Prepare Beet Thoran with SonyaJoy

Beets are the October Harvest of the Month at PFP!

Make this simple, kid-friendly root vegetable stir fry with a kick of flavor from aromatic Indian curry powder. Before you start cooking, take a mindful moment to breathe and center. Learn about the journey curry took around the world. Finally dive in to prepare and taste test the dish.

Kids love getting their fingers pink from shredding the sweet beets. Be sure to protect your clothes from staining while you cook!

Jump to the end of the video for the complete recipe. Visit our website for more distance learning videos and seasonal recipes.

Companion Video
Learn About Global Beets: https://youtu.be/Wtv8CVVtRxc

Follow us on Social Media
http://instagram.com/poughkeepsiefarm...
http://facebook.com/farmproject
http://twitter.com/farmproject

Get our Educator Newsletter or Monthly Newsletter: http://farmproject.org/home#list-sign-up
Beet Harvest of the Month resource page: http://farmproject.org/beets
More Online Learning with PFP: http://farmproject.org/digital-online...
Donate to support our work: http://farmproject.org/give

Credits:
Close-up Cooking Video by Rob Kissner
Post-Production Editing by Forge Media
Intro Music: “Upbeat Funk Commercial” by GuitarsState
Mindful Moment Music: “Sweet Gentle Piano” by water_lily
Main Music: “Kids Background” by PeacockMusic

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Prepara Thoran Indu de Remolacha con Lala M.

La cosecha del mes de octubre en Poughkeepsie son las remolachas!

Haga este sencillo salteado de tubérculos para niñes con un toque de sabor del aromático curry indio en polvo. Antes de comenzar a cocinar, tómese un momento consciente para respirar y centrarse. Aprenda sobre el viaje que hizo el curry alrededor del mundo. Finalmente sumérgete para preparar y probar el plato. Esta receta es una versión adaptada de un plato tradicional, simplificado para cocinar con niñes. Para un auténtico thoran de remolacha, pruebe la receta tradicional de Onam Sadya de Kerala, India.

A les niñes les encanta enrojecerse los dedos al triturar las remolachas dulces. ¡Asegúrate de proteger la ropa de las manchas mientras cocinas!

Salte al final del video para ver la receta completa. Visite nuestro sitio web para ver más videos de aprendizaje a distancia y recetas de temporada.

Video complementario
Más información sobre las remolachas globales con PFP

Auténtica remolacha de Kerala Thoran de Onam Sadya
https://www.cookingandme.com/2013/02/13/kerala-beetroot-thoran-recipe-onam/

Página de la cosecha de remolacha del mes
https://www.farmproject.org/beets

Más aprendizaje en línea con Poughkeepsie Farm Project
https://www.farmproject.org/digital-online-learning

Créditos:
Primer plano de video de cocina de Rob Kissner
Edición de posproducción por Forge Media
Música de introducción: "Upbeat Funk Commercial" de GuitarsState
* detalles de la licencia
Mindful Moment Music: "Sweet Gentle Piano" de water_lily
* detalles de la licencia
Música principal: "Kids Background" de PeacockMusic

Learn About Global Beets with PFP

Join Kathryn and the team at Poughkeepsie Farm Project to learn about beet recipes around the world, beet plant parts and more. Then learn about curry dishes around the world, including an Indian beet dish that includes curry spice, Beet Thoran!

The word of the day is microgreens! We will even show you how to grow your own beet microgreens at home or in your classroom.

Relax and get centered with a mindful moment of deep breathing, and a nature moment in the discovery garden where we see how our plants get pollinated.

Companion Videos:
Cook Beet Thoran- English: https://youtu.be/VLoxMAKMuHk
Cook Beet Thoran - Spanish: coming soon!

Follow us on Social Media
http://instagram.com/poughkeepsiefarmproject/
http://facebook.com/farmproject
http://twitter.com/farmproject

Get our Educator Newsletter or Monthly Newsletter: http://farmproject.org/home#list-sign-up
Beets Harvest of the Month page: https://www.farmproject.org/beets
More Online Learning with PFP: http://farmproject.org/digital-online-learning
Donate to support our work: http://farmproject.org/give

Credits:
Post-Production Editing by Forge Media
Intro Music: “Upbeat Funk Commercial” by GuitarsState
Mindful Moment Music: “Sweet Gentle Piano” by water_lily
Main Music: “Kids Background” by PeacockMusic

Conversation on Cucumbers

By Kate Leahey, Education intern

Pre-Covid Photo - Every precaution is taken to keep you safe.

