Eggplants are low in calories and fat but high in fiber as well as being a good source of potassium, iron, and protein, hence its association with vegetarians. They should be cooked to eliminate trace toxins solanine, which it gets as part of the nightshade family. They don’t store for very long, so use them within the week.
Stuffed Eggplant:

• 1 medium eggplant
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup soft bread crumbs

Wash eggplant and cut in half. Scoop out pulp to about 1/2 inch of the skin. Dice pulp. In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes; add eggplant pulp, tomatoes, bread crumbs, and salt. Mix well; fill eggplant shells. Bake at 375° until browned, about 30 minutes.

Originally from the Baltic region, Russian banana fingerlings were brought to America by early Russian settlers. These potatoes are featured at high end restaurants for good reason: they melt in your mouth with little fuss. Just wash them well, boil them just until done, toss with a little butter, maybe some fresh herbs, sea salt, and voila! They also cost a pretty penny if you can find them in the markets, so enjoy!

Here’s a link to a fun article about them: “Fingerling Potatoes Pack a Fistful of Flavor.”  It offers recipes and storage tips, so definitely worth checking out.

Purple carrots originated in Asia Minor and have been grown at least since the 10th century, and probably much longer. Besides their colorful appearance, these carrots are sweet with a rich, spicy finish. Use them raw or cooked to dress up a dish.

Carrots have a high vitamin and antioxidant level, and these are picked within the day of delivery to ensure the highest nutrition. They will keep nicely if stored in a cool dark place, but really, they’re too good to keep around long.

Try peeling and grating the kohlrabi directly into a salad, or grating it into a carrot slaw.

Kohlrabi Potato Pancakes

kohlrabi, washed peeled and grated
potatoes, washed and grated
finely chopped onion to taste
2 eggs slightly beaten
2 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

Grate kohlrabi and potato and squeeze out any excess moisture.

Combine all ingredients except oil in a large mixing bowl, and mix until well blended, forming into small pancakes.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Fry kohlrabi-potato mixture in batches; sautéing until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Drain on rack or paper towels, and serve with sour cream. This is even tastier, in my opinion with garlic sour cream.

Thyme contains the volatile oil thymol, which is antiseptic, antibacterial, and antispasmodic. It has long been used to treat whooping cough, bronchitis, asthma, and other chest-related illnesses, and is approved and used regularly as a medicinal herb in Germany. In addition to the previous qualities, thyme is also useful for expelling internal parasites and can be used externally for treating dermatitis and fungal conditions. Thyme can also be used orally to treat cavities, tonsillitis, and halitosis, and thrush; it’s also effective for treating yeast infections and candidiasis.

Pregnant women should avoid drinking thyme tea.

For further reading:

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/t/thygar16.html 

http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_thyme.htm 

http://www.dickcontino.com/thyme.htm 

I’ve place the 2008 seed order, and together with the seeds left from ‘07, we have quite a line up:

Seeds left from last year:

• artichoke (saved seeds)
• arugula
• bean: royal burgundy snap, isar French fillet, genuine cornfield pole, Kentucky wonder pole (saved)
• bok choi
• broccoli: calabrese
• brussels sprouts: catskill
• cabbage: early jersey wakefield
• carrot: red core chantenay
• cauliflower: snowbell
• celery: conquistador
• chervil
• chives: garlic, purly
• cilantro
• cucumber: Boston pickling
• dill: bouquet (saved), hercules
• green onion
• kale: Hanover spring, vates
• kohlrabi: purple
• leek: American flag, blue solaize (very few)
• lettuce: black seeded simpson, parris island cos, sweet valentine, red salad bowl, green salad bowl, speckled bibb, oakleaf, Thai oakleaf, winter density, forellenschuss, anuenue, slo-bolt, ermosa, buttercrunch, jericho
• michihli
• muskmelon: Hale’s best, hearts of gold, old time Tennessee (4 seeds)
• parsley: curled, flat leaf
• parsnip: hollow crown
• peas: Amish snap, Little Marvel, Wando
• pepper: California wonder, serrano hot
• pumpkin: little pam pie, jack-o-lantern
• raab
• sage
• salsify: sandwich island mammoth
• sorrel
• spinach: long standing bloomsdale
• sweet potato: beauregard (gift from Nicolas)
• swiss chard: bright lights, ruby
• radicchio: verona red
• tatsoi
• tomato: (very few of each) sweet olive, gold nugget, sun gold, Amish paste, German red strawberry, Brandywine, green zebra, sweetie
• turnip: seven top foliage, purple top
• upland cress
• zucchini: black beauty

This year’s seed order:

