Good Eats Weekly Newsletter - May 10, 2017

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Localvore Members  & Full Veggie Only Share Members take a LIGHT GREEN BAG This week your bag contains: Mesclun Mix, Pac Choi, Mustard Greens or Red Russian Kale, Orange Carrots, Yellow Onions, Mixed Baby Potatoes, And OUT of the Bag: Frozen Poblano Pepper Frozen Cauliflower Basil Please, only take 1 of each Half Veggie Members take a YELLOW BAG containing: Braise Mix, Chard, Orange Carrots, Yellow Onions, Mixed Baby Potatoes,  And OUT of the Bag: Frozen Sweet Peppers Basil Localvore / Pantry Offerings Champlain Orchards Apples Butterworks Yogurt Tangletown Farm or Axel's Eggs Sign up for the Summer CSA Share! Sign up today for our 17-week Summer Share Starting June 14! Tomatoes! Lettuce! Broccoli! Cauliflower! Kale! Bunched carrots and beets! New potatoes! Tomatillos! Garlic scapes! Eggplant! Beans! Herbs! Peppers! AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!! Join now! All your favorite veggies... fresh from the farm! Don't forget - sign up today!

Around the Farm Winter came back to visit, but we're still working hard to get onions, potatoes, and greens in the ground! We're still balancing out our greenhouse goodness with a few frozen veggies from last fall. I do hope you'll take your frozen veggies as we can't re-use them and unfortunately leaving your frozen veggies at your site results in a tremendous waste of food that cannot be recovered. If frozen veggies aren't your thing, perhaps look to a foodbank or foodshelf in your community where you could donate them. One of our partnerships on the farm is with Salvation Farms, a gleaning organization that uses volunteer-power to rescue veggies from fields, ours included. Every time we harvest, inevitably items get left behind in the field. That's where Salvation Farms comes into play - they bring in a troop of volunteers to collect produce from the field and then it gets donated to the Vermont Foodbank. We're re-igniting our partnership with this awesome organization (Salvation Farms' founder, Theresa Snow, started the organization while working at Pete's Greens!) this summer, and we'd love to enlist your help! More info coming in the next few weeks, but you can find out more about Salvation Farms' work by clicking here. And mark your calendars for some great events coming up this summer in the NEK: June 2 - 4 - Grand Opening of The Globe/ The Highland Center for the Arts (Greensboro) June 9 - 11 - Tour de Kingdom (across the NEK) July 2 and August 30 - Circus Smirkus (Greensboro) August 18, 19, 20 - Kingdom Farm and Food Days (Craftsbury and NEK wide) Thursdays - Craftsbury Chambers Theater (Hardwick) Saturdays - find us at the Montpelier Farmers Market! ~ Taylar Storage and Use Tips  Mesclun Mix (full shares): This week's mix includes baby brassicas, arugula, and spinach. Greens are already washed and ready to eat. Store your greens in plastic in the crisper. They should last at least one week, longer if kept cool and moist. Braise Mix (half shares): The braise mix can be eaten raw or cooked. This includes spinach, baby kale, mizuna, and upland cress.  Chard: Rainbow Chard is a delicious nutritious green, high in Vitamins A, K, and C.  The beautifully colored stems are why it's called rainbow chard!  Chard works great as a spinach substitute but needs to be cooked down a bit longer.  It also works well in soups and stews, or sauteed as a side. Store in your crisper drawer loosely wrapped in plastic. Pac Choi (full shares): Bunched pac choi coming your way this week. Part of the cabbage family, this green packs in nutrition with high scores for vitamins A and C and calcium. Pac choi is mild enough to be chopped up for a salad, particularly if you give it a quick wilt in a hot pan. It's also great in stir fries and sautes and in Asian-inspired soups. As leaves become more mature, they are often served cooked; these are still fairly young. Pac choi has a mild flavor with leaves tasting similar to Swiss chard and the stems (called ribs) deliciously crispy - substitute for celery in many recipes. Store pac choi loosely wrapped in plastic in your crisper drawer. Black Mustard Greens or Red Russian Kale (full shares): Mustard greens are a type of edible greens common in many cultures across the world. They are a good source for dietary fiber and protein. These may have a little bit of spiciness but you can tone it down with a cooking acid, such as vinegar or citrus juice near the end of cooking (if you saute, boil, or steam them) or through a vinegar-based dressing (if you eat them raw). They're best stored in a plastic bag with as much air removed from them as possible. Refrigerated, black mustard greens should remain fresh for about 5 days. Some shares may receive Red Russian Kale.  Baby Potatoes: A colorful mix of a variety of potatoes! These potatoes are red, pink, russet, gold and all with different flesh and skin. Baby potatoes are great for boiling or roasting whole. Store in a cool place.  Frozen Sweet Peppers (Half Shares), Frozen Poblano Peppers and Frozen Cauliflower (full shares): These poblano peppers have a 2 star heat rating out of 5 stars - so a little bit of heat (moderately pungent) but not hot - not even medium... Johnny's Seeds catalog calls them warm! Sweet peppers are even warmer on the hotness scale, but no less enjoyable for stir fries and nachos and tacos and quiches and yummy other dishes!  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 This week's localvore / pantry items are: Butterworks Farm Yogurt: We have Butterworks Yogurt this week. At Butterworks Farm in Westfield, Jack and Annie Lazor milk a small herd of Jerseys, all of whom are born on the farm and are fed an entirely organic diet of feeds grown on the farm. Milk from Jersey cows is rich, with a high protein count and fat content. This makes their yogurt richer than others. The non-fat yogurt produced by Butterworks is the only non-fat yogurt on the market that does not contain milk thickeners like whey protein or dry milk. Their whole milk yogurt is made from just that - whole Jersey milk straight from the cows, so the yogurt comes with a cream on top and a butterfat content of 5% - a very high amount. There will be a mix of yogurts at the sites this week - this yogurt is so good it can be breakfast, morning snack, lunch, or dessert. You'd be hard pressed to find a yogurt on the market that is made with such a small carbon footprint... Butterworks is powered by renewable energy, certified organic, and committed to farming practices that are healthy, safe, and improve environmental impact. Champlain Orchards Apples: The Keepsake apple was first introduced in 1979 in Minnesota as a cross between a Malinda and a Northern Spy - it's a parent to the famous Honeycrisp apple. It is a firm apple with a crisp, juicy, light yellow flesh. It is best when eaten fresh or used for baking. Champlain Orchards is an eco-certified farm in Shoreham. This means they are committed to using ecological practices and an integrated pest management system.  