Good Eats Newsletter - July 17, 2013

Localvore Members  & Regular Veggie Only Share Members take a LIGHT GREEN BAG This week your bag will contain: Mesclun; Carrots; Eggplant; Beet Greens; Broccoli; Scallions; Zucchini; Cucumbers and a handful of Peas And OUT of the bag: Tomatoes (packed in a small paper bag) Localvore Offerings Include: Elmore Mountain Foagies VT BeanCrafters Organic Bean Burgers Sweet Rowan Farmstead Tomato & Garlic Farmers' Cheese 4 Season Farm Blueberries Small Veggie Only Members take a YELLOW BAG containing: Mesclun; Carrots; Broccoli; Zucchini; Cucumbers And OUT of the bag: Tomatoes (packed in a small paper bag)

Pete's Greens Open Farm Day Our annual open farm day is coming right up on Saturday August 17th.  Our event is part of Kingdom Farm and Food Days, a weekend packed full of farm tours and good food opportunities out here in our neck of the woods.  On Saturday we'll be giving tours of the farm fields and our washhouse and there will be lots of other farms open in the area.  There will be refreshments and food throughout the day at the farm and the Pete's Greens Farm Stand will be open too.  More info soon!

Storage and Use Tips Tomatoes again this week, look for them OUT OF YOUR VEGGIE BAG packed in little brown bags at your pick up site.  Your tomatoes will be either red or heirloom tomatoes.  Please take just one bag of tomatoes and enjoy.  Store your tomatoes at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Peas - there will be peas in your bag but just a handful to snack on, or toss in as an extra in a stir fry or something, not enough for a side dish for dinner. You'll receive either Snap Peas or Shelling Peas.  How do you know which is which?  The snap peas are smaller, about 2 inches long, and flatter, the shells glossy, and the outline of the peas inside usually clear to see.  This variety is meant to be eaten pod and all, raw, or cooked lightly.  The shelling peas are bigger - 3-5 inches long and the peas can be enjoyed right out of the pod or cooked slightly.  You can actually eat the pod as well but it's a bit more fibrous.  We are finding our shelling peas to be incredibly deceptive to pick.  We can pick 2 pods that look the same on outside and one will have nice big round peas inside and another right beside it will have small immature peas.  We knew that this little handful of peas would be just a tease but it's just a little bonus treat and we figured you would enjoy them. Bunched Carrots - Just picked, bright and colorful, and loaded with the antioxidant betacarotene which is converted to vitamin A.  They're also a good source of potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins C and B6, copper, folate, thiamine, and magnesium.  The greens have extra vitamin K in them too so eat them too!  Much of the flavor and nutrition is in the skin so it's better to scrub them than peel them.  Please trim the tops from your carrots before storing them in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Leaving tops on pulls moisture from the root contributing to wilt of the carrots. Save the tops and add to soup stocks or use for garnish! We have 2 different types of Eggplant this week - you will get either Black Beauty which is a traditional looking eggplant, or Japanese which is a long skinny one.  Eggplant prefers to be kept at about 50 degrees, which is warmer than most refrigerators and cooler than most kitchen counters, so it will do best with extra protection of your crisper drawer. 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. Euro or Slicing Cucumber - you will receive one or the other of these cucumbers.  Keep these loosely bagged in the crisper drawer and they will keep a few days or more. Beet greens are back this week.  This is a good sized bunch and some even have baby beets still attached to the ends.  Beet greens are best enjoyed cooked.  They may have some residual dirt on them so give them a bath in a big bowl of water.   Dunk them in the water and swish around to get rid of any remaining dirt.  I love them sauteed with a bit of oil and vinegar (balsamic or apple cider) and salt & pepper. You can also toss them into most recipes that call for other greens (mustard greens, spinach). They are milder in flavor than mustard greens, but a bit stronger than spinach. They are delicious. Scallions, often referred to as green onions, are a young onion with a small, white tip and a bright green, tall stem.  You can use the whole thing in a recipe but I usually chop off the very bottom of the bulb, and then keep chopping up the stem until the chopped parts become less moist/crisp and more fibrous/leafy.  The remaining parts make an excellent addition to soups or salads bringing a mild onion flavor and nice hint of color. Veggie Storage and Use Tips are on our website too, so please bookmark the recipe and storage tip section.  I am sure you will find it useful. 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 The bread this week is Elmore Mountain Foagies.  These are foccacias made into a delicious, delectable roll.  Grill it like a panini, make an egg breakfast sandwich, or stack it with cold cuts.  This week our intent was that you could use the foccasias as rolls for your burgers.  