Good Eats Weekly Newsletter - March 6, 2019

In Your Share This Week:

FANCY/ LOCALVORE (PURPLE)

Mesclun, Green Bunch, Shoots, Carrots, Mixed Onions, Fenway Red Potatoes, and
Out of the Bag:
Frozen Veggie

EVERYDAY STANDARD (YELLOW)

Mesclun, Green Bunch, Shoots*, Carrots, Yellow Onions, Fenway Red Potatoes, Rutabaga
*Craftsbury & Cabot - Waitsfield will get their shoots next week!

Pantry/ Localvore Items


Butterworks Farm Yogurt: From Jack and Anne Lazor and their family in Westfield, VT comes Butterworks Farm's organic, Jersey-milk yogurt! This is a cream top yogurt. Their cows are raised on an organic diet. I had a chance to chat with Jack & Anne a couple of weeks ago at the NOFA Winter Conference. A picture of them is below!
Champlain Orchards Apples: Eco-grown apples from the Champlain Valley! These Mutsu/ Crispin apples are a greenish golden variety that are crisp and clean eating. It's great for baking and also stores well.
Golden Crops Rolled Oats: are from organic grower Michel Gaudreau and Golden Crops Mill, just across the Vermont border in Quebec. Michel grows quite a few different grains on his farm and mills grains for organic growers in his area. He has a great operation in a beautiful setting surrounded by his fields. Michel's Golden Crops Mill makes many organic grains available locally that we might not otherwise have local access to. These are beautiful, clean organic rolled oats ideal for oatmeal, granola, cookies, streusel toppings etc.

Meat Share

This month features two items from VT99, a Pete's Greens pastured chicken, and burger from McKnight Farm!
Andouille sausage is new from VT99. Andouille is a French style smoked pork mixed with a variety of seasonsings. In the US, it is the backbone of Creole style cooking -- great for gumbo! Or enjoy the sausages on a bun. And, we have VT99 bacon back! Sliced bacon, perfect for those lazy Sunday morning brunches.
Our own farm-raised chickens could be seen growing up along Cemetery Road in Craftsbury. They are great for whole roasting. Be sure to save the bones for broth!
McKnight Farm burger is versatile ' use for patties, meatballs, Mexican night, casseroles, lasagna... growing up ground beef was a staple in my home!
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Thinking about andouille sausage got me thinking about gumbo which got me thinking about my trip to New Orleans a few weeks ago and about Mardi Gras, which is coming right up! Try subbing celeriac for the celery and hit the freezer for sweet peppers to throw in. Recipe adapted from The Chicago Tribune Cookbook. Serves 8.
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 chicken, about 4 lbs, quartered
1/2 cup flour
1 pound andouille, cut into 1/4 inch-thick-slices (or crumbled)
2 cups each, chopped onion, chopped celery
1 cup chopped green onions
1/4 chopped parsley
5 large cloves garlic, minced
2 quarts chicken stock
3 bay leaves, crumbled
2 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp each: dried leaf thyme, freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 1/2 to 3 TB file powder
cooked rice or barley
hot pepper sauce to taste
Heat oil in a 7 or 9 quart heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken quarters in single layer. Cook until brown on all sides. Remove and reserve chicken. Add flour to hot oil and stir until smooth. Cook and stir constantly, over medium-high heat, until roux is the color of cinnamon. Remove from heat. Stir in sliced sausage, yellow onions, celery, green onions, green pepper, parsley and garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in 1/2 cup of the chicken broth, scraping up brown bits from bottom of the pan. Stir in browned chicken, bay leaves, salt, thyme, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir in remaining broth. Heat to boil over medium heat. Skim off surface scum. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered until chicken is tender, 35-45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Remove chicken pieces from gumbo. Skim all fat from surface of gumbo. Remove skin and bones from chicken and discard. Shred chicken and add back to pot. Reheat to boil. Remove from heat; let simmer die down. Add file powder and stir. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve in soup bowls over rice or barley. Pass the hot pepper sauce. 
 
Green bunch ID:
Left, from top to bottom: Sorrel, Chard
Right, from top to bottom: Red Russian Kale, Upland Cress, Parsley, Red Mizuna
 

Storage Tips and Recipes

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.
Mesclun: A mix of spinach, red & green sorrel, shoots, cress, and baby kale.
Fenway Red Potatoes: Fenway Red potatoes have a beautiful deep and rich red skin with contrasting white flesh. This all-purpose variety has the perfect texture to hold up to nearly any cooking technique- boiling, mashing, roasting or baking. Store potatoes in a cool, dark location.
Green Bunches: We have a variety of green bunches going out in the shares this week! You may find Red Russian Kale, Upland Cress, Parsley, Chard, Red Mizuna, or Green Sorrel in your bag. Parsley is a nutritious herb that will pair very well with your potatoes this week! Red Russian Kale is tender and flavorful, great for eating raw or cooking. Upland cress is a little pungent cross between arugula and horseradish and is nice when added raw to sandwiches or anywhere a little crisp of green adds flavor or toss it into a cooked dish like a soup or pasta, or with fish. Green sorrel was a surprise to many members last week! Similar to the other greens, use in salads, soups, or stews, cooked or raw. 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.
Use a food processor to blend a handful of upland cress or sorrel with a cup of creme fraiche or sour cream and a few garlic cloves for a zesty side to grilled meats or blend into soups. Store greens in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer for 1-2 weeks. We recommend storing parsley upright in a glass of water.
Rutabaga: Rutabaga grows particularly well in colder climates, and is especially popular in Sweden (where it earned its second name, swede).  Rutabagas should be peeled before use. Some rutabagas may have come out of the ground with superficial worm track markings. Don't be deterred if your rutabagas have these marks. Just peel or slice off the outer layer (which you need to do anyway) and the inside should be just fine. Keep them loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your fridge and they'll last for several weeks at least. Roast it, mash it with butter, season with salt and pepper, cook it like a fry, you can't go wrong.

