Kohlrabi, Carrot, Apple Slaw

Ingredients

• 2 bulbs kohlrabi from Hickory Hill Farm
• 4 carrots from Cedar Grove Farm
• 3 Tbsp. pecan oil from Oliver Farm
• 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. mustard from Doux South
• 1/2 tsp. French picnic salt blend from Beautiful Briny Sea
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Add apples if you want!

Directions

1. Peel the kohlrabi, be sure to cut off all the tough outer peel of the kohlrabi. If you have a young, tender kohlrabi, you won't need to peel the bulb; otherwise, peel the rough skin.

2. In a salad bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, and salt until well blended. Add pepper, if you like.

3. Using the large holes on a standing grater or a mandoline set up for fine julienne, grate the kohlrabi and the carrots and apples into the salad bowl. Toss everything together until the kohlrabi and carrot are evenly coated with the dressing. Taste and add more salt or pepper, if you'd like.

Pesto, Garlic Scape + Arugula

Recipe inspired by our favorite "Canner" Marisa McClellan

This pesto is perfect with Storico Fresco’s pasta, or stirred into a warm salad of quinoa and roasted vegetables!

Makes: 1 half pint Jar

Ingredients

• 8 oz garlic scapes (2 to 3 bunches) from Hickory Hill Farm
• 1 cup packed arugula leaves from Woodland Gardens
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans from Moore Farms and Friends
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese or cheddar from Decimal Place Farm
• 1/4 cup sunflower seed oil, plus more as needed from Oliver Farm
• French Picnic salt blend from Beautiful Briny Sea and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Chop the garlic scapes into 1-inch lengths and combine them with the arugula leaves, toasted nuts, and cheese in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until a paste begins to form. Remove the lid and scrape down the bowl, if necessary. Once you’ve gotten to a chunky paste, slowly stream in the ¼ cup of olive oil with the motor running and process until well combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning to taste.

2. Pack the pesto into a half pint jar (if you are freezing it, try dividing it between 2 quarter-pint jars). Cover with a think layer of oil (it keeps out the oxygen and prevents the top of the pesto from browning) and either refrigerate or freeze. It will keep in the refrigerator for at least a week, or in the freezer for up to a year!

Spring Onions, Roasted

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 bunches spring onions, trimmed, halved lengthwise (Hickory Hill Farm, Woodland Gardens)
• 6 sprigs thyme (Woodland Gardens)
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Pink Pepper Corn salt blend (Beautiful Briny Sea)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (make your own with Grass Roots' Chicken)
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (use a baguette from Start Provisions)
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Toss onions and thyme with 4 Tbsp. oil in a shallow 13x9” baking dish; season with Beautiful Briny Sea salt blend. Add stock and roast until tender, 30–35 minutes.

2. When onions are almost finished roasting, toss breadcrumbs and zest with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper. Toast on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes.

3. Serve onions topped with breadcrumbs.

Alice Waters' Apple Tart

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 Cup unbleached all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp. sugar

• 1/8 tsp. salt

• 6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, just softened, cut in 1/2-inch pieces

• 3 1/2 Tbs. chilled water

Filling:

• 2 lb. apples (Golden Delicious or another tart, firm variety), peeled, cored, and sliced (save peels and cores)(Check out the ones from Moore Farms and Friends and Watsonia Farm)

• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

• 5 Tbs. sugar

Glaze:

• 1/2 C. sugar

Directions

1. To make dough, mix flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl; add 2 Tbs. of the butter. Blend in a mixer until dough resembles coarse cornmeal. Add remaining butter; mix until biggest pieces look like large peas.

2. Dribble in water, stir, then dribble in more, until dough just holds together. Toss with hands, letting it fall through fingers, until it's ropy with some dry patches. If dry patches predominate, add another tablespoon water. Keep tossing until you can roll dough into a ball. Flatten into a 4-inch-thick disk; refrigerate. After at least 30 minutes, remove; let soften so it's malleable but still cold. Smooth cracks at edges. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 14-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Dust excess flour from both sides with a dry pastry brush.

3. Place dough in a lightly greased 9-inch round tart pan, or simply on a parchment-lined baking sheet if you wish to go free-form, or galette-style with it. Heat oven to 400°F. (If you have a pizza stone, place it in the center of the rack.)

4. Overlap apples on dough in a ring 2 inches from edge if going galette-style, or up to the sides if using the tart pan. Continue inward until you reach the center. Fold any dough hanging over pan back onto itself; crimp edges at 1-inch intervals.

5. Brush melted butter over apples and onto dough edge. Sprinkle 2 Tbs. sugar over dough edge and the other 3 Tbs. over apples.

