Garlic and Ginger Glazed Bok Choi Tacos

Taco Ingredients:

4 corn tortillas
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup canned white beans, rinsed 
2 heads baby bok choy, sliced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1" knob ginger, diced
1 cap full of soy sauce (I know, such an exact measurement right? Probably about 1 t.)
1 t. sweet chili sauce
4 avocado slices (optional)

Instructions:

To make taco shells: Preheat oven to 425. Spray each tortilla with cooking spray and microwave for about 25-30 seconds. Being very, very careful drape each tortilla over two oven grates. Cook for 7-10 minutes or until edges have browned. Remove using a fork in one hand and an oven mit in the other.

Add garlic and ginger to a large pan over medium heat with 1 t. oil. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add bok choy. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add soy sauce and chili sauce and cook until bok choy has just wilted. Remove from heat.

To construct taco layer quinoa, beans, bok choy and avocado slice. Serve with cherry tomatoes if you're so inclined and enjoy!

Recipe Source

Quinoa Salad with Spring Radishes and Greens

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons good, unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups microgreens or baby greens, such as arugula
1/2 cup sliced radishes
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel or other flaky sea salt

Instructions:

Transfer the quinoa to a fine-mesh strainer, rinse thoroughly with cool water, and drain. Place rinsed quinoa in a small saucepan with 1 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the butter. Bring to a boil, the reduce to a simmer over very low heat and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed.

Remove the pan from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and spread the quinoa out on a dinner plate to cool completely.

Toss the cooled quinoa with all other ingredients. Taste and add more salt if desired. Serve by itself or on a bed of lettuce.

Recipe Notes
Make this salad into a complete meal with a poached egg, chicken, or salmon. It would also be very good tossed with some toasted almonds and goat cheese or feta.

Recipe Source

Green Garlic, Potato and Leek Soup

A very pale green springtime cousin of vichyssoise, this purée is comforting when served hot, refreshing when cold.

Ingredients:

¾ pound green garlic (weight includes stalks)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed thoroughly and sliced
1 small celery rib, sliced about 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
1 pound Yukon gold or russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 ½ quarts water, vegetable stock or chicken stock
A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf and 2 sprigs each thyme and parsley
Freshly ground pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, chervil or tarragon

Instructions:

Trim off the tough green ends of the garlic bulbs. If the garlic has formed cloves, separate them and remove the thick shells from the tender cloves. If it has not formed cloves, just remove the outside layers. Chop coarsely. You should have about 1 cup chopped green garlic.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, green garlic, celery and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook gently for five to 10 minutes until the vegetables have softened but not colored.

Add the potatoes, water, bouquet garni and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Purée the soup using an immersion blender. Alternatively, purée in a standing blender working in 1 1/2-cup batches; pull a towel tightly over the top, rather than a tight-fitting lid, to prevent splashes. Put through a medium strainer, pressing the soup through with the back of a ladle or with a pestle. Reheat, taste and adjust salt. Add freshly ground pepper. Ladle into soup bowls, and sprinkle chopped fresh parsley, chervil or chopped fresh tarragon over each serving. Alternatively, chill and serve cold. You can thin out if you wish with milk or stock.

Recipe source

The 2016 Farm Team Welcomes Renae!

This year, we are fortunate to have the majority of our team from 2015 return for another season at Weavers Way Farms.  Having experienced, returning staff allows us to hit the ground running in the spring, and fosters the greatest opportunity to improve as a farm as we build on successes and failures from the past season.

However, to round out a well-balanced team, it is also important to have new ideas and a fresh perspective, and broaden our perspectives as farmers with new coworkers. This year we are thrilled to have Renae Cairns join the team for her first season with Weavers Way Farms. We want you to know the people who grow your food, so please enjoy her bio below.

