CSA Share #8, Tuesday July 29th, 2014

Standard Shares:

1 lb green beans

1 pint mixed tomatoes

1.5 lbs zucchini and summer squash

½ lb pickling cucumbers

½ lb salad mix

1 bunch beets

1 bunch kale

small bag basil

Family Shares:

1 lb green beans

1 quart mixed tomatoes

3 lbs zucchini and summer squash

1 lb pickling cucumbers

½ lb salad mix

1 bunch beets

1 bunch kale

1 bunhc chard

1 cabbage

small bag basil

Farm News:

Well, things are growing wonderfully around here, getting tall and green and bushy and producing all sorts of things… red beets, green cucumbers, yellow squash, orange tomatoes and so much more.

Unfortunately for us, Mike managed to tear his bicep last week, and can’t use his arm for 6-8 weeks…. Of course they are the busiest 8 weeks of the season! He will be spending a lot more time with the kids for the next few months while Christa and our great crew juggle things around to fill the gap.

With 8 weeks until the Common Ground Country Fair, the season is flying by! Hope you’re enjoying it, too!

Thanks!

Christa, Mike, Lizzy and Nicky

Recipes

Simple Summer Zucchini with Tomatoes and Basil

1 pound zucchini or summer squash

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 cup basil leaves, roughly chopped

freshly ground pepper

salt

Cut the zucchini into 1/4-inch slices diagonally, or 1/4- inch cubes.

    Heat the olive oil over high heat in a large skillet. Cook the zucchini and garlic for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and basil. Continue to cook for 3 more minutes, or until the zucchini is tender.

    Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or cold.

From: http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/recipes/side-dishes-and-vegetables/Zucchini-with-Basil-and-Tomatoes

Super Simple Cucumber Sandwiches

(Mike’s current favorite snack)

2 slices bread, toasted per your preference (We love the Maine Grain bread in the farmstand)

1 pickling cucumber, sliced thinly into sheets

Mayonnaise

Salt and pepper

Spread the warm toast with mayonnaise. Lay the sheets of thinly sliced cucumber over the prepared toast, and lightly add salt and pepper. Yum! A great snack in a hot day.

Crispy Kale with Lemon-Yogurt Dip

    1 bunch curly kale   

    1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

    2 garlic cloves, minced

    Salt and freshly ground pepper

    1 cup plain Greek yogurt

    1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

    2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

    Preheat the oven to 375°. In a bowl, toss the kale with all but 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and half of the garlic. Spread the kale on 2 baking sheets and roast in the upper and lower thirds of the oven for about 15 minutes, until crisp; shift the pans from top to bottom halfway through. Season the kale with salt and pepper and transfer to a large platter.

    In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt with the lemon zest and juice and the remaining garlic and 1 tablespoon of oil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the roasted kale.

From: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/crispy-kale-with-lemon-yogurt-dip

CSA Share #7, Tuesday July 22nd, 2014

 

What You’re Getting: 

Standard Share:

1 lb Green Beans

1 pint mixed Tomatoes

2 lbs Zucchini and Summer Squash

1 Slicing Cucumber

1 head Lettuce

1 bunch Carrots

1 bunch Scallions

Family Share:

1 lb Green Beans

1 pint Sugar Snap Peas

1 pint mixed Tomatoes

4 lbs Zucchini and Summer Squash

1 Slicing Cucumber

2 heads Lettuce

2 bunches Carrots

2 bunches Scallions

1 bunch Kale

Farm News:

Summer veggies are really, truly here now! Enjoy the bounty. The weeds are growing, the veggies need picking and fall crops need planting. Hard as it is to believe, we have already finished seeding crops we will be harvesting in November. Enjoy every precious minute of this lovely, sunny summer!

As for us, we are going ‘round the clock to try and stay on top of our to-do lists. Plus, the baby’s teething…. So I’ll leave you all to get some sleep while I can.

Enjoy your veggies!

