Beyond the Radish Root
by Carrie Koepke

This spring was not kind to my radishes.  I harvested a few, but noticed they grew most quickly above ground without creating much of anything “radish” wise.  I pouted briefly, before realizing I had used all my heirloom seeds and would need more.  So wild and crazy went my radish patch.  I had no idea what I was getting into.  Seemingly suddenly my cute tame garden entry was taken over by enormous stalks with flowers going every which way.

I admit it was pretty, despite the chaos.  There were vibrant purple flowers along with crisp whites.  The flowers were almost as pretty as those cute little radishes I had expected.  They were also tall, much taller than I expected.  In time those flowers faded and the seed pods took over.  I had expected a few pods per radish, a dozen at most really.  Not that I had any basis for my expectations, it was all random guesswork and preconceived notions.  I was certainly not prepared for the onslaught.  One radish seed turned into a powerhouse that could reseed the patch for a couple years.

The vast quantity sent me to my computer where I started searching the internet for info on harvesting and preserving the seeds.  My first search sent me on an entirely new tangent.  The pods are edible!  Why did I not think of that?  Why are the market tables not flooded with the gorgeous, prolific pods?  I wonder if I have been glossing over the tables thinking they are something else or if the radishes are just more marketable with all their color.

I started calling people and looking for recipes.  I gathered a pod and forced my husband to taste it.  He was tentative but seemed happily surprised.  These slightly alien looking things taste like radishes.  The seeds have a pop of juice and extra heat, but there is no questioning their origin.

My son and I gathered the tangled mess of radish plants and took them to a comfortable shady spot to start gathering.  We gave some away.  We blanched and froze some.  We munched on a couple with slight winces (neither of us can handle much raw heat).  We set aside a bowl of finger snacks for my husband.  Then we got to cooking with the rest.  We made a delicate radish pod soup.  We made stir fry.  Then we made plans next year to set half the radish section of the garden aside for pods only.  Apparently there is a whole variety of “rat tail” radishes that are bred just for pods!

So next time you see your favorite vendor, who recently was selling those gorgeous bundles of radishes, give a little nudge and a little wink.  Find out if they will be bringing any pods to market!

For those who find the treasure and feel experimental toss a handful of chopped pods in to water for soup.  We added a sliced “normal” radish, a garlic scape, some cubed tofu and some vegetable broth powder.  It went great with grilled cheese and fresh local tomato sandwiches.

Local Corn Fest at the Columbia Farmers Market this weekend

This saturday will be the annual cornfest at the market.  Join us and enjoy some great local corn grilled fresh for you and your family!  And be sure to get your Taste of the Market Tickets as well!  See you saturday!

Rules: Made to Be Broken

 The best thing about pesto is that there are no rules. As an expert rule breaker, I enjoy any recipe that essentially tells me to do whatever I want.  I’ve listed the traditional pesto recipe below; however, I’ve been known to throw any number of fresh herbs, toasted nuts into a blender with olive oil and garlic and produced phenomenal results. If you really want to be daring, use artichoke hearts or kalamata olives or lemon. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

 Second best thing about pesto: you can do anything with it.  Our dinner consisted of linguine mixed with farmer’s market tomatoes and zucchini topped with chicken breasts stuffed with pesto and goat cheese.  I have, however, been known to put pesto on sandwiches, mix with assorted vinegars for salad dressing and tossed with roasted fingerling potatoes.  The message is: simple pesto +anything=good 

2+ cups of basil leaves

½ cup olive oil

½ cup toasted pine nuts

2-3 cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

 NOTE:  You may notice the glaring omission of parmesan or romano from this recipe. Because I tend to put cheese in, on and around everything, I omit it from my pesto.  It is a bit lighter and less full, but also a bit healthier, which is nice when everything else is coated in some form of cheese.  Also, adjust the nut and garlic at will, I tend to like a lot of both. 

 Sarah Ratermann Beahan is a Rural Sociology graduate student, a freelance writer, a foodie, a runner and a wino, not necessarily in that order.

You can find her at http://www.onerealthing.wordpress.com/

By Dan Kuebler

Grass seems to be the major crop these days at the farm due to the continued rains.  However, our rain gauge only had 1.5 inches over the last seven days or so, compared to Columbia where we’ve heard reports of over 3 inches just this past Wednesday afternoon.

Little need for irrigation except in our one tall tunnel which houses our forty or so Heirloom tomato plants.  The plants are looking good so far and we’ve picked close to 50 pounds this past two weeks.  We did have plastic over both our tall tunnels but the wind blew the plastic off from our south tunnel three weeks ago.  We didn’t really mind this since the plastic was going on its sixth year and it’s usual longevity is four years.  It tore it off very neatly on each end and one side and flipped it onto the ground so I could easily cut the last side off and fold it up for handling. I appreciate Mother Nature when she helps me out like that.

The hairy vetch cover crops have been mowed down several weeks ago and over the past several days tilled into the soil.  This week we will broadcast buckwheat into these plots as a summer cover crop and pull an old bedspring over it with the tractor to lightly cover the seeds. The buckwheat loves the heat of the summer, very quickly germinates and does an excellent job of keeping weeds out of the plot. Later this summer we will mow it down, incorporate the organic matter into the soil and then follow that with a winter cover crop probably of oats. 

We also tilled in a cover of white clover on a plot of about 4,000 sq. ft.  We are preparing to erect a new movable tall tunnel on this area.  We have wanted to have a movable tunnel since 1990 when we first read of them.  Ours will be 30’ x 48’ and it will have the capacity to be moved over three areas during the year for spring, summer and winter crops.  We will be picking up this structure in the next week or two and then begin the process of putting it together and laying out the track that it will roll on.  We will keep you posted every month on how this goes and will have pictures to share of our experiences.  Later this fall we plan to have a field day in conjunction with the Small Farm Today Trade Show the first weekend in November.  Any one who reads this is invited to come out, so be looking for more information later this fall.

In the next BLOG for August be looking for an update on our repair work on the re-wiring of the solar pump (pesky muskrats).

croissants a dying art

Good croissants are what bring people in, is the philosophy of the chef at the Belgium bakery where I am passing this summer as an apprentice. The art of making croissants is rapidly disappearing. Instead, industrialized frozen croissants are replacing the daily staple of fresh croissants in Belgium. The extensive process of making croissants is considered time consuming and costly, so the knowledge of how to make artisanal croissants from scratch is becoming a lost skill, barely surviving in culinary schools, where only a single lesson is reserved for making croissants.

Nothing makes my chef happier than an opportunity to give his sermon on the necessity of high quality base ingredients. In his bakery you will never find margarine (cheaper than butter), premade anything (tarts, pastry cream, pie fillings), and though you will probably find strawberries in his shop in the dead of winter, his pastry offerings change with the seasons. My favorite cake, a strawberry triple layered cake, is the in thing to make now since the strawberries are in the height of season here. The chef loves telling me time after time that the butter, milk and cream he uses comes from a local farmer whose cows eat grass in the summer and hay in the winter, which flavors everything completely differently from season to season.

I have learned a lot during my internship–from how not to cover yourself head to toe in strawberry goo to how to make the perfect mousse, but the most important thing I will take away is that time, love and quality is what makes good pastries. Viva good croissants.

Claire Friedrichsen
Claire is a sophomore at the university of Missouri majoring in soil science and sustainable agriculture. After attending pastry school in Belgium, Claire has become passionate for French pastries and now has a small catering service on the side. You can check out her Facebook site at:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Columbia-Missouri/Claires-Pastries/233597586573?ref=ts

Jeff Rayl, Meghan Hardman, Carri Risner, Rachel Koppelman, Brook Harlan

We are extremely proud to announce the results from the Skills USA Awards Ceremony at the National Contest in Kansas City held June 25.

Rock Bridge 2010 Graduate Rachel Koppelman placed first in the national contest for Culinary Arts.  This is the first time that Missouri has ever had a National Champion in Culinary Arts.  By becoming the National Champion Rachel receives a full ride scholarship to her choice of schools; The Culinary Institute of America, Johnson and Wales University, New England Culinary Institute, or Le Cordon Bleu Schools of North America. 

Soon-to-be Rock Bridge Senior Meghan Hardman placed second in the national contest for Commercial Baking.  This is the highest place ever awarded to a Missouri student in Commercial Baking. By placing second she also receives a partial scholarship to many post secondary culinary schools.

