Big Red Farmstand, Wednesday November 20, 1pm to 5pm

Summertime visits to the farm...

Hello, friends --

We have arrived at the last Big Red Farmstand of the 2013 season, which will again take place just inside the doors of the Chapel, in recognition of the chilly weather.  There are exciting new veggies -- Brussels sprouts and a little bit of broccoli -- as well as plenty of lettuce, kale, and those extra-sweet, crunchy carrots.  We also have a contribution from another part of the farm this week: the first skeins of handspun yarn from our sheep!

Summertime veggies

We are enormously grateful to everyone who took home Big Red Farm produce this season.  We're honored to grow for you and and your families.  There are many, many people who helped to make our inaugural season as successful as it was, and I'd like to recognize some of them here, in no particular order.  Anna Hyson has been our stalwart, always-cheerful farmstand staffer and baby-minder, working every Wednesday afternoon this fall, as well as other times.  Dave Olsen keeps our 1953 Farmall Cub tractor in excellent working order, despite many setbacks.  Bill Flemer has done crucial work on numerous construction projects, including our chicken coops and hoophouses.  David Morrow serves as our general mechanical consultant, and heroically rescued the farm truck midseason.  Laura Schinagle, Will Flemer and Megan McInerney provided much-needed help with harvesting, weeding and fieldwork during the summer and fall.  Reuwai Hanewald and Jennifer Mayr integrated the farm into their classes, bringing students out to learn their science hands-on.  Vanessa Gieske turns our half-formed ideas into beautiful graphics, and makes sure that people out there in cyberspace know what's going on at the farm.  Our heartfelt thanks go out to each of these folks -- we couldn't do it without you!

Farm baby surveys broccoli plants on a warm fall day
photo by Megan McInerney

Thanks also to everyone who responded to our survey.  We really value your feedback as we plan for next season.  If you haven't had a chance to take the survey yet, you can do so here.  Also, don't forget that next week, in lieu of opening the stand, we will be taking pre-orders for Thanksgiving.  We'll send out an order form in the next couple of days (once we're sure of what's available); get your orders in by 9:00pm on Monday, 11/25, and pick-up will be Wednesday, 11/27, at the Chapel between 10:00am and noon.


ON THE FARM: DELICIOUS ROOSTERS AVAILABLE!

Fall is the traditional season on the farm for culling extra animals in order to prepare for the long lean winter months. On the Big Red Farm, that means it's time for our extra roosters to go to their just reward.  We have about 20 still available, so please drop us a line if you would like a cleaned, plucked, oven-ready bird.

The roosters can be roasted whole, but are probably best suited to braised dishes, such as coq au vin, chicken and dumplings, or chicken pot pie -- unbeatable winter comfort foods. They also make really, really excellent stock. We will post some cooking suggestions and tips on breaking down a whole bird on the farm blog (bigredfarmproject.blogspot.com). The price will be $2 per lb.

Here's how to get your rooster:

• Send us an email at bigredfarm@lawrenceville.org by 9:00 pm on Friday, 11/22, and tell us how many birds you'd like. 
• Come to the farm between 2:00 and 4:00 pm on Saturday, 11/23, to pay for and take away your bird(s).

So, we hope you'll consider a locally raised, heritage breed, free range, humanely slaughtered rooster for one of your winter meals. In the age of the supermarket chicken, this is a worthwhile opportunity to enjoy the real thing.

HANDSPUN YARN FROM OUR VERY OWN SHEEP

As a lifelong knitter from a long line of knitters and handworkers, I've always wanted sheep.  I learned to spin as teenager, and since then it's just been a matter of waiting until I had the space to graze them.  Now, we're pleased to announce that the sheep are starting to pull their weight: the first few skeins of yarn will be available for sale this week! 

The yarn we'll have on Wednesday comes from two of our sheep; the black-brown wool is from Edgar, a Finnsheep, and the light fawn wool comes from Arlo, a Shetland.  The price for the yarn is $7.50 per 100-yard skein.  I'll be doing lots of spinning this winter (seven sheep means seven fleeces!), so drop a line if you'd like to be notified when more yarn is ready during the coming months.

