Good Eats Newsletter - July 23, 2014

Localvore Members  & Regular Veggie Only Share Members take a LIGHT GREEN BAG This week your bag will contain: Mesclun; Potatoes; Carrots; Onions; Cucumber; Eggplant OR Pepper; Zucchini And OUT of the bag: Brown bag of Tomatoes Localvore Offerings Include: Bread and Butter Farm 3 Seed Bread North Derby Berry Farm Raspberries Tangletown Farm Eggs Half Veggie Only Members take a YELLOW BAG containing: Mesclun; Potatoes; Carrots; Onions; Zucchini And OUT of the bag: Brown bag of Tomatoes

Pete's Greens Farm Market Waterbury is OPEN!!! Open Daily 11-7 2802 Waterbury-Stowe Rd (Across Rte 100 from Cabot Cheese outlet and Champlain Chocoloates)

Pete's Greens Farm Market Waterbury opened TODAY! We are super excited to share the news -- we opened a farm market in Waterbury today!  We have wanted to open another farm stand for years and every year we talk about it and decide we don't have the time it would take to put together all the details.  But this year, just 4 weeks ago, we were talking about it again and just decided ... let's just go for it! We have leased a building on Route 100 across from Champlain chocolates and Cabot cheese and from now through at least the Fall we will be open daily.  Our Farm Market will be fully stocked with our own produce, plus products from lots of other VT & local farms and producers.  Over the weeks to come, the product line in the store will grow significantly.  We intend the Farm Market to be a real show case of the beautifully grown farm and artisanal products produced here in our state and by our neighbors nearby. Please stop by and check us out and say hello to Mark Frano, our Waterbury store manager (pictured above).  Storage and Use Tips Heads up on this week's bags - I watched the crew pack them and the potatoes were freshly dug and washed so your bag may be dirtier / wetter than usual.  Once you get home with your veggies you should unpack and put everything away.  Everyone's getting some new nicola potatoes in their bags this week!  These were just picked and are golden skinned, golden fleshed potatoes that are truly all purpose. They are great for boiling, mashing or roasting and are plenty waxy enough to make excellent potato salad. Nicolas have a very special attribute among potatoes - they are low on the glycemic index compared to all other varieties. This means they don't cause the blood sugar spike that other varieties may cause, an issue that can wreak havoc with people with insulin resistance. They also have a yummy slightly nutty flavor, enjoy! The carrots this week are beautiful!  They are bunched and a rainbow of colors - yellow, orange, and purple.   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. Everyone is also getting yellow onions this week.  These aren't bunched but are loose in your bag. We have cucumbers for the large share this week.  These are "field" potatoes or as Molly likes to call them big American normal cucumbers.  There's nothing better than fresh cukes in my opinion.  I often slice them thinly and eat raw, add to sandwiches, or make into a quick fridge pickle. Large share members will get either an eggplant or sweet peppers.  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 the 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. The peppers are crisp and juicy.  Enjoy raw in salads, sandwiches, or in a stir fry.  They also roast beautifully and are really tasty this way.   To roast, simply core and seed, quarter them, brush them with olive oil (or not), and then roast them in the oven, skin side up at n oven temp of anywhere from 45o to broiling. The hotter the oven, the quicker they will roast. With a very hot oven, you may want to turn them a time or two for even roasting.  Roast until the skins blister and brown or char a bit. Then remove from oven to cool. Most cooks like to remove the charred skins from the peppers before using in a dish. This is done easily if you cover the cooling peppers with a cloth for 10 minutes. The steam loosens the skin and peeling is easier.  There's more zucchini for you all this week!  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. Localvore Lore The 3 Seed Bread comes to you from Bread and Butter Farm in Shelburne.  This bread is a traditional German bread, and like many German breads it's  focused on whole grains, natural leaven, and moist dough. The resulting bread, baked in their wood-fired hearth oven is robust, nourishing, and long-lasting.  It's made with whole rye, whole wheat with sunflowers, sesame, and flax seeds. They use all 100% organic ingredients and pride themselves on how long their bread lasts. Store it in a paper bag on your counter top and it will last well for a week. If you put it in plastic, it will keep it softer, but watch for mold. Since the bread is made with high moisture (why it lasts), it can mold if kept too long in a plastic bag. They do not recommend storing the bread in the fridge. Again, it tends to mold or just diminishes the texture and quality. After several days or a week, refresh the bread in the oven for 10-15 minutes and it is amazingly fresh again.   