Week of August 18, 2019

Meet Nils and Mary Mockler

When we first met Nils Mockler and his wife, Mary at the Peekskill Farmer’s Market several years ago, they purchased some of our eggs and Nils left us with a couple of really great facts about eggs and chickens.  You see, Nils grew up on an egg farm, where he told us, “We were so poor we didn’t know we were poor.” In 1944, Nils enlisted in the military at age 17 and became a combat intelligence scout on Iwo  Jima.  Ironically, Nils’ assigned number was 911. This was not a foreboding number for Nils, however, as he survived five weeks on Iwo Jima in a unit which saw the highest rate of casualties in the war. Once back in the United States, Nils became a principle and carpenter. He also taught at the Schoharie Boces not too far from Eight Mile Creek Farm. His students were primarily farm kids who, according to Nils, in those days lacked confidence in their intellectual skills. The draft for the Vietnam War was imminent and Nils devised a method to teach these young men by having “contests” not tests. He proudly described this method to us and said that they were then able to be placed into carpentry and building in the conflict over seas, instead of onto the front lines.  “Every one of my students came back alive!”

Produce from the Farm

Heirloom Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Lettuce, Kohlrabi, Summer Squash, Zucchini, Parsley, Hot Peppers, Swiss Chard

Green Goddess Dressing

2 tsp anchovy paste or 2 to 4 canned anchovies

1 garlic clove, minced

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup chopped tarragon or 1 tsp dried

1 tsp dried chives

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Serve as a dip for Kohlrabi slices or toss withssalad for a delicious dressing

Adapted from simplyrecipes.com

Grilled Kohlrabi on a bed of Greens

Kohlrabi

10 cremini mushrooms

Olive oil

Lemon juice

Sesame oil

Salt

Swiss chard

Wash kohlrabi, removing stems and leaves. Slice stems thin and chop leaves. Set aside. Leave the outer skin on kohlrabi and slice 1/2 cm thick. Coat one side with Olive oil and grill on hot grill coated side down. Turn, coat and grill other side. Remove from the grill once kohlrabi is tender. Prepare greens by sauteeing chard, kohlrabi stems and leaves all together until tender in sesame oil. Arrange greens on a serving platter and place grilled kohlrabi slices over top. Drizzle with lemon juice and season with sea salt and pepper.

adapted from ecocult.com

Next week….scarlet kale