RECIPE:

Brussels sprouts somehow acquired a reputation for being That Vegetable that nobody likes to eat, and admittedly, when they're bad, they're bad.  When they're good, however, they're very, very good.  Sprouts are especially sweet after a good frost, which we've now had.  This is our favorite way to prepare them.  (Balsamic Braised Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta)




AT THE FARMSTAND:

This week, we hope to have the following available on Wednesday, in the foyer of Edith Chapel, from 1pm to 5pm:

• Arugula Salad Mix - $2.50 bag, limited quantity
• Beets - $2.50 lb
• Broccoli - $3.00 lb, limited quantity
• Brussels Sprouts - $2.50 pint
• Carrots - $2.50 lb
• Kale - $2.50 bunch
• Lettuce - $2.50 head

HOW TO FIND US:

The Big Red Farmstand will be located on the Lawrenceville School campus for the fall, at Edith Chapel.  Enter campus by the main gate on Route 206 (opposite the Lawrenceville Post Office and Craven Lane) and bear right into the circle.  The Chapel is about halfway around the circle, and you'll see our sign.  Don't forget your shopping bags!

Balsamic Braised Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

Brussels sprouts, especially when harvested after a frost and prepared with care, have a sweet, complex flavor, ill-deserving of their reputation as everyone's least-favorite vegetable.  This recipe may well convert those whose past experiences with sprouts have been negative; it is a Morrow family Thanksgiving staple.


BALSAMIC BRAISED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH PANCETTA
from www.smittenkitchen.com

Serves 6 to 8 as a side

1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus an extra glug or two for drizzling
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds medium-sized Brussels sprouts, washed and trimmed
Salt and pepper
6 ounces pancetta in small dice (1 1/2 cups)
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups veal stock, rich chicken or vegetable broth, more if needed
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix bread crumbs and thyme with a couple glugs of olive oil, and spread on a cookie sheet. Toast, tossing frequently, until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

Heat butter and remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until foamy. Add brussels sprouts, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sauté, tossing frequently, until lightly browned, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add diced pancetta, and sauté, tossing frequently, until sprouts are well browned and softened slightly, and pancetta is crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes more. Reduce heat, add shallots and garlic, and sauté until fragrant, 2 minutes.

Increase heat to high, add balsamic vinegar and stock, and cook, tossing frequently, until sprouts are glazed and tender, about 20 minutes; add more stock if needed. Taste, adjusting seasoning if necessary, and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Transfer to a warm serving bowl and scatter bread crumbs on top.

Big Red Farmstand, Wednesday November 13, 1pm to 5pm

Sheep stay toasty warm, get their backs scratched,
and snack on delicious beet tops

Hello, friends --

It seems to me that we just started with fall, and now winter is coming!  In recognition of the cold weather, we'll be giving ourselves a treat and setting up the farmstand in the front foyer of the chapel this week, rather than outside under the oak tree.

Tuesday morning brought snow flurries, and Tuesday afternoon brought our first really cold day harvesting for the farmstand.  Fortunately, we had some extra help from a couple of football players who, their season over, came along to give our regular farm crew a hand (thanks, Phil and Gareth!).  We also took our harvested greens over to Irwin dining hall to wash, which made all the difference.  The coldest job on the farm is washing produce in the late fall; after submerging our hands in cold water on a cold day for a couple of hours, it's hard to remember why we ever thought this farming caper was a good idea.  Now, an indoor washing area with warm water, and being able to feel our hands in November?  That's luxury!  Many thanks to our friends at Sustainable Fare for opening their kitchen to us as we approach the end of our season.

Yes, that's right -- only two more farmstands this year!  Our last regular farmstand will be next Wednesday, November 20th.  The following week, the week of Thanksgiving, we will have veggies available on a by-order-only basis.  See below for details.

One further piece of housekeeping: Later this week, you'll be receiving a short online survey asking various questions about your experience as a Big Red Farm customer (or not) during the 2013 season.  We'd really love to hear from you, even if you didn't make it to the stand this year (Were we open on an inconvenient day or at an inconvenient time?  Prices too high?  Nothing you liked?  Baby insufficiently cute?  Let us know).  We hope you'll take a couple of minutes to complete the survey; we'll be using your feedback to plan for next season, so please tell us what you think!


THANKSGIVING PRE-ORDERS:

The Big Red Farmstand will not be open for regular hours on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, but never fear!  If you're going to be in town and would like some fresh local veggies for your Thanksgiving table, you can pre-order from the farm.  We'll pack your order, and you can pick it up on Wednesday morning, November 27th.  Watch for our order form, which we'll send out next week once we have a better idea of what will be available.  Thanksgiving pre-orders must be placed by 9pm on Monday, November 25th.


ON THE FARM:

Lining up and pounding in
the ground stakes

As the work of cultivation, weeding and harvesting slows down, we're able to get back to some important infrastructure projects that were on hold during the summer and fall.  We have started the assembly of our second hoophouse, or unheated greenhouse, which will (we hope) provide housing for our laying hens during the winter.  The hoophouse, which will be covered in plastic, will provide more protection from wind and cold temperatures than their summertime run.  Once they're in the hoophouse, the hens will still have access to an outdoor run, which will be covered in bird netting to keep hawks at bay.

Hoops up!

Incidentally, access to the outdoors, along with cage-free indoor housing, is required for eggs to be sold as "free range."  This designation is one of many, some murkier than others, that you'll see on egg cartons.  "Cage free" means the hens aren't confined in the now-notorious battery cages, but probably don't have access to the outdoors.  "Free range" hens do have outdoor space, in theory, but that access can be as little as one tiny door to a tiny outdoor run, off of a building that houses thousands of chickens.  "Pastured" eggs are laid by hens who spend most or all of their time outdoors, often living in mobile shelters and ranging freely over large areas of pasture.  We had hoped that our hens would be pastured, but with the pressure we've experienced from hawks, we've had to settle for free range.

Brandon with the chickens
in their summer quarters

In my opinion, it's ideal to have the option of a personal relationship with your farmers, and a firsthand knowledge of the methods we use to grow or produce the food we are selling to you.  Most of you have been to the farm, and have seen for yourselves that our hens' access to their outdoor run is anything but theoretical!  And if our young hens ever start laying (we're checking the nest boxes every day!), you can rest assured that the eggs you're getting truly come from "free range" hens.


RECIPE:

I know I already did this, earlier in the season, but here I go again, with apologies to Alfred, Lord Tennyson: in the late fall, a young man's fancy (or anyone's fancy, really) lightly turns to thoughts of soup.  Hot soup, with lots of chunky ingredients, simmering on the stove, then served in a big bowl with a big spoon and some good bread alongside.  Nothing could be better, especially if you've been outside for awhile, doing something strenuous!  (Lentil Soup with Sausage, Kale and Garlic)


AT THE FARMSTAND:

This week, we hope to have the following available on Wednesday, in the foyer of Edith Chapel, from 1pm to 5pm:

• Beets - $2.50 lb
• Carrots - $2.50 lb
• Celery - $2.00 each
• Kale - $2.50 bunch
• Lettuce - $2.50 head

HOW TO FIND US:

The Big Red Farmstand will be located on the Lawrenceville School campus for the fall, at Edith Chapel.  Enter campus by the main gate on Route 206 (opposite the Lawrenceville Post Office and Craven Lane) and bear right into the circle.  The Chapel is about halfway around the circle, and you'll see our sign.  Don't forget your shopping bags!

Lentil Soup with Sausage, Kale and Garlic

Here is a perfect, hearty soup for a cold day.  It is gluten free; it can easily be rendered vegetarian by omitting the sausage, and vegan by omitting the sausage and Romano cheese.  Chard or another green, such as escarole, could also be substituted for the kale.  A big pot of this soup, simmering on the stove, made our apartment smell amazing, and the sizzling garlic oil drizzled on at the end makes for a dramatic finish!


LENTIL SOUP WITH SAUSAGE, KALE AND GARLIC
from www.smittenkitchen.com

Serves 6

1/2 cup olive oil, divided
2 large links of sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced or diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into half-moons or diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced (reserve half for later in recipe)
Kosher salt
A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup brown lentils, sorted and rinsed
2 bay leaves
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
6 cups water
Freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 cups shredded or thinly ribboned kale leaves
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese to finish

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil (enough to coat bottom of pot) in a large pot on medium heat. When hot, add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it starts to brown, about five minutes. Add the onion, celery, carrots, first two garlic cloves, a pinch of salt, and if you like your soup spicy, a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook with the sausage until the vegetables soften a bit, another 5 minutes. Add the lentils, bay leaves, tomatoes, water (6 cups is, conveniently, a little less than 2 empty 28-ounce cans, so you can get any tomato pulp you missed), more salt and black pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. (It might be necessary to add more water if the soup gets too thick, though we preferred ours on the thick side.)

When the lentils are cooked, add the chard and cook until the leaves are tender, just a few minutes more. Discard the bay leaves.

To finish, divide soup among bowls, then add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 garlic cloves to a small skillet and heat over medium until the garlic softens and hisses. Drizzle this over soup bowls, and top with fresh Romano, passing more at the table. Leftovers will keep for several days in the fridge.

Big Red Farmstand, Wednesday November 6, 1pm to 5pm

Hello, friends --

Happy November!  This week finds an even-more-abbreviated selection of fall crops on the farmstand table, though let me assure you, they are all of the very highest quality, and that's what counts, right?  We are already thinking ahead to next year, and how much better the season's going to be, the fall especially!  We will be in touch in the coming weeks with a brief survey.  Among other things, we're interested to know what veggies you'd like to see at the farmstand next year, so you all can mull that over in your minds in the meantime.

Apaar and Jake washing beets.
photo by Sue Anne Morrow

For now, though, I want to tell you that the carrots we harvested on Tuesday are without a doubt the sweetest, crispest carrots I've ever tasted.  The farmers, farm crew, and farm baby all munched (or gnawed, according to dental situation) on carrots all afternoon.  We're also excited because, in addition to being delicious, the carrots and beets this week were cleaned using our unique pedal-powered root-washer!  See below for details.


ON THE FARM:

Carrots about to be washed.
The hose connects to a pipe running
the length of the barrel, with holes
drilled in it for water to spray out.

On two farms where we worked in the past, we used a barrel root-washer powered by a small electric motor to clean root vegetables like carrots, beets, potatoes, turnips, and parsnips. These washers are manufactured by a farmer in upstate New York, who builds them during the winter to supplement his farm income, and they are not cheap. However, the time saved by cleaning root veggies mechanically, as opposed to scrubbing them clean individually, by hand, is considerable, and we went back and forth for awhile about whether or not we ought to invest in a root-washer when we were setting up the Big Red Farm operation.

Beets coming out clean!

Then, one evening as Jake was looking at small farm videos on YouTube (everyone does this, right?  No?  Just us?  OK), he came across a video of a barrel root-washer turned by a stationary exercise bike.  Now we're talking, he thought, and we watched the video fifty or sixty times until Jake said, "OK, we can build that."

Last spring, two students built our bicycle-powered root-vegetable washer as their project for Mr. Kosoff's Sustainability Seminar.  They collaborated with Jake on the design and execution, but did much of the construction themselves, in our wood shop at the farm.  They made several changes from the design we'd seen on YouTube, notably using a mountain bike mounted on a trainer rather than an exercise bike.  We all thought it was pretty cool, but we weren't able to test it before the folks who built it graduated and moved on to other things, so we spent the summer wondering if it would actually work.  Well, we finally got a chance to find out on Tuesday, and, though there are a few minor adjustments to make still, it definitely works!  Below is a video of the farm crew running some carrots through the machine.

RECIPES:

Our friend and colleague Lorry Perry served this delicious cake at a party she threw earlier this fall, using Big Red Farm beets.  I know, I know, beets in a cake?  But stay with me here: beets contribute sweetness and moisture to the finished product, as well as complementing dark chocolate beautifully.  And friends, I've tasted this cake, and it doesn't taste any more like beets than carrot cake tastes like carrots.  It has a terrific texture, and if you like chocolate, this is an essential cake for your repertoire.  (Chocolate Beet Cake with Creme Fraiche)

And, just to reassure everyone that we haven't fallen off the kale bandwagon just yet, here is our family's most-frequently-appearing kale salad to add to the list.  (Kale Salad with Cherries and Pecans)


AT THE FARMSTAND:

This week, we hope to have the following available on Wednesday, in front of Edith Chapel, from 1pm to 5pm:

• Beets - $2.50 lb
• Carrots - $2.50 lb
• Celery - $2.00 each
• Garlic - $1.50 each (very limited quantity, last of the season)
• Kale - $2.50 bunch
• Romaine Lettuce - $2.50 head
• Red Leaf Lettuce - $2.00 head

HOW TO FIND US:

The Big Red Farmstand will be located on the Lawrenceville School campus for the fall, in front of Edith Chapel.  Enter campus by the main gate on Route 206 (opposite the Lawrenceville Post Office and Craven Lane) and bear right into the circle.  The Chapel is about halfway around the circle, and you'll see our sign.  Don't forget your shopping bags!

Chocolate Beet Cake with Creme Fraiche

When selecting recipes to feature on this blog and to recommend to you all, I try to confine myself to recipes that I've made myself or that come recommended from other cooks that I know and trust.  This cake falls into the latter category.  Some months ago, our colleague and friend Lorry Perry gave a party.  If you know Lorry, and her cooking, you know that she doesn't mess around, and that she is fearless when it comes to unusual combinations.  This cake intrigued her, and she used Big Red Farm beets and eggs to make it.  We were fortunate enough to be invited to the party where it was served, and it was delicious!  I urge you to try it out for your next cake-requiring occasion, even if you're not a beet person; it really works.