You’ve probably heard someone say “they’re as cool as a cucumber!” We might say it when a person is acting very calm and laid-back -- very cool. But have you ever wondered where this comes from? It originated from the fact that cucumbers are always much cooler on the inside than the outside temperature, sometimes up to twenty degrees cooler! This is because cucumbers are made up of 95% water, and water does not absorb heat as readily as the surrounding air, keeping the temperature lower. In the 17th century, physicians sometimes used cucumbers to cool down feverish patients due to this fact. Today, they are still a wonderfully refreshing veggie for summertime snacking -- that’s why we are celebrating them this July as our Harvest of the Month! When it gets hot outdoors, just take a bite of a cucumber, and you’ll be “cool” in no time. 

What else can we learn about cucumbers? For starters, they are in the same family as some other familiar favorites: watermelons, pumpkins, and squash. Like these crops, cucumbers are creeping vine plants, meaning that they send out tendrils that can wrap around other objects, such as trellises, allowing the plant to climb -- or “creep” -- along. Cucumbers come in three main varieties. Slicing cucumbers are the most common and are usually grown to eat fresh. Pickling cucumbers, as the name suggests, are great for pickling. Did you know that the average American eats almost nine pounds of pickles each year?!? That’s a lot of pickles! Thank goodness for cucumbers. The last variety is Burpless or Seedless cucumbers, which lack seeds and can be easier for digestion. These cucumbers can be up to two feet long!

Though people all across the world eat cucumbers today, cucumbers initially originated from South Asia (modern-day India). Archaeologists have found through cave excavations that cucumbers have served as a food source for over 3,000 years! Now, thousands of years later, they’ve spread all across the world and are one of America’s Top Five Favorite Vegetables. It’s clear that cucumbers taste good, but they’re also good for us! As we already learned, cucumbers are 95% water, so they can help us stay hydrated. They also contain vitamins K and C, especially when eaten with the skin intact. Also, antioxidants, which can help lower the risk of chronic diseases, are found in cucumbers. Some people find that they are helpful with digestive health as well.

Resources

Quick Pickles Recipe

Cucumber Coloring Page

Cucumber and Carrot Vermicellli

Grain Salad with Cucumbers

June Harvest of the Month: Lettuce

By Ben Bachman

It’s June! That means long, hot days with lots of sunlight. In late June, there are more daylight hours than any other time of the year! At the Poughkeepsie Farm Project, June means the summer growing season is here - the perfect time to tend and harvest our Harvest of the Month - Lettuce!

Lettuce comes in many shapes, sizes, and colors! Some of the more common types found growing at PFP are romaine and red oakleaf lettuce. Notice how different these two types look in the pictures below!

Coastal Star Romaine. Credit: Johnny’s Selected Seeds

Salanova Red Oakleaf. Credit: Johnny’s Selected Seeds

If you take a closer look at a leaf of lettuce, you’ll see a spine (or stem) and a delicate leafy portion. Both parts are good for eating. The spine of a lettuce leaf is high in fiber, while vitamins and minerals are concentrated in the leafy portion. In general, lettuce leaves with dark, rich color indicate higher fiber, flavor, and nutritional value. The most important nutrients in lettuce are vitamin A and potassium (Washington State Dept. of Agriculture).

If you’re tired of the heat and feeling cooped up at home, fresh, crispy lettuce can be a refreshing snack or a healthy addition to meals. What makes lettuce so easy and fun to eat? Just think of a salad bar! Greens taste good with all sorts of other foods, so they are great for improvising creative new combinations. You can mix them with veggies like cherry tomatoes or chopped onions and top them with fruits like apples or strawberries. You can even add protein like chopped walnuts or a hard-boiled egg. 

To finish your salad, try a dressing like the one we shared in our recent Facebook post.

Salads, of course, are just one of many ways to eat lettuce. Here are some other ideas for you to try: 

Snacktime Lettuce Roll-up

This recipe uses a few pantry staples to make a quick, delicious snack. Think of it like a wrap that uses lettuce instead of tortilla! Cut the recipe in half to make a couple roll-ups for yourself or scale it up to share even more!

Snack Time Lettuce Roll-Ups

Download Recipe

Easy as 1 - 2 - 3 Smoothie

This recipe calls for greens, so you can mix it up with lettuce and other leafy vegetables like spinach or kale. For fruit, mix and match different types to find what you like the most.

