Calypso Farm Note for the Week of July 4, 2005

Your Share This Week:

*Chinese Cabbage
*Salad Mix
*Bunching Onions
*Chard
*Kale
*Kohlrabi
*Summer Squash
*Garlic Whistles
*Savory/Oregano

We are happy to bring you a delicious and sometimes difficult to grow vegetable this week – Chinese Cabbage, commonly known as Napa Cabbage. We typically start these in the greenhouse and transplant them into the garden in late Spring. They are known to bolt if it warms up too much and/or they fall prey to root maggots. This year, with the warm, gentle weather in May, Susie decided to try direct seeding them into the garden. The result has been a wonderful crop of beautiful Chinese Cabbages with no bolting and no root maggots! We hope you enjoy them!

We are also excited to begin flower shares this week! We have planted a variety of cut flowers – ones that we’ve grown in the past and really like and some new varieties that we’re trying out. If you, or anyone you know, need bouquets for any occasion this summer, please let us know. We have planted more than enough for our flower shares and are hoping to make and sell bouquets for weddings, parties and other gatherings. The proceeds from selling bouquets support our educational programs. Let us know if you’d like a list of available varieties.

Enjoy your veggies!

Christie

P.S. We are looking for volunteers willing to take extra Calypso veggies to the Senior Center on Tuesdays and Stone Soup Café on Fridays. Veggies can be dropped off anytime between 9am – 1pm. If you are interested – please let us know!!

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About Chinese Cabbage….. Taken from From Asparagus to Zucchini
The Chinese Cabbage we are familiar with is only one of many similar Asian varieties. They are grown extensively in China for their storage capabilities. The vegetable has been cultivated in Asia since 500 A.D. but was not introduced in the U.S. until the late 19th century. It is very versatile, both raw and cooked.

Cooking Tips…
Chop raw into salads.
Substitute Chinese Cabbage in traditional coleslaw.
Chinese Cabbage cooks quickly. Steam for 3-5 minutes or until leaves are wilted down but slightly crisp.
Do not remove all of the outer tough leaves before storage. They will help retain moisture, keeping the inside fresh and crisp.
Chinese Cabbage is excellent in soups, fried rice, mashed with potatoes, etc.
You can stir-fry it alone with a little onion, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, or add it chopped toward the end of your mixed vegetable stir-fry.
Substitute Chinese Cabbage for common cabbage in recipes, but reduce cooking time by 2 minutes.

Chinese Cabbage Egg Rolls
3 Tbsp Sesame Oil, ¼ cup peanut butter
Egg roll wrappers (available in the produce section), ¼ cup rice vinegar
1 Chinese Cabbage, ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari
1 Medium onion chopped, Fresh or dried hot pepper (optional)
3 cloves garlic chopped, 2-3 Tbsp Corn Starch
Tofu or lean ground pork

In a wok or skillet, add a few tablespoons of sesame oil. Heat oil and add chopped garlic and onion. Chop Chinese Cabbage and add to simmering onion/garlic – you’ll have a big mountain of cabbage, don’t worry. Cook over medium heat until cabbage volume becomes manageable. In a small bowl combine rice vinegar, soy sauce, peanut butter and hot pepper – the sauce should be fairly thin – add water if needed. Add tofu or pork to this mixture and let marinate while the cabbage cooks. Pour vinegar slurry into wok and simmer for 15 minutes. Add corn starch to ¼ cup cold water, dissolve. Slowly pour the corn starch water into the wok and stir. Cook for 5-10 more minutes (this step will keep your egg roll wrappers from getting soggy). Remove from heat – wrap rolls as indicated on wrapper package- or however you like.
Heat a few inches of oil in a skillet. Toss a little bit of wrapper into the oil to check the temperature. It should begin to bubble and lightly brown immediately. Cook them up, drain on rack and serve with rice or fresh salad.

Simple Garden Omelets Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison
Makes 2 omelets

4-6 eggs, 1 bunching onions chopped
2 Tbsp butter, 2 garlic whistles chopped
2 Tbsp milk, 1 small summer squash chopped
½ cup kohlrabi chopped, 2 Tbsp. sunflower, sesame and/or other seeds
1 cup fresh greens chopped, Salt and pepper
½ tbsp savory and oregano chopped

Steam or lightly sauté the vegetable filling – kohlrabi, greens, onion, garlic whistles, squash and seeds. Using a fork or whisk, beat eggs in a small bowl, with milk, a few pinches of salt and pepper and the savory and oregano. It shouldn’t be a uniform mixture. Melt the butter over high heat in an 8 inch omelet pan or non-stick skillet, rotating the pan so the butter coats the bottom of the pan and the sides. Allow the butter to sizzle and the foam to subside, then add ½ the beaten eggs and let them sit for 2-3 seconds. With a fork or rubber spatula, begin to draw the lightly cooked egg toward the center of the pan. As you do so, tilt the pan so that uncooked beaten eggs flow into the bare part of the pan. Continue working your way around the pan, pulling the cooked egg in and tilting the pan. When there’s just a little moist egg puddled on the top, add ½ the vegetable filling, then tilt the pan away from you. Give a few wraps on the handle and the far edge should fall back on itself (if not, turn it on itself). Cook for a few more minutes, then turn the pan over the plate so that the folded omelet falls out. It should be golden on the outside, soft and moist inside. Repeat this process for the second omelet with the other half of the egg and vegetable filling.

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