Weekly Weeder

Olin-Fox Farms Volume No. 9 Issues No. 34 December 12, 2007

www.olinfoxfarms.com Fall Season Week 12


STANDARD REMINDER

Please be sure to wash your weekly share thoroughly before serving. To preserve freshness, it is NOT ‘table ready’ (i.e., pre-washed). We deliver your Olin-Fox Farms’ produce right from the fields to ensure highest quality.


NOTICE

This is the last week the Fall Program.

The Winter Program will start January 9 – 12, 2008.


This Week's News From The Farms

As we come to the end of the year and the final week of our 2007 Fall Program, it's natural for us to take a few moments to pause and reflect.  Mother Nature, despite the drought, has been good to us, for the most part, providing some very nice varieties of intensely flavored fruits and vegetables, even though the season for some were short lived. 

 

Now, we look forward to starting a new year and hope you all have enjoyed the produce programs over the last year as we offer our Season's Greetings and best wishes to everyone for happy, healthy and safe holidays. 

 

The weather continues to cooperate for many of the crops and for those who tend to them.  We are pleased that the conclusion of the Fall Program is culminating with another bountiful harvest, as we look forward to the prospect of providing you with fresh produce again in 2008.  Please join us, if you have not done so already.  Your continued support strengthens the future of Community Supported Agriculture.  In the face of rising fuel costs and uncertain climate change, it is vitally important that local farming continues.

 

As we hoped, the Jerusalem Artichokes (also known as Sunchokes) that we planted back in the fall of 2006 have done extremely well, thanks to John's constant watering during this year's drought.  They have done so well, in fact, that we have planted two more rows for 2008 using seed tubers we harvested from our own plant stock.  Please see details below on storage, cleaning, and preparation.

 

Thank you for your belief and participation in Community Supported Agriculture!




In Your Produce Basket This Week Dec. 5 - 8

Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes), Curly Kale, Beets, Cilantro, Tatsoi, Red Pac Choi

See your site's distribution list for more details.


Please Note: With elements beyond our control such as the start or the end of a harvest, or extreme weather conditions that may limit the quantity of produce coming in, we systematically address each delivery and pick up group each week and do our very best to see that everyone receives some of everything.


Recipes

What is not from Jerusalem and not an artichoke? You guessed it: the Jerusalem artichoke.

 

Jerusalem artichoke, botanically-named Helianthus tuberosus, is the tuber of a variety of perennial flower in the aster family. They can be found still growing wild along here in the Northern Neck of Virginia, when their towering 7-8 foot stalk and s clusters of radiant flowers thrive in the sultry heat of late summer.  The flowers look like small yellow sunflowers with a honey-sweet scent reminiscent of carob powder.  Also marketed as sunchokes, these gnarly little tubers look a lot like ginger root. Perhaps the most important root cash crop to originate in North America, the tubers have a potato-like texture often recommended as a potato substitute for diabetics. Sir Walter Raleigh found Native Americans cultivating sunroots in what is now Virginia in 1585.  It's entirely possible that they ones you'll be eating are distant relatives of the original batch he collected.


For many years, the Jerusalem artichoke was shunned due to an old wives' tale linking it to leprosy simply because of the similarity of the tubers to the shape of deformed fingers caused by the disease. During World War II, sunchokes and rutabagas were the most prevalent vegetables, giving them the reputation as a poor man's vegetable. However, today they are highly sought after and can be found in upscale grocery stores at a premium price.


Over two hundred varieties are now available which are used not only in many commercial products as a fructose source, but also to make alcohol. The sunchoke has always been cultivated much more extensively in Europe than in America.


If it's not an artichoke and it's not from Jerusalem, you ask, where in the world did the name come from? One theory holds Jerusalem is a corruption of the Italian girasola, meaning "turning toward the sun," a reference to the sunflower.  These days, you'll find them marketed under the less foreign sounding name of sunchokes. Whether you refer to it as Jerusalem artichoke, sunroot or sunchoke, the tubers have a delicate flavor that is slightly sweet and nut-like and crunching texture, similar to jicama and water chestnuts.


Sunchokes store their carbohydrates in a form of inulin, a starch that is not utilized by the body for energy, as opposed to sugar. They are recommended as a potato substitute for diabetics since they are filling but not absorbed by the body, and because they also show indications of assisting in blood sugar control.


Jerusalem artichoke flour is also recommended for those who are allergic to wheat and other grains.

High in iron, potassium and thiamine, low-fat sunchokes also feed the healthy bacteria (lactobacilli) in the intestinal tract. Eaten raw even in some amounts has been known to help diminish dark circles under the eyes. However, they can cause flatulence in some people, so your first tasting should be in small amounts. For those sensitive to gas-producing foods, pre-cooking before baking or a good boiling is recommended, and eating them raw should be avoided.  Of course, cooking them will destroy most, if not all, of their highly beneficial enzymes.  Try nibbling a few thin slices first.  If you then decided to enjoy some in a green salad, be sure to toss the slices in some lemon juice to prevent browning. 


The knobby sunchoke tubers look similar to ginger roots, with light brown skin that may be tinged with yellow, red, or purple depending on the soil they are grown in. They are three to four inches long and one to two inches in diameter. Although available year-round, prime season is from October to April, and they are best dug after a light frost, as we did at the farm.  Avoid those with wrinkled skins, soft spots, blotched green areas or sprouts.


