Category Archives: fresh now

now it’s summer…

Hello and happy summer!

The menu for this week’s offerings at the Beaverton Farmers Market is online now.

I’m bringing the rest of the Ginger-Turmeric Sauerkraut that you loved last week. This is the first “tonic kraut” that I’ve brought to the Market, and it has therapeutic amounts of turmeric and ginger to help digestion, circulation and to give the body lots of antioxidants.

I also will have a new kimchi this week made from radish greens. Koreans often make kimchi from radish greens, and my recipe follows some traditional recipes. Radish greens are a nutritional power-house (the greens have a lot of calcium, vitamin C, potassium and copper), and they taste fresh and bright. Our new kimchi preserves this wonderful green energy and adds extra heat with garlic, ginger, and hot chili.

I also will bring a small amount of sour turnip pickles — baby Japanese turnips fermented in a salty, spicy brine. They’re still delicate, but they have a lot of personality now. Stop by and try one!

I’m having some computer problems and am unable to use twitter right now or process images on my computer. Hopefully those issues will be resolved soon. Thanks for being patient!

Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday at the Beaverton Farmers Market!

leek-horseradish this week

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I’m thrilled (and relieved) to report that one crock of Curious Farm Leek-Horseradish Sauerkraut will make it to the Beaverton Farmers Market this Saturday, June 11th. This variety has become a true customer favorite, and many of you have been sad during the last couple of weeks when I’ve been out of it.

This is part of the batch that’s filled with Sweetrock Farm’s delicious leeks that were picked the very morning they went in the crock with the cabbage. It’s unusual for a batch to be ready this soon, but I’ll take the gift because I was worried I’d have to come to the Market this week with no sauerkraut at all! (I keep selling out!)

This batch also is the first batch I was able to begin after being at the Market for a week. Every bit of sauerkraut I’ve brought to the Market in the first five weeks began fermentation before the Market began — before I had any customer feedback at all.

I’m excited that you love this flavor as much as I do. There’s something special about what happens with the leeks and horseradish during the weeks of fermentation. The leeks become even more sweet. The horseradish mellows. If you’re a fan of this flavor, this batch is even better than the last because the Sweetrock Farm leeks were so sweet and fresh. Remember how cold it was in April and the beginning of May? Well, those leeks were loving it and were producing extra sugar to protect themselves from the cold. You’ll taste all that flavor in this batch of sauerkraut.

I’ll post this week’s offerings on the Fresh This Week page tomorrow or Thursday, but count on the Leek-Horseradish Sauerkraut being part of the menu.

checking in, looking forward

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During the first two Market Saturdays, we sold out of four products. Last Saturday, many of you came back for favorites you discovered the first day of the Market. Yay!

We’re thrilled. We love that your favorite curious farm products are also our favorite products — like the Leek-Horseradish Sauerkraut, which is just so lovely and full-flavored. If you’re looking for Leek-Horseradish Sauerkraut this Saturday (5/21), come early because we will sell out. The next batch of L-HS will be ready in late June. (Be patient… it will return! All those sweet leeks I showed you need time to relax and get to know the cabbage and horseradish.)

New special sauerkraut flavors are coming down the road. Remember that sauerkraut takes 6 to 8 weeks to ferment. We’re increasing our number of crocks/fermenting capacity here in order to have more batches in process.

We’re excited that many of you are discovering kimchi for the first time. As I hoped, some customers come to the booth and say, “I’ve heard a lot about kimchi, and I’ve always been afraid of it… but I’m curious…” It’s wonderful to watch customers’ faces light up when they try the Mild Spring Kimchi. It has just enough heat (from friendly ginger) to show kimchi-newbies how the taste of a well-made kimchi hits several spots on the palate all at once — including that elusive 5th taste called “umami.” Every batch of our Mild Spring Kimchi is slightly different, depending on what’s fresh from the garden. However, the overall spice profile will be fairly consistent because we want this kimchi to be your… ahem… “gateway” kimchi.

It also is great to hear from kimchi veterans that we’re producing surprisingly good kimchi. “Surprise” is the operating word, it seems. The givers of these compliments expertly navigate a taut bridge over areas of ethnicity and skin color and are so warm and gracious when they tell me how much they enjoy the full flavors in curious farm kimchi. These compliments mean a lot to me. I love making all of the products we offer at the booth, but making kimchi is a joy from beginning to end.

