Welcome, Late Spring Share Members!
Whether you're new to Good Eats or a seasoned veteran, please take a minute to review pickup instructions below. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy this spring bounty!
|
|
|
Localvore Members
& Full Veggie Only Share Members
take a LIGHT GREEN BAG
This week your bag contains:
Mesclun Mix, Red Russian Kale (or Chard), Cucumber, Spring Dug Parsnips, Green Cabbage, Yellow Onions, Celeriac,
And OUT of the Bag:
Frozen Celery
Frozen Stir Fry
Please, only take 1 of each
|
Half Veggie Members
take a YELLOW BAG containing:
Mesclun Mix, Red Russian Kale, Green Garlic, Spring Dug Parsnips, Yellow Onions, Celeriac, and
And OUT of the Bag:
Frozen Broccoli
|
Localvore / Pantry Offerings
Vermont Fresh Pasta Fettuccine
Pete's Greens Chimichurri
Tangletown Farm Eggs
|
Picking up your Share
If you are a HALF VEGGIE or HALF VEGGIE WITH PANTRY member: pick up a YELLOW bag!
If you are a LOCALVORE or FULL VEGGIE ONLY member, please pick up a GREEN bag!
If you are a MEAT SHARE member, please pick up a RED bag!
Check the coolers for out-of-bag frozen items.
Pantry items will all be OUT OF BAG. Check the cooler!
Please CHECK OFF your name from the list and only take what is listed for your name. If there is a YES in the SPECIAL COLUMN, please look for a specially-labeled package for you!
|
|
|
Problems or Questions
If you have any questions about your pick up please email me, Taylar Foster.You can also leave a message on voice mail at 802.586.2882 x2, but in nearly all circumstances email will get a quicker response.
We do our best to make sure that every delivery and pick-up goes smoothly, but there are the occasional shortages and disappointments. Should you arrive at your pick-up spot to find that one or more of your items are missing or that some of your produce is in unsatisfactory condition, please let me know right away! If you can call or email me as soon as you discover the problem, I may be able to resolve it the same day or the following day.
Our site hosts have instructions to distribute left over food by Thursday afternoon if we have not heard back from anyone. This assures that they don't end up with bad food on their hands. If you would like to receive an item that you missed at pick-up, you must contact Taylar by Thursday morning. If we can't resolve your issue right away, a quick call or email ensures that you will get on the pick list for the following week.
Please, do not leave notes on the names list - there's no guarantee I'll get it!
|
|
|
|
Around the Farm
Last week Pete talked about a slow start to spring from the perspective of planting, but from my corner of the farm, things are moving quickly! This weekend I'm presenting at a national conference about the Northeast Kingdom Food System Plan and the Vermont Farm to Plate Strategic Action Plan. I'm presenting with Alison Low, a Good Eats member. You can read more about these plans below. I'll be down in New York City this weekend, so if you have any issues and don't hear from me right away, I'm not ignoring you - but I'll be back on Tuesday and will respond to messages then.
We're also launching a Vermont Farm Share in Brooklyn. Why send VT produce to Brooklyn? We've been hearing about a lack of really good, fresh, organic, farm-grown vegetables in many neighborhoods of the city. We grow a lot of veggies and always look for new markets where we can sell directly to consumers. We're starting with a Late Spring test share. If it works, we'll continue. Help us spread the word if you know anyone in Bushwick, Windsor Terrace, or Crown Heights! Of course we have room in our VT share still, too!
Our Late Spring Good Eats CSA share starts this week. This is a 6-week share that overlaps with our ongoing Spring Share. We're also gearing up for the Summer Share! You can reserve your spot today!
And, if that wasn't enough, we're exploring pick up sites in Plainfield and Glover. We need a minimum of 10 members to get these sites going. Send me an email if you would switch to a site there and if you can help hang posters or post to Front Porch Forum. Hearing directly from current members is the best motivation to get your neighbors to join!
~ Taylar
|
Food System Planning in Vermont and the NEK
What is a food system plan? Essentially, it covers all aspects of food - how it's grown/ produced, how it's distributed, how it's consumed, how the environment is affected - and sets goals and targets for improvements. Our NEK plan is designed to strengthen our agricultural economy and help direct resources, increase collaboration, and improve the health and wellbeing of residents.
It's exciting to get to talk about both our regional and state food systems planning work in front of a huge national crowd! Vermont is a leader in the localvore movement -- consider yourself a key reason for making that happen!
|
Storage and Use Tips
Mesclun Mix: This week's mix is baby spinach, arugula, mizuna, cress, and shoots. 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.
Flowering Red Russian Kale: The kale this week is a flowering Red Russian kale. I learned a lot about eating flowering kale while writing this. Florets from kale are perfectly edible - as are the florets from other members of the brassica family. The difference in taste between the kale leaves and the florets is very subtle. One article I read said you can cook kale florets any way you'd cook broccoli, or pair it with equally strong flavors like lemon, capers, chili, garlic, ginger, or Asian black bean sauce. You may also try blanching them briefly to tone down any bitterness. You can eat them separately from the leaves or together. Store the florets and the leaves in your crisper drawer loosely wrapped in plastic.
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.
Parsnips: Spring dug parsnips are here! We planted these parsnips last fall and dug them up last week while preparing the fields for this year's planting. This hardy crop can overwinter under the ground so the cold can bring out their sweetness. This is the first of our spring parsnips - a real treat to have. Some have been trimmed to give you only the best parts of the root. If needed, they can be trimmed again before peeling, chopping/ slicing, and cooking. Parsnips are delicious when sliced thinly and sauteed in a little butter over a low flame until tender.
Celeriac: It may not be so attractive on the outside, but rooted celery has a creamy, delicious inside with a mild celery flavor that adds depth and character to ordinary dishes. Its excellent storage ability makes celeriac a popular veggie. It's excellent mashed, roasted, in soups, or raw in salads. Use in place of potatoes. Store loosely wrapped celeriac in plastic in the fridge for 1 -2 weeks, or longer.
Fresh Green Garlic (Half shares only): This green garlic, also called garlic scallions, is a bulb of fresh garlic. You can eat the entire stalk - every bit of the green leaf is edible! These are young garlic plants that have not bulbed up fully. While these little gems look a lot like bunching onions, take a closer look and you'll see that their leaves are flat, not tubular, and they have a distinct garlic aroma. It can be stored in your fridge wrapped in a wet paper towel and wrapped in plastic for about a week. To prep, treat it like a small leek: trim off the very bottom of the bulb and use all the tender light green parts. Dark green leaves can also be saved for stock.
European Cucumber (Full shares only): First greenhouse cukes are here! These long, skinny, and seedless cukes taste like a burst of summer. Don't mind some curvy shapes - straight or curvy cukes are yummy! Ideally they like to be kept at about 50 degrees or they may go soft in a couple days. But you can keep them bagged and toss them in the crisper drawer; they'll keep a few days longer than that. This time of year they're probably perfect when eaten raw! They make a nice salad topping or snack.
Green Cabbage (Full shares only): These are some dense heads of cabbage! Your cabbage is about 3 pounds and stored very nicely this winter. This can be used in a variety of ways- shredded and added to coleslaw or on top of a salad, sauteed, roasted, or grilled. Refrigerate cabbage in a hydrator drawer. Do not remove the outer leaves before storage. Once the cabbage has been cut store in a plastic bag.
Frozen Broccoli (Half Shares only), Frozen Celery and Frozen Stir Fry (full shares only): Our frozen veggies are picked at the peak of harvest and frozen for year-round enjoyment! As with any frozen veggie, make sure you thaw it well before using. Let these veggies thaw in the fridge or you can also throw them frozen into whatever dish you're making! The stir fry is a combination of peppers, onions, carrots, and cauliflower. Try it with rice or rice noodles!
**Please, please, please: Take the correct frozen veggie! We send enough for each share member at your site, so please only take what is listed by your name!**
|
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:
Vermont Fresh Pasta: Vermont Fresh Pasta has been producing fresh pasta, ravioli, and sauces since 1992. This fresh, local, organic classic fettuccine was made for our CSA by owners Ken and Tricia Jarecki. Fresh pasta is a simple pleasure and cooks in just a couple minnutes. It makes a wonderful, quick, and easy meal topped with fresh veggies! It should be eaten within a week or frozen as it has no preservatives to extend the freshness of its ingredients. Try sauteeing some greens with garlic (fresh garlic if you're a half share member!), salt, and olive oil for a simple but fresh dish.
