Good Eats Newsletter - Jun 2, 2010
This Week's Vegetable Share Contains:
2 lbs Mixed Potatoes; 2 lbs Mixed Beets; 1 Bunch Joi Choi, 1 Bunch Sweet Salad Turnips; plus.....
Localvore Offerings Include:
Red Hen Ciabatta
Pa Pa Doodles Farm Eggs
Pete's Kitchen Onion Relish
Pete's Kitchen Potato Salad
This is a trial project that we hope will lead to a much larger venture both in the Craftsbury school, other area schools, and statewide. I'm particularly excited about this project because it is all about what caused me to become a farmer. My days are spent dealing with growing crops, working with employees, managing money, making decisions, it goes on and on. Sometimes in the flurry of all the hustle and bustle there is not enough of the true inspiration that caused me to choose this life. I get that when I see one of the neighbor kids beg for a cucumber like it is candy and devour it on the spot. I'm convinced that exposing kids to top quality food when they are young has a lasting impact and will influence their food decisions throughout life. And that is why we do what we do. ~ Pete
The Spring Share ends next week
This week and next week, Jun 9th are the last deliveries of the Spring share period.
Summer Share Begins June 16th
Good Eats Summer Share begins in just two short weeks. Don't miss the start of the share! We must receive your sign up by Friday June 11 to get you started with the first delivery on June 16th.
The Summer share is going to be amazing this year and we hope you can join us again. We have such good stuff coming along in fields and greenhouses. In case you missed the news earlier, we have added 3 new sites, two in Burlington and one in Williston. For more site info, please visit our delivery site page on the website.
Summer Vegetable and Localvore Share Sign Up
Summer Meat Share Sign Up
The Pete's Greens Farm Stand is Open
The Farm Stand opened last week for the season! Stop by and stock up on local produce and locally produced staples.
Vegetables and herbs are picked daily for the Farm Stand and this is where you will find the greatest assortment of what's in season. The Pete's Greens Farm Stand stocks all your localvore favorites: local breads; cheeses and dairy from many local VT producers; yogurts; local grass fed meats and Pete's Pastured Chicken; local raw honey and maple syrup; local & organic grains and flours; tofu and soy products; local cooking oils & vinegars; and the list goes on. As the season progresses Bill will begin creating some localvore prepared food selections for the Farm Stand as well. Everything in the stand is grown locally or produced using local ingredients. Much of what is in the stand is organic too.
Open Daily from 8am to 8pm at the farm in Craftsbury.
Storage and Use Tips
Joi Choi - This is a pac choi variety that it is darker green with thicker white stalks. It's delicious cooked or raw. Perfect for stir frys or a saute of some kind. Also great for a slaw kind of salad.
Localvore Lore
At Red Hen Baking Company, Randy has been experimenting some more with the Aurora Farms Vermont grown organic white flour.
We’re really excited about this week’s bread selection. I’ve been playing around with some different uses for the local white flour milled from wheat grown at Aurora Farms. Although I initially said that this flour was not up to being used in a baguette or a ciabatta, we’ve been experimenting with just those things lately and the results are quite exciting. Because this is a very different flour than the stronger Midwest ones that we normally use to make these breads, we have to use entirely different methods, but we’re finding that, when it’s handled properly, we can produce some very nice breads. The exciting thing about the ciabatta you’ll find in this week’s share is that, unlike naturally leavened breads that have strong taste of the fermented grains, the taste of the wheat is the dominant flavor. And when that wheat comes entirely from Vermont, this is a great way of getting to know the “Charlotte terroir!” ~Randy
We have two items that Bill prepared in the kitchen for you this week. The first is Mustard Seed Pickled Onions. This is a tasty onion relish made with our onions, local maple syrup, cider vinegar, salt, celery seed and mustard seed. It will be great with the sausages this week, or on a burger of any kind. The second is a Morroccan Spiced Potato Salad made with potatoes, onions and pac choi. To dress the salad, Bill made a basic mayo with Deb's eggs and sunflower oil and then combined that with cider vinegar, maple syrup, cumin, curry powder, black pepper, and some salt and pepper. The potato salad should last for 4 days or so, the onion relish a couple weeks at least. As with all our kitchen products, we really want to hear what you think - what you liked or didn't like so please send feedback if you have some thoughts on these items.
