CSA Week 8... a day late

Vegetable List

Nufar Basil
Gonzales Cabbage
Flaubert's Carrots
Sparkly Rainbow Chard
Allure Sweet Corn
Fairytale Eggplant
Magic Beans
Ride The Red Bull Onions
Sungolds
Tomatoes
Some Kind Of Zucchini and/or Summer Squash


Notes from the Farm

So, the thing is, this whole farming thing is like living in a real life fairytale... it really is.
The blue skies are always bluer, the sun always twinkles, and woodland animals show up everyday to see what we have going on that might be new... honestly, waking up to a farm life everyday is not unlike waking up in a hyper-realistic fantasy of an idealized reality.
I mean, calves still die, crops still fail, the money can be inconsistent and the best laid plans usually fall apart... and setting aside the harder realities of modern life, of bills and climate collapse, war and economic injustice... in the passing moments when we can set those things aside... in the corn, in the cut flowers, at the top of the cherry tomato rows... something melts away in a shimmer, and there we are, in a joyful catatonia... That near psychedelic spot in the center of the Venn diagram of bliss, stewardship and nature... a place we, as humans, were designed to inhabit...
Fairytales are real, magic is real, it's all real... it's fleeting, and can't always be captured, but it can be found... I know, I'm lucky enough to find it... almost everyday... even if it's just for a minute.


Recipes

Grilled Cabbage

½ red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
6 slices bacon, cooked, 1 tablespoon fat reserved
¼ cup olive oil, plus more
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 head green cabbage, cut into quarters
Croutons (for serving)
Whisk together onion, vinegar, mustard, and honey; gradually whisk in bacon fat and ¼ cup oil. Crumble in bacon; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Drizzle cabbage with oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly charred, 15–18 minutes. Serve topped with vinaigrette and croutons.
You can also replace the grilling by using a broiler setting in the oven, flipping once after the top side is slightly crispy.



Skillet Corn With Basil

3 tbs butter
½ cup thinly sliced green onions (scallions), white and light-green parts
Pinch red pepper flakes
Kosher or sea salt
3½ cups fresh corn kernels (from 7 to 8 medium ears), plus any corn “milk”*
2 tablespoons water
½ cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
Freshly ground black pepper


*To cut the kernels from an ear of corn, stand a shucked ear of corn, tip end up, firmly on a cutting board (or inside a shallow bowl if using a smaller cutting board). Using a sharp knife and a sawing motion, slice the kernels from the ear, removing a few rows at a time. Be careful not to include the fibrous base of the kernels or cut into the woody core. Once you’ve removed all the kernels, use the back of the knife to scrape the ear and extract a few teaspoons of corn “milk”.
Heat half of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the green onions, the red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about three minutes.
Add the remaining butter and the corn along with any corn “milk”. Season with a good pinch of salt, and increase the heat to medium-high. Sauté, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until the corn is tender and beginning to caramelize, about 4 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the water and stir to scrape up the caramelized corn sugars from the bottom of the pan. Cover and let sit for 2 minutes. Stir in the basil and plenty of black pepper. Taste for salt. Serve warm.


Basil Butter

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1. In a small bowl, combine butter and fresh basil; season generously with coarse salt and ground pepper. Stir until combined.
2. Transfer to an 11-by-10-inch piece of parchment or waxed paper. Roll into a cylinder, about 6 inches long and 2 inches in diameter; twist ends to seal. Refrigerate until very firm, about 2 hours. To serve, unwrap and slice crosswise.