Ratatouille

Our share this week:

 summer = farm fresh tomatoes

 

And a sneak peek at what is to come...

Who can identify this vegetable (or is it a fruit)?

Ratatouille

The key to a good ratatouille is to cut everything the same size, and to cook each part individually so that nothing is overcooked.

2 small onions,

2 zucchini

2 eggplant

2 red peppers

1 green pepper

2-3 medium sized tomatoes (or whatever collection of veggies you have)

2 cloves garlic

Fresh herbs

olive oil

Cut your veggies up. Heat oil in a skillet and fry each veggie in turn, then remove from pan and add to a big bowl. Season each veggie with salt and pepper as you are cooking. If you are short on time, you can cook all the vegetables (except the eggplant) together and add in the eggplant at the end. Eggplant can get a bit slimy if overcooked. Don't cook the tomatoes, just add those in raw. Chop the herbs and toss. I like this at room temp or served warm on rice topped with a bit of good cheese  (Dubliner or Parmesan are my favorites).

 

Beet Cake

Beet Surprise Cake
from Bridget B.
This version is a bit different than the recipe in the Bringing Home the Harvest handout. It has a cream cheese frosting. Yum!


Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 cup beets, boiled and grated
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups melted butter
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons cream
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Grease one 9x13 inch pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sprinkle lemon juice over beets, set aside.
2. Combine flour, 1 teaspoon salt, soda, white sugar, cocoa, melted butter, eggs, honey, milk, and 2 teaspoons vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Stir in beets. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of mixer. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) about 40 minutes. Cool and frost.
4. To make frosting: combine cream and cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and pinch of salt. Add confectioners' sugar, beat until fluffy. Spread on cake. Add nuts if desired.

Kale, Swiss Chard, Chicken, and Feta Salad

Kale, Swiss Chard, Chicken, and Feta Salad
from Bridget B. 

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (optional)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 
  
• 1 bunch kale, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 pound grilled skinless, boneless chicken breast, sliced
• 1 (6 ounce) container crumbled feta cheese, or more to taste, or blue cheese, Gorgonzola
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

Directions

1. Whisk the vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, and oregano in a bowl until the honey has dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil until evenly blended. Place the kale, Swiss chard, chicken, feta cheese, raisins, and walnuts into a bowl. Toss with the dressing to serve

Kale and Mango Salad

Here is what was in your share this week.
 

This is a good sampling of what a handful of herbs looks like.

We had a wedding at the farm this past Saturday. 
Despite the heat, it was a beautiful day.

 

Kale and Mango Salad

• 1 bunch kale, stalks removed and discarded, leaves thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons honey
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 mango, diced small (about 1 cup)
• Small handful toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), about 2 rounded tablespoons

In large serving bowl, add the kale, half of lemon juice, a drizzle of oil and a little kosher salt. Massage until the kale starts to soften and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside while you make the dressing.

In a small bowl, whisk remaining lemon juice with the honey and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stream in the 1/4 cup of oil while whisking until a dressing forms, and you like how it tastes.

Pour the dressing over the kale, and add the mango and pepitas. Toss and serve. 

 

Happy eating,

Kara

Lemony Kale Pasta

Here are photos of the share this week.
CSA members: Bring in plastic bags next week! We are running low.

vegetables and herbs (below)

 
Eggs and salsa were for sale today at $3.00 and $5.00 respectively.

Farmer Justin cuts more red kale for the members.

A bee hovers around the basil blooms.

a happy sheep
The sheep were shorn this week, making them much more comfortable in the heat.

A wee CSA member checks out the goats.

KALE

Kale is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available. Rich in antioxidants, such as beta-carotene and vitamin C, it is also high in fiber and calcium. It pairs nicely with citrus fruit such as lemon, and spicy foods such as red pepper flakes. It is also a vegetable that is increasing in popularity, particularly among those who follow a raw food diet or regularly do cleanses, as it is a common ingredient in green smoothies.

Lemony Kale Pasta

Dressing:

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 tsp salt, divided

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

5-6 TBS olive oil

Juice of 2 lemons

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

freshly ground pepper, to taste

For the pasta:

1 lb whole grain pasta, such as penne

1 large bunch of kale, rinsed, dried, stems removed

lemon slices for garnish

additional Parmesan, for serving

Directions

Prepare pasta according to directions. Mince garlic, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt and smash garlic into a paste with a fork, side of a knife, or in a mortar and pestle. Add paste to Parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Whisk until combined.

Chop kale into 1/2 inch ribbons. Add kale to large bowl and toss with the dressing to coat well. When the pasta has cooked, drain well and let let cool for a minute or two. Toss the pasta with the kale and dressing until well coated. Serve with sliced lemon and additional cheese if desired.

Happy eating,

Kara

Kale recipes from the Bringing Home the Share handout

Kale is the one vegetable that most people struggle with when they first join a CSA. Most members learn to love it though, and as my farmers can attest to, I have even been known to request more.

When you have too much to eat in a week, freeze the extra for winter soups and pastas. You can use frozen kale in any recipe that calls for frozen spinach. Just thaw, squeeze out extra moisture, and chop.

The following are a few of my favorite uses for kale. I have used both fresh and frozen kale in all of them except the kale chips.