Rachel Koppelman

Rachel, Meghan and the Chef Instructors would like to thank everyone for their support throughout the road to Nationals.  We would not be able fund the practices and make the trip without the Culinary Programs many supporters.

Thank you for your help,
Brook Harlan, Carri Risner, and Jeff Rayl
Chef Instructors, Columbia Area Career Center

James Saracini is a freelance journalist and has a local farm right across the river from Columbia in Moniteau County.  He just graduated from MU with a degree in Journalism and one in English and has an internship this summer gathering new video and photographic content for the rebuild of the Mo. State Parks’ website.  Check out his blog at SaltotEarth.wordpress.com and hit him up on twitter @jameslsaracini.

MY OH MY! BLUEBERRY PIE!

4 Cups Whole Fresh (ONLY FRESH) BLueberries (About 2 pints)

3/4 Cups sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup water

2 Tbsp. corn starch

1 tsp. butter (DONT SUBSTITUTE)

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

9″ baked pastry shell

1 egg white, whipped up a bit with 1/8 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp. water.(Eggwash)

To start with…The pie shell. Use a Pillsbury “unfolded” type shell, you only need
half the package. Let it sit till it’s at room temp. Then, fit it to your pie pan, and
pinch the curst around the edges of the pie pan. Then, take your fork and prick it all
over, sides and bottom. Go ahead and bake it for the 10 or 12 minutes till it starts
to get a little brown. Take it out of the oven and now brush it all with a pastry
brush with the eggwhite/sugar mixture, and put it back in the oven to set, and then
do it again. This makes the crust VERY crisp/tender and the sugar/egg wash makes
the crust golden, glossy and sweet.

Let the crust rest, and get cool. It doesn’t take long, so you go on ahead and fix the
filling at this point.

Now. This blueberry filling is SO simple! But, you will agree that it’s
one of the most delicious idea’s you’ve tasted in a long time. Trust me on this one
friends…this one is a “Keeper” for sure.  Combine sugar, salt, water, and cornstarch in a
medium sized sauce pan, mix it up well, then stir in 1/2 of the blueberries and cook over
medium heat until bubbling and the berries start to pop. Stir to prevent the stuff from
stickin to the bottom of the pan. Remove it from the stove and stir in the butter and lemon
juice. Then let it all sit and cool a bit. Now, take the other 1/2 of the FRESH blueberries and
scatter’em in the fresh baked pie shell, smooth ‘em out nice and even. Then, take the
cooked blueberry stuff and pour it over the fresh berries in the pie shell. Smooth it
all over and then set it in the fridge for at least two hours, but it’s better to leave it
for four hours.

Ohhhhhhh. Now. Slice a piece of this. The crust holds together like nothing you
ever sliced, and the bluberries and such stay right in place. You gotta put a scoop
of ‘nilla ice cream on this dish. Watch out! The flavor of this will send you to the
moon. Promise ya’ll on this one! Blueberry season has just started, so I do hope
ya’ll print this out and TRY it. I give you my word on this. You won’t be sorry on
this one friends!
by Peter Meng

The Can and I? Can I?  Should it not really be Jarring? I mean there is no can involved!

My mother did not can food, and I really doubt her mom did either.  And that goes back into the 1800s right there.  I never had home canned ANYTHING from anyone as a kid.  So what do I know?  The only picture I had in my mind was a pressure cooker exploding sending shrapnel through my chest as I yell “why did I try this?” 

Now I can say that, with a little reading, a little self confidence and support from MU/Boone County Extension in the form of Vera Massey, I am ready to try.  I just took the water bath canning class on Wednesday and next week it will be pressure cooking.  The class made me feel much more comfortable and watching the steps involved is easier than simply reading them.  I am very visual.  Vera made blueberry jam right in front of us and it really did not take that long.  I will admit that seeing all of that sugar pouring into the pan sorta freaked me out about jam, but at the same time, it’s not like I ever eat more than a teaspoon of jam in one meal. 

The idea of making something and sealing it up to use when you will most appreciate it is very motivating.  Also, how cool is it to give the gift of food that does not have to be eaten right away.  I imagine friends breaking open jars of “Casey’s Own” magical pasta sauce in the middle of winter.  I will need to create a label!  Don’t ask what the magic part is!

