Good Eats Weekly Newsletter - April 4, 2018

Around the Farm Today we welcome in our Late Spring share members! We're gearing up to start field planting; somehow one of our harrows made it through and our first green seeds are in the ground! One of my favorite parts of this job is getting to build relationships with other food producers and organizations; it helps ground me into a better understanding of our Vermont food system and really solidifies for me the role that our farm plays in that food system - and that you, too, play! Last week, Bill, the baker behind Mansfield Breadworks (last week's delicious English muffins and ciabatta bread) came to hand deliver the fresh baked goods. As he was leaving, he said to me, "Thanks so much for the order - the guys were really appreciative of the work this time of year." This wasn't a huge order we placed with Mansfield Breadworks, but it was a great reminder that many businesses really struggle financially in these shoulder seasons. By supporting our CSA, you help support our farm, of course, but you also help support a system of other food producers. Last week's bread order helped give a few more people a few more hours of work in an otherwise slow time of year. As a four-season farm, we employ a team of Vermonters who work with us year round. That team shrinks during the slow season before ramping up again (next week - fingers crossed!!!!!). We appreciate your membership with our farm that allows us to do what we love, and I'll subtly slip in that we're currently signing up for our Summer CSA season. Having time to prepare for our summer CSA during this time of year helps us anticipate staffing/ labor needs AND to know how much we need to plant! ~Taylar Above, take a look at a cool new transplanter! This is a "paper pot" system - the starts are inside of little paper pots. When you use the wheeled device to plant them, it makes an efficient and quick system for planting! Tobin estimated it increased planting 500%. Unfortunately, in 2019 these will no longer be a part of the "certified organic" process. Pete took this video of Tobin using it last week as Pete's daughter Bee looks on. Reminders! FROZEN ITEMS: The Everyday Standard, Everyday Large, and Fancy shares will all receive frozen veggies. The Lean & Green share will not receive frozen veggies. Please check the sheet to make sure you pick up correctly! If you have clean CSA bags, please bring them back to your site! We're working with CSA members in Montpelier who also work with the Montpelier Food Shelf to re-use clean CSA bags. When you come to pick up your share, drop off your clean plastic bags (please, no red bags). The Montpelier Food Shelf will then re-use them to pack up items for their clients. Thanks! And, our egg producers re-use clean egg cartons! As with your plastic bags, please bring CLEAN cardboard egg containers - for 1 dozen eggs - back to your site and we'll send them back to producers for re-use. If you arrive at your site one week and are missing items, let us know! Please let me know about any missing items. Members are strongly encouraged to pick up during their advertised pickup hours; beyond those hours, we cannot guarantee your items will be available. We'll replace anything that is not there when you go to pick up, but let us know ASAP so we can solve any mysteries that day. ~ Taylar Going out of town? Need to skip a delivery? We can donate your share to the food shelf, send it the next week, or credit your account for a future share. Please notify us by Monday, 8 am, at the latest for any changes to that week's delivery. This week in your share: Everyday Large Spinach, Mizuna bunch, Red Beets, Mixed Carrots, Gold Potatoes, Yellow Onions, OUT OF THE BAG Frozen Sweet Peppers, and Frozen Corn Everyday Standard Spinach, Brassica Bunch, Red Beets, Gold Potatoes, Yellow Onions, and OUT OF THE BAG Frozen Sweet Peppers Fancy Spinach bunch, Brassica bunch, Sweet Potatoes, Black Radishes, Red Beets, Shallots, OUT OF THE BAG Frozen Sweet Peppers Lean & Green Mixed Carrots, Black Radishes, Arugula bunch, Chard, and Spinach  Bread Share Slowfire Bakery Country Sourdough Pete's Pantry von Trapp Farmstead 1959, Slowfire Bakery bread, and Pete's Greens Chimichurri Cheese Share von Trapp Farmstead Mt. Alice Every week we'll send you snapshots of veggies in your share. You can always find more recipes and storage info on our blog and website. Spinach or Mesclun: Most shares are receiving spinach, either bagged or bunched. The mesclun this week is a blend of spinach, arugula, mizuna, brassica mix, and shoots. All greens are pre-washed and ready to eat. Unopened, this bag will last for at least a week or 10 days. Opened, it will start to deteriorate after a few days. Mizuna: Mizuna is a Japanese mustard green with tender, pointy-lobed leaves and a pleasant, peppery flavor. You could substitute it, chopped, in a salad calling for arugula. It adds a nice zest to a stir-fry or saute too. Store mizuna, unwashed, loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer. Arugula: Also known as Rocket or Roquette, this is a very popular and versatile green, that can be eaten raw, but also stands up well in the sauté pan. It has a peppery mustardy flavor so some people prefer to tone it