Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Share # 8 Tuesday, July 31st



What You’re Getting:

Standard Share:
Head Lettuce, 1 head
Kale, 1 bunch
Tomatoes, 1 large
Green Peppers, 1
Tropea Onions, 1 bunch
Zucchini and summer squash, 2 lbs
Cucumber, 1 lb
Blueberries, 1 pint

Family Share: 
 
Head Lettuce, 2 head
Kale, 2 bunch
Tomatoes, 2 large
Green Peppers, 2
Tropea Onions, 2 bunches
Zucchini and summer squash, 4 lbs
Cucumber, 2 lb
Blueberries, 1 pint

Farm News:

I was a little overzealous when I ordered the blueberries for the farmstand this past weekend, so you guys are getting blueberries after all! Yay!

We just last night got back from 3 ½ days away from the farm for Christa’s brother’s wedding, which was terrifying (Leaving the farm in July? Aaaaghhh!) and also refreshing (A few days off in July? Ahhhh.) Our apprentices did a fine job and we were delighted to find the farm intact on our return. Now to scramble and play catch-up!

Looking forward to next weeks farm dinner! Thank you so much to those of you who RSVPed, we’ll see you there!

Enjoy!
Christa, Mike, and Lizzy

Recipes:

Zucchini and Ricotta with Tomato and Olive Oil on Grilled Bread

    1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
    2 medium-size zucchini, thinly sliced
    1 large tomato, diced
    1 medium onion, thinly sliced
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
    8 basil leaves, thinly sliced
    4 slices country or sourdough bread
    1 cup ricotta
    Parmesan cheese, for grating
Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a saucepan over high heat. Add the zucchini and sauté until the edges start to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the zucchini is cooked through but not too soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the basil, and set aside to cool.

While the mixture is cooling, grill the bread on both sides. Season the ricotta with the remaining olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the seasoned ricotta onto the grilled bread. Top with the zucchini mixture and grate Parmesan over the top to coat.

Blueberry, Kale, and Quinoa Salad

This works great with cooked rice, too!

2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled (prepared according to package directions)
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 1/2 cup shredded kale
3/4 cup crumbled feta
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Fresh ground pepper

    In a large bowl, combine quinoa, blueberries, kale, feta, and almonds. Mix until well combined. Add olive oil and lemon juice and toss to fully coat.
    Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste, and enjoy!


What is a Tropea Onion?

The topedo shaped tropea onion is a delcious sweet red onion that originates from Tropea, Italy. They are ready earlier than round storage onions, and have a wonderful sweet fresh flavor that is wonderful in salads, sautéed in dishes, or even on the grill. To grill them, slice them in half and coat them in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Incredible. Or just do a simple Google search for “Tropea Recipe” to find hundreds of serving suggestions!
Enjoy!

Friday, July 27, 2012

Finally Catching Up!

After losing the use of our computer for a few weeks and then being swamped ever since, I am finally catching the blog back up! Here are the CSA Newsletters and contents for the last few weeks...


Share # 7
Tuesday, July 24th

What You’re Getting:

Head Lettuce, 1 head
Swiss Chard, 1 bunch
Kohlrabi, 1 head
Zucchini and Summer Squash, 2 lbs
Cukes, 1 lb
Baby carrots, 1 bunch
Garlic, 2 heads
Basil, ¼ lb

Farm News:

We are just getting in to the part of the season where we harvest harvest harvest and try to sneak in our other tasks whenever we can. Looks like next week we will finally get you some peppers and tomatoes! They are starting to ripen in larger numbers now.

We have been way too dry lately, and are really hoping for rain here. Do a rain dance for us! We can irrigate some things at our home fields, but can’t irrigate at our leased fields.

Blueberry report: It doesn’t look good. Our field was apparently pollinated very poorly this year, possibly due to the rainy weather we were having during flowering, and the berries are very sparse, possibly too sparse to rake. We have been buying in berries to sell in the farmstand, and you are more then welcome to come by the farmstand and buy some of those, but we’re not sure what we will be able to harvest to put in the shares. We are hoping to get you some at least in one share.

