Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad

Nov 20, 2020

Photo: Unsplash

Ingredients:

¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. minced shallot
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
¼ t. kosher salt, plus more to taste
Ground black pepper
2 large bunches Tuscan kale (about 1 ½ lb. total), stemmed and leaves thinly sliced
12 oz. Brussels sprouts, trimmed, finely grated or shredded
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/3 cup almonds with skins, coarsely chopped
1 cup finely grated Pecorino

Combine lemon juice, Dijon mustard, shallot, garlic ½ t. salt and a pinch of pepper in a small bowl. Stir to mix; set aside for flavors to blend. Mix sliced kale and brussels sprouts in a large bowl.

Measure ½ cup oil into a cup. Spoon 1 T. oil from cup into a small skillet. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add almonds to skillet and stir frequently until golden brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Transfer nuts to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle almonds lightly with salt.

Slowly whisk remaining olive oil (in the cup) into the lemon juice mixture. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Add dressing and cheese to kale mixture, tossing to coat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Garnish with almonds.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Chef’s Note: Dressing, kale/Brussels sprouts mixture and almonds can all be prepared 8 hours ahead! Cover dressing and refrigerate; cover veggies and refrigerate; cover almonds and keep at room temperature. Combine before service.

Recipe from Bon Appetit

Download a printable version of the recipe here

Learn about this recipe by watching the cooking class below

Twice-Roasted Squash (& Toasted Squash Seeds)

Nov 20, 2020

Use your winter squash for a seasonal side dish — and then do something fun with the seeds — in these recipes: Twice-Roasted Squash with Parmesan Butter & Grains and Toasted Squash Seeds

Twice-Roasted Squash with Parmesan Butter & Grains

Squash:

One 3-4 lb. kabocha, buttercup or red kuri squash
3 oz. Parmesan, grated + extra for serving
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ t. grated lemon zest
Salt & pepper

Dressing & Assembly:

3 T. lemon juice
3 T. unseasoned rice vinegar
3 T. olive oil
1 T. honey
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 ½ cups cooked whole grains (barley, farro, etc.)
1/3 cup unsalted, roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
3 T. golden raisins or Pomegranate seeds

Place oven rack in middle position, and pre-heat to 300. Line a sheet pan with foil. Prick squash all over with the point of a paring knife and place on foil-lined sheet pan. Roast until very tender, about 3 hours. (Knife should slide easily through the flesh.) Or, roast at 425 degrees for 1 hour. Tear or cut squash in half and let sit until cool enough to handle.

Remove seeds and scoop flesh into a medium bowl. Tear skin into 6 large pieces and set aside on same baking sheet. Add Parmesan, butter and lemon zest to bowl with flesh and mash to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Move rack to upper third of oven and increase temperature to 450. Divide mashed squash mixture among reserved pieces of skin and roast until top is beginning to brown, 10-12 minutes.

For dressing / toppings: Whisk lemon juice, vinegar, oil and honey in large bowl. Add scallions, grains, pepitas and raising/pomegranate to dressing and toss to coat.
Arrange squash on a platter and spoon grain mixture and dressing over. Top with shaved Parmesan.

Makes 4-6 servings.

 

Recipe from Bon Appetit

Download a printable version of the recipe here

Toasted Squash Seeds

Ingredients:

1 cup seeds from pumpkin / winter squash / honeydew melon, etc.
2 t. olive oil
1 t. spice blend (1/4 – ½ t. measurements of various spices, to equal 1 t. total)
½ t. kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350.

Rinse seeds and dry on a towel for 15 minutes. Toss seeds with oil & spices. Line sheet pan with parchment and spread seeds out.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Cool and enjoy!

