csa week #14

in your share this week 
bunching onions
radishes
arugula
green beans
brocolli
cherry tomatoes
tomatoes
watermelon
cantaloupe


Green beans with cherry tomatoes
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2" pieces
1 cup water
2 tablespoons and teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
1/2 cup chopped bunching onions


1 Place beans and water in a large saucepan. Cover, and bring to a boil. Set heat to low, and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain off water, and set aside.

2 Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in sugar, garlic salt, pepper and bunching onions. Add tomatoes, and cook stirring gently just until soft. Pour tomato mixture over the green beans, and toss gently to blend.

Broccoli cheddar soup 
1 pound chopped broccoli
1/2 cup chopped bunching onions
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups milk
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Place broccoli and onion in medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until just tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Drain and place broccoli in a blender or food processor, along with 1 cup of the milk, and blend just until smooth. In the same saucepan, stir cornstarch into 2 cups of milk. Bring slowly to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture has boiled about 1 minute. Add broccoli mixture to saucepan and heat to serving temperature. Stir in cheese until it's melted. Salt and pepper to taste.


Watermelon and feta salad with arugula
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 pound arugula
1 cup thinly sliced bunching onions
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 a cup crumbled feta cheese
2 cups bite sized watermelon chunks


1. whisk the olive oil, vinegar, and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
2. combine arugula, onions, and tomatoes in a large salad bowl. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad mixture; toss to coat. Add the feta cheese and watermelon to serve.

Cantaloupe salad dressing 
1 cup cubed cantaloupe
1/2 a cup vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon honey

In a blender or food processor combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Chill or serve immediately over arugula and radish salad, fruit salad, or use as a dip for fruit kabobs.

Notes from the farm
August and September tend to be the busiest months of the year for us, we have reached peak harvest and are at a point where we have all the summer crops and the first of the early autumn crops rolling in. Your share reflects that this week with some cooler weather items like arugula, broccoli, and radishes. Don't worry fall is still quite far away and you can expect tomatoes and such for a while longer. We generally offer regular red field tomatoes as that is many customers preference, you are welcome to substitute sauce or heirloom tomatoes if you want. You are also welcome to purchase add ons when you pick up such as flowers and any vegetables we have in the fridge that are not in the share that week. E-mail me if you want to know what else is available or just ask when you are picking up. 

                                                      Farmers in training, Ian and Zoe.

 

csa week #13

In your share this week 
cantaloupe
watermelon (orangelo or picnic)
yukon gold potatos
Italian eggplant
green bell peppers
lettuce
mixed cherry tomatoes
 tomatoes

Cherry Tomato and white bean salad    
1 15-ounce can of canelli or great northern white drained and rinsed
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup coarsely chopped parsley
dressing ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 3-inch sprig of fresh rosemary
3 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped
1/4 a cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup of lemon juice

1. Put the garlic and rosemary in olive oil in a small saucepan. Heat on medium until the rosemary begins to sizzle. Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 20 minutes, allowing the garlic to infuse in the oil.
2. Remove rosemary sprig from the oil, discard. Remove the garlic from, reserving the oil. Add the garlic, anchovies, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
3. In a medium bowl, gently fold the garlic mixture in with the beans until they are well coated. Let sit for a few minutes for the beans to absorb. Gently mix in the reserved olive oil, tomatoes, and parsley.

Baba Ghanoush  
1 eggplant
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees. lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. place eggplant on baking sheet, and make holes in the skin with a fork. roast it for 30 to 40 minutes, turning occasionally, or until soft. Remove from oven, and place into a large bowl of water. Remove from water and peel skin off.
3.place eggplant, lemon juice, tahini, sesame seeds, and garlic in an electric blender, and puree. season with salt and pepper to taste. transfer eggplant mixture to a medium size mixing bowl, and slowly mix in olive oil. Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.

Stuffed Green Bell Pepper Soup              
2 lbs ground beef or turkey
2 quarts water
28 ounces diced tomatoes
29 ounces tomato sauce
2 cups cooked long grain rice (1/2 cup uncooked)
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper

1. in a 6-quart saucepan brown the beef or turkey and drain.
2. Add remaining ingredients; bring to boil.
3. reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until tender.

csa share week #12

In your share this week
sungold cherry tomatoes
tomatoes
sweet potatoes
cantaloupe
sweet corn
lettuce
cucumbers
green bell peppers
red russian kale

sungold cherry tomatoes are the sweetest cherry tomatoes we grow, they are a deep orange when ripe

we grow red and white sweet potatoes, the variety this week is Beauregard a red sweet potato. Use them any way you would a regular potato, boiled, baked, roasted, fried, grilled, mashed.

