The mix of rain and sun on Saturday meant that there were multiple rainbows through the day. In the morning there was a large double rainbow across the farm. In the morning light the colors shone through brightly and grass was a deep green.
We mowed and tilled empty beds in the winter field yesterday and then covered them with a silage tarp. The tarp will help keep the soil beneath from getting overly saturated with rain water and will allow it to warm more rapidly in the spring. We hope to be able to transplant into these beds in March, allowing us to have more crops to offer in the spring.
We are also covering the asparagus and artichoke beds with straw, beginning to service all our equipment, and continuing to work on the greenhouse.
This week’s pick list:
Lettuce
Pac Choy
Mustard
Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Onions
Beets
Chard
Cabbage
Radishes
Leek
Carrots
Frisee, Escarole, Sugarloaf, and Radicchio
Garlic
Kale
Turnips
Potatoes
Cauliflower
Winter squash
Rutabaga
Parsnip
Parsley
Kohlrabi
Scallions
Celeriac
Revolution Bread is available
Winter Squash Flatbread from smittenkitchen.com
Squash:
4 cups (1 L) lukewarm water
4 tsp (20 mL) fine sea or table salt
2 1/2 lb (a little more than 1 kg) butternut or similarly firm-fleshed winter squash, peeled, seeds removed, and very thinly sliced, ideally on a mandoline
Assembly:
1-lb (455-g) unbaked, fully risen pizza dough (recipe follows)
4 tbsp (60 mL) olive oil, plus more to oil pans and your fingertips
Spices:
3/4 tsp (3 mL) ground cumin
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground coriander
1/4 tsp (1 mL) Aleppo pepper or other mild chili flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
To finish:
1/4 cup (60 g) plain yogurt
1/4 cup (55 g) hummus
A couple squeezes of lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Za’atar, for sprinkling
3 tbsp (25 g) pine nuts, well toasted
Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro, chopped
Prepare the squash: Combine the water and salt in a large bowl and add the sliced squash. Soak for 25 to 30 minutes, after which the squash slices will be soft and bendy. Drain them in a colander, and press out as much water as you can; then spread the squash out on paper towels to blot it further.
Assemble flatbread: Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Brush either one 13-by-18-inch (33-by-46-cm) rimmed half sheet pan or two 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) quarter sheet pans with olive oil. (Divide the dough in half, if using two pans.) With oiled fingertips, press, nudge, and stretch dough to fit the shape of the pan(s). Thin, imperfect dough is just fine here. If holes form, patch them together.
In a large bowl, combine 4 tablespoons (60 mL) olive oil, cumin, coriander, Aleppo pepper, and several grinds of black pepper. Add the squash and toss to evenly coat. Spread the mixture over the dough(s), going all the way to the edges so that there are no uncovered spots. The edges brown more quickly, so you can make the squash slices a little thicker there.
Bake the flatbread(s): Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the squash is golden at the edges but tender and baked through. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
Meanwhile, to serve: Stir together the yogurt and hummus, and add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. When the flatbread has cooled a bit, dollop the yogurt-hummus mixture all over, and sprinkle with za’atar, pine nuts, and herbs. Cut into desired shape.
A VERY SIMPLE PIZZA DOUGH
Makes: 1 half-sheet (13-by-18-inch/33-by-46-cm), 2 quarter-sheet (9-by-13-inch/23-by-33-cm) or 2 12-inch (30-cm) round thin pizzas; dough clocks in at a smidge over 1 lb (455 g) but works seamlessly in recipes calling for a 1-lb dough
2 1/3 cups (305 g) all-purpose or bread flour
1 1/4 tsp instant dry yeast (from half a 1/4-oz or 7-g packet)
1 1/4 tsp coarse sea or kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp (190 g) room temperature water, plus more if needed
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, combine everything until it forms a craggy ball. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed to bring the dough together. Reach your hands into the bowl and knead the dough to form a more cohesive mass, just for 1 minute. Cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature until the dough has more than doubled in volume, about 2 hours.