• basil: sweet genovese
• bean: Louisiana purple pole, genuine cornfield pole, Cherokee cornfield, rodcor butter bean, provider, flagrano French bean
• bean, soup: Taylor’s dwarf, black valentine, sulphur
• beet: lutz, chioggia
• broccoli: di cicco
• carrot: Belgian white, purple dragon
• Chinese cabbage: bilko
• chives
• corn: double standard (old fashioned sweet, open pollinated), robust (popcorn—we tried “Tom thumb” and didn’t like it)
• cucumber: yamato, marketmore
• dandelion: clio
• eggplant: rosa bianca
• endive: totem, eros, rhodos
• escarole: pancalieri grado
• gourd: green apple, mixed small
• kale: vates
• kohlrabi: winner
• lettuce: dark lollo rossa, natividad (both reds)
• marjoram
• onions: cortland, redwing, purplette
• peppers: ace, sahuaro hot
• potatoes: red nordland, yukon gold, Russian banana
• radish: black Spanish, d’Avignon
• squash, summer: golden bush scallop, early prolific straightneck, costata romanesca,
• squash, winter: seminole pumpkin, cinderella pumpkin, sweet meat squash, winter luxury pie, table queen vine acorn, delicata, Waltham butternut, marina di chioggia
• swiss chard: rainbow
• tomato: Amish paste, Brandywine, striped German, green zebra, sweet olive, red grape, sun gold, gold nugget
• turnip: hakurei
• watermelon: Amish moon and stars, strawberry

Micro-greens are plants harvested at the beginning of their growth once the plant has put on its very first real leaves, just after the sprouting stage. Micro-greens have the added advantage of being grown in open air, unlike sprouts, ensuring circulation and eliminating any potential health concerns. All our micro-green seeds are certified organic and grown in a sterile soil-less medium.

Why eat micro-greens? Because they pack both a flavorful and nutritional punch, loaded with vitamins A, B, C, E and K, calcium, chlorophyll, iron, lecithin, magnesium, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, potassium, amino acids, trace elements, antioxidants, and up to 30% protein. Micro-greens offer flavor and maximum nutrition. Use them in soups, salads, as a side dish, garnish, or in place of herbs.

To read more:

California Micro-green Trend

Discover Micro-greens

Micro Green FAQ

“Whisper of Spring in a Sprout” NYTimes article

I was able to save some seed garlic from last year’s plantings, though not quite as much as I would have liked, and we ordered several different varieties to try this year from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, a wonderful company specializing in seed exchange in the mid-Atlantic states.

Varieties planted:

• German extra hardy porcelain hardneck garlic (saved from last year)
• New York white softneck garlic (saved from last year)
• Spanish Roja hardneck garlic
• Chesnok red purple stripe garlic
• Inchelium red softneck garlic
• French silver skin softneck garlic
• Music porcelain hardneck garlic
• Odetta’s white shallot
• Prince de Bretagne shallot

We’re looking forward to trying the different varieties and sharing with our CSA members. One can never have too much garlic!

Here’s a photo of our Narragansett tom in the background with a Royal Palm, another heritage breed, in the foreground. Narragansetts are excellent meat birds and are the breed we currently feature as our Thanksgiving heritage birds. Slow Food USA lists the Narragansett on its Ark of Taste, as part of its foundation to preserve biodiversity and cherished cultural foods.

This is our first year raising Royal Palms, so they will grace only our table this year, as we try them out against the Narragansett before offering them to our customers. Their reputation as meat birds is not as strong as the Narragansett, but we’re testing them out for the possibility of offering a white heritage breed in addition to the Narragansetts.

We’re constantly developing our heritage breeding programs here at the farm—a slow and steady process. In 2008, we plan to begin offering heritage chicken as well as turkey, including Delaware, Buckeye, both listed on Slow Food’s Ark of Taste, as well as Silver Gray Dorking, an ancient breed that can be traced back to Roman times. In addition, our laying flock features several other rare and heritage breeds, including Wyandottes, Speckled Sussex, and Dominiques, enabling us to support other breeders’ efforts at preserving biodiversity. By creating a market for these birds, we help ensure their survival and the preservation of valuable genetics and instincts for real farm survival.

Medicinally the root has been used as a natural decongestant (no doubt!), a digestive stimulant, pain relief rub for rheumatism and headaches, and current research demonstrates the root’s antibacterial qualities.

Relatively benign when whole, the characteristic pungency is released only upon grating or scraping, which causes a chemical reaction creating the volatile oil isothiocyanate. Adding vinegar to the grated horseradish stops the reaction and tempers the taste. Add vinegar immediately for a mild horseradish or wait up to 3 minutes for a hot condiment.

To prepare: Store the root in the refrigerator for up to a week, taking care not to allow it to dry out. Either use a blender or grate outside wearing gloves to be on the safe side. Add vinegar according to taste, using approximately equal parts. (Rice wine vinegar is supposed to be particularly good if you have any on hand.) Store in an airtight container for up to several months in the refrigerator. It will gradually lose its flavor with time.
For further reading:

• Spice Pages
• Botanical.com
• Mother Earth News