Renae Cairns, Field Assistant
I came to farming with a deep belief that food has the power to transform our world.  Growing up, I constantly donned my rubber boots and followed my dad around in hayfields and on neighbors’ farms—climbing around barns and sneaking around the animals.  Although it took many years for me to seriously consider a life in food and farming, it was definitely an influential part of my childhood landscape. 
I went on to study anthropology in college which challenged me to gain a more critical perspective on our current food and agricultural systems and inspired me to begin reaching out to farms and food-related organizations to gain experience in the field.  I began by volunteering with the local community garden, farmers’ market, a meals-on-wheels program, and our college farm to begin learning about some of the many agents in our local food system.  Later, I began working for Sow Much Good, a non-profit in Charlotte, North Carolina working to create a more racially and economically just food system through urban farming and community-based initiatives.  With SMG I helped execute the daily tasks of the farm sites from crop planning and seed propagation to field maintenance, harvesting, and distribution.
After two and a half seasons with SMG, I decided to move closer to my family in upstate New York and spent this past winter working on a small, yet incredibly productive, certified organic, no-till farm in the Catskill Mountain area of New York State.  At this farm, I learned a massive amount about what it requires to run a successful, production-focused, for-profit growing operation—even during NY winters!    
Then, I came across the opening for a field assistant at Weavers Way Farms and was beyond excited for the possibility of working for a cooperatively-owned business while continuing to work in farming and food systems.  I firmly believe that centering community, strengthening local economies, working cooperatively, and restoring the environment are all imperative components of a more just and equitable future and as I learn more about the farms and the co-op each and every day, my excitement only grows for all that Weavers Way currently does towards those ends as well as our potential to keep striving for far-reaching, meaningful change. 
For those of you reading this who may be less familiar with Weavers Way Farms, I want y’all to know that the people who comprise the farm team are just as beautiful as the produce that finds its way onto our co-op shelves, your plates, and into your CSA shares.  It is through their endless hard work, passion, extensive knowledge, and enthusiasm that we have some of the highest quality and most delicious produce around.  It is a privilege to join this team and I am excited to meet more and more of the Weavers Way community around the stores and, hopefully, out at the farms!

Classic Beans and Greens Tacos

Taco Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 garlic cloves, minced 4 cups lacinato kale, ribboned 2 cups cooked kidney, black, pinto or garbanzo beans 1 tablespoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon cumin 1/4 teaspoon coriander 1/4 teaspoon sea salt Taco Fixings: 8 soft corn tortillas 1/2 cup raw onions, diced 1 avocado, sliced 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (or other fresh herbs), chopped dashes of your favorite hot sauce Instructions: Heat the olive oil in a pan over low heat. Toss in garlic and kale, and stir briefly. Cover the pan for about 3 minutes, or until the kale becomes bright green and wilted. Next add in your beans, spices,1/2 cup water, and sea salt. Turn up the heat to medium and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until the moisture has mostly evaporated and the beans are soft and sizzling. Add the taco mixture to the tortillas and go wild with your fixings; adding the onion, avocado, cilantro and hot sauce to serve. Recipe Source

Leafy No-Lettuce Salad with Green Garlic Dressing

Ingredients:

For the Salad:
3 nectarines, plums, or peaches, halved, pitted, thinly sliced
1 cup (scant) almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts (about 4 ounces), toasted, chopped
1 cup crumbled blue cheese (or goat cheese) (about 4 ounces)
8 cups mixed leafy greens (such as purslane, mâche, baby kale, watercress, and tatsoi)
1 1/2 cups chervil sprigs or fresh parsley
1 cup (packed) assorted tender herb leaves (such as anise hyssop, tarragon, chives, oregano, thyme and mint)

For the dressing:

1 stem green garlic, white and light green parts only
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

In a blender, pulse the green garlic into small pieces. Measure in the remaining dressing ingredients and run the blender until the dressing is smooth and emulsified. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired.

Arrange nectarine slices on a serving platter. Scatter almonds and blue cheese over. Combine all greens and herbs in a large bowl. Add dressing to coat (amount needed will vary depending on greens used). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss greens and arrange over nectarine mixture.

Salad Recipe source & Dressing Recipe source

Green Garlic Risotto

Use any combination of greens you like for this herb-laden risotto. 

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil
4 large shallots, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup white wine, divided
approximately 8 cups good-quality chicken (or veggie) stock, kept at a simmer on a nearby burner
2 stalks green garlic
6 green onions
approximately 4 cups mixed fresh herbs (basil, parsley, dill, tarragon, chives) and/or strong-flavored greens (dandelion, arugula, kale, mustard, tat soi)
2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and shallots and saute about a minute, until the shallots are translucent and starting to color. Add the rice and stir about two minutes, until the rice is coated with the olive oil and starting to change from opaque to translucent.

Add 1/2 cup of the wine and stir until it's mostly evaporated. Now start with the chicken stock - add about two cups the first time and stir until it's absorbed. When you draw your spoon along the bottom of the pot and it leaves a trail, add some more stock, one or two ladles at a time.

Meantime, in between the first and second addition of stock, put the green garlic, green onions, greens and herbs in a food processor and blitz until everything is finely chopped. It may even turn into a paste - that's fine. When you add the second bit of stock, add a good heaping cup of the chopped greens as well.