Download a printable version of the recipe here

Learn how to make these recipes by watching the cooking class below

 

CSA Farm Spotlight: Wilkinson Acres

Nov 18, 2020

By Sustainable Solano

This is an ongoing series profiling local farms that have Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) available in Solano County. CSAs create a way for community members to buy a share of the harvest directly from local farmers. Customers pay a set amount and receive a box of seasonal produce or other farm products in return. Such arrangements help farmers receive a greater share of the money paid, bring customers fresh, local produce and promote health, community and the local economy.

Mike and Courtney Wilkinson of Wilkinson Acres

Mike and Courtney Wilkinson started thinking about their future together after they were married — and what they really wanted to do with their lives.

“After a lot of discussion, we decided what we wanted more than anything was a lifestyle — one in which we could provide good, healthy food for our community while enjoying the freedoms (and responsibilities) of owning our own small business,” Courtney said.

The two left their jobs as a building engineer and high school teacher and started Wilkinson Acres in Fairfield about a year ago, where they use low-till and organic practices to grow vegetables and fruit for their customers, which include restaurants, weekly visitors to their farm stand and, starting in January, CSA members.

Below is a Q&A with Courtney about Wilkinson Acres:

  • Wilkinson Acres
  • Fairfield
  • 5 acres
  • 2019

 

When did you start offering a CSA? Why was it important to offer?

Our first ever CSA starts in January 2021! 2020 was a crazy year of pivoting due to COVID-19. The closure of many of our restaurant accounts required a shift in our business model towards our direct community. We realized that now more than ever it’s important for us to make healthy, organic food accessible to our immediate neighborhood and county. The CSA model allows our community to give us a boost at the beginning of the season, ensuring we can provide them with the best of our product for the 16-week season!

Are there special perks for CSA members? Why do people tend to subscribe?

There are definitely perks to being a member! For starters, all members get an extra 10% off at the farm stand (on-site), as well as a weekly Member Newsletter, featuring recipe ideas for the week’s produce. We’re working on more perks, in conjunction with some of our farm stand partner vendors. Stay tuned!

What’s something that makes your farm stand out?

Our organic certification. We’re certified organic by CCOF and, as far as we can tell, we are the only officially certified organic farm in the Fairfield/Suisun Valley area. We take a tremendous amount of pride in our organic transparency and the quality of our certified organic product. We are looking to implement even more organic and sustainable practices around the farm in the years to come.

We use low-till growing practices to build soil health, which, in turn, grows better produce. Encouraging all the good bugs and bacteria to live in our soil by not tilling up their ecosystem and by adding in organic compost benefits the farmer and the plants. These beneficials, as we call them, help the plants take in and process nutrients, resulting in healthier, tastier food. Low-till farming is environmentally friendly, sustainable, and low-waste. It may not be the easiest way to farm, but we believe sustainable growing practices create better farms, food and families.

Anything exciting on the horizon? What do you see happening and what do you want to see happen with interest in local food?

The opening of our first CSA! We’re focusing hard on making the CSA kickoff in January an exceptional customer experience. Check out our website (WilkinsonAcres.com) for all the details.

With regards to interest in local food — we’d love to see more! We’ve had the great fortune to start creating relationships with a lot of passionate foodies in Solano County, but we know there are so many more people in our county that can and should benefit from the fantastic variety in the local ag and hospitality industries.

Anything else you’d like to add?

A big huge thank you to all of our customers! It’s been a wild couple of years for all of us and we know we would not be here without them. We are so deeply grateful for the welcome we’ve received from the agricultural community in Solano County. If you haven’t visited us yet, come see us every Saturday, 8 am-noon at the farm stand [winter hours: 10 am-2 pm]. We’re looking forward to meeting you!

Wilkinson Acres has its Solano County CSA drop site at the farm. Learn more about how to sign up here.

Find out more about local CSAs here.

