Green Tomato Kimchi

From one of our fabulous farm members:

"Here's a great Green Tomato Kimchi recipe I've made many times.  Tastes best after a couple years in the fridge."

Green Tomato Kimchee

Ingredients

Lots green tomatoes, sliced in wedges
3 cups rice wine vinegar
1 cups sugar (or less if you don’t like it so sweet)
10 cloves garlic thinly sliced
¼ cup fresh ginger matchsticks
3 medium onions, halved and cut into 1/8-inch slices
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded daikon
1 cup shredded turnip
2 Tbsp red pepper flakes
½ cup Thai fish sauce

Instructions

Place the tomatoes in a colander set in the sink. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Allow to rest at room temperature until the tomatoes have exuded liquid, about 2 hours. Rinse the tomatoes in water to get rid of the salty taste. Set aside.

In a large, non-reactive saucepan, combine the vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and onions, bring to a simmer, and remove immediately from the heat.

In a large, non-reactive bowl (or a stoneware crock), combine the tomatoes and shredded vegetables. Pour the vinegar mixture over them, add the chile flakes and fish sauce, and toss well. Correct the seasoning with salt. Let the mixture cool to room temperature and cover with plastic wrap. With a paring knife, punch a few holes in the plastic wrap and place the bowl in a cool, dark place. Let the mixture pickle for 24 hours.

Transfer the kimchee to a tall glass jar or jars and seal tightly. You can eat it right away, but it is better if you let it “cure” for a couple of weeks. You can store in the refrigerator almost ndefinitely.

Three Week Cole Slaw

A friend gave me this recipe a few years ago.  She and her family had been vacationing in Maine and stopped by to visit on their way home to Virginia.  It's always a treat to see them.  One thing they shared was a delicious cole slaw they made while on vacation.  I've never kept it for 3 weeks, although the recipe uses a fair amount of sugar and vinegar so I believe it would keep well.  It's become one of my easy, go-to recipes for potlucks, and I go to potlucks often because I go to all day shape note singings as often as possible.  People like it and it is easy to make.

Today I plan on making some for a singing I am going to in New Hampshire on Saturday at the Song Garden Flower Farm and Tea House.  This time I'll be using our Brussels sprout leaves instead of cabbage.  For the last two weeks we have been trimming our sprout plants, eating the leaves, and putting them into the farm shares.  (Our farm members are great.  They are willing to try new foods and they understand that what is available each week varies with the season.  Now is the season for sprout leaves!)

We have a lot of these leaves but this week is their last hurrah.  Robin finished trimming the plants today and is making some silage out of the rest.  The finished silage will be for the ducks this winter.

So here is the cole slaw recipe.

Three Week Cole Slaw

3 pounds chopped cabbage
1 chopped green pepper
2 chopped medium onions
2 C. sugar
1 C. oil
1 C. cider vinegar
1 T. celery seed
1 T. salt

Combine cabbage, pepper, onion and sugar.
Mix oil, vinegar, celery seed, and salt in a sauce pan.
Bring to a boil and pour over the cabbage mixture.
Stir.
Refrigerate.
Let stand 2-3 days before serving.

Notes:
For big potlucks I sometimes skip the pepper because some people are allergic to them and they may not be apparent in the finished slaw.

I don't usually wait 2 - 3 days to eat this but it does improve with age.

I often consider reducing the sugar.  It's kind of sweet.

Enjoy!

SALAD, with no lettuce

We are approaching a time period when our lettuce and mesclun supply may be a bit short.  I just didn't plant enough often enough!  Never fear, there is more lettuce growing in the garden; we just have to wait for it.  And in the meantime, there are plenty of lovely salads that focus on other greens.  Here's a few of our favorites.

Lacinato or Toscano Kale

Fantastic salad made by my friend Kendahl:
Lacinato Kale and Ricotta Salata Salad

Yield: Makes 6 servings

3/4 to 1 pound lacinato kale or regular kale, stems and center ribs discarded
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ounces coarsely grated ricotta salata (1 cup)

Cut kale crosswise into very thin slices.
Whisk together shallot, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until combined well.
Toss kale and ricotta salata in a large bowl with enough dressing to coat well, then season with salt and pepper.

OR MY SIMPLIFIED VERSION:

Kale Salad

1 bunch kale, finely sliced.  (Toscano is esp. good)
feta cheese
chopped red onion, scallions, shallots, etc.
lemon juice
olive oil
ground pepper

Mix.
Easy to increase as well.


A family favorite from our friends Tom and Connie:
California Salad Bowl


Ritchie's Antipasto:

A delicious and highly loaded antipasto we made in 2013.

Another one!  Also yum.

Ritchie's Antipasto:

Finely chop chicory (escarole, endive frisee, cutting chicory, etc.) or a blend of chicory and romaine lettuce.
Season with salt, pepper, olive oil, and wine vinegar.  Add chopped garlic or onion, if you like.
Let the greens sit for several hours to blend flavors and wilt.
Spread greens on a big platter and decorate with your favorite antipasto ingredients, such as: tuna, pickled peppers, roasted red peppers, mozzarella, provolone, olives, tomatoes, prosciutto, ham, artichoke hearts, salami, marinated mushrooms, red or sweet onions, ETC.
If you are artistically inclined, think of the greens as a background color and make a beautiful arrangement, like Ritchie does!

Ritchie's Antipasto

Later in the season you might like:
Three Week Cole Slaw
Carrot-Cabbage Salad
Daikon and Carrot Salad
I'll post these recipes at a later date.

Do you have favorite salads that don't use lettuce?  Please share in the comments below or on our Facebook page.

Kohlrabi Slaw AKA Kohl-slawbi

A yummy salad idea from one of our farm members.

Kohlrabi Slaw

Julienne a peeled kohlrabi with thinly sliced red cabbage and one apple.
Toss with:
2 Tbsp mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp sour cream, splash of rice vinegar, salt/pepper, 1 diced jalapeno, handful of chopped cilantro and crushed peanuts.

Kohl-slawbi!

2016 Updated Version:

Kohl-slawbi

Cut thicker outside skin off kohlrabi and then use vegie peeler to remove remaining green or purple skin down to lighter inside

Cut in thin julienne strips (a mandoline is great for this chore)

Peel and julienne radishes, turnips, carrots, beets, any other hard vegie you'd like...

Add in 1/4-1/2 cup each of mayonnaise and plain yogurt (more or less depending on desired coverage)

Throw in 1/2 cup golden raisins (or nuts or other dried fruit?)

Season with salt/pepper

A dash of rice vinegar 

A squeeze of lemon juice

Stir well, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, then serve.