The raspberries from North Derby Berry Farm are absolutely gorgeous AND delicious!  When they were dropped off at the farm we were all thoroughly impressed - luckily Greg brought a few extras for the crew to enjoy!  Greg and Sharon Smith run this eleven acre berry farm with about five acres under cultivation. Two thirds of their production is in Prelude raspberries, which produce twice a year, and one third is in blueberries. They farm organically, using no pesticides and weeding by hand, but are not certified, finding the process of certification too cumbersome for their small scale farm.  Store these treats in the refrigerator.  The hens at Tangletown Farm have been busy laying lots of eggs for you all! 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. Recipes Grilled Eggplant Want a quick easy way to enjoy your eggplant?  Here it is! 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. Buttermilk Raspberry Muffins If you don't eat all your raspberries on the way home from picking them up, I suggest making these muffins.   I think it’s the buttermilk that makes them so moist and gives them just a little tang to offset the sweetness of the raspberries. It just might be the perfect muffin!  By the way if you don't have butter milk just add 1 tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar into a 1 cup measuring cup, then fill the rest of the way with milk.  Let sit for about 5 minutes. 1 cup sugar, divided 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided 1/4 teaspoons nutmeg, divided 2 1/2 cups flour, divided 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces 1 cup buttermilk 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups raspberries Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease or line muffin tin with muffin cups. In a small mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and sprinkle muffin tins with sugar mixture. Set remaining sugar mixture aside for muffin topping. In a separate bowl or stand mixer, mix 2 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, salt and remaining 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg together. Using the paddle attachment {or two knives if not using a stand mixer}, cut in butter on low speed until butter is about pea-sized. In a small bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs and vanilla together. Add wet mixture and dry mixture and stir just until combined. Lumps are expected. Add remaining 1/4 cup flour to raspberries and toss to coat. Carefully fold raspberries into batter. Fill muffin tins almost to the top and sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Bake 15 minutes and rotate pan. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Enjoy. Carrot-Zucchini Quick Bread 3 egg whites, whipped until frothy ½ cup applesauce ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup grated zucchini 1 cup grated carrots 3 cups AP flour ½ cup sugar 1 tbsp. cinnamon ½ tsp salt ½ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp baking soda Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 2 bread pans with cooking spray and flour. In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg whites, applesauce, orange juice, vanilla, grated zucchini and grated carrots. In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour the batter into your pan and bake for 60 minutes. Chilled Gazpacho Soup Gazpacho is a nice treat in this heat.  For some extra flair, float cucumber croutons (cucumber cut into crouton sized pieces) on top. 4 cups tomatoes, chopped 2 cups beef or vegetable broth 1 cup cucumber, diced 1 cup green or red sweet pepper, diced 1 cup celery, diced 1/2 cup yellow or red onion, diced 2 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp salt several dashes Worcestershire sauce 10-12 drops Tabasco pepper sauce 6 ice cubes green onions or chives, chopped (optional) Mix together.  Allow soup to stand for 30 minutes to let the ice cubes chill the soup and for the flavors to mingle. Zucchini Garden Chowder I love this recipe because it's got so many veggies in it.  My kids will even eat this! 2 tbsp butter 2 medium zucchini, chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped, or 1 tsp dried 1/3 cup flour 3/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 3 cups water 3 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes 1 tsp lemon juice 2 cups tomatoes, chopped 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk 2 cups corn 2 cups cheddar cheese 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese Melt butter in soup pot over medium heat.  Add zucchini, onion, parsley and basil; add and saute until tender. Stir flour and seasonings into vegetables.  Gradually stir in water to make a smooth stock. Add bouillon cubes and lemon juice to mixture and stir well.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, evaporated milk and corn to mixture and return to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes until corn is tender. Just before serving add cheeses and stir until melted.  Add pinch of sugar to taste and garnish with chopped fresh parsley (optional).