April 30, 2003

History of Cauliflower

from Alan Davidson in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food

It's a variety of cabbage in which the flowers have begun to form but have stopped growing at the bud stage. It is generally believed that it was the Arabs who introduced the cauliflower to Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Eat the cauliflower stem and leaves too: it's fresh and it's all great to eat.

There 3 more paid shares including this week

For those of you paying every 9 weeks this season, May 14th & 15th is your last paid share. You can send a check this week or next for $162 (vegetables only) or $216 (vegetables and flowers). The address is Two Small Farms PO Box 2065 Watsonville, CA 95077-2065 We will try to leave some envelopes with our address on it at most of the pick up sites on the clipboards, take one if you like.

Dinner in the Field at High Ground

Memorial Day On Monday, May 26th, we will have a farm dinner in the middle of the field at High Ground Organics. Joseph Manzare of Globe restaurant in San Francisco will prepare and elegant meal, Josh Jensen of Calera Vineyards in Hollister will pour wines to match the courses. Andy of Mariquita and Stephen of High Ground will be there to answer questions about farming; Stephen will give a tour of his unique farm: half is in conservation and wild habitat rehabilitation, the other half is in organic farming, thanks to special easements that will keep the land that way in perpetuity. Stephen's beds of organic flowers and his strawberries should be at their peak.

A portion of the proceeds will go to Literacy for Environmental Justice: a non profit in San Francisco helping connect youth of Hunters Point and other neighborhoods get involved to improve their communities. One project they are working on is getting food into the neighborhood of Hunters Point. Many residents go to convenience stores to purchase food because there isn't a grocery store. One of their projects is to work with these existing convenience stores to carry produce. Some folks from LEJ will join us at the meal and tell us a little more about what they are up to.

Details of the meal: -$80 includes tax, tip and wine. -4pm Monday, May 26th at High Ground Organics in Watsonville. -Includes farm tour, local wines, and a GREAT meal. -If you're interested you can email a reply to this newsletter, or call the office at 831.761.3226 and leave a message. We will add you to our interested list and we'll start taking payments next week. Our reservation list is about half full. -You don't have to be a current CSA member to join us at this dinner. -If you're interested but unable to attend this dinner, there will be two others: One on August 10th in Watsonville at High Ground, and another August 23rd in Hollister. see the following weblink for more details:

http://www.mariquita.com/farm/Events.html

-If the dinners are out of your price range, we have other farm events you're welcome to attend including a berry upick, a fava upick, (May 10th!) a tomato upick, a pumpkin patch, and others. We'll let you know through this newsletter of these events and more.

Recipes from Julia

Curly Endive Salad with Avocado and Citrus Dressing

adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters

1 large head or 2 medium heads frisee (curly endive)

1 shallot or other onion

2 Tablespoons white wine or champagne vinegar

1 lemon

1 orange

salt

2 grapefruit

3/4 cup e.v. olive oil

3 avocados

Wash and spin dry the frisee. For this salad, use only the blanched hearts and save the green leaves for cooking greens. Peel and dice the shallot (or small onion) fine. Let it macerate with the vinegar, 1 tablespoon each lemon and orange juice and a pinch of salt. Cut away the grapefruit peel, all the pith below, and the membrane around the grapefruit flesh. Then cut the sections free, carefully slicing along the membranes. Peel a little lemon and orange zest and finely chop enough to make about 1/4 teaspoon each. When you are ready to assemble the salad, whisk the olive oil into the shallot mixture. Add the orange and lemon zest and taste. Add more olive oil or lemon juice if necessary. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise. Remove the pits. Using a sharp knife, cut the avocados into lengthwise slices about the same size as the grapefruit sections, keeping the skin on. Scoop out the slices with a large spoon. Toss the curly endive and grapefruit sections in a bowl with about two thirds of the dressing. Taste the salad and add more salt if necessary. Arrange on a platter or individual dishes. Distribute the avocado slices alongside the endive and grapefruit, season them with a pinch of salt, and drizzle the rest of the dressing over them.

Indivia alla Romana

from Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini by E. Schneider

Discard toughest outer endive leaves (you may not have to discard any since these are so fresh). Rinse endive. Boil or steam until tender. Drain, squeezing out water; rough-chop. Heat olive oil and chopped garlic in skillet. Add a little tomato sauce or chopped plum tomatoes, minced mint leaves, chopped capers, and seeded, minced fresh chili. cook just until sauce begins to thicken, 5 to 10 minutes. Add frisee and seasoning and simmer until the mixture is well blended, about 5 minutes. Serve with pasta or alone.

Caesar Frisée from Chef Charles Saunders

Arrange leaves in a bowl, pointing upward. Drizzle with garlic dressing, top with shaved dry aged Jack cheese, and add focaccia croutons. (Anchovies added to dressing or salad if you wish.)

Strawberry Agua Fresca

1 pint Strawberries, rinsed and hulled

3 T Sugar

1 1/2 T Lime juice

2 1/2 c Water

In a blender, smoothly puree fruit and juice (a portion at a time, if needed) with sugar and lime juice. Add flavored fruit mixture to water, then rub through a fine strainer into a large jar or pitcher; discard pulp. If made ahead, cover and chill up to one week. As a decorative touch, add slices or chunks of matching fruit just before serving. Pour the agua fresca over ice cubes into tall glasses. Makes 1 qt

Julia's simplest radish salad: 2 ways

1 bunch radishes, greens removed and set aside for another use, radishes washed

2 Teaspoons sesame oil or olive oil

3 teaspoons rice vinegar or lemon juice

Salt and pepper

dash soy sauce if using the sesame oil

chopped parsley or toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Slice the radishes pretty thin, then toss with the dressing ingredients. I make this salad often when I have radishes at hand.

We sent out even more recipes in the Monday email newsletter. If you would like to subscribe, click here and send the email as is.

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