Enjoy!
Christa, Mike, and Lizzy

Recipes:

Summer Squash Salad

From the James Beard Foundation (http://www.jamesbeard.org/recipes/insalata-di-zucchine-e-menta-raw-summer-squash-salad)

    1/4 cup dried currants (or raisins)
    1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    1/4 cup raw pine nuts (or chopped walnuts)
    2 medium yellow squash, seeded and julienned
    2 medium green zucchini, seeded and julienned
    1 green Serrano chile, thinly sliced
    1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
    Juice from 1 lemon
    1/2 bunch mint, thinly sliced
    1/4 cup chopped oil-cured black olives
    1/4 cup sliced ricotta salata
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the currants, cayenne and 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and allow to steep for 20 minutes. Drain currants.

Spread pine nuts in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake until lightly golden and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes.

Combine the yellow squash, zucchini, and chile with the olive oil and lemon juice. Add the mint, olives, ricotta salata, pine nuts and currants. Gently toss together, season to taste with salt and pepper, and divide among serving plates.

Stir Fried Lettuce

    1 head lettuce
    2 teaspoons soy sauce
    1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
    3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
    1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
    2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
    1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger
    1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil (such as Kadoya)

Wash the lettuce, drain and separate the leaves. It’s important to make sure the lettuce is dry). Cut across the leaves into pieces about 1 inch wide. Combine the rice wine or dry sherry, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl, stirring. Set aside. Heat a wok on medium-high heat and add oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Stir-fry until aromatic (5 - 10 seconds) and add the lettuce. Stir-fry the lettuce, sprinkling with the salt, for 1 - 2 minutes, until the leaves begin to wilt. Give the sauce a quick re-stir and swirl it into the wok. Stir-fry for 1 - 2 more minutes, until the lettuce turns dark green. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil. Serve immediately.


Share # 6
Tuesday, July 17th
What You’re Getting:

Head Lettuce, 2 heads
Kohlrabi, 1 bulb
Scallions, 1 bunch
Cilantro, 1 bunch
Parsley, 1 bunch
Zucchini and summer squash, 1 lb
Sugar snap peas
Garlic, 2 bulbs

Whew, we’ve sure been sweating around here with
the summer heat and humidity! The plants seem to
love it, everything is growing in leaps and bounds...
but we sure could use a little rain!

If anyone needs extras beyond what’s in their share,
the farmstand is now open four days a week:

Tuesday 3:00-7:00 (during CSA pickup)
Friday 12:00-7:00
Sat. and Sun. 10:00-6:00

You are all invited to our annual CSA Farm Dinner,
on Tuesday, August 7th at 5:00 pm. It will start with
a farm tour and then we will have a great dinner
made from our farm grown veggies and other
products. We prepare all the food, all you have to do
is show up! We hope you will be able to attend.
Email us to RSVP! Thanks!

Enjoy!
Christa, Mike, and Lizzy

Grilled Summer Squash with Lime Cilantro
Dressing

Dressing:
¼ cup lime juice
2 Tbsp. shallot, minced
1 tsp. garlic, minced¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
½ Tbsp. thyme, chopped
1 Tbsp. lime zest
1 lb zucchini, bias cut ¼” thick slices
1 lb yellow squash, bias cut ¼” thick slices

1. Preheat a grill.
2. Lime and cilantro dressing: Combine the lime
juice, shallots, and garlic in a bowl. Sprinkle with a
pinch of salt and pepper. Let sit for 15 minutes,
Whisk in the olive oil. Adjust the seasoning with salt
and pepper. Stir in the cilantro.
3. Combine the extra virgin olive oil, garlic, thyme
and lime zest in a large bowl. Toss in
the zucchini and yellow squash. Adjust the seasoning
with salt and pepper.
4. Grill until just tender. Toss with cilantro and lime
dressing.

Source: The Culinary Institute of America at
Greystone, Napa Valley, California

Sugar Snap Peas with Scallions and Lettuce

1/2 cup Scallions sliced
4 leaves Organic Romaine Lettuce shredded
1/2 pound Sugar Snap Peas
Salt and Pepper to your taste
1 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon Oil

Slice scallions, including the green tops. Shred the
lettuce. Remove any tough strings from the snap peas
and cook peas in boiling salted water until tender,
about 5 minutes. Drain.

