Grow. Cook. Eat. – Page 47 – Julia Shanks Recovering Chef and Urban Gardener

June 23, 2008

Farmer’s Markets – Chevy Chase DC

This week’s market report comes from the Chevy Chase Farmer’s Market in Washington, DC.

This farmer’s market was founded just 4 years ago in the side yard of an elementary school. The look and feel is far different than the more urban markets in Boston, Cambridge and even Dupont Circle in downtown DC. The school and the market are in the middle of a shaded, residential neighborhood at the northern point of the city.

Only 3 farmers sell produce. To round out the offerings, there’s a meat stand, bakery, cheese stand and a woman selling fresh pasta. The market has a decidedly mellow feel to it… as the neighbors meander from one stall to the next. And because the market is so small they only allow organic farmers that sell their own products (Shockingly, some farmers sell produce from other farms and call it their own).

My friend Brett was one of the original farmers at this market. This week, his crops capture the essence of the shoulder season – the last of the spring greens and a glimmer of the summer harvest. The tomatoes he planted in the fields the first week of April are yielding its first ripe fruit. Corn that started in the greenhouse in March, and transplanted to the fields in May, now is so sweet and crisp you can eat it raw. Four kinds of basil sit next to parsley and squash blossoms. The last of the spring greens and fennel fill out the table. In Boston, the tomatoes we’re seeing at the market are still from the greenhouses. If Brett, 450 miles south of Boston, is just starting to harvest, we can expect to wait another 4 weeks in New England.

Haroon, is still selling spring crops – bushy heads of lettuce and plump walla walla onions.

Susan the orchardist has bushels of fresh white cherries and gooseberries. At $6/pound, this is less expensive than what’s being sold in the “supermarkets.” The large stone-fruits – peaches, plums and nectarines – won’t be ripe for another month. In the meantime, the raspberries are just coming into full force. This lets me know that the raspberries in my garden – are right on time with a few weeks to go until ripeness.

June 20, 2008

Casual Summer Dining

For much of my culinary career, I prepared elaborate dishes, often with more garnishes than there were components: Seared Sea Scallop Appetizers were garnished with (1) balsamic sauce, (2) arugula salad with cherry tomatoes, (3) fried capers, and (4) fried parsley leaves. It was a running joke in my kitchen when a server would try and take a seemingly complete plate to the diners… “Wait wait, not yet” as I placed more garnishes. All the different garnishes offer color and flavor contrasts.

Now when I entertain at home, I try to simplify as much as possible. I’d rather spend time with my guests than embellishing a dish with layers of flavors. I prepare each dish in advance thinking about interesting flavors, colors and textures that complement the other dishes.

The other night I hosted colleagues at my house. Since I knew we’d be talking business it was especially important that everything be prepared in advance. I had to balance the fact that they all knew I used to cook professionally, so they were expecting an impressive meal.

Hors d’œuvres – Instead of preparing labour intensive canapés, I served a trio of dips: Homemade ricotta with garden fresh basil, green goddess dip with tarragon, parsley, scallion and arugula (also from the garden) and smoked chicken salad. For scooping and dipping, I laid out carrots, cucumbers and crostini. All could be assembled in advance and set out when the guests arrived.

For the main meal, I opted for simple, quintessential spring. I brushed salmon with the green goddess and roasted it, roasted new potatoes with fresh thyme and lemon zest, steamed fresh shelled peas with butter and mint, sautéed morels with sherry and thyme, and roasted asparagus and fiddleheads with garlic and olive oil.

Everything was cooked in advance. By cooking during the relaxed hours before the guests arrived, each vegetable received proper attention: all were bright green and well-seasoned. The salmon roasted to a perfect medium rare. Too often with last minute cooking, we get hurried and forget to taste for seasoning. For this dinner, I threw all the sheet pans the food was resting on into the oven. The salmon cooked a little more to medium and the vegetables warmed through while maintaining their color.

Lucky for me, one of the guests offered to bring dessert — the quintessential spring strawberry-rhubarb pie. With a beautiful lattice top this epitomizes elegant, do-ahead dishes.

June 18, 2008

Central Square Farmer’s Market Report – Kohlrabi and Scapes

Despite glooming gray skies of imminent rain, the farmers market was decidedly busier this week than last. Bushels of asparagus, baskets of strawberries, bunches of beets and radishes spread out as a cornucopia of colorful spring.

