Farm Notes
It’s finally that time of year when the fruits of the farm get a lot more colorful! This week’s CSA was a bounty of rainbow-colored veggies.. from beets to carrots, turnips, broccoli, fennel, cabbage, etc. And before we know it, summer tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant will be rolling in! But for now, I’m loving this window of spring when greens are still plentiful, but we also have an abundance of heavier root crops and robust brassicas like cabbage and broccoli. It’s a good thing that my arms are getting strong from carrying around a 20lb baby all the time… cause these boxes are getting heavy!
Week 6 Full CSA Share
I’ve gotta say that veggie I’m most proud of this week is our carrots. Honestly, I’d kind of forgotten about them till last week, when I decided to dig a few up to see how they were doing… and what would you know, we had some gorgeous and fully grown carrots in there! Carrots can be especially tough to grow in NC’s clay-heavy soils, but every year we add more compost and organic matter to our beds, and every year our carrots look (and taste!) better and better.
PS – A pro tip when it comes to cooking with carrots… if your carrots come with greens still attached, make sure you cut those tops off ASAP when you get home! The tops will draw precious moisture out of the roots an leave you with sad, floppy carrots. This goes for pretty much any kind of root veggie…. take those tops off to ensure your roots stay nice and crisp. Carrot tops are also edible, though they can be a bit bitter… my favorite uses for them are incorporating them into a pesto, or making carrot top gremolata.
In other news, this week we finally started planting in our new perennial garden space! After living in my head for the past 6+ months, it felt so good to get some plants in the ground and to see this garden start taking shape (see photos below). I’ll give a full tour + description of everything we’re planting in this garden in another week or two once we get it fully planted, but so far we’ve planted a bunch of culinary herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, sage, lemon balm, lemon verbena), some edible flowers (calendula and nasturtiums) and some fun zinnias – and LOTS more to come.
Last but not least… tomorrow I’m SO excited to host our first workshop here at the farm in over two years! Back in the day, I used to teach cooking classes almost every week, and I’ve definitely missed the amazing energy and connections that come with gathering people together around good food. Tomorrow’s class is all about herbs, aka one of my very favorite things to grow + cook with, so I have a feeling it’s gonna be a good one. :)
For a full tour of the farm this week, check out my virtual farm tour from today HERE on Facebook or in our google drive folder HERE.
Kitchen Notes
While we have carrots on the brain… today I’m sharing one of my absolutely favorite recipes of all time. Seriously! It is that good. Whenever I have people over and want an extra yummy dip that is delishhhh with crackers or veggies or bread, I make this Roasted Carrot Hummus and it’s always a hit. The roasted carrots take the place of the chickpeas (traditionally found in hummus), and roasting them first with whole spices gives this dip an irresistibly nutty and fragrant flavor.
Roasted Carrot Hummus
Photo Credit: Savory Online
INGREDIENTS
3 cups peeled carrots, sliced into 1/2" rounds
4 whole cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup tahini
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 400F.
Combine the sliced carrots, whole garlic cloves, whole coriander and cumin seeds, a pinch of salt, and 4 tablespoons olive oil together on a rimmed baking tray, and toss with your hands to coat the carrots with the spices.
Bake in the oven until the carrots are tender, around 30 minutes, tossing once halfway through cooking. Watch the garlic to make sure it doesn't burn.
Place the cooked carrots + garlic in the bowl of your food processor. Add the tahini, 2 tablespoons olive oil, apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice), and 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Process until smooth – I usually add another tablespoon or two of olive oil to get the right consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed – I usually add another 1/4 teaspoon salt. Enjoy!