CSA Share#14, Tues September 6th, 2011

Lizzy likes her veggies too!

In today's share:

Tomatoes                     1 lb potatoes

1 lb beets                     1 head lettuce

1 lb onions                 1 bunch parsley

1 pint cherry tomatoes

Farm News:

It’s beginning to feel a little bit like fall this week, and I’ve seen the first few changing leaves. This means that some of the summer visitors are gone from the farmers markets, and it also means that in a few weeks, life on the farm will slow down. We are always both sad and glad to see the summer come to an end.  Although the hustle and bustle of the summer months is exciting, and it’s continually rewarding to see our labor come to fruition, we are very much looking forward to the slower months as well, getting to spend more time relaxing as a family, visiting friends, catching up on our paper work, and fixing all the things that have broken over the season. Before that happens, though, we have about 2 ½ busy weeks of getting ready for the Common Ground Fair (September 23^rd, 24^th, and 25^th). We have already harvested all of our garlic and onions, and next week will be the winter squash. After the fair, we’ll cut down to more reasonable work hours, and work on our farm clean up, winter greens seeding and planting, and our building projects. This year’s exciting project is a new hoophouse – VERY exciting! 

Well, I’m blabbing. Better get to bed. See you on Tuesday!

           

Christa, Mike, and little Lizzy

Recipes of the Week:

Pickled Beets Recipe

            Easy refrigerator pickles!

• 1 lb beets
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• Salt and pepper

Cut beets to uniform sizes so they will cook evenly. Steam or boil around 30 minutes or until done. (Alternatively, you can roast them by wrapping them whole in foil and cooking them in a 350°F oven for about an hour.) A fork easily inserted into the beet will tell you if the beets are done or not.

Drain the beets, rinsing them in cold water. Slice the beets.

Make the vinaigrette by combining the cider vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and dry mustard. Whisk ingredients together with a fork. The dry mustard will help to emulsify the vinaigrette. Adjust to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine beets and vinaigrette in a bowl and allow to marinate for a minimum of ½ hour. Eat right away, or keep for weeks in the fridge.

Linguine with Tomatoes, Olives, Feta, Basil and Parsley

    2 cups chopped tomatoes

    1/2 cup dry white wine

    2 garlic cloves, chopped

    1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

    1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped

    3/4 pound linguine

    1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley

    1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

    1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

    1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese (5 to 6 ounces), divided

Purée 1 cup tomatoes, wine, and garlic in blender. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomato puree and olives. Cook until sauce begins to thicken, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid.

Add pasta, parsley, basil, and vinegar to sauce in skillet. Toss over medium high heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if dry, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in remaining 1 cup tomatoes and half of cheese. Mound pasta in bowl. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.