Good Eats Newsletter 9/5/07

Pete's Greens Newsletter
Sept. 5, 2007

This week's share contains: romanesca cauliflower, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, french charentais melon, mesclun, zucchini, beans, cucumber, arugula, our eggs, organic wildflower honey from Northwood Apiaries.

This is incredible late summer weather. We have pulled all our onions and normally we'd have to move them into the greenhouse to dry but it looks like we will be able to field cure them this year due to the sun and low humidity. We are digging potatoes and have dug a few beds of beets. Today the gigante kohlrabi (for those of you who join the next share period will be feasting on) will get packed into the root cellar. September bounty is so gratifying. I never get tired of watching potatoes bounce off the back of the digger and lie drying in the sun. -Pete

Let's talk about what is in your share this week. The honey is from Northwood Apiaries, a little place in Westfield. It's raw and organic, so it's filled with all the good stuff. You'll see that it is crystallized, which is what unheated honey looks like. Use spoonfuls to sweeten hot beverages from tea to coffee to hot chocolate. Spread onto a nut butter sandwich in place of jam or try it on toast in the morning. To use more easily in cooking, heat it gently on the stove, just until liquid. I use mine in butter for corn bread or use to sweeten a vinaigrette or marinade. Try it drizzled on cheesecake or yogurt or fresh late summer fruit like this week's melon.
This week and next, we will be giving you eggs from our happy chickens before taking a break to include a couple of other things. Our animal manager Jen Linck collects the eggs every day, washes and packs them. She's got a great sense of humor, which both the crew and our animals appreciate. It takes a special person to schlep out here every day to tend to 100 laying hens, 200 meat birds and pasture raised lambs. Thanks Jen!
Coming next week in your shares, will be Butterworks Farm yogurt and eggs. The week after next you should have apples and cheese. Hope everyone is out enjoying this incredible weather as the early morning chill means winter is on it's way.-Elena


Storage Hints and Recipe Ideas:
Brussel Sprouts: These will keep for a bit, if kept cold in the fridge, but it's better to eat them sooner rather than later. I rediscovered how yummy these are as an adult, when i ate them pan roasted with olive oil and salt. Below, i listed a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa that roasts them in the oven.
Arugula: Store dry and in the crisper. A bit spicy and yummy as a green to add to pasta or to make pesto with. Toss with salad or use as a bed underneath roasted chicken legs.
Romanesca Cauliflower: The green spiky vegetable that i think is absolutely beautiful. Use as you would any cauliflower as it has a wonderful flavor or eat raw in salads.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt ( I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately.