Good Eats Weekly Newsletter - April 12, 2017

Having trouble viewing this message, please click here Localvore Members  & Full Veggie Only Share Members take a LIGHT GREEN BAG This week your bag contains: Mesclun Mix, Red Norland Potatoes, Rainbow Carrots, Red Cabbage, Yellow Onions, And OUT of the Bag: Frozen Spinach Frozen Zucchini/ Summer Squash Basil!  Please, only take 1 of each Half Veggie Members take a YELLOW BAG containing:   Mesclun Mix, Mizuna, Red Norland Potatoes, Red Cabbage, Yellow Onions, And OUT of the Bag: Frozen Spinach Localvore / Pantry Offerings Gleason Grains Snake Mountain Flour Pete's Greens Chimichurri Pete's Greens/ Champlain Orchards Carrot- Apple Squeeze Our day started out at the Pete's Greens Waterbury Farm Market somewhere around... 5:30 am. Along the way we delivered to wholesale stops, like Hotel Vermont in Burlington. We got to Shelburne Vineyard (above) around 11 am. I hung my cap up around 4:30 pm. Whew! Around the Farm... Planting is in full swing inside our greenhouses and with warm weather, everything is starting to come up! We're in a bit of a transition as our summer crew starts to arrive. We have a new delivery driver learning the ropes, so if you see Steve out there, don't be afraid to say hi! Last week I joined Steve out on the road visiting CSA sites across Chittenden County. It was wonderful to see the sites and check in on our site hosts. Some pictures are below of our trip out. I learned a lot and really appreciate the long day of a delivery driver! For those of you in the NEK, we're exploring starting a CSA site in Glover. If you know anyone in that area interested in joining Pete's Greens, please have them contact me! Thanks! ~ Taylar Storage and Use Tips    Mesclun Mix: Lettuce is here! The mesclun mix this week features our first cuts of lettuce plus claytonia and a little baby brassica mix. The mesclun is washed and ready to eat right out of the bag.   Basil (large shares only): First basil is up! This marvelous herb is a member of the mint family. It is a staple in Mediterranean cooking as well as Thai, Vietnamese, and Laotian. The herb is highly aromatic, or put another way, the oils in basil are highly volatile. Thus, it is best to add the herb near the end of the cooking process so it will retain its maximum essence and flavor. Basil should be kept in a plastic bag or kept stem-down in a glass of water with plastic over the leaves, for about a week with regular water changing. Keep your basil out of extreme cold as it could damage the fragile leaves.   **All the basil for your site will be in a large plastic bag. Full veggie share members/ Localvore members, please take only your bunch of basil.**   Red Norland Potatoes: With a red outer skin and crisp white flesh, these are good storage potatoes for boiling, steaming, or roasting. They make a great red potato salad with skin on, or toss with olive oil, garlic, and herbs. You can also just go for it and smother them with good old butter.   Mizuna Bunches (Small shares only): Also known as spider mustard, mizuna is a Japanese mustard green with tender leaves and a pleasant, peppery flavor. You could substitute it, chopped, in a salad calling for arugula. It adds a nice zest to a stir-fry or saute too. Store mizuna unwashed and loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer. Rainbow Carrots: Large, multi-colored carrots have a lot of kitchen functionality. Enjoy them raw or cooked, on their own or as flavor to a variety of other dishes. Store carrots loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer.  Frozen Spinach (both shares) and Frozen zucchini/ summer squash (large shares): A little frozen greens to complement your fresh greens. Make sure to wring the spinach out completely of water for best use. Try scrambling it in your eggs, making spanakopita, or tossing it into your pasta dish. Try mixing the zucchini in with stir fry or make a nice loaf of zucchini bread. I often throw shredded zucchini in my waffle batter for a little extra veggie in the morning. Need to Skip a Week? If you're ever not able to pick up your share, please let us know at least one week in advance. We can either skip your share and give you credit, send it the next week, or donate it to the food pantry. It's up to you! Sorry, we cannot skip a share or change pick-up sites after noon on Monday. Localvore Lore   We're excited to share with you our new collaboration project: the Carrot- Apple Squeeze! We don't typically include beverages in the pantry share but this is an exciting new project for us. Inside every pint of this juice is one pound of Pete's Greens organic rainbow carrots and two pounds of Champlain Orchards sustainably grown apples! This is a great way to get a serving of fruits AND veggies AND keep it local! Pints are available at select retailers around Vermont. If your local store doesn't carry it, ask them to contact Champlain Orchards!  Gleason Grains of Bridport, VT grew and milled this Snake Mountain Sifted Wheat Flour. Last week you got to taste some of Gleason Grains' flour in the Red Hen bread. This week its a 5 pound bag of the sifted wheat flour from Ben & Theresa Gleason. This flour is produced by taking vinely milled whole wheat flour and sifting around 50% of the bran out, but leaving the nutrient packed germ intact. The end result is a lighter wheat flour that can be used in many places you would use an all purpose flour with a tastier and healthier result. The flour is wonderful for breads and pizza dough and you can use it for muffins, pancakes, and baked goodies - you can even mix this flour and an all-purpose white together. Chimichurri is an Argentinian sauce made from cilantro and parsley. It has a little bit of a heat to it and is a perfect complement to beef dishes. It's also a wonderful spread or topping for eggs, or a spread for sandwiches or crackers. We make this chimichurri on our farm with our own farm-grown herbs. ​ Recipes Here are a couple recipes to help you stir up the creative culinary juices this week. You can find more recipes by searching our website and/or our blog.  Baby Greens with Roasted Carrots and Potatoes This is a wonderful early spring salad.  