Good Eats Weekly Newsletter - August 3rd, 2016

It's a MEAT WEEK!

News Updates Join us on August 20th for our Open Farm Day! Local food, farm tours, and more! Learn More Here Tell us you're coming and receive a Farmstand Discount! Full Veggie Share   Mesclun, Lettuce, Scallions, Radicchio, Napa Cabbage, Carrots, Zucchini (Out of the Bag: Tomatoes, Blueberries) Half Veggie Share Mesclun, Lettuce, European Cucumber, Cipollini Onions, Beans, Napa Cabbage (Out of the Bag: Blueberries) Localvore/Pantry Share Pete's Greens Pizza Sauce Pete's Greens Pizza Dough Tangletown Eggs Around the Farm       We're in the rhythm of summer now - it's amazing how quickly things are growing and how new crops keep bursting onto the scene! The recent rain here has added an extra boost to all of our field crops, and our greenhouses are producing all sorts of seasonal treats.

Storage and Use Tips Beans - Half share members will receive beans this week. These green (and other colored) beans are great for snacking and cooking up. Store in your fridge wrapped in plastic for up to 5 days. Try them braised, roasted, or grilled. These beans pair well with garlic, balsamic, and parmesan. Blueberries - Both shares will have blueberries this week from our farm. We're excited that our berries are on the scene now and can't wait to share them with you. These organic blueberries make a great snack, or addition to desserts or salads. Carrots - Full share members will receive mixed carrots. These ones have the tops removed already, and they're great for snacking and roasting. Store in your fridge wrapped loosely in plastic. Cipollini Onions - Cippolini onions are a small flattened Italian onion with a sweet, mild flavor. Cippolinis are traditionally served roasted or baked, but also work well on kebabs or eaten fresh. If you have never eaten a roasted cippolini you must, as you will never think of onions the same way. The advantage of the cipollini is its mild flavor that when roasted caramelizes quickly into sweet, flavorful goodness! Their shape lends them well to roasting. Cippolini onions do not store as well as your typical onion. For short term storage keep in a cool, dry place or in the butter compartment of your fridge. European Cucumbers - Half share members will have cukes this week. These long, skinny cukes taste like a burst of summer. Slice them up and toss them into salads or eat them as a snack on their own. Cucumbers like to be stored around 50 degrees, but if you don't have that climate in your house, your fridge's crisper drawer will also do just fine. Lettuce - You'll receive a green lettuce head this week, which makes great salads, but would also make a fun substitute for wraps or tacos. Store in your crisper drawer loosely wrapped in plastic. Mesclun - This week's mesclun is a diverse mix of lettuce, kale, tatsoi, spinach, and more. Will make amazing salads. Store in the crisper drawer of your fridge for 3 to 7 days. Napa Cabbage - Napa cabbage is a crispy cabbage that does well cooked or raw in salads. Pairs well with Asian dishes;  in Korea it is pickled, salted, and flavored with ginger and chili peppers to make Korea's national dish, kimchi. Store in a sealed plastic bag in your refrigerator. Radicchio - Full shares will have this small, red and white head. This lettuce relative is actually a chicory, which has a bitter punch of flavor. Radicchio makes a great addition to salads for a pop of color and a contrast in flavor. You can also use the leaves as a base for hors d'oeuvres, or sauté them for a side dish. Pairs well with full-flavored cheeses, balsamic vinegar, and honey. Scallions - Large share members will receive scallions this week. Often referred to as green onions, scallions are a young onion with a small, white tip and a bright green, tall stem. You can use the whole thing in a recipe or 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.They make a great addition to napa cabbage salads! Tomatoes - We're sending out tomatoes for full share members ONLY this week. Our tomatoes are grown in greenhouses to keep the climate just right for them. Store your juicy, fresh tomatoes at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. An aerated basket it ideal, but they also do well in the paper bag they're sent out in. Toss into salads, slice and put in sandwiches or burgers, roast them with balsamic, or eat them by the wedge with a sprinkle of salt. Zucchini - Zucchini and yellow summer squash are in full share bags this week. This time of year, tender zukes are a treat. Store unwashed in the crisper. Use in a few days. Try grating them, and saute lightly in butter. Or eat them raw in salads. Shred them and mix into muffins or other baked goods. The possibilities are endless! 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 This week's Localvore share includes Pete's Greens Pizza Sauce and Pizza Dough, and Tangletown Eggs! Pete's Greens Pizza Sauce is made using our organic tomatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil, salt, sugar, oregano, thyme, basil, & black pepper.  