Welcome back to the SALAD MIX!

Hello Friends!

Sneak preview … We’re bringing SALAD MIX this week! And now to the conventional blog format, in which I torture you with random person information before letting you in on the veggie news …

I decided to come back to central Illinois after a fabulous time in Madison, Wisconsin. I spent the first 24 hours in Madison talking myself out of looking for a job there! It’s just that kind of place. Of course, as my friend Christina pointed out, I’d be happy to stay in central Illinois once I started inquiring into the price of a house in Madison – apparently it’s pretty pricey!

You probably remember last week’s tale of woe about the “half marathon meets Hurricane Ike” event in St. Charles, Missouri. There was a bit of confusion in that story because I was referring to my unnamed friend Maggie, whose car was nearly submerged in storm water. Some of our CSA members in Eureka thought I was talking about my friend and Eureka native, Lil Hartter. She got many a question about the condition of her car! So here’s what happened to Lil. She ran 10 of the 13 miles with about 2,400 other insane people. Ha ha – not insane, just a very sporting group of runners. It sounds like the biggest problem area was the bridge, where the runners were crossing the raging Missouri River. The gusty wind coupled with Lil’s garbage bag rain gear (compliments of the hotel!) could have resulted in poor Lil meeting her maker. Fortunately, she took off the blasted bag before it parachuted her over the edge.

This week's pictures are the salad mix and Ben. He just ate his first-ever s'more and didn't realize how bad an idea it is to put your marshmallowy hands onto a straw bale. It made us laugh, of course!

This week I want to get right to the food business. It’s going to be an AWESOME WEEK! Why, you may ask? Because we’re bringing SALAD MIX, PARSNIPS, CELERY ROOT, and STIR FRY MIX! This is when the season starts getting exciting again. We’re really past the warm-season crops and into the best of the fall veggies.

Salad Mix
I don’t need to tell you about the salad mix, as you are almost certainly well-acquainted with it. Bill has quite the salad mix following … if you haven’t had it, you’re missing out on the irresistible flavor and texture of fresh mesclun. This week’s mix will have a combination of the following: leaf lettuces, arugula, ruby streaks, and tatsoi. Our sons Ben and Noah just can’t get enough of our salads; it is the first thing they eat at lunch and dinner, and they ask for seconds. That is a pretty serious endorsement!

Parsnips
And parsnips – a true sign of the fall season. Parsnips have been in the ground since April, taking up valuable space and requiring constant weeding. It’s kind of a self-punishing crop for Bill to plant and deal with for months, but you get to benefit from it. Parsnips are not much to look at – kind of a washed out carrot appearance. Their flavor and aroma, on the other hand, is quite remarkable. Elizabeth Schneider describes it as “a relative of carrot, cerleriac, and parsley root, having the sweetness of the first and herbal complexity of the others as well as its own pungency.”

Parsnips must be cooked to achieve its best flavor and sweetness. Parsnips have the same texture and crispiness as a carrot, so you can cook them in a similar way. They’re wonderful with a roast, in soups, or roasted with other vegetables. You can also steam them. If you roast parsnips with other vegetables, you will likely find yourself picking out the parsnips first.

Celery Root
Bill is also bringing celery root, which is also called celeriac. Like the parsnips, the celery root has been growing since April and we are just now getting to enjoy it. This year has been particularly good for the celery root, as it likes cool moist weather. The bulbs are particularly large and mild as a result. It’s truly the ugliest vegetable that we grow – all knobby and straggly looking. But like many things in life, you can’t judge it on appearance. Celery root is eaten both raw and cooked. Tonight, we steamed it in bite-sized chunks along with potato chunks and turned it into a wicked potato salad. The celery root had a wonderful texture and flavor. We actually thought it tasted better than the potatoes! You can also cook it into soups with other earthy root vegetables. You do have to cut off the peel – I just use a knife rather than trying to use a peeler.

Fennel
Unlike celery root, fennel is absolutely beautiful. Fennel has several unusual qualities that combine to make it one of the best vegetables of the fall. Fennel has a crispy, juicy texture akin to celery and a flavor that suggests anise. Overall, it’s very refreshing. We like to add it raw to salads in small slices. I also included recipes in previous blog postings on fennel.