I was also pleased to see the Jamaican farmer. His stand does not have a banner announcing the name of his farmer but he has a lively banter with the customers encouraging them to buy from him – usually a vegetable, like callaloo, only seen in ethnic, corner markets or in his native country…uncharacteristically, this week it was the recognizable rhubarb and greenhouse tomatoes.

What I cherish most about the farmers markets is that often I find vegetables simply not available at regular supermarkets. Farmers continually experiment with what grows best in their soil and micro-climate. They balance this with growing the more marketable greens, tomatoes and berries.

All this experimentation challenges the locavore to try new vegetables and experiment with new recipes.
At Hutchinson Farm green garlic and garlic scapes, both derivates of young garlic, spring from the table. Green Garlic is round like a scallion, but long and fibrous like leeks. The young bulb has not yet developed the papery skin that would divide it into cloves (and add a protective layer for long storage). The scape is a long, squiggly shoot from the garlic bulb with a tip that looks like it’s ready to flower. Both have mild flavors and can be eaten raw or sautéed like regular garlic.

I was especially excited to see Kohlrabi. I have seen this brassica – a member of the cabbage family – at Whole Foods before, but had never tried it until I visited Costa Rica this past winter. At a yoga retreat in the mountains outside of San Jose, they simply roasted it with olive oil and garlic. I loved the simultaneously soft and firm texture, the mild sweetness that’s refreshingly moist. The flavor is subtle which makes its appeal perhaps limited, but the texture adds a nice balance to a (raw) coleslaw or (cooked) roasted root medley. The kohlrabi in my garden looks healthy but still has at least 4 weeks before harvest.

By coincidence, at Oleana Restaurant that night, they had a special of fried oysters on a bed of cucumber-kohlrabi salad. If I had to guess the recipe, it would go something like this.

24 Wellfleet Oysters from Pat Woodbury, shucked

Deep Fry Dredge:

½ cup fine corn meal
½ cup flour
½ tsp. zaatar (or mix of dried thyme, sesame and sumac)

2 tsp. salt

Oil for Deep-Frying

½ tsp. fresh black pepper

Kohlrabi-Cucumber Salad

1 kohlrabi, peeled and julienned
1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and julienned
1 tbs. freshly grated horseradish
1 cup plain Greek Yogurt
1 tbs. fresh mint
1 tbs. fresh parsley
Salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

Prepare salad by combining all ingredients together. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
Pour plain oil in a deep cast iron skillet until it reaches 2 inches deep. Heat over medium high heat.
Meanwhile, combine dry ingredients for the dredge.
When oil is hot, toss oysters in the dredge. Shake off excess and gently drop into oil. Cook for about 3 minutes, turn over, and continue cooking until crispy all over.
Drain oysters on a paper towel and serve immediately with Kohlrabi salad.

A special thanks to David for supplying the pictures of this week's farmers' market.

June 16, 2008

My Garden’s Going to Seed & My Secret Source

Much of what I’ve learned through gardening has come from my friend Brett. I met Brett 15 years ago, in my native Washington, DC, when he was working as a chef at Restaurant Nora and I was a grill cook in my first job out of culinary school. When we met, he lived in Arlington, VA with his wife Christine. In his backyard he grew big heads of romaine lettuce, chilies and tomatillos along a chain-link fence and tomatoes in a sunny bed in the middle.
We both left Nora’s at the same time – he moved to Southern Maryland and bought an organic farm and I moved to Boston to work as a cook at Biba’s under the tutelage of Lydia Shire and Susan Regis. I visit Brett and Chris (and Allesandra who is now 9!) at least twice a year. Like most professions, there’s also something to be done when running a farm. And like cooking in a restaurant, the to-do list has a timing that cannot be altered. In a restaurant, for example, you must serve a guest his dinner within 30 minutes of the order, not the next day or even 2 hours later. Similarly, on a farm, the produce and weather dictate when certain chores need to be done. Fields can only be plowed within a certain window before or after a heavy rain, tomatoes must be picked two days before full ripeness, and eggs must be gathered within 12 hours to prevent the chicken from demolishing them. Since Brett’s to-do list is always full, the only way to spend time with him is to work the land along with him – planting seeds, harvesting greens, sorting eggs or staking tomatoes. Over the years, our friendship has grown as has my knowledge of farming, soil management and organic seed genetics. Much of Brett’s produce is familiar – tomatoes, watermelons, sweet potatoes and lettuces. Often he has a varietal that is not found in American markets – for example, the Courge Long de Nice – a French squash that resembles zucchini in the summer and butternut squash in the fall. The flavor has more depth than either of its American counterparts. But my favorite is the Peachy-Mama chili. Native to Brazil, this mild chili looks like a habanero, but tastes like a florally, sweet bell pepper. Since no seed supplier carries this line, he is careful to protect the seeds and the gene line. Peachy- mamas take about 5 months from seed to fruit. Last summer some plants ripened a solid 3 weeks early. Brett was careful to harvest and save these seeds. This year, he is planting them with the expectation that this gene line will have a shorter maturation time. Last summer Brett also sent me home with some broccoli raab seeds. I planted them in the fall and barely had a chance to enjoy the plants before the first snow fall came.

When the snow finally melted this spring, a few plants began to emerge from the soil – winter tolerant raab. I shared with Brett this exciting news and promised to save the seeds for him. In Cambridge, we get too much snow for a winter hardy plant to survive in the fields, but Brett’s land does not get the amount of snow we do, so he can harvest in the fields (as opposed to greenhouses) throughout the winter months. With a seed that can survive sub-freezing temperatures, he will be able to grow the more flavorful field variety rather than the milder greenhouse. The broccoli raab has taken since April to go from plant to flower to seed.

Once the seed pods develop they must dry and cure before they are ready to be harvested. If harvested too soon they are green and wet, and will mold. When properly cured, the seeds are black and last for several years in the freezer. See green (uncured seeds) in the pods and black (cured seeds) in the background

June 14, 2008

Organic vs. Conventional – Side Note

As a side note, meat and dairy fall into a different category of concern. Think about the young girls that are going through puberty younger and younger, sometimes as early as 8 years old. It used to be thought that this was a result of better nutrition. The truth is that these girls are getting heavy doses of hormones (and antibiotics) through the milk and meat they’re eating. These animals were injected with growth- hormones in order to have them reach slaughter weight more quickly, or produce milk more rapidly. Want to let your children grow up at a slower rate? Feed them foods without hormones.

June 14, 2008

Organic Vs. Conventional… The Debate Rages On?

Cost aside, most people would choose organic over conventional. The pesticides and chemical fertilizers may produce flawless looking produce, but I’ll take my bug-holed arugula over conventional because I know the flavor will be better and more importantly, I won’t be ingesting chemicals whose long-term effects I still don’t know.

The debate hit home this week, when I inspected my three cauliflower plants and noticed that one was decimated, and those little bug holes in the other two didn’t seem so quaint anymore.

The question of “organic or conventional” is rather simplistic. So many factors go into the equation including the rising cost of organics (and food in general), the tedium of achieving “organic status” and where the food was grown. Given the choice of a local, conventional tomato versus an organic tomato shipped in from California, I’ll take local! The added benefit is that I can talk with the farmer about his growing practices. He may not, for example, have the organic certification, but he works the land sustainably. My (organic farmer) friend Brett recounted to me the hoops he had to jump through to maintain his organic status after the laws recently changed. He admitted that he would rather forgo the certification than deal with the bureaucrats. As he states it, his practices won’t change and his customers are loyal and don’t need a seal to prove it.

On a personal note, I had to decide how to deal with my aphid problem. I rationalized that I’d rather have non-organic cauliflower than no cauliflower at all! When I went to Weston Nurseries I found several organic pesticides. The oily spray coats bugs’ wings and prevents them from flying. It also works on bees. I thought this would be a good thing since I’m allergic to bees. No, I was scolded. We need bees to pollinate flowers and plants and maintain an important balance in our gardens. Besides, bees don’t sting… it’s the wasps that do. Therefore, I can only spray after 5pm when the bees have gone to their hives for the night.

June 11, 2008

Ted Turner: Media Mogul and Green Restaurateur

When CNN merged with AOL/Time Warner, CNN founder Ted Turner lost his job and about $7 billion. Since he was down to his last $1.5 billion, he couldn’t afford to buy CBS and continue to compete in the media industry. Instead, he chose to open a restaurant.

How did he get from TV to restaurant? As he tells it, he previously satiated cravings for entertainment, and now he’s satiating cravings for food. He’s in the cravings business. (Next up, he asks, a chain of brothels?) And he did have some experience in the food business

This morning, I attended a lively “discussion” between famed chef Todd English and Ted Turner. The focus was the greening of the restaurant industry. Since Ted’s Montana Grill was built green from the ground up, Ted and his partner George McKerrow, Jr. shared insights and experiences that both the seasoned restaurateur and diner can gain from.