Eggs: You're receiving another dozen of eggs this week. Typically, we try to send out eggs every other week. But both Axel's and Tangletown's hens have been busy and we're shifting around our schedule to send eggs this week when both our producers have a surplus. I've included a recipe from one of our share members for pickled eggs. I love adding pickled eggs to salads, along with grated raw veggies and boiled beets. Recipes You can find more recipes by searching our website and/or our blog.  Sarson ka saag (Indian mustard greens) 2 large dried red chile peppers (optional) 2 bunches fresh spinach, washed and chopped 1 bunch mustard greens, washed and chopped 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 1/4 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 teaspoon ginger paste 2 teaspoons garlic paste 1/2 tomato, chopped salt to taste 1/2 teaspoon white sugar, or to taste 1/4 cup water (optional) Place the chiles into a dry skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir until the chiles turn dark red-brown in color and give off their fragrance, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool, and remove stems of chiles; shake out the seeds, and tear the flesh of the roasted chiles into pieces. Set aside. Place the spinach into a saucepan over medium heat; place mustard greens into a separate saucepan. If leaves are dry, mix in 1 or 2 of tablespoons of water. If leaves are still wet, just cover the pans and simmer the greens until tender, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Place greens together into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse several times to break up the greens, then process to a paste, about 1 minute. Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat, and stir in the cumin seeds, stirring for about 30 seconds or until the seeds sizzle and turn a darker brown color. Mix in the onion, cook and stir until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, and mix in the roasted peppers, ginger paste, garlic paste, and tomato. Mix in the pureed greens, bring to a simmer, and stir in salt and sugar to taste. If dish is too thick, mix in up to about 1/4 cup of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the greens are the desired thickness. Sauteed Chard with Toasted Breadcrumbs This is another recipe to keep on hand, for any cooking greens.  Breadcrumbs add a great crunch to a bowl of hot buttery greens. 1 1/2 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs Coarse salt and ground pepper 1 bunch chard In a 5-quart saucepan, melt 1/2 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add fresh breadcrumbs and a pinch each of coarse salt and ground pepper. Cook, tossing, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside; wipe pan with a paper towel.  Slice chard crosswise 3/4 inch thick, keeping stems separate from greens. In pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high. Cook stems, stirring, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add greens; cover and cook over medium-low until wilted, 5 minutes. Uncover; cook, stirring, over medium-high until pan is dry, 6 to 8 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper; add a pinch of sugar, if desired. Top with breadcrumbs. Carrot Salad with Honey-Lemon Dressing I live on basic salads like this all winter when carrots are a-plenty. Sometimes, when I'm short on time, I'll just shred some carrots and apples into a bowl, add some toasted walnuts, and there's my salad. 2 tablespoons walnut oil or canola oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon honey 1 small shallot, minced 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 cups shredded carrots, (about 4 medium) 1 cup peeled and shredded celery root 1/4 cup golden raisins 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted Whisk oil, lemon juice, honey, shallot, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add carrots, celery root, raisins and walnuts; toss to combine. Quick Stir Fry of Pac Choi & Peppers  1 lb. pac choi 1 lb. sweet peppers, chopped (try throwing in your frozen peppers!) 1 Tbsp fresh ginger root, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp sunflower oil (or another mild oil like canola) Separate the pac choi leaves and cut off the chunky stalks. Slice the stalks finely. Roughly chop the leaves. Heat the sunflower oil in a wok or sautee pan. Add the garlic, peppers and ginger. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Add the pac choi stalks. Toss well. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add the pac choi leaves. Stir and then cook for 1 minute, until they are barely wilted. Add soy/tamari and sesame oil and toss. Roasted baby potatoes with rosemary Try throwing in your basil along with the rosemary, or instead of the rosemary! 2 pounds small potatoes (your shares this week each have 2 pounds of potatoes) 6 cloves garlic, cracked away from skin 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, enough to just coat potatoes 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped Salt and freshly ground black pepper Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Halve potatoes and place on a cookie sheet. Combine with cracked cloves of garlic. Coat potatoes and garlic with extra-virgin oil and season with rosemary, salt and pepper. Place potatoes on center rack of oven and roast 20 minutes, until just tender. Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray