Notes from Windy Willow Farm 2008 CSA Week 19

News from Windy Willow Farm
2008 Week 19

This week’s share includes:

3 sweet onions
1 Qt red potatoes
1 Qt Brussels sprouts – One of the highlights of the fall garden is our Brussels sprouts. Last year I discovered how awesome they are roasted in the oven, with olive oil and coarse sea salt. They’ve been kissed by a few light frosts as well, but they are always reliably sweet.
2 sweet red Italian pepper - last week at my farm stand a customer stated, “I’m really nervous that these are hot peppers.” In response, I picked one up and bit into it like an apple. It was sweet, like candy!
1 Acorn winter squash – you know these are ripe when you see the orange spot on the side. They are sweet, a little hard to cut through and go nicely with butter and sugar. A bit stringy for some, they also improve with age.
1 bunch ruffled kale – These, too, get sweeter when touched by frost.
1 bunch carrots – using my newly purchased harvesting broadfork, I dug these carrots. Not much improvement on the post-harvest condition, there’s still tons broken and gouged. I just am a terrible carrot digger, so my apologies. The good thing is that carrots get sweeter with each frost, so enjoy!

Best guess for next week – (maybe) sweet potatoes (not sure if the small harvest is enough for CSA), butternut squash, beets, carrots (maybe Mark will dig them for us!)

Favorite customer comment – “Thanks for the great party!”

Photo Captions: 1) Gwen and her pigs 2) CSA members visiting the pigs during our picnic

This past weekend was our 4th annual CSA picnic and bonfire. A great time was had by all, with great food, conversation and company. We took a tour of the new greenhouse, visited the pigs, lost some members in the raspberry patch and enjoyed the starry sky during the bonfire. Thanks to all who attended who made the event a success.

As the gardens slow down, I’m taking advantage of the extra time to work in the greenhouse. When we were constructing the structure, we used the tractor, and lots of people and ladders throughout. We even worked in the rain and mud, resulting in a soil that is hard like cement 3 inches below the surface. I brought out my newly purchased broadfork (this one has fewer tines than the harvesting fork) and have been steadily working my way through. After rototilling, I begin on one side and drive the broadfork all the way into the soil. I do this by standing on it and shifting my weight back and forth. Then I step off the back and pull down with the handles. This loosens the soil and creates 8 inches of airy planting space. Imagine carrots planted there would be gorgeously straight! Once I’m done broadforking the current area, I’ll rototill one more time, to create a fine seed bed, and begin planting. My current planting list is as follows: mesclun (heavy on the asian greens), spinach, arugula, mizuna, claytonia, and kale. I’m planning on transplanting swiss chard and beets from my outside garden into the greenhouse. Planting at this time will give the plants a chance to grow and get established prior to the dark days of deep winter. By the end of the week, the electrical and plumbing work will be complete. A friend has advised me that the “08 Summer of building the greenhouse will soon be a distant memory.” Can’t wait!

I can’t believe this is the second to last CSA pickup! I’ve enjoyed the season so much, and have been thrilled at the bounty from the garden. I am asking that each member fill out one of our surveys. We treasure the feedback in each year’s survey to help plan the following years. Either print one out or pick it up at the farm. I can’t wait to hear what you think of our season!

Eat what you can, can what you can’t.
Gwen, Mark, Sarah and Jason Hyde

© 2008 Gwen Hyde

The recent chilly weather has made me anxious to get out my soup pot. I can’t wait to use some of the beautiful ruffled kale to warm my winter kitchen.

Toscana Soup - Allrecipes

Submitted by: Ken MillerRated: 5 out of 5 by 63 members
Prep Time: 15 MinutesCook Time: 1 Hour
Ready In: 1 Hour 15 MinutesYields: 5 servings
"This soup is sure to warm your bones on a chilly night and won't leave you hungry. Potatoes, sausage and kale are simmered in chicken broth and cream, with onions and garlic."
INGREDIENTS:
12 links spicy pork sausage,
sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup diced onion
1 1/4 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chicken broth
4 cups water
2 potatoes, halved and sliced
2 cups sliced kale
1/3 cup heavy cream
DIRECTIONS:
1.Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2.Place sausage links on a baking sheet and bake 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Slice into 1/2 inch slices.
3.Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent; add garlic and cook 1 minute.
4.Stir in broth, water and potatoes; simmer 15 minutes.
5.Reduce heat to low and add sausage, kale and cream; simmer until heated through and serve.