In a large frying pan, melt butter in the oil over
medium-low heat. Add scallions and 1/4 teaspoon
salt. Cover and cook until tender, about 3 minutes.
Add snap peas and cook, stirring, until heated
through. Add the lettuce and stir until wilted. Taste
for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

http://www.recipebridge.com/g/297/2147786537/sug
ar-snap-peas-with-scallions-and-lettuce


CSA Share #5
Tuesday, July 10th

What You’re Getting:

Head Lettuce, 1 head
Salad mix, ¼ lb
Basil, ¼ lb
Kale, 1 bunch
Carrots, 1 mini bunch
Scallions, 1 bunch
Garlic Scapes, 1 bunch
1 greenhouse cucumber
 

Farm News:

We got our computer back! Hooray! Thanks for being patient while we were technologically impaired. In the last few weeks, things have really started to produce. We ate our very first few ripe cherry tomatoes and are hoping to be giving those out soon, maybe in two weeks.. they start in a trickle, but the flood will come!

We haven’t giving you guys salad mix yet this year. In the past we have alternated head lettuce one week, and then salad mix the next week. We haven’t been able to do that this year, as some of the earlier rains this year really washed a lot of nutrition out of the field where the salad is growing, and it’s been performing poorly ever since. However, we decided you guys had waited long enough, and we’ll start out by supplementing your head lettuce with a little salad bag.

The carrots from this week and last week were from the greenhouse – after this we’ll have to wait a few more weeks for the field carrots to size up.

Summer is really truly here! Summer squash, peppers, onions, tomatoes, beets, new potatoes… all coming soon!

Enjoy!
Christa, Mike, and Lizzy


Recipes:

Garlic Scape Pesto

1 bunch garlic scapes

¼  cup grated parmesan cheese

Olive oil (about ¼  cup)

Pine nuts if available (Walnuts do fine, too)

Chop the garlic scapes into 3 inch lengths. Put it in the food processor and process until pureed. Add the parmesan and nuts and process until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil as the food processor runs and continue until all the oil is combined into the garlic.  Serve over pasta. Will store well in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator. Also freezes excellently for winter use! Makes enough for 1 lb pasta.

You can add some basil to this too!

Scallion Pancakes
This is one of my all-time favorites – a dumbed down version of the amazing Korean scallion pancakes a friend used to make for us.

1 bunch scallions                       
1 t salt                                                ½ cup water
1 ½ cups flour                                    soy sauce
4 eggs                                                lemon juice
½ cup vegetable oil                        red wine vinegar

            Remove the scallion roots and dice the whole bunch (use all the green, right up to the tips!).  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. In a smaller bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and water, mixed thoroughly. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture, and mix well, until there are little to no lumps. Stir in chopped scallions. Oil the surface of a large skillet or griddle, and heat until water flicked onto it pops and fizzles. Pour the batter on, about 1 cup per pancake, spreading the mixture out with your spatula to achieve a nice thin pancake. Fry until golden brown on each side. Serve with a sauce made from ½ soy sauce, ¼ lemon juice, and ¼ red wine vinegar. 

CSA Share #4, Tuesday July 3rd

Hi CSA Folks!
Unfortunately, we have still not gotten our computer back from the fixers yet, so no blogpost or newsletter again, but here's hoping that we'll be able to catch up on those by next week.

Pick up is TODAY!

Here's what's is this week's share:

Standard Share

2 Heads Lettuce
1 bunch Swiss Chard
1 Kohlrabi
1 bunch Hakurei
1 bunch garlic scapes
1 mini bunch carrots
Snap peas


Family Share

4 Heads Lettuce
2 bunches Swiss Chard
2 Kohlrabi
2 Bunches Hakurei
2 bunches garlic scapes
1 large bunch carrots
Snap peas

Enjoy your 4th!

Thanks,
Christa and Mike

CSA Share #3, Tuesday, June 26th:

Hi CSAers!
We are sadly without a computer this week, so this will be short and sweet.

In the standard shares this week:
1 Head lettuce
1 Kohlrabi
1 Greenhouse cuke
Snap peas
1 Bunch hakurei summer turnips
1 Bunch radishes
1 Bunch kale

In the full shares:
2 Head lettuce
2 Kohlrabi
1 Greenhouse cuke
2 Snap peas
2 Bunch hakurei summer turnips
2 Bunch radishes
2 Bunch kale
If you haven't had kohlrabi before, it's delicious! Just peel and eat!


Thanks!
See you this afternoon!