Good Eats Newsletter - February 29th, 2012

This Week's Vegetable Share Contains: Green Cabbage; Mixed Yellow and Red Onions; Russian Banana Fingerling Potatoes; Parsnips; and ...... Bag of Salad Greens Package of Frozen Rhubarb  Frozen Green Peppers or Roasted Red Peppers (by site) Localvore Offerings Include: Champlain Orchard Spartan Apples Maplebrook Farm Fresh Mozzarella Pete's Kitchen Pizza Dough Pete's Kitchen Sweet Onion Relish Pete watering the greenhouse on Tuesday Summer Sign-Up is now underway! Yes, Spring Share has barely begun and yes, we are starting Summer sign-up already.  Reserve your share now!  Payment checks forSummer won't be deposited until  Jun 4th. More information below Add-On Localvore & Meat Orders Order your favorite localvore, pantry, bulk vegetables or meats any week and have them delivered to your pick-up location. Go to our homepage to download an order form

We Have Extra Apples This Week! If you want to stock up we will deliver to your delivery site next week $3.50 / 3lb bag... what a deal, orders need to be in by Friday, March 2nd Send me an email to reserve your apples! Good Eats CSA Update How did the first week of the Spring Share go? Hoping everyone was able to easily access their food and the pick up instructions were straightforward. Please let me know if you had any difficulties or have any questions. Pick up instructions are listed again below for review. Hope you enjoyed the first week of your share! We are now sold out of the vegetable portion of our Spring Share. We do have Pantry Shares and Meat Shares available at this time. Pantry Shares are pro-rated at $17/week and Meat Shares do not start until next week, March 7th so there is still time to get signed up before the first delivery! Sign up online now By popular demand we have begun taking sign-ups for a Late Spring Veggie Share that will run from May 2nd to June 13th when we have freshly cut vegetables coming out of our greenhouses and early crops from the fields. This is a condensed (7 week), partial share that will include salad greens, cooking greens like pac choi, mustards and kale, baby carrots, garden radishes, salad turnips and herbs; all of which are already included in the Localvore Share your are signed up for. This is a great opportunity for someone to try out a Good Eats Share for the first time or for folks that were not able to sign up for this season's Spring Localvore Share. For more information see our Spring Share page on our website   Deb Rosewolf - Pete's Greens Kitchen Manager One of the many exciting things happening at Pete's Greens is the use of our on-farm kitchen. Many of you may know Deb Rosewolf as your steady egg supplier from Pa Pa Doodles Farm and we are excited to announce that Deb has taken on the role as Kitchen Manager here at Pete's Greens. Deb has been working on the farm for over eight years in many roles and has been working on various projects in the kitchen as long as we have had one. Her culinary expertise has been proven over and over again when she supplies us with staff lunches most days of the week! This week you will receive sweet onion relish and pizza dough, made by Deb. Picking Up Your Share Please visit our Delivery Site page for pick up times and locations of pick up sites. If you have any questions about your pick-up please email us. The quickest way to reach me is really by email, but you may leave a message on voice mail at 802.586.2882 x6. Share Pick-Up Instructions! Please review. Whether you are a seasoned CSA share member or new to Good Eats, it's important to review the pick-up instructions before you head out to pick up your share! • Clipboard #1, Names List - Find your name on the pick-up list and check it off.  The first clipboard contains a list of all share members at your site. Note that only one name is listed for each share. If you can't find your name on the list, look for your share partner's name (only one of you is listed). Checking off your name lets us know who has picked up and is extremely helpful in solving any mysteries at the end of the day. If you can't find your name or your share partner's name, please don't take a share! Call or email us and we'll figure it out. • Check your share type on the list. Share types are Localvore, Localvore Vegetarian, Pete's Pantry or Meat Share. If you are listed incorrectly or have questions,let us know. • Clipboard #2, Pick-Up Instructions - Select your items by following the Pick-Up Instructions. These are posted on the second clipboard. Follow the specific item list/instructions to assemble your share. The top section of the pick up list describes what to select for the vegetable portion of the Localvore share. The bottom section of the Pick-Up Instructions list the localvore (non-vegetable) items that Localvore and Pete's Pantry members should select. If you are sharing a share with someone - coordinate with your share-mate to make sure that you DON'T take double the amount of any items. All shares are packed and delivered to the sites are whole shares. Please note that the first Meat Share pick up is not this week, it is the first Wednesday of every month starting March 7th.   