Stir Fry Mix
The stir fry mix was such a hit two weeks ago that we’re bringing it back. If you missed it, be sure to pick up a bag or two this week. The bags of stir fry mix will include a combination of our various fall greens, including tatsoi, bok choy, arugula, mustard greens, and ruby streaks. This diverse mix produces a colorful array of textures, and flavors.

And finally, I am seriously in love with the ruby streaks cut raw into salads. It’s just such a stand-out, mustardy flavor without a hint of bitterness or heat. The boys also love it. You can buy a bunch to mix in with salads if you’d like to branch out a bit.

As for what’s done for the season, let’s play a sad song for the following: summer squash/zucchini and basil. Au revoir until 2009!

Here’s what we’ll be bringing to the market this week:

French Filet Beans
Traditional Green Beans
Eggplant
Beets (Traditional, Golden, and Chioggia)
Kale
Parsley
Swiss Chard
Cucumbers
Garlic
Leeks
Cherry Tomatoes (but very few)
Okra (maybe a little)
Head Lettuce
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Bok Choi
Arugula
Ruby Streaks
Daikon Radish
Japanese Turnips
Fennel
Pears
Grapes
Tatsoi
Stir Fry Greens
Celery Root
Parsnips

Bill’s now delivering to the Garlic Press in Uptown Normal on Thursdays and to Common Ground in downtown Bloomington on Saturday mornings. So if you miss a market or just run out of veggies, head to Common Ground! And if you need the veggies prepared into a fabulous meal, Garlic Press is right down the road.

We’ll see you at the Downtown Bloomington Farmers Market on Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. – noon. BRING YOUR BAGS!!

Please let your friends know about the blog. Call us at 467-9228 or email us at blueschoolhouse@yahoo.com if you have questions.

Thanks!
Mercy Davison

Building the Ark ...

Land ho!

The floodwaters are receding here in Woodford County, and fortunately we have made it through unscathed. That would not have been the case had we planted our crops in the new rented field adjacent to Walnut Creek. I’m putting in two pictures of the field covered in water – it was a truly impressive amount of water! The other pictures are from local roads and corn fields. The picture of the flooded creek at the bottom needs some context -- that creek is typically about 15 feet across! We were unable to get to our house from several directions on Sunday because water was covering the roads. We had a great time driving around looking at the flood (the Tour de Flood, as we called it). Noah was particularly interested in the flooded pastures. He figured the cow in the picture was thinking "what in the heck happened to my grass?!"

I was down in St. Charles, Missouri on Sunday attempting to run a half marathon. Even through Ike was predicted to bring heavy rain (100% chance!) on the race morning, many people still showed up for the race in their rain ponchos. It was ridiculous. The rain was coming down by the bucketful and everyone was completely soaked within seconds of being outside, poncho notwithstanding. I stayed for about 10 minutes before deciding it was insane. I still got to run one mile in the downpour to get from the shuttle bus to my car! My girlfriend stayed a bit longer (about 45 minutes), and by the time she got back to her car there was standing water in the parking lot up to the bottom of her door. She had to wade in knee-deep water just to get to it! She did have some engine trouble the next day due to the water, but it was pretty cheap to have repaired. Other people weren’t so lucky – the water was up over people’s tires in other parts of the parking lot by the time my girlfriend left. For people who actually ran part of the race (which was cancelled halfway through), I’m sure their cars were even more submerged.

But enough about the weather … let’s talk about bok choi for a minute. We have confirmation from culinary authority Jackie Pope-Ganser (head chef at the Garlic Press Café) that Bill’s bok choi is the best she’s EVER had. She said she steamed it for 2 minutes and it tasted like butter. Another great way to cook it, according to Jackie, is to cut in half lengthwise, drizzle sesame oil on it, and set it on the grill cut side up for about 3 minutes. Enjoy!

I'm also attaching a photo of the boys making tomato sauce. They love using the Victorio strainer -- and I have to do lots less work! I'm so glad to be at the end of the canning season!

That’s all for this week. I’m off to Madison, Wisconsin today for a planning conference. I’m speaking on a panel about LEED-ND, which is a green building rating system that the Town is following for part of the Uptown Normal plan. If you didn’t know it, Normal is pretty progressive on the sustainability front. I can’t wait to get to Madison … it’s where I recharge my liberal batteries. In my job I have to be pretty neutral and keep my political opinions to myself (which is fine and makes my life easier), but it’s really nice every now and then to go somewhere with a bunch of lefties!

Here’s what we’ll be bringing to the market this week:

French Filet Beans
Traditional Green Beans
Eggplant
Beets (Traditional, Golden, and Chioggia)
Kale
Parsley
Basil
Swiss Chard
Summer Squash/Zucchini
Cucumbers
Garlic
Leeks
Cherry Tomatoes
Okra
Head Lettuce
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Bok Choi
Arugula
Ruby Streaks
Daikon Radish
Japanese Turnips
Fennel
Pears
Grapes
Tatsoi
Stir Fry Greens

Bill’s now delivering to the Garlic Press in Uptown Normal on Thursdays and to Common Ground in downtown Bloomington on Saturday mornings. So if you miss a market or just run out of veggies, head to Common Ground! And if you need the veggies prepared into a fabulous meal, Garlic Press is right down the road.

We’ll see you at the Downtown Bloomington Farmers Market on Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. – noon. BRING YOUR BAGS!!

Please let your friends know about the blog. Call us at 467-9228 or email us at blueschoolhouse@yahoo.com if you have questions.

Thanks!
Mercy Davison

Bring on the Bok Choi!

Hello!

I hope you are all enjoying this fabulous late summer weather! The days are getting shorter, the nights cooler. It feels great! It doesn’t make the heat-loving plants happy (tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.), but it’s perfect for the fall greens. In fact, the transition from summer to fall crops is well underway.

So what about the food at the farmers market this week? We’ll be bringing a great variety, as we did last week. (Were you there? The market stand looked simply amazing.) I’m posting the list of foods below, and take note of the last item … stir fry greens! You may recall that Bill brought this to the market two years ago, and it was quite a hit! The stir fry greens will be young plants thinned from the rows so that the other plants have more room. Thus, each bag will contain small leaves (pretty much ready to eat!) of arugula, tatsoi, and bok choi … perfect for sautéing right out of the bag (after you wash it, of course!).

This week I want to focus on one vegetable: bok choi. Have you had it yet? It’s wonderful!

The name “bok choi” actually covers a range of leafy greens. What they all have in common is their mild flavor and crisp texture. Bill grows three varieties, one of which is called “joi choi”! Funny, eh? At this point, all of the choi that Bill will be bringing to the market will be fully mature. (In some markets you’ll find chois at various stages of development.) The stalks of bok choi are satiny in texture topped with lightly curled leaves. They have a similar texture to Swiss Chard and can be prepared in much the same way. (Stalks cook a bit longer than the leaves, for example.)

Bok choi can be stir fried, ribboned up into soups, or oven-braised with stock. Here are a couple of recipes from Elizabeth Schneider (Vegetables A to Z):

Spicy Bok Choy Salad

Thin-slice bok choi leaves. Cut stems lengthwise into narrow strips. Toss with salt. Let wilt ½ hour. Rinse and dry. Combine with red pepper julienne, hair-thin Thai chilli strands, sliced mint and Thai basil, slivered ginger in syrup, toasted sesame seeds, rice vinegar, salt, and pepper. Serve freshly made as soon as assembled.

Crispy “Seaweed”

Wash and dry the leaves. Cut into a chiffonade. Spread on baking sheet. Dry 20 minutes in a low over. Cool. Deep-fry in small batches of peanut oil; drain on towels. Toss with salt, sugar, and toasted pine nuts.

I have two exciting, farm/food-related events to tell you about …

1. Nutraceutical Evening at the ISU Hort Center TONIGHT (Thursday, Sept. 11). I’m pasting a bit from Patt Mitchell’s email (you know Patt – co-owner of Mitchell’s market stand!). She had such a good description that I thought I’d spread it around. All credit to Patt, and here goes …

“We've all heard that you are what you eat, but have you ever really thought about HOW the food you eat (all local of course!) affects your health? Everywhere we look, plant extracts & essence are in EVERYTHING – but is there really a benefit or is it just another marketing ploy?

My good friend, Jessica Chambers, queen of the ISU Hort Center (http://www.horticulturecenter.ilstu.edu/), has taken on that question in her 2008 garden plan, The Nutraceutical Garden. Nutraceuticals, a combination of nutrition & pharmacetuical, are foods that contain a medical health benefit beyond that of simple nutrition. Interesting, no? Jessica and her tireless staff of volunteers & students have created 6 interpretive gardens that focus on different nutraceutical plants.

This Thursday, September 11 from 5 pm to 7 pm, the Hort Center is hosting a Nutraceutical Evening for the public to learn about what they eat and how it affects their health. There will be garden tours, info booths, Farmer's Market (yes, Bill Mitchell and Bill Davison will be there!) and seminars.

Also mark your calendars for Saturday, October 4. Why? It's the Hort Center's Annual Autumnal Festival! If you haven't been out to this, make sure you come this year. Why, you ask again? There is a bird watch/stroll, more kid activities than you can shake a stick at (lots of fun!), cooking demo utilizing pumpkins and squash, corn maze (again, tons of fun) scarecrows and the chance to get your fall pumpkins and gourds."

Here’s the link to last year’s festival for more information … http://www.horticulturecenter.ilstu.edu/events/autumn.shtml.

2. The Future of Food – FREE documentary AND panel discussion by local farmers and food folks at the Normal Theater (MONDAY night, Sept. 15). Bill Davison will be on the panel and hopes to see some familiar faces in the audience. The documentary is supposed to be very well-done, and it’s a rare opportunity to talk about our growing local food system. Please try to attend and help us put the spotlight on local food. For more info on the movie, check out www.thefutureoffood.com.

Here’s what we’ll be bringing to the market this week:

French Filet Beans
Eggplant
Beets (Traditional, Golden, and Chioggia)
Kale
Parsley
Basil
Swiss Chard
Summer Squash/Zucchini
Cucumbers
Garlic
Leeks
Tomatoes
Okra
Head Lettuce
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Bok Choi
Arugula
Ruby Streaks
Daikon Radish
Japanese Turnips
Fennel
Pears
Grapes
Tatsoi
Stir Fry Greens

Bill’s now delivering to the Garlic Press in Uptown Normal on Thursdays and to Common Ground in downtown Bloomington on Saturday mornings. So if you miss a market or just run out of veggies, head to Common Ground! And if you need the veggies prepared into a fabulous meal, Garlic Press is right down the road.

We’ll see you at the Downtown Bloomington Farmers Market on Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. – noon. BRING YOUR BAGS!!

Please let your friends know about the blog. Call us at 467-9228 or email us at blueschoolhouse@yahoo.com if you have questions.

Thanks!
Mercy Davison

Late Breaking Vegetable News ...

Hello again!

This is a Friday teaser to make sure you come out tomorrow! Bill has AMAZING vegetables for tomorrow. The cool, wet weather means awesome greens for you along with some new and returning items …

1. Daikon Radishes – Some call the daikon an “oriental radish”. Daikons are long and white and very versatile on the menu. Eaten raw, they are crisp with a mild radish flavor. Cooked, daikons become mild and sweet. You can also slice the roots into soups and stews. Try this from Terra Brockman:

Daikon Remoulade

1 pound daikon, peeled
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp wine vinegar
¼ cup minced fresh parsley

Cut the daikon into 2-inch-long julienne strips OR grate it coarsely. Rinse a large bowl with hot water, dry it, and in it whisk the mustard with 3 Tbsp hot water. Add the oil in a slow stream, whisking until the dressing is emulsified, and whisk in the vinegar with salt and pepper to taste. Add the daikon strips and parsley and toss well.

2. Bok Choi – like a faintly mustardy Swiss chard, bok choi is excellent raw in a salad, lightly sautéed, or tossed into a soup at the last minute.

