Update: Box 1

I'm a blog slacker. We're finished with Box #1 and almost #2. Here's what we ended up doing with the rest of Box #1.

Ramps: Ramp Risotto, courtesy cook eat FRET via A Good Appetite. Result? Absolutely, positively delicious!

Ramp Risotto

1 1/2 T unsalted butter
7 ramps, sliced thin, greens & all. Keep the sliced bulbs & stems separate from the sliced greens.
1/4 c cream
salt & pepper
3 1/2 c broth (chicken or vegetable)
1/4 c white wine
1/2 T olive oil
1 shallot, minced
3/4 c arborio rice
1/4 c grated Parmesan
pinch - 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)

Heat 1/2 T of the butter in a small skillet over med heat. Add the sliced ramps bulbs & stems & cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the cream & cook for another few minutes until the cream has thickened slightly. Salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a saucepan bring the broth to a simmer & keep it warm during cooking.

Heat 1 T of the butter & the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallot & sauté for a minute or two. Add the arborio rice & stir for 1 minute until coated. Add the wine & stir until completely absorbed. Add 1/2 c of the broth & cook until absorbed, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Once absorbed add the next 1/2 c of broth along with the ramp greens & cook until broth is absorbed. Continuing adding the broth, 1/2 c at a time, as each addition is absorbed. When 1/4 - 1/2 c of broth is left, about 18 to 20 minutes, the rice should be creamy & tender but still have a bite. Add the final addition of broth, red pepper flakes & the cream ramp mixture. Stir to combine. Remove from the heat & stir in cheese. Serve immediately.



Sunchoke, Ramps, Black Radish and Burdock: We used the sunchoke, ramps and black radish in an adapted version of Quinoa Sunchoke Pilaf. Result? Pretty tasty. We'd make it again but it's not to die for or anything. Main pitfall? It tasted too healthy. Then, we fried up some burdock chips. We had to fight over these, Owen included. We also sauteed some fiddleheads from the garden to go with - those were fantastic.





Rhubarb: Mike made a delicious rhubarb sauce using a recipe from our farm, Harmony Valley, to go on top of some homemade vanilla icecream.

Rhubarb Sauce

For the simplest preparation, rinse the stems and chop into 1 inch chunks. With just the water still clinging to the pieces place in saucepan and add sweetner. Simmer over low heat, covered, until the rhubarb is softened. Stir frequently. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add several tablespoons of water. Adjust sweetner and simmer and stir until throughly mixed. Enjoy over ice cream, cake or just as a dessert sauce on the side. Serves 4




I'll try to do a big update tomorrow on what we did with box #2 before we get box #3!