CSA Share #11, Tuesday, August 19th, 2014

 

What You’re Getting:

 

Standard Share:

1 pint cherry tomatoes

2 lbs tomatoes

1 bunch onions

1 head lettuce

1 bunch mint

Green beans (Amount depending on harvest)

1 bunch carrots

Family Share:

 1 bunch kale           

3 lb zucchini and summer squash

2 slicing cucumbers

1 qt potatoes

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 bunch parsley

5 lbs Tomatoes

2 lbs mixed onions

Farm News:

Well, our melons are being slooooow to ripen this year, but in the meantime, we have all these delicious tomatoes to enjoy…. And potatoes, and onions, and cukes…yum! Time for summer salads.

Thanks to all of you who have sent well wishes about Mike’s arm. He is slowly healing, getting to spend lots of time with the kids, and is trying his best not to lift things. In the meantime, Christa is getting to spend lots of time doing farm tasks she’s been missing, and discovering that Mike is actually way better at keeping the dishes washed and the house clean. The only things that really aren’t getting done are paperwork and laundry, but hey, these never get done in August anyway. All in all, we are doing great and are powering through the busiest time of our year, thanks of course to our great crew of apprentices this year.

If you want ‘em, this is the month to order #2 tomatoes!

10 lbs for $20.00

20 lbs for $30.00

50 lbs and more for $1.00/lb

Call or email the farm to order, and pick up in the farmstand or at your CSA pick-up location.

Thanks!

Christa, Mike, Lizzy and Nicky

Recipes:

Greek Salad (Horiatiki)

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1 ½ “ pieces

1 cucumber, peeled, halved, and sliced into ¼” slices

½ medium onion, thinly sliced

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/8 tsp. dried oregano (actually better with fresh, if you can get it)

6 oz. feta, Cut into thick slabs

8 kalamata olives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine parsley, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions in a bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, and oregano; season with salt and pepper and pour over vegetable mixture. Toss. Transfer salad to a serving bowl and top with feta and olives. Garnish with more oregano.

Duncan’s New Potato Salad        

           

• 1 lb new potatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 1 medium tomato
• 2 tropea onions
• ½ bunch parsley
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 Tb ground pepper

Christa’s Dad’s special. Wash potatoes, cut into bite sized chunks. Place in sauce pan with just enough water to cover. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook potatoes until just barely done – soft but not mushy. Drain potatoes, run cool water over them, and set in fridge to cool. Chop cucumber and tomato into small pieces.  Dice onions. Chop (finely) parsley. When potatoes are cool, stir in oil and vinegar.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix cucumber, tomato, parsley and onion into potato mixture. Optional: mix in ½ cup finely chopped bread and butter pickles.  MMMMMmmm. Summer.

CSA Share #10, Tuesday August 13th, 2013

 

What You’re Getting:

Standard Share:

 

1 bunch carrots

1 lb mixed sweet onions

1 kohlrabi

1 head lettuce

1 lb tomatoes

1 quart new potatoes

1.5 lb cucumbers

1 pint blueberries

Family Share:

 1 bunch carrots

2 lb mixed sweet onions

2 kohlrabi

1 head lettuce

2 lb tomatoes

2 quart new potatoes

2 lb cucumbers

1 quart blueberries

Farm News:

Hi all!

            We usually have our CSA dinner earlier in the summer, but due to a construction project that has been dragging on (And on, and on!), we put it off this year. Now we have finally decided on a date – Tuesday, September 10^th! There will be a farm tour and talk with Mike at 4:00, and then a farm dinner (provided by us) at 5:00. We hope you can join us! Please RSVP to let us know if you can - or can’t - make it.

Thanks!

Christa, Mike, and Lizzy

Recipes

Greek Salad (Horiatiki)

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1 ½ “ pieces

1 cucumber, peeled, halved, and sliced into ¼” slices

½ medium onion, thinly sliced

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/8 tsp. dried oregano (actually better with fresh, if you can get it)

6 oz. feta, Cut into thick slabs

8 kalamata olives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine parsley, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions in a bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, and oregano; season with salt and pepper and pour over vegetable mixture. Toss. Transfer salad to a serving bowl and top with feta and olives. Garnish with more oregano.

Roasted Red Potatoes, Kohlrabi, and Onions

   1 lb New potatoes, peeled and quartered

   1 Kohlrabi, peeled and cut into equal size pieces

   2 medium onions, quartered

   Olive oil

   Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a flat baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

    Place cut up vegetables in a medium-size bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Use just enough oil to coat the vegetables — you don’t want the vegetables sitting in a pool of oil.

    Transfer the vegetables onto the baking sheet and roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes, until fork-tender, but crisp on the outside.

