Just TWO weeks left of the Summer CSA Share!
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PLEASE READ THE STORAGE & USE TIPS BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT THIS WEEK'S PICKUP
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Localvore & Regular Veggie Only Share Members take a LIGHT GREEN BAG
This week your bag contains:
Spinach, Red Leaf Lettuce, Parsley, Wax Beans, Edamame, Rainbow Carrots, Cauliflower, Yellow Onions, Gold Potatoes
Out of the Bag:
Tomatoes
Melon (Craftsbury, St J, Newport, Essex, Middlesex, Johnson, Waitsfield)
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Half Veggie Only Members
take a YELLOW BAG
containing:
Spinach, Cilantro, Edamame, Pac Choi, Rainbow Carrots, Gold Potatoes,
Out of the Bag
Tomatoes
Melon
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Localvore Offerings Include:
Cellars at Jasper Hill Cabot Clothbound
Pete's Greens Chimichurri
Champlain Orchards Apples
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Fall / Winter Share starts October 11!
Sign up today!
Check out the new share options and sign up today!
Everyday Standard
&
Everyday Large
For the whole family!
Lean & Green
For the salad lover!
Fancy
For home chefs!
Pete's Pantry
Stock up on local non-veggie items!
Meat
For the pastured meat lover
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Around the Farm
On Saturday, a small group of us spent the day in Montreal at the Jean-Talon Market. If you've never been, I highly recommend it! This time of year especially the market is bursting with veggie varieties! The market is huge and is both inside and outside. Organic & conventional veggie vendors from around Quebec come to the market and you can also find flowers, meat, cheese, mushrooms, and more. It was about 2 1/2 - 3 hours from our farm and a lovely day trip - perfect weather for browsing and site seeing!
Eloise, our farmstand manager, used to live in the neighborhood around the market and showed us some of the Green Alley projects she used to work on (like the alley at the right); projects to slow down traffic, beautify the neighborhood, and provide environmental benefits like reducing stormwater runoff and reducing temperature from heat trapped in pavement.
We got to meet with Jean-Martin Fortier (below), an organic veggie farmer in Quebec who is highly successful on a small piece of land. We tried some fresh corn and munched on berries - all in season in this fertile area! It was fun day of team-building and site seeing, while providing us with some ideas for new veggies to grow and new ways of displaying produce.
~ Taylar
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Message from Pete
Currently hydroponic produce (grown in a fertilizer solution without soil) is allowed to be certified organic. I don't have any particular problem with hydroponic produce, but I don't believe it should be certified organic. As organic farmers, we spend most of our time working to improve our soils, feeding and nourishing our land so that it provides what our crops need. Hydroponics are completely different from that-it's a different system in which the amount of fertilizer in the water solution is adjusted daily to feed the crop. I'll be testing against hydroponic organics at the National Organic Standards Board meeting this Oct. in Florida. See below info on a couple rallies planned for this fall for keeping the soil in organic. Hope to see you at one of the Vermont rallies!
~ Pete
Save the Dates! Rallies to “Keep the Soil in Organic”
Oct. 8th and Oct 15th
ALSO - Saturday, September 23 - Rally in Quebec at L'Abri Vegetal Farm, Coaticook Valley
Save the dates to join fellow organic farmers, eaters, and movement leaders at the Intervale Center (180 Intervale Rd) in Burlington on Sunday, October 8th.
A second rally is being planned for Sunday, October 15th on the green at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. These are just two of dozens of rallies happening around the country this fall in solidarity with organic producers growing in, and caring for the soil.
Tractor parades at each rally will start rolling at noon, followed by brief speeches, local food, live music, and lively celebrations!
Speakers at the Intervale rally include: Senator Bernie Sanders (scheduled), Eliot Coleman, Lt. Governor David Zuckerman, Maddie Monty, Christa Alexander, Taylor Hutchison, Will Raap, Joe Tisbert and Pete Johnson
Above: A crew from Pete's Greens at a similar rally in 2015.
Speakers at the Hanover rally include NOFA VT executive director Enid Wonnacott, farmers Roger Noonan, Lisa McCrory, Will Allen, Jake Guest, Dave Chapman, Karl Hammer, Michael Phillips and Davey Miskell
Please join us as we rally together to take back the National Organic Program (NOP) from corporate influence and reclaim the lost meaning of organic. Organic integrity has suffered in recent years as a flood of hydroponic vegetables and berries and products from animal confinement operations have forced their way into the Program. Join us in sending a strong message to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) that animal confinement and hydroponic production have no place in organic. Real organic is based on healthy soil and working with natural systems, not imitating and replacing them. We are preparing for a historic NOSB vote in November on reconfirming fertile soil as the foundation of organic farming.
Please join Vermont and New Hampshire organic farmers in demanding that the NOP honor its commitment to real organic.
Contacts:
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Storage and Use Tips
Spinach: Your bagged green this week is spinach! Use raw for your salad or cook up.
Cauliflower (full shares): White OR Purple cauliflower!! Enjoy raw or cooked. I love roasting cauliflower with olive oil, salt, and blue cheese. Or make "steaks" with it by slicing the cauli into thick slabs, coating with olive oil, and roasting in the oven or sauteing on the stovetop. The cauliflowers in Montreal at the market were YUGE!!! (That's me!)