Pete's Greens Chimichurri: Chimichurri is an Argentinean condiment made with fresh parsley, cilantro, cider vinegar, jalapenos, garlic, olive oil, and salt. We make it at our farm kitchen with our herbs and peppers. It is usually served alongside meats, but it can also liven up a sandwich, go along with grilled potatoes, or liven up a plate of eggs and toast. For a super simple sandwich, try a slather of chimichurri and good cheese between a couple slices of good bread - garnish with some mesclun. It's coming to you frozen. Use right away or freeze before thawing out to enjoy.
Tangletown Farm eggs: Tangletown Farm is located in West Glover and is run by Lila Bennett (far right in the picture) and family. They're committed to quality and sustainability with their pastured meats and delicious eggs! Lila collects these eggs on Monday and Tuesday for super freshness!
|
Meat Share
Welcome to this month's meat share! We have a wide variety of assorted cuts for you this month from a variety of Vermont's finest pastured meat producers.
McKnight Farm T-Bone Steaks, North Hollow Farm Hot Dogs, and Maple Wind Farm Chicken Legs provide ample grilling opportunities for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend! McKnight Farm, in East Montpelier, raises beef on a solar-powered, certified organic farm. Please marinate these steaks before cooking to help them retain moisture. They differ substantially from grocery store feedlot beef in that they will be much leaner. But they are super flavorful and contain many more good-for-you nutrients as a result of their grazing.
Run by Mike and Julie Bowen (above right), North Hollow Farm in Rochester, VT raises pigs and beef without growth stimulants or antibiotics. Pigs are grown to a slaughter weight of about 150 pounds. The pigs are raised in spacious living quarters in a refurbished woodben barn that was built in 1886 - this is a long-running family-owned farm! Enjoy these all natural hot dogs any time of the year!
We reached out to our friends at Maple Wind Farm in Huntington/ Richmond for some chicken parts. Beth Whiting was happy to send along these chicken legs. Maple Wind Farm is certified organic and is also solar powered. Since 1999, they've been raising a diversity of livestock and growing a wide range of vegetables. These chicken legs can be grilled, roasted, or baked.
 
You're also receiving a variety of pork cuts from VT99, our collaboration project with the Cellars at Jasper Hill. These pigs are raised on our farm and fed the spent whey from the cheesemaking process along with extra veggies from our farm. You're receiving a pork chop, sweet Italian sausage, and sliced bacon. The sweet sausage is great for meatballs for pasta or a breakfast sausage patty. The pork chop is about 1.25 pounds of delicious loin, perfect when slow roasted in the oven with an apple cider base. The bone is still in this chop and the thickness of the cut heps keep in the juiciness and flavor. It's hard to overcook a thick bone-in pork chop like this.
|
Recipes
You can find more recipes by searching our website and/or our blog.
Braised Parsnips
1 bunch parsnips
3 tbsp. butter
1 pinch salt, pepper, and nutmeg
Chopped parsley
Clean and scrape parsnips. Slice lengthwise. Melt butter in a skillet; add parsnips and seasonings and cook covered over low heat until tender. Serve garnished with finely chopped parsley.
Citrus Herb Marinade
This is the standard steak marinade in Amy's house. The steaks that meat share members will receive tomorrow will be wonderful with this marinade. Citrus really works well to tenderize a piece of meat and this marinade never disappoints. It is quick to prepare and substitutions work out just fine. You can prepare it ahead of time and it can sit in the fridge for up to a week.
Combine and then place with steaks in a ziplock bag or other sealed container.
1/4 cup sunflower oil or olive oil
1.5 TB lemon juice
1.5 TB orange juice
1/3 c parsley (or not, we often don't have it on hand and skip)
1.5 tsp dried thyme
1 crumbled bay leaf
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp black pepper
Rosemary Rubbed Pork Chop
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pork loin chops (about 3/4 pound each) or 1 large pork chop
2 teaspoons olive oil
Combine the brown sugar, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub mixture all over chop(s). Let spices penetrate meat for a few minutes before cooking. If there's time, cover and put in refrigerator for a few hours before cooking.
If chop(s) has been refrigerated, remove them from refrigerator and let the chill dissipate for 10 to 15 minutes.
Warm a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Lay the pork chops in the pan to cook. Cook for 6 minutes, then flip the pork chop. Cook for 6 more minutes and then begin checking for doneness. The pork chop is done when the interior registers at least 145°F with an instant-read thermometer. A 1-inch thick chop will be done (medium-rare) in about 12 minutes total; cook an extra minute or two per side if you prefer your chops more well-done. Bone-in chops will also take a few extra minutes to cook.
Place the pork chops on a plate and pour the pan juices over the top. Tent loosely with foil, and let rest a few minutes before serving.
Scalloped Celeriac and Potatoes
Here’s a variation on a classic that just might be better than the original. Traditionally, scalloped potatoes are cooked in milk or cream; here, however, we cook them in stock, and the result is a more flavorful and delightfully lighter dish. The celeriac adds a brightness that assertively sets the dish apart from its classic cousin. Friend of the Farm.
Serves 6
butter for greasing the baking dish
1 pound celeriac, peeled, halved, sliced about 1/8 inch thick
1 pound baking potatoes, peeled, sliced about 1/8 inch thick
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grated Gruyère or domestic Swiss cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons butter
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with butter.
2. Place the celeriac and potatoes in alternating layers in the baking dish, seasoning every few layers with salt and pepper. At about the halfway point, add 1/3 cup cheese in an even layer; sprinkle with the thyme. Continue with the celeriac and potatoes, until you have used all of your slices (don’t go all the way to the top edge; leave a little room to allow the liquid to boil).
3. Pour the stock over the celeriac and potatoes. Dot with butter. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes more. Sprinkle the remaining 2/3 cup cheese over the top layer, add several grindings of fresh pepper, and bake until the cheese turns golden, about 15 minutes.
4. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Quinoa Chard Pilaf
This simple vegan dish combines the distinctive, nutty flavor of quinoa with chard, mushrooms, and lentils. Feel free to experiment with other ingredients if you don't have all of those listed.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 cup canned lentils, rinsed
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 quart vegetable broth
1 package frozen Swiss chard
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute 5 minutes, until onion is tender. Mix in quinoa, lentils, and mushrooms. Pour in the broth and chard. Cover, and cook 20 minutes, until chard is cooked through.
Remove the pot from heat.
Jamie Oliver's Smashed Celeriac
1 celeriac , peeled
olive oil
1 handful fresh thyme , leaves picked
2 cloves garlic , finely chopped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
3-4 tablespoons water or organic stock
Slice about 1cm/½ inch off the bottom of your celeriac and roll it on to that flat edge, so it's nice and safe to slice. Slice and dice it all up into 1cm/½ inch-ish cubes. Don't get your ruler out – they don't have to be perfect. Put a casserole-type pot on a high heat, add 3 good lugs of olive oil, then add the celeriac, thyme and garlic, with a little seasoning. Stir around to coat and fry quite fast, giving a little colour, for 5 minutes.
Turn the heat down to a simmer, add the water or stock, place a lid on top and cook for around 25 minutes, until tender. Season carefully to taste and stir around with a spoon to smash up the celeriac. Some people like to keep it in cubes, some like to mash it, but I think it looks and tastes much better if you smash it, which is somewhere in the middle. You can serve this with just about any meat you can think of.
Cabbage with Fried Egg and Toast
This is not just a good breakfast, I've had it for many a lunch and dinner. Sometimes I have a hard time believing that cabbage can be this good.
1/2 head cabbage, sliced into large ribbons
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
1 egg
1 slice good bread
sea salt and pepper
crushed red pepper flakes
Toast the slice of bread. Heat the oil over medium heat and sautee the onions until soft and translucent. Add the cabbage and cook until just softened (just until the color becomes vibrant as the cabbage heats). Pile the cabbage and onions onto the slice of bread, add a little more oil to the empty pan, and fry the egg. Place the egg on top of the cabbage, and season with sea salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Kale & Cheddar Scrambled Eggs
Kale and eggs go perfect together in this simple recipe. Try adding some sweet Italian sausage or a sausage patty for extra protein!
4 large eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ medium shallot, sliced
3½ cups of chopped kale leaves
½ cup grated Cheddar cheese
In a bowl, whisk the eggs, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of water. Set aside.
In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add the kale and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the whisked egg and grated cheddar to the kale, and mix vigorously until the eggs have set. Serve immediately with toast.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Comments