Christa, Mike, Lizzy and Nicky

Recipes

Broiled Zucchini with Yogurt Sauce

    2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

    2 lbs zucchini, halved lengthwise

    Coarse salt and ground pepper

    1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt

    1 tablespoon lemon juice

    1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

    1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

    1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Heat broiler. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange zucchini in a single layer, cut side up. Brush with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil until zucchini are deep golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

    Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together yogurt, lemon juice, coriander, and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer zucchini to a serving platter, drizzle with yogurt sauce, and sprinkle with cilantro.

Sesame Green Beans

I know, I give you this recipe every year…. But it is just SOOOO good!

½  pound green beans, trimmed

1 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon  sesame oil

Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

 Toast sesame seeds: Place in a small dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500ºF.  Toss green beans with olive oil. Spread in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, turning once halfway through cooking, until tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Toss with sesame seeds, sesame oil, salt and pepper.

CSA Share #6, Tuesday July 15th, 2014

What You’re Getting:

Standard

½ pint raspberries!!!!

1 bunch kale

1 bunch Hakurei summer turnips

1/3 lb salad mix

1 bunch scallions

½ head green cabbage (2lbs)

1 bunch parsley

Family 

2 (1/2)  pint raspberries!!!!

1 bunch kale

1 bunch chard

2 bunches Hakurei summer turnips

1/2 lb salad mix

2 bunches scallions

1 head green cabbage (4-5lbs)

1 bunch parsley

Farm News:

This is late this week because it was so hard to predict what would be ready this week: Do we have enough zucchini from the first picking to give every one? Are the carrots ready? Raspberries? Looks like NEXT week we will be able to give you guys zucchini, carrots and TOMATOES (!)… but this week you get raspberries! Yum!

We are not excited about all the heavy rain scheduled for today and tomorrow, but you can’t control the weather, so we’ll try to make the best of it, pruning and thinning things in the greenhouses and hoping the sun will come out again soon!

Enjoy your veggies!

Christa, Mike, Lizzy and Nicky

Recipes

Parsley Scallion Hummus

(2) 15 oz. cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

5 scallions sliced thinly

1 bunch parsley leaves chopped

2 Tbsp tahini

3 Tbsp lemon juice

 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup olive oil

In a food processor or blender, finely chop the scallions and parsley. Add the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, and salt and blend, stopping to slowly drizzle in olive oil until mixture is near smooth. Add more salt, lemon, cumin or olive oil to taste. Serve at room temperature or refrigerated.

You can serve this hummus with flat bread, crackers, pita bread, chips, spread it on a sandwich or dip veggies in it. It goes amazingly well with anything!

From: http://aminuteinthelifeofmaria.blogspot.com/2012/10/parsley-scallion-hummus.html

Hakurei-Cabbage Slaw

 1/2 cup slivered almonds

 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 pound cabbage, chopped into this strips

4 medium Hakurei turnips, sliced thin

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

 Freshly ground pepper

    Preheat the oven to 350°. In a pie plate, bake the almonds for 5 minutes. Let cool.

    In a bowl, mix the oil, vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. Add the cabbage, scallions and cilantro and toss. Add the almonds and season with pepper. Toss again and serve.

From: http://flyingcoyotefarm.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/csa-week-4/

CSA Share #5, Tuesday, July 8th, 2014

 

What You’re Getting:

Standard:

1 pint sugar snap peas

1 bunch swiss chard

½ lb beet greens

1 bunch garlic scapes

1/3 lb salad mix

1 bunch scallions

Small bag of basil

Family:

1 quart sugar snap peas

1 bunch swiss chard

1 bunch kale

1 head lettuce

½ lb beet greens

1 bunch garlic scapes

1/2 lb salad mix

2 bunch scallions

Small bag of basil

Farm News:

What a rainstorm! It seems like we’ve come out of it ok, though… heavy rain can wash away soil fertility, erode topsoil, rot roots and more. Here’s hoping for some sun this week!

We’re excited at all the new things ripening up. We’re snacking on the first tomatoes this week, and even though it will be a few weeks before we have enough tomatoes to distribute to all our members, it’s still exciting! Looks like zucchini, cukes and summer squash aren’t far off, either.

Lizzy and Nicky are growing so fast and becoming more and more part of the farm. Nicky does chores everyday from his perch on Christa’s back and Lizzy is really loving being a wild farm girl more than ever. If it was up to her she would just pick and eat peas and cherry tomatoes all day long. We’ll try to hold her back so you can get some, too!

Enjoy your veggies!

Christa, Mike, Lizzy and Nicky

Recipes:

Wilted Swiss Chard with Fresh Basil

    2 Tbs. olive oil

    1 clove garlic, minced

    6 to 7 large Swiss chard leaves, rinsed and coarsely chopped

    ¼ cup chopped fresh basil plus whole leaves for garnish, optional

    Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

    Fresh lemon juice to taste

    Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, chard and basil, and cook just until the chard begins to wilt, for about 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice. Garnish with basil, if using, and serve warm.

From: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/wilted-swiss-chard-with-fresh-basil/

Pasta with Beet Greens and Garlic Scapes

2 cups beet greens, chopped into 2 inch pieces

3 or 4 garlic scapes, chopped

1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 c chopped toasted walnuts

your favorite pasta (I used angel hair)

1 16 oz can diced tomatoes (or 2 cups diced fresh tomatoes)

Parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat skillet over medium low heat. Add oil, greens, garlic scapes, salt & pepper. Stir everything around. Cover for 3-5 minutes until everything is wilted. Add in chopped walnuts. Drain pasta. Toss tomatoes and greens with the pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese when ready to serve.

From: http://www.jamies-recipes.com/2009/06/farmers-market-beet-greens-and-garlic-scapes/

FAQ of the week:

When I pick my veggies up, some of the greens are wilted! What should I do?

            This time of year it’s easy for leafy veggies to go soft in the hot weather. If your veggies have wilted a little by then time you pick them up, try trimming the ends off your kale, head lettuce, or chard and soaking it over night with the trimmed end in a bowl of cool water. In the morning, it will be crisp again!

I’m feeling overwhelmed…. What should I do with all these greens?

            If you find your self with extra greens such as chard or kale, they can be easily frozen for winter use. Instructions on how to process and freeze these and lots of other veggies can be found at:

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09330.html

CSA Share #4, Tuesday, July 1st, 2014

What You’re Getting:

Standard Shares:

1 bunch kale

1 head lettuce

1 bunch hakurei summer turnips

½ lb salad mix

1 bunch beets

1 bunch scallions

 

Family Shares:

1 bunch kale

1 bunch swiss chard

2 heads lettuce

2 bunches hakurei summer turnips

1 lb salad mix

1 bunch beets

1 bunch scallions

Farm News:

Happy 4^th of July! On July 4^th, 2010 we got married in the top field on a hot, muggy day. The farm has changed so much since then – new fields, greenhouses, the farmstand, the packing building, two babies and a whole bevy of apprentices. We are pretty proud of what we have accomplished here since we bought the farm in 2009 and we are looking forward to many, many long, hard, rewarding seasons to come.

We hope you’re enjoying these long summer days as much as we are. Plants are going crazy in this heat. We can’t wait for all the treats in store for us! The tomatoes are starting to ripen, and the cukes and zucchini are sizing up. Sugar snap peas next week!

Enjoy your veggies!

Christa, Mike, Lizzy and Nicky

Recipes:

Beet, Kale, Red Leaf Lettuce & Hakurei Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette

1 bunch kale

1 bunch red leaf lettuce

4-5 hakurei turnips

1 beet

2 carrots

1 grapefruit

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

sunflower seeds

Wash the vegetables. Remove the stems from the kale, and chop it into bite-sized pieces. Chop the lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Chop the turnips and beets into matchsticks (or whatever shape you desire; make sure to cut the beets fairly thinly). Peel the carrots, and cut them into long strips by hand or in a food processor.  If desired, remove the sections from 1/2 of the grapefruit and peel them.  In a small canning jar, combine: juice from 1/2 grapefruit (a little over 1/4 cup), 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper. Cover the jar and shake vigorously to combine.  To serve, place fresh ingredients on serving plates or bowls. Top with grapefruit vinaigrette and sunflower seeds.

Scallion Pancakes

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

1 bunch scallions                     

1 t salt                                              

1 ½ cups flour                                    

4 eggs                                              

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup water

red wine vinegar

soy sauce

lemon juice

            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.