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.

Winter CSA Share #3, Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

Standard Shares:

¼ lb spinach (Or more, hard to say how much we will be able to harvest tomorrow)

¼ lb salad mix (Ditto)

3 mini lettuce heads

1 kohlrabi

1 head cabbage

5 lb onions

5 lb potatoes

5 lb carrots

8 lb winter squash

2 lbs beets

Family Shares:

¼ lb spinach (Or more, hard to say how much we will be able to harvest tomorrow)

¼ lb salad mix (Ditto)

5 mini lettuce heads

2 kohlrabi

1 head cabbage

10 lb onions

10 lb potatoes

10 lb carrots

12 lb winter squash

4 lbs beets

Farm News:

Hi all,

Brrrrrr! It really feels like winter today… now all we need is some snow. Mike is in the new building bagging up veggies for the CSA shares while Lizzy naps and Christa sits in front of the fire with the baby, typing away. Pretty cozy.

We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving with your families, and were able to incorporate lots of Bahner Farm veggies into your meal! We came home from the hospital with Nicky the day before, so enjoyed a quiet holiday at home with just us.

Stay warm!

Thanks,

Christa, Mike and little Lizzy

Recipes

Cabbage-Kohlrabi Slaw

1 kohlrabi

1/4 head shredded cabbage

1/2 lemon

1/4 cup chopped dill

1/2 clove minced garlic

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

salt and pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

Peel the kohlrabi or turnip and cut into matchsticks. Whisk the lemon juice, dill, garlic, dijon mustard, and salt and pepper in a bowl; whisk in olive oil. Toss with the kohlrabi, shredded cabbage, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/cabbage-kohlrabi-slaw-recipe/index.html

Roasted Beet Salad with Feta

2 lbs beets

3 T olive oil Sea salt

1/2 C crumbled feta cheese

 2 t lemon zest

1 T maple syrup

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.

Adapted from http://www.wearenotmartha.com/2010/07/roasted-beet-salad-with-feta-and-mint/

Buttercup Squash with Apples

1 small buttercup or other winter squash

½ chopped tart cooking apple

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 teaspoons butter or margarine, softened

½ teaspoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

      Heat oven to 400°F. Cut squash in half; remove seeds and fibers. Place squash halves, cut side up, in an un-greased baking dish, 11x7x1 1/2 inches. Mix remaining ingredients; spoon into squash halves.

      Cover and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until squash is tender.

CSA Share #18, Tuesday, October 18th, 2013

 

What You’re Getting:

Standard Share:

1 bunch kale

1 head lettuce

1 lb potatoes

1 lb onions

1 bunch beets

1 bunch baby carrots

2 green bell peppers

Family Share:

 

1 bunch kale

1 kohlrabi

1 head Napa cabbage

1 head lettuce

2 lb potatoes

2 lb onions

1 bunch beets

2 bunches baby carrots

4 green bell peppers

Farm News:

Hi all,

Nothing makes me feel as sleepy as a rainy fall day! I’m feeling thankful for this rain because it will really help germinate our later set of cover crops, most of which were seeded in the last few days.

Mike and the crew are out in the greenhouses, pulling out summer crops like peppers and tomatoes so we can get a start on our winter kale, lettuce, spinach and salad for the Winter CSA.

All of our winter crops are starting to look really good. Besides the squash, pumpkins, potatoes, onions and shallots that we already have harvested, we still have carrots, beets, kohlrabi, cabbage and leeks to harvest and store (Usually in late October or early November), and we’ll have kale, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and chard in the field for a long time still. Late fall is a bountiful time!

Christa, Mike and Lizzy

Recipes

Beet-and-Potato Latkes with Thyme

These potato pancakes get a boost of flavor from sweet beets and thyme. They’re delicious with sour cream.

