What a difference a week makes! Close to nine inches of rain watered the farm since Thursday. This means that we are set for moisture for the rest of the season. The few months of rain that we didn't receive was all wrapped into one event totaling three million four hundred twenty thousand gallons of water spread across this farm, if you like numbers. The fall crops are coming on strong thanks to the rain.
Farm Potluck this Saturday, Oct 9, 5 pm to 9 pm : Music, Food, Fun
We are so pleased to have "Grandma Shake," Lancaster's own bluegrass band, playing at the farm Saturday night. Join us starting at 5 pm for family fun with face painting and pumpkin decorating. Bring your favorite hot or cold dish to share and we will dig in somewhere around 5:30 pm. Grandma Shake will be jamming from 6 pm to 8 pm, and we will close out the evening around the campfire with a marshmallow nightcap. Dress for the weather, (which looks very agreeable,) bring chairs, flashlights and come enjoy a very special fall evening here with all your friends at the farm!
Serving Suggestions for the Harvest:
Some of the fall crops may be somewhat new to you--here are some suggestions for using
Pumpkins: their flesh and seeds are edible when you are done decorating with them.
Squash: these are great keepers--an easy way to prepare is roast them whole in the oven to soften them so you don't have to hack at them wildly with a sharp instrument, then prepare as desired.
Arugula: this piquant green adds zing to salads or sandwiches.
Cilantro: this is excellent in a sandwich, Asian or Spanish cuisine, with black beans, etc.
Radish: slice thinly, eat on buttered bread, or with a salad, make refrigerator pickles
Beets: great roasted with olive oil and sea salt.
Mizuna: this Japanese mustard green adds complexity to your salad or sandwich.
Turnip: the "Hakurei" variety is a salad turnip--eat it raw--mild and sweet compared to purple type.
It works! Irrigation Improvement (for next year)
Spicy Radish Relish
(Here's a recipe for radish refrigerator pickles. Adjust based on the size and amount of radishes that you have.)
So here's the recipe I created based on my radish relish research--mine is unlike most that I found in that it has no sugar, lots of ginger and garlic, and all good-for-you ingredients:
Makes about 1 1/2 quarts
- 20 medium-sized radishes
- 1-3 inches fresh ginger root
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp whole mustard seeds
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- A few grinds of fresh pepper
- 4 Tbs honey
Radishes shredded and on their way to becoming relish.
- Wash and shred radishes – either with a hand grater or in the food processor – and put them in a bowl. Grind some pepper onto the radishes.
- Grate ginger finely and press garlic with a garlic press.
- In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, ginger, garlic, mustard seeds, and honey; bring to a boil.
- Pour the hot liquid over the radishes. Cover and refrigerate. Let the flavors mingle and mellow at least overnight before using.
You could vary this recipe by adding onions and some finely chopped celery if you had some on hand and were so inclined.
After smelling and tasting this stuff, I can't imagine a better condiment for cold season. The pungent, spicy smell and taste seem like they would be the perfect little something on your plate when you have a cold or are coming down with one. The spicy radishes and mustard are great for clearing the sinuses, and the ginger and garlic are classic tonic herbs for winter. Add to that some immune-boosting local honey, and the healing power of apple cider vinegar, and you have another great tonic food - a kitchen concoction that is both delicious and good for what ails you.
The finished relish ready to marinate in the fridge
from: http://milkingweeds.blogspot.com/2008/11/spicy-radish-relish-further-adventures.html
Enjoy the fall harvest and cooler weather!
Scott
Scott Breneman
Farm Manager
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