Chickadee Creek Farm

Baby Ginger

Using and storing your ginger

Baby ginger does not need to be peeled- it has no skin, or tough internal fibers. It can be sliced, diced, minced, grated or juiced in a juicer or garlic press. The leaves can be crushed and used to make tea. Slices of the root can also be boiled to make teas. The stems can be cut lengthwise and used to flavor a dish while cooking. Use it in stir-fry, in making rice (just add ginger when cooking rice), with lentils, in baking, and in teas. Because it lacks fibers, baby ginger can be sliced thin as a sushi garnish or candied.

Storing your Ginger: Baby ginger freezes perfectly. Trim off greens and place root in a bag or container, and then into your freezer. It grates nicely while frozen. Repeated thawing is not recommended.

Ginger is reported to have many health benefits, the most certain being easing nausea from motion sickness and morning sickness. Wikipedia has an extensive cited entry on the subject.

Blueberry, Arugula and Fennel Salad
-2 bulbs fennel thinly sliced (I used a mandolin)

-1 bag arugula

-1 pint Mike’s blueberries

-1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

-1tbsp olive oil

-grated parmesan

Put these all in a mixing bowl together (except for parmesan) and smash it all up so the blueberries are crushed into it all. The oil and vinegar work into the fennel and arugula, making them slightly more mild. Chill it for half hour or so, and then add grated parmesan, as much as you prefer.

Boc Choy and Black Bean Salad

1 head Boc Choy

1 15oz can black beans (or equivalent freshly cooked)

½ chopped onion

1 crushed or chopped clove garlic

3 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

¼ cup olive oil (optional: add a little sesame oil for flavor)

Chop up boc choy stems and leaves into 1 inch strips.  Chop garlic and onions and mix with bok choy and black beans.  Mix together vinegar, mustard, and oil and pour over salad and toss.  Cover it up and throw it in the fridge for at least an hour (a few hours is better especially if you’re using big bok choy). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Boc Choy with Ginger and Garlic

1 bunch Boc Choy, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons soy sauce

Ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in skillet on medium heat. Add ginger, garlic, and chopped boc choy stems and cook for 1 minute. Add the rest of the boc choy and the soy sauce and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until the greens are wilted. Season to taste with black pepper. Serve over rice.

Bruschetta- easy!

6 tomatoes diced

½ med onion chopped

1 clove garlic finely diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup finely chopped basil

Salt to taste

After all that chopping, just throw it all in a bowl and mix it up. Eat immediately, or let the flavors meld together for a couple hours in the fridge. Great with some crusty bread.

Braised Swiss Chard and Leeks

1 bunch Swiss Chard, chopped

1 bunch Leeks sliced

3 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt, for sprinkling

Heat oil in large pan over medium heat, add leeks. If using chard stalks, add them, too. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Add chard leaves; cover. Simmer until wilted, about 5 minutes. Serve at once. 4 servings.

Cherry Tomato – Swiss Chard Omelette

½ pint Cherry Tomatoes

½ bunch Swiss Chard

1 med onion

2 tbsp. grated cheddar cheese

2 eggs with dash of milk

Salt and pepper

Slice onion and sauté in buttered pan. Add cherry tomatoes, and mash them up when they begin to soften.Add chopped greens from swiss chard, and a dash of salt. Sauté until greens are wilted, then remove from pan and set aside.

Beat eggs together with a dash of milk and pour into buttered pan. Drop veggies onto half of the eggs, and sprinkle grated cheese on top.

Fold empty half of eggs when they are cooked enough to move, and then flip the entire omelette. Let cook another minute and serve. Enjoy!

Collards and Peanut Sauce

1 bunch collards, chopped

1 bunch scallions sliced

5 carrots chopped1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

2 tbsp peanut butter

½ cup water

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Sautee scallion in olive oil for 4 minutes, then add spices. Add collards and carrots, cook 2-3 mins. Add water and peanut butter, mix thoroughly, and cook until carrots are tender. Serve over rice or quinoa and enjoy!

Cranberry Sauce twisted with Ginger

2 pints fresh cranberries

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup orange juice

2 tbsp grated Chickadee Creek Ginger

Combine all of the ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the berries pop open, occasionally stirring, for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature. You may refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 months.

