Last of the Winter CSA veggies

We had our last pickup at Cresset Farm today; leeks, turnips, Napa cabbage, onions, daikon, and a quart jar of kim chee. It's amazing that these winter vegetables keep from October-November until mid-March. Part of that is certainly the skill of Lawrence and Ursula at vegetable storage, part of it is the high quality of the biodynamic vegetables. And part is the innate nature of these wonderful vegetables, which have been grown by humans for probably thousands of years, long before the advent of refrigeration.

Note: for the best keeping quality of storage vegetables, don't wash them. Let them keep their light coating of dirt, which has a preservative quality. Wash and peel before cooking and eating, of course.

Fresh vegetables I still have on hand, either in the frig or in bags in an unheated room: three daikon, one and one-half heads Napa cabbage, one and one-half heads red cabbage, four beets, two turnips (the remainder are roasting in the oven right now), two onions, about ten pounds of potatoes in a dark corner of the garage in paper bags, and five beautiful leeks. Two small hubbard squash and three kabocha round out the vegetables, surprisingly
(to me) keeping well into March.

In addition I have several jars of lactofermented vegetables: kim chee, carrot, turnip, beet and cucumber, in the frig. We can always get high-quality fresh mushrooms from Hazel Dell on the way to Windsor. We are allowing ourselves canned/jarred tomato products in modest quantities until I can preserve this summer's crop (a temporary Exception). So we have a pretty good selection of vegetables, to hold us until the first Farmers' Markets in May.

It's a bit of a challenge finding fresh ways to fix the same selection of vegetables, however. The prospect of fresh greens is very enticing, and Peas. I really miss peas. Fortunately I don't have to wait TOO long for peas, they are an early summer crop.

Jim is having a salad many days, made of Napa, lactofermented carrot shreds and a chunk of lacto cucumber, topped with canned wild-caught salmon (an Exception) or (local) chicken meat, with olive oil and pickle juice dressing (makes a nice substitute for vinegar). Napa is really the Best! Still holding out after all these months, crunchy and sweet tasting. You can use it raw as a salad or slaw, or cooked into soups or vegetable dishes.

For dinner tonight, potato-leek-chicken soup and roasted turnips.
100% local. An upcoming meal: Cincinnati chili on local pinto beans or potatoes. All local except the chili powder and spices (less than 1% of the weight of the ingredients). Yesterday we had homemade pizzas, a weekend tradition. Whole wheat (local) crust for Jim, gluten-free flours for me, local fresh mozzarella and sausage, tomato sauce (Exception mentioned above) for him, pesto (from last summer) for me, fresh mushrooms.

I'm fast running out of on-hand gluten-free flours; I've made some flour from the Colorado millet which is nice; I have the New York buckwheat flour we brought back from vacation. So when the last of the rice and teff flour is gone, I'll still have something. The combination of buckwheat and millet makes a very nice pancake; the millet flour adds a little crunch.

I made my mixer unhappy by trying to grind little dry tapioca pearls (gift from sister) into flour using the grain mill attachment; it stuck totally and jammed the motor. The nice Kitchenaid people are sending me a new mixer. I won't make that mistake again. It does a good job on the millet.

Millet-Buckwheat Pancakes

Makes three good-sized pancakes.

Beat one egg, beat in 2/3 cup buttermilk or yogurt, 1/4 cup millet flour, 1/4 cup buckwheat flour, salt to taste, 1/4 tsp baking soda. Melt 1 tablespoon butter or lard, or use 1 tablespoon olive oil, and stir into batter. If it seems too thick, add a little water; if too thin, add a bit more flour. Cook on medium-hot griddle or skillet, turning once when bubbles cover the top, and the bottom is somewhat set.

I love these cakes just as is. You could add jam or jelly; pepper jelly would be nice. You could also spread them with pesto, for a different taste. Millet flour is best freshly ground; as a whole grain, the flour can get stale tasting quickly. If you don't have a grain mill, you could try a blender, sifting the result.

Vernal equinox coming up soon; spring is definitely on the way!