Easy as 1-2-3 Smoothie

Download Recipe

More Lettuce Tips:

Whatever you make with lettuce, make sure to always wash the leaves with cold water and dry them off before eating!

If you need to store lettuce for later, it’s best to keep it in your refrigerator inside a plastic bag. The lettuce will be more tasty if you eat it within 2-5 days. Here’s another secret to help your lettuce last longer in the fridge: Store greens away from fruits like pears, apples, bananas, tomatoes, and melons. These fruits produce a gas called ethylene that will make lettuce spoil faster.

Grow it Yourself!

Want to grow your own lettuce at home? Lettuce is an easy choice for beginning gardeners. All it takes is a little bit of space with good soil, water, and sunlight to grow lettuce plants that can yield fresh greens all summer long. To make sure your lettuce stays healthy, harvest the biggest, most mature leaves and leave behind the smaller, younger ones. These little leaves will grow and replenish the plant until it’s ready to harvest again. You usually don’t have to wait very long, as lettuce grows quickly. Don’t wait too long to harvest, though, or your lettuce might flower and stop growing fresh new leaves!

One of the best ways to grow lettuce is in a container (like a pot or a bucket). For some helpful tips on starting a container garden, watch this video from Poughkeepsie Food Power at Home:

Lettuce can be grown from seed, like in the previous video, or you can transplant seedlings to start a Shady Salad Garden. Watch our educators do just that in this video:

Whether you decide to try a new recipe or grow lettuce yourself, hopefully you’ve learned something new about lettuce today that helps you enjoy it even more!

Coloring Sheet

For some extra fun, print out this coloring sheet to make your own colorful lettuce creation. Remember - the darker and richer the colors, the healthier the lettuce!

Lettuce Coloring Sheet

Download Coloring Sheet

Harvest of the Month: Winter Squash

By Kathryn B., Farm to School Manager

December's Harvest of the Month is winter squash. Harvest of the Month is an initiative of Poughkeepsie Farm Project’s Farm to School program. A different local farm product is served in school meals at area schools each month and we are helping to promote these locally available farm products.

Winter squash is not only nutritious, but delicious and versatile! We grow several varieties including Butternut, Delicata, Black Futsu, and Spaghetti squash. While it is harvested in the fall, the hard rinds make the squash able to be stored well into winter—thus the name winter squash. That means we have these beauties for both our Fall and Winter CSA!

Harsh winters make it difficult for vegetables to grow in New York year round, so squash are great winter nutrition boosters to include in meals. Winter squash are loaded with vitamins A and C and provide about the same amount of potassium as bananas!

SQUASH that hungry feeling! Winter squash is delicious on its own, roasted with seasonings. You don’t even have to peel some varieties like Delicata! Add winter squash to dips, chili, soups, or even burritos for a delicious and vitamin packed meal. It can be used in place of sweet potatoes in many dishes, including our kid- approved Sweetie Pie Smoothie. Go back to last month’s Kale blog to find the recipe for adding it to an Autumn Kale Salad.

Education resources

Squash Coloring Sheet

Print this fun coloring sheet that shows off the diversity of Winter Squash!

Download Coloring Sheet

Smokey Butternut Squash Hummus Recipes

Smoky Butternut Squash Hummus Recipe - Here’s a favorite with our students - it’s a great recipe to add some color to your table with this flavorful dip!

Try this Recipe

Winter Squash

This infographic breaks down the fun varieties you might find locally and how to use them.

Print the Infographic

Winter Squash Tip Sheet

Check out this handout to learn tips about storing and preparing Winter Squash, including some delicious recipes!

Download the Tip Sheet

Montana Harvest of the Month Fact Sheet

Want to learn more? This fact sheet is a great resource with history, plant facts and preparation tips!

Download the Fact Sheet

Harvest of the Month: Kale

November's Harvest of the Month is kale. Harvest of the Month is an initiative of Poughkeepsie Farm Project’s Farm to School program. A different local farm product is served in school meals at area schools each month and we are helping to promote these locally available farm products.

Now, to introduce our November Harvest of the Month… KALE!
By Kathryn B., Farm to School Manager

Kids Washing Kale

Kids Eating Kale

Most of you have probably heard of this superfood but would you believe it is a favorite among the students we work with?!? Every time we do a cafeteria taste test or have a new student join our after school program they delight us with their memories of coming to the farm and having the spectacular Kale Salad! They love harvesting it, massaging it and adding it to a delicious medley of veggies. Our Harvest of the Month initiative is all about sharing new recipes featuring local farm produce with local kids, so we decided to share a few of our favorite kid-approved Kale recipes and fun resources here.

Thankfully, you can enjoy kale all winter long because it just gets sweeter during the colder months. So even though it’s the November Harvest of the Month, you can count on seeing it at the CSA year round!

Educational Downloads

Green Thumb Smoothie

This green thumb smoothie is a great way to introduce new people to this awesome green! It’s packed with essential nutrients and is still a fruity, sweet treat for any time of day.

Download the Recipe

Autumn Kale Salad

Try out this autumn kale salad recipe - perfect for the end of the season as we head into winter. Combining this superfood with other favourite autumn produce like butternut squash and apples is just one of many ways we serve up kale salad here at the farm. Experiment with other fruit, nuts, beans and veggies to find your favorite combo!

Download the Recipe

Oh, Kale Yeah! – Benefits of Kale

It seems impossible that one food could have so many benefits, that’s why we call kale a superfood. Not only is it nutrient rich, it’s delicious too! Try some of our suggested recipes to add kale to your diet!

Download the Infographic

Kale Coloring Sheet

Check out this cool “kale-oring” sheet. A perfect introduction to a tasty vegetable for the children in your life!

Download the Coloring Sheet

Kale Tipsheet from Just Food

Check out this handout to learn tips about storing and preparing kale, including some delicious recipes!

Download the Tipsheet

Kale Newsletter from Western NY Farm to School

Our friends in Western NY created this great newsletter with info on how to grow kale, how to prepare it, and more kid-friendly ideas and recipes!

Download the Newsletter

PFP Kale Blog Post from 2017
Former education intern, Elyse Canty, explained a bit about kale, the varieties we grow and how we like to prepare it when working with children.

Harvest of the Month: Tomatoes

September's Harvest of the Month is tomatoes. Harvest of the Month is an initiative of Poughkeepsie Farm Project’s Farm to School program. A different local farm product is served in school meals at area schools each month and we are helping to promote these locally available farm products.

Tomatoes – An Educator’s Favorite “Fruit-Vegetable”
By Chris Gavin, Garden Educator

As summer draws to a close, families around our community are busy preparing for the start of a new school year.  For parents and care-givers it means gathering school supplies, for teachers it means readying classrooms and lesson plans, for kids it means getting the most out of the last hot days of vacation.  And for me, a farm and garden educator at the PFP, September means TOMATOES! One of the tricky things about doing garden education in schools is that students are on summer break when the growing season is at its peak.  BUT when September rolls around and kids are heading back to school, our farm and gardens are still churning out juicy and delicious tomatoes of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

One of our goals as a teaching team is to facilitate joyful and engaging experiences around the eating and growing of healthy foods.  And from the perspective of an educator, tomatoes are the perfect crop to introduce at the start of the school year. Tomatoes are accessible – what kid hasn’t at least heard of them?!  They are beautiful – tomatoes can be virtually every color of the rainbow.  They are great for school gardens – you can grow enough cherry tomatoes to feed a whole class in a small amount of space. They are versatile – you can prepare them in so many ways that every kid is bound to find a recipe that appeals to them.  And, of course, tomatoes are abundant at the farm right now, so September is a great time to highlight them in local school cafeterias. 

I don’t need to spend time extoling the benefits of farm and garden-based education, I’m sure anyone reading this knows how impactful our work is on the next generation of eaters.  And since kids are already familiar with tomatoes they make a great point of entry into the subject of growing and eating healthy foods.  Here are a few talking points from a veteran garden educator to spark a kid’s interest (or fun facts to share at your next dinner party as you serve up a dish featuring PFP tomatoes!):