6. Bake in center of oven until apples are soft, with browned edges, and crust has caramelized to a dark golden brown (about 45 minutes), making sure to rotate tart every 15 minutes.

7. To make glaze, put reserved peels and cores in a large saucepan, along with sugar. Pour in just enough water to cover; simmer for 25 minutes. Strain syrup through cheesecloth.

8. Remove tart from oven, and slide off parchment onto cooling rack. Let cool at least 15 minutes.

9. Brush glaze over tart, slice, and serve.

Okra, Roasted

Serves four

Ingredients

• 1 pound okra

• Salt to taste

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or grape seed oil

• Fresh thyme leaves to taste (optional)

• Freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450º. Rinse the okra, and drain on a kitchen towel. The okra should be dry. Trim away the stem ends and the tips, just the very ends, and then place the okra in a large bowl. Salt to taste, and toss with the olive oil or grape seed oil until coated.

2. Lift the okra from the bowl, leaving behind any excess oil. Place on a sheet pan in one layer. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes (large okra might take a little longer), shaking the pan every five minutes. The okra should be lightly browned and tender, with a nice seared aroma. If you don’t want it to brown as much, set the oven at 400º.

3. Remove from the heat, toss with fresh thyme, if desired, and freshly ground pepper. Transfer to a platter. Serve hot.

Okra, Pickled

This recipe was generously provided by the great and talented Becky Striepe of glueandglitter.com,eatdrinkbetter.com, and other spots of greatness.

Yield: about 3 pints

Ingredients

1 pound whole okra

1 tablespoon table salt or sea salt

2 3/4 cups apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup sweet onion, sliced

1 tablespoon dried dill/1 bundle fresh dill

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, chopped with seeds removed

Method

1. Combine the okra and 1 tablespoon salt in a colander, and toss to combine it really well. Let the okra sit for one hour, then drain and rinse well.

2. Meanwhile, combine the onion, vinegar, dill, garlic, and jalapeno right in a small saucepan. Heat the mixture on high until it comes to a boil, then simmer for just a couple of minutes, until the onions and peppers begin to soften.

3. Divide the okra between your jars, and pour the vinegar mixture over them. As you can see in the photo above, I used one quart jar and one pint. You can also use three pint jars, if you prefer.

4. Screw the caps onto your jars loosely, then tighten them when the jars have cooled to the touch. Let your pickled okra chill for 24 hours before serving.

Use within 3-4 weeks.

Blueberry Bread

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup oil

1 cup nuts (recommended walnuts)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cup flour

2 cup (thawed blueberries)

2 cups sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º.

2. Mix all ingredients together well. Dough will be sticky.

3. Pour into 3 greased loaf pans and bake 1 hour.

Spinach (Wilted) Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh spinach leaves, stems removed and washed (Rise N Shine Farm)
1/4 cup chopped green onions (Woodland Gardens)
2 hard cooked eggs, peeled and chopped (most of the farmers have eggs)
1 cup chopped mushrooms (Sparta Imperial Mushrooms)
4 slices of bacon (Riverview Farms)
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
1-tablespoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1-cup croutons

Directions
1. Tear the Rise N Shine Farms’ spinach leaves into bite-sized pieces, and place in a large bowl. Add Woodland Gardens’ green onions, chopped eggs, and Sparta Imperial Mushrooms.

Chard, Sauteed

Ingredients
1 large bunch of fresh Swiss chard (Rise N Shine Farm and Woodland Gardens)
1 small clove garlic, sliced (Hickory Hill Farm)
2 Tbsp coconut oil (or your favorite oil to sauté with)
2 Tbsp water
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper (3 Porch Farm)
1 teaspoon Banner Butter (Moore Farms and Friends)
Salt (Beautiful Briny Sea)

Directions
1. Rinse out the Swiss chard leaves thoroughly. Remove the toughest third of the stalk. Roughly chop the leaves into inch-wide strips.
2. Heat a saucepan on a medium heat setting, add oil, a few small slices of garlic and the crushed red pepper. Sauté for about a minute.
3. Add the chopped Swiss chard leaves. Cover. Check after about 5 minutes. If it looks dry, add a couple tablespoons of water. Flip the leaves over in the pan, so that what was on the bottom, is now on the top. Cover again. Check for doneness after another 5 minutes (remove a piece and taste it).
4. Add salt to taste, and a small amount of butter. Serve and ENJOY!

About Swiss Chard
Swiss Chard is a part of the goosefoot family (Chenopodiacea) appropriately named because the leaves resemble a goose’s foot. Other members of this family are beets and spinach -- No wonder it tastes so delicious. Our farmers grow both, Green Chard and Rainbow Chard. The brightly colored Rainbow Chard will surely catch your eye but both varieties are equal in nutrition and flavor.