And we have eggs again from Pa Pa Doodles Farm. Enjoy!
Meat Share
This is a smaller meat share this week due to the tenderloin in the share which is of course more pricey than most other cuts of meat. I hope you all appreciate the selection and are happy with the 3 item share.
North Hollow Farm Beef Tenderloin - From Mike and Julie Bowen's farm in Rochester, VT we have some beautiful tenderloin. The tenderloin is the most tender cut of meat on a beef animal, so these ought to make a pretty special meal. The cows at North Hollow are born on the farm and graze the farm fields in spring, summer and fall, and in winter dine on hay and silage produced on the farm. I stumbled across a great article on line a while back about cooking 100% grass fed steaks. Lots of great tips here, definitely give it a look before cooking your meat. Briefly though, don't overcook or allow to dry out! Because of the lower fat content and resulting quicker cook time - lower the heat by 50°F, cook for 30% less time than grain fed beef recipes. Marinating in oil will add moisture and help seal in juices. Pan is better than grill for same reason of retaining juices. Turn with tongs, not a fork to hold in the juices. Cook to medium rare. I am putting my favorite beef marinade recipe in again below.
Greenfield Highland Beef Sausages -The sausages in the share are made entirelywith Greenfield Highland organic beef and spices, no pork added. You will receive either Garlic Parmesan or Hot Italian. Both have really excellent flavor and are great for eating on their own or for cooking into a pasta dish or casserole. The Hot Italian is flavorful with good but not overpowering spice. The Garlic Parm is just plain delicious, smooth and well - garlic/parmy. I have to admit, I am sometimes skeptical about all beef sausages but I think these are really, really good. Hope you do to.
Ray Shatney and Janet Steward raise award winning Scotch Highland Cattle in Greensboro, as have Ray's parents for over 40 years. Over centuries, Scotch Highland Cattle have evolved to be very efficient grazers, able to yield great meat on a grass only diet. Their heavy hair coat enables them to stay warm without packing on additional fat, so the meat contains far less fat than other breeds.
Pete's Pastured Chicken - To balance out the price of the share perfectly we selected big chickens this week! You should be able to cook a terrific meal, and then have lots of meat left over for other meals or sandwiches this week. Bill has offered up a nice Greek chicken and potatoes recipe below.
Recipes
Asian Joi Choi Slaw
Great with seared tuna, halibut or salmon. Also terrific on black bean burgers.
½ cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. dijon mustard
pinch of sea salt
3 cups Joi Choi, thinly sliced
1 cup salad turnips, halved and thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Whisk together wet ingredients. Add vegetables and toss will. Correct seasoning as necessary
Grilled Beef Sausage & Caramelized Onion Relish Sandwiches
4 tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. onion relish
1 Sweet Peppers, seeded, halved and thinly sliced (frozen is fine too)
1 pkg. sausage
4 slices Red Hen Bread, cut about ¾ inch thick
Brush each slice of bread with some of the oil and set aside.
Once your grill is ready, place the links on making sure they are not in a hot spot on the grill. In a small sauté pan, pour the remaining oil and heat on another section of the grill. Once hot, add the peppers and sauté for one minute (longer if frozen). Drain the relish and add to the pan. Let the onions caramelized, tossing occasionally. Remove the pan. Place each slice of bread on the grill and toast. Remove to platter. Place a bit of the onion/pepper mixture on each slice, then a sausage and finish with good mustard or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
Roasted Greek Lemon-Garlic Chicken
1 chicken, cut into quarters
2 lbs. potatoes, halved
3 lemons, juiced
2 tsp, fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cup olive oil
Fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
1.5 cups water or chicken stock
Preheat oven to 355°F.
Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Salt and pepper the chicken and potatoes. Transfer chicken to a roasting pan and add potatoes, around the chicken. Add oregano, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice, distributing evenly across the pan. Add water/stock and roast uncovered for a total of 1 hour and 40 minutes. Half way through turn the chicken. Remove chicken and potatoes from pan with slotted spoon and reduce the pan jus on top of the stove by half.
Tomato, Cucumber Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup buttermilk
2 tbsp. White vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
Salt & Pepper
1 European cucumber, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 head lettuce, washed, leaves pulled
Whisk together mayonnaise, buttermilk, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste until smooth, then whisk in dill.
Lay a few leaves of the lettuce on a plate, top with tomatoes and cumbers and drizzle dressing over the top.
Citrus Herb Marinade
This is my favorite marinade for beef steaks. It's from the good old Joy of Cooking. You can assemble this in about 3 minutes. I like to marinate steaks for 8 hours or up to 2 days in this marinade. If pan cooking, I use some of the marinade to provide liquid to the pan.
1/4 c mild tasting oil (olive oil or sunflower work well here)
2.5 TB lemon juice
1.5 TB orange juice or red wine
1/3 c parsley (nice if you have it - but I often don't and just skip)
1.5 tsp dried thyme or appropriate herb
1/2 bay leaf crumbled
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 lbs Mixed Potatoes; 2 lbs Mixed Beets; 1 Bunch Joi Choi, 1 Bunch Sweet Salad Turnips; plus.....
1 Bunch Dill -or- Cilantro
2 Head Lettuces (1 Red, 1 Green)
1 Large Tomato!
1 European Cucumber*
*We don't have enough cukes for everyone this week, so half the sites will receive cucumbers this week, the rest will receive them next week.2 Head Lettuces (1 Red, 1 Green)
1 Large Tomato!
1 European Cucumber*
Localvore Offerings Include:
Red Hen Ciabatta
Pa Pa Doodles Farm Eggs
Pete's Kitchen Onion Relish
Pete's Kitchen Potato Salad
Meat Share Members - This is a Meat Share Week!
Pete's Musings
We are beginning a very exciting project with the Craftsbury K-12 school. Next school year Pete's Greens will be making lunch for the school one day per week. We'll be using almost entirely local ingredients (the same goods distributed in our CSA) and our chef Bill Allen will be concocting the kid friendly fare. The Craftsbury School has agreed to pay us the school's per diem ingredient cost (about $1.50 per student) and Pete's Greens will be making up the difference in the cost. We have commitment of low cost ingredients from High Mowing Seeds (produce), Vermont Soy (tofu), and Jasper Hill (cheese). We will be working with many of our other localvore suppliers for low cost or donated ingredients. We plan to have local food producers lunch with the kids often and talk about their operations.This is a trial project that we hope will lead to a much larger venture both in the Craftsbury school, other area schools, and statewide. I'm particularly excited about this project because it is all about what caused me to become a farmer. My days are spent dealing with growing crops, working with employees, managing money, making decisions, it goes on and on. Sometimes in the flurry of all the hustle and bustle there is not enough of the true inspiration that caused me to choose this life. I get that when I see one of the neighbor kids beg for a cucumber like it is candy and devour it on the spot. I'm convinced that exposing kids to top quality food when they are young has a lasting impact and will influence their food decisions throughout life. And that is why we do what we do. ~ Pete
The Spring Share ends next week
This week and next week, Jun 9th are the last deliveries of the Spring share period.
Summer Share Begins June 16th
Good Eats Summer Share begins in just two short weeks. Don't miss the start of the share! We must receive your sign up by Friday June 11 to get you started with the first delivery on June 16th.
