CSA Newsletter, Week 6 - July 6 and 9
Hot, dry days at the farm! A little rain before the weekend would make the farmers happy and the weekend's garlic pulling somewhat easier. This week we are stoked to have a meager, yet yummy carrot offering. And in solidarity with the majority of cool climate people of the world, we offer potatoes. We have some tasty turnips, too, from our friend Pete Flynn at Dirty Face Creek farm. (From time to time we throw in a product from friends' farms to give the veggie share more variety.)July 8-10, at Echollective Farm (879 Echo Ave., Mechanicsville, Iowa)
An all-day, multi-day work party.
Pick, clean, and trim garlic for as long as you please. All are welcome, the more the merrier. Bring potluck vittles, gloves, hat, sunscreen, music makers. Wear workin' shoes.
Camping overnight, with notice. RSVP echocsa@gmail.com.
On the table this week:
- Basil: pesto time! Nothing is better for wraps, sammies, and pasta. Ever tried pesto fried rice?
- Broccoli
- Onion: look at these beauties-- yum yum!
- Scapes: throw a couple of scapes into your pesto (blanching them first makes them more digestible and more easily pulverized)-- process the scapes before adding the basil, parsley, oil, and salt and pepper.
- Lettuce: perhaps the last week for it-- dress it generously, the taste may not be as good compared to earlier weeks.
- Parsley: don't forget to put parsley in your pesto-- 1:3 is a good ratio of parsley to basil.
- Kale: steam, dice, and add it to pasta salads before dressing. White bean and kale soup recipe offered below.
- Zucchini: raw, grated coarsely, and dressed with a simple balsalmic vinaigrette, zukes make a nice addition to salads, sandwiches, and wraps. Grated zukes can be a tasty, slightly sweet filling for quesadillas.
- Potatoes: find below a recipe for potatoes with olive, feta, and mint.
- Beets: raw, grated or roasted, beets are delicious in salad. See recipe below for roasted beet and orange salad. You could even toss the finished product of this recipe with some crisp fresh lettuce!
- Carrots
- Turnips: nice in bean soups or stews. Can be added to salads raw, grated, and dressed-- pairs nicely with dill.
- Purslane
- Cut the greens off beets and turnips, and refrigerate to preserve. Otherwise, greens will rob moisture from the root, and your root veggies will shrivel quickly.
- Don't refrigerate scapes; rather, preserve in a dark place, inside an untied plastic bag. Use the same method of storing for basil.
1 bunch of beets with beet greens attached
2 medium oranges
1 small onion, cut through root end into thin wedges
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
Preheat oven to 400°F. Trim greens from beets. Cut off and discard stems. Coarsely chop leaves and reserve. Wrap each beet in foil. Place beets directly on oven rack and roast until tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Cool. Peel beets, then cut each into 8 wedges. Place beets in medium bowl. Cook beet greens in large saucepan of boiling water just until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Cool. Squeeze greens to remove excess moisture. Add greens to bowl with beets. Cut peel and white pith from oranges. Working over another bowl and using small sharp knife, cut between membranes to release segments. Add orange segments and onion to bowl with beet mixture. Whisk vinegar, oil, garlic, and orange peel in small bowl to blend; add to beet mixture and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Serve.
2 (15 oz) cans Cannellini beans
2 T olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
8 c vegetable stock
1 bunch kale, de-ribbed and cut into 1-inch ribbons
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
salt and pepper
parmesan (optional)
Heat olive oil in a large, heavy pot and add onion, garlic, carrots and bay leaf. Reduce heat to medium, cook until onions are translucent. Add stock. Bring stock to boil, reduce heat to simmer and beans, kale, and tomatoes. Simmer 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper and Parmesan, if desired.
Potatoes with Olives, Feta, and Mint
1 3/4 pounds small potatoes, cut into quarters
1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
8 ounces feta-cheese, crumbled
3/4 cup brine-cured black olives (such as Kalamata), pitted, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin oil
Place potatoes and 3 tablespoons mint in large pot of salted water. Bring water to boil, reduce heat and simmer potatoes until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes; transfer to large bowl. Set aside 2 tablespoons each of mint, cheese and olives; add remainder to warm potatoes. Mix in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish potatoes with reserved mint, cheese and olives. Serve warm.
--credit to Golden Earthworm Organic Farm in Long Island, NY for this week's recipes
(319)325-3910
2 comments:
I have to thank you for all this wonderful fresh food.. This has added so much healthy greens into my families diet.
Thhanks for a great read
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