This is my favorite method for potatoes, a little rosemary is a nice addition.
Garlic Roasted Potatoes recipe - Potato Recipes

Ingredients:
4 medium Roasting potatoes.4 x Cloves garlic.2 tablespoons of Oil.Salt to taste.
Preparation Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.2. Wash the potatoes and cut them in half lengthwise. Cut each half into 3 slices.3. Peel the garlic cloves. 4. Mix the oil, potato slices, garlic cloves and salt in a bowl until evenly coated. 5. Put the potatoes and garlic in a baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes.

My Outrage at Facory Farming of Pork

I eat meat. There, I've said it. But probably 98% of the meat I eat is raised right here on my farm. This year I raised 7 pigs, 2 lambs, 80 broiler chickens, 10 turkeys, but in the past I've had as many as 50 lambs and 16 pigs.

I love my animals. Every day I go to the pastures and they run right up to the fence. You should hear the turkeys gobbling as they rush up to investigate. This year's pigs are the friendliest I've ever had. They insist on being scratched and massaged, and some even roll over on their backs so I can rub their bellies. When it's hot outside, I go and spray them with a hose, and give them a mud puddle to lay in.

I always have a gentle word for the animals. Even when I don't have time for a full hello, the lambs get a soft touch on their noses. Even when I was beyond frustrated with the broiler chickens, I would say things like, "I think I'm going to make chicken soup with you!" in a kind voice. All they knew was that I was being careful with them while putting them in their coop for the night to avoid becoming the owl's dinner.

We raise our animals with so much care, feed them the best feed (and most expensive) organic feed, from a local feedmill, take care to avoid stress. We let the pigs be pigs, and they do what pigs love the best, root in the dirt and grass, run around their pasture, lie in the sun or shade, scratch their backs against their shelter, drink fresh water whenever they like and eat high quality food.

But in the end, many of these animals will end up in my freezer, ready to provide my family with the nutrition we need to survive. I bring them to a butcher I trust, the day prior to processing, to reduce the stress. My pigs have one bad day, really a moment, and they are never abused or mistreated for their entire lives.

Mark sent me this video link and warned me that it was disturbing. I didn't want to watch how pigs are treated at factory farms. I didn't want to see angry people who are paid low wages mistreat and torture these helpless creatures. But I knew I had to spread the word, and I knew I had to watch it so I could share it with people who may care.

I couldn't finish the video. I was physically sick watching it. It is awful, horrible, beyond belief how those animals are treated. I won't even ponder what they are being fed to eat. I think that every one of those men in the video should be treated the same way as those animals.

Those pigs are how Hormel puts the pork in their products. They are a big name, and I can only imagine how many countless pork factories there are out there. How can this be allowed to continue? It really breaks my heart. I had to go out to the pasture and give my precious pigs an extra helping of TLC to try and apologize for the treatment.

Be aware that this video is extremely disturbing. But watch it and get angry! http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/iowa_pigfarm_abuse2

By purchasing these products, you are essentially condoning these practices and allowing it to continue. Is this how you want to feed your family? Is this the food that will provide your body with the nutrients it needs? Is there a farmer nearby that has a different, kinder view on animal husbandry? If so, you need to find them right now. (www.localharvest.org is a great place to start!) It may require you to change the way you think about your meals. Even my own extended family likes to go to the supermarket and purchase enough meat for one or two meals. When you do this, the meat you are going to eat was probably raised on a factory farm or feedlot.

When you purchase meats locally, instead of at the market, often you have to purchase larger quantities of meat. Many people can't fathom this. But in doing so, you actually pay less than when purchasing by the piece, and you have a full supply of food in your freezer. A small chest freezer is suprisingly inexpensive and efficient. Wouldn't it be nice to know that you have food enough to feed your family and can avoid the day to day fluctuations of food pricing?

I could go on and on about this, I'm so passionate about it. But I'll sign off for now. My door is always open for a discussion on this topic, as well as tours of my farm. You can see for yourself the conditions and treatment of my animals and decide for yourself. Would a factory farm ever let you through their doors??