I took the class because I am about to have a lot of tomatoes in my life and I want to can most of them.  The news on this goal was mixed.  It sounds like pressure cooking is better suited for tomatoes BUT you CAN water bath tomatoes as well but it takes much longer.  I will have to opt for the snail-pace canning though, as I also thankfully learned something else that saved me not only hassle but perhaps my life.  You cannot or should not use pressure cookers on glass flat top stoves, which is what is in my rental.  They heat created by the pressure cooker can shatter the glass and tip the pressure cooker and an explosion my follow.  So maybe someone can host a pressure canning party for me?

Last year, I planted three heirloom tomato plants and I was overrun with fruit.  This year I planted eleven and a few that came in on their own.  Plus, this year I have cages on seven of them so I cannot imagine how many I might have.  I do not have freezer space for very many so canning it shall be.  Plus with all of my hot pepper plants as well, I think a little salsa is in order.  That is another canning project.  Habanero salsa baby es muy caliente y bueno! 

So thanks to Vera and my curiosity I now have the canning bug and I refuse to wait!  I went to Westlakes and low and behold…they had the very home canning kit for stockpots that Vera showed us.  I wanted it so badly!  I got the last one baby!  And now…well…you know all of that sugar in that jam, forget about it!  I am going blueberry picking, and tonight I am making and canning jam!  So be gone you old useless unfounded fears!  JAM ON BABY!

My Local Foods Canning Kit for my Stockpot!

I will post pictures of my creations and the FIRST jar shall go to the FIRST person who is local and who posts a comment to this article.  You can pick it up next weekend at market!  So ready…set…comment!  Be nice too!  It’s gonna be spoon lick’n good!  You’ll be telling all of your friends…nobody makes a jam like “Casey’s Own.”  Label to follow!  As time progresses I will let you know what I am canning.  If I can do it, anyone CAN!  
Contact Vera to find out when the next classes are and let her know I said YES…YOU CAN CAN! 
masseyv@missouri.edu

Casey

Sage Boppa and Sky Picking Local Cherrries

The crops are changing.  Corn made a Farmers Market debut last night and pints of blueberries and gooseberries are pushing out the cherries and strawberries.  I am hoping that there might be just enough cherries left at the market for one last round of pies in town. 

The truth is that I have been thinking a lot about cherry pie this month.  In my life cherry pie means one of two things, either it is my brother’s birthday (cherry pie – not cake for that fellow growing up) or it is a perfect year at my parent’s house.  As my brother was born in February, for now the perfect year is weighing in.

My father has a Montmorency cherry tree.  We keep tabs on the lackadaisical pace of the tree, from dormant sticks through buds, flowers, teasing green fruits all the way to the profusion of red temptation.  Unfortunately the birds seem to share our passion for those sour red orbs so we cross our fingers each year for a share of the bounty.  On perfect years it all comes together.

Two years ago my daughter was visiting on just the right day.  She perched on the ladder and patiently plucked fruit after fruit.  My Father in turn held out the bucket for each plop and kept my girl from falling.  Then she went inside to my Mother.  They measured, mixed, rolled, stuffed and baked.  Together they all enjoyed the delicious treat and even sent a slice back for us to savor.  Whenever you get Sky near a play kitchen you are now guaranteed a carefully constructed pretend cherry pie.

This year my father and daughter were joined in the cherry picking by a larger crew of family.  My Father, Mother, Daughter, Son, Husband, Sister-in-law, Nephew and of course myself all tackled that tree together and made one excellent pie.  I ended up with the cooking duty this round and went about it in my less than predictable manner.  I have difficulty embracing recipes or measuring cups.  It is sometimes a fault and other times a blessing.  Thankfully I managed to turn out a flaky whole wheat flax crust; filled beyond the brim with not too sweet juiciness all topped with what my nephew decided was a cookie (think crumble crust).  Eight people, eight slices of pie.  Poof, we were in happy delirium.  Sadly, my brother will have to wait until his birthday to partake . . .   

Young Sky Making Pie With Local Cherries

The fruit has encountered several variations year after year – and never comes out quite the same, but sitting around the table and devouring is always the same.  We are silent and embraced by something delicious. 

Carrie Koepke is locally grown.  She currently spends the majority of her hours being a mom of two.  They can often be found in together in their vegetable garden debating which weeds should stay because they might have flowers.