(Some of you also are certain that I’m using fish in the kimchi because the flavors are so deep. Nope. No fish. All of our products are vegan — including the kvass.)

I’m thrilled that you all love the Spicy Radish Kimchi as much as I do. If you missed it last week after we sold out, be assured that I will bring another large batch of it this Saturday (5/21), and today I made yet another batch that should be ready in a couple of weeks. Your interest in spicy varieties of kimchi gives me permission to explore new recipes. I can’t wait to share them with you.

Many of you noticed the sign for Beet Kvass and hoped I was selling pickled beets. This week (5/21), I’ll bring curious farm’s Grown-Up Pickled Beets. Be forewarned: these are not the pickled beets your Grandma made.

Cucumber pickle lovers: there will be pickles. If you’re anxious, do a sun dance, please, because the cucumber plants won’t grow until it’s sunny and warm. I understand your frustration and disappointment. I can’t wait to share curious farm pickles with you.

You can see a menu of what we’ll bring to the Beaverton Farmers Market right here. We’re in spot #15. Remember that you can try a sample of anything and everything we offer each Market day. Our offerings change as the seasons change and as new things become ready in the garden.

To your health!

to market, to market…

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I just posted the menu of what curious farm will bring to the Beaverton Farmers Market on Saturday (this Saturday! May 7th!). We also will bring some fresh herbs this week.

As I said on the “fresh this week” page, I can’t wait to meet neighbors and fellow pickle lovers. We’re in booth #15 (here’s a map of the market). Please ask for a sample of anything you’d like to try. Our offerings will change each week.

curious farm lovages you

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Our lovage has come up, and we’ll bring some to the Beaverton Farmers Market in May.

By June, this patch of lovage will be 5 feet around and 6 feet high, based on how it grew last year. Then it will flower and wilt and go away until next year.

Lovage is related to celery but is more aromatic. Its mysterious spiciness reminds me of bay more than anise, which is how many people describe it. It’s lovely in soups, cooked with beans and added sparingly to salads. People eat the root as they do celery root. The seeds are edible, too, and used just like celery seed. I like the tender leaves best — torn on top of soups or salads just before serving. Everyone always says, “What is this? I love it!”

We’ve been busy planting and preparing for the Beaverton Farmers Market. We’re a farm and a fresh food producer and have never sold at the Market before so we’re trying to get all our supplies in order so that we’ll be ready to offer you our wonderful live-cultured foods, pickles, and some fresh-grown herbs.

kimchi: early autumn

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I know… it’s been almost a month since I posted here on the blog. I have been making pickles and wondering how to clone myself so that I can make some progress in the garden, too. (I am very, very behind out there…)

But I come here today to tell you that Curious Farm now offers crunchy, lively, seasonal kimchi. The first batch is called Early Autumn (and until I get inspired on the names, we’ll be literal and calendar-based). It’s really nice — not too hot but still sassy.

I like all kinds of pickles and krauts, but I love making kimchi the most because of how it can capture a moment in the garden and keep it all year. Early last spring, I made a batch that included some of the very first succulent snow peas. Our new Early Autumn batch (available to you!) has some baby end-of-season green beans with a few barely ripe cayenne peppers from the garden.

Every batch is different, yet each captures bright, fresh flavors. $5.00 each 9 oz jar. When they’re gone, they’re gone… but a new batch — filled with the new season’s goodness — is right around the corner!

curious farm pickles

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I am ridiculously excited to tell you that Curious Farm Pickles are tasty, fine, legal, and ready-to-mingle.

To begin, we have three varieties: Classic, Spicy Dill, and Summer 2010. For a special introduction, each 32 oz. jar is $7

These pickles are the real deal. The cucumbers ferment in spiced brine for several days before they’re jarred. Curious Farm Pickles are a “live food” that must stay refrigerated. They probably won’t last this long at your house, but the pickles will be ready for your next BBQ a full year after purchase — as long as you keep them refrigerated. In fact, their flavor may improve .

Wait until you taste the spiced crabapple jelly! This is my vision for our small farm: I want us to grow bounty and preserve that bounty, and I want to be able to share as much of that with you as possible.

Certifying the kitchen — so that I can bring these pickles to you (and the preserves to come) — has been quite a challenge. The jars in the photo above are my first fruits.