Coconut Green Curry with Seasonal Vegetables

Nov 13, 2020

Photo: Unsplash

Ingredients:

Green Curry Paste:
1 whole bunch cilantro (1/2 cup stems chopped and leaves set aside)
3-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium shallots, coarsely chopped
1-2 green chiles (jalapeno / serrano), chopped
2 limes, divided
1 T. brown sugar
1 t. ground coriander
Kosher salt, as needed (1t. + extra)
1-2 T. water

Veggies, etc. (adjust quantities to your liking!)
6-8 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1 heaping cup cabbage (any variety), cut into large dice
1 heaping cup pumpkin/winter squash
1 cup green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 small red bell pepper, sliced
2 T. neutral oil (avocado / safflower / grapeseed, etc.)
1 can (13.5 oz.) coconut milk
About 1 cup water

Garnishes / accompaniments:
8 oz. rice noodles
About 3-4 T. dry-roasted peanuts
Lime wedges
Cilantro leaves

Make curry: Grate zest from 1 lime. Combine cilantro stems, ginger, garlic cloves, shallots, chiles and lime zest in a food processor or blender. Add 1 T. brown sugar, 1 t. ground coriander and a big pinch of kosher salt. Puree, adding 1-2 T. water until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.

Prep veggies as directed above. Heat 2 T. oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and pumpkin/winter squash. Season with salt. Saute until water releases and then evaporates from mushrooms. Add peppers and green beans and saute a few minutes more. Add reserved curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it begins to stick to the pan, about 4 minutes.

Add coconut milk and 1 cup water and deglaze the pan. Season with 1 t. salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add cabbage. Cook, stirring occasionally until flavors come together and curry thickens slightly, 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare rice noodles according to package instructions.

Taste curry, season with additional salt if needed. Serve curry over rice or rice noodles, topped with cilantro, peanuts and lime wedges.

Serves 4-6.

Chef’s Notes: This recipe is great year-round! Here are veggies that work well and can be added when in season: bell peppers, green beans, summer squash, bok choy, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, any kind of mushroom, pumpkin/winter squash. Edamame or tofu can be added for extra protein.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.

Download a printable version of the recipe here.

Learn how to make this recipe by watching the cooking class below

Perennial Edible Gardening

Nov 9, 2020

By Lori Caldwell, CompostGal

Lori Caldwell once again answers your gardening questions — this time from her talk on Perennial Edible Gardening. You can watch Lori’s talk in the video here and read her responses to your additional questions below.

Watch Lori’s previous talk and answers to more questions on Big Gardens in Small Spaces: Container Gardening here.
Want to connect with Lori? Find her information on our Sustainable Landscaping Professionals List!

Thanks so much for all the great questions and discussions!

How many years do artichoke plants produce edible fruit?

You can expect about 3-6 years of fruit.  There are some maintenance tips I’d like to pass on:

  • Don’t overwater or over mulch the artichokes. They are pretty drought tolerant.
  • Cut the ripe artichokes often to encourage more to grow.
  • Feel free to let a couple of artichokes go to flower. They are beautiful and the bees love them!
  • Do a hard cut back of the plant at the end of the growing season or before winter comes. Leave about a foot of stem

Can artichokes survive the snow for a short time?

They can but only if you prep them for the cold season.  Cut the stems the stack on top of the main stem.  Put a coarse mulch around the base and top of the cut plant.  This should help insulate the plant from lower temps.

What frequency do you deep water, for how many minutes?

It depends on a couple of things:  the type of plant (tree/shrub, annual) and your soil type (sandy/clay)

Here’s a great PDF watering schedule link:

https://www.urbanfarmerstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/SFBay_Irrigation_Schedule1.pdf

It’s specific to the San Francisco Bay Area, so adjustments would need to be made for other areas/climates.

What’s a good, tall, perennial edible that will grow well in the morning to just afternoon shade and pretty harsh afternoon sun?

  • Tree collards work great in all types of climate and sun/shade conditions.
  • Blackberries, especially if you can get the thornless variety, could work well, too.
  • Pineapple guavas are drought tolerant and can be trained for espalier. They can handle the heat and are quite drought tolerant.

Would starting an apple tree in a container be advisable?  If so, when is the best time to transplant into the ground?