What To Do If You Have a Problem at Pick Up Although we do our best to make sure that every delivery and pick-up goes smoothly, there are the occasional shortages and disappointments. Should you arrive at your pick-up site to find that your name (or share partner's name) is not on the list, one or more of your items are missing or that some of your produce is in unsatisfactory condition, please let us know right away! Our goal is 100% satisfaction. If you email us (or call if you can not email) as soon as you discover the problem, we may be able to resolve it the same day or the following day. If you would like to receive an item that you missed at pick-up, you must contact us by Thursday morning. If we have not heard from anyone, by Thursday afternoon our site hosts are instructed to donate leftover food, ensuring that they do not end up with bad food on their hands. If we can not resolve your issue right away, email us to arrange a replacement or substitution the following week. Changes to Your Delivery? If you will be away some upcoming week, and need to make changes to your share delivery,let us know at least 1 week before the change. You can have your share donated to the Food Pantry, or you can skip your share delivery and you will retain a credit on your account toward the purchase of your next share. Reserve Your Good Eats Summer Share Now! June 20th - October 10th, 2012 Our summer share is filled with all kind of interesting varieties with unique flavors, colors and shapes as well as all the summer staples you are familiar with. In June we will start out with tender salad greens, fresh basil, European cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh picked zucchini, spring salad turnips, Napa Cabbage, Asian greens, chard and lots more spring vegetables.  And then come all your summer favorites like peas, beans, carrots, sweet peppers, heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, sweet corn and much more! Last summer, members received 70+ different kinds of vegetables... and that was just the Veggie Only Share. The Localvore Share brings you the same fresh vegetables and also wonderful local staples and artisan products to fill your pantry.  Meat Shares are available too!   Join now and be rewarded with a healthy, local and delicious season of Good Eats! Storage and Use Tips This weeks Greens are a mix of sunflower and radish shoots with a good portion of claytonia mixed in.   Russian Banana Fingerlings  are the superstars of all the fingerlings! This heirloom yellow skinned, finger-sized potato sets the standard for fingerling flavor. Yellow flesh is fine-grained and suitable for boiling, roasting and baking. Tubers are crescent-shaped with tapered ends. No need to peel, just scrub clean before cooking. Roast whole with some olive oil, salt and pepper or boil until just tender and toss with butter and herbs. Normally I  a cool, dry, dark place is good enough for these spuds, but I find that potatoes this time of year are very excited to start sprouting and getting on with life, so I like to keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for the best storage quality or for an extended amount of time.   Contrary to appearances, Parsnips are not pale versions of carrots. In fact, they have a nutty-sweet taste and a tender-hearty texture that is entirely distinct. For centuries, parsnips were a more common staple than the potato—and deservedly so. Satisfying, versatile, and highly nutritious, these delicious roots make a terrific base to any meal. Young parsnips don’t need to be peeled. Simply scrub them under running water with a vegetable brush. Peel larger parsnips, and cut out the core if it seems woody. However you slice or chop parsnips, be sure to make all the pieces relatively the same size, ensuring an evenly cooked dish. Refrigerate unwashed parsnips in a loosely wrapped or perforated plastic bag for up to two weeks.   This week's frozen items include sliced Green Peppers at some sites and Roasted Red Peppers at other sites and everyone gets frozen Rhubarb. Pete's Frozen Vegetables just really need a quick warm up when using. Thaw out in the fridge or on the counter or if you are in a rush submerge in warm water bath until usable. Add to dishes near the end for a quick warm up and to add flavor. Frozen peppers and rhubarb come right from the field, washed, chopped and frozen. The Roasted Reds are washed, trimmed, roasted and frozen. Localvore Lore Champlain Orchard's Spartan or Acey Mac Apples and are one of the later apples harvested in the fall. They are a good all-purpose apple being juicy with a tart-sweet taste.  It is very much a "McIntosh" style apple, bright crimson skin and whiter-than-white flesh. I took a bite into one of these yesterday and could not believe the incredible flavor and juiciness. A great treat this time of year! Maplebrook Farm's Fresh Mozzarella Cheese is hand-made daily in Bennington, Vermont. They start with pure, whole Vermont milk from family farms around the state. The milk is first pasteurized, and then cultures and rennet are added. Once the curd has been cut and drained, mozzarella balls are formed. The unique old-world approach of stretching and molding premium raw cow curd in small batches and using all natural ingredients delivers a smooth, moist and refreshingly distinct mozzarella cheese. They recommend setting out fresh mozzarella a few hours before serving, for the full flavor to come through. For best quality, use cheese quickly or freeze to use at a later date. This week's Pizza Dough is made with Aurora Farm's organic unbleached VT white flour, Gleason Grain Snake Mountain Sifted whole wheat flour, local Sunflower Oil, Maine sea salt and yeast. Use within four to five hours of thawing (ready to go the night you pick up share or store in freezer for later use). Coat a smooth surface with flour and cornmeal (just flour ok) so that the dough does not stick to the surface. Form dough into ball and flatten with heels of palms. Stretch dough with hands or use a rolling pin to form shape of baking pan (I use a cookie sheet so I form it into a square). Once dough is slightly stretched on surface you can stretch dough in the air with hands by making two fists held together with dough on top. Move each hand up, down and out turning the dough clockwise. Give it some practice and you will be throwing doughs like the professionals. Each dough can be stretched to a 16" round, for thicker crust make smaller. If you like light fluffy crust I put my baking sheet on the top of my oven while preheating and let rise. Otherwise set aside in neutral area till oven is ready at 425F. Cook 12-14 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese bubbles. Also from Pete's Kitchen is Sweet Onion Relish made from organic yellow onions grown here at Pete's Greens, yellow mustard seed, sugar and salt. These is a sweet, golden relish good for adorning toast and cheese, on sandwiches or in salads. Also just great right out of the container for a mouth watering treat.   