The Summer share is going to be amazing this year and we hope you can join us again. We have such good stuff coming along in fields and greenhouses. In case you missed the news earlier, we have added 3 new sites, two in Burlington and one in Williston. For more site info, please visit our delivery site page on the website.
Summer Vegetable and Localvore Share Sign Up
Summer Meat Share Sign Up
The Pete's Greens Farm Stand is Open
The Farm Stand opened last week for the season! Stop by and stock up on local produce and locally produced staples.
Vegetables and herbs are picked daily for the Farm Stand and this is where you will find the greatest assortment of what's in season. The Pete's Greens Farm Stand stocks all your localvore favorites: local breads; cheeses and dairy from many local VT producers; yogurts; local grass fed meats and Pete's Pastured Chicken; local raw honey and maple syrup; local & organic grains and flours; tofu and soy products; local cooking oils & vinegars; and the list goes on. As the season progresses Bill will begin creating some localvore prepared food selections for the Farm Stand as well. Everything in the stand is grown locally or produced using local ingredients. Much of what is in the stand is organic too.
Open Daily from 8am to 8pm at the farm in Craftsbury.
Storage and Use Tips
Joi Choi - This is a pac choi variety that it is darker green with thicker white stalks. It's delicious cooked or raw. Perfect for stir frys or a saute of some kind. Also great for a slaw kind of salad.
Localvore Lore
At Red Hen Baking Company, Randy has been experimenting some more with the Aurora Farms Vermont grown organic white flour.
We’re really excited about this week’s bread selection. I’ve been playing around with some different uses for the local white flour milled from wheat grown at Aurora Farms. Although I initially said that this flour was not up to being used in a baguette or a ciabatta, we’ve been experimenting with just those things lately and the results are quite exciting. Because this is a very different flour than the stronger Midwest ones that we normally use to make these breads, we have to use entirely different methods, but we’re finding that, when it’s handled properly, we can produce some very nice breads. The exciting thing about the ciabatta you’ll find in this week’s share is that, unlike naturally leavened breads that have strong taste of the fermented grains, the taste of the wheat is the dominant flavor. And when that wheat comes entirely from Vermont, this is a great way of getting to know the “Charlotte terroir!” ~Randy
We have two items that Bill prepared in the kitchen for you this week. The first is Mustard Seed Pickled Onions. This is a tasty onion relish made with our onions, local maple syrup, cider vinegar, salt, celery seed and mustard seed. It will be great with the sausages this week, or on a burger of any kind. The second is a Morroccan Spiced Potato Salad made with potatoes, onions and pac choi. To dress the salad, Bill made a basic mayo with Deb's eggs and sunflower oil and then combined that with cider vinegar, maple syrup, cumin, curry powder, black pepper, and some salt and pepper. The potato salad should last for 4 days or so, the onion relish a couple weeks at least. As with all our kitchen products, we really want to hear what you think - what you liked or didn't like so please send feedback if you have some thoughts on these items.
And we have eggs again from Pa Pa Doodles Farm. Enjoy!
Meat Share
This is a smaller meat share this week due to the tenderloin in the share which is of course more pricey than most other cuts of meat. I hope you all appreciate the selection and are happy with the 3 item share.
North Hollow Farm Beef Tenderloin - From Mike and Julie Bowen's farm in Rochester, VT we have some beautiful tenderloin. The tenderloin is the most tender cut of meat on a beef animal, so these ought to make a pretty special meal. The cows at North Hollow are born on the farm and graze the farm fields in spring, summer and fall, and in winter dine on hay and silage produced on the farm. I stumbled across a great article on line a while back about cooking 100% grass fed steaks. Lots of great tips here, definitely give it a look before cooking your meat. Briefly though, don't overcook or allow to dry out! Because of the lower fat content and resulting quicker cook time - lower the heat by 50°F, cook for 30% less time than grain fed beef recipes. Marinating in oil will add moisture and help seal in juices. Pan is better than grill for same reason of retaining juices. Turn with tongs, not a fork to hold in the juices. Cook to medium rare. I am putting my favorite beef marinade recipe in again below.
