Monday, September 30, 2013

CSA Share #17, Tuesday, October 1st, 2013

 
What You’re Getting:

Standard Shares:

1 bunch kale
1 lb onions
1 lb potatoes
1 bunch beets
1 bunch baby carrots
1 Scarlet Kabocha Sunshine squash (Hint: makes great pies, too!)
½ lb tomatoes

Family Shares:


1 bunch kale
1 bunch chard
2 lb onions
2 lb potatoes
1 bunch beets
1 bunch baby carrots
1 Scarlet Kabocha Sunshine squash (Hint: makes great pies, too!)
1 Buttercup squash
1 lb tomatoes

Farm News:

Hi all,
We have been enjoying the beginning of fall here – changing leaves, cooler days, and slowly chipping away at our long list of fall projects. The fall crops are coming along well – cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, beets, leeks, etc – and the onions and winter squash have been stored away for winter. We were excited to see how well our small trial planting of sweet potatoes did, so look forward to those in 2014! We’ll definitely plant more next year!
            We’re looking forward to seeing many of you tomorrow for our annual farm tour and CSA dinner. Looks like the weather will be good!

Christa, Mike and Lizzy

Recipes

Chicken and Rice with Kabocha Squash

    2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
    6 skin-on chicken thighs
    Coarse salt and pepper
    1 medium white onion, diced medium
    1/2 large kabocha squash, seeded and cut into large chunks (4 cups)
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    6 sprigs oregano
    1 1/2 cups rice
    1/4 cup dry white wine, such as Chardonnay
    3 1/2 cups chicken broth

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In batches, cook chicken, skin side down, until deep golden and fat is rendered, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip and cook 1 minute more. Transfer chicken to a plate. Discard fat and wipe pot clean.
    Reduce heat to medium-high and add remaining tablespoon oil to pot. Add onion and squash and cook until onion is translucent, 8 minutes. Add garlic and oregano and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add rice and cook, stirring, until opaque, 2 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring, until completely evaporated, 2 minutes. Return chicken to pot, skin side up, and add broth, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil; cover, transfer to oven, and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 25 minutes. Let sit, covered, 10 minutes.


Lentils with Roasted Beets and Carrots

2 1/2 cups lentils
1 bunch baby carrots, with their tops on
1 bunch beets
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (whatever you have on hand: basil, chives, or parsley)
1/2 cup chopped carrot tops
Grated zest of one organic lemon
 1/2 cup feta cheese
 For Eggless Aioli:
 1/2 cup olive oil
 2 cloves garlic
 Juice of one large lemon (1/4 cup)
 1/2 tsp. salt

    Remove the leafy tops from the carrots and beets. Reserve the carrot tops. (Beet greens can also be kept as they are extremely nutritious and delicious). Wash and scrub the carrots and beets, removing any soil, leaving their skins on. Place the whole carrots and beets in a large French oven or enameled iron pot and mix in the 2 tbsp. olive oil, fully coating the vegetables in oil.
    In a 375 F oven, roast the vegetables for about 30 to 45 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork. If you wish, once the beet are cool enough to handle, you can remove the skins from the beets by gently rubbing them off with your fingers.
    Meanwhile, rinse the lentils and check them for small pebbles, then place them in a medium saucepan. Cover them with water and bring to a boil.
    Simmer on medium heat, uncovered, for about 30 to 40 minutes, until tender but not falling apart or turning mushy. (Add water if necessary through the cooking). Drain the lentils and place them in a large shallow serving bowl.
    In a blender or food processor, puree the garlic, lemon juice, and salt to make the aioli. Add the olive oil and puree until thick and opaque and no chunks of garlic remain. Pour this mixture over the lentils. Add the chopped carrot tops, chopped herbs, and grated lemon zest and toss it all together. Season with a bit of salt and pepper if you wish.
    Place the roasted carrots and beets on top, then crumble the feta all around. Serve warm or cold.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

CSA Share #16, TUesday Sept 24th, 2013

 
2012's Common Ground Fair stand set-up

What You’re Getting:

Standard Shares:

1 head Napa Cabbage
1.5 lb onions
1.5 lb potatoes
1 lb beets
1 lb carrots
0.5 lb leeks
2 green or red peppers
1 Delicata squash

Family Shares:
 
1 extra large head Napa Cabbage
3 lb onions
3 lb potatoes
1.5 lb beets
1.5 lb carrots
0.5 lb leeks
4 green or red peppers
1 Delicata Squash (Yellow, longer, striped)
1 Sunshine Squash (Orange skin, rounder)

Farm News:

Hi all,
Sorry to be such a slacker this week! It’s taking me a few days to get caught back up after the chaos of Fair Weekend. We had a great time at the fair and hope you guys did too. Hope you guys have been enjoying your veggies!

Christa, Mike and Lizzy

Recipes

Napa Cabbage-Carrot Slaw with Honey Lime Dressing

This is a version of the “Napa Cabbage/Hakurei” recipe we’ve given in the past, but adjusted for fall!

    1 1/2 lbs Napa Cabbage,
    1 lb carrots
    1 medium onion
    1/4 cup cilantro


Honey Lime Dressing
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, juice and zest of 1 lime, 1 tbsp honey, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

 Prep the vegetables: Core the cabbage, and cut it into 1/4" to 1/2" thick slices, then slice as thin as possible.  Remove the greens from the carrots and grate them. Mince the onions into ¼ inch pieces. Mince the cilantro. Put all the ingredients in a salad spinner, rinse thoroughly, then spin dry. Make the dressing: Put the vinegar, lime, honey, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl, and whisk until the honey and salt have dissolved in the vinegar. Add the olive oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly to emulsify the oil. Toss the slaw: Add the vegetables to the bowl with the dressing, and toss until the vegetables are thoroughly coated with dressing. (To make ahead, save this step until just before it is time to serve the slaw.)

Stuffed Delicata Squash

            One of our favorite meals, we look forward to this simple dish all summer long!

            1 Delicata squash, halved lengthwise
            1.5 cups cooked rice
            One large onion, diced
            Three cloves of garlic, diced
            Cheese – to taste (We usually use cheddar)
            1 lb sausage of your choice
            Salt, pepper, olive oil
            Optional: Diced green or red pepper (or both!), shredded cabbage, chopped chard or kale….

            Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Scoop the seeds and guts from the squash, and then place the halved squash in a baking pan, face-up. Cover the bottom of the pan with water, about ¼ inch deep. Place the pan in the pre-heated oven. Sautee the onions and garlic in olive oil. Add the optional veggies, if desired. Fry the sausage, and then chop cooked sausage as finely as desired. Mix sausage with onions and garlic. Mix in cooked rice, as well as pepper and salt to taste. When squash is soft (is easily punctured with fork, usually after about 20-30 min.), remove from oven and fill with mixture. Grate cheese and cover tops of filled squash. Put it all back in the oven until cheese has melted.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

CSA Share #15, Tuesday Sept. 17th. 2013

Potato digging time!


What You’re Getting:

Standard Share:

1 head lettuce
1 lb onions
1 lb potatoes
1 lb tomatoes
1 bunch kale
0.5 lb leeks
1 green or red pepper
1 hot pepper

Family Share:
 
1 head lettuce
2 lb onions
2 lb potatoes
2 lb tomatoes
2 bunches kale
0.5 lb leeks
2 green or red peppers
2 hot pepper


Farm News:

It’s fair week here at the farm! It’ll be a whirlwind of digging, picking, harvesting, babbing and more here as we prepare for our annual three days at the Common Ground Country Fair. We’ll be in our usual spot in the Rose Gate Farmers Market Area if any of you want to stop in and say hi! We highly recommend the fair if any of you haven’t been. There are animals, all kinds of food and activities, crafts, music and more. Hope to see you guys there!
Enjoy your veggies!
Thanks!

Christa, Mike and Lizzy

Recipes

Leek and Tomato Quiche

This recipe calls for swiss cheese, but I think it’s tastier with feta or cheddar. Also, Hannaford carries some very decent organic whole wheat frozen pie crusts for those of you who (Like me) have given up on making your own pie crust.

2 tablespoons butter
2 cups sliced leeks
1 (9 inch) frozen pie crust, thawed
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
1 tomato, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste

    Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the leeks until tender. Spread evenly over the bottom of the pie crust.
    In a bowl, toss together the Swiss cheese, Romano cheese, and flour. Spread over the leeks.
     In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and heavy cream. Pour over the cheese layer in the pie crust. Top with the tomato slices, and season with salt and pepper.
    Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C), and continue baking 30 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned and a knife inserted in the center of the quiche comes out clean.

Caldo Verde Soup

I know fall is coming when I’m ready for some caldo verde!

    1/4 cup olive oil
    1 large onion, diced
    2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
    10 ounces chorizo or other spicy sauage, diced
    6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
    8 cups cold water
    1 bunch kale, cut into very fine strips
    Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are translucent. Add the garlic and half the chorizo and cook for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cover everything with the water, bring to a boil and lower the heat, simmering until the potatoes are almost done, about 15 minutes.
When the soup is cool enough to handle, purée it in the food processor and return to the pot. Add the greens, bring everything back to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls, and garnish with the remaining cubes of chorizo.

From leitesculinaria.com

Monday, September 9, 2013

CSA Share #14, Tuesday, September 9th, 2013




 What You’re Getting:

 Standard Shares:

1 head lettuce
1 lb onions
1.5 lb potatoes
2 lbs tomatoes
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch beets
1 green or red pepper
1 hot pepper

Family Shares: 
 
2 heads lettuce
2 lb onions
2 lb potatoes
4 lbs tomatoes
1 bunch parsley
2 bunches beets
2 green or red peppers
2 hot peppers


Farm News:

We are looking forward to seeing many of you at our annual CSA dinner tomorrow afternoon! Today the crew is out bringing in the winter squash while I start cooking for tomorrow’s event. Although winter squash usually takes a few weeks of curing to really start tasting great, I am really craving some…. Maybe I’ll slip a little into the roast veggies for tomorrow. Mmmmmm!

We still have some #2 tomatoes available for canning and freezing. Order today (Monday September 9th) to pick up at the CSA dinner tomorrow, order anytime this week to pick up at the farmstand, or order before next Monday to pick up with the next CSA share. 
10 lbs = $20.00
20 lbs = $30.00
50 lbs = $50.00

Thanks!

Christa, Mike and Lizzy


Recipes



Roasted Beet Salad with Feta:

1 bunch of beets (4-6)
3 T olive oil Sea salt
1/2 C crumbled feta cheese
 2 t lemon zest
1 T maple syrup

Remove the greens from the beets (save them, they are edible too!) Cover the beets in olive oil (about 2 T of the 3) and sea salt and then wrap each of them in foil. Roast in the oven at 400 for approximately one hour, or until they can be easily pierced with a fork.
Allow the beets to cool. Chop the beets into bite-sized pieces, and toss them with the feta, lemon zest, 1 T olive oil, and maple syrup.



Potato Hash with Bell Peppers, Onions, and Parsley

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1.5 lb potatoes, cut into ½” cubes
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes, toss to coat with oil, and place a lid on the pan. Allow the potatoes to cook covered for 10 minutes.
Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium high. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and vegetables turn golden brown.
Add the parsley and garlic; cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.