By Cecilia
So many of us are breathing a sigh of relief as the first true storm of the season makes its way toward us. The gratitude for the rain far outweighs the small regret that some of our field crops may not survive more serious flooding. It seems a small sacrifice. This winter I have been amazed by how bountiful the farm feels. The leeks just keep getting bigger and bigger, the tunnels keep pumping out beautiful greens, and it's hard not to feel giddy while harvesting neon pink chicories.
I know that our slimmest times are approaching, but for now I am enjoying how much food we really have, and appreciating how busy it has kept us. This week in our morning meeting I read from Edna Lewis' The Taste of Country Cooking. She speaks of food as being a central connecting force in the small agricultural community she was raised in.
"Whenever I go back to visit my sisters and brothers, we relive old times, remembering the past. And when we share again in gathering wild strawberries, canning, rendering lard, finding walnuts, picking persimmons, making fruit cake, I realize how much the bond that held us had to do with food".
Here is her recipe for glazed carrots. It is simple and delicious, and comes with a glimpse into Freetown, Virginia where she grew up and learned to cook. Fortunately I think our carrots are pretty sweet!
Glazed Carrots
Carrots were not among the earliest root vegetables planted in Freetown, but Mother was always interested in growing new seed. I remember the neighbors coming to look at the carrots when they were dug. We cooked them and decided they were liked served creamed, as many of the vegetables were then. Today, carrots are not as sweet as they were then and a good way to preserve some of their flavor is to saute them.
4 to 5 medium sized carrots
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
Scrape, wash, and dry the carrots with a clean cloth and slice in thin, round slices about as thick as a nickel. Heat a heavy skillet and add the butter. When it foams and becomes very hot, but not burning, spill in the carrot slices, stirring constantly for a few minutes. Sprinkle the cold water over the carrots and cover tightly. Turn the heat down to keep the contents from burning, yet high enough to continue cooking. After 4 minutes remove the cover, stir the carrots, and test for tenderness. If tender enough, sprinkle over the salt and sugar. Turn up the burner and stir briskly to melt the sugar without browning. Serve hot.
This week’s pick list:
Eggs
Rose Finn Fingerling and German Butterball Potatoes
Rhonda Beets
Dolciva Carrots
Cortland Yellow and Monastrell Red Onions, Matador Shallots
Kossack Kohlrabi
Purple Top Turnips
Bora King and Cheong Du Radish
Watermelon Radish
Balena Celeriac
Hablinge Parsnips
Takrima Leeks
Cabbage
Calypso Celery
Ruby Red Chard
Dazzling Blue Kale
Mei Qing Choi
Coral Escarole, Sugarloaf, Chioggia and Rosalba Radicchio
Parsley
Regiment Spinach
Solaris Fennel
Tetsukabota Kabocha, Gil’s Golden Acorn, Sonca Orange Butternut, & Spaghetti Winter Squash
Pie-Pita Pumpkin (Flesh is sweet for cooking plus the seeds are hulless and delicious!)
Saltonstall Olive Oil
Revolution Bread