Growing Cilantro with Kathryn

Learn to harvest and care for a cilantro plant with Kathryn.

You need:

Your cilantro plant
Scissors
Water

1. Water your plant regularly and keep it in a sunny, but cool space.
2. Harvest the large, mature leaves gently using your hands or scissors.
3. Leave the smaller leaves, or new growth to grow more cilantro.
4. Taste your cilantro and add it to your favorite dishes, like Locro de Papa.
5. Store your bunch of cilantro in the fridge in a glass of water to make it last.
6. Replant when your plant bolts, or let it produce seeds to save or dry and use as coriander seasoning.
7. Post photos of you planting or harvesting your cilantro with #PokFoodPower and @Poughkeepsie Farm Project

Rollites de Microverdes

Rollites de Microverdes

para 6 personas

Ingredientes

3 de 12 pulgadas o

6 de 6 pulgadas de tortillas de trigo

1 paquete de queso crema

½ taza de hierbas mixtas, picadas (cebollino, tomillo, cilantro, perejil, albahaca, etc.)

1 cucharadita de ajo en polvo

2 tazas de microgreens

Direcciones

Saque el queso crema del refrigerador 30 minutos antes de que quiera usarle para que pueda alcanzar la temperatura ambiente. Este facilitará la mezcla. En un tazón, mezcle el queso crema, las hierbas y el ajo en polvo con una cuchara grande. Puede elegir agregar ½ cucharadita de sal. Divide el queso crema en partes iguales entre las tortillas. Extienda el queso crema en una capa delgada en toda la superficie de la envoltura y ponga una línea de microgreens. Si lo desea, agregue 1 o 2 rebanadas de pechuga de pollo o pavo también o otra proteína. ¡Enrolla bien las tortillas! Use un cuchillo de chef para niñes para cortar el rollo en rondas.

Receta adaptada por Chef Key

Microgreen Roll Ups

Microgreens Roll Ups

serves 6

Ingredients

3 12-inch or 6 6-inch wheat wraps

1 8 oz. package cream cheese

½ cup mixed herbs, chopped (chives, thyme, cilantro, parsely, basil, etc)

1 teaspoon garlic powder (use more if you love garlic)

2 cups microgreens

Directions

Take cream cheese out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you want to use it so it can get to room temperature. This will make it easier to mix. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, herbs and garlic powder with a large spoon. You may choose to add ½ teaspoon salt. Divide the cream cheese equally among the wraps. Spread the cream cheese into a thin layer across the whole surface of the wrap and top with microgreens. If you want, add 1 or 2 slices chicken or turkey breast as well! Roll the wraps up tight! Use a kid’s chef knife to cut the roll into rounds.

Recipe Adapted by Chef Key

Growers Row: Everyone’s Here

Our Farm Crew Grew! 

Yes, we’re growing vegetables: arugula, beans, beets, bok choy, cabbage, carrots, chard, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, escarole, herbs, kale, peppers, potatoes, salad mix, scallions, tomatoes, winter squash and zucchini are already in the ground. It's been a cold spring, so most of them are still very small -- but they're surviving. And with the warmer temperatures at the end of May, soon they'll be thriving. 

But that’s not the kind of “growing” we mean. This year, we’re also growing in size. 

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Andre, Isabel, Katy, Beth, Erin and Natalie receiving a lesson from Leon on planting potatoes

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German, Andre, Erin and Leon assess the first CSA harvest

Our team is bigger than it’s been since 2017! As you may already know, PFP is temporarily suspending all workshare activities. (For the safety of our members and the farm crew, we will no longer be inviting 30+ members each week to participate in projects such as weeding and harvesting. Read more here.) All together, the suspension of workshare means that the farm is essentially losing 90 person-hours of labor every week. 

To compensate for this drastic loss, as well as the increase in labor in bunching, bagging, and packing that comes with the change to pre-packed shares, we’ve had to bulk up our crew. Our farm interns, who normally start at the beginning of June, started a month early. And we brought on a whole other team member. 

