Welcome to the Fall/ Winter Good Eats CSA Share!
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Everyday Large Members -
please take an ORANGE BAG
This week your bag contains:
.6 pounds mesclun, 1 head of Red Leaf Lettuce, 1 pound of Carmen peppers, 1 bunch of Celery, 1.5 pounds of Broccoli, 2 pounds of Carrots, 3 pounds of Adirondack Red Potatoes, 2 pounds of Yellow Onions, and
Out of the Bag
1 pound of Tomatoes
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Everyday Standard Members
take a YELLOW BAG containing:
.4 pounds Mesclun, 1 bunch Celery, 1 bunch Chard, 1 pound Cauliflower, 2.5 pounds Adirondack Red Potatoes, 1 pound Yellow Onions, and
Out of the Bag
1 pound of Tomatoes
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Fancy Share Members
take a PURPLE BAG containing:
.6 pounds Mesclun, .75 pounds Carmen Peppers, 1 bunch Sweet Salad Turnips, .75 pounds Broccoli, 1 pound Fennel, 1 pound Romanesca Cauliflower, 1 pound Leeks, and
Out of the Bag
1 pound of Tomatoes
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Lean & Green Members
take a GREEN BAG containing:
1 pound Mesclun, 1 bunch Easter Egg Radishes, 1 bunch Sweet Salad Turnips, .75 pounds Bell Peppers, and
Out of the Bag
1 pound of Tomatoes
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Localvore Offerings Include:
Slowfire Bakery Cider Bread
Tangletown Farm Fresh Eggs
Champlain Orchards Bluebyrd Plums
Pete's Greens Baba Ganoush
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Pete's Musings
Welcome to our Fall/Winter Good Eats Share and thanks for joining! We appreciate your participation. Taylar has concocted some interesting new shares that we hope you enjoy. We're having a glorious fall here in Craftsbury. Today ends 3 weeks without rain that was perfect for fall crop growth and getting lots of field work done. Our hardy greenhouse crops such as spinach, chard, kale, lettuce and lots more are really appreciating all the sun and are looking better than ever. We have 6 acres of cover crop sunflowers in full bloom that everyone in town has been enjoying. Yesterday my daughter Bee and I got to hang out with 16 Indian folks visiting from New Jersey who were very excited about the sunflowers. I think it was the first sari I've seen in Craftsbury. Leaves finally colored up, usually they are mostly off the trees by now but we're at peak. We hope you enjoy the veggies!
~ Pete
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A field of greens tihs morning, on a beautiful autumn day! This is land we farm in Glover.
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The first Meat Share is Nov. 1!!!
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Welcome to the Fall/ Winter Good Eats CSA!
For new members, I'm Taylar, the CSA Manager here at Pete's Greens. Every week you'll receive this newseltter, typically around mid-day Tuesday, that tells you what's coming in your share that week, plus news about our farm, tips and ideas for storing and using your veggies, and recipe ideas for your week's contents.
I'm excited about these new share offerings! At the end of every CSA season, we survey our members. Occasionally we survey current and past members in between seasons. One of those surveys earlier this summer helped us put together these new share options. The new shares - different from anything we've offered before - mean we're doing all our processes differently. So bear with us as we work out the kinks for the first couple of weeks of this share season!
You should have received an email telling you which color bag to take at your site. Take a look at the colors below. EVERYDAY LARGE members will take an ORANGE bag. EVERYDAY STANDARD members will take a YELLOW bag. FANCY share members will take a PURPLE bag. And, GREEN bags are for the LEAN & GREEN members!
Pantry items will be out of bag, along with tomatoes. When you arrive at your site, please find your name on the list and check to see which items you should take - the color of bag plus any "out of bag" items. This week it's the last of our tomatoes... which just kept coming given the unseasonable fall temps!
If you have any problems at site, please email me right away, goodeats@petesgreens.com . Please do not leave notes on the sign-in form as we don't get them for a week, if at all!