- See more at: http://www.nutritioulicious.com/2010/07/roasted-red-potatoes-kohlrabi-and-spring-onions/#sthash.wx21YLEb.dpuf

CSA Share #8, Tuesday July 30th, 2013

What You’re Getting: 

Standard:

1 bunch kale

1 kohlrabi

1 head lettuce

1 bunch onions

1 lb cucumbers

1 quart new potatoes

Mixed tomatoes, 1 pint

1 bunch parsley

1 spring fresh rosemary

Family:

 

1 bunch kale

2 kohlrabi

2 head lettuce

2 bunch onions

2 lb cucumbers

2 quart new potatoes

Mixed tomatoes, 1 quart

1 bunch parsley

2 springs fresh rosemary

Farm News:

Hi all!

I’m just too sleepy to write farm news this week…..you understand. I’ll give you some extra recipes to make up for it. Have a great week!

Thanks and Enjoy!

Christa, Mike, and Lizzy

Recipes

Duncan’s New Potato Salad       

          

   1 lb new potatoes

    1 cucumber

    1 medium tomato

    2 fresh onions

    ½ bunch parsley

    ½ cup olive oil

    ¼ cup balsamic vinegar

    1 tbsp salt

    1 Tb ground pepper

Christa’s Dad’s special. Wash potatoes, cut into bite sized chunks. Place in sauce pan with just enough water to cover. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook potatoes until just barely done – soft but not mushy. Drain potatoes, run cool water over them, and set in fridge to cool. Chop cucumber and tomato into small pieces.  Dice onions. Chop (finely) parsley. When potatoes are cool, stir in oil and vinegar.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix cucumber, tomato, parsley and onion into potato mixture. Optional: mix in ½ cup finely chopped bread and butter pickles.  MMMMMmmm. Summer.

Roast New Potatoes with Rosemary

    1 lb of new potatoes, cleaned

    1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

    2 cloves garlic, minced

    1-2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    Ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place potatoes in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle on salt and pepper. Add olive oil, rosemary, and garlic. Toss until potatoes are well coated. Spread potatoes out on a single layer of a baking pan. Roast for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through and browned. Serve immediately.

Roasted Kale Chips with a twist!

Ok, we’ve all had kale chips before… but this new recipe I found via a customer this weekend is twice as amazing!

    1 bunch kale

    2-3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

    3/4 teaspoon salt

    2 teaspoon nutritional yeast

    ½ teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Roughly chop washed, dry kale leaves. Toss the leaves in a large bowl with the other ingredients.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the leaves on the paper in a single layer. Do not crowd the leaves or they will not dry evenly. If necessary, bake in more than one batch or on several trays. Bake for 12-15 minutes until they are crisp but not beginning to burn.

Let cool before transferring to serving bowls or storing in paper bags. If you have a vacuum sealer, once the chips are cooled you can vacuum seal them in plastic for long term storage. Otherwise, they will keep their crunch longer if stored in paper rather than plastic bags. Do not refrigerate.

If your chips lose their crunch, re-crisp them by spreading them out on a baking sheet again and baking at 300 F for just 5 minutes. They will crisp up as they cool.

CSA Share #9, August 2nd, 2011

1 head lettuce                        Summer Cabbage

Tomatoes                        1 bunch tropea onion

1 bunch Cilantro            1 lb new potatoes

Cucumber                        1 bunch Parsley

Farm News:

            We’re pretty excited for this week because we have a new farm intern coming on August 1^st (Hooray!). One of our interns had to leave in late June due to some back problems, so we’ve been scrambling to keep our heads above water ever since. Very excited for the extra pair of hands.

            The peas are finished, but the beans are just starting, so there should be some fresh green beans next week, as well as green peppers and more tomatoes. Our fight with the cucumber beetles continues to keep down the squash and cucumbers, but there were finally enough cukes this week to distribute. We’re starting to plant our fall cover crops in areas of the fields that had our earliest crops, and are seeding our fall spinach, turnips, and other things. The fall is coming faster than we can believe – only about 8 weeks until the Common Ground Fair!

Thanks so much!

Christa, Mike, and little Lizzy

Recipes of the Week:

Warm Cabbage, Red Onion and Apple Slaw

This recipe originally called for red cabbage, but we think it worked beautifully with green.

·      5 tbsp. olive oil

·      3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

·      1/2 head cabbage

·      3 tropea onions cut into wedges

·      1 tsp. caraway seeds

·      2 Granny Smith apples cored and cut into eight wedges

·      salt and pepper to taste

Cut out the core of the cabbage half and cut the cabbage into small pieces. Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Add the cabbage, apples, caraway seeds and vinegar. Stir well. Cook, uncovered, 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper when the cabbage is soft. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Duncan’s New Potato Salad        

           

• 1 lb new potatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 1 medium tomato
• 2 tropea onions
• ½ bunch parsley
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 Tb ground pepper

Christa’s Dad’s special. Wash potatoes, cut into bite sized chunks. Place in sauce pan with just enough water to cover. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook potatoes until just barely done – soft but not mushy. Drain potatoes, run cool water over them, and set in fridge to cool. Chop cucumber and tomato into small pieces.  Dice onions. Chop (finely) parsley. When potatoes are cool, stir in oil and vinegar.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix cucumber, tomato, parsley and onion into potato mixture. Optional: mix in ½ cup finely chopped bread and butter pickles.  MMMMMmmm. Summer.