• The domestication of tomatoes can be traced back to 500 BC in Central America.  The word tomato comes from the Aztec word tomatl meaning “swelling fruit”.  The first tomatoes were small like cherry tomatoes and are thought to have been yellow in color. 
• In 1893 the Supreme Court ruled that tomatoes should be categorized as a vegetable and not a fruit because of their use in savory cooking (we eat them for dinner, not dessert!).
• Tomatoes are part of the plant family called nightshades, they are “plant cousins” to potatoes, eggplant, tomatillos, and peppers. 
• The leaves and stems of the plant are toxic if eaten in large quantities. 
• Tomatoes have many “friends” known as companion plants that help one another grow.  You can grow strongly scented plants such as onions, garlic, or mint near your tomatoes to naturally repel pests. 
• Tomatoes are high in lycopene, a phytonutrient found in red fruits and vegetables that is thought to have a positive effect on cardiovascular health. 
• The tomato horn worm is a bright green caterpillar that can devastate tomato crops by eating the unripe fruit. Some growers use a biological control to limit damage, they release parasitic wasps that lays eggs inside the worm!
• There are approximately 7,500 varieties of tomato worldwide, and the PFP grows dozens right here in Poughkeepsie – including many heirloom tomatoes that have more variation in color, texture, and flavor. 

In case you are still doubting the educational power of the humble tomato, here’s an anecdote from a family cooking workshop we offered this year.  While brainstorming a list of the 5  food groups, I asked if a tomato was considered a fruit or a vegetable.  Kids who appeared unengaged quickly got pulled into a heated debate on the topic.  And in case you are pondering this same question, tomatoes are botanically classified as a fruit because they grow from a pollinated flower and have seeds inside (this category refers to the part on a plant).  In terms of food groups, they are classified as a vegetable because of how we use them in the kitchen and because of their nutritional content.   Here’s a simple kid-friendly answer: if you are a chef you call the tomato a vegetable, if you are a scientist you call it a fruit.  And one elementary school group resolved this debate with a compromise, coining a new term that I use all the time in teaching now – tomatoes are a fruit-vegetable! And as an educator, they are one of my favorite fall teaching tools.

I know this may sound over the top, but tomatoes can be like a magical gateway to healthy eating for young people.  I can’t count the times I’ve had a student tell me they hate vegetables but will gobble down cherry tomatoes by the handful on a farm visit or in a school garden.  And they especially go wild for them if they had a hand in growing, harvesting, or cooking them.  So next time you are picking cherry tomatoes for your CSA share or dicing them up for a fresh salsa, invite a young person in your life to join you.  You might just convert them to being a vegetable lover! 

Pass the Potatoes

March’s Harvest of the Month is potatoes. Harvest of the Month is an initiative of Poughkeepsie Farm Project’s Farm to School program. A different local farm product is served in school meals at area schools each month and we are helping to promote these locally available farm products.

Pass the Potatoes

By Allison Herries, Dietetic Intern, The Sage Graduate School

Potatoes! We love them mashed, fried, baked, smashed, boiled, and roasted.  So how did these humble tubers become one of the most popular vegetables in the world?

Potatoes are the most consumed vegetable in the United States.  The average American eats about 48 pounds of potatoes per year, but mostly in the form of fatty French fries or potato chips.  This has led to potatoes getting a bad rap as a food that is expanding our waistlines and contributing to the obesity epidemic.  However, potatoes are naturally fat free and chock full of nutrients that are good for our bodies.  They are also an excellent source of vitamin C and potassium when consumed with the skin intact.  One medium baked potato with the skin contains about 620 mg of potassium or about 20% of the daily requirement.  This is more potassium than a banana which only has about 420 mg! Research suggests that diets high in potassium and low in sodium may help reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. By limiting fried foods in our diets, such as French fries and potato chips, and focusing on healthy cooking techniques, potatoes make an excellent addition to a balanced diet.  

White potatoes make up most of the potatoes eaten in the United States.  But did you know that potatoes come in almost every color, including white, yellow, orange, red, and purple?  Different varieties of potatoes boast different nutrition contents.  For example, sweet potatoes are known for their beta-carotene (aka vitamin A) and fiber.  In fact, beta-carotene gives the sweet potato its vibrant orange coloring.  However, no one type of potato is best for health.  Focus instead on including a variety of different types of potatoes in your diet. 

Fun fact: Potatoes originated in South America thousands of years ago! The Spanish imperialists returned to Europe with the potato crop which flourished and eventually became a staple in many European cultures.  Today, there are still about 4,000 varieties of potatoes that grow in the Andes Mountains of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile.   

