Good Eats Newsletter - August 8th, 2012

Localvore Members  and Regular Veggie Only Share Members take a LIGHT GREEN BAG This week your bag will contain: Mesclun; Head Lettuce; Red Beets; Mixed Beans; Rosa Bianca Eggplant; Celery; Mizuna; Zucchini; Slicing Cukes; Yellow Onions; plus, out of the bag: Tomatoes (packed in a small paper bag) 6 Ears of Sweet Corn Localvore Offerings Include: Pizza Dough Pizza Sauce Eggs Champlain Orchards Peaches Small Veggie Only Members take a YELLOW BAG containing: Mesclun; Mixed Beans; Red Beets; Black Beauty Eggplant; Celery; Mizuna; Yellow Onions plus, out of the bag: 6 Ears of Sweet Corn Pete's Greens Picnic Scheduled for August 18th HAS BEEN CANCELED Instead we will have a Harvest Celebration at the farm  on Sep 29th

Storage and Use Tips Eggplant - This week some of you will get a beautiful lavender/white eggplant called Rosa Bianca.  This is an heirloom Italian variety reknowned for its lack of bitterness.  Small veggie only shares will receive Black Beauty eggplant, another round variety but with deep purple skin.  Eggplant prefers to be kept at about 50 degrees, which is warmer than most refrigerators and cooler than most kitchen counters. Wrapping unwashed eggplant in a towel is a bit better than in plastic because the towel will absorb any moisture.  Keep your wrapped eggplant in the hydrator drawer of your refrigerator. Used within a week it should still be fresh and mild. Celery - The celery is beautiful this week.  We had to cut the tops off the bunches because they were going to stick out a foot more beyond what you will see tomorrow.  The celery is very happy in its environment!  There is still quite a bit of leafy stuff at the top though.  Save this for future use!  Though you may not use it this week for fresh eating or whatever dish you are making, celery leaves make a great flavorful addition to soups so chop tops and then freeze in plastuc bags for use this Fall.  you will be glad you did. Mizuna - Also know as spider mustard, mizuna is a Japanese mustard green with tender leaves and a pleasant, peppery flavor. You could substitute it, chopped, in a salad calling for arugula. It adds a nice zest to a stir-fry or saute too. Store mizuna, unwashed, loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer. Veggie Storage and Use Tips are our website too, so please bookmark the recipe and storage tip section. I am sure you will find it useful. Around the Farm Molly surrounded by tomatoes today.  Molly days are dominated by tomatoes these days - sorting, culling, polishing, stacking, and then sorting again as shelf life is short and they change quickly.  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. Localvore Lore It's a pizza week again and we'll try to keep it coming about once a month.  We have pizza dough and pizza sauce made at the farm in our kitchen and there is all sorts of good stuff to go on top - eggplant, onions, tomatoes, mizuna, zucchini - Yum. Our 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.  We freeze it for delivery.  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. 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. You will receive a dozen of Deb's Eggs again this week.  They must be pretty tasty these days with the volume of fresh greens, tomatoes and other veggies the hens have been getting that Deb brings home from the farm! And fresh from Champlain Orchards, we have the newest harvest of Garnet Beauty Peaches, a beautiful sweet peach for fresh eating or cooking.  Enjoy! Recipes Dilled Cucumber, Tomato and Celery Salad 1/3 cup water 1 tablespoon dill seed 1 tablespoon honey 1/3 cup buttermilk salad dressing and seasoning mix 2 cups mayonnaise 1 cup buttermilk 1 1/3 cups milk 1 cup white vinegar 2 large cucumbers, quartered and thinly sliced 3 tomatoes, cubed 2 stalks celery, chopped 1/2 onion, sliced and quartered 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon salt Place water and dill seed in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes. Whisk in honey and salad dressing mix, then pour mixture into a large bowl. Whisk in mayonnaise, buttermilk, milk, and vinegar until smooth. Place cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, onion, garlic, and salt into a separate bowl, and pour half of the dressing onto the vegetables; toss well. Cover, and refrigerate salad for at least 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate remaining dressing for future use. Spicy Eggplant and Green Bean Curry If you have coconut milk and some curry paste, here's a classic you can whip up quickly. 5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 4 garlic cloves, chopped 1 tablespoon choppped peeled fresh ginger 1 eggplant, peeled, cut into 1 x 2 pieces 8 ounces green beans, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces 1 tablespoon lime zest 1 teaspoon thai green curry paste 1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk 3 green onions, chopped 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped* 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped* *The herbs are a nice addition but don't make or break the dish... In large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 4 tablespoons oil. Add garlic and ginger, stirring 30 seconds. Add eggplant and green beans. cook until almost tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Cover and cook until completely tender, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer vegetables to bowl. In same skillet, add 1 tablespoon oil, lime peel, and curry paste; stir 15 seconds. Add coconut milk; bring to boil, whisking until smooth. Return vegetables to skillet; saute until sauce thickens enough to coat vegetables, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. Toss in onions, cilantro, and mint*. Beet and Mizuna Salad This is a simple yummy salad.  It calls for steaming beets, but you could boil til tender, or (my favorite), cut into 1/2 to 1" pieces and broil them.  And way you make it, it will be delicious.  Adapted from epicurious.com 1/2 pound beets (about 3 medium-sized beets) 1 small bunch mizuna 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (or cider vinegar) 1/4 cup olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped 1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled (optional) Peel beets and cut into 1/2-inch wedges. In a steamer set over boiling water steam beets until tender, about 10 minutes, and transfer to a bowl. Discard course stems from mizuna, then wash greens well and dry. Whisk together vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste, and whisk in oil until emulsified. Pour half of the vinaigrette over the beets and toss well.  With the remaining vinaigrette, drizzle enough over mizuna to lightly coat, and toss well. Arrange mizuna and beets on two plates.  Sprinkle walnuts on top and, if desired, add goat cheese and serve.