Which means: we have some “new” folks for you to meet! They may be new to the crew, but they’re not new to PFP. Read on to meet the most recent additions to our farm team:

Katy, Erin, Natalie, German, Leon, Andre and Isabel on a recent field walk

Katy Cassady, Farm Intern

Some of you may recognize Katy Cassady from her recipe sampling at CSA distributions over the past year, where she made beet brownies, pickled radishes, kohlrabi fritters and more delicious farm-fresh dishes. Prior to joining PFP as a Farm Intern, Katy was at the Culinary Institute of America. 

Beth Hentschel, Farm Intern

Beth first joined PFP as a CSA member in 2019, where she delighted in a cascade of winter squash and a varied assortment of radishes. A flight attendant by trade, Beth has taken an educational leave for the summer to grow some roots to balance her wings. 

Isabel Morrison, Farm Crew & Education Liaison

Many of you will recognize Isabel, either from her time as a Farm Intern with us last year, or from the four years she spent as an Education Intern during her time at Vassar. Isabel brings numerous seasons of experience to her position as Farm Crew & Education Liaison, and we are lucky to have her back on the team. 

Together with Andre Luiz-Domingues (Greenhouse & Plant Sale Coordinator), Erin Moylan (Wholesale Coordinator), German Gutierrez (Equipment Coordinator), Natalie Marshall (Foodshare Coordinator), Lauren Kaplan (Assistant Farm Manager) and Leon Vehaba (Farm Director), we have a solid team of nine. 

Our farm crew grew.... And now we have work to do. 

With the highest number of CSA members we’ve had to date, the least amount of help, and a new COVID-related curveball what feels like every week, we definitely have our work cut out for us. In all honesty, it’s daunting. But. With a team this hard-working, smart, capable, collaborative and enthusiastic -- it’s hard not to feel a sense of optimism for the days ahead.

PFP’s Education Gardens Shift Focus to Producing Fresh Food for the Community

by Kathyrn B.

Warring school garden produce

When they aren’t making PFP@H videos or distributing activity kits, our education team has also been working hard to keep school and on-site educational gardens growing food and herbs that we can share with the students and their families! 

At Warring, our team members harvested kale, spinach, parsley, and chives! Chris and Sonya Joy distributed the beautiful produce at the free meal sites across the city.

At Krieger,  Sonya Joy has been caring for the garlic, kale, and spinach that are almost ready to harvest. Sonya planted peas, radish, and carrot seedlings that are all peaking up out of the soil!

At the Middle School, Lala is practicing companion planting by interplanting different vegetables that grow well together. She planted tomatoes with celery and carrots, and then a bed with beets, cabbage and kohlrabi.  The garden also got a haircut!

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Chris and Sonya bag produce for distribution

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Garlic and greens growing at Krieger

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Beets and Cabbage

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Tomatoes, celery and carrots!

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Beets, kohlrabi, and cabbage!

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Larissa watering her calendula plants

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Stinging nettle plants

At Clinton the beets, kohlrabi, and cabbage seedlings were planted by wonderful volunteers at the school! Check out the beautiful trellises with peas!In our Meditation garden, Larissa put the calendula plants in that will grow beautiful flowers we use for our herbal salves. Larissa has been trimming the tops of the stinging nettle, a nutritious herb that can be used in tea, or cooked like spinach! Make sure to use gloves while harvesting to avoid being stung.

Lastly, in our Discovery Garden, PFP  educators have been planting and seeding parsley, Asian greens, spinach, and radishes that will be used in our PFP@Home program or distributed at meal sites. We are also planting new perennials like Filbert and Nannyberry that will produce nuts and fruits for years to come!

Check back for more updates in upcoming blogs and check out our videos to see what else we are up to!

PFP Provides Recipe and Activity Kits for 100 City of Poughkeepsie Families

By: Kathryn B.

We have had an exciting few weeks sharing our newest program, Poughkeepsie Food Power @ Home, and freshly grown produce with Poughkeepsie families!

Since we started distributing food with Poughkeepsie City School District, our education team has been hearing that people are ready to grow their own food, make fewer trips to the store, and find a fun way to do it with the whole family! So on May 6th, we launched Poughkeepsie Food Power @ Home, an online version of Poughkeepsie Farm Project’s kid-friendly family cooking and gardening classes. The first round will last for 7 weeks, and we are thrilled to have filled all 100 spots with City of Poughkeepsie families!

Each week, we are creating online tutorials in English and Spanish for cooking and container gardening activities as well as distributing the gardening supplies or ingredients needed to do these activities at home. We are hoping that by providing families with recipe kits and established plants, they can enjoy family projects while gaining skills and comfort with gardening and cooking with children.

Sonya Joy cooking Locro de Papa for PFP@H

The menu features delicious dishes with cultural roots that contain only 5 simple ingredients, so families can prepare satisfying meals with less time, effort, and resources.The first recipe is a delicious Andean potato soup called Locro de Papa! We’ve included recipes that kids can do safely with their own kid-friendly kitchen tools, and some that adults will do with help from the whole family.

A student with their microgreens container

Two student ready to harvest their microgreens

The gardening component includes an online tutorial on how to care for and harvest edible garden plants and is focused on quick-growing options. We had such a fun time talking about microgreens kits the first week with families! We heard from many people that it was their first time growing their own food. We’ll be offering tips on other small container options like baby greens and herbs, and large containers for those with more space!

After this initial round, we plan to use feedback from families to enhance the program moving forward. If you did not sign up before the program was full, you can join the wait list and follow along with your own supplies.  Make sure to subscribe to our Youtube channel so you don’t miss any of the new content!

See all the PFP@H content on the web page.

Week 1: Learn to Plant Microgreens at Home with Lala M:

Locro De Papa (Ecuadorian Potato Soup)

Week #2: Cooking with Sonya Joy

Learn to make this quick, delicious, kid-friendly potato soup in about 20 minutes.

Locro De Papa (Ecuadorian Potato Soup)

serves 4

Ingredients

2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 tablespoon adobo

1 teaspoon paprika

½ c queso fresco, mozzarella, or cheddar

¼ cup chopped cilantro, culantro, or pipicha

Directions

Barely cover potato cubes with water or stock, add seasonings and boil until soft, about 15 minutes. Mash soup by hand or blend cooked potatoes with the cooking liquid. Stir in cheese and seasonings. Reheat if necessary to melt the cheese. Sprinkle with fresh herbs. Top with hot sauce if desired.

Recipe Adapted by Chef Key

Locro de Papa

LOCRO DE PAPA

(SOPA DE PAPAS O PATATA )

para 4 personas

Ingredientes

2 libras de papas, peladas y en cubos

1 cucharada de adobo

1 cucharadita de pimentón o paprika 

½ taza de queso fresco, mozzarella o queso cheddar

¼ taza de cilantro, culantro o pipicha picados

Direcciones

Apenas cubra los cubos de papa con agua o caldo, agregue los condimentos y hierva hasta que estén suaves, aproximadamente 15 minutos.

Machaca la sopa a mano o mezcle las papas cocidas con el líquido de cocción. Agregue el queso y los condimentos. Recalentar si es necesario para derretir el queso.

Espolvorea con hierbas frescas. Cubra con salsa picante si lo desea.

Receta adaptada por Chef Key

Verdes Al Estilo Africano

VERDES AL ESTILO AFRICANO

para 4 personas

Ingredientes

1 taza de leche de coco

4 tazas de verduras mixtas (col rizada, col regular, acelgas), sin tallos y picados

3 dientes de ajo, pelados y picados Trozo de jengibre de

2 pulgadas (del tamaño de un pulgar), pelado y picado

1 pimiento dulce de cualquier color, sin semillas y cortado en tiras de ¼ "

Direcciones

En una sartén grande, cocine a fuego lento el ajo y el jengibre en la leche de coco durante 5 minutos. Agregue las verduras picadas y revuelva. Cubra al vapor las verduras hasta que estén bien cocidas, unos 7-8 minutos. Agregue rodajas de pimienta y continúe cocinando durante 2 minutos. Añadir sal y pimienta al gusto.

Receta adaptada por Chef Key

African Style Greens

Week #3: Make African Style Greens

AFRICAN STYLE GREENS
serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup coconut milk

4 cups mixed greens (kale, collards, chard), stems removed and chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 inch (thumb-sized) piece of ginger, peeled and minced

1 sweet pepper any color, seeded and sliced into ¼” strips

Directions

In a large skillet, simmer garlic and ginger in coconut milk for 5 minutes. Add chopped greens and stir. Cover to steam the greens until cooked through, about 7-8 minutes. Add pepper slices, continuing to cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe Adapted by Chef Key