Baked Kale Chips

kale

1 TBS olive oil

sea salt to coat

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil. Carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Toss kale with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb Italian sausage (I have omitted this for a vegetarian version)

2 lg potatoes (I use about 5-6 sm/med size),cubed
1 lg onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups kale or swiss chard, chopped
2 cans chicken broth
1 qt water
1 cup heavy whipping cream (I use less to keep for a healthier version)

You could also add 1/3 cup of chopped, cooked bacon.

Cook and crumble sausage. Drain on paper towel. In a soup pot, lightly sauté onions and garlic, add potatoes, chicken broth and water. Cook on med heat until the potatoes are done. Add sausage (and bacon if using). Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer another 10 minutes Turn on low and add kale and cream. Heat through.

Fried Potatoes with Kale

4 large potatoes and 8-10 stems of kale
butter and olive oil
season salt

(I am partial to Marie Catrib’s seasoning that you can buy at the restaurant)

Cube potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Heat a couple of tablespoons each
of butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add potatoes and a few
tablespoons of season salt and stir. Cover. Stir occasionally. Finely
chop kale and just before the potatoes are done, add kale to pan stir
and let sauté for a few minutes. It is done with the potatoes are
soft with some crispy edges. Serve hot.

Basil Lemon Drop Cocktail

Need to stay cool today? Try this refreshing drink. Substitute a bubbly soda (like club soda) for a non-alcoholic version.

BASIL LEMON DROP COCKTAIL

8oz lemon-basil syrup (see below)

7-8oz fresh squeezed lemon juice

6 oz vodka

sprigs of basin and thin slices of lemon for garnish

Combine syrup, juice, and vodka in a shaker with ice. Shake until frosted. Pour over ice and garnish with basil and lemon.

lemon-basil syrup

4c water

2c sugar

4c basil leaves

peel from 4 lemons (minimizing white pith)

Bring all ingredients to a simmer in a medium saucepan and stir to dissolve sugar. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Strain, pressing solids to extract all the syrup. Store cold until ready to use.

Beets (and sorrel)

My produce picture did not turn out and already some of our share has been cleaned and consumed so I hope you can figure out the share this week. But here is the list of what was in the share: kale, chard, basil, dill, chive, carrot, beet and radish.

As you can tell from the share, the extreme heat and lack of rain has affected our produce. If you ask around at other CSAs, the consensus would be that this has been a particularly difficult couple of weeks to grow produce. The heat causes the plants to bolt, often increasing the bitterness in greens or forcing plants to flower prematurely. Or growth has slowed down so much that it is taking more than a week for things to be replenished. Plants like the peppers are hardly growing at all. This is frustrating weather to farm in and Justin and Kelly are doing their best to keep our shares as large as possible. They will do a second planting of greens so we should have a plethora of salad greens later in the season along with our other mid-season vegetables.

But despite the heat, the farm is still beautiful:

 

 

 

Here are some recipes for the week, including one for sorrel that a fellow member sent to me.

Happy eating and happy 4th of July!

Kara

BEETS
I never thought I liked beets and now they are one of my favorite vegetables. If you cut off the greens, they will keep in your crisper drawer for quite a while. Here are some hints about using beets as well as my two favorite beet recipes.

Beets have a tendency to stain everything they touch so be forewarned. In order to reduce staining do not cut the root ends or peel the beets, keep the stems about 4-6 inches long and don't scrub them, just wash gently. When the beets are done cooking you just slide their skins right off or eat with skins on.

Beets can be grated raw in a salad and beet greens are also edible although they should be eaten soon as their integrity will diminish quickly. You can steam or saute beet greens or use them in any dish that calls for fresh spinach.

Roasted Beets:
I think beets are best roasted. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Toss clean, diced beets with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on baking sheet or in a glass dish. Cover loosely with foil and bake 20-30 minutes or until beets are fork tender. I usually remove the foil for the last 10 minutes so that they caramelize. Eat them as is or for an added treat, toss roasted beets with feta cheese. You can also experiment with adding some of our fresh herbs to the pan.

Pickled Beets (from the Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook):
2 lbs beets
1 med white onion, sliced
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups white vinegar
1 tsp whole allspice
2 whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon
Boil or steam beets until tender. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid, then drain beets and let them cool. Peel, slice, and pack beets and raw onions into pint jars (about 3). Combine reserved liquid, sugar, vinegar, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon in a pot; bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Strain and pour into your jars. Cool, cover, and refrigerate 24 hours.  

SORREL & ROASTED BEET SALAD

Sorrel pairs well with beets because the green offers plenty of sour to the
beets' sweet.

This salad makes enough to serve 4.

2 slices thick, rustic bread
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for toasting the bread
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly cracked pepper
3 cups young sorrel leaves, washed and dried
2 pounds beets, roasted, peeled, and sliced
8 ounces goat cheese
1/2 cup toasted pistachios or pecans

Warm up a cast iron griddle over medium-high heat. Place the bread in the
middle, and drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top. Toast for 2-3 minutes
per side, or until the bread is sizzling and golden. Remove the bread from
the heat and let it cool for a few minutes before cutting it into 1/2-inch
cubes.

Whisk together the remaining olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a fork,
and add salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the sorrel in a large salad bowl
and layer the roasted beets, bread cubes, goat cheese, and toasted nuts on
top. Drizzle with the oil and vinegar mixture and serve at once.