On Thursday we made Sauerkraut and Kimchi using cabbage from Powisset and Vanguarden CSA (Chris Yoder, you rock!). Thanks to Audra Karp, Powisset Farm CSA member and fermentation expert, these delicacies were demystified and explored in all of their glory.
Here are a few of the secrets we uncovered:
- Salt is KEY
Regular old salt with nothing added is great and Audra prefers sea salt.
Use one heaping teaspoon per pound of vegetables.
Let the salt do the work for you of breaking down the vegetables; you don't need to constantly massage or stir the cabbage and vegetable mixtures.
- NO SPECIAL EQUIPMENT NECESSARY
I thought fermentation required a special kind of crock. Much to my surprise and relief, Sauerkraut and Kimchi can be made and stored in any clean glass jar with a lid!
We mixed all of the the Sauerkraut and Kimchi ingredients together in a bowl and added the salt. Once the salt worked to pull the water out of the vegetables we stuffed all the ingredients into glass jars, pressing everything down until the vegetables were covered in their own liquid.
I have three jars sitting on my counter and I'm eager to share my creations! Happy fermenting!
On Sunday we brought the day's unseasonably warm weather into the Farm Kitchen and created four delicious, warming, winter soups. Thanks to my current culinary crush, Peter Berley, for these amazing soup recipes:
- Carrot Leek
I wouldn't have thought to pair these vegetables in a soup and the natural sweetness of the combination really struck me. Using an immersion blender to finish the soup creates not only a smooth, creamy texture, but also speeds up the process of merging the flavors. I could eat this soup every day. Yum!!! - Borscht
Served warm, this recipe brings across the simplicity and richness of beet flavor and color. - Rutabaga with Sizzling Spice Oil
In my experience, Rutabaga is one of the unsung root vegetables (along with parsnip, turnip and radish) of the world. By combining sauteed onions, garlic and freshly ground caraway seeds this recipe unlocked the rutabaga's deep flavor and sweetness. Again, the immersion blender joined all of this tasty goodness together to create a rockin' winter treat. Three cheers for the Rutabaga!!! - Winter Minestrone with Parsley Pesto
True to Minestrone form, this is one of those "meal-in-a-pot" soups. Complete with vegetables, beans and pasta this soup has it all...and then some! Topped with an easy to make parsley pesto, this soup only got better. Thankfully, unlike basil, our usual go-to for pesto, parsley is still in season; this hearty herb can withstand a lot of cold. This pesto is a great addition not only to the other soups we made, but also to so many other dishes. In fact, the pesto was so good that there's already a pesto making workshop in the hopper for next year! Stay tuned!
It's so fitting to have an overflowing kitchen on the week before Thanksgiving. Together we harvested, washed, peeled, chopped, diced, salted, sauteed, boiled, blended, served, tasted and delighted. Workshop participants tried foods they'd never eaten before (rutabaga, celeriac (a.k.a. celery root) and pesto) and particularly enjoyed sharing time with others in the Farm Kitchen.
May we all be blessed with abundance on this Thanksgiving and the ability to take a moment to recognize and give thanks for all that we have.
I look forward to seeing you in the Farm Kitchen!
Rachel & The Powisset Farm Crew
Join Powisset Cooks! for our Upcoming Workshops:
Sunday, December 7 | 3-5PM
Potato pancakes and lantern making -- the perfect combination of activities to brighten any holiday season!
Sunday, December 14 | 2-4PM
Join us to learn fun new ways to incorporate farm fresh veggies into school lunches!
Sunday, January 11 | 10AM-12PM
Walk, snow shoe or cross country ski around the farm trail and then warm up with Stone Soup created by participants!
Email Rachel with any questions!
Looking for Help Caring for our Chickens!
Do you love spending time with chickens?
Are you around this winter?
Would you like to receive farm-fresh eggs in exchange for some basic chicken care?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, please email Meryl to find out more information!
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