3/4 lb potatoes, shredded and patted dry

2 medium beets (1/2 pound), shredded and patted dry

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

    1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

    2 large eggs, lightly beaten

    1/4 cup canola oil

    Sour cream, for serving

    In a large bowl, toss the potato and beets with the flour, thyme, pepper and the 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the eggs and mix well.

    In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil until shimmering. Spoon 1/2 cup of the beet mixture into the hot oil to make about 3 latkes; press lightly to flatten. Fry over moderate heat, turning once and adding 1 tablespoon of oil, until the latkes are golden and crisp on both sides, about 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining beet mixture and 2 tablespoons of oil. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Serve with sour cream.

From http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/beet-and-potato-latkes-with-thyme

Kale with Bell Peppers

            Okay, technically this recipe calls for red peppers… But we’ve tried it with red and green and it’s delicious both ways, I promise!

    1 large bunch kale

    1 small pepper cut in strips

    1 small onion slice

    2 small cloves garlic, chopped

    1 tablespoon brown sugar

    1 teaspoon salt or to taste

    2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon olive oil

    1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste

    1 can of low sodium chicken broth

    2 to 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

    Remove stems from the kale. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large pot on medium heat, just until hot. Sauté kale 10 to 15 minutes until olive oil and moisture from greens is mostly absorbed. Add brown sugar, salt, red pepper flakes, and just enough chicken broth to cover greens. Cook for about 20 minutes, add the vinegar, and cook until tender. Add chicken broth when needed.

    While this is cooking, sauté the pepper, garlic, and onions in ½ teaspoon of olive oil. Add the pepper strips, garlic, and onion, and continue to cook on low heat until all of the ingredients are just tender. Drain most of liquid from kale, and toss with pepper mixture.

From http://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/kale-with-red-bell-pepper/

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.

From: http://www.marthastewart.com/952450/chicken-and-rice-kabocha-squash

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.

http://www.pbs.org/food/kitchen-vignettes/lentils-with-roasted-beets-and-carrots/

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 9^th) 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.

From http://www.wearenotmartha.com/2010/07/roasted-beet-salad-with-feta-and-mint/

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.

From http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2012/09/potato-hash-with-bell-peppers-and-onions.html

Winter Share #1, Tuesday, October 23rd

Carrots!

What You’re Getting:

1 bunch swiss chard

2 heads lettuce

½ lb spinach

2 lb beets

4 lb carrots

2 lbs leeks

5 lbs potatoes

5 lbs onions

8 lbs mixed winter squash

Farm News:

    As fall rolls on, we are getting closer and closer to the “end” of our season… although our to-do list never really ends, there is, at least, a list of “must-do”s that we are almost at the end of. We have a few more big harvests, garlic to plant, some new fields to plow up, wood to split, and our spring spinach to seed before we can breath our sigh of relief and start in on construction projects for the fall.

Recipes:

Roasted Root Vegetables

This is one of our favorite recipes, and we probably eat it 3 times a week or so until we run out of the ingredients. This is a very simple recipe – you can make as much or as little as you want. This makes enough to roast on a large cookie sheet – I would cut the amounts in half if you want to roast them in a roasting pan.

2 cups diced potatoes

2 cups diced onion

1.5 cups cubed squash

1.5 cups diced beets or turnips

1.5 cups diced carrots

1 or two apples, diced.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the veggies in a liberal amount of olive oil – I usually use about ½ cup – as well as salt and black pepper to taste. Spread them evenly on a cookie sheet, and cover with aluminum foil. Roast at 400, covered for about 20-30 minutes (until veggies begin to soften). Remove foil cover, and continue to roast until veggies are soft on the inside, but browning on the out side. Yum!

Sautéed Swiss Chard with Onions

    1 bunch Swiss chard

    2 tablespoons olive oil

    2 tablespoons unsalted butter

    2 medium onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

    2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Cut stems and center ribs from chard, discarding any tough portions, then cut stems and ribs crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Stack chard leaves and roll up lengthwise into cylinders. Cut cylinders crosswise to make 1-inch-wide strips.

Heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook onions and garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, covered, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add chard stems and ribs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until stems are just tender, about 10 minutes. Add chard leaves in batches, stirring until wilted before adding next batch, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a serving bowl.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Swiss-Chard-with-Onions-240560#ixzz2A1y0sm6M

Share # 19 Tuesday, October 16th

Golden and traditional beet bunches

What You’re Getting:

1 bunch swiss chard

1 head lettuce

1 bunch beets

1 lb onions

½ lb green tomatoes

½ lb spinach

1 butternut squash

Farm News:

The last share!!! So sad!

It’s been a great season for us and I hope you guys enjoyed it too! The end of the season is always bittersweet, but there is always next year to look forward to!

Plan ahead for 2013!

This year our CSA sold out by May, so if you are interested in being part of the CSA in 2013 (We would love to have you back!) let us know! We can put your name on the list for next year.

Help us improve the CSA experience!

I will be sending out an anonymous survey in the next month or so asking you guys what we can be doing better! The annual CSA survey is your chance to let us know what you want more of, what you want less of, what isn’t working for you… or what is working great! We want the CSA to be great for all of you as well as us, so if something is bothering you, don’t hold back! When you receive the survey, please take 5 minutes to fill it out!

Last but not least, thank you so much for being part of our 2012 CSA. The CSA is incredibly important to the farm and we love growing for you!

Enjoy your share, and see you next year!

Christa, Mike, and Lizzy

Recipes:

Fried Green Tomatoes

    1 large egg, lightly beaten

    1/2 cup buttermilk (plain milk will work fine too)

    1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided

    1/2 cup cornmeal

    1 teaspoon salt

    1/2 teaspoon pepper

    3 medium-size green tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch slices

    Vegetable oil

    Salt to taste

    Combine egg and buttermilk; set aside.

    Combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or pan.

    Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour; dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.

    Pour oil to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a large cast-iron skillet; heat to 375°. Drop tomatoes, in batches, into hot oil, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels or a rack. Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt.

From Southern Living, July 2003

Spinach and Roasted Beet Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette

4 medium beets, trimmed

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

½ lb fresh spinach leaves

Preheat oven to 450°F. Wrap beets in foil. Roast until beets are tender when pierced with skewer, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool beets slightly. Peel beets; cut into wedges. Place in medium bowl.

Whisk vinegar, oil, soy sauce and ginger in small bowl to blend well. Season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper. Add red onion and half of vinaigrette to beets and toss to blend.

Place spinach in large bowl. Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over; toss to coat. Arrange beet mixture atop spinach.

From epicurious.com

Share # 12, Tuesday August 28th

What You’re Getting:

1 cantaloupe melon

3 lb mixed tomatoes

¼ lb arugula

1 head garlic

1 bunch beets

1 bunch carrots

1 lb mixed red and white onions

Farm News:

These cooler nights have me dreaming of fall, but summer produce will be here for weeks yet! Looks like we will have corn for next week (Or maybe today, if it’s ready when Mike checks it this morning!)

This summer has flown by. Yesterday I drove Kirsten, one of our apprentices, to the airport so she could go back to school. She will be missed! We have about three more weeks of very busy farm season, and then, after the Common Ground Fair at the end of September, things calm down for us a lot. We’re looking forward to it!

Enjoy!

Christa, Mike, and Lizzy

Recipes:

Fresh Tomato and Basil Sauce Recipe:

    3 pounds tomatoes, seeded and diced

    1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

    1 large onion, minced

    3 cloves garlic, minced

    1/2 cup olive oil

    salt and pepper to taste

In large saucepan, cook tomatoes and basil over medium-low heat until tomatoes are soft. Meanwhile, in medium skillet, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add onion mixture to tomato mixture and add salt and pepper. Let simmer on low heat for 2 hours or until thick.

Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese

    1 bunch beets

    3 tbsp olive oil

    4 oz baby arugula leaves, washed (about 2 large handfuls)

    1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

    1/4 cup rice vinegar

    2 tbsp sherry vinegar

    2 oz goat cheese

    salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Wash the beets and coat with 1 tbsp of the oil. Wrap in several layers of foil and bake for 1 hour or until tender. Let cool to room temp or refrigerate. This may be done in advance.

Cut in 1-inch cubes. Add to a mixing bowl, and add the rest of the ingredients, except the goat cheese. Toss well to combine, and divide on to 4 plates. Crumble over the cheese, and serve.

Winter CSA Share #3, December 6th

5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes

5 lbs onions

5 lbs carrots

10 lbs squash, mixed varieties

1 head garlic

½ lb salad mix

1 bunch kale

2 lbs turnips

1 lb leeks

1 small head cabbage

2 kohlrabi

2 lbs beets

Farm News:

Our most exciting news this week is that we (Finally!) finished our new greenhouse. We are so excited to have that done before the snow flies in earnest. We are also glad to be home again after a flurry of traveling to see family for the holiday. Now we can concentrate on finishing up odds and ends around the farm… there’s always something that should have been done!

Lots of delicata squash in your shares this time, but don’t let that scare you, as you probably have already discovered, they are the sweetest squash out there. Roasted delicata even alone are a delicious treat, but with maple syrup, as in today’s recipe, they definitely belong in the dessert catagory.

Thanks,

Christa, Mike and little Lizzy

Recipes:

Sweet and Simple Roast Delicata

• 1 or 2 delicata squash
• Butter
• Maple Syrup

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Slice squash in half, and scoop out the seeds. Grease a cookie sheet or baking pan with a pat of butter, and place the squash on the sheet, empty side up.  Melt another table spoon or two of butter. Combine in a small bowl with ¼ cup maple syrup. Brush the mixture over the delicata. Roast, uncovered, for 45 to 60 minutes or until a knife pierces the squash easily.

Roasted Carrot and Beet Salad

• 4 medium red beets, (about 1 pound without greens), 1/2 inch of stems left intact
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh or dried thyme
• Freshly ground pepper
• 4 small whole wheat pita breads, quartered
• 4 ounces feta cheese
• 1/2 cup hummus
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss beets with 1 teaspoon oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover sheet with foil. Roast beets until tender, 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool. Trim and peel beets; cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

    Meanwhile, toss carrots, 1 teaspoon oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt on another rimmed baking sheet. Roast carrots until browned and tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

    Stir lemon juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, the parsley, and thyme in a small bowl. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons oil until emulsified. Season with pepper. Toss beets and carrots with dressing in a medium bowl. To serve, divide salad, pita, feta, and hummus among 4 plates. Drizzle oil over feta and hummus on each plate.

(From http://www.marthastewart.com/314269/roasted-carrot-and-beet-salad)

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.

CSA share #13, August 29th, 2011

Yikes, it's almost September! How'd that happen so quickly?

Once again, we are experiencing some technicnal difficulties with our computer (IE, ours is unusable, and we haven't been able to replace it as quickly as we hoped), so I can't compose a Word document for the newsletter. I am including some recipes here today, though, because some of you guys let me know last week how important those were to you. Thanks for the feedback guys, and thanks for your patience while we deal with our computer issue! Don't forget, if you ever need a recipe, all past recipes are up on our blog! Click the CSA Blog link on the homepage of our website to check it out.

Also important: We are still drying down our garlic, and trying to see if it is curing well, or not. If you found a bad spot in your garlic from last week, please let us know.

We seem to be surviving the storm pretty well so far (Knock on wood!). It's been very busy here for the last few weeks, lots of harvest and not much sleep - But we should be busy in August, otherwise we'd be in trouble! We have two great apprentices helping us out - Dave and Caitie. Yahoo, we're running on adrenaline right into September!