Or you could slather them with Paul's cheese (below) and then stack them with tomatoes, greens, cucumbers, scallions etc.  I love splitting & lightly toasting these to start and brushing with olive oil. Sometimes I toast the whole thing again once loaded just to make it all meld together. Yum. They are made with Quebec Milanaise Organic Unbleached Wheat, Water, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt, and Yeast. Black bean burgers come to you from VT BeanCrafters Organic Bean Burgers.  These burgers are loaded with protein, iron, and Vitamin A and are organically made with VT sourced ingredients. Cooking Instructions - The burgers come baked, so you only need to get them hot. They do best pan-fried in cast iron with a bit of oil, but also cook well on grills and in toaster ovens. To bake - brush lightly w//oil. Bake on a greased pan for 8-12 mins at 400F. To pan fry - set burner to med/hi. Once hot, add a bit of oil and spread in pan, toss in burgers straight from freezer. Cook first side til burgers slides freeely on the pan with light shaking. Then flip and cook other side for a minute or two. Really yummy crumbled into a tortilla with a fried egg and salsa. Farmer Paul Lisai started his grass based dairy Sweet Rowan Farmstead several years ago, working on his herd and and beginning to develop his producs.  He was off to a great start selling small batches of milk that he bottled in a rented creamery when that creamery burned in the Fall of 2011 (he shared that creamery space with Ploughgate, some of you may remember that cheese).  It was a blow, but Paul reorganized and built a creamery on his family farm and was up and running again with the new grass this spring.  Paul milks his small grass fed herd of Randall Lineback cows (a VT heritage breed) and sells his pasteurized milk direct to his customers.  It's great stuff, thick and creamy.  He also makes the Tomato and Garlic Farmer's Cheese that you will receive this week, delicious stuff that we all have been slathering onto sandwiches, crackers and bagels.  Enjoy! Local blueberries this week from Bob & Kim Gray's 4 Corners Farm in West Newbury.  Berries are unsprayed so you can dig right in.   Recipes I've been eating a ton of salads lately and have been trying out new salad dressings.  I thought it would be neat to highlight a few to broaden your palate.  All of these are made the same way- add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy, or use an immersion blender in a large glass measuring cup.  These will all keep for at least 3 days in the refrigerator.   The first 3 recipes come from Eating Well, August 2013. Tomato-Garlic 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1 medium tomato, quartered and seeded 5 anchovy fillets 2 cloves garlic 1 tbsp capers, rinsed Carrot-Ginger 1 cup shredded carrot 1/2 cup canola oil 1/3 cup rice vinegar 2 tbsp white miso 2 tbsp chopped onion 1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger 1 tbsp soy sauce Balsamic 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup chopped shallot 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp Italian seasoning 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground pepper Buttermilk 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk 1 TB sour cream 2 TB mayonnaise 1/4 tsp dried tarragon, crumbled 1/2 tsp minced garlic, mashed to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 tsp dry mustard 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper Carrots with Coconut Butter and Lime I got a new book out from the library called "Vegetable Literacy" by Deborah Madison.  It's a great veggie resource filled with interesting facts about all kinds of veggies, as well as wonderful recipes.  This recipe caught my eye as it's so simple yet so delicious.  You should be able to find coconut butter at a co-op or you can make your very own.  Get a bag of shredded unsweetened coconut and blend for about 3-5 minutes until smooth.  If it doesn't come together try adding some coconut oil to make it gel.  Store the butter in a glass jar and use it anywhere you have a recipe that calls for vegetable oil or regular butter. 1 pound carrots, scrubbed and sliced into rounds or on the diagonal 1/2 inch thick Sea Salt About 2 tbsp coconut butter 1 lime In a pot, bring 4 or more cups of water to a boil.  Add the carrots and 1 tsp salt and simmer until the carrots are tender to the touch of a knife tip, about 15 minutes.  Drain well, then return the carrots to the pan for a few minutes to dry in the residual heat.  Add the coconut butter, toss to coat the carrots, and then halve the lime and squeeze over the carrots.  Taste for salt and add more if needed. Asian Cucumber Salad This is a very tasty salad that best made a bit ahead. Though you can certainly eat it right away it's best after a few hours and still excellent the second day. 2 cucumbers, peeled, cut in half, scoop seeds out, thinly sliced 1 tsp toasted sesame oil 1 TB honey 1 TB soy sauce 1 TB rice vinegar Mix together the dressing ingredients then toss with the cucumbers. Though you can certainly eat it right away it's best after a few hours and still excellent the second day. Baingan Bharta (Eggplant Curry) A traditional Indian dish (though perhaps not a totally traditional recipe), and a great, easy, delicious way to serve up eggplant.  