Wood Duck Farm

February 12th, 2012  

Well our website developers say that our online shopping cart is "homegrown," so like our produce, everything is not blemish free. Well in the spirit of being homegrown, a lot of you became our Beta testers, aka Ginnie pigs, last week when we debuted our online shopping service. While we had a few "hick-ups," the good news is that we learned from the experience and are confident that future offerings will be more successful.  We'll be in touch with the thirty four or so of you that placed orders about pick up details.      

With Valentines Day fast approaching, the thought of using some of those beets you have been receiving over the past two weeks comes up. So Borscht of course! While traditionally made using a beef based stock, we thought that a vegetarian recipe, found from the NY times, might be interesting for some of you. Basically this recipe uses mushrooms to add richness rather than beef. Meat Lover? Not to worry as we have a link to a decadent Beef based Borscht below.     

  
Photo by Andrew Scrivani for The New York Time    

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 cup)

1 bunch beets (4 medium or 3 large) with greens, the beets peeled and diced, the greens stemmed, washed and coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 pound turnips, peeled and diced

1/2 pound carrots, peeled and diced

2 cups shredded cabbage

A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf, 10 parsley stems, 6 black peppercorns and 3 allspice berries

Freshly ground pepper

2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 cup thickened nonfat plain yogurt

1. Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and pour on 1 quart boiling water. Let sit 30 minutes, then strain through a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a bowl. Squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer to extract any remaining flavorful liquid. Rinse the mushrooms thoroughly in several changes of water, and chop.

2. While the mushrooms are soaking, combine the beets, garlic and 5 cups of water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add a teaspoon of salt and the sugar. Reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Stir in the vinegar. Strain and set aside the broth.

3. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until just tender, three to five minutes. Add the turnips, carrots, cabbage, diced beets, the chopped dried mushrooms, the mushroom stock and 2 cups water. Add the bouquet garni and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 40 minutes. Add the chopped beet greens, and simmer another 10 minutes. Stir in the cooking water from the beets. Stir together, add the lemon juice, taste and adjust seasonings. Remove the bouquet garni, heat the soup through, stir in the parsley and serve, garnishing each bowl with a generous spoonful of thickened yogurt.

Yield: Serves six to eight

Advance preparation: You can cook the beets a day or two ahead. Keep them in the refrigerator in the broth. You can make the complete soup a few days ahead; it gets better overnight. Don't add the parsley until serving.

Looking for a Beef Based Version of Borscht? Try Emeril's recipe at this link Beef Based Borscht Recipe  

What about those Turnips?  Consider adding your turnips to a medley of roasted winer vegetables. You can add the fennel as well. Wish to view a brief instrutional video? Visit this link  How to Roast Winter Veggies   

TESTED RECIPES FROM CSA MEMBERS BELOW.

From Angela:   "Absolutely the best beet recipe ever. I also add a bit of garlic. Have made it with olive oil but butter is better."   

 Creamy Fennel and Greens Soup   by Kay Chun  

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 pound mixed dark leafy greens such as collard and beet, coarse stems and center ribs discarded and leaves chopped
• 6 cups water
• 3 cups baby spinach (2 ounces)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• Garnish: fennel fronds or chopped dill

to read more visit http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Creamy-Fennel-and-Greens-Soup-358114