Good Eats Newsletter -April 24, 2013



Localvore Members & Regular Veggie Only Share Members take a LIGHT GREEN/TAN BAG

This week your bag will contain:
Greens Mix; Basil; Potatoes; Carrots; Red Cippollini Onions

and OUT of the Bag
Frozen Peppers
Frozen Corn

Localvore Offerings Include:

Elmore Mountain Pain au Vermont Bread
Organic Chicken or Veggie Broth
Butterworks Farm Organic Yogurt  Non Fat Vanilla or Maple
Pete's Pesto




Small Veggie Only Members
take a YELLOW BAG
containing:

Greens Mix; Basil; Potatoes; Carrots; Baby Red Beets

and OUT of the Bag
Frozen Peppers

Good Eats Summer Share

It's time to sign up for Summer!

Join us for the most
diverse and delicious
Good Eats season.

Signing up early really helps us to plan shares.

We hope to add a few new Burlington sites
(got a great neighborhood and a porch or garage?).

Payment checks for Summer won't be deposited
until June 10th.




Around the Farm

The first Spring I spent at Pete's, two years ago, I remember thinking how strange it was that some of our first Spring crops were basil and cucumbers.  They were two crops I associated with the heat of summer, and yet I found myself in the cold climate of  Northern Vermont, harvesting both from a warm greenhouse while the snow outside had barely melted.   By now it is a familiar routine : this week, that same warm greenhouse is thick with the smell of basil leaves, and lined with ever-taller cucumber plants.  While the washhouse crew and I continue to prep last year's store of potatoes, carrots, beets, and onions, a field crew is tilling up old winter greens and planting fresh mustards, kale, chard, head lettuce, parsley, and cilantro.  Basil and cukes are just the beginning. 

I enjoy designing the CSA share each week all year - whether it's a winter combination of shoots, root crops, cabbage, onions, and greens, or a summer assembly of tomatoes, zucchini, cauliflower, beans, scallions, fresh herbs, any one of the dozens of varieties of vegetables we grow.  But I celebrate late Spring like it's New Year's on the farm.  We've dug up the parsnips!  Basil is ready!  And all the early crops are finally in the ground and growing by the minute.  This moment of the season has become wonderfully familiar - when Melissa has made it through the first rush of seeding, the tractor guys and field crew have started working like nuts, and the craze of harvest season is nearly here.  That craze is what I look forward to every year, and I am eager as always to deliver the plentiful fruits of our work!  ~Annie



Is Organic better?  Ask a Fruit fly!

A 16 year old near Dallas, TX, conducted research on fruit flies while trying to answer the question "Is organic really better for you?"  Her research tracked the effects of organic and conventional diets on the health of fruit flies.  By nearly every measure, including fertility, stress resistance and longevity, flies that fed on organic bananas and potatoes fared better than those who dined on conventionally grown produce.  Cool article published last week in the NYT.

For the complete article on this amazing 16 year old go here




Storage and Use Tips

This week's Greens Mix includes a special treat - the season's first mesclun!  The mix also includes mizuna, arugula, mixed lettuces, red giant mustard, red russian kale, and tat soi. 

This week all of our veggie members get another treat - Basil!  The basil is wrapped separately inside your bag of greens.  Remove from bag and keep out of the refrigerator.  It may wilt out of the fridge but it's brilliant green color will stay true and not blacken.  Use within a few days for best results.

This week's Potatoes are Peter Wilcox Potatoes.  These are beautiful potatoes cloaked in deep purple and lined in gold.  They are nicely textured, firm but not waxy, and wonderful whether roasted, boiled, or sliced into wedges or fried.  They have a full earthy flavor that hints of hazelnuts.  For best visual and nutritional effects, leave the skin on while cooking.

The Rainbow Carrots are a mix of white, yellow, and orange carrots.  While there are no purple carrots this is still a very pretty mix!  Every time I eat one of Pete's carrots I am blown away at how great they taste - so much better than your standard carrot.  My new favorite way to cook these is to cut them into roughly 2" pieces, coat in oil, and enfold into a foil packet and throw on the grill until soft.

Large share members will get Red Cippollini Onions.   These onions are about the size of a golf ball with a slightly flattened appearance. They're thin-skinned and have a pale, translucent purple flesh. Caramelizing and roasting these onions bring out their natural sweetness. Cippollini onions will keep, cool and dry, for up to a month.

Baby Red Beets are a special treat this week for the small share members.  These are the very last of our storage beets!  These baby beets would be awesome cooked whole.

Frozen Corn and/or Red Peppers - Our frozen veggies are grown on our farm, come in from the field and go straight into the freezer. Our veggies are washed, chopped or shucked, 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 the corn or veggies, 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).

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

The Elmore Mountain Bread this week is Pain au Vermont.  This bread is similar to their Country French, or pain au levain which is leavened by their sourdough culture, but they used Vermont White from Champlain Valley Mills and Gleason's Snake River Sifted Wheat.

This week we have Butterworks Farm Organic Yogurt.  Butterworks Farm is a completely self-sufficient organic farm with a closed herd of their own cows (they were all born on the farm) from which they make their yogurt and other products.  Butterworks also grows quite a variety of grains and beans both for animals and human consumption.  All sites will receive a mix of their full fat Maple and Non-Fat Vanilla Yogurt.  Both of these flavors are sweetened with local maple syrup and the vanilla is flavored with natural vanilla.  The non-fat yogurt is unique among other non-fat brands in that no thickeners are used in the making of the yogurt.  The structure of the Lazor's jersey milk allows them to make non-fat yogurt thickener free.