Here are some of the highlights and tips:

“War is bad because it’s killing off our diners.” – Paraphrased quote from Ted Turner.

Drink stirrers and straws are a hidden culprit of plastic waste. Consider not using a stirrer and use a spoon instead. Paper and wooden stirrers offer another option. And what about bamboo? They did not mention this option, but bamboo is a highly renewable source.

Switch light bulbs to energy efficient fluorescent. They cost more upfront, but use less energy and last longer. Depending on usage, you can recoup costs in two years or less. Fluorescent light bulbs do need to be recycled. Here’s a link for a company in Massachusetts that handles the recycling of light bulbs.

Get a water extractor for your garbage waste. It will reduce the amount of waste and the expense of rubbish removal.

Reduce plastic use. And always recycle glass, paper, and plastic.

Eliminate bottled water as this increase the amount of packaging needed. Consider options for filtered water.

Use recycled and compostable paper and plastic products. These disposable products will decompose in 50 days in landfills instead of 50+years.

In order to incentivize employees to take public transportation to work: pay for public transit cost as an employee benefits. Those who choose to drive are on their own.

Buy locally to reduce the food miles.

Buy organic and all-natural foods because it does not introduce harmful chemicals into our land systems.

June 10, 2008

The Central Square Farmers’ Market

A visit to the Central Square farmers’ market shows that my garden is right on cue with local farmers. The lettuces are winding down, and there really is not much else. After many years of going to this market, I’ve come to recognize the usual vendors. Many were missing this week, (most notably Steve Parker who I’ve known for years because he sells to local restaurants) probably because they don’t have much to sell yet.

The farmers that were there primarily offered seedlings and lettuces. Seedlings are perfect for those who have not yet had a chance to plant vegetables in their own gardens. The tomato plants are vibrant and full, the herbs billowy and aromatic, and lettuces sprouting a few leaves.Wait… lettuces??? After all this heat, I was surprised to see farms even suggesting that we should start growing the cool weather plant. I questioned this… the gal from Kimball farm says they plant new lettuce seeds every 5 – 10 days. This makes sense: The standard method of harvesting lettuces, “cut-and-come-again,” does not work in this heat, necessitates successive planting if you want a steady supply throughout the summer.One farm was selling hot-house tomatoes, but I’m still not buying. Though this betters the California hothouse because they could ripen on the vine longer, I’ll hold out for the drippingly juicy field tomatoes.

The Herb Lyceum at Gilson Farms specializes in herbs. Herbs grow easily in pots as well as in beds, and have a great cost/benefit ratio. Garden fresh herbs are better than store bought because the aromas are more pungent.Better still, you can harvest just what you need for a single meal – unlike the predetermined pack sizes at the supermarket. Better flavor, less waste – another point in the no-waste column. Gilson Farms also owns two restaurants, including the local Cambridge favorite: Garden at the Cellar. This gastro-pub features locally inspired, European-styled cuisine. The perennial favorite is the creamy tomato soup with grilled cheese. The three-course tasting menu highlights local farmers.

June 9, 2008

Micro Climates

With the record temperatures of this past weekend, I eagerly inspected the garden for transformations from a spring garden to a summer garden.

The arugula and mizuna decidedly prefer cooler weather. In this heat, they feverishly bolt and go to seed. Unlike basil, in which you can trim the flowers to prevent this process, lettuces develop thick stalks that are impossible to retract. At the top of the stalks are the buds and flowers that are the precursor to the seeds. Leaves continue to grow, but they become bitter as the season continues.

I decided to harvest as much lettuce as possible – the lettuce at this stage will keep longer and better in my refrigerator than in the ground. In the off-chance that I have a few more salads to come from these plants, I harvest in the “cut-and-come-again” method. That is, I cut the leaves just above the smallest leafette – about 2 inches above the soil line. The smallest leaves are spared and given the chance to mature.

The first of the tomato plants started to flower last week. I’m guessing that I have to wait another 4 weeks until the first fruit is ripe. The biggest curiosity of the garden is the basil. Four weeks ago, I purchased a six-pack of basil plants. Since the garden has various degrees of sun and shade, I decided to hedge my bets and plant in different locations. Some plants get more morning sun, others afternoon sun. Here are two of the plants:

I had heard rumors that morning sun is better than afternoon sun. But intuition told me that afternoon sun would be better for “full-sun” plants like tomatoes and basil because the light is more intense. Given the huge disparity in these two plants, I decided to do a little research.

