This Weeks Eclectic Share Includes: You guessed it..Sugar Cane, Roselle Hibiscus, Baby Bok Choy, Tri-Colored Green Beans, Squash, Korean Daikon Radish, Fresh Arugula and Colorful Red and Green Okra.
Sugar Cane- We started growing this crop for it’s protection as a wind and sun barrier, with the climate changing we are experiencing much stronger winds accompanying hurricanes, we headed into hurricane season this year with that in mind. Not only is it a great source of protection, it is “nature’s own candy”. Sugar cane is the most economically valuable field crop in the state of Florida, 75% of the states sugar comes from South Florida, the palm beach county specifically (field to feast, 2012). If you know anything about South Florida you know that most of the farmland was once part of the great river of grass i.e. the Everglades. This diverse environmental habitat that was once home to a variety of wild animals, was drained for agricultural purposes and is now having devastating effect on Florida’s fisheries, tourism industry and clean water. If you care about any of those issues please inform yourself and go to the polls to vote. Ok, that being said check out this handy informational video on how conventional table sugar is made from sugar cane by Imperial Sugar How Cane Sugar Is Made (Video)
Back to the basics.. how do you eat this strange wooden stalk that I have included in your shares…. I knew this would come up so I made sure to do my research for a method that would be the easiest and most efficient way to clean and eat sugar cane, came up with the same answer every search, the best tool… your teeth. I asked Lalo a while back , after struggling with it for what seemed like an hour, how do you eat this? fácil (easy in spanish) he says, and starts to rip off the outer layer with his teeth. Here is Lalo demonstrating it.
Do you have a better way? Please share your sugarcane knowledge with me at FrogSongCSA@Gmail.Com
Take a look at these comical YouTube videos I stumbled across while I was doing my research…
Not interested on gnawing on the stalk for it sugary goodness, use the fibrous woody stalk as skewers for scallops or veggie shish kabobs. Follow the directions from the book ““Field to Feast” –recipes celebrating Florida farmers, Chefs and Artisans, that I have included below.
Check out our Blog on Sugar Cane to find out how you can start growing your own sugar cane from the ten inch stalk included in your share.
Baby Bok Choy- A popular Asian green. Make sure to chop off the very end of the stalk and pull apart the spoon shaped leaves, sand and dirt like to hide at the base of the stalk. I’ve always sautéed bok choy with onion and garlic in my wok but when I was chopping it this this evening a small part of the stem jumped into my mouth, It was delicious, not bitter as I had expected. I could see a resemblance to the crunchiness of celery but without the fiber. I julienned a little white daikon radish from the share and chopped the bok choy stems like celery (use the green leafy part in a sauté) and tossed with a vinaigrette, nice quick little bok choy and radish slaw.
Roselle- These Calyces make a delicious tea, read here to follow a recipe on how to make refreshing
Hibiscus Tea, delicious hot or cold. You can also peel the petals leaving behind the seedpods. The petals will taste very earthy and tart, you may be a little shocked at the sourness at first but you will develop a taste for them and by the end of the season you will be snacking on them regularly. Read on up on some of the favorite
5 EASY & TASTY WAYS TO ENJOY ROSELLE, Teas, Cocktails, Jams Jellies & Desserts.
White Daikon Radish- You can eat them raw but you better be prepared, they are pretty spicy, at least my taste buds think so. Enjoy them raw on salads if you are tough enough or try baking them– toss them in olive oil and your seasoning of choice (I am partial to my Florida Everglades seasoning) roast them on a greased cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 40 minutes tossing them a few times in between, let them cool down on a flat surface and enjoy as a little bite sized snacks. You can also just sauté the daikon with some garlic, onion and toss in some bok choy from your share.
Summer Squash- Bright yellow crookneck, vibrant green zucchini and tye-dyed patty pan squash (round) are three of the four varieties of squash that we grow on the farm. Did you know the name “summer squash” refers to the short storage life of these squashes. They have a very tender and edible rind, unlike that of winter squashes whose tough rind allows for longer storage life and use during the winter such as acorn, butternut, and pumpkins.
Red and Green Okra- Last of the season, unfortunately CSA seasons lie just before and after okra season however with the sustained heat through the month of October we get to sample the ever so popular summer vegetable in south. You can steam it, sauté it, definitely fry it, but have you ever tasted it raw? Next time you get a piece of okra about the size of your pinky or smaller I want you to bite into it, you will be pleasantly surprised. You may never eat it cooked again.
Tri Colored Green Beans- Eat these beans raw when they are delicate and small, with your favorite dip or hummus. If they get larger than the diameter of a pencil you should cook them; stir fry them, steam them, even bake them. Here’s a baked green bean recipe to try…
Baked Garlic Green Beans from Mykitchencraze.com
