets your cabbage truly stand out and will make a great side dish for nearly any meal. ~ Laura

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-sour-roasted-napa-cabbage-wedges

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
1 teaspoon grated garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 head napa cabbage, cut lengthwise into quarters

1. Place a large roasting pan in oven. Preheat oven and pan to 450 degrees.
2. Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Coat cut sides of cabbage with cooking spray or olive oil. Place cabbage cut sides down on preheated pan; bake 6 min. Turn cabbage onto other cut side and bake an additional 6 minutes Remove pan from oven.
4. Heat broiler to high. Brush cabbage evenly with oil mixture; broil 3 minutes or until browned and caramelized.

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Roasted Fennel Pesto

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/08/roasted-fennel-almond-pesto-recipe.html

I absolutely love pesto and am a fan of any ingredient that can be used as a pesto base. Try this unique recipe and keep this pesto on hand for an addition to a dish, a spread, or as a dip. This recipe incorporates the whole fennel, which I think is cool to do in a single dish. ~ Derek