Thanks, and welcome!
~ Taylar
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I get to drive past those sunflowers everyday! It's easy to stop and play in them!
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Storage and Use Tips
Mesclun: This week's greens is mesclun, which is French for "mix". So you're getting a bag of "mixed" greens! These are baby versions of lettuce, spinach, chard, kale, and mustard. We harvested the greens this morning and pre-washed them. They're ready to eat! Once the bag is opened, they have a shelf life of about 1 week. Unopened, the bags will last at least 10 - 12 days. (Below, Pete & Felipe harvesting greens this morning.)
Adirondack Red Potatoes: These reds have a bright red skin and a vibrant interior! They lighten some after cooking and make nice home fries for dinner or breakfast. Store in a cool, dry, dark place (away from onions).
Fennel: crunchy and slightly sweet with the flavor of anise. It is delicious and slightly sweet served raw but is just as often served cooked on its own or in other dishes. Though most often associated with Italian cooking, it has an uncanny ability to blend with other flavors adding a light and fresh note. It is delightful in many dishes, and in soups and stews and sauces. Fennel is composed of a white or pale green bulb from which closely superimposed stalks are arranged. The stalks are topped with feathery green leaves near which flowers grow and produce fennel seeds. The bulb, stalk, leaves and seeds are all edible. To prepare, trim off the fronds and stalks and reserve them for garnish or seasoning. Cut off the hard bottom and slice vertically or into quarters. Or cut the bulb in half lengthwise, cut out the core, and cut into strips. Add it raw to salads or try some thinly sliced fennel on your sandwich. Top thinly sliced fennel with plain yogurt and mint leaves. Or braise, roast or saute' it. It is done when tender enough to pierce easily with a skewer.
Sweet Salad Turnips (to the right): Separate greens from turnip roots before storing them (both keep better that way), but don't toss the greens, they make terrific eating! Salad turnips are a raw, tasty treat. Slice them and mix in with salad greens, or dip them in dressing and eat them on their own. Chop the greens and mix in with other salad greens for a peppery bite. Or, serve the greens chopped and steamed or sauteed. Both greens and roots can be kept loosely wrapped - seperately - in plastic bags in the fridge.
Leeks are a relative of the onion. They look like large scallions, and have a more subtle, mild flavor than our yellow onions. They are often used in soups but they can be served as a dish on their own (see recipe for braised leeks below), or sliced raw into salads. Store leeks dry and loosely wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator, but use them within a week or so.
Romanesca: A very striking vegetable, the Romanesca variety of cauliflower has a beautiful light green color with pointed florets instead of the usual rounded. Originally from Northern Italy, its taste is somewhat milder than the traditional cauliflower as well. Cook as you would a regular specimen. Consider blanching the florets and adding to a crudite platter. Store unwashed in a loosely wrapped plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.
Bell Peppers: Store unwashed in the crisper. When ready to use, slice open, take out the seeds and eat raw. Another idea is to roast them under the broiler until the skin turns black, pop into a paper bag for a few minutes, rub off the skin and slice. Store the roasted peppers in a jar of oil in the fridge to add to frittatas, salad, veggies, etc.
Carmen Peppers: These sweet peppers (which may be yellow or red) are a delight! The Carmen is an Italian pepper named for its bull's horn shape ('corno di toro'). These are wonderful roasted. You can freeze them whole or in slices if needed.
Tomatoes: Surprise... one more week of tomatoes! We've been able to include tomatoes almost every single week of the share... which doesn't happen often! Full veggie shares, please pick up 1 bag.
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...