Continue stirring and adding stock in the same manner until the rice is al dente - this will take 15-20 minutes, so start testing it after 15. When it's just al dente, stir in the remaining half-cup of wine, grated cheese, another dollop of the chopped greens, and salt and pepper. Stir well, cover the pot, and turn off the heat. Let the risotto stand for about 5 minutes, then serve immediately. If the risotto thickens up too much while it stands, stir in a little extra stock.

Details:
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Yield: 8-10 servings

Recipe source

Certified What? Weavers Way Farms Growing Practices

By Emma Dosch, Field Manager

We want our consumers to be familiar with our growing practices and trust that our products are good for you and the environment. 

Our farming system follows organic growing methods, yet we are not certified organic. Organic certification requires farmers to demonstrate a system that begins with soil building and preventative pest and disease controls, as well as prohibiting chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides.  It offers farmers a marketing opportunity where consumers (who may rarely ever go to the farm) can trust and understand the farm’s growing practices. The organic certification can be unwieldy in cost, record-keeping, and application to our urban locations.  Perhaps more importantly, we believe that our consumer’s unique relationship and interaction with our farms and farmers can create an authentic community-based understanding.  There are numerous ways we communicate our “organic” methods to our consumers. 

- 43% of our consumers are CSA members.  CSA members interact with our crops every week as they pick up their shares, they see farm staff working and can ask questions
- Coop members engage with our fields and farm staff by doing work hours at the farm
- Weavers Way shoppers can talk to store staff about the farms – many of whom have also done work hours at the farms!
- Our community can stay informed by reading the Shuttle and attending farm events

Our growing methods are described below and follow the standards set by the National Organic Program. 

Soil
Soil Testing – Prior to growing in a new field or area, we test for unsafe levels of toxic substances such as metals, mercury, selenium, arsenic, molybdenum, lead, and PCBs.  Each year we test for soil fertility and use organic fertilizer based on the needs of our soil. 
Fertilizer – Our fields primarily receive a fertilizer mixture derived from: peanut meal, blood meal, feather meal, greensand, bone charcoal, aragonite, and sulfur. 
Compost – Each year we apply around 200 yd3 of compost made at Saul High School to every inch of our fields. 
Cover Crops – We utilize cover crops throughout the year to add organic matter, prevent erosion, and combat annual weeds.  Since 2015 our farms have added a rotating fallow section to focus on cover cropping throughout the season and allow our soil to rest. 
Beneficial microorganisms – We occasionally add beneficial nematodes or symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria to our soil to increase natural populations. 
Potting Soil – We use organic potting mix from Vermont Compost Company for our seedling propagation. 

Seed
We purchase organic seed when available and the additional cost is not prohibitive.  Some varieties have been selected to be somewhat resistant to some diseases.  We often utilize these more resistant options in anticipation of certain diseases each year.  We do not use any seed that has been treated with fungicides or is genetically modified.  

Growing
Our entire growing system revolves around preventing pests, disease, and environmental issues from adversely affecting a crop’s productivity.  From selecting varieties, choosing planting dates, and using crop rotation, our disease and pest prevention begins before we plant a seed.

Preventative Practices –
For pests: row cover, insect netting, squishing, traps
For disease: crop rotation, good airflow, trellising and pruning when necessary, removing infected plants and debris
For weed management: Cultivation using hand tools (hoes), plastic mulch, close plant spacing, transplanting, mowing/weed whacking, creating stale seed beds by using tarps, handweeding

If a pest or disease issue is persistent and will significantly affect yields we may introduce beneficial insects or use an organically approved insecticide.  In 2013, we had a bad Mexican Bean Beetle infestation and introduced beneficial wasps that parasitize the bean beetle larvae.  The parasitic wasp lays its eggs inside the bean beetle larvae.  The wasp larvae feed on the insides of the bean beetle, kill it, pupate in it and emerge as adults.  A few common organic insecticides we may use are: neem oil, pyrethrens (oils from chrysanthemum flowers), kaolin clay, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) – a naturally-occurring bacteria, and insecticidal soaps. 

Processing
Our vegetables are immediately washed in cool fresh water after harvesting.  Any soil from the field is washed away, they are packed into boxes, bags or bins and refrigerated until they reach you – the consumer!  Some delicate vegetables are not washed or refrigerated to retain maximum freshness and flavor, and have minimal handling (mostly our tomatoes). 

Please take a minute to walk through the farms, see our fields and ask us questions this season!