Greenfield Highland Beef Sausages -The sausages in the share are made entirelywith Greenfield Highland organic beef and spices, no pork added. You will receive either Garlic Parmesan or Hot Italian. Both have really excellent flavor and are great for eating on their own or for cooking into a pasta dish or casserole. The Hot Italian is flavorful with good but not overpowering spice. The Garlic Parm is just plain delicious, smooth and well - garlic/parmy. I have to admit, I am sometimes skeptical about all beef sausages but I think these are really, really good. Hope you do to.Ray Shatney and Janet Steward raise award winning Scotch Highland Cattle in Greensboro, as have Ray's parents for over 40 years. Over centuries, Scotch Highland Cattle have evolved to be very efficient grazers, able to yield great meat on a grass only diet. Their heavy hair coat enables them to stay warm without packing on additional fat, so the meat contains far less fat than other breeds.
Pete's Pastured Chicken - To balance out the price of the share perfectly we selected big chickens this week! You should be able to cook a terrific meal, and then have lots of meat left over for other meals or sandwiches this week. Bill has offered up a nice Greek chicken and potatoes recipe below.
Recipes
Asian Joi Choi Slaw
Great with seared tuna, halibut or salmon. Also terrific on black bean burgers.
½ cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. dijon mustard
pinch of sea salt
3 cups Joi Choi, thinly sliced
1 cup salad turnips, halved and thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Whisk together wet ingredients. Add vegetables and toss will. Correct seasoning as necessary
Grilled Beef Sausage & Caramelized Onion Relish Sandwiches
4 tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. onion relish
1 Sweet Peppers, seeded, halved and thinly sliced (frozen is fine too)
1 pkg. sausage
4 slices Red Hen Bread, cut about ¾ inch thick
Brush each slice of bread with some of the oil and set aside.
Once your grill is ready, place the links on making sure they are not in a hot spot on the grill. In a small sauté pan, pour the remaining oil and heat on another section of the grill. Once hot, add the peppers and sauté for one minute (longer if frozen). Drain the relish and add to the pan. Let the onions caramelized, tossing occasionally. Remove the pan. Place each slice of bread on the grill and toast. Remove to platter. Place a bit of the onion/pepper mixture on each slice, then a sausage and finish with good mustard or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
Roasted Greek Lemon-Garlic Chicken
1 chicken, cut into quarters
2 lbs. potatoes, halved
3 lemons, juiced
2 tsp, fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cup olive oil
Fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
1.5 cups water or chicken stock
Preheat oven to 355°F.
Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Salt and pepper the chicken and potatoes. Transfer chicken to a roasting pan and add potatoes, around the chicken. Add oregano, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice, distributing evenly across the pan. Add water/stock and roast uncovered for a total of 1 hour and 40 minutes. Half way through turn the chicken. Remove chicken and potatoes from pan with slotted spoon and reduce the pan jus on top of the stove by half.
Tomato, Cucumber Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup buttermilk
2 tbsp. White vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
Salt & Pepper
1 European cucumber, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 head lettuce, washed, leaves pulled
Whisk together mayonnaise, buttermilk, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste until smooth, then whisk in dill.
Lay a few leaves of the lettuce on a plate, top with tomatoes and cumbers and drizzle dressing over the top.
Citrus Herb Marinade
This is my favorite marinade for beef steaks. It's from the good old Joy of Cooking. You can assemble this in about 3 minutes. I like to marinate steaks for 8 hours or up to 2 days in this marinade. If pan cooking, I use some of the marinade to provide liquid to the pan.
1/4 c mild tasting oil (olive oil or sunflower work well here)
2.5 TB lemon juice
1.5 TB orange juice or red wine
1/3 c parsley (nice if you have it - but I often don't and just skip)
1.5 tsp dried thyme or appropriate herb
1/2 bay leaf crumbled
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
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