Into a buttered baking dish, crumble as slice of bread. Add thick large slices of 3 large cucumbers, pepper, salt and butter. Repeat in layers until dish is full. Make a hole in the middle of the dish with a knife and pour in Organic Valley or Sassy Cow whole milk until it shows around the edges. Sprinkle on top bread crumbs stirred with melted butter, and/or your favorite grated cheese. Bake ½ hour at moderate temperature in the oven. Serves 6.
adapted from the old A to Z Foodbook
1 cup milk 2 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar 1 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup oil 1 tsp salt
1 egg 1 1/2 cup chopped rhubarb
1 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup sugar & 1 TBSP butter w/ cinnamon for topping
Heat oven to 325. Butter 2 loaf pans. Mix together all ingredients except topping. Divide evenly into 2 bread pans. Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of loaves. Bake 50 minutes. This bread freezes well and tastes great in December!
From 2012 Farm Intern Lindsey
Heat sesame or olive oil in wok or frying pan. Add chopped garlic scapes. Cook on medium heat, just long enough to release aromas of fresh garlic into the oil. Remove scapes. Set aside. Thinly slice turnips and radishes. Saute for a few minutes. Add roughly chopped leeks and bok choi. Cook for a few more minutes. Add roughly chopped cress and re-introduce the garlic scapes to the vegetable mix. Cook 1 to 2 minutes. Serve over rice.
From 2012 Farm Intern Katie
Melt some butter. Add 2 chopped garlic scapes, asparagus, peas. Add ¼ c milk or yogurt. Stir. Mix in 2 c cheese. Add chopped ¼ c basil. Salt and pepper to your taste. Mix with 1 package (16 oz) cooked pasta. Serve. Eat. Yum! You can also add sautéed greens if you like.
From 2012 Farm Intern Peter
In a wok or heavy iron skillet, warm a little olive or sesame seed oil on high heat. Add 2 medium chopped onions and two garlic cloves or one garlic scape, chopped. Sauté until just browning. Add two eggs and cook until firm. Add 2 cups cooked rice and cook 5 to 8 minutes. Remove rice. Add more oil to the pan and cook 1 handful of snow peas with ends snipped and 6 to 8 asparagus stalks, chopped (or other firm vegetables 0 turnips, carrots, radishes, broccoli, etc.). Mix in the rice. In a pot with ½ inch water, add 5 cups fresh spinach, 7 cups kale or 6 cups of Asian greens) and steam until tender, about 10 minutes. Serve stir-fry over steamed greens. Yields 4 servings.
Slice cucumbers and radishes thinly, chop spring onion and mince dill and other of your favorite herbs. Coat with yogurt or vinaigrette. Salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving on a bed of lettuce.
From Your Farmer Dela:
Top and seed 4 Bell Peppers. Saute chopped onions, eggplant and/or squash in butter or oil. Mix with 1 cup of rice or bread crumbs and 1 or 2 chopped tomatoes. Fill pepper with mixture and top with grated cheese. Bake at 375 F for 20 to 25 minutes. Use herbs of choice to flavor.
Chop 2 cups of tomatoes, 2 cups of corn, 1 medium green pepper, 1 medium sweet pepper, ¼ cup fresh cilantro, parsley or basil, 2 cups black beans, and combine with 1½ tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 Tb oregano (dry or Fresh) and 3 Tb olive oil, 1 clove garlic, 3 Tb lime juice or balsamic vinegar. Serve with warm tortillas or corn chips. Also good with fresh sliced Avocados.
Slice 2 eggplants lengthwise ¼ inch. Brush with mixture of 2 Tb oil, 2 tsp balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp Dijon mustard. Grill until cooked. Stack eggplant together to form shape of burger. Top with Provolone Cheese and fresh basil. Brush buns with olive oil and toast on grill. Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.
From a Group Health Cooperative subscriber
Drain 2 cups dried baby lima beans (soaked in water to cover overnight) and pick over to remove and discolored beans or debris. Place a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add 1 lb. thick-sliced, center cut bacon, sliced into ½-inch strips. Cook until crisp and golden, then transfer to paper towels with a slotted spoon. Discard all but about 2 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat in the pan and add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Add 2 yellow onions coarsely chopped and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened about 5 minutes. Add 3 peeled and coarsely chopped carrots and cook stirring until softened about 3 minutes more. Add half of a bunch of Swiss chard, thick stems removed, leaves cut crosswise 1-inch wide, divided; and 5 garlic cloves, minced. Cook until the chard has wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in the drained beans, 2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth, homemade or store-bought. Stir in 6 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped, or one 15-ounce can diced Italian plum tomatoes, drained. Stir in ½ cup finely chopped fresh basil. Simmer, partially covered, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. You may want to lightly blend all or part of the soup at this point, but leave plenty of texture. Stir half of the reserved bacon and the remaining Swiss chard into the soup and cook until the chard is just wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in half of 6 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, 2 teaspoons kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into warm bowls and garnish with the remaining parsley and ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese. Pass the remaining bacon at the table for topping.
from Orfordville subscriber and CSA share packing party volunteer Erica Jones
Dear Erica started out with husband Eric splitting a subscription with another couple. They gradually learned to love eating and cooking fresh, local produce. For several years now, they’ve bought two subscriptions from Scotch Hill, eating one and canning/preserving the other share. They also frequent farmers markets. Can’t get enough of a good thing! Erica shared this recipe over snacks (fresh vegetables, wine and Dela’s cream cheese, of course) following this week’s packing party at Scotch Hill. Take one half cup of toasted walnuts, ¼ c olive oil, ½ bag of chard (or any leafy green), ¾ bag of Asian Greens, 1 bunch of turnip tops or radish tops, 1 or 2 garlic scapes, ½ a 3-oz goat cheese, 1/8 cup parmesan, lemon juice to taste, salt and pepper to taste. Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Serve on pasta. You can also add pickled vegetables OR fresh radishes or turnips. Serve hot or cold.
Slice summer squash into ¼ and ½-inch wide strips. Put on baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary and/or thyme. Top with grated parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Then, put under the broiler for 5 minutes. Serve.
adapted from Brodhead CSA member Kelly Gratz
Juliene 2 lbs. summer squash lengthwise in strips. Toss with 2 tsp salt and let sit 1 hour. Drain and dry. Heat ½ cup bacon grease with crispy bits of bacon in frying pan. Add ¼ cup garlic crushed and summer squash. Sauté, stirring. Cook to aldente 4 to 5 minutes. Toss in ¼ cup chopped basil and ½ cup chopped walnuts. Cook 2 minutes longer. Done! Eat! Enjoy!
Chop and peel 3 cucumbers. Add 1 onion chopped, ¾ cup plain yogurt, 1 tablespoon fresh mint chopped, ½ tablespoon honey, salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Cut ½ lb. loaf French bread, sliced into cubes 1 inch by 1 inch, and melt 3 Tb. Butter. Combine bread and butter and toss together. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes. Place ½ the baked bread cubes in bottom of 7-by-13-inch baking dish. Top bread with layer of 2 lbs. of fresh thinly sliced tomatoes and follow with layer of 1 cup low fat ricotta or goat cheese. Mix ¼ cup olive oil; ½ teaspoon oregano; 2 cloves garlic, minced; and ¾ tsp seasoning salt and evenly pour over layer of tomatoes and cheese. Repeat layering of tomato and cheese. Top with ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes covered. Uncover and bake 7 more minutes to brown the top. Enjoy!
From our niece Abigail, Summer Cole Slaw
You know the shredding and dicing routine. Here’s what she recommends you use: 1 medium cabbage, 4 carrots, 1½ cup lemonaise (or some base of your chosing), salt and pepper to taste, ¼ c extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, Tbsp of sugar or honey, cilantro OR basil, one diced onion. Chop, mix and serve.
Adapted From Charleston Recipes, 1950
Baked Squash: Cut available yellow squash in half lengthwise (Do not remove skin). Boil in salted water 10 to 15 minutes, drain, scoop out, leaving ¼ inch shell. Mash scooped out part and season with chopped onion, minced green pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Add crumbled bacon from 2 slices (fried crisp) and 2 tablespoons butter. Fill shells, sprinkle with buttered bread crumbs. Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes. Serve.
At this time in a growing season, a garden has been producing from plants that may be 4 or 5 months old. Some varieties can start to be a little tough even when the plants still look healthy and keep yielding. When you’re unsure whether garden vegetables might be a little chewy, you can’t over-do it in using butter to cook them. My stir-fry last night – with most all the same garden vegetables you’re getting in this week’s share – proved the truth of this personal adage. Everything came out sweet and tender. I coated the pan with olive oil to start, dicing in green beans and carrots first, then eggplant and summer squash. Peppers, sweet corn, Asian greens, tomatoes, dried herbs, salt and pepper came last. All along the way, I added a little butter. With Dela’s fresh salad, what a meal! Send us your version as you experiment with quick stir-fries.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In alternating layers, fill 9 inch deep dish pie crust with 4 large tomatoes (sliced), ½ cup chopped fresh basil, 3 green onions or scallions (thinly sliced), ½ lb. bacon (cooked, drained, chopped), ½ teaspoon garlic powder (or minced fresh clove), 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper. In a small bowl, mix 2 cups shredded Cheddar (or favorite) cheese with ¼ cup organic mayonnaise. Spread mixture over top of pie. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil from top of pie and bake an additional 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
Saute one chopped onion or leek in two TBSp butter with a chopped garlic clove and 2 TBSP chopped celery or bok choi until just cooked and soft. Add 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock and two large potatoes cubed. Cook potatoes in stock until soft, then puree. Remove stems from a bunch of kale, chop and add to the soup 5 minutes before serving. Do not over-cook the kale or it will taste too strong. Salt and pepper to taste. Cooked sausage, ham or Scotch Hill Farm brats are a nice addition for a heartier winter soup. Also, hot peppers can be added if you like a spicy soup. Kale is one of nature’s best medicines. It’s very good for you!
Owned and operated by Tony and Dela Ends, Scotch Hill Farm is a certified organic family farm, subscription garden, and farmstead soap-making business. Our mission is to:
Grow wholesome, quality, organic food without pesticides or herbicides;
Care for livestock with humane, ethical and integrated practices;
Enhance soil fertility and maintain water quality;
Make value-added agricultural products such as soap from milk by as natural means possible;
Help family farmers find profit in stewardship and ecological practices;
Train students and other small farm families in organic agriculture, marketing and animal husbandry;
Maintain high, ethical standards and business
practices and promote Community Supported Agriculture.
We work to achieve these goals as a family business, grant project participant and member of collaborative organizations in our region. The farm has operated since 1994 and serves communities in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. We are members of the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition, the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, and the Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training.
We are certified organic by Nature's International Certification Services.
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant program
Increasing Rural Sustainability and Impact of Farmstead Soap Production (Abstracts for Phase I and II grant projects, 2003 and 2003; email for MS Word or PDF copy of 40-page reports)
Identifying Marketing Strategies for a Farmstead Cooperative to Increase Goat Milk Soap and Skin Care Product Sales to Targeted Markets (Abstract for Phase I grant project, 2006; email for MS Word or PDF copy of 29-page report)
https://www.sbir.gov/sbirsearch/detail/301693
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant program
Developing Round Bale Systems to Mulch Vegetable Transplants with Switch Grass (2012)
https://projects.sare.org/project-reports/fnc12-857/
Comparing Prairie Grass – Small Grain Straw for Mulching Vegetable Crops (2011)