Chard is a nutritional powerhouse -- an excellent source of vitamins K, A, and C, as well as a good source of magnesium, potassium, iron, and dietary fiber.

If you are someone who juices, but have not yet explored vegetables, give Chard a chance. Add this leafy green to your yummy morning fruit smoothie and see how it tastes.

Chard can be cooked any way you want; boil, braise, steam or sauté. You can chop it up and include it in your favorite stuffing mix or pasta sauces. The general rule with Chard is to cook the leaves like you would spinach and the stalks like asparagus.

Carrot Soup

Jarrett Stieber's creamy carrot soup was a much needed feast of
sunny colors against a rainy afternoon.

Ingredients
2 bunches of baby carrots
1 quart of milk
1 quart of water
1 cup of honey
1 stick of butter
salt and lemon juice to taste

For Garnish
Sparta Imperial Lions Mane and Shiitake (cut into pieces and roast in a 350º oven until they look sexy)
some toasted peanuts
some ground espresso

Directions
1. One of the most convenient things about soup making is how easily you can see how much you'll be making. This recipe should yield enough soup for dinner, but if you need to make a bigger or smaller batch you can just fill up a bigger pot with more of everything and have more soup. This recipe is very easy to make and if you pay attention to the little details, it is extremely delicious and will impress your diners!
2. Take your carrots firstly and cut off the green tops (since the soup is blended, the greens will mix with the orange and you'll end up with a less pretty brown color). DO NOT THROW THE TOPS AWAY, THEY ARE NOT GARBAGE! From here, you can add the carrots (unpeeled and cut into smaller pieces to increase cook time) to a pot with all of the other ingredients and boil vigorously until the carrots are completely tender and mushy but not overcooked to the point of loosing their pretty orange color. The butter will 'break' and be floating at the top. That is ok! It will become friends with the rest of the soup when you put it in the blender.
3. Next, ladle enough of the soup mixture to fill your blend halfway (blend in batches because over stuffing will cause improper blending and the hot liquid will expand too much and teach a scalding lesson on how easy making a mess can be). Blend on high speed for about thirty to forty five seconds (hold the top of the blender down with your hand holding a kitchen towel for safety because the heat may cause it to pop off), until the mixture is very well blended. Should you want to put on your fancy pants, you can even pass this soup through a strainer to take any remaining clumps out and give it that velvety restaurant feel... but after it's blended, it's ready to eat! Taste it and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Garnish the soup with some of your mushrooms, toasted peanut, a good pinch of ground espresso (freshly ground, please... you worked hard on the soup, don't ruin it by sprinkling the top with brown sawdust!) and some of the carrot tops (picked from the stems like you would with parsley or any other herb).

More on Carrot Tops:
The carrot tops can also be used for purees, pesto or soup but I would recommend blanching them in water with a good pinch of baking soda added to it for a minute or two before shocking and pureeing (the alkaline water will preserve the color of the chlorophyll and keep it forest green instead of swamp brown).

Most importantly, eat your soup with ample beer or wine and good company!

Chips, salt + vinegar

Bruce Logue's salt and vinegar potato chips were welcome crunchy, golden clouds of
salty/tart happiness. They were particularly excellent paired with his simple pickles
and porchetta sandwich.

Ingredients
3 yukon gold potatoes
1 teaspoon tartaric acid
salt

Directions
1. Slice the potatoes thinly and soak in ice water.
2. Remove from the water and dry.
3. Fry at 350º until golden brown and remove to paper towels.
4. Season with a mixture of the tartaric acid and salt to desired intensity.

Pickles

Bruce Logue's amazing pickels added a lighter counterbalance to his porchetta sandwich,
and made for a great chip dip.

Ingredients
5 heads fennel
3 cucumbers
1 quart water
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
2 garlic cloves smashed
2 sprigs thyme

Directions
1. Combine the water, vinegar, salt and spices and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and allow to steep for 3 minutes.
2. Slice the cucumbers and fennel to desired thickness and pour the hot liquid over.
3. Allow to cool to room temp. and store for a day before using.

Grits, Riverview Farms

Terry Koval spoons Riverview white corn grits for the cameras. They were paired with
Sparta Imperial's mushrooms and the chef's own cheddarwurst.

Ingredients
2 cup water
1/2 cup local milk,
but if you can find local fresh cream use that instead   
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt   
1/2 cup stone-ground yellow corn grits
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
3/4 teaspoon butter

Directions
1. Add water and salt to a large pot; bring to a boil.
2. Gradually whisk in grits.
3. Lower heat; simmer 30 minutes or until thick and tender, stirring often.
4. Remove pot from heat; slowly add cold butter, season and cover.
5. Add any local sautéed greens, mushrooms, or meats on top and enjoy!