Chilled Cantaloupe Soup
1 cantaloupe-peeled, seeded, and cubed
2 cups orange juice
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 a tsp. ground cinnamon

place cantaloupe and 1/2 cup orange juice in a blender or food processor; cover, and process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in lime juice, cinnamon, and remaining orange juice. Cover, and refrigerate 1 hour.

Kale and lentil stew  
1 large onion diced
2 cloves minced garlic
olive oil
5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 sliced carrot
3/4 cup of lentils rinsed
2 tomatoes diced
1 bunch of red russian kale washed and coarsely chopped

Drizzle olive oil on the bottom of a large stockpot and saute onions and garlic for ten minutes over medium heat. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally. Serve as soon as the lentil are tender, about 30 minutes.

sweet potato empanada            
2 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 a cup goat cheese
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
3 tbsp. green onions, sliced
pinch ground cinnamon
24 wonton wrappers
2 eggs, lightly beaten
peanut oil, to fry


chipotle dipping sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp. honey
1/2 a lemon, juiced
1 tbsp. adobo sauce

Mix all sauce ingredients together in a small bowl for dipping.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and dry sweet potatoes. Place on a sheet tray and poke with a fork. Place in preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes or until cooked and soft.


Remove until cool enough to handle. Split potato and remove pulp with a spoon into a mixing bowl. Add goat cheese, pecans, green onions and cinnamon. Mix well.

Brush outer edges of wonton with beaten egg. Add about 1 tsp of sweet potato filling to center of each wonton. Fold edges over to make a triangle and seal edges firmly.

Fry wontons in a deep skillet in peanut oil. Flip and wait until golden brown and crisp. Remove and drain on paper towel. 

CSA share week #11

In your share this week
tomatoes
sweet corn
green bell peppers
cucumbers
yukon gold potatoes
genovese basil
sugar baby watermelon
cantaloupe
lettuce

Feta-Watermelon-Basil Tabbouleh
1cup quick-cooking (fine) bulgur wheat
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper
7 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup finely chopped basil
8 oz. peeled watermelon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6 oz. crumbled feta cheese
5 oz. cucumber, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 a cup finely chopped onion

1. Place the bulgur in a medium bowl. Add enough very hot water to cover. Let soak, covered, for 30 minutes; drain. Repeat. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Toss the dressing with the bulgur. Add the basil, watermelon, feta, cucumber and onion. Toss to combine.

Gazpacho Shooters
1 lb. tomatoes, seeded
1 clove garlic
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chipotle hot sauce
1 cup ice
extra virgin olive oil

Puree all ingredients except extra virgin olive oil in a blender with ice until smooth. Serve in shot glasses with a splash of olive oil.

Cuban Grilled Corn
sweet corn, husks peeled back and silk discarded
2 tbsp. melted butter
1/4 cup grated asiago cheese
1 tsp. paprika
salt
lime wedges

Char-grill corn over medium heat, about 12 minutes. Brush with melted butter; sprinkle with cheese, paprika and salt to taste. Serve with lime.

CSA share week #10

In your share this week 
sweet onions
red onions
salad mix
lettuce
jalapeno peppers
okra
cayenne peppers
green bell peppers
Italian eggplant
yukon gold potatoes
summer squash
cucumbers
tomatoes (tomatoes should never be refrigerated so you will pick them up at the table where the check in sheet and white board are.)

Tex-Mex Summer Squash Casserole 
-2 lbs summer squash, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
-2/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion
- chopped jalapeno to taste (1pepper, these are moderately spicy, remove the seeds that is where alot of the heat is)
-chopped cayenne pepper to taste (less than 1 pepper, these are hotter than the jalapenos so a little goes a long way, again remove the seeds)
-1/2 a tsp. of salt
-2 1/4 cups cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
-1/4 a cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 a cup salsa 
-1/4 a cup chopped red onion for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil a 9x13" baking dish.
2. Combine squash, onion, peppers, salt and 3/4 cup of cheese in a large bowl. Sprinkle with flour; toss to coat. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish and cover with foil.
3. Bake the casserole until it is bubbling and the squash is tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Spoon salsa over the casserole and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake uncovered until golden and heated through, 20 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with red onion.