3. Fennel –It’s great featured in a salad (finely sliced) with a simple dressing. I also love adding it to potato salad. Fennel is very aromatic with anise overtones. Terra Brockman recommends raw fennel wedges served with crumbles of fresh Parmesan and chilled dry Marsala.

Sauteed Fennel with Lemon

2 medium fennel bulbs
2 Tbsp olive oil or butter
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp finely grated lemon zest
pepper to taste

Trim and reserve the fennel leaves. Quarter each bulb lengthwise and then cut each quarter crosswise in very thin slivers. Mince 1 Tbsp of the fine leaves.

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet. Toss fennel slices to coat. Add salt. Continue tossing frequently over moderate heat until tender – about 10 minutes. Toss with lemon zest and pepper. Sprinkle with minced fennel tops and serve.

4. Japanese Turnips – You know ‘em and you love ‘em. Best eaten raw in slices, you can also cook them like a conventional turnips. But why go to all that trouble?

5. Arugula – We had a few bunches last week and will have more tomorrow. We have perfect arugula growing conditions right now, and it’s amazingly delicious.

6. LOADS of head lettuce – doesn’t this gray, crisp weather make you want to move into the fresh, crisp fall greens? You can never eat too much salad. Ever.

Add that the list from the previous blog, and you have yourself a great market experience. We hope to see you there!!

Mercy

Farmhand for Hire

Hello all!

This is a quick one … I’m heading into my second of three after-work meetings this week. Last night was a great work session with the Town Council, where we discussed the upcoming development of a “community-wide sustainability plan.” Tonight, I’m talking to an IWU class about Town sustainability initiatives. And tomorrow night, it’s the Planning Commission. Whew! I’m tired thinking about it!

This past week was a doozy with our new farmhand … Ben. At four years old, Ben has funny ideas about how to help out. He begged to use the dangerously sharp snippers to cut down the delicate heirloom tomatoes. Bill agreed, thinking that would give Ben a real stake in the harvesting process. Well, that didn’t turn out as planned. Although Ben did a great job harvesting the tomatoes, he later thought it would be fun to throw them one by one out of the crates into the field. That’s right … 40 pounds of beautiful heirlooms smashing onto the grassy lane of the farm field. He would’ve done the entire truck-load had our other farmhand Pete not heard the suspicious splatting sound in the distance. Brings a tear to my eye. Bill, on the other hand, came momentarily unglued and yelled at him, finishing with, “Why would you do that??!!” Ben answered, honestly, “I like throwing tomatoes.” Hard to argue with that.

This week will be different. Bill has started locking the truck and hiding the tools! I don’t have Bil to consult with, so I’m going to assume it’s much the same as last week …


Green Beans, Yellow Wax Beans, and French Filet Beans
Eggplant
Beets (Traditional, Golden, and Chioggia)
Kale
Parsley
Basil
Swiss Chard
Summer Squash/Zucchini
Cucumbers
Carrots
Garlic
Leeks
Radicchio
Tomatoes
Okra
Head Lettuce
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Grapes

And what are these historical photos? It's from our first ever farmers market in Oak Park, Illinois. Have I ever told you the story of our first market? What a train wreck (aside from the great wad of money we made!). Bill didn't know how to load the trailer, so it swayed back and forth dangerously the whole trip (3 hours). I drove behind him with my mom in her minivan, watching the trailer lurching around. We got pulled over just before getting on to I-55 because our tail lights weren't working. Noah was only 8 months old. Truly a nightmare. Since I'm stuck here at work right now, these are the only pictures I could find.

But back to business. Please do join us this weekend! We are amazed at the continued strength of the market even after the start of the school year. We don’t seem to have the annual drop-off in customers that we typically see. It’s been AWESOME! About this time every year, Bill starts wearing down a bit. He starts thinking about next season, which is a bad idea when you’re really tired. So having such strong crowds makes it that much easier for Bill to keep his batteries charged. He really loves this part of the season, too. The fall is like spring in reverse … wonderful greens, crisp carrots, and more. We hope you like it as much as we do!!

See you Saturday!
Mercy