Good Eats Weekly Newsletter - June 14, 2017

Welcome to the Summer CSA Share!

Localvore Members  & Regular Veggie Only Share Members take a LIGHT GREEN BAG This week your bag contains: Mesclun, Basil, Kale, Pearl Onions, Beet Bunch, Rhubarb, Russet Potatoes, and Out of the Bag: Tomatoes Half Veggie Only Members take a YELLOW BAG containing: Lettuce Head, Chard, Parsley, Rhubarb, Russet Potatoes, and Out of the Bag: Tomatoes Localvore Offerings Include: Slowfire Bakery Bread Lazy Lady Farm Cheese Tangletown Farm Eggs Around the Farm... Welcome to the Good Eats Summer Share! I'm so glad you're with us. For Summer CSA members, I'm Taylar, the (new-ish) CSA Manager at Pete's Greens. I'm passionate about our local food system and getting good, healthy (for our bodies and our planet) food to more Vermonters. I love tomatoes and chard - and any cooking green - and I'm so excited to be with you for the whole summer! Each Tuesday, you'll receive this newsletter with news about the farm, recipes, storage and use tips for the week's veggies, and more.  We have three delivery drivers on the road on Wednesdays. They're all friendly, and they all work hard to make sure your shares are delivered on time and in the excellent condition they were leaving our farm. But, if you ever have any questions about your share, or any issues at pickup, don't hesitate to reach out! I will try to resolve any issues ASAP. Email is typically best but you can call us at 586-2882, ext 2. For folks who signed up and paid for their share during our coffee mug promo, we'll send those out in a couple weeks! Thanks for being a part of our community! ~ Taylar Mark your calendars for Kingdom Farm and Food Days, August 18 - 20, with Pete's Greens Open Farm Day Saturday, August 19!

Pickup Instructions Whether you're a seasoned CSA member or new to the Season, please review the instructions about picking up your CSA share to avoid errors! Check the Weekly Names List Each week there will be a Weekly Names List with instructions about what items to take. Please check off your name so we know whether or not you've picked up your share! Choose your Items If you're receiving a Full Vegetable Only or Localvore Share, please take a pale green bag (and any "out of bag" items). If you're receiving a Half Vegetable Only or Half Veggie with Pantry Share, please take a yellow bag (and any "out of bag" items). Localvore and Pantry items will be out of bag. Please check the coolers for any cold items. Problems at pickup? Sometimes, mistakes happen. Please contact us via email if you have any problems. We may not get any notes left on the names list. The first MEAT SHARE delivery is July 5/6.     The pale green bag (left) and the yellow bag (right)     Pete's Musings: A Day in the Life of a Farmer June 12, 2017 4:15 am, wake up, email for 1/2 hour, plan the day for multiple crews. 5 am, run to Hardwick to check crops there, notice that newly seeded carrots need to be flame weeded later today. 5:30 am, harvest baby greens-they are finally growing well now that weather is warmer and drier. 7 am, talk to shop guys about equipment repairs, learn that a critical tillage tool that we need tomorrow won't be repaired by then. Note to self, plan further ahead. (Not the first time I've made that note to self!) 7:20 am, run home, grab a bite, play hide and seek with my 2 year old Bee for 15 minutes. She tells me where to hide and looks through her fingers while she counts but it's still the most exciting game on earth.  More email.  7:45 am, harvest more greens, talk to washhouse crew about greens washing.  9:00 am, rake rye straw for baling. We have an enormous crop and hoped to be done baling yesterday but there are just endless quantities of straw. The yellow bales are so pretty in the field. 11:00 am, trial run of mulching young vegetables with finely chopped, 1/2 inch long straw. This is a project we've been working on for a couple years and we're finally putting all the pieces together. Hope to mulch most of our veggie production in the coming years.  Noon, scout crops, amazed by the heavy berry set on a strawberry patch that got very little care, send photos of garlic to UVM Extension as the leaves have yellow tips though the crop looks great otherwise. Make work plan for greenhouse work. 1:00 pm, mow 20 acres of heavy grass/clover cover crop in a field that is transitioning to organic. We're feeding the soil this year with cover crops and will grow veggies there next year.  3:00 pm, check in with washhouse crew, check on straw baling, rake some more straw.  4:30 pm, plan trip to Ontario for later week to visit garlic farms and attend a garlic field day.  4:45 pm, post ads on Craigs list for equipment we have for sale. 5:15 pm, rake some more straw, have an exciting moment when I smelled smoke and realized that the baler that Steve was driving in front of me had caught on fire. Some very fine straw dust had gotten hot enough to light-it was easy to put out but equipment fires are scary.  7 pm, home for dinner and another hour of hide and seek with Bee.  ~ Pete Pete and Bee last fall Storage and Use Tips  Mesclun and Greens: Each week, we try to provide you with fresh greens. This week, full share members receive a mesclun mix of baby greens. The greens are already washed and ready to eat. Best when eaten within a week and stored in plastic in the crisper drawer.  