Much of the bread in the Pantry Share comes from Slowfire Bakery based in Jeffersonville, VT. Slowfire refers to the method of baking bread - slowly, in a brick oven heated with wood. Scott Medellin bakes this bread for us every Tuesday morning using locally and regionally sourced flours - plus some other surprise ingredients! This week it's a Cider Bread. Scott says: This year's version of a favorite seasonal specialty features cider from just up the road at The Farm Between (Cambridge). It's leavened by a combination of our sourdough and cider fermented by cider brewing yeast, with an added note of spice from Maine grown and milled Durum wheat. Great with cheese or butter, and the hint of sweetness and apple goes down well with sandwiches, toast, french toast, etc.
Another staple item in the Pantry Share is fresh eggs from Tangletown Farm in nearby West Glover. Lila Bennett and kids run this diversified farm. She has a huge flock of laying hens that supply our CSA with fresh eggs. The hens are pastured in movable pens, meaning they never spend too long in one place. That is, the hens that are penned at all! I visited Lila's farm on Saturday and found hens, pigs, goats, and turkeys all co-habitating quite peacefully - plus a farm dog!
I was delighted to find these Bluebyrd Plums still available from Champlain Orchards in Shoreham. A variety from West Virginia, the Bluebyrd is sweet and firm. While Champlain isn't organic, they follow an eco-certification practice that means they use very few (if any) pesticides and integrate a variety of environmentally friendly practices to maintain their fruit trees. Store plums at room temperature to ripen, store in the fridge to prolong freshness if you're not ready to eat right away. A ripe fruit will yield when pressed gently.
And, last but not least, Pete's Greens Baba Ganoush is back!! Kaitlyn has been busy in our on-farm kitchen whipping up this Middle Eastern sauce. Baba Ghanoush is made from eggplants that have been roasted and mashed. Then, they're mixed in with roasted garlic, tahini, and seasoning to make a delightful spread. Try using it as a dip for your crudite platter or spreading is on a sandwich. It's also nice on crackers or slathered onto a slice of fresh bread. It is frozen so if you don't plan to eat it right away, pop it back into the freezer. Once opened, we recommend using within a week.
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Recipes
Find more recipes by searching our website or our blog of newsletters.
Stir Fried Turnips with Greens
From Jack Bishop's A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen. This is a simple and tasty way to use your turnips and their greens.
3/4 cup orange juice
2 TB tamari
3 medium scallions (sub in some leeks!)
4 med garlic cloves
1 TB minced ginger
1/2 tsp hot red pepper flakes
1 TB plus 1 tsp peanut oil
1.5 lbs salad turnips, cut into 3/4 wedges or chunks
5 cups packed, stemmed greens
Combine orange juice and soy in measuring cup. Place scallions (or leeks), garlic ginger, red pepper flakes in small bowl. Heat 1 TB oil in large skillet over med high heat until shimmering. Add turnips and stir fry until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Push turnips to edges of pan, spread garlic mixture in center of pan. Drizzle remaining 1 tsp oil over mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir to combine with turnips. Add orange juice mixture to pan, cover and cook, until turnips are creamy and tender and liquid has reduced to a few tablespoons (2-3 minutes). Add greens, cover and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. (If the contents of the pan are too soupy, simmer with the cover off to reduce the liquid to a sauce consistency.). Serve immediately.
Home Fries
There are two secrets to making great home fries, if you ask me. The first is cooking the onions separately. As potatoes need to cook quite a bit longer than onions, it saves them from become burnt specks by the time the potatoes are ready. The second is more of a shortcut (so you can make them more often because they’re easier!) which is that I reduce the pan-frying time by half cooking them in the microwave first. As the best French fries are twice-cooked, this follows that line of reasoning well, yielding home fries with a soft center and crisp edges.
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch cubes
4 tablespoons salted butter
1 onions, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Seasoning of your choice: Garlic powder or salt work great, as does smoky Spanish paprika or chopped chives
Arrange potatoes in large microwave-safe bowl, top with 1 tablespoon butter, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high until edges of potatoes begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes, shaking bowl (without removing plastic) to redistribute potatoes halfway through cooking.
Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in large regular or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl.
