cabbage

Midsummer Farm CSA  

Weekly Newsletter:  

Share Pick Up #14

 

 Well, I have finally decided to harvest the leeks - they are nice and plump - I just came in from harvesting them on this cloudy peaceful morning and they are beauties!

Leeks are one of those vegetables that take a long time and a lot of attention throughout the growing season. To get nice mild white flavor on the bottom sections, they need to be planted in trenches and blanched by piling compost up the shanks. They also need nice even watering that drains away quickly. Some years it just doesn't work but this year worked out beautifully. I haven't tried one yet for flavor - but I suspect they'll be very yummy. In celebration, we've got a chicken stock cooking up right now and we'll be making Dill and Leek Soup later today (I'll be sure to add bunches of dill to the CSA baskets as well this week!)

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RECIPE: Dill and Leek Soup
Ingredients:
6 cups chicken stock
2 large bunches fresh dill, chopped
1 large bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 bulb garlic, cloves skinned
2 large leeks
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.    Heat chicken broth
2.    Saut� leeks, and whole garlic cloves in olive oil until soft.
3.    Let leeks and garlic cool a bit, then put leeks, garlic, chopped dill, parsley, salt and pepper into a food processor and process until smooth.
4.    Add green mixture to broth, heat until hot, and serve.

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And here's how I make chicken stock, in case you need it or want to give it a try

RECIPE: Chicken Stock
1 whole chicken [NOTE: the chickens you buy in most stores these days are very quickly grown and don't make a very flavorful stock.  At certain farms you can buy soup fowl, which are basically older chickens, and they make a great soup.  To get more flavor from the regular chickens, you can roast the chicken first, remove most of the meat and then use the bones for your stock. This makes a very flavorful soup, and gives you flavorful meat to either eat as a regular roast chicken meal, or to save and put back into the soup you make from the stock.]  Also note - you can use any poultry!
3-4 stalks of celery - can include leaves
3-4 carrots - broken up - washed, but leave skins on
2 onions - chopped, but with the skins if possible
Garlic cloves - to taste
Black pepper
Sprinkling of sea salt
Bay leaf
Handful of parsley sprigs or dried parsley
Thyme sprigs or dried thyme
*You can add additional garlic, or dried mushrooms, cayenne pepper, astragalus root slices, oregano, fennel seeds, springs of other fresh herbs like lovage, borage, chives, tarragon, etc.  You can be pretty creative with a chicken stock.

Place all ingredients in a stock pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil, partially cover, and then let simmer for 3-5 hours. During the course of simmering, stir and break up carcass and vegetables with wooden spoon; skim off any impurities / foam; keep an eye on the water level and add a cup or two if necessary. Don't let the broth boil vigorously for a long time - keep it at a simmer (if you boil it too long, broth loses subtlety of flavor and becomes cloudy. Strain while still quite hot, then refrigerate. Before using, scoop fat off top.
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And of course, the most popular traditional way to use leeks is in a Potato Leek Soup - see recipe below ...  

  

I really wanted to have potatoes in the baskets this week, but they are just still too small... but leeks do freeze very well. I usually cut off the green tops about 3 inches into the green from where the white stops. (The green part on really fresh heirloom variety leeks tends to be much more tender and flavorful than the leathery green on the leeks in the stores, so I like to retain as much of the green as possible. I find that the flavors of the two parts meld very well together too.) To freeze, I usually slice the leeks down the center lengthwise in half - so you can fully clean out the layers of any soil that had gotten splashed up inside from rain and watering. Then I put the halves into ziplock bags in the freezer - they keep for years!  

RECIPE:  My favorite Potato and Leek Soup Recipe by Emeril Lagasse -
This is delicious & quick!  
 
Ingredients:
1 large or 2 small leeks, about 1 pound ( I usually add an extra leek)
2 bay leaves (or more)
20 black peppercorns (I usually grind the pepper as I love black pepper flavor and I don't care if there
       are little black pepper flakes in my soup! Besides, the peppercorns will not stay in the leek leaves!)
4 sprigs fresh thyme (or you can use dried)
2 tablespoons butter
2 strips bacon, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
5 cups chicken stock
1 to 1 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, diced (I slice the potatoes for soups meant to be pureed, as this
       lets them cook faster, for soups like minestrone, I cube the potatoes so they hold they shape though
       the long cooking time).
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream ( the soup is fine without this actually especially in the
        summer. It is a nice treat to add the cream in the winter though.)
2 tablespoons snipped chives (or chervil or parsley is lovely to snip over the bowls too)


Directions:
1) Trim the green portions of the leek and, using 2 of the largest and longest leaves, make a bouquet garni by folding the 2 leaves around the bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme. Tie into a package-shaped bundle with kitchen twine and set aside. (Alternately, tie 2 leek leaves, bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme together in a piece of cheesecloth.)
2) Using a sharp knife, halve the white part of the leek lengthwise and rinse well under cold running water to rid the leek of any sand. Slice thinly crosswise and set aside.
3) In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter and add the bacon. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is very soft and has rendered most of its fat. Add the chopped leeks and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the reserved bouquet garni, chicken stock, potatoes, salt and white pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are falling apart and the soup is very flavorful.
4) Remove the bouquet garni and, working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender. (Alternately, if you own an immersion blender, puree the soup directly in the pot.) Stir in the cr�me fraich� and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve immediately, with some of the snipped chives sprinkled over the top of each bowl of soup.
 
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Enjoy and thanks,

  

Barbara and Mark  
Midsummer Farm
 

 

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Midsummer Farm Contact Info:
Barbara and Mark Laino
Midsummer Farm
156 East Ridge Road
Warwick, NY 10990
845-986-9699
[email protected]

Holistic Health Counseling Contact Info:
Barbara Taylor-Laino
Barbara Taylor Health
156 East Ridge Road
Warwick, NY 10990
845-986-9699
[email protected]

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