Half Shares are getting a head of Romaine lettuce. Basil (full shares): 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. The basil is inside your mesclun. Parsley (half shares):  Parsley has lots of benefits: many claim that flat-leaf parsley has more flavor than curly but all parsley has huge nutritional benefits - high in vitamins A, C, and K, and in folic acid (great for pregnant women!). The activity of parsley's volatile oils qualifies it as a "chemoprotective" food, meaning it can help neutralize particular types of carcinogens. Try adding parsley stems to your simmering stock, both to impart flavor and help clarify the broth. It can be sprinkled an a host of different recipes, including salads, vegetables sautes, and grilled fish. It can be a rub for chicken lamb, and beef when combined with garlic, lemon zest, and salt. A nice way to store is to place the parsley bunch stems in a glass of water, like flowers in a vase, and then cover loosely with a plastic bag and keep in the fridge.  If this is too finicky, just store loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in crisper drawer. Parsley is a great addition to your potatoes this week or with tomato dishes. Rainbow Chard (half shares): This beautiful chard is so colorful, you can almost taste the variety of vitamins and nutrients packed inside each stem and leaf! Chard is best eaten cooked but can be eaten raw - try it in a smoothie! It can be used as a substitute for many recipes that call for spinach or other greens but cook the stems first as they take longer than the leaves. Eat is as a side dish braised one of two ways: Put a little olive oil or butter, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and half a minced onion in a saute pan. Put in chopped chard, cover tightly, and cook until wilted. Then add red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, salt, and serve! Store it wrapped in plastic. Beet Bunches: In Full share bags, these bunched beets were freshly harvested and have their tops on. You can eat beet greens as well as the roots. The tops are great in salads or sautéed (definitely edible & enjoyable!). Beets are great this time of year grilled in a foil pouch with other veggies, or shaved thinly over salads. Rhubarb: Rhubarb is a very old plant, and has been harvested by man for over 4000 years. Only the stalks of rhubarb are eaten, the leaves of the rhubarb plant are not edible. Rhubarb is perfect for summer pie! Even more simply, you can slice up what you have and add to it enough strawberries to make 6 cups total. Mix strawberries and slices of rhubarb (1/2" thick) together with 1 cup of sugar, pour it into a pie shell, top it with the other crust (or streusel) and bake it. Store in your fridge in the crisper drawer until ready to use. You may remove the strings of the rhubarb but they should also break down during the cooking process. Pearl Onions: Full share members will receive bunches of pearl onions. These small onions but have a mild, sweet flavor. They are often pickled, but also make a tasty addition to sautés and meat dishes.  Kale (full shares): The kale bunches going out this week are a mix of lacinato or green kale- you will receive one of the two. You can use different types of kale interchangeably in recipes, but Lacinato works well in Italian dishes (soups and pastas), while curly kale is great pan-cooked to bring out a new dimension of its flavor. Tomatoes: Red, pink, and heirloom variety tomatoes this week for both shares! Tomatoes are out of your veggie bags and in a separate paper bag. Please, only take 1 bag of tomatoes! Try a simple salad of tomato wedges and basil tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and vinegar. 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. 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 Shelf, or you can skip your share delivery and you will retain a credit on your account toward the purchase of your next share. Sorry, we cannot make changes to the week's delivery after Monday. Localvore Lore This week you're receiving a loaf of: Chive Ciabatta from Slowfire Bakery. Light, airy, bubbly sourdough with fresh chives and chive blossoms from 3 Crows Farm in Jeffersonville (where Scott Medellin and his bakery are located).  Great with soft cheese, butter, or dipping oil; cut in half laterally, brushed with oil & aromatics, and grilled; or cut in sections to use as burger buns. Lazy Lady Farm is located in Westfield. Laini Fondiller raises goats and make goat and cow's milk cheese using organic practices on a renewable-energy powered farm. She's a true pioneer in Vermont's cheesemaking history, having owned her business for over 30 years! Enjoy this fresh goat's milk cheese as is or atop a slice of Slowfire's fresh bread. Tangletown Farm provides fresh eggs this week. Tangletown is run by Lila Bennett and they're neighbors of ours just down the road in West Glover. Lila takes wonderful care of her free-ranging hens, feeding them healthy and well. This Summer, you can expect eggs to appear in your share on a regular basis. If you split a share with another family, you may want to coordinate so that one of you isn't always getting the eggs. We do have Tangletown eggs available for sale on our bulk orders website. Recipes Find more recipes by searching our website or looking through past newsletters here. Pasta with Chard and Garlic Chips An easy option for a lazy night in the kitchen.  Good and garlicky.  