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in now-empty skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes and pack down with spatula. Cook, without moving, until underside of potatoes is brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn potatoes, pack down again, and continue to cook until well browned and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring potatoes every few minutes, until crusty and golden on all sides, 9 to 12 minutes. Stir in onion, seasonings of your choice and salt and pepper to taste.
Sauteed Chard with Onions
Here's a basic chard/ braised greens recipe. To kick this up a notch, add mushrooms or some chopped celery.
1 bunch green Swiss chard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
Handful of Garlic Chives, finely chopped
Cut stems and center ribs from chard, discarding any tough portions, then cut stems and ribs crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Stack chard leaves and roll up lengthwise into cylinders. Cut cylinders crosswise to make 1-inch-wide strips.
Heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook onions and garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, covered, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add chard stems and ribs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until stems are just tender, about 10 minutes. Add chard leaves in batches, stirring until wilted before adding next batch, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
Transfer with a slotted spoon to a serving bowl.
Crispy Leek Rings
This recipe looks like a great way to eat leeks. How can you go wrong with onion (leek) rings?
1-2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced into 1/2” thick rings
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
Canola oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
Place an inch or two of canola oil in a small saucepan and bring to 350 degrees.
Remove the centers of the leek sections, and separate the outer layers into rings two layers thick. Set aside.
Combine the milk and egg in a small bowl. Place the flour in another bowl.
Working in batches, dip the leek rings in the flour, then into the milk/egg mixture, then again in the flour. Fry in the oil until golden brown. Remove to paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper immediately.
Cook’s Note: This is a cute variation on the classic onion ring. I like these crispy little rings as snacks or garnish for a hearty meal. If you like spice, add some cayenne to the flour before dredging.
Mixed Vegetable Curry - Sabzi Bhaji
2 large potatoes, cut into thin julienne strips
2 carrots, cut into julienne strips
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 to 1 cayenne pepper, seeded and finally chopped
1 tablespoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
dash of amchoor powder (if you have it)
dash of mace (if you have it)
1 teaspoon of sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons of ghee, or a mixture of butter and oil
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1 cup of cauliflower or broccoli or chopped beet greens
a generous handful of fresh coriander, chopped
2/3 cup of plain yogurt
juice of 1 fresh lemon
1/2 cup of water
1 tablespoon of chickpea flour (optional)
In a medium bowl, combine the potatoes, carrots, onions, chilies, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, amchoor powder, mace, salt and black pepper. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for an hour.
Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium heat. When hot, toss in the ginger, cumin seeds. Stir and fry for a few minutes. Add the potato and carrot mixture to the pan and cook for a few minutes, stirring often. Add your cauliflower or other green veggies now along with the tomato, lemon juice and most of the freshly chopped cilantro. Cook, stirring often, for another 5 minutes. Gradually stir in the yogurt and add 1/2 cup of water. Cover and cook for 30 - 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add more water if necessary to achieve your desired consistency or a bit of chickpea flour if the dish has excess water. Garnish with the remaining cilantro or add to the cooking pot and stir.
Stuffed Peppers
The beautiful Carmen peppers are an opportunity for a delightful dinner. No need for a recipe, just use your imagination. You won't go wrong.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Saute some onions and garlic.
Then add in some spices (you can go with some cumin, chili powder, and cilantro if going Mexican direction, or maybe some basil, thyme, oregano if going in mediterranean direction), stir and cook for a couple minutes til aromatic.
Now you can add a bit of simple small diced veggies if you'd like (think broccoli, beans or chopped spinach this week).
Then add cooked rice or quinoa or risotto (yum) or pearled barley, maybe some cooked beans (canned kidney beans come in handy here!).
Once everything is blended add some cheese (parm perhaps, or gruyere, or feta or goat) and remove from heat.
Spoon the filling into peppers that are cut in half and place peppers into an oiled baking dish.
Bake for 30 mins or more until peppers are softened and beginning to brown on some edges and filling is hot.
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