CSA Share #8, July 25th, 2011

1 head lettuce                        ½ lb salad

1 bulb fennel                        1 bunch scallions

1 lb potato                        ½ lb sugar snap peas

1 bunch parsley

Farm News:

            What a hot week! It was about 85 degrees IN our house  this week, whew! There was a lot of sweating this week as we worked away. We are loving this cooler weather… and the possibility of rain tomorrow night.  We are transplanting our last fall brassicas today (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi) as well as some weeding and insect control. Now that the harvest season is in full swing, Mondays are our only full days for non-harvest maintenance projects . We are also hoping to plant our fall chard, some more fennel, chip away at the never ending weeding (of course) and maybe start to harvest……….blueberries! If they are evenly ripe enough to start raking, they’ll be in your share next week.

            Thanks so much to all of you who made it out to the CSA dinner last night. It was really great to meet those of you who we didn’t yet know, and we really lucked out with some gorgeous weather! Looking forward to the next one on October 9^th. Mark your calendar.

Thanks so much!

Christa, Mike, and little Lizzy

Recipes of the Week:

Grilled Fennel

1 fennel bulb

2 teaspoons olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Trim the fennel stalks and fronds away, you can use them for something else. Cut the bulb in four and gently trim away the core. You want to leave just enough core to hold the sections together Rub the fennel with 1 teaspoon of the oil and a generous helping of salt and pepper.

Grill 5-8 minutes per side on an oiled grill. Baste with olive oil as needed, and then drizzle with balsamic when hot. It should still have a good crispness to it, but not be raw either. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Parsley Smashed New Potatoes

1 pound new or baby red potatoes, (1- to 2-inch diameter), large ones quartered

½ cup plain yogurt

½ bunch scallions, finely chopped

¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons butter, softened

3/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Add potatoes, cover and steam until very tender when pierced with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes. (Check the water level near the end of steaming to be sure the pan doesn’t boil dry. Add more boiling water as needed.)

    Meanwhile, combine yogurt, scallions, parsley, butter, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

    Mix the cooked potatoes into the yogurt mixture, breaking them up with a fork until they crumble apart and lightly clump together.

CSA Share #6, July 12th, 2011

             

1 lb new potatoes

basil bag

1 sprig rosemary

½ lb salad

1 head lettuce

½ lb sugar snap peas

1 kohlrabi

1 bunch scallions

Farm News:

What beautiful weather we’ve been having this past week! Even the rain was welcome. Walking around our fields this afternoon we were amazed at all the new growth. Looks like we’ll have peppers very soon, and we ate our first tomatoes this week – it will be weeks before we have enough to distribute to everyone, but it was still exciting for us! The peas are exciting too, a few weeks later than last year, but still incredible

            The new potatoes in this weeks share are just a tease, I know, but we’d thought you’d like a little taste of their incredible flavor. I always forget how amazing new potatoes are – what a treat. More to come soon on the potato front.  Not as many greens this week, but after sneaking that extra head of lettuce into the shares last week, I thought you might like a little break.

            We lost one of our apprentices to back problems a few weeks ago, but have found a replacement who will be arriving August 1^st. A few weeks of being shorthanded, but that’s ok – we’re used to scrambling this time of year anyway.

            See you on Tuesday!

Thanks so much!

Christa, Mike, and little Lizzy

Recipes of the Week:

Roast New Potatoes with Rosemary

• 1 lb of new potatoes, cleaned
• 1 ^1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place potatoes in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle on salt and pepper. Add olive oil, rosemary, and garlic. Toss until potatoes are well coated. Spread potatoes out on a single layer of a baking pan. Roast for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through and browned. Serve immediately.

Got leftover lettuce from last week? Use it up in this yummy recipe….

Caramelized Pork over Lettuce

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds boned pork loin, cut into cubes
• 1 (10 1/2-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
• 2 cups (2-inch) chopped scallions
• 6 cups shredded lettuce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

    Place the sugar in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat; cook 5 minutes or until golden (do not stir). Add water and fish sauce (mixture will splatter); remove from heat.

    Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add pork, and cook 4 minutes or until browned on all sides. Remove pork from skillet. Stir broth into skillet, scraping skillet to loosen browned bits. Return pork to pan; add the caramelized sugar mixture, black pepper, and cinnamon stick, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until pork is tender. Remove from skillet, and keep warm.

    Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in skillet; add scallions. Sauté 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add to pork mixture; keep warm.

    Combine shredded lettuce, rice vinegar and basil in a large bowl, and toss well. Serve pork mixture over lettuce mixture.