Edamame: This is the funky looking tree in your boxes! Soybean varieties grown for eating the beans from the pod are called edamame. Long common in the Japanese diet, in recent years edamame has been gaining popularity in the US and now even kids in daycare have their little containers of beans for lunch. And no wonder because it's incredibly easy to prepare, the beans are delicious, and they pack a lot of nutrition into a very small package. A half cup of shelled edamame (from approx 1.25 cups of pods) contains 9 g fiber, 11 g protein, and a good amount of Vitas A and C. Edamame freezes really well too. Just blanch pods in boiling water for 2-3 mins, drain and cool in ice water, and freeze in a single layer, then bag. Edamame should not sit in the fridge for days before you get around to eating it. Like all beans they are better the fresher they are. If you won't eat them in the next few days, freeze them!
Pac Choi (half shares): Part of the cabbage family, it 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 soups (and other soups too). As leaves become more mature they are more often served cooked. Pac Choi has a mild flavor. The leaves taste similar to Swiss chard and the stems (called ribs) are deliciously crispy and can be substituted for celery in recipes. Store pac choi loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer.
Carrots: Beautiful, large, rainbow carrots this week! Carrots are a great versatile staple veggie. These are perfect for munching, roasting, baking, shredding, and a whole host of other ideas. Store carrots in your crisper drawer.
Tomatoes: Please read the instructions at your site carefully! If you pick up at these sites, you will pick up TWO bags of tomatoes: Newport, St J, Johnson, REd Hen, Cabot Creamery, Metro Rock, Center Rd. Otherwise, you will get 1 bag of tomatoes.
Cantaloupe OR Husk Cherries (half shares only and some full shares): Full share members who didn't get melon last week will get them this week. Half veggie share members will receive EITHER a melon or a pint of husk cherries. Husk cherries are in a pint box; these are the little papery husked things that look like tomatillos. In fact they are close cousins of tomatillos and are also related to tomatoes. But they are sweeter and have a diiferent flavor than either. Some liken their taste to vanilla, others to cinnamon bread (!). They are tasty little treat and will be wonderful on your salads this week. They would also be welcome in any dish that cries out for a touch of sweetness. If you don't eat them all straight out of the box.
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.
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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.
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Localvore Lore
For your pantry this week...
Cellars at Jasper Hill Cabot Clothbound
Cabot Clothbound cheddar this week from the Cellars at Jasper Hill. Made by Cabot Cooperative Creamery with milk exclusively from the Kempton Family Farm in Peacham. Then it's made at the Cabot creamery in Cabot before getting sent to Greensboro where it's aged in the climate controlled environment of the Jasper Hill Cellars for 10 - 13 months. It's a perfect snacking cheese but is also great for eating with your apple pie or grilled cheese.
Pete's Greens Chimichurri
Parsley and cilantro make a winning combination in our Pete's Greens Chimichurri! Every summer we put up this Argentinean condiment, a favorite of many of our CSA members, using our own farm-grown herbs. It's a little spicy and perfect for steak, potatoes, eggs, or to use on a sandwich. It's frozen, so either keep frozen or use within a week if it's in the fridge.
Apples from Champlain Orchards
The first apples from Champlain Orchards! These are McIntoshes, an excellent variety for fresh eating and cooking, with a crisp, tender, and fine-textured flesh.
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Recipes
Find more recipes by searching our website or our blog of newsletters.
Cranberry (or Husk Cherries!), Goat Cheese and Mesclun Salad
Try substituting this week's husk cherries in place of the cranberries! Adapted from Gourmet November 1995. Serves 4.
For vinaigrette:
1 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
.5 tablespoon tamari
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups mesclun
.5 cup dried cranberries
3 ounces goat cheese, cut into pieces, at room temperature
Quick Moroccan Vegetable Couscous
Bon Appétit January 1996. Serves 2 but can be doubled.
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups mixed cup-up vegetables (such as red onion, carrots, zucchini and cauliflower or broccoli)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup sliced almonds
One 5- to 7-ounce box couscous and lentil mix or other couscous blend
Place almonds in heavy medium skillet. Stir over medium heat until almonds are pale golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer almonds to bowl. Add oil to same skillet. Increase heat to medium-high. Add vegetables, cumin and coriander; sauté until vegetables just begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add wine and raisins. Boil until wine is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add broth. Partially cover skillet; simmer until vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, prepare couscous according to package directions.
Mound couscous on platter. Spoon vegetable topping and juices over. Sprinkle with almonds and serve.
Parmesan Cauliflower and Parsley Salad
Fried with a parmesan coating makes this dish pretty tough to resist! The parsley is refreshing and nutritious. Gourmet May 2006.
For salad
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 oz white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
For cauliflower
1 large eggs
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
10 oz cauliflower florets
1 oz Parmisan cheese, finely grated with a rasp
1/6 cup olive oil
Marinate mushrooms for salad:
Stir together zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk in oil until combined, then stir in mushrooms and marinate while panfrying cauliflower.
Blanch the cauliflower for 5-6 minutes in boiling water and then drain and cool and pat dry.
Panfry cauliflower: Lightly beat eggs with salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add cauliflower and toss until coated well. Put cheese in a large bowl. Lift cauliflower out of egg mixture with a slotted spoon and transfer to cheese, tossing to coat. Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then panfry cauliflower in 3 batches, turning occasionally, until golden on all sides, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
Finish salad:Add parsley and cauliflower to mushroom mixture, tossing to combine.
Kale, Tomato & Potato Frittata
This recipe is just a starting point for you. Feel free to incorporate other veggies into it!
10 eggs
1/4 cup Vermont cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 lb. potatoes, rinsed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 bunch kale, stems and inner ribs discarded, leaves coarsely chopped (or spinach)
1 tomato, medium dice
Preheat oven to 350.Whisk eggs and cheese together in a large bowl.In a large, cast iron or a non stick/oven ready pan, heat 2 tbsp. oil. Add onion and potatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add kale and saute until wilted. Add egg mixture and incorporate vegetables and eggs. Cook over moderate heat for 1 minute. Gently lift the edge of the frittata and tilt the pan to allow for the egg to get underneath. When the frittata starts to form, place in the oven and cook for approximately 10 minutes. Tapping on the center with some spring says it is done.
Remove from oven and let sit for 2 minutes. Run a rubber spatula around the edge to loosen the frittata. Place a plate large enough to cover the pan over the pan and CAREFULLY invert it on to the plate. Serve warm with a salad.
Grilled Green Beans
This is a great approach to enjoying your green beans - kissing the vegetables with a little smoky char. Be sure not to skip the step of covering and letting the mixture stand; all steams to perfect doneness in that time. If you don't have a grill basket, grill on a large piece of heavy-duy foil. From Cooking Light, June 2014.
1/2 small red onion, vertically sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp dark sesame oil
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
Place a grill basket on hot grill; preheat for 5 minutes.
Place onions, garlice, and green beans in a large bowl. Drizzle with canola oil; toss well to coat. Arrange mixture in hot grill basket; cover grill, and cook 7 minutes or until beans are lightly charred, tossing occasionally. Place bean mixture in a large bowl; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Add soy sauce and remaining ingredients; toss to combine.
Soba With Green Garlic, Spinach, Edamame and Crispy Tofu
OK, so we are not providing you with the complete list of ingredients needed for this recipe, but I just came across this and it is so exactly what I wish I was about to make for dinner that I thought I'd share. From Martha Rose Shulman in the NYT.
1/2 pound firm tofu, cut in dominoes
2 bulbs green garlic, trimmed of stalk (or use leeks and some garlic cloves minced fine)
3/4 cup fresh or frozen edamame
1 tablespoon rice bran oil, grapeseed oil or canola oil
tamari to taste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems cut away, sliced
2 generous bunches (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds) spinach, stems trimmed, washed in 2 changes of water
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 pound soba
Blot the tofu dry on paper towels. If the garlic has formed cloves, separate them and remove the thick shells from the tender cloves. If it has not formed cloves, just remove the outside layers and mince. If using leeks, mince a leek or two, white part and tender green only, and mince a clove or two of garlic for good measure and flavor.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt to taste and add the edamame. Cook 4 minutes, then remove from the water with a slotted spoon and set aside. Save the big pot of water for cooking the noodles.
Meanwhile, heat a wok or a wide skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water evaporates upon contact. Swirl in the rice bran, grapeseed or canola oil and add the tofu. Stir-fry until golden brown, and remove from the pan. Season to taste with soy sauce and set aside.
Turn the heat down to medium and add the olive oil and the shiitakes. Cook until they begin to soften, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, and add the green garlic along with a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until it is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until it wilts. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in the tofu and edamame. Turn the heat to low and keep warm while you cook the noodles.
Bring the water back to a boil in the large pot, and add the noodles gradually, so that the water remains at a boil. Stir once with a long-handled spoon or pasta fork so that the noodles don’t stick together. Wait for the water to come back up to a rolling boil – it will bubble up, so don’t fill the pot all the way – and add 1 cup of cold water. Allow the water to come back to a rolling boil and add another cup of cold water. Allow the water to come to a boil one more time and add a third cup of water. When the water comes to a boil again, the noodles should be cooked through. Allow them to boil for a few minutes if they are not. Drain in a colander. Place in a large bowl, top with the vegetables and tofu, and serve.
Sesame Pac Choi
Here's a quick and easy way to enjoy your pac choi.
1 bunch pac choi
2 tbsp groundnut oil
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 large garlic clove, crushed and finely chopped
1 mild green chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce (optional)
Cut a thick slice from the pak choi root to separate the leaves. Rinse and drain.
Heat the groundnut oil in a large wok over a medium heat and add 1 tbsp sesame oil, the garlic, chilli, fish sauce (if using) and pak choi. Toss until coated and clamp a pan lid over them. Reduce the heat and cook for 3-6 minutes, tossing occasionally, just until the leaves have wilted (the stalks should be tender-crisp).
Add the rest of the sesame oil and salt. Toss the leaves and serve immediately.
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