You could start an apple tree in a container for sure! I’d recommend getting the largest container (10 gallons or larger) and if you can, a tree on dwarf root stock. A dwarf could last maybe 1-2 seasons in the large container. However, a traditional root stock tree may only make it 1 season before having to transplant. The roots would be fast growing and fill the space quickly.

Fall and Winter (depending on snow of course) is a great time to transplant:

  • Easier access to water from winter rains
  • Cooler temps will help the tree adjust much easier and prepare it for hotter days
  • The soil may be more forgiving to work with

What dwarf citrus trees do you recommend for a small garden?

Any and all of them! My first question is what do you like to eat? What will you use this citrus for? Depending on where you live you should check to see what varieties grow well in your Hardiness Zone or your Sunset Zone. Most citrus trees varieties have certain heat and cold tolerance:

  • Lemons and limes can handle cooler temps
  • Valencia oranges require a lot of heat, but cannot handle cold temps

If you have issues with space, consider getting an espalier citrus. It will orient itself along a wall or fence (you just have to keep pruning to maintain the “flat” shape).

I’m very happy with my Meyer lemon and Rangpur lime. I’ve had them in 10 gallon pots for the past couple of years and they are about to get a container upgrade.

Fig Questions:

How often should a fig be watered?

The goal is going to be deep watering on an infrequent schedule.  The roots will go deeper with this type of watering.

Here’s a great PDF watering schedule link:

https://www.urbanfarmerstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/SFBay_Irrigation_Schedule1.pdf

It’s specific to the San Francisco Bay Area, so adjustments would need to be made for other areas/climates.

Can you grow figs in Zone 8?

Yes you can!  Looks like Zone 8 is at the end of the range that favor keeping figs outdoors year round!

What makes fig drop their fruit before they are ripe?

It can be a couple of factors:

  • Not enough water : be sure to water regularly, especially during the fruiting period
  • Lack of phosphorus in the soil at the time of fruiting. Application just as the fruits start to appear should help.

Passionfruit? How do you prune?  How do you propagate?

Such a beautiful plant and flower! You prune them every year after harvesting the fruit.  Cut them back to about 1/3.  Prune dead branches especially. I’ve never propagated passionfruit before. If I had to guess:  root green stems in water? Dry out a fruit and plant by seed? There is also the option of rooting woody stems with rooting hormone.

Do you advocate planting onions and garlic around the plants that attract aphids?

I do! Onions are great companions for plants like broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes and lettuce. Not only do onions repel aphids, but also cabbage worms!

Can you deter aphids if it’s above/below a certain air temperature?

Sorry, aphids are pretty hardy pests in the range here in the Bay Area.  I’ve seen them in Vegas in the summer too.  I wish there was a way to deter them! Remember, you do actually need some level of pests in your garden in order to attract beneficial insects.

I have bark mulch around my trees. Do I need to scrape it back before amending the soil around the tree?

Yes, pulling it back would make amending it much easier. Actually, most plants should have a bit of space between the main stem/stalk and mulch. Too close could be too much water at the root base.

Any recommendations on which phosphorus to use?

I use Bone Meal for my garden mostly. Lately, I’ve been doing some research for my clients who are vegan/vegetarian and don’t want animal products in their gardens. I’ve discovered rock phosphate as an alternative.

  • Contains a slower release phosphorus so it’ll last longer in your soil. 1 application per season should be sufficient for your flowering and fruiting edibles/plants.
  • It also contains calcium as a bonus trace element.

Can an orange tree be grown in an 11-square-foot pot?

The smallest container that I’ve seen an orange in is 5 gallons. But that will only last a year at the most. A larger container (10 gallons+) will certainly keep a tree for longer to indefinitely. Regardless of the size, an orange tree will still need lots of nitrogen, well-drained soil and consistent watering.

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The Solano Sustainable Backyards program and the talk are generously funded by the Solano County Water Agency.