Watermelon Radish, I <3 You!

These tasty radishes will make you wonder why you didn't try them sooner!  Pink on the inside and green on the sides once peeled, these radishes are awesome cooked and raw.  They are spicy like a noral radish, but much more mild.  They are great in salads and look so cool in contrast to the green lettuce.  

Fun Fact: Did you know the word "radish" is derived from an old English word that means "easily reared."  True story. Also radishes are very low in calories and sodium, and they are a great source of Vitamin C and folate.

Also these puppy will last up to a week in the fridge.  So check them out this week because the dark pink radishes will brighten up your dinner plate.

Do The Mash

Hey everyone!

Thanksgiving is almost here. But don't panic, there is still plenty of time to prepare.

Everyone makes mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving. It is like some unwritten rule that mashed potatoes must be on the table right next to the turkey and cranberry sauce. At here at Weiser Farms, we are a little crazy over mashed potatoes. We obviously love them. But we are thinking of getting a little more...adventurous this year. We are going to add a little secret weapon to our mashed poatoes: celery root!

Check out this recipe for Garlic and Celery Root Mashed Potatoes:

Ingredients

• 2 large Butterball potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces


• 1 celery root (about 1/2 pound), peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces


• 4 cloves garlic, peeled


• Water


• 3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk


• 2 teaspoons olive oil


• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives


• Salt and ground black pepper

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine potatoes, celery root and garlic cloves. Pour over enough water to cover and set pan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender.

Drain and transfer potatoes, celery root and garlic to a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup buttermilk and olive oil and mash or process until smooth (or lumpy, whatever you like!). Add more buttermilk if you want smoother potatoes. Fold in chives. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Curtesy of Food Network

Squash It!

Hey everyone!  We want to help you start thinking about your Thanksgiving menu.  I know it is only the 13th, but really Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  Some people are all about the turkey, but I personally obess about what kind of sidedishes I can make every year.  I am pretty sure that Butternut Squash is a Thanksgiving staple, but check out this recipe for Caramelized Butternut Squash.  It is simple perfection!

Carmelized Buttnut Squash

Ingredients

• 2 medium butternut squash (4 to 5 pounds total)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off and discard the ends of each butternut squash. Peel the squash, cut them in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. With clean hands, toss all the ingredients together and spread in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 45 to 55 minutes, until the squash is tender and the glaze begins to caramelize. While roasting, turn the squash a few times with a spatula, to be sure it browns evenly. Taste for seasonings and serve hot. 

Curtesty of Food Network

It's A Root and It's Celery

Do you like celery?  And roots? Well, then let me introduce you to an underapreciated root veggy: celery root.

I know it looks kind of weird and it is knobby, but it really is good.  Think what would happen if celery, parsley, and a potato had a baby...it would be celery root!  Celery root is excellent in soups, stew, and other hot dishes, it can also be enjoyed raw, especially grated and tossed in salads. Raw celery root has an intense flavor that tends to dominate salads, so pair it with other strongly flavored fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, beets, and apples.  It also keeps for over a week in the refrigerator. 

So take a chance and try a new root vegetable this week.  Try some celery root!

Dining Among the Fruit Trees at Weiser Family Farm

By Kim Durham

Tehachapi residents have long known that our soil and climate produces great fruits and vegetables, but now more and more people are learning about our high quality produce thanks to area growers like Weiser Family Farms. The bounty of the Weiser family’s Highline Road farm was on full display on Saturday, September 24 when Taste of Tehachapi organized a gourmet dinner nestled among the fruit trees.

One long table was set up right on among the crops at Weiser’s farm, and guests were treated to course after course of delicious food picked that day.

The event featured chef Ray Garcia of the highly renowned restaurant The Fig, located inside the Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica. The dinner was one of an ongoing series farm-to-fork culinary events known as “Feast at the Farm” hosted by Taste of Tehachapi. Each of these memorable meals, created by a distinguished chef, incorporates local farm products prepared and served on site.

The delicious meal was produced primarily by chef John Butler, chef Ruth Hurwitz, farmer Alex Weiser and chef Ray Garcia.

The September 24 Feast at the Farm utilized local Weiser farms produce and Chef Ray treated the guests to plate after plate of delicious food. Among the dishes were a colorful salad prepared by chef Josh Gil that included Maggie’s Farm fresh greens, baby beets, watermelon radishes, and delicious vine ripened tomatoes. Weiser family farm’s employees obtained a locally raised pig, which was then prepared deep pit style and served with Fingerling potatoes and Nantes carrots in a mouth-watering Chile Colorado sauce. 

 

These assorted vegetables were pulled from the ground in the morning at the farm and given to chef Ray Garcia that afternoon to prepare and serve.Chef Garcia, with his talented Sous Chef Jon Butler and with help of Chef Ruth Hurwitz of Tartecatering.com, prepared an amazing red beet Rissoto topped with parmesan and yellow colored beets giving it a lavender purple color.  Other dishes included the popular fingerling potatoes smashed with crispy parsley and spinach; Italian DeCicco broccoli with caper infused kumquats; honey soused Scarlett Turnips; and Cannilini beans braised with turnip greens; confit fingerling potatoes with fried herbs, and marinated Carne Asada Skirt steak with braised green onions.Longtime farm owners Sid and Rachael Weiser were guests of honor.

Also, Master pastry Chef Robert Wemischner finished off the night with a succulent apple crostada covered in a tangy Persian mulberry sauce. Robert Wemischner is not only a renowned pastry chef and teacher, but also the author of the book “Dessert Architect.” He personally picked, peeled and sliced by hand all of Weiser Melrose apples that went into the dessert and also rolled all the dough by hand. With this sweet and tart dessert, low lighting strung off the fruit trees, good company and conversation and a spectacular Tehachapi Sunset, the evening was complete. It was a great evening for guests from the Los Angeles area and local Tehachapi residents alike, to appreciate our wonderful Tehachapi-grown produce and meet the farmers that grew it and the culinary talent that created a magical ‘foodie’ experience - a true Feast at the Farm.