Good Eats Newsletter Jan 9, 2008

Pete's Greens Good Eats Newsletter January 9, 2008



This week's
vegetable localvore share includes: Turnips, onions, beets, butternut squash, red cabbage, sweet potatoes, pea, radish or sunflower sprouts, miso, yogurt, cranberry juice, tofu. The tofu may not get here in time, so perhaps next week.

We have sprouts again from Gourmet Greens, and will continue to include them through the next few weeks. Yogurt again from Butterworks of Westfield, miso from Quebec, tofu from Vermont Soy in Hardwick, and cranberry juice from Vermont Cranberry Company round out the share.

The cranberry juice is a special treat. This is just the juice, unsweetened and undiluted! It is pasteurized and should keep well in the refrigerator. You can make some delicious spritzers with juice, honey or maple, and seltzer water. Have fun experimenting with this one.

I went to North Hatley, Quebec to pick up the miso. It was quite a trip, with other stops and slick snowy roads, but well worth it. North Hatley is a lovely lake town with a few shops on the main street and a waterfront park. I look forward to returning in the summer! Suzanne Dionne and Gilbert Boulay greeted me warmly at their home and miso production facility, Les Aliments Massawippi. After I loaded the buckets into the truck, they offered me a drink and we visited for a few minutes. I glimpsed the production area, but was not able to go in due to very strict sanitation practices. They also produce tamari, which is a byproduct of miso fermentation. The fermentation process seems to take daily care and monitoring. There are several varieties of miso made from oats, barley, soy and age it for 2 or 3 years, as well as flavored miso with herbs and garlic or mushrooms and seaweed. We chose the oat and soy miso for this share. Let us know what you think.

Pete's musings; We have been approached by a local coffee roaster that would like us to offer their coffee in Good Eats. It is a great company and from what I hear the coffee is superb (I'm not a coffee drinker), but I must admit to mixed feelings about offering a product in Good Eats for which the raw ingredients are not local. Members, what do you think about this? Are you all drinking coffee anyway and would just as soon get it from a company affiliated with Good Eats, or does this break a major principle of Good Eats to offer a substantially un-local product?
Thanks to all of you who responded to the query about raw milk and raw cider a few weeks back. Out of 20 responses, 16 of you were excited about receiving raw versions of both through Good Eats, 3 had health concerns but were open minded about both products being offered through Good Eats as long as it is optional, and one of you was completely opposed to the idea. Contact Rural Vermont if you would like to learn more about raw milk and learn about a bill that is being introduced to the Vermont legislature this year that will make it legal for farms to sell more that 24 quarts of raw milk daily. Here at Good Eats we are pondering what to do about raw milk as soon as the next share period and will keep you posted.
Are you interested in a meat share? As I envision it it would include chicken, beef, lamb, and pork. It seems like a value of about $30 per week would be appropriate for most families. We're considering starting a meat share sourcing alot of meat from other farms and then as we develop meat production at Pete's Greens eventually most if not all would come from here. Any feedback about a meat share would be appreciated.
Things are going great on our greenhouse project. Our headhouse building is nearly done and tomorrow we'll begin putting up greenhouse rafters. We know this is a tough time of year to be a local eater due to the lack of greenery but be sure that this project will improve things in future years.

Storage and Use Tips
Onions: keep in a dry, cool dark bin or drawer. As days lengthen onions may sprout, but not to worry. They are still fine.
Turnips and beets: In the fridge in a bag, they should keep a couple weeks.
Cabbage: Will keep several weeks in loose bag in the fridge. If the outer leaves wilt or deteriorate, the under layers should still be fine. Make slaw!
Sweet potatoes and squash: Use these soon, as their storage time is coming to an end.
Recipes
Angela Kehler, Mateo’s wife of Jasper Hill Cheese fame, generously shared this recipe. She wrote in her email “I don't measure anything.” It looks fabulous, no matter the lack of measurements.

you need:
squash or pumpkin
apple cider
ham
some sort of spicy dried sausage
salt
red pepper flakes
bayley hazen or bartlett blue cheese

So peel and cut the squash (or pumpkin) up, put it in a pot and just cover it with apple cider. Boil until soft. Blend it up (with the cider). Put back in the pot and salt to taste. Add red pepper flakes according to your liking (they can be pretty spicy, so be careful) I usually add no more than about a quarter to a half teaspoon for a large pot of soup. Add cubed ham and sausage and cook on low for about 45 min. serve with grated blue cheese on top and crusty bread.

And now some help with those turnips!
According to Elizabeth Schneider’s Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini, turnips are best cooked until just tender. Over cooking will make them bland and flabby. Instead of boiling for hours, try them fresh. Shred or julienne and then salt and drain 30 minutes. Rinse and dry, then mix into slaws with fresh herbs and a tangy dressing. To cook turnips, steam for 15 minutes, or sauté until tender in butter with a pinch of salt and pepper. Of course, turnip is also perfect for soups and stews. Add during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Mashed potatoes and turnip is another delicious comfort food when winter comes back around.
CREAMY TURNIP SOUP
Serves 4
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 c celery chopped
2 lb turnips, peeled and quartered
½ tsp salt
2 c vegetable broth
1 c water
1 c milk
3 tbsp oats
2 to 3 tbsp lemon juice
pepper
2 tsp dill
Melt butter in a large stockpot. Sauté onion and celery for about 5 minutes. Add turnip and salt and sauté 5 minutes more. Add broth, water, milk and oats. Bring to a simmer and cook about 30 minutes. Puree until smooth with a stick blender or in a food processor. Return to a simmer, season with lemon, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with dill in bowls.
Adapted from Amaranth to Zucchini by Elizabeth Schneider




Pete's Greens at Craftsbury Village Farm
266 S. Craftsbury Rd, Craftsbury, Vermont 05826
802-586-2882, #4

Comments

Such a fan of what you guys do. Go LOCAL!

Popular Posts