You will also get Chicken or Veggie Broth.  It's still a great time of year to make soups as the weather is still making up it's mind as to whether it's spring or not.  Please be careful selecting your broth!  We leave enough veggie broth at sites for Vegetarian Localvore and Vegetarian Pantry Members.  All others should select Chicken Broth.  The Veggie Broth is clearly marked on the lid and the chicken broth is unlabeled.  If you aren't certain of your share type, please check the names list when you check off at your site. 

The chicken broth is made using our own chickens, onions, carrots, celery, fennel, bay leaf, salt & pepper.  The veggie broth is made just from our own veggies and some herbs and salt.  We made them fresh last week but have frozen them for easier travel.  Throw them in the freezer to use later, or they will store for up to a week in the fridge.

Pesto - Pesto - Last summer we grew a lot of basil and stockpiled pesto for Good Eats. This pesto contains our own basil blended with olive oil, romano and parmesan cheese, sunflower seeds, garlic, lemon juice and salt. It is tasty slathered on bread or added to pasta with grated cheese on top. If you like yours garlicky - add some minced fresh garlic to your cooked pasta before mixing the pesto with the pasta.  The pesto will come to you frozen. To use, simply thaw and eat as is or add to your dishes. It will keep in your fridge a couple weeks, but if you won't use the entire tub right away, just throw it back in the freezer! It keeps really well.





Recipes


Sweet and Sour Cipollini Onions
These onions are great as part of an antipasto plate or served alongside salty meats, such as ham or duck.  The flavors will get better after a day or 2 so try not to eat them as soon as they are done cooking!

1 lb cipollini onions, left unpeeled
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 cup water
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 whole black peppercorns
1/2 bay leaf
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Blanch onions in a large pot of boiling water 1 minute, then drain in a colander and transfer to a bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain and peel onions.  Bring sugar and water to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring, washing down any sugar crystals on side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water, until syrup turns pale golden. Continue to cook caramel, gently swirling pan, until deep golden.
Immediately remove from heat, then carefully add wine (caramel will steam vigorously and harden). Return pan to heat and simmer, stirring, until caramel is dissolved.

Add onions, red-wine vinegar, oil, salt, peppercorns, and bay leaf and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender, about 1 hour. Transfer onions to a bowl using a slotted spoon, then boil liquid until reduced to about 1 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar, then pour liquid over onions and cool to room temperature. Chill, covered, 1 to 3 days (for flavors to develop).

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Creamy Potato Salad with Lemon and Fresh Herbs
Nothing says (almost) summer to me like potato salad!  This is a great version using lemon and fresh herbs.  Feel free to skip the dill if you don't have any!  From Bon Appetit.

3 pounds potatoes
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 medium green onions, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, or 2 tsp dried dill
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel

Bring potatoes to boil in large pot of water. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 17 minutes. Drain; let stand until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes.

Cut potatoes into 3/4-inch pieces. Place 1 layer of potatoes in large bowl; sprinkle with some of vinegar and salt and pepper. Continue layering potatoes with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add all remaining ingredients; toss. Season with salt and pepper.

Salad can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.



Colorful Corn Chowder
Feel free to adapt this recipe to use any of your veggies!

2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1/2 package frozen peppers, thawed
2 carrots, chopped
1 frozen package corn, thawed
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
3 cups broth or water
2 cups milk
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan melt butter over medium-high heat.  Cook onion and carrot until tender; add peppers to warm.  Stir in corn, spices and broth or water.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Stir in milk and half and half.  Warm only - do not boil.  Serve sprinkled with cheese.


Carrot-Cashew Curry
This recipe is adapted from 'The Enchanted Broccoli Forest' by Mollie Katzen.  It's marvelous served with rice.

1 tbsp canola or peanut oil
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp dill seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
2 cups sliced onion
4 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp salt
2 medium-sized potatoes, thinly sliced
5 large carrots, thinly sliced
2 cups orange juice
1/4 tsp cayenne (to taste)
1 /2 package frozen peppers, thawed
1 cup yogurt
1 1/2 cups toasted cashews
Chutney (if desired)
Raita (if desired)

Heat a large deep skillet or Dutch oven.  Add oil, ginger, mustard seeds, and dill seeds, and saute over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the seeds begin to pop.

Add the remaining spices, and the onion, garlic, salt, potatoes, and carrots.  Saute for another 5 minutes, then add the orange juice.  Cover, turn the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the potatoes are tender (15 minutes).

Add cayenne and bell pepper.  Cover and let it stew for another few minutes, until the peppers are just barely cooked.  (At this point it can be set aside until shortly before serving time.)  Heat the curry just before serving, stirring in the yogurt at the very last minute.  Serve over rice, topped with cashews, with chutney and raita.



Roasted Beets with a Horseradish Vinaigrette
Here's a great basic way to cook beets.  I like to cook a bunch at once and keep them in the fridge to add to salads all week.

1lb Baby Beets
2 tbsp oil
salt & pepper

Toss beets with oil and salt and pepper. Place on a roasting pan and put in a 350 oven. Test the beets with the tip of a knife. When easily pierced, they are ready. Let cool for 15 minutes. Using a kitchen towel, rub the skins off. This is optional as I like to leave the skins on. And of course, this towel will be dedicated to beets the remainder of the season. Slice the beets and toss with the vinaigrette. Build a salad of Pete's greens and top with beets. Nuts and a mild cheese like Lazy Lady goat would be perfect accompaniment for this salad. The dressing from the beets should be enough for the greens as well.


Horseradish Vinaigrette

1/4 cup mild flavored oil (grape seed, olive, sunflower, canola)
2 tbsp. vinegar
2 tablespoons grain mustard
.5 to 2 teaspoons horseradish***
***add a little, then try it, then add some more until it's to your liking!
Salt & pepper to taste

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