It's coming to you frozen for easy delivery.  You can defrost and put on your pizza right away or freeze it for later use.  You can of course use this on pasta too. Our Pizza Dough is made of a blend of organic Quebec Milanaise flour, plus water, yeast, salt, olive oil. Thaw it in your fridge overnight, roll out on a floured board, and bake with toppings in a 425 degree oven for 8-12 minutes for a delicious local pie!    This week, you will receive fresh Pasture-Raised Eggs from Tangletown Farm. Lila and Dave of Tangletown Farm in West Glover are committed to quality and sustainability on their diversified farm, where they raise pastured meats and delicious eggs!  Meat Share  It's a meat week! This month's meat share includes a Pete's Greens Whole Chicken, McKnight Ground Beef, VT99 Ham Steak, and VT99 Bacon. Pete's Greens Pastured Chickens live a charmed chicken existence, roaming the fields and eating green forage. This diet makes them a much more nutrient-dense meat than many of the chickens you find out in the marketplace. These chickens are good sized birds that are great for any purpose: they can be grilled or roasted whole, or cut into pieces and used for various dishes.     McKnight Farm is an organic farm that raises dairy and beef cows in East Montpelier, VT. McKnight Farm, like our farm, uses solar panels to offset their operation and energy expenditures. In fact, their solar array meets all of their electricity needs! This month we are sending you McKnight Farm's Ground Beef- great for burgers, meatballs, etc. VT99 is our collaboration with Jasper Hill Farm, where we raise pigs on vegetable scraps, whey (from their cheese making), and pasture. This month we're sending you a VT99 Ham Steak, a cured ham that will make a quick and tasty weeknight meal- just cook it in a pan or on the grill. You'll also receive Uncured Bacon from VT99, a thick-cut, nitrate-free bacon that is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Recipes   Napa Cabbage Salad 1/2 cup slivered almonds 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1 pound napa cabbage, chopped 2 scallions, thinly sliced (or sub cipollinis) 1/4 cup chopped cilantro Freshly ground pepper Preheat the oven to 350°. In a pie plate, bake the almonds for 5 minutes. Let cool. In a bowl, mix the oil, vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. Add the cabbage, scallions and cilantro and toss. Add the almonds and season with pepper. Toss again and serve. Green Bean and Pasta Salad You can add any of your favorite vegetables to this recipe, sauteed beforehand or added to the boiling pasta water with the green beans. 4 ounces penne (1 1/4 cups) 4 ounces green beans, halved crosswise (about 1 cup) 1 cup canned red or kidney beans, rinsed 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (2 ounces) 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice kosher salt and black pepper Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the green beans during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain and run under cold water to cool. Toss the cooled pasta and green beans with the red beans, parsley, Parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Divide the salad between 2 containers and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Bacon & Egg Pizza You might ask, is this a recipe for breakfast? For lunch? For dinner? Yes! 1 pizza dough drizzle of olive oil 1/2c chunky tomato sauce 1-1/2c mozzarella, shredded 4-5 bacon slices, cooked crisp and broken in bite-size pieces 4-5 medium eggs 1/4c scallions, sliced salt and pepper red chile flakes Preheat oven to 475. Roll pizza dough out thin and place in pizza pan. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, then spread a thin layer of chunky tomato sauce (or your favorite pizza sauce). Sprinkle on mozzarella. Carefully crack eggs and place on pizza. Scatter bacon and scallions over top. Salt and pepper the eggs. Carefully place pizza in oven, taking caution not to cause the eggs to slide. Bake for 11-14 minutes, until crust is done and eggs are as desired (I cooked mine until almost medium, slightly runny, at 12 minutes). Serve immediately (eggs will continue to cook as you let it sit) with red chile flakes, as desired. Blueberry Feta Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing     6 c. mixed greens     1 c. blueberries     4 oz. crumbled feta cheese     ¼ c. almonds     red onion slivers, to taste     For the Dressing:     ⅓ c. olive oil     ⅓ c. golden balsamic vinegar     1 Tbsp. lemon juice     1 Tbsp. honey     1 tsp. poppy seeds     ¼ tsp. pepper Layer salad ingredients in large salad bowl or platter. Prepare dressing by combining all ingredients in a container with a lid; shake vigorously to combine. Toss salad with dressing. 1, 2, 3, 4