Jenn's Honey-Pickled Red Onions

Delicious on a spinach salad or a panini sandwich!

From Jenn Legnini of Turtle Rock Farm

Ingredients

2 pounds Red Onions, sliced ¼” thick
1 ½ cups water
1 ½ cups red wine vinegar
¼ cup honey
2 Tbsps black peppercorns
1 tsp salt

Recipe

1. Bring water, vinegar, honey, peppercorns and salt to a boil.

2. Pour over sliced onions.

3. Refrigerate overnight.

Option: Can in pint or half-pint jars, leaving ½” headroom. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Kohlrabi Hash Browns

Kohlrabi Hash Browns

From Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables.  By Farmer John Peterson and Angelic Organics via our customer Karen and her work at the FARMS Community Kitchen. Thanks Karen!        

Serves 4 to 5

Ingredients

• 4 medium kohlrabi bulbs (about 1 pound total)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
• 2 tbsp. dried bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• ¼ tsp. dried red pepper flakes
• black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

Directions

1. Peel and grate kohlrabi.  Wrap in dish towel and squeeze away excess water.
2. Combine eggs, onion, bread crumbs, salt, ginger, red pepper and black pepper in a large mixing bowl.  Blend together.
3. Add kohlrabi and mix together.
4. If desired, roll into 1 inch balls.   
5. Heat oil in large, heavy skillet.  Add kohlrabi mixture or balls to skillet.  Flatten the balls with spatula or continuously mix the mixture.  
6. When golden brown, flip the flattened balls.  (5 to 7 minutes per side)

Munich Beer Radish Snack-a-tizers

So, we would like to reveal what everyone wants to know - why is the Munich Beer Radish called a "Beer" radish? 

The Munich Beer radish is a fairly pungent specimen, and therefore it cuts through strong flavors - like beer and cheese - and complements them very well. Here you can see them paired with a Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, some Gouda and Tomme from Balfour Farm, and a hearty, seed-packed loaf from Zu Bakery. 

Munich Beer Radishes go well with pretty much any of the cheeses from our local cheesemakers (in addition to Balfour try Winter Hill Farm , Spring Day Creamery, and Swallowtail Farm and Creamery at the Brunswick Winter Market, and Imagine Dairy Farm (through the Market Cafe) and Tourmaline Hill Farm at the Midcoast Winter Farmers' Market).

It is also easy to go gluten-free - thin slices of Munich Beer Radish work perfectly well as crackers on their own! And instead of cheese you could substitute another rich spread, like olive or mushroom tapenade, or roasted red pepper dip.

See Nick, below, demonstrate proper enjoyment of the Munich Beer Radish!

Sweet Dumpling Squash Wedges

A lot of the smaller squashes like acorn and delicata will work in this recipe, but Sweet Dumpling is one of our favorites, so it gets to be the featured squash. 

Ingredients
Two medium Sweet Dumpling squash (about the size of softballs)
Oil to grease the baking sheet
Salt to taste
(Optional) Spices to taste: Cinnamon and ginger; cumin and smoked paprika; cayenne and nutritional yeast - the combinations are endless!

Recipe
1. Preheat your oven to 375F.
2. Start with two Sweet Dumplings that have definite orange edges along their stripes, or have stripes that are entirely orange (see below). The color change from green means that more of the starches have converted into sugars. Yum!

3. Cut your squash in half with a nice, sharp knife. (If it's dull, it may slip, especially around the stem areas).
4. Scoop out the seeds - you can compost them, or save them to toast them, just like pumpkin seeds! Backyard chickens are also very fond of squash seeds.
5. I break off the stems if I can; otherwise cut around the stems and the blossom end scars after you have cut the squash in half (see below).

6. Coat an edged baking dish (like a jelly roll pan or a casserole dish) lightly with your cooking oil of choice. 
7. Toss the squash in the oil so it gets lightly coated; sprinkle with salt and spices. I generally start at a half teaspoon salt and a teaspoon or so of spices. Then diners may add more salt, pepper, or spices at the end to their taste, too.
8. Bake squash for 25 minutes, then stir with a spatula so each side of the wedge has some time in contact with the pan to get nice and caramelized. Bake 5 minutes and stir again. Bake another 5-10 minutes or until you can easily stick a fork through one of the wedges.
9. Remove from oven, sprinkle with more salt, seasonings, honey, or maple syrup if you desire.
10. Enjoy!