Kretschmann Farm Nov. 14, 2006
don@kretschmannfarm.com www.kretschmannfarm.com
Greetings from the Kretschmanns,
As the season
comes to a close, even the younger crew members are looking forward to some
rest. It’s been quite a ride this year,
starting with installing the apple trellises and planting new trees, to the wet
spring, the sometimes dry-sometimes wet summer, and then the moist fall. You’ve seen the mixed bag it has been. We certainly know truck farmers who had a
horrendous year. Our growing season was difficult, but tolerable. It was often less than satisfying because we
knew the quality of what was in the fields was not what we were used to. Without a doubt, the brightest part was how
all you subscribers rolled with the punches.
We never felt we were alone in the struggle nor faced with an impossible
task. Thank you for all your support,
your words of encouragement, and inspiration.
You have truly made it all worthwhile.
Looking
forward, we can already see the fat buds on the apple trees (next year’s flower
buds) which are an indication that next year is the “on” year for apples. We’re continuing to embark on our plan to
plant more apples and even a few pears.
Come spring, more trees will arrive. We are buying a machine which will
pick beans, so next year we hope to have a lot more of these favorites. Beans have always been very limited by the
amount of labor to pick them. This also
opens the door to some new offerings like edible soyas.
Hope you
enjoy the sauerkraut. The only
ingredients are our own organic cabbage and salt. Time and the natural fermenters do the
rest. God bless good king Frederick the
Great. Legend has it that he singlehandedly
made sauerkraut the German national dish when he monopolized the salt industry
and required that every German buy a certain amount of salt. What could they do with it all? But seriously, it was a great way to preserve
cabbage without refrigeration. Sauerkraut
is full of lactic acid—the same as yogurt.
This is said to play an important role in the health of older people to
aid a digestive system which is growing weaker.
A last minute
surprise were the mini-turnips. They
were late in coming and we left them in the ground until the end. We decided the tops were just too precious to
lop off, so there’s a double treat. When
sautéd or cooked, the tops taste remarkably like spinach. We like them with feta cheese stuffed into
pita bread.
If you’d like to be on the contact list for
monthly boxes in the winter, let us know.
The first will be Dec. 19.
Wishing you a
happy Thanksgiving with family, friends, good cheer and good food
Sincerely, ---Don, Becky, & The Kretschmann Crew
Note: This week will be the last veggie box of
the season. Remember, all boxes
should remain at the pickup location because we won’t be back the next week to
pick up empties. Please remember to drop
off any extra wooden boxes you might have at home as well. We’ll be sending out the final bills for the
season shortly and we hope to get refunds in the mail after Thanksgiving, where
due.
Reuben
Sandwich: Toast two slices of your
favorite hearty wholewheat bread. Spread
hot thinly sliced corned beef on one slice, top with sauerkraut, dress with
Russian dressing, top with a little
swiss cheese and broil briefly until cheese bubbles. Combine with other slice of bread. Mmm…mmm.
D's Pumpkin Pie:
Dice unpeeled pie pumpkin, or any orange fleshed
winter squash and boil until tender. (If
the squash has dark flesh, peel first) Drain.
Measure out 2 c.of the pumpkin and 1 1/2 c. milk. Place in blender: 2 eggs, 1tsp. cinnamon, 3/4 tsp. allspice,
1/2 tsp. ginger, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp salt, 3 tbs. flour, 1 c. of the cooked
pumpkin and 1 c. of the milk and puree until very smooth. Pour into mixing bowl. Add remainder of pumpkin and milk and repeat
blending. Mix blended batter with 1 c.
sugar (white or brown) or 3/4 c. honey.
(If using honey decrease milk or pumpkin by about 1/2 c.) Fill your favorite pie crust with batter and
bake @ 325 deg. about 1 hr. or until firm. The batter may be frozen in a
plastic milk jug until ready to use. So make a larger batch and pull it out of
the freezer for a homemade pie anytime.
Thanksgiving
Stuffing: Cut up ½ loaf wholewheat
bread with a sharp knife into cubes. Mix
well in large bowl with 1 diced onion, 1 diced apple, 2 c. chopped kale stems
(maybe a little kale leaves as well), ½ c. finely diced chestnuts (walnuts or
sunflower seeds work too), 2 beaten eggs, and 2 tbs finely chopped sage, thyme,
and rosemary. Stuff into turkey,
chicken, or just bake in a covered pan with a little broth in the bottom.
Twice
Baked Potatoes with Greens: Bake 3 large potatoes until tender and cool. cut each potato
lengthwise and scoop out all but 1/4 " thick shell. Mash pulp with potato masher add 1/2 c. milk,
1/2 c. cream cheese, 1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1/4 c. finely chopped
onion, 1/4 tsp. salt, pepper and 10 oz. steamed, chopped spinach, kale, or
other greens. Stir well and spoon
mixture into shells. Sprinkle top of
each half potato with cheese. Place on a
baking sheet, bake @ 400 deg. 15 min. or until thoroughly heated.
Herbed
Vinegars and Oils: Use a blender or
food processor to process herbs and oil or vinegar, then strain through a
coffee filter set in a sieve or small strainer. Crushing and adding heated liquids is another
method. Herbed oils can be used for dipping or coating
flatbreads.