Lizzy is doing great, trying really hard to crawl but not quite there yet. She's sleeping through the night now, for which I am extremely grateful.

In the share this week:

Tomatoes, 3 lbs
Cherry Tomatoes, 1 pint
Beets, 1 lb
Carrots, 1 bunch
Kale, 1 bunch
Lettuce, 1 head
Basil, 1/4 lb

Past recipes that will be useful for this week's share are:
Fresh tomato salsa
Pesto
Kale Chips

New recipes for this week:

Roast Carrots and Beets
1 lb beets
1 bunch carrots
1 onion
1 bulb garlic
2 Tb olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Chop beets, carrots, and onion into uniform sized chunks, about 1 inch or less. Mince garlic. Toss beets, carrot, and onion chunks with garlic and olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Roast in a 400 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until very soft and beginning to brown. Yum - one of our favorites.

A few wonderful Tomato and Basil recipes:

Tomato and Basil Appetizers

These tomato slices simply topped with freshly sliced basil and salt and pepper. Prepare these tomatoes about 30 minutes before serving and allow them to come to room temperature.

• 2 large tomatoes
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 large basil leaves, chopped or rolled and sliced thinly (chiffonade)
• vinaigrette or salad dressing

Slice tomatoes; arrange on a serving plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then the chopped basil. Let stand for 30 minutes. Serve with vinaigrette, salad dressing, grated cheese, or serve as is. http://southernfood.about.com/od/tomatoes/r/bl30620l.htm

Fresh Tomato and Basil Sauce Recipe:

• 3 pounds tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 large onion, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

In large saucepan, cook tomatoes and basil over medium-low heat until tomatoes are soft. Meanwhile, in medium skillet, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add onion mixture to tomato mixture and add salt and pepper. Let simmer on low heat for 2 hours or until thick.

CSA Share#7, July 18th, 2011

1 bunch beets                        1 head lettuce

½  lb sugar snap peas            1 kohlrabi

1 bunch scallions                   1 bulb fresh garlic

1 bunch chard                        1 bunch hakurei

Farm News:

New this week: beets! Yum. We were hoping to have cucumbers and zucchini to you by now, but we have been having some serious cucuber beetle problems this year, and our first planting has been ravaged. Hoping things will improve in that area in the next few weeks.

`We are doing our last rounds of transplanting this week, putting in our fall broccoli, kale, and cauliflower, as well as some late lettuce and the last planting of cucumbers and summer squash – which will hopefully fare better than the first! Lizzy is being fairly cooperative, hanging out with us while we pick peas in the mornings… but she is starting to put everything she can reach in her mouth, as well as roll around in every direction.

            See you on Tuesday!

Thanks so much!

Christa, Mike, and little Lizzy

Recipes of the Week:

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.

From http://www.wearenotmartha.com/2010/07/roasted-beet-salad-with-feta-and-mint/

Snap Pea and Swiss Chard Stir Fry

            This recipe is meant to serve six, so halve it if you want a smaller sized dish.

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 ounces sirloin steak, thinly sliced

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

½ bunch scallions, thinly sliced on the bias

1 tablespoon hot chile sauce (such as Sriracha)

½ lb sugar snap peas, ends trimmed

1 bunch Swiss chard

1 lime

Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and swirl to coat. Season steak with salt and add to wok. Cook, stirring, until beef is golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside. Add another tablespoon vegetable oil to the wok and swirl to coat. Add garlic, ginger, scallions, chile sauce, sugar snap peas, and 1 pound thinly sliced Swiss chard stems (remove and tear leaves into 2-inch pieces and reserve). Cook, stirring constantly, until snap peas are bright green and crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl with beef. Add another tablespoon oil to wok and swirl to coat. Add half of the Swiss chard leaves and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer to bowl with beef and snap peas. Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and chard. Return everything to wok, heat briefly, and season with salt. Squeeze with lime juice, toss to coat, and serve immediately.

http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/swiss-chard-snap-peas-and-beef