Produce Update.

We've been getting a lot of great produce, here are some of the highlights.

From Gee Creek Farms:

Indian Red Mustard Greens

French Red Fingerling Potatoes

Mixed Grapes foraged from Christina's parent's yard.

From the Kiyokawa Family Orchards:

Italian Plums

Hidden Rose Apples!!

Honey Crisp ApplesAn Unknown Variety of giant pears. Some of them were bigger than Cory's head.

From Winter Green Farm:

Delicata Squash - Instructions for these coming soon.

Parsnips - I prepared these the same way i did the roasted carrots. The kids really liked them.

How to Prepare...Radishes

Radishes were one of my mom's favorites, I grew up eating them. Originating in Africa as the Black Radish, it was Asia and Europe that cultivated radishes into the many varieties we know today. I've tried radishes several times with different varieties, Diakon and German Giant specifically, without much success. When Gee Creek Farm started offering the French Breakfast variety, that has a mild flavor and great color, I thought I would give them another chance. The French Breakfast Radishes were received extremely well.


Radishes are rich in ascorbic acid, folic acid, and potassium. They are a good source of vitamin B6, riboflavin, magnesium, copper, and calcium.

I'm not a fan of cooking Radishes, they lose both flavor and color. I prepared them the way my mom ate them most of the time, raw with just a little bit of salt. I prepare this first thing when i get there, the Radishes need a couple of hours in the fridge.

Of course start by soaking in cold water for ten to fifteen minutes. This may crisp them up is any of them have gotten a little soft.

Take them out of the water and rinse off under cold water, then twist off the tops. You may want to be careful with the greens, I discovered that I am allergic to them. Recipes for radish greens can be found, I generally discard them.

Using a small knife cut off the ends and cut them to the size and shapes you'd like.

Slices

Batons

Diced.

Once cut I put them in the bowl and toss with salt and olive oil, then place them in the fridge for a couple of hours.

After a couple of hours in the fridge the radishes soften quite a bit. At home I would add thinly slice red onions before the salt and olive oil. After refrigerating toss with chopped fresh spinach and add black pepper.

One of the best ways to eat radishes is on a butter sandwich, it's a very french way to eat them. Simply slice a baguette, spread a layer of butter topped thinly sliced radishes. Trust me, it's delicious.

How To Prepare...Celery Root

I've been waiting to use Celery Root, also called Celeriac, at ChildRoots for some time. I got happy when i saw it on the Winter Green Farm's list. Celery Root has a savory green flavor, and a spongy mildly chewy texture. It contain a high amount of Vitamin C, something I'm trying to serve a lot of now at the beginning of cold and flu season. Good amounts of potassium, phosphorus, thiamine, manganese, magnesium and vitamin B6.

Celery Root is popular in Europe, where it usually appears in stews and soups. I worked at a place a couple of years ago that did amazing things with roasted Celery Root. Roasting mellows the green flavor and add a good sweetness. I figured that would be the best way to introduce the children to Celery Root.

Like most root vegetables and greens I start by soaking them in cold water for fifteen minutes. If you have a vegetable brush, giving them a quick scrub isn't a bad idea.
Shake off the excess water lay on the cutting board and cut off the top and about 1/2 inch off the bottom. Don't try to cut off all the root, just cut off enough so the celery root will stand up. Unfortunately there isn't much you can do with the greens, they're a bit bitter and not really tasty. The can be used to make stock or fed to the guinea pigs or rabbits.
Stand it up and look for the circle of solid root. See it?
Carefully start a the circle and cut down the side, rotating the root until your all the way around. Don't worry about going all the way down, and try not to cut too deep.
Lay the root on it's side and trim down the root nubs. Don't try to cut them all the way off, just shave it down until there are just a few crevices to deal with.
Stand the root up with the root end up.
Use a smaller knife and do a series of "V" cuts to remove the crevices.
Slice the root into four or five slice of equal width.
Stack two or three layers and slice four or five times.
Then rotate the root and chop into cubes. Place the cubes in a stainer and rinse them off. Some discoloration caused by oxidation may occur.
Toss the cubes with olive oil and salt, place on a sheet pan and roast in a hot oven.
Pull them out when the cubes are fork tender and the edges and tips take on a dark brown cover.
Celery Root was a surprising success, a few of the children exclaimed that they liked it better than potatoes, and teachers were battling for leftovers.

At home I like to make salads out of raw shredded celery root. I just made this recipe for a potluck, i can't recommend it enough.
Celeriac and Radish Salad
I did change it a bit. Instead of the mustard seed in the dressing I used 1TB whole grain mustard. I also switched out the watercress for arugula.

Late Summer, Early Fall.

Fall is finally here, it's my favorite time of year for produce. Greens start getting rich and sweet with cold temperatures, squashes of many varieties are appearing, and root vegetables galore coming soon. Here's some of the produce we've had recently.

All of this came from Gee Creek Farms.

Sweet Gypsy Peppers

The last of the Heirlooms

Old fashioned Green Kale

French Breakfast Radishes

Tree fruit from Kiyokawa Family Orchards

Bartlett Pears

I forget the name, they were giant and juicy Peaches.

Pluots!

Red Bartletts

Christina brought in a case of apples from her parent's trees. There were several unidentified varieties. They were delicious.

Winter Green Farm is embracing the fall.

Kabocha Squash

Nantes Carrots

A first for ChildRoots, Celery Root.

I'll be posting how to prepare the Celery Root soon. It was quite a success, not much in the way of leftovers that day. One friend even said it was better than potatoes.

How To Prepare...Collard Greens

While some of the world grow Collard Greens as an ornamental, we at ChildRoots like to eat the giant green leaves. This batch of Collards came to us from Winter Green Farm. It's no secret that I love greens, I serve them once a week. They are a bit difficult for the kids to accept, but they are slowly coming over to the green side.

Like most greens Collards are packed with vitamins and minerals. Vitamins K, A, and C are the most prevalent. manganese, folate, and calcium represent strong for the minerals. A lot of the nutrient aren't readily available until the Collards are cooked. The traditional southern method involves ham hocks, lard and hours of stewing. At CR I do a simpler version that retains the texture and you can actually taste the greens.


Start by soaking them in cold water.
Shake the water off and lay on a large cutting board. Cut off the stems, line up the leaves and slice them lengthwise.
arrange the leaves, and slice down.
as you slice them place them in a pot with some water, stock powder, dried onions, and salt.
Simmer on medium, stir them gently. Cook until the leaves are wilted and tender, but not mush.
Lift the greens out the pot using a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Toss with olive oil and adjust salt.
"Out of the south, into your mouth!" - Teacher Gwen