Good Eats Newsletter - March 20th, 2013

Storm News We plan to deliver at normal times as most reports show that the storm will be mostly wrapped up Wednesday morning.  That said, Kevin leaves the farm well before dawn and may find the conditions unsafe for delivery.  If there are changes we'll be in touch!     Localvore Members  & Regular Veggie Only Share Members take a LIGHT GREEN/TAN BAG This week your bag will contain: Mixed Greens; Mixed Potatoes; Carrots; Goldball Turnips; Savoy Cabbage; Onions and OUT of the Bag Frozen Peppers Frozen Stir-Fry OR Zucchini (take one or the other) Localvore Offerings Include: Pete's Greens Pizza Dough (in cooler) Pete's Greens Pizza Sauce Maplebrook Farm Fresh Mozzarella (in cooler) Pa Pa Doodles Eggs Small Veggie Only Members take a YELLOW BAG containing: Mixed Greens; Mixed Potatoes; Carrots;  Savoy Cabbage; Onions and OUT of the Bag Frozen Peppers Good Heart Farmstead Needs Our Help! Ten days ago a barn fire claimed the work of young farming couple Katie Spring and Edge Fuentes in Worcester.  They lost their tools, supplies, fencing, animal feed and personal items though though thankfully no animals or people were injured.    Visit their Blog. Please consider donating to help them get back on their feet, back to the good work they were doing! Learn more and donate!

Around the Farm Kevin at the workbench repairing a seeder, Steve preparing to install a new used engine in the Dodge. While most of our crew spend their time harvesting, moving, sorting, washing, culling & packing our vegetables, a couple not-often-sung heros are Kevin & Steve.  Along with Isaac, these two have spent the last few months on equipment repair keeping up with the day to day but also making modifications for the season ahead.  Their to-do list remains daunting no matter the vigor they might tackle it with each day.  As soon as spring really arrives, they will both split their time between repairs and maintenance and tractor work in the fields.  And of course, Kevin is your faithful Good Eats delivery guy each week!  Farming is about growing and the required problem solving, ingenuity and careful planning of equipment needs.  But it's also about the ability to respond to changing conditions and breakdowns when they occur, and having the resolve to see a situation through.  These two go at it every day with good cheer. Storage and Use Tips This week's Greens  are a mixture of Claytonia, Spinach, Sunflower and Radish Shoots, Cress and a bit of Chickweed.  You may only know of Chickweed as exactly that, a weed, but it is actually a very nutritious little green.  It's a great source of Vitamin C, and it has high concentrations of Vitamin A, Vitamin B1 and Vitamin B2.  It's an excellent compliment to the blend! The Mixed Potatoes are made up of large Fingerlings, Peter Wilcox, and All Blue Potatoes.  I think the blue potatoes are especially fun because of their unusual color.  They have a glistening purple skin with a solid blue interior. The moist, flavorful flesh is superb for roasting, frying, mashing or boil for salads. They are loaded with minerals, potassium and yes like most blue foods antioxidants too. These spuds are great for kids who love their fun color!  We will be sending out more of these as the share progresses. Goldball Turnips are yellow turnips that tend to have a long tail rather than a round shape, they are creamy yellow on the inside.  One of our share members Alison says they are the best turnips EVER.  Store in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer indefinitely. They are great peeled, boiled and mashed with butter and caramelized onions, or thrown into a mashed potato dish. Frozen Green or Red Peppers - Our frozen veggies are grown on our farm, come in from the field and go straight into the freezer. Our peppers are washed, chopped, bagged and frozen within hours of harvest. Frozen peppers won't be crisp like fresh peppers but retain all the flavor and yummy summer goodness. To use them, simply remove package from the freezer, slice open bag, and then either thaw and add to your dish, or chop just what you need frozen and toss directly into your skillet frozen. If you use the latter method, you can toss unused frozen back into the freezer for later use. (This is how I use all the frozen veggies). Savoy Cabbage has firm, hearty leaves and a depth of flavor. This winter cabbage can be used in a variety of recipes. It pairs well with apples, red wine, spices, horseradish and meat. It can also be used in soups or stews or simply roasted or sauteed plain with olive oil, salt and pepper. Store whole, unwashed cabbage in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator until ready to use. We also have Frozen Zucchini-or- Frozen Stir Fry Veggies this week. Green Bag people will take one or the other of these. 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. Localvore Lore It's a pizza week! This week we have pizza dough and pizza sauce made at the farm in our kitchen with Maple Brook Fresh Mozzarella to go on top. We make the Pizza Dough at the farm and then freeze it for delivery. 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. 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. We also made Pizza Sauce to go along with the share. Deb made the pizza sauce in our kitchen using our organic tomatoes, onions, sunflower oil, garlic, oregano, basil, fennel seed, salt, & black pepper. It's pretty yummy and it's coming to you in a jar for easy delivery.  Use on your pizza or of course on pasta too. 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 cultured 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 but (bonus!) you can also freeze to use at a later date. You're also getting another dozen of eggs from Pa Pa Doodles Farm this week.  Usually eggs come to you every other week but we decided to send them this week instead of next.  See below for an interesting twist on pizza with eggs. 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 I can stop your share delivery and you will retain a credit on your account toward the purchase of your next share. Recipes Pizza with Sausage and Eggs Eggs on a pizza?  It may sound weird but it works really well!  This would be good with some sauteed onions or any other cooked veggie, or even some raw greens added to the top of each slice. 1 ball of Pete's pizza dough 3/4 cup Pizza Sauce 6 oz shredded mozzarella or substitute another cheese such as Fontina or Monterey Jack 6 oz hot or mild Italian sausage, sliced, cooked and drained (optional, or could also use bacon) 4 whole eggs Pepper, to taste 1/3 cup grated Parmesan Pre-heat the oven to 400F.  Stretch the dough out to a 12-14" circle.  Spread the sauce evenly over the prepared dough.  Top evenly with 3/4 of the mozzarella cheese.  Scatter the sausage pieces evenly over the top.  Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.  Cook for 10-12 minutes and remove from oven. Using the back of a spoon, lightly make 4 indentations around the pizza, not too close to the edge.  Carefully crack an egg into each depression.  Grind black pepper onto each each egg, and top with Parmesan. Return to the oven for 5-7 minutes, until the egg whites are set, but the yolk is still soft.  Remove, break the yolks with a fork and spread over the pizza if desired. 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. Creamy Turnip with Paprika Soup Here's yet another great way to use your turnips.  In my mind it's still soup weather, especially with this cold snap and snow. 2 tbs olive oil 1 1/2 pounds peeled turnip bulbs, cut into 1 inch chunks 1 large onion, diced 1tbs butter 1 pinch sugar 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2 tsps paprika 1 tsp dried thyme leaves 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper 3 cups broth, veggie or chicken 1 1/2 cups half and half or whole milk Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep saute pan until shimmering.  Add turnips, then onion; saute, stirring very little at first, then more frequently, until vegetables start to turn golden brown, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add butter, sugar, and garlic; continue cooking until all vegetables are a rich spotty caramel color, about 10 minutes longer.  Add paprika, thyme, and cayenne pepper; continue to simmer until fragrant, 3o seconds to 1 minute longer. Add broth; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until turnips are tender, about 10 minutes.  Using an immersion blender or traditional blender, blend until very smooth.  Return to pan; add enough half and half so the mixture is souplike.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Honey Glazed Carrots and Turnips This is a classic way to cook carrots to accentuate their natural sweetness. We added turnips for a little variation and for the light bite they bring to the plate....You can use just carrots or just turnips...You could also substitute rutabagas for turnips if you like. 3 large carrots (about 3/4 pound), peeled & cut into pieces about 2 long by 1/2 wide 3 medium turnips (about 3/4 pound), peeled & cut roughly the same size as the carrots 2 TB honey 2 TB unsalted butter 3/4 cup water 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt, plus more to taste In a large skillet or saute pan that, ideally, fits the carrots and turnips in one layer, put the vegetables, honey, butter and water. Set the pan over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil, sprinkle with the salt, and toss to coat the vegetables in the cooking liquid. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, covered for about 10 minutes until the carrots are starting to get tender. Remove the cover, toss the vegetables again, and cook uncovered for another 12-14 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated to a glaze and the carrots and turnips are tender but not mushy. Adjust seasoning to taste. Variation: If you're doing this carrots only, try adding 1 teaspoon of coarsely ground toasted cumin seeds--or 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin--in step 2. Zucchini-Potato Frittata Frittatas are so adaptable and this one would be happy to have the addition of some of the frozen peppers, or any other veggie. The addition of herbs can change the tune of a frittata as will the type of cheese used so lots of room to be creative. This one is perfect for the share this week. The recipe has been adapted from Andrea Chessman's Serving up the Harvest. Serves 4-6. 1 medium zucchini (or half a bag of frozen) 4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or sunflower) 1.5 lbs potatoes 1 large onion 1/4 lb bacon or some ham, diced 6 eggs 1 cup grated cheddar Thaw zucchini. Squeeze out extra juice and set aside. Heat 3 TB oil over medium-high heat in a large well-seasoned cast iron skillet or ovenproof nonstick skillet. Add the potatoes and onion, reduce the heat to med-low, and cook, flipping and stirring occasionally until the potatoes are soft, about 20 mins (you can cover to speed the process and hold in moisture). Increase the heat to medium-high and continue cooking, tossing occasionally, until potatoes are brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon but keep the skillet on the burner. Add the zucchini and bacon to the skillet and saute over medium high heat, until the bacon/ham is cooked. Remove zucchini and bacon. Keep the skillet over the heat. Beat the eggs and pepper to taste in a medium bowl until well blended. Fold in the potatoes, zucchini and bacon, and cheese. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add 1-2 TB oil to the skillet as needed to lightly coat the bottom. Pour in the egg mixture, reduce heat to med-low, and cook without stirring until the bottom is set about 10 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the top is set, 5 to 15 minutes, checking every 5 mins. Place a serving plate on top of the skillet and carefully invert. The frittata should fall out of the pan. Cut into wedges and serve. Irish Colcannon If you're in the mood to continue the St Patrick's Day celebrations, this traditional Irish dish is just perfect.   2 pounds yellow potatoes, scrubbed 6 tablespoons butter, divided 1 cup milk 2 teaspoons salt pepper to taste 1 large onion, thinly sliced 12 cups green or Savoy cabbage, thinly sliced (about 1 medium head) 2 TB white wine or water Cut larger potatoes in 1/2, so that all pieces are of basically uniform size. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Simmer, partially covered for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserts easily through potatoes. Warm 4 tablespoons butter and milk together. Drain potatoes and mash. Add milk and butter and mash until fairly smooth. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Meanwhile, heat remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add cabbage, sprinkle with a bit of salt and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage wilts, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of wine or water, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the cabbage to the potatoes. Mix and mash to desired consistency. Taste for seasoning.