For vinaigrette 1/2 tablespoons tarragon white-wine vinegar 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 cup olive oil For salad 2 medium carrots 1 lb small new potatoes (about 1 inch in diameter) or fingerlings (1 to 1 1/2 inches long), scrubbed well 1 teaspoon olive oil 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 bag shoots mesclun mix 1/3 cup fresh basil, chives or other fresh herbs Whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Chop potatoes and carrots into 1" chunks.  Toss carrots and potatoes with oil and salt in a small baking pan and roast in lower third of oven, shaking pan occasionally, until veggies are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Add potatoes and carrots to all greens and herbs. Add vinaigrette and toss gently to coat. Basil Puree This is a great way to use your basil.  The puree is very similar to pesto without the cheese and nuts.  It's thinner and lighter and a great addition to grilled zucchini, roasted pepper, or green beans. 1 small clove garlic Sea salt 1 bunch basil 1/3 cup olive oil Pound the garlic in a mortar with 1/4 tsp salt until smooth.  Set aside. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the basil leaves, and leave them for just a few seconds until they're bright green, then drain immediately.  In a food processor or blender, puree the drained leaves, garlic mixture, and olive oil until smooth.  Season to tast.  The sauce is best used immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container for 1-2 days. Mustard-Roasted Potatoes You should really keep this on hand for any roots, anytime.  Keep it in a jar like salad dressing, ready for the roasting pan of CSA veggies. Try it with turnips, carrots, whatever you want.  If you like it, you'll like it with anything. Nonstick vegetable oil spray 1/2 cup whole grain Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick or 1/2 ounce) butter, melted 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt 3 pounds 1- to 1 1/2-inch-diameter mixed unpeeled red-skinned and white-skinned potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch-wide wedges Position 1 rack in top third of oven and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Spray 2 large rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray. Whisk mustard, olive oil, butter, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, lemon peel, and salt in large bowl to blend. Add potatoes; sprinkle generously with freshly ground black pepper and toss to coat. Divide potatoes between prepared baking sheets, leaving any excess mustard mixture behind in bowl. Spread potatoes in single layer. Roast potatoes 20 minutes. Reverse baking sheets and roast until potatoes are crusty outside and tender inside, turning occasionally, about 25 minutes longer. Transfer potatoes to serving bowl. Potato Zucchini Cakes with Kale Here's one that avoids long cooking times on hot evenings, but packs in some veggies.  These with a side salad will make a nice simple meal. 2 potatoes, peeled and grated 2 small zucchini, grated (try subbing in your frozen zucchini, but thawed and well drained) 1/2 bunch kale, stems removed, wilted, and finely chopped (ends up being about a cup. You can also substitute spinach, chard, or other greens here) 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour (or sifted or even white of course if that's what you have) 2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper Oil for pan frying In a mixing bowl, combine grated potato, grated zucchini, and wilted kale.  Squeeze out as much water as possible.  Then add egg, flour, salt, and pepper, and stir until completely combined. Heat a large fry pan over medium high heat and add a shallow layer of oil.  Once the oil is hot, make patties of the potato mixture in your hands one at a time, and carefully add them to the hot oil.  The oil should be bubbling around the sides of the potato pancakes.  If it’s not, your oil isn’t hot enough and your pancakes will absorb too much oil and come out greasy. When the second side has browned, remove from pan with a spatula and place on a plate covered in paper towels to absorb some of the oil. Continue cooking the rest of your potato pancakes this same way, adding more oil to the pan in between batches if necessary. Creamed Spinach Fair warning, spinach shrinks when it is cooked - this makes for a single serving of creamed spinach.   But that is also why it's awesome.  It is the perfect warm snack just for yourself. 1/2 pound fresh spinach, tough stems discarded 1/3 cups heavy cream or whole milk, or a mix thereof 1/4 onion, finely chopped 1 small clove garlic, minced (optional) 1 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg Wash your spinach well but no need to spin or pat it dry. Place spinach in a large pot over high heat. Cook, covered, with just the water clinging to leaves, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Press or squeeze out the excess liquid any number of ways, either by wringing it out in cheesecloth, putting it in a mesh strainer and pressing the moisture out with a spatula or large spoon or letting it cool long enough to grab small handfuls and squeezing them to remove as much water as possible. Coarsely chop the wrung-out spinach. Wipe out large pot so you can use it again. Heat milk or cream in a small saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until warm. Keep warm. Meanwhile, cook onion and garlic, if using, in butter in your wiped-out large pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about six minutes. Whisk in flour and cook roux, whisking, about three minutes. Add warm milk or cream in a slow stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, and simmer, whisking, until thickened, three to four minutes. Stir in nutmeg, spinach, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until heated through. Ben Gleason's Whole Wheat Pancakes 2 cups milk 2 cups flour, whole wheat pastry 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup blueberries 2 teaspoons honey 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 egg 2 tablespoons butter Preheat griddle or frying pan on medium heat. Mix milk, eggs, and honey until frothy. Add butter and mix. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently stir dry ingredients into wet. Fold blueberries in gently. Do not over mix, even though batter may be a bit lumpy and runny. Melt a teaspoon of butter and spread over pan. Ladle 1/4-1/2 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook the pancakes until bubbles appear on top, flip over, and cook for another 1 or 2 minutes until done. Add more butter to pan as needed.