Daikon Cakes

1 1/2 C packed coarsely grated daikon radish

2 tsp salt

½ C onion

1 egg beaten

seasonings to taste

1/2 C bread crumbs

1 ½ C Vegetable oil for frying

Place the daikon in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt.    Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Drain daikon. Stir in the garlic, onion, egg, bread crumbs, pepper, paprika, and chili garlic sauce. Mix well. Form into 8, small round patties.

Pour oil into a large skillet. Heat over medium heat. Fry patties in the hot oil until firm and nicely brown, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

How to use Fennel

From reluctantgourmet.com

The Bulb:

When raw, the texture of fennel is cold and crisp.  Take advantage of the refreshing crispness by thinly slicing the bulb into salads or slaws.  When caramelized, fennel tastes almost like anise candy, and it acts as a wonderful flavor base.

The Fronds:

Fennel leaves can be chopped up and used to flavor any number of dishes, either hot or cold, much like you would use any other culinary herb.  Use it in dishes that also feature citrus, or in any dish that reminds you of spring.

Honey Ginger Carrots

1 pound carrots, diagonal sliced in hearty disks

Steam until tender but firm.

Melt in skillet:

1/4 cup butter

2 tbsp honey

2″ knob young ginger, minced

1 tbsp lemon juice

Add carrots to skillet, stir to coat.  To achieve some browning on the carrots (optional), turn skillet to high heat until carrots have browned.  Watch carefully, stirring as needed to keep from getting over cooked.

Kale Chips

1 bunch kale, washed and thoroughly dried

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Remove the ribs from the kale and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Lay on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and salt. Bake until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through, about 20 minutes. Experiment with your favorite spices.

Potatoes with Basil and Garlic

2 lbs potatoes

½ head garlic

½ bunch basil

2 med sized onions

Butter or olive oil

Salt and pepper

Slice potatoes into ¼ inch rounds, chop onion and garlic, and add to a pot or pan with butter or olive oil. Sprinkle on 1 tsp. Cover and cook on med high heat, stirring occasionally. When potatoes are fork tender, stir in coarsely chopped basil. If you like your potatoes creamy add ½ cup of milk with the basil and stir vigorously. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Roasted Beets, Potatoes, or Sweet Turnips 

Desired quantity of beets, potatoes, or turnips

Olive oil

Sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Scrub and quarter beets, potatoes, or turnips. No need to peel: our produce is fresh and organic. Lay flat on a roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil and toss vegetables until they appear lightly coated. Sprinkle on desired amount of salt. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring after 30 minutes.

Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Four pounds potatoes, scrubbed, halved

2 heads garlic, cloves separated

4 tablespoons rosemary, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss potatoes and garlic cloves with rosemary. Toss with olive oil to coat lightly and add salt and pepper to taste. Lightly oil a pan and spread potatoes out into one layer. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes or until tender and browned.

serves 8

Sesame Snow Peas with Mustard

1 qt snow peas de-stemmed

1 bunch mustard chopped in slivers

2 carrots chopped into match sticks

1 onion diced

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp olive oil or butter

½ tsp ginger

1 tsp soy sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oils in skillet over high heat for about 30 seconds. Stir fry all vegetables for 4 minutes, then add soy sauce. Serve over brown rice or quinoa.

Summer Squash and Green Beans

2 lbs summer squash

1 lb green beans

½ head garlic

½ bunch basil

1 med sized onion

Butter or olive oil

Salt and pepper

Slice squash into ¼ inch rounds, chop onion and garlic, and add to a pot or pan with butter or olive oil. Sprinkle on 1 tsp. Cover and cook on med high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove tips from beans, cut in half, and add. When squash begins to look translucent, stir in coarsely chopped basil.  Add more salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Tomato Sauce: Fresh and Simple

2 quarts sauce-type tomatoes, quartered

2-4 cloves garlic diced

1 onion coarsely chopped

1 bunch of basil. Leaves picked off and coarsely chopped

Put quartered sauce tomatoes in sauce pot with onions and garlic. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring and gently mashing the tomatoes down occasionally.  After 45 minutes, turn off heat, add basil and stir in, then allow to cool down. Sauce thickens upon slight cooling. Enjoy!

Tomato Tart- easy!

Pie crust

5 tomatoes- any variety

2 tsps Dijon mustard

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (or your favorite kind)

Finely chopped basil for garnish

Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Slice tomatoes into ¼ inch pieces. Spread mustard on the bottom of the crust and add grated cheese. Layer on tomatoes, overlapping to entirely cover the cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 40 minutes. Garnish with basil and serve!