This vegetable can be eaten raw or cooked. Before eating or cooking, take the time to scrub the tubers thoroughly with a vegetable brush. Peeling can be difficult due to the protuberances and is not necessary. The peels are perfectly edible. However, if you must peel them, slice off the smaller bumpy areas and remove skin with a vegetable peeler. If you will be eating them cooked, you'll find it easier to boil, steam or microwave them whole and unpeeled first, and then peel if necessary.


Handle sunchokes with care, as they will bruise easily. Raw sunchokes should be stored in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from light. They can also be stored in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator, wrapped in paper towels to absorb humidity and sealed in a plastic bag. They will keep especially well if you store them in a sack of decent garden soil in the refrigerator, despite the wisecracks you may receive. 


Depending on how long they have been sitting at the market, raw sunchokes can be stored from one to three weeks. Cooked sunchokes should be refrigerated and consumed within two days. Canning and freezing is not recommended due to discoloration and deterioration of texture.

Jerusalem artichoke cooking tips
Raw or cooked, your options with sunchokes are wide open. Just as with potatoes, they can be baked, boiled, steamed, fried, and stewed. However, they will cook faster than potatoes and can easily be turned to mush in a matter of minutes if you do not monitor them closely. Keep your eye on them and remove them from the heat source as soon as you can easily pierce them with a skewer.


Keep in mind that the flesh of Jerusalem artichokes will darken with exposure to air, just as potatoes will, so if you are serving them raw, be sure to dip them in acidulated water. Even after cooking, the high levels of iron may cause stored cooked sunchokes to turn gray, not an appealing result. A pinch of cream of tartar or a bit of acidic liquid (such as lemon juice or vinegar) added to the cooking liquid will remedy this situation. Add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon of acidic juice per quart of water.  Either of these acids will also strengthen the texture. If you want the finished result to be softer, add the acidic juice during the last five minutes of the cooking process. Avoid aluminum or iron pans, because these metals will cause oxidation, turning the vegetable an unappealing dark color.

 

Jerusalem artichoke (sunchoke) recipes
Tasty flavoring partners include cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, onion, and cream. They go well with just about any protein source. Mashed chokes can be used as a thickener for soups and stews. Try sunchokes instead of potatoes in your favorite potato pancake recipe. They can be substituted for turnips or parsnips in most recipes; so don't be daunted if you can't find an abundance of recipes specifying Jerusalem artichokes.  Add slices or grate it into your salad or make slaw as you can with Jicama.  Like Kohlrabi, it can be served raw as a snack or on your crudités platter.  You can also blend it into a soup, mash it, use it in a stir fry (4-6 minutes until tender), bake it (30-45 minutes for 20 minutes or so), roast it, steam it or boil it (10 - 15 minutes until tender). Use your imagination and have fun with this healthy vegetable. 


Sunchoke Gratin

1 pound sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes) Salt
An oven-to-table baking dish Butter for smearing and dotting the baking dish
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese


Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.


Peel the sunchokes and drop them in salted, boiling water. Cook them until they feel tender, but not mushy when prodded with a fork. Ten minutes after the water returns to a boil, check them frequently because they tend to go from very firm to very soft in a brief span of time. Drain when done, and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, cut them into 1/2-inch slices.


Smear the bottom of a baking dish with butter, then place the sunchoke slices in it, arranging them so they overlap slightly, roof tile fashion. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the grated Parmesan, dot with butter and place the dish on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven. Bake until a light golden crust begins to form on top. Allow to settle for a few minutes out of the oven before serving.


Yield: 4 servings


Cheese & Artichoke Chowder Recipe

2 Tbsp butter 1 small onion, sliced
1 pound Jerusalem artichokes, sliced into water with 1 Tbsp lemon juice added
8 ounces carrots, sliced 5 tsp all-purpose flour
2-1/2 cups chicken stock 1-1/4 cups milk
8 ounces (2 cups) Gruyére cheese, shredded 1/2 tsp dry mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste

Julienne Garnish:
1 Jerusalem artichoke 1 carrot
1 leek Chervil leaves


Instructions
In a large saucepan, melt butter, add onion and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Drain artichokes; add to pan with carrots. Cook 2 minutes. Add flour, then gradually add stock. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare julienne garnish. Cut artichoke, carrot and green part of the leek into julienne strips.


Blanch in boiling water 1 minute; refresh in cold water and set aside.


Blend soup in a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade until smooth. Add milk, cheese and seasonings and blend again. Pour into a clean pan and reheat gently; do not boil.


Pour into individual soup bowls and garnish with the prepared vegetables and chervil leaves.


Yield: 4 servings


Sauteed Sunchoke

1 ½ lb. sunchoke, thoroughly scrubbed  & thinly sliced 1 (12 oz.) can orange juice concentrate

a dash of nutmeg ½ tsp. salt

 

Place prepared sunchokes and orange juice concentrate in a large skillet and cook until chokes are tender or bake in oven in a dish without a cover. For oven baking, add 2 cups of water and turn if necessary to prevent the top from drying out.

 

Yield:  4 servings


Newsletter written by John Cooper, Alice Hershiser, and Ethan Brent.


Bon Appetit!