Serve alongside rice or pearled barley. 1 large eggplant 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (or several cloves of garlic and a smaller than thumb sized piece of fresh ginger chopped) 1 tablespoon curry powder (or good garam masala if you have that) 1 tomato, diced 1/2 cup plain yogurt 1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, finely chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 bunch cilantro, finely chopped (optional but good, could also use some parsley here) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place eggplant on a medium baking sheet. Bake 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender. Remove from heat, cool, peel, and chop. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix in cumin seeds and onion. Cook and stir until onion is tender. Mix ginger garlic paste, curry powder, and tomato into the saucepan, and cook about 1 minute. Stir in yogurt. Mix in eggplant and jalapeno pepper, and season with salt. Cover, and cook 10 minutes over high heat. Remove cover, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro or parsley to serve. Grilled Eggplant 1 large eggplant 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 cloves garlic, very finely minced 1 pinch each thyme, basil, dill, and oregano salt and freshly grated black pepper Heat grill. When grill is hot, slice eggplant about 1/2-inch thick. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the oil and vinegar mixture.   Place eggplant on the hot preheated grill. Grill about 15 to 20 minutes, turning once. Mini Frittatas with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese These little frittatas are delicious and a good way to get some veggies into the kids too! The original recipe comes from Does Leap Farm, and I came to it by way of Tracey Medeiros Dishing Up Vermont Cookbook. 1.25 cups grated zucchini Salt 2 eggs 1/4 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup grated cheddar 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 1/8 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper 1/4 cup goat cheese (around 2 ounces) crumbled (parm or feta good too!) 1/4 cup seeded minced tomato 1.5 TB fresh basil Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil and flour a mini muffin tin; set aside. Place zucchini in a colander and sprinkle lightly with salt. Place colander in a bowl and set aside to drain about 15 minutes. Place salted zucchini between layers of clean tea towel or paper towel and gently press down to remove excess water. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. Add zucchini, flour, cheddar cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Spoon mixture into each muffin cup, just even with the rim, and sprinkle with the crumbled goat cheese. Bake in the oven until the edges are crisp and brown and frittatas are set, about 12 minutes. Carefully remove from oven and evenly top with tomatoes and basil. Return to oven and bake until tomatoes have heated through, about 1 minute. Curried Zucchini & Couscous This quick, easy side dish is a great accompaniment to grilled meats.  For a little sweetness throw in a handful of raisins with the carrots. From Eating Well, August 2013. 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 medium zucchini, diced 1/4 cup finely chopped onion 1 cup water 1 tbsp lime juice 1 tsp curry powder 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 2/3 cup whole-wheat couscous 1 cup grated carrot 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add zucchini and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl. Add water, lime juice, curry, cumin, salt and pepper to the pan and bring to a boil.  Stir in couscous.  Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork. Add the couscous and carrot to the bowl with the zucchini; stir to combine.  Serve topped with almonds. Blueberry Angel Food Cake This is one of my very favorite blueberry dessert recipes.  I first made it for my Dad's birthday a few years ago and now he requests it every year. Cake: 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided 1 cup sifted cake flour 12 large egg whites (about 1 1/2 cups) 1 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Preheat oven to 375°.  Sift together 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup flour.     In a large bowl, beat egg whites with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt; beat until soft peaks form. Add 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Sift flour mixture over egg white mixture, 1/4 cup at a time; fold in. Fold in vanilla and blueberries.  Combine 2 tablespoons flour and lemon rind; toss to coat. Sprinkle over egg white mixture; fold in.  Spoon the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, spreading evenly. Break air pockets by cutting through batter with a knife. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Invert pan; cool completely. Loosen the cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula. Invert cake onto plate. To prepare the glaze, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Drizzle over cooled cake.