down by mixing it with other greens. It blends particularly well with goat cheese and balsamic and olive oil. It is delicious simply sautéed in a pan with olive oil. I toss it on sandwiches to give them pep, and into salads to take it up a notch. This is a bunched, mature arugula which may have a stronger taste. Store unwashed, loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer. Black Radishes: One of the oldest cultivated radishes, they are often eaten as part of meals for Passover and Rosh Hashana. Nutrtionally, black radishes are excellent for vitamin C and also provide potassium, iron, magnesium, and vitamins A, E, and B. Some say they help fight off infection and promote healthy digestive function. You can eat these raw or cooked but they are bitter when eaten raw. Try shredding them to add to a salad, slaw, or relish (peeled or unpeeled), or peel and slice thin, then salt and drain and mix with sour cream as a spread for chewy rye bread. Cooked black radishes taste like turnips but with less reliable cooking time. You can add them to soups, stews, braises, or stir-fries, or chop finely and add to ground raw meat. Wrap unwashed, topped radishes in newspaper or perforated plastic and refrigerate. Don't let them get moist or they will mold. Their taste mellows as they store and are fine for grating and shredding even after months of storage. I recommend scrubbing them before eating, especially if you keep the peel on. Red Beets:  These are gorgeous red beets! Raw, grated beets make a fabulous addition to salads and slaws. Grate some early in the week and place them in a tupperware and then sprinkle them into salads all week. Roasted beets are extra delicious, roasting carmelizes the sugar in the beets. Cube beets and roast them in the oven with a drizzle of oil at 400F until they are tender and just browning at the edges. If you don't eat them all right away, cool and toss into a container and add these to salads. The red beets will bleed when cooked so if preparing with other veggies be mindful of that fact that you will end up with a uniformly technicolor dish.Over the weekend, I made a yummy salad of boiled gold potatoes, boiled red beets, blue cheese, sliced apple, and spinach with some homemade croutons using the last of a Mansfield Breadworks ciabatta loaf, all dressed in a simple balsamic and olive oil dressing. Light and filling at the same time, plus an explosion of flavors that all work really well together! And this was a great way for me to use up potatoes, beets, and the crusty heel of bread. Nicola Gold Potatoes: A versatile gold potato variety called Nicola. Roast, boil, fry, yum! Frozen Sweet Peppers: Who says eating locally means missing out! Our frozen veggies are grown on our farm, come in from the field and go straight into the freezer. The sweet peppers are whole peppers that have been washed, bagged and frozen. Frozen peppers tend to not have the same rigidity as fresh peppers but retain all the flavors and yummy summer goodness. The corn has been blanched and removed from the cob packed in their natural juices. To use vegetables let the package thaw in the fridge till soft, or submerge bag in warm water till usable. Remove from plastic bag before heating. Since frozen foods are often blanched (or lightly cooked) the cooking time tends to be reduced and all they really need is a warm up. Featured Recipes Beet and Mizuna Salad This is a simple yummy salad. It calls for steaming beets, but you could boil til tender, or (my favorite), cut into 1/2 to 1" pieces and broil them. And way you make it, it will be delicious. Adapted from Epicurious.com. 1 small bunch mizuna 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (or cider vinegar) 1/4 cup olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped 1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled (optional) Discard course stems from mizuna, then wash greens well and dry. Whisk together vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste, and whisk in oil until emulsified. Pour half of the vinaigrette over the beets and toss well. With the remaining vinaigrette, drizzle enough over mizuna to lightly coat, and toss well. Arrange mizuna and beets on two plates. Sprinkle walnuts on top and, if desired, add goat cheese and serve. Wilted Asian Greens Adapted from a recipe in the July 2003 issue of Gourmet magazine. The spinach and Mizuna or Ruby Streaks do not need to be cooked before adding the hot dressing. 1/4 cup rice vinegar 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 8 cups chopped Spinach, tough stems removed (3 oz) 8 cups mizuna or greens (3 oz) Heat vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and sesame oil in a small saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved (do not let boil). Pour hot dressing over greens in a large bowl and toss well. Serve immediately. Potato, Roasted Pepper and Mizuna Salad Adapted from Epicurious.com. You can roast and peel peppers following the directions below. Anchovies are a great source of omega-3s. If you are not so sure you are an anchovy lover, try this recipe. You may change your mind. Serves 4. 2 pounds potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch pieces 3.5 TB dry white wine 2 mixed colored sweet peppers half of a 2-ounce can flat fillets of anchovies, drained, minced 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1/2 cup olive or sunflower oil 2-3 red torpedo onions, sliced (or 1 bunch of green onions) 1 bunch mizuna or arugula, sliced Place potatoes in large pot. Cover with water. Boil until potatoes are just tender. Drain well. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in white wine. Char red or yellow peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Wrap in paper bag and let stand 10 minutes. Peel and seed. Rinse if necessary; pat dry. Alternatively, grill green or red peppers at a lower temperature to color and soften, without a lot of char. Cut peppers into 3/4-inch squares. Transfer to medium bowl. Combine anchovies and vinegar in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Pour 2/3 cup dressing over peppers. Add remaining dressing, green onions and mizuna to potatoes and mix gently. Season peppers and potatoes with salt and pepper. Let stand 30 minutes. Gently mix peppers into potatoes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.) Classic Oven Roasted Onions Bursting with rich brown flavors, roasted onions can be a one-dish meal, a first course, a salad or side dish. For a simple supper, try the warm onions with balsamic, maybe a drizzle of olive oil, and a crumbling of a favorite blue cheese, mild fresh goat cheese, or sp,e parm or whatever appeals. 4 medium to large organic onions (yellow, red, white) Spread a sheet of foil on oven rack and preheat to 400 degrees. Trim away root and a 1/4 inch of top of onions. Set root side down on foil, spacing about 2 inches apart. Roast 1 hour, or until easily pierced with a knife. Serve warm or at room temperature. Make 2-inch deep cross out of top of each onion, spread slightly and season. Seasoning Ideas: *salt and freshly ground black pepper, 2 TB wine vinegar and 1 TB extra-virgin olive oil *3 TB balsamic vinegar and possibly 2 to 3 oz of Gorgonzola, Maytag Blue, fresh goat cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Fontinella, or cheese of choice, crumbled or grated *chopped fresh herbs, rice and grain salads. Asian Greens with Ginger Miso Dressing This dressing of ginger, miso, tahini (sesame paste) and lemon adds a creamy balance to baby spinach, arugula, mizuna, and baby asian green blends.  1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, coarsely chopped 2 TBS white miso (or brown if you don't have white) 3 TBS tahini (sesame paste) 1/2 cup water 3 TBS fresh lemon juice Salad: 5 ounces greens Several radishes or 1 small daikon, sliced into 1/8-inch-thick rounds 1 carrot, cut into 2-inch-long slender sticks 2 green onions (white part only), chopped (or sub in slices red torpedo onions, sliced thin) For the dressing, place ginger, miso, tahini, water and lemon juice in a blender and blend until completely smooth. The consistency should be similar to cream. Strain the dressing through a fine sieve to remove ginger fiber if desired (I never do). For the salad, divide greens among serving plates. Arrange radish and carrot on top, then sprinkle with scallions/onions. Drizzle one to two tablespoons of dressing over each salad and serve. Delightful recipe. Meat Share Pete's Pastured Chickens spend the summer grazing our fields, pecking and scratching to help enrich the soil. This is a perfect whole chicken size. After roasting or cooking, make sure to save the bones for broth. We have two VT99 products this month. If you're unfamiliar with VT99, this is our collaboration pork project with the Cellars at Jasper Hill. Heirloom pig breeds are raised on our farm and are fed both veggies and whey leftover from the cheesemaking process. They are happy, healthy, and delicious! Canadian bacon is a brand new product! In Canada, this is called back bacon. It is cured, smoked, and fully cooked. You can fry it, bake it, barbecue it, use it on sandwiches, or eat it the way I grew up eating it: as a pizza topping or as part of your breakfast alongside pancakes or with scrambled eggs! We also have two different types of sausages going out (you'll receive only one variety): either a cheese sausage or a bacon and blue cheese kind! Both are made with Jasper Hill's cheese and the bacon also comes from VT99. Evan, the project manager for VT99, suggests some of the ways of using your sausage if you want more ideas beyond eating it fully cooked on a hoagie roll: slice and add as a topping for pasta or pizza, cook and crumble into lasagna or eggs, or slice it thinly and cook it alongside your beef burger, making a hamburger of a beef patty plus sausage - add on a slice of 1959 cheese and greens from your veggie share, and that is your first grill of the spring season! And, last but not least... steak! You're receiving a beautiful cut of steak from either McKnight Farm in East Montpelier or Greenfield Highland Cattle (Plainfield/ Greensboro). Both are pastured, grass-fed beef cows. Steak and Marinade:  1 lb Steak, any cut  1 sliced sweet onion for grilling (optional)  Juice of 1 orange  Juice of 2 limes  ⅓ cup soy sauce  ⅓ cup olive oil  ½ teaspoon sugar  4 smashed, chopped garlic cloves  ½ cup chopped cilantro (stems ok)  Simple Pico De Gallo:  4 vine-ripe tomatoes, chopped  ½ medium onion, chopped  2 green onions, sliced (optional)  1 Serrano chili, minced  1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped  3 garlic cloves, minced  1½ limes, juiced  ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil  Quick Pickles:  2 cups mix of sliced radishes, onion, or carrots, cauliflower, or whatever you like  1 cup vinegar  1 cup water  ½ teaspoon kosher salt  2 Tablespoon sugar  1 teaspoon whole peppercorns or whole coriander seed  Garnish Ideas:  Salsa: Finely dice tomato, onion, jalapeño and cilantro. Season with salt, pepper and lime. Sometimes I'll add diced avocado and a couple splashes of Tapatio hot sauce. Place all in a bowl, mix and let sit for 15 min to 1 hour (makes 2 Cups)  Tortillas: lightly grill, until soft and pliable (or grill directly on a gas burner. flipping and turning for 30 seconds) wrap up in a towel, to prevent drying.  Serve everything together, along with garnishes  Grilled Chicken: the Bittman Method Of course you have to cut the whole bird up into its parts, but that's easily done. Mark's method for grilling chicken that's moist on the inside and crisp on the outside is to grill at two temps. On a grill, you would have a hot side and a cooler side. On a gas gill, turn one side on low (or even off) and the other on medium high. The chicken starts out skin side up on the cooler side of the grill.... Click here to read the whole article: Put the chicken on the grill skin-side up on the cool side and, after some of the fat has been rendered, turn it; if flames flare up, move the chicken to an even cooler part of the fire (this is where gas is handy; it's so easily adjusted). Or turn it so the skin side is up again -- remember to keep the fat away from the flame. Here's one of Mark's three recipes. The others are Grilled Chicken Japanese Style and Grilled Chicken with Mediterranean Flavours. Mark Bittman's Grilled Chicken With Chipotle Sauce Chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish Lime wedges, for garnish. Start a charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill; fire should be moderately hot, part of grill should be cooler than the rest and rack should be 4 to 6 inches from heat source. Put lard or oil in a medium saucepan or skillet and turn heat to medium. When hot, add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Add chilies, tomatoes and 1/2 cup water. Adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily but not violently. Cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until chilies are soft and tomatoes break up. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. When chipotle sauce is ready, cool for a few minutes, then remove stems from chipotles, put mixture in a blender and purée. (The sauce may be made up to a couple of days in advance.) Meanwhile, rub chicken with cut side of garlic cloves, brush on oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place chicken skin side up on coolest area of grill. When fat has rendered a bit, turn chicken over. After 20 minutes or so, move chicken to hottest part of grill. When chicken is just about done, brush it with chipotle sauce on both sides, and cook just another minute or 2. Serve, garnished with cilantro and lime wedges. Citrus Herb Marinade 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) 1.5 tsp dried thyme 1 crumbled bay leaf 1 clove minced garlic 1 tsp salt 1/4 - 1/2 tsp black pepper Pantry Lore This week's cheese comes from von Trapp Farmstead in beautiful Waitsfield. Pantry/ Localvore Share members receive a piece of 1959, a Farmhouse Cheddar aged about a year. It's named that because 1959 is the year Sebastian's Oma & Opa (Werner and Erika von Trapp) bought the farm! Since it's inception it's been a working dairy. Over the course of three generations, the farm has transitioned to a certified organic dairy and most recently added cheese making to the value-added operations. Striving for high-quality standards, they produce some of the sweetest organic milk for premium cheese production. Cheese only share members will receive von Trapp's Mt. Alice, a bloomy rind Camembert-style cheese with an elegantly smooth milky delight composed of their organic pasteurized cows milk and aged for three to five weeks. Mt. Alice is named after the peak southeast of their farm. Bread share members will receive a loaf of country sourdough from Slowfire Bakeryout of Jeffersonville. Slowfire is so named because of its wood oven technique of baking bread - slow and steady and wonderful! Pantry/ Localvore Share members will receive a loaf of cornmeal table bread made with Quebec white flour; Maine whole & sifted wheat and whole cornmeal; sourdough culture; sea salt. The whole cornmeal added directly into the dough gives this bread more texture than our polenta bread, and the relatively light blend of flours allows the corns flavor and aroma to shine.  Rounding out the Pantry and Localvore shares is our own house-made chimichurri! Chimichurri is made with our organic parsley, cilantro, and jalapenos. It's an Argentinean condiment most commonly eaten with steak. I also enjoy it with eggs, roasted veggies, or with boiled potatoes - it's a different way to dress up potato salad. It's coming to you frozen, so either re-freeze or keep in your fridge and use within 10 - 14 days.