News from Windy Willow Farm
2008 Week 18

This week’s share includes:

2 heads garlic
2 sweet onions – These onions will store in a dry, cool place for up to 3 months.
1 Qt white potatoes – These, also, will store for months, in a dark, cool, dry place. I have them down in my basement, and when they’re gone, I don’t cook with potatoes until next year’s are harvested.
1 Qt tomatoes – Bid farewell to the tomato season, as its lasted 6 weeks. We had a fantastic season, with the tomatoes coming on in abundance. I hope you put up enough to enjoy over the winter.
1 head Red Teide lettuce – This lettuce came from a freebie packet of seed I picked up at the annual Organic Farming conference and I’m thrilled with it. It’s gorgeous, dark red ruffled leaves with a cool green interior. I hope you enjoy it as well.
4 leeks – Not getting to your leeks? They store fine in your fridge, in a plastic bag. But do try them in your soups, they make it very creamy and sweet.
2 Sunshine winter squash ­– A kabocha squash, this is Mark’s favorite type of winter squash, and it’s won all sorts of awards. It has a bright orange center, and is very sweet, and not stringy. Generally winter squash will store for months and get sweeter, but be sure to check it weekly for soft spots. Always store squash, potatoes, onions and garlic in a dry, cool, and dark spot. A helpful tip: cook the squash whole (either in your oven or microwave) until it starts to soften, then cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. I’ve almost cut off many fingers trying to cut through a big squash.
1 Bonbon winter squash – This is a buttercup type of squash and is very sweet as well.
1 Qt dried shelling beans – These are the same beans that we had fresh a month or so ago. Just shell them (the beans inside are red and white, quite pretty) and dry them completely. To dry them, I pour them into a roasting dish and leave them out for a week or so. Then I pack them into a clean quart container for the next time I make a soup. Don’t forget to soak them, though fresh beans never get as soft as store bought.
1 bunch beets – some of these are big, and some are downright huge! I’ve been roasting them, sliced with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, and packing them into bags for the freezer. I’m always impressed with how well they freeze.
Best guess for next week – kale, brussels sprouts, Acorn squash

Favorite customer comment – “I made THE BEST sauce ever last night, thanks to your amazing tomatoes and the tips I picked up cooking with you and Mark.”
Photo Captions: As a last hoo-rah to tomato season, we made bruschetta yet again. The combination of the sweet onions, basil, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar makes a wonderful end of summer treat.

The garden is slowly finishing the season. Last week I harvested all of the winter squash, and Mark and I pulled up many rows of plastic this weekend. The winter squash harvest is not very large (due mostly to the germination problems in the beginning of the season), so enjoy the few fruits we have. This week are buttercup and kabocha squash, next week will be Acorn, and Butternut for our last week of the season. This week we have some bonus/free choice butternuts that have blemishes on the outside. These are fine to eat, but will not store for the winter.

This weekend is our 4th Annual CSA Picnic and Bonfire! Saturday we’ll start at 4, and head down to the bonfire pit by 6:30. I’m trying to make this paperless, to avoid having huge bags of garbage at the end of the night. Please bring a plate, fork, knife, spoon and cup for each member of your family. I’ll have a big pile of cloth napkins and extra plates on hand. I’ll plan on filling the dishwasher (whose hot water is solar-heated) prior to the bonfire, and you can pick up your clean dishes before you go home. Also, please bring a jacket for fireside use and shoes in which you can walk a ¼ mile down our grassy lane. Oh, and BYOB, I’ll have pitchers of lemon water to drink, but bring your own beverages. My current menu is as follows: I’m defrosting a huge 18 pound turkey and I’ve made 2 strawberry-rhubarb pies, which I serve a la mode (of course). Everything else is to be potluck, so please bring a dish to share. Side dishes and desserts would be great. Call me if you have any questions. I’m looking forward to a great party!

We are almost definitely having a frost this week. (what does “almost definitely” really mean??) The forecast is calling for 33 on Thursday, so I think this is it. It will take care of all of our tender crops: eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, beans and herbs. But it will enhance others as well: carrots, brussels sprouts. A light frost will not bother Swiss chard, beets, lettuce or the sweet potatoes I’ve still yet to dig. Here’s to watching the weather!