From Nigel Slater's introduction to this recipe: "The beets are subtle here, some might say elusive, but... they blend perfectly with dark chocolate.  This is a seductive cake, deeply moist and tempting.  The serving suggestion of creme fraiche is not just a nod to the sour cream so close to beets' Eastern European heart, it is an important part of the cake."  Many thanks to Lorry for trying out this recipe!


AN EXTREMELY MOIST CHOCOLATE-BEET CAKE WITH CREME FRAICHE AND POPPY SEEDS
from Tender by Nigel Slater

enough for 8 as a dessert

beets - 8 oz.
fine dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) - 7 oz.
hot espresso - 4 Tablespoons
butter - 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons
all-purpose flour - 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons
baking powder - a heaping teaspoon
good-quality cocoa powder - 3 Tablespoons
eggs - 5
superfine sugar* - scant 1 cup
creme fraiche and poppy seeds, to serve

Lightly butter an 8-inch springform cake pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the beets, whole and unpeeled, in boiling unsalted water.  Depending on their size, they will be tender when pierced with the tip of a knife within thirty to forty minutes.  Young ones may take slightly less.  Drain them, let them cool under running water, then peel them, slice off their stem and root, and process in a blender or food processor until a coarse puree.

Melt the chocolate, broken into small pieces, in a small bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Don't stir.

When the chocolate looks almost melted, pour the hot espresso over it and stir once.  Cut the butter into small pieces -- the smaller the better -- and add to the melted chocolate.  Push the butter down under the surface of the chocolate with a spoon (as best you can) and let soften.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and cocoa.  Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a large mixing bowl.  Stir the yolks together.

Now, working quickly but gently, remove the bowl of chocolate from the heat and stir until the butter has melted into the chocolate.  Let sit for a few minutes, then stir in the egg yolks.  Do this quickly, mixing firmly and evenly so the eggs blend into the mixture.  Fold in the beets.  Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold in the sugar.  Firmly but gently, fold the beaten egg whites and sugar into the chocolate mixture.  A large metal spoon is what you want here; work in a deep, figure-eight movement but take care not to overmix.  Lastly, fold in the flour and cocoa.

Transfer quickly to the prepared cake pan and put in the oven, decreasing the heat immediately to 325 degrees.  Bake for 40 minutes.  The rim of the cake will feel spongy, the inner part should still wobble a little when the pan is gently shaken.

Set the cake aside to cool (it will sink a tad in the center), loosening it around the edges with a thin icing spatula after half an hour or so.  It is not a good idea to remove the cake from its pan until it is completely cold.  Serve in thick slices, with creme fraiche and poppy seeds.

*Note: superfine sugar can be approximated by taking regular granulated sugar and running it through the food processor for a bit.  Here are some instructions.

Kale Salad with Cherries and Pecans

Here is another kale salad!  This one sees heavy rotation on our winter dinner table.  Deb Perelman describes it as a means of getting over her raw-kale skepticism ("I thought the world would be a better place if we could all stop pretending that kale tastes good"), and I can attest that it worked the same way for me.

The dried fruit and nuts are interchangeable; we've tried cranberries, apricots, walnuts, sliced almonds, etc (then of course you'd have to call it Kale Salad with Cranberries and Walnuts, or whatever, but I think we're big enough we can move beyond that setback, right?).  You can also use any of the three types of kale we're growing at the farm, though the recipe calls for the Tuscan, or Dinosaur variety.  All are acceptable.  The important point here is the vinaigrette dressing, which, when you toss it with the kale and let it stand for a bit, almost "cooks" the kale with its acidity.  This does an awful lot to alleviate any toughness or bitterness from the greens, which is what most of us didn't like about raw kale in the first place.


KALE SALAD WITH CHERRIES AND PECANS
from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman

serves 4

salad:
1/2 cup pecans
8 oz. Tuscan kale
4 oz. radishes (about 4 medium-large)
1/2 cup dried cherries
2 oz. soft goat cheese, chilled

dressing:
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

assembly:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and spread the pecans on a tray.  Toast them for 5 to 10 minutes*, tossing them once or twice to make sure they toast evenly.  Remove them from the oven, and set them aside to cool.

Wash your kale and let it dry on spread-out kitchen or paper towels.  Then, with a knife, remove the rib from each stalk, leaving long strips of kale leaves.  Stack the leaves in small batches, roll them tightly the long way, and cut the roll crosswise into thin ribbons.  Add the kale ribbons to a large salad bowl.

*Note: if you're using sliced almonds, this will only take a couple of minutes, and remember to toss them!  Sliced almonds want to burn and require watching.