In the pro-morning sun column: The morning sun is better as it evaporates the morning dew and prevents leaf rot. Afternoon sun can be too intense and burn the plants.

In the pro-afternoon sun column: plants that like full sun do better with the intensity of afternoon sun. The best sun is between 11am and 2pm.

More important, I discovered, are the micro-climates.
Believe it or not, in my little swatch of land in Central Cambridge, there are at least 10 micro-climates. The variations and sun and temperature come from the obvious: shade providing trees and structures such as houses and fences, and the position in the garden. The bit of garden on the side of the house where the lettuces grow have 4 regions. As witnessed by the vigor of the plants, the center path gets the most sun. On the right side, closest to my house, gets slightly less sun. On the left side, closest to my neighbors gets the least. The front portion gets more than the back. Less obvious are the reflections from windows. My neighbor behind me has windows that act like mirror to the sun onto my garden. Especially the morning sun hits at just an angle that the plants along the back fence get double duty – direct natural sunlight and the reflection from the windows. The plants in the “afternoon sun” section only get a single dose.

In case you didn’t figure it out, the sickly looking basil was in the afternoon sun section, and the thriving basil was in the morning sun section.
Over the weekend I moved the smaller plants to what I hope to be a better location in the morning sun section.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

All this salad is great to ensure that I get my 5 recommend daily servings of fruits and vegetables. But salad dressing quickly cancels out the benefit with all the fat and calories. Here’s a reduced fat version of the classic balsamic vinaigrette (unlike bottled dressings, this is all natural).

2 shallots

½ cup olive oil

1 tbs. fresh thyme

½ cup balsamic vinegar

½ tsp. sugar

¼ tsp. pepper

1. Peel shallots. Mix with ¼ cup olive oil and wrap in tin foil. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until soft, and nicely roasted

2. In a blender, puree shallots, thyme and vinegar together. If it’s too thick, add a few tablespoons of water. Slowly drizzle in remaining olive oil. Season taste with salt and pepper.

June 9, 2008

Garden Updates and Micro Climates

With the record temperatures of this past weekend, I eagerly inspected the garden for transformations from a spring garden to a summer garden. The arugula and mizuna decidedly prefer cooler weather. In this heat, they feverishly bolt and go to seed. Unlike basil, in which you can trim the flowers to prevent this process, lettuces develop thick stalks that are impossible to retract. At the top of the stalks are the buds and flowers that are the precursor to the seeds. Leaves continue to grow, but they become bitter as the season continues. I decided to harvest as much lettuce as possible – the lettuce at this stage will keep longer and better in my refrigerator than in the ground. In the off-chance that I have a few more salads to come from these plants, I harvest in the “cut-and-come-again” method. That is, I cut the leaves just above the smallest leafette – about 2 inches above the soil line. The smallest leaves are spared and given the chance to mature.

Here are two of the plants:

In the pro-morning sun column: The morning sun is better as it evaporates the morning dew and prevents leaf rot. Afternoon sun can be too intense and burn the plants. In the pro-afternoon sun column: plants that like full sun do better with the intensity of afternoon sun. The best sun is between 11am and 2pm.

Less obvious are the reflections from windows. My neighbor behind me has windows that act like mirror to the sun onto my garden. Especially the morning sun hits at just an angle that the plants along the back fence get double duty – direct natural sunlight and the reflection from the windows. The plants in the “afternoon sun” section only get a single dose.

Determining the micro-climates of your garden is a matter of trial and error. Another option is to plant and see what happens. Based on what thrives and dies, you can figure out what works best where. In case you didn’t figure it out, the sickly looking basil was in the afternoon sun section, and the thriving basil was in the morning sun section.

Over the weekend I moved the smaller plants to what I hope to be a better location in the morning sun section.

Balsamic Vinaigrette
All this salad is great to ensure that I get my 5 recommend daily servings of fruits and vegetables. But salad dressing quickly cancels out the benefit with all the fat and calories. Here’s a reduced fat version of the classic balsamic vinaigrette (unlike bottled dressings, this is all natural).

2 shallots
½ cup olive oil
1 tbs. fresh thyme
½ cup balsamic vinegar
½ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. pepper

1. Peel shallots. Mix with ¼ cup olive oil and wrap in tin foil. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until soft, and nicely roasted

2. In a blender, puree shallots, thyme and vinegar together. If it’s too thick, add a few tablespoons of water. Slowly drizzle in remaining olive oil. Season taste with salt and pepper.