Eat what you can, can what you can’t.
Gwen, Mark, Sarah and Jason Hyde

© 2008 Gwen Hyde

Here’s a great link on winter squash from a vegetable farm, with a bunch of interesting recipes:http://www.homestead-farm.net/RecipeWinSquash.html

Last week a customer mentioned a risotto recipe, and I’ve had risotto on my mind:
Winter Squash Risotto
Makes 4 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each
Ingredients
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil3 medium shallots, thinly sliced3 cups chopped peeled butternut, hubbard, red kuri or kabocha squash (½-inch pieces)2 cups shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced ½ teaspoon dried thyme½ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper⅛ teaspoon crumbled saffron threads (optional)1 cup arborio rice½ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Place broth in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat so the broth remains steaming, but is not simmering.2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in squash and mushrooms; cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms give off their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add thyme, salt, pepper and saffron (if using); cook for 30 seconds. Add rice; stir until translucent, about 1 minute. Add wine (or vermouth) and cook, stirring, until almost absorbed by the rice, about 1 minute.3. Stir in 1/2 cup of the hot broth; reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring after each addition until all the liquid has been absorbed, until the rice is tender and creamy, 30 to 40 minutes total. (You may have some broth left.) Remove from the heat and stir in cheese.

Roasted Pesto Beets
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 1 members Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes Ready In: 55 Minutes
Yields: 4 servings

"Red beets are boiled until just tender,then sliced and smothered in pesto before being roasted in the oven."
INGREDIENTS:
4 beets, trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
6 tablespoons basil pesto
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the beets in a large saucepan and cover with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the beets are just tender, about 30 minutes. Drain, and allow the beets to cool until you are able to handle them. Peel and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices, then toss with the pesto in a bowl.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
3. Spread the beets out onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the beets are hot and have turned slightly brown around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes.

News from Windy Willow Farm 2008 CSA Week 17

News from Windy Willow Farm
2008 Week 17

This week’s share includes:

2 heads garlic – This year’s garlic has been very sweet, sweeter than other years. We put a ton of raw, minced garlic in our canned salsa recipe, and were amazed at the sweet taste it offered. We’ve also found that the cloves are very tightly pressed together, and that a dull knife is needed to pry them apart.
2 sweet onions
1 Qt red potatoes
2 Qt tomatoes
1 Qt green beans – I just put up a bunch of green beans, for winter’s use. I pinched off the stem end, boiled them for 1 minute, 45 seconds, then into cold water, patted dry (see picture) and packed into bags.
1 half pint raspberries
1 head Red Buttercrunch lettuce – I’m proud of myself this year, accurately planning and planting our fall lettuce. I’m hoping to have enough to offer at least a head for a few more weeks. I’m loving these fall salads!
4 leeks – These leeks are gorgeous, and I even cleaned them up for you: sprayed off the dirt, trimmed the roots and tops. I think they were a bit intimidating the last time we had these.
1 bunch carrots – I destroyed the carrots again. But not for long! I ordered one of these babies, though it’s on backorder: Johnny's - Product - 9061 - Johnny's 920 Broadfork
1 bunch swiss chard
1 bunch basil – a small bunch before the first frost. I intended to give cilantro, but it still hasn’t grown much, and is about 2 inches tall.
1 eggplant – this was an unintended add-on to this week’s share. We’re all up in a tizzy, with the threat of frost tonight. I’m trying to get as much out of the garden as possible, so I’m picking lots of peppers, tomatoes, basil, and eggplant.

Best guess for next week – Dried shell beans, beets, arugula, lettuce

Favorite customer comment – “Your raspberries are the best I've ever had in my mouth!”

Photo Captions: A winter’s worth of blanched green beans, ready to be packed into bags for the freezer. It’s great to pull out a bag and quickly warm it up for dinner, and know that we’re eating the healthiest food possible.

A frost warning for tonight has us running around like crazy, trying to get as much as possible harvested, and considering covering beans, tomatoes, and peppers. We’re even thinking of running a sprinkler in the garden to warm up the plants, a technique that ensures their protection. Other years, I’ve been relieved to have the first frost past, but not this year. I’ve only just started going to the farmers market and would like to enjoy tomatoes for a while longer.