( a very sweet CSA member brought me this last week to try and I loved it, I had to adulterate the recipe a little for the newsletter but hopefully it will be just as good!)

Pasta Primavera
-1 medium summer squash chopped into bite size pieces
- 1/2 a small eggplant chopped
-1/2 a red onion sliced into 1/4 inch slices
-1/2 a green bell pepper cut into thin strips
- 3 tbsp. of olive oil
-salt and pepper
-1/2 a tsp. Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence
-a sprinkling of garlic salt
-1/4 a cup of spaghetti, marinara, or tomato sauce
- 1 tomato chopped
-1/2 pound pasta
-grated parmesan

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta.
2.Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the vegetables, stir to coat with oil. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring only occasionally, until vegetables are just cooked. Turn off heat, but let pan stay on the burner.
3. While you are cooking the vegetables, add the dry pasta to the boiling water and follow the cooking directions for the pasta. You want to time it so the pasta is done soon after the vegetables.
4. Add a 1/4 cup of the pasta sauce to the vegetables, along with 1/4 cup of water to thin the sauce. Add the herb seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.
5. Once the pasta is ready drain it and add directly to the skillet with the vegetables. Serve topped with freshly grated parmesan.

(you guys send me the best recipes! pretty soon I won't have to do any research at all :)

Okra Gumbo
-2 tsp. olive oil
-1/2 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
-1/2 clove garlic, minced
-1/2 a green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 3 okra sliced into thin rounds
-1/4 a lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
-1/2 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice or 2 chopped fresh tomatoes
-1/2 (6oz.) can tomato paste
-1 bay leaf
-1/2 a tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. black pepper
-1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp. all purpose flour

1. Heat 2 tsp. of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, onion, and green bell pepper and saute until tender. Stir in okra, mushrooms, diced tomatoes and their liquid, tomato paste, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 40 minutes.
2. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stirring constantly, add flour and cook
 2 to 5 minutes, until a golden roux has formed.
3. Spoon the roux into the gumbo, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes, until thickened.

Easy fresh salsa
Chop 1 tomato, 1/2 an onion chopped (red or sweet), 1 jalapeno finely chopped, and 1/2 a green bell pepper chopped. combine in a bowl, add a little sugar, salt and pepper to taste, a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of lemon or lime juice or apple cider vinegar. Mix well and serve with tortilla chips (and a corona with lime!) This is especially good when we have cilantro for the salsa, the problem with cilantro is it is actually a cooler weather plant and grows best in spring and fall, I will be direct seeding a bed of it next week though so we should have it soon to go with your tomatoes soon.

                                                                             OKRA 
          Best known for it's use in Creole food, (like gumbo) as a thickener, or fried with garlic.

                                                                 CAYENNE PEPPERS    
             These are pretty hot, if you feel you can't use them up right away they dry or freeze well.     

                                                           JALAPENO PEPPERS
Try these sliced and baked into corn bread, it's a farm favorite.

Melons and Sweet Corn are very close, I was really hoping for this weeks share but it looks like it will be 1 more week.

CSA share week #9

In your share this week
- red norland potatoes
- green bell peppers
- ailsa craig sweet onions
- orient express eggplant
- rainbow swiss chard
- lettuce
- cucumbers
- zucchini
- summer squash 

 Hot and sour chinese eggplant
2 asian eggplant cubed
1 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. white sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. chili oil, or to taste
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1. Place eggplant cubes into a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Fill with enough water to cover and let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse well and drain on paper towels.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, red wine vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, and chili oil. Set sauce aside.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium/high heat. Fry the eggplant until tender and begins to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour in the sauce and cook and stir until the sauce is thick and the eggplant is evenly coated. Serve hot.

Ailsa Craig Sweet Onion Rings
1 cup vegetable oil for frying
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup of beer
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
1 sweet onion peeled and sliced into rings

1. In a large deep skillet, heat oil to 365 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, beer, salt, and pepper. mix until smooth. Dredge onion slices in the batter, until evenly coated. Deep fry in the hot oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Swiss Chard Lasagna
1 bunch swiss chard
salt
1/2 lb. lasagna noodles
2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes, with juice
pinch of sugar
pepper
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan

1.Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil while you prepare the chard. Tear the leaves from the stems. Reserve the stems for later use.
2. When the water comes to a boil add the swiss chard leaves. Boil until tender but still bright green. Then remove from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl of ice water. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop coarsely and set aside. Cook the lasagna noodles in the same pot of water. Remove pasta from the pot and toss with 1 tsp. olive oil in a bowl.
3. In a wide frying pan heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook stirring for about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, and salt to taste, and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring often, until thick. 15 to 25 minutes. Stir in the swiss chard and remove from heat.
4. preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a square or rectangular baking dish and line the bottom with a layer of noodles. Spread half the ricotta over the noodles and half the sauce over the ricotta. Sprinkle 2 tbsp. parmesan over the sauce. Add another layer of noodles, the rest of the ricotta, the rest of the sauce and 2 tbsp. parmesan. Finish with a layer of noodles and the remaining parmesan, drizzle with the remaing olive oil over the top. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. uncover and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

I am really excited to be harvesting the first vegetables of the hot weather, peppers and eggplant. It looks like cherry tomatoes (and hopefully big juicy regular tomatoes also) will be in the next share, they are so close! Also watermelons and cantaloupes will almost definitely be in the next share as well as maybe the first sweet corn. Hope we get some rain soon we could really use it, I am going camping this weekend so that is generally a surefire way to make it rain. I will not be around for this Saturdays pick up so if you need to get a hold of someone at the farm you can call Tim @ 1-508-446-5806 or e-mail me before Saturday morning. If you miss pick up you can come anytime after hours or Sunday or Monday.

If anyone is interested Pioneer Valley Heritage Grain CSA in Amherst, MA. offers a unique grain CSA. They currently have 2011 shares available, it's a great idea especially if you love to bake. For more info check them out @
www.localgrain.org

CSA share week #8 Saturday July 16th and Tuesday July 19th

In your share this week  
- carrots
- radicchio
- genovese basil (Tuesday received theirs early this past Tuesday)
- lettuce
- celery
- pickling cucumbers
- summer squash (most likely the last week of this for now)
- zucchini (most likely the last week of this for now)

easy refrigerator pickles
-pickling cukes
- dried dill (if desired)
-2 garlic cloves, sliced
-1 quart of water
-1/2 a cup of vinegar
-1/4 a cup of sugar
-1/6 a cup of salt
-1 teaspoon of pickling spice

Cut pickling cucumbers lengthwise into spears either in halves or quarters depending on size preference. In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, dill as desired and garlic; set aside.

In a pan over medium/high heat combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until sugar is just dissolved. Pour over cucumber mixture; cool.

Transfer to jars if desired and cover tightly. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Zucchini Parmesan
2 large zucchini, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1/2 a cup fresh chopped basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti squash
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a large pot boil the zucchini until tender; drain. Meanwhile, in a medium frying pan heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the onions and garlic until the onion is tender.
3. Combine the zucchini, onion, garlic, and basil in a 9x12 inch casserole dish and mix well. Pour the spaghetti sauce over the mixture and stir well. Top with mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

Radicchio is an Italian salad/cooking green that grows in a dense head. It is slightly bitter. like catalogna, escarole, eggplant and other bitter vegetables you can soak radicchio in cold salted water before serving to remove the bitterness.The following slaw recipe sweetens it up with honey and nectarines.

Radicchio slaw with nectarines
1/4 a cup buttermilk
1/4 a cup sour cream
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 head radicchio shredded
2 nectarines cut into small cubes

1. In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, sour cream, vinegar and honey; season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil.
2. Add the radicchio and nectarines to the dressing and toss to coat.

A big thank you to all of you who have been giving me recipes, I look forward to using them in the blog, I try to pick kid friendly recipes as much as possible if you have noticed my fondness for healthy "junk food" items like kohlrabi chips and zucchini fries!

The cherry tomatoes are just starting to color and I am really hoping they will be ready in quantity to give out in the share by next week.

Many of you have inquired about whether we grow fruit and for some reason I often forget to mention the melons,  we grow several varieties of melons, I am also hoping to convince the farmer to let us grow strawberries next year, it took me 2 years of constant pestering for him to let me start a CSA so I'm hopeful. The other thought is contracting with another local farm that does grow fruit for an add-on fruit share, I'd love to hear if anyone would be interested in this, most likely it would not be organic. I am also hoping to find a way to make eggs available on a consistent basis. Also with the cut flowers I have the dilemma that some members really want flowers and some really don't, they would prefer only edible items which is understandable. We try really hard to make everyone happy. Next year we will most likely have a separate flower share for those interested where you get a bouquet every week during the flower season. Again I'd love to hear if anyone is interested in this.