Recipes

Baked Oatmeal
Serves 12 (or a family of four for 3 mornings)
This recipe is about making your morning routine healthier and easier. Whip up a pan on Sunday, and wrap yourself around a hot bowl of slightly sweet, nourishing whole grains for the rest of the week. You can get creative with toppings, too, making each morning a little something special. Kid-friendly, too!
2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted) or pastured butter
3 organic eggs
3½ cups raw, whole milk, or a vegan milk of choice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup maple syrup (or other natural sweetener)
4 cups rolled oats
1½ tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup frozen raspberries
½ cup raisins or chopped dried apricots
1 cup crushed walnuts, almonds, or pumpkin seeds (optional)
In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut oil (or butter), eggs, milk, maple syrup and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Use a little oil to grease a baking pan (I use a 8.5 x 13-inch pan) and pour in contents. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-45 minutes. Reheat in toaster oven each morning for an easy, healthy breakfast and top with your favorite whole yogurt, nut butter, hemp seeds, whatever you fancy!
Sorrel Soup 
This is a very simple light soup that highlights the fresh, slightly lemony flavor of the sorrel. It's from the Sundays at Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen.
2 c. well-packed, washed and stemmed sorrel leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
3 T. butter
1 T. unbleached white flour
3 c. vegetable stock
2 egg yolks
1 c. milk or half and half
salt and freshly ground black pepper
dash of Tabasco or other hot sauce (optional)
Finely chop the sorrel leaves. In a medium saucepan, sauté the onion in the butter until translucent. Stir in the flour. Mix in the sorrel and cook for a minute or so, just until it wilts. Add the vegetable stock. Bring the soup to a low simmer and cook for about 3 minutes. Beat the egg yolks and milk in a medium mixing bowl. Slowly add 2 c. of the hot soup while stirring constantly. Stir this soup-egg mixture into the soup pot. Reheat the soup gently but don’t let it boil. Add salt, pepper to taste and a dash of Tabasco, if you like. 
Braised Winter Greens w/ Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar
Beet Greens, Mizuna and Kale are ideal for this recipe but some Pac Choi leaves would work in nicely too! From the Rebar Modern Food Cookbook by Audrey Austerberg and Wanda Urbanowicz.
1 large bunch 0f Greens
1 TB olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp red chile flakes
1 TB balsamic vinegar
cracked pepper to taste
Stem and wash the greens. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add oil, then garlic and stir until lightly golden. Add the chiles and greens. Toss with tongs, sprinkle with salt, and cover to allow volume to steam down. Uncover and continue to toss on high heat until greens are wilted. Add vinegar. Remove greens from pan. Return pan to burner. Reduce any remaining juices and drizzle over greens. Crack pepper over the top and serve immediately.
Serves 2
Roasted Roots Side Dish
6 cups mixed root veggies of choice (parsnips, turnips, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, celeriac, potatoes, carrots, etc.) cut into uniform bite size pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. sunflower oil or olive oil
3 Tbsp. white wine, sherry,
apple cider, broth, or water
2 Tbsp. chopped thyme
salt & pepper to taste
Combine garlic, liquids, herbs, salt & pepper in large oven proof baking pan.
Stir in root veggies & bake at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes, stirring several times, until done.
If you have leftovers, this makes a delicious soup added to vegetable/chicken broth & pureed with some cream.
Carrot with Toasted Almond Soup
This recipe comes from a shareholder who said, "even the kids like it!" Garnish with plain yogurt or creme fraiche, if it's in your fridge. Serves 4 as a first course.
1 cup sliced onions
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Rounded 3/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1/3 tsp dried, crumbled
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1 small boiling potato (3 oz), peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 1/2 lb carrots, peeled and cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz), or vegetable stock
1 cup applesauce 
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Cook onions, bay leaf, ginger, curry powder, and thyme in butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened and pale golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add potato to shallot mixture along with carrots, broth, applesauce, water, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until carrots are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
Purée soup in 2 batches in a blender until smooth, transferring as blended to a large bowl (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return to saucepan to reheat if necessary. Serve soup sprinkled with almonds.
Cooks' notes:
•Soup can be made 2 days ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Reheat over low heat. Thin with additional water if necessary.
•Almonds can be toasted 2 days ahead and cooled completely, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
Parsley Pesto
1 cup parsley leaves (thin stems are okay), rinsed and dried
salt
1/2 clove garlic
1/4 cup sunflower or extra-virgin olive oil, or more
1 tsp apple cider vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice
Combine the parsley with a pinch of salt, the garlic, and about 1/2 the oil in a mini-food processor, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container if necessary, and adding the rest of the oil gradually. Add the vinegar, then a little more oil or some water if you prefer a thinner mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Need to Skip a Week?

You can donate your share to the food shelf, receive a second share the following week, or receive a credit on your account. We ask for one week's notice.
Sorry, no changes to the week's delivery after 8 am on Monday of that week.
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Questions? Contact Taylar, goodeats@petesgreens.com

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