On Tuesday, I listened to the tail end of the Michael Pollan’s discussion, ”The Cornifiation of Food” on NPR. Several figures jumped out at me, as well as the concluding thought. The idea that it takes over 100 gallons of gas to feed a corn-fed steer amazed me. Pollan pointed out that the industrialization of organics are no better off than commercially grown food, resource-wise. He urged listeners to “vote with your fork” and think about what you eat and how it got to your table. He concluded that if pesticides are your concern, eat organic; if energy conservation/sustainability is your concern, eat local, join a CSA and shop at a farmers market. As I was rinsing the leeks, I was enthusiastically agreeing with Michael, pumping my fist into the air, shouting, “Amen!”

I recently placed my winter order with my seed supplier. In our new greenhouse, I’ll be growing spinach, mizuna, claytonia, arugula and other winter goodies. I can’t wait to have a fresh salad at the Thanksgiving table! I’m looking forward to learning how to grow in a greenhouse, and how to grow in the winter. I’m thinking that I’ll need to use row covers during the coldest periods, and only harvest in the afternoon, after the plants have thawed somewhat. I’m also anticipating having more abundant early crops for next year’s CSA and early farmers market weeks. Wouldn’t it be great to start the season with a big bag of spinach?

Eat what you can, can what you can’t.
Gwen, Mark, Sarah and Jason Hyde

© 2008 Gwen Hyde

Mashed Potatoes with Sautéed Leeks, From “Asparagus to Zucchini, a Guide to Farm-Fresh, Seasonal Produce,” by the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition

1 pound new potatoes, peeled, cut in half
2 Tbs butter
5 medium leeks, sliced (white & light green parts)
¼ cup milk
Salt & pepper

Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender. Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy, medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring frequently until tender and beginning to color, 8-10 minutes. Drain potatoes and return to pot. Mash. Mix in milk. Stir in leek mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Two servings.

Swiss Chard Recipe Swiss Chard Recipe Simply Recipes (though I like to finish cooking swiss chard with balsamic vinegar or lemon juice - Gwen
Ingredients
1 large bunch of fresh Swiss chard
1 small clove garlic, sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp waterP
inch of dried crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon butter
salt

Method
1 Rinse out the Swiss chard leaves thoroughly. Remove the toughest third of the stalk, discard or save for another recipe (such as this Swiss chard ribs with cream and pasta). Roughly chop the leaves into inch-wide strips.
2 Heat a saucepan on a medium heat setting, add olive oil, a few small slices of garlic and the crushed red pepper. Sauté for about a minute. 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). Add salt to taste, and a small amount of butter. Remove the swiss chard to a serving dish.

News From Windy Willow Farm 2008 CSA Week 16

News from Windy Willow Farm
2008 Week 16

This week’s share includes:

2 heads garlic

2 sweet onions – One each, red and white.
1 Qt white potatoes

3 Qt tomatoes – we have definitely had an excellent tomato season, which hopefully makes up for failures in the sweet corn and edamame departments.
1 Qt green and yellow beans – My last planting of green beans is just coming on, so we should have more greens next week.
1 half pint raspberries – Our fall bearing raspberries, appropriately called Autumn Britten, will keep bearing until frost kills them. I’ve decorated the pints with yellow raspberries, for color. As usual, these berries, though picked this morning, are very perishable and should be eaten, refrigerated or frozen right away.
1 head Tropicana lettuce – These fall lettuces are hoping for some rain, this hot weather could cause our beautiful lettuce to go bitter. So far, so good.
1 Daikon Radish – I didn’t receive much feedback on the first week of Daikon, so I thought we’d give it another try. Try it shredded with some soy sauce on it, (like I eat it at Japanese restaurants) or sprinkled on a salad.
2 Jalapeno peppers – Some like it hot, and these peppers deliver!
1 bunch collard greens – A nutritional powerhouse, I just learned that it is higher in nutrition when cooked than raw. You can use them in any recipe calling for spinach, kale or chard, and is excellent roughly chopped and sautéed in garlic and oil, but what isn’t?
1 bunch parsley
Best guess for next week –Swiss Chard, carrots, red potatoes

Photo Captions: Our gorgeous raspberry plants with huge fruits on them, with sunflowers in the background. These raspberries are as big as your thumb!

Favorite Customer Comment: “Last night, I sliced and roasted the red potatoes (drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary). They were the SWEETEST potatoes I’ve ever eaten. I had them for dessert! Thanks for growing such wonderful food!”

I’ve been worried, for some time, about getting our winter firewood split and stacked to dry in the basement. Last year we were done by April, and now it’s September and we’ve barely started! We heat our house exclusively with wood, but with an oil furnace backup. Since we have 90 acres of forest, we’ve always cut our own wood and burned it in the wood stove in the living room. For the last several days, every spare moment has been spent with the wood splitter. Mark cut the logs last winter and dragged them over the frozen fields to begin to cure near the house. We split them with a log splitter, stack them in the bucket of the tractor, dump it in the bilco door and stack it in the basement. When we’re ready for a fire, we load up the dumbwaiter with wood and winch it up to our main floor. It’s quite a system. Since we haven’t had rain in a while, the wood is clean and dry, so we’re pushing to get it under cover prior to the expected rains this weekend. It’s hard, physically demanding work, and my body is sore and bruised from it. But we like the idea of using renewable resources to heat our home, which makes us less reliant on petrochemicals. Plus, along with our solar system, we expect one tank of oil to last us at least two years!

Garden cleanup has started, and I’ve tried to clean up one row per day. This involves pulling up the plastic mulch, drip tape and reusable irrigation fittings. I always find it a chore, preferring to set up and have the party rather than clean up afterward. Today I walked through our winter squash areas, and they are all looking great: huge butternut squash, sunshine and acorn squash and even pie pumpkins, all working on getting ready for fall. Next week we’ll start to harvest them, as they get sweeter with age.

Tomorrow is Sarah’s first day of kindergarten, where she’ll ride the bus and be there all day. I’m sure we’re in for many transitions in the coming weeks, as we all get used to the new schedule and activities. I never thought I’d be the parent crying at the first day of school, but I had my share of sniffles at pre-k last year, and I’m sure this year will be no different!


Eat what you can, can what you can’t.

Gwen, Mark, Sarah and Jason Hyde

© 2008 Gwen Hyde

Sauteed Collards and Kale - Collard Greens Recipe

This recipe for sauteed collard greens and kale includes seasoning of olive oil, garlic, salt, black pepper, and lemon juice.
Ingredients:
· 1 large bunch collard greens, about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds
· 1 large bunch kale, about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds
· 3 tablespoons olive oil
· 6 cloves garlic, minced
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
· juice of 1/2 lemon
· a few dashes hot pepper sauce, optional
Preparation:
Rinse collard greens and kale well in a large bowl of cold water. Drain and cut off tough stems. Cut leaves into 1/4-inch strips. You should have about 8 packed cups.
In a well-seasoned heavy skillet or wok, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add half of the collard greens and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add half of the kale and cook stirring, for about 1 minute, until they begin to soften. Add the remaining greens and cook, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, until the greens are tender.Season with the salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and a few drops of hot pepper sauce, if desiredServes 4.

Too many tomatoes? Here are some fresh ideas:
A link to some great, creative tomato recipes: 5 fantastic, fresh summer tomato recipes - Food on Shine

A great guide to canning tomatoes, chock-full of pictures: http://www.pickyourown.org/canning_tomatoes.htm


Pan-fried Daikon Slices Recipe
Makes about 10-15 slices, enough for a side dish for 4 people.
I've been eating out a lot these days, so when I cook at home, I try to catch up on the vegetables. But without a lot of time to fuss with complex sauces or multi-step cooking, I've been trying to do a lot with a little.
Slice the daikon into 1 cm medallions.
Heat a large frying pan to medium and add a little bit of sesame oil, just enough to cover the surface.
Just before the oil starts to smoke, arrange the daikon slices in a single layer on the surface of the pan. Fry until they start to smoke slightly. The cooked surface should have dark brown marks, but not black.
Flip'em.
Wait for them to smoke slightly again.
Remove from pan, and arrange on a paper towel to soak up a little oil (shouldn't be much). Arrange on a plate and sprinkle with a little salt.
Total time: 10-15 minutes for half a daikon