Here at our farm, we grow a variety of potatoes including whites/yellows, reds, and blues.  Each variety has its own differences and strengths, but in general, they are all good for soups, roasting, boiling, and mashing.  Our potatoes are planted in the spring at the end of April.  Fun fact- some say that potatoes should be planted when the first spring dandelions start to bloom. Each potato plant starts from a single seed potato.  What exactly is a seed potato? A seed potato is a piece of a potato leftover from the previous growing season.  A new potato plant sprouts from the eyes of the potato seeds.  You may have noticed this process occurring if you ever left a potato on the counter too long and it started to grow another plant!  Since potatoes are highly susceptible to disease, it is important to choose a reliable seed potato.  Look for “certified seed potatoes” when planting potatoes in your own garden.  We get our seed potatoes from Sparrow Arc Farm in Copake, NY.

The potatoes are harvested once the plants start to die in the fall, usually at the beginning of September through October.  Since it is the tubers that we are interested in eating, the potatoes are collected by digging them out of the ground.  Digging potatoes is a favorite activity of many of our CSA shareholders!  We also invested in a new potato digger last season which makes harvesting potatoes faster and safer.  Potatoes can last a long time when stored under the proper conditions.  This allows us to distribute our potatoes throughout the fall and winter months. 

At the PFP we love roasted potatoes for their wonderful flavor and nutrient content.  Roasted potatoes also make a great comfort food, which is great for these last few weeks of winter!  Furthermore, it couldn’t be easier to make roasted potatoes.  Simply begin by preheating the oven to 450˚F.  Cut potatoes into cubes and toss with oil (we prefer olive oil for heart health!), pepper, rosemary (preferably fresh), and a pinch of salt. Spread in one layer on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasional.  You can also experiment with a variety of different spices and herbs, making roasted potatoes a versatile dish that can accompany any meal.  Enjoy!

And potatoes are never boring.  With so many varieties and colors to choose from, there is a potato for every occasion. Not feeling like roasted potatoes tonight? Check out these additional recipes for another of our favorite vegetables, sweet potatoes, instead!

Sources:
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/food-availability-and-consumption/
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-berardi-phd/potatoes-health-benefits_b_7010712.html
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/02/types-of-potatoes_n_4877050.html
http://www.grandstreetcsa.org/2010/07/just-foods-veggie-tip-sheets.html

Harvest of the Month: Ode to Onions

February’s Harvest of the Month is onions. Harvest of the Month is an initiative of Poughkeepsie Farm Project’s Farm to School program. A different local farm product is served in school meals at area schools each month and we are helping to promote these locally available farm products.

Ode to Onions
By Allison Herries, Dietetic Intern, The Sage Graduate School

Onions are an ancient crop that has been grown by civilizations for at least 5,000 years.  The onion is part of the genus Allium and is related to other popular vegetables including garlic, shallots, leeks, and chives.  There are over 300 different varieties of onions that vary in shape, size, taste, and smell making this vegetable a versatile addition to almost any dish. 

Did you know that onions are the third most popular vegetable in the United States?  As a nation, we ate around 7.7 pounds of onions per person in 2015.  That’s a lot of onions!  And it is no wonder that we love onions so much when you consider the sweet and savory flavors that they bring to a dish.  However, an onion is so much more than just a delicious addition to any meal.  Onions are also high in vitamin C and fiber, and have only 45 calories per serving.  This means that onions can add tons of flavor to a meal without the additional fat and calories.  Onions are also rich in the antioxidant, quercetin.  This is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect our bodies from free radical damage.  Research suggests that quercetin may help protect against diseases including cancer and heart disease.

Having trouble cutting your onions through all the tears?  Slicing onions makes us cry because of the release of sulfuric acids from the cut onion.  These gases are a natural defense mechanism of the onion used to ward if hungry pests in nature.  When sulfuric acid interacts with the moisture in our eyes, it results in tears. One way to avoid this reaction is to chill the onion in the refrigerator before cutting into it. Another solution is to slice the onion under running water or while the onion is submerged in water.  These approaches will lessen the release of sulfuric acid.  No more tears!

Fun fact:  Onions held a sacred place in the ancient Egyptian culture. Ancient Egyptians believed that the many concentric layers of the onion represented eternity.  In fact, archaeologists have found evidence of onions being placed in the tombs of pharaohs because they were believed to bring luck in the afterlife.

Irrigating the onion crop

Mini-onion harvest!

Here at PFP, we grow a variety of both yellow and red onions.  We start our onions in the greenhouse around the first week of March and transplant them to the fields at the end of April.  Onions are harvested in the months of July and August, cured (the process where the outer layers are dried out into the papery layers), and then stored for use throughout the fall and winter months. The onions we are eating now are actually from this August’s harvest!

One of our favorite ways to enjoy onions is to caramelize them.  Here at PFP we think that caramelized onions make a flavorful addition to almost any dish.  Caramelizing or “browning” the onions takes away the sharp, raw flavor of the onions and replaces it with a savory, sweet taste.  All you need for this recipe is onions, a knife and frying pan, oil (we prefer olive oil for heart health), and salt to taste.  No added sugar necessary! The secret to great caramelized onions is to cook them slowly over low heat.  Remember low and slow is the way to go! Begin by washing your hands and all equipment.  Thinly slice onions, making sure to separate the layers.  You can make the onions as thin as you would like.  Heat the olive oil over low heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the sliced onions and cook uncovered on low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Adjust the heat as needed so that the onions don’t burn.  Finally, add salt to taste.  Try adding caramelized onions to sandwiches, salads, and sides for a flavorful addition!

Sources:
http://www.foodnetwork.ca/fun-with-food/photos/cool-facts-about-onions/
https://www.onions-usa.org/all-about-onions/nutritional-facts-vegetables
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=58340
https://www.onions-usa.org/all-about-onions/onion-health-research

Harvest of the Month: Apples

January’s Harvest of the Month is apples. Harvest of the Month is an initiative of Poughkeepsie Farm Project’s Farm to School program. A different local farm product is served in school meals at area schools every month and we are helping to promote these locally available farm products.

Photo credit: Eilif Ronning

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. A ½ cup of sliced apples is an easy way to add fiber to your diet everyday. Pro tip: apples are best when eaten with the peel, as that is where most of the fiber and antioxidants are found. A ½ cup of apples a day may sound like a lot but, one of the amazing things about apples is that they can be eaten in a variety of ways - as whole (fresh!) apples, unsweetened applesauce, dried apples, or in my personal favorite: apple pie.

At PFP, the apples we distribute through our fruit share during the regular CSA season come from Glorie Farm in Marlboro. Their low-spray apples (and other fruits) also make their way to our educational programs.  Not only are apples good for you, they are a great educational tool for kids. We like to use apples to teach students about pollination, the plant life cycle, and how trees produce the fruits we love to eat. Apples are also also a great addition to many vegetable recipes we use in our cooking workshops from smoothies to salads.

Photo credit: Eilif Ronning

Photo credit: Eilif Ronning

Fun fact: Domestic or table apples are of the species Malus pumila and are one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits across the world. There are over 7,000 varieties of apples (that’s a lot of apple pie) the oldest originating from the mountains of Central Asia. Apples were first introduced to the U.S by European settlers during 1600s to share their cultivation and traditions.

We can’t talk about North America’s history with apples without mentioning one of our fondest folk heroes: Johnny Appleseed. Johnny Appleseed was a pioneer apple farmer in the 1800’s and his dream was to grow so many apples that no one would ever go hungry. Unlike most legends Johnny Appleseed was a real person named John Chapman. In his lifetime  Chapman planted over 1200 acres of apple orchards.

Contrary to common belief, Chapman’s apples wouldn’t be recognizable as the conventional apples we are accustomed to in the grocery store. Chapman grew apples that were very small and tart - nicknamed “spitters” because that’s probably what you would do if you took a bite out of one. However, “spitters” were perfect for hard cider and applejack which was valued more than edible apples. Fun Fact: until the 1920s, most apples in the U.S were used for making cider. Especially in rural areas, cider replaced water because the water often wasn’t safe to drink. The cider they were drinking was what we would not call hard cider.

In the spirit of the true story of Johnny appleseed here is an easy apple cider recipe. This cider may not be what Johnny Appleseed used to drink but it’s non-alcoholic and quick to make and enjoy with kids. All you need is about 6 cups of apple juice or enough to fill a large saucepan, ½ teaspoon whole cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg and 3 cinnamon sticks. Place everything in the large saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Once it begins to boil reduce heat and let it simmer uncovered 10 minutes. Pro tip: Heating the mixture brings out the flavors of the spices. The longer you let cider simmer the more fragrant it will become.

Happy Holidays! - PFP

Resources:
Johnny Appleseed Story
http://mentalfloss.com/article/62113/9-facts-tell-true-story-johnny-appleseed
https://bestapples.com/resources-teachers-corner/johnny-appleseed/

Apple cider recipe
https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/hot-spiced-cider/d3493337-14c1-4afb-bf8e-f1793d615405