Recipes Tarragon Roasted Apples, Parsnips and Potatoes A wonderful roasted dish using this week's share ingredients. The combination of apples, parsnips and tarragon sweeten this dish while the potatoes and salt round it out with well balanced flavor. Serve with creme friache or sour cream on the side.   2 Tbs cooking oil 2 parsnips, peeled and thinly cut into 1/2" slices 1 lb Banana Fingerling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-1/2" slices 1 medium size onion, chopped 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced 2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2" slices 1 tsp tarragon 1/4 tsp salt  pepper to taste   Pre-heat oven to 400F. In sauce pan or skillet heat oil on medium-high. When oil is hot add onion, parsnip and potatoes and stir. Cook until onions have slightly softened about 5-7 minutes. Turn off stove top heat. Add garlic, apples, salt, pepper and tarragon and combine well, covering all ingredients with oil from the pan. Transfer all ingredients to a roasting pan and cook in the oven, uncovered for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are soft.     The Green Mountain Special - Pizza This week’s share inspired me to pass on one of my favorite pizzas from Parker Pie in West Glover, VT. The original includes bacon, baby spinach and cheddar. I have substituted sunflower shoots and fresh mozzarella found in this week’s share and the bacon is up to you! 1 ball of Pete’s Pizza Dough 2 tsp olive oil 1 apple, cored and sliced thinly 1 clove garlic, minced ¼ c greens, original recipe calls for spinach but the sunflower shoots in your share will be equally delicious with a sweet nutty flavor Fresh mozzarella 1 Tbs maple syrup Salt and pepper Pre-heat the oven to 425F. Stretch the dough out to fit whatever size cooking vessel you are using. The base layer will be the olive oil, spread evenly with fingers or using a paper towel. Next layer the sliced apples and garlic, then place chunks of mozzarella evenly over the top and last drizzle maple syrup over the top. Salt and pepper to taste and bake for 12-14 minutes. Onion, Pepper and Fresh Mozzarella Calzone Here's a suggestion for this week's pizza dough and share ingredients, although feel free to experiment with whatever you would like for fillings. 1 ball of Pete's Pizza Dough 2 tsp olive oil. separated 1 Tbs onions, chopped 1/2 c Petes green peppers, thawed or Pete's roasted red peppers, thawed and sliced 3-4 slices of fresh mozzarella Italian spices salt and pepper Pre-heat the oven to 400F. In a small pan on the stove top use 1 tsp olive oil and cook onions until soft about 10 minutes and set aside. Stir in peppers, spices and salt and pepper in pan, heat all ingredients and set aside. Stretch the dough out to a 12-14" circle. Spread the olive oil over the surface of the entire circle with your fingers or use a paper towel. On half of the circle start piling your toppings, leaving a small 1/2" band on the outside edges. Pile onions and pepper mixture into calzone, top with fresh mozz. Fold over empty side of dough to cover toppings and crimp edges together to encapsulate all toppings. Cook on pizza pan or cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes until dough starts to turn golden brown and has a hard shell. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping. Apple-Rhubarb Brown Betty A fairly simple desert to use up your left over breads and enjoy this week's delicious apples and rhubarb. A Brown Betty is an American dessert made from fruit (usually apple, but also berries or pears) and crumbled bread. A cross between a cobbler and a bread pudding, it consists of a baked-like pudding made with layers of sweetened and spiced fruit and buttered bread pieces. And here's a fun fact that wikipedia has enlightened me with... Apple Brown Betty was one of the favorite desserts of Ronald and Nancy Reagan in the White House.   1/2 package of Pete's Greens rhubarb, thawed 1 loaf of soft bread, crusts removed (optional) 8 Tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan and topping 2 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into quarter-inch-thick wedges 1/2 c plus 2 Tbs dark-brown sugar 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon Pinch ground nutmeg Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon warm water   Pre-heat oven to 375F. Tear bread into 1/2-inch pieces, yielding 3 to 3 1/2 cups of broken bread. Butter a shallow 1-quart baking dish. In medium bowl, combine melted butter and bread; cover bottom of dish with 1 - 1 1/2 cups bread pieces. In another bowl, combine rhubarb, apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Grate zest and add to mixture. Let sit until juices begin to run, about 5 minutes. Spread half of rhubarb mixture over bread. Sprinkle with 1 cup of bread. Add remaining rhubarb mixture and juices and then cover with remaining 1 cup bread. Dot with 1 tablespoon butter. Spoon 6 tablespoons warm water over top.   Cover with foil and bake 25-35 minutes on the middle rack. Increase heat to 400F uncover, and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until top is crusty, and juices begin to bubble at edges of baking dish. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.