Subsitute any cooking greens for the chard (kale, pac choi, whatever you have left in the fridge).  1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 6 cloves garlic, cloves peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise though I am sure crosswise would work as well 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped 1/4 cup dried currants (optional) 1 bunch chard, stems and center ribs finely chopped and leaves coarsely chopped separately 1/4 cup water 1/2 pound spaghetti 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, cut into slivers 3 ounces feta, crumbled (1 1/2 cups) Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook garlic, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer garlic with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.  Cook onion in oil remaining in skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir chard stems into onion mixture with water and 3/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook, covered, over medium-high heat until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in chard leaves and cook, covered, until stems and leaves are tender, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 5 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water and drain spaghetti. Toss spaghetti with chard, olives, and 1/2 cup cooking water, adding more cooking water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with feta and garlic chips. Sesame Ginger Beet Greens or Kale A simple side dish recipe for your beet greens or kale. 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds 4 cups loosely packed beet greens 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tsp grated gingerroot 1 pinch salt 1/2 tsp sesame oil In small skillet over medium heat, toast sesame seeds until golden, about 3 minutes; set aside. Trim stems from small young beet greens or remove centre rib from larger mature beet greens. In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beet greens, garlic, ginger and salt. Cover and steam until greens are wilted, about 3 minutes. Drizzle with sesame oil; sprinkle with reserved sesame seeds. Glazed Pearl Onions 2 pounds pearl onions 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoons sugar Kosher salt 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves Using a paring knife, trim off the ends of each onion and score a light "X" into one cut side. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add onions and cook until outer layers are soft, about 1 1/2 minutes. Drain onions and run under cool water until cold enough to handle. Peel onions with your fingers and discard peels. Transfer onions to a large saucepan or high-sided sauté pan and cover with water. Add butter and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring and shaking pan occasionally, until onions are completely tender and sauce water has reduced and emulsified with the butter into a glossy glaze, about 25 minutes (if butter looks greasy or broken, add 2 tablespoons of water and shake pan to bring glaze back together). Season to taste with salt. Stir in parsley, and serve. Black Kale and Black Olive Salad This salad calls for lacinato kale, sliced thin and served raw, and it's delicious. Try combining the kale with black olives and a little shaved Parmesan for a full flavored, earthy, briny salad. It's also a sturdy salad that can be dressed an hour or two ahead of serving. 1 large bunch Lacinato kale (about 1 pound), cut into thin ribbons 1/2 cup black olives, pitted and chopped 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar Salt and black pepper Combine the kale, olives, and Parmesan in a large bowl. Drizzle with the oil and vengar, sprinkle with salt (not too much) and lots of pepper, and toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to an hour. Kale Chips If you haven't made them yet, do try.  They are delicious, fun, super easy to make.  They come out crispy with a very satisfying potato chip like crunch.  You can try different toppings ...  chili powder, parmesan cheese etc, to flavor them further, but the simple oil and salt I have given below really is great. 1 large bunch kale, tough stems removed, leaves torn into pieces 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt Position racks in upper third and center of oven; preheat to 400°F. If kale is wet, very thoroughly pat dry with a clean kitchen towel; transfer to a large bowl. Drizzle the kale with oil and sprinkle with salt. Using your hands, massage the oil and salt onto the kale leaves to evenly coat. Fill 2 large rimmed baking sheets with a layer of kale, making sure the leaves don't overlap. (If the kale won't all fit, make the chips in batches.) Bake until most leaves are crisp, switching the pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through, 8 to 12 minutes total. (If baking a batch on just one sheet, start checking after 8 minutes to prevent burning.) Swiss Chard, Mushroom, and White-Cheddar Quiche This creamy family-style quiche combines custard with vegetables and cheese, and pairs them with a delectable, flaky shell for a relaxed approach to brunch. FOR THE CRUST 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and frozen until firm 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface Coarse salt 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons ice water FOR THE FILLING 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 2 large garlic cloves, minced 1 bunch Swiss chard (12 ounces), stems and ribs removed, washed and coarsely chopped (8 cups) 9 large eggs 3 1/4 cups half-and-half 2 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar (6 1/2 ounces) Make the crust: Pulse butter, flour, and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor until it resembles coarse meal with some large pieces. Whisk together egg, yolk, and water. Pulse flour mixture, drizzling with egg mixture, until dough forms. Turn out dough onto plastic wrap; shape into a rectangle, and wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. Roll out dough to a 14-by-21-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Fit dough into sheet. Fold excess under, and pinch to form a crust that comes 1/2 inch above rim. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with 1 rack in middle position and 1 rack in the lower third. Line dough with parchment, pressing flush and leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Top with dried beans or pie weights. Fold parchment over crust edges. Bake on lower rack, rotating halfway through, for 40 minutes. Remove beans and parchment. Bake until golden brown and crisp, 15 to 17 minutes more. Let cool slightly on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Make the filling: Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over high heat. Cook mushrooms until tender, about 8 minutes (adjust heat if needed). Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper; transfer to a bowl. Let skillet cool. Add remaining tablespoon butter. Cook garlic over low heat, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in chard; season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 6 minutes. Raise heat to high. Cook until liquid evaporates. Toss chard with mushrooms. Let cool slightly. Whisk eggs with half-and-half and 2 teaspoons salt in a bowl. Sprinkle 1 1/4 cups cheese onto tart crust. Spread mushroom-chard mixture over top. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/4 cups cheese. Slowly and evenly pour custard over cheese and vegetables. (It should come no higher than 1/4 inch from the top of crust; discard extra.) Bake on middle rack, rotating halfway through, until custard is just set, 35 to 45 minutes. Let stand on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Cut into squares. Serve immediately. Creamed Swiss Chard Creamed Swiss chard is a simple variation on classic creamed spinach. Don't forget the nutmeg: a dash of the stuff adds a dimension of flavor to the creamy sauce that pulls this entire dish together. 2 tablespoons water 4 bunches Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves cut into 1-inch strips 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups whole milk 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Coarse salt and ground pepper In a large pot, bring water to a boil over medium-high. Gradually add chard and cook until it is just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain, pressing out as much liquid as possible. In pot, melt butter. Whisking constantly, add flour and cook 1 minute. Whisking constantly, slowly add milk. Cook, whisking along bottom of pot, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chard and stir until coated. Stir in nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. ‘Big Crumb’ Coffeecake with Rhubarb Smitten Kitchen, Adapted from The New York Times 6/6/07 Butter for greasing pan For the rhubarb filling: 1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar 2 teaspoons (15 grams) cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger For the crumbs: 1/3 cup (65 grams) dark brown sugar 1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) butter, melted 1 3/4 cups (225 grams) cake flour (all purpose works great) For the cake: 1/3 cup (80 grams) sour cream 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract 1 cup (130 grams) cake flour (ditto on the all-purpose flour–worked just fine) 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons (85 grams) softened butter, cut into 8 pieces. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. For filling, slice rhubarb 1/2 inch thick and toss with sugar, cornstarch and ginger. Set aside. To make crumbs in a large bowl, whisk sugars, spices and salt into melted butter until smooth. Then, add flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. It will look and feel like a solid dough. Leave it pressed together in the bottom of the bowl and set aside. To prepare cake, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add remaining sour cream mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula. Scoop out about 1/2 cup batter and set aside. Scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. Spoon rhubarb over batter. Dollop set-aside batter over rhubarb; it does not have to be even. Using your fingers, break topping mixture into big crumbs, about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in size. They do not have to be uniform, but make sure most are around that size. Sprinkle over cake. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean of batter (it might be moist from rhubarb), 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely before serving. Yield: 6 to 8 servings. Rhubarb and Beets Rhubarb, sliced Baby beets, halved Olive oil Toss rhubarb slices with olive oil and beets. Season with salt and pepper, and roast at 375 degrees until tender. Top with walnuts to finish.