Field Notes: Mano Farm’s Community Supported Agriculture

Newsletter: May 15, 2011

Your farmers: Justin (805.758.3184) & Quin (541.543.5382).
Web: http://www.manofarm.org Email: manofarmers@gmail.com

 Just a reminder, our first farm tour is May 21st from 5-6pm. We’re going to be
offering these on an ongoing basis, most likely on the third Saturday of every
month. If you want to know more the layout of our farm, to preview what we’re
growing, or ask about how we’re growing it, please join us!
Hey everyone. This is Quin writing. Every once in awhile we plant something on the
farm that’s particularly unique and virtually impossible to find in any grocery store’s
produce section, let alone in an organic form. Our latest find is the Edible or Garland
Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum coronarium). This is an edible flowering plant whose
leafy greens are used in many Asian cuisines, particularly in Korean soups. It’s high in
iron, manganese and Vitamins A and C. After the pick last week I harvested some of it
and used it in a miso broth soup. Here’s how I made it.
Edible Chrysanthemum soup
Start by preparing the edible chrysanthemum greens. Peel a good portion of the
leaves from the stalk of the flowers, chop them in half, and set them aside in a
bowl. Next, chop some quartered or halved sweet white Mano onions and add
them to a heated medium soup pot with about three tablespoons of olive oil.
Marinate for 5-10 minutes on low heat. Add three cups of water, a few shakes of
cayenne pepper, and some largely diced Mano beets, carrots and/or turnips (if
they are small enough you can simply quarter and chop them). Soft boil the broth
with vegetables for another 10 or so minutes. Cut the heat, and spoon in some
mellow white miso (I usually use about three heaping teaspoons or so). Stir the
broth until the miso dissolves in the soup. Cut the heat and finally, add the edible
chrysanthemum greens and stir them until the broth envelops them. Serve when
ready, either adding salt or soy sauce to taste.
(My cooking aesthetic is informed by the use of seasonal ingredients; fewer spices yet
nonetheless strong flavors; imprecise/intuitive ingredient measurement; simplicity of
preparation; and quick overall cooking/cleaning time.)