Pete's Greens Weekly Newsletter - Nov. 06, 2019

‌  ‌  ‌ IT'S A MEAT WEEK!! Pete's Greens Pastured Chickens lived a charmed chicken existence, roaming the fields and eating green forage. This diet makes them a much more nutrient-dense meat than many of the chickens you find out in the marketplace. These chickens are good sized birds that are great for any purpose: they can be grilled or roasted whole, or cut into pieces and used for various dishes.    McKnight Farm is an organic farm that raises dairy and beef cows in East Montpelier, VT. McKnight Farm, like our farm, uses solar panels to offset their operation and energy expenditures. In fact, their solar array meets all of their electricity needs! This month we are sending you their stew meat, which melts in your mouth after being simmered at low temperatures! VT99 was our collaboration with Jasper Hill Farm, where we raise pigs on vegetable scraps, whey (from their cheese making), and pasture. This month we're sending you Uncured Bacon ends from VT99, a thick-cut, nitrate-free bacon that is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Snug Valley Farm raises heritage breeds of pigs as well as holsteins. They are located in East Hardwick and practice intensive rotational grazing methods in order to ensure the best possible forage for their happy grazers. Their animals are raised without antibiotics, hormones or any animal by-products. Isaac harvesting sunchokes last week! A note about your beets: I had planned to send everyone Chiogga beets this week, but we ended up having to substitute them for red beets. For those of you who ordered some red and some Chiogga, you received the same weight that you ordered but all red beets. Do you find Farmigo to be frustrating and difficult to navigate? Check out our new tutorials below! Farmigo Store Tutorial Farmigo Settings Instructional Video Reminders! We are low on our bags! Please remember to bring back any of our bags that you have at home and bring your own grocery bag to bring your veggies home with you today. Your share may come in a different colored bag or in a box today. Please be sure to look around your delivery site for a bag or box with your name on it! Access your member account here! Pantry/ Localvore Shares and Pantry Add-Ons This week's pantry/ localvore pantry items are Pete's Greens Pesto, Pete's Greens Pizza Sauce, Sweet Rowen Cheese Curds, Axel's Eggs- read more below Cheese Shares: Cheese is OUT of the bag. This weeks cheese is Salt & Pepper from Sweet Rowen.  Egg Shares: These are delivered OUT OF THE BAG. They are on your bag's tag but not packed in your bag. You'll find your dozen labeled with your name. Bread Shares: These are delivered OUT OF THE BAG. From Elmore Mountain Bread in Elmore! They are on your bag's tag but not packed in your bag. Milk Shares and milk orders from the store: These are delivered OUT OF THE BAG. They are on your bag's tag but not packed in your bag. They are in a cooler. Store orders Everything else ordered from the store is packed in your bag. Pantry/ Localvore Items Pete's Greens Pesto: contains our organic basil to which we add lots of garlic, parmesan and Romano cheeses, lemon, and olive oil. Pete's Greens Pizza Sauce: This sauce was made using our organic tomatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil, salt, sugar, oregano, thyme, basil, & black pepper. It's coming to you frozen for easy delivery. You can defrost and put on a pizza right away or freeze it for later use. You can of course use this on pasta too! Sweet Rowen Cheese Curds: The farm milks a special variety of cow known as Randall Linebacks. They are Scottish in heritage, and were allowed to evolve naturally on Vermont pasture, making them specially suited to our native climate. Lineback cows tend to have a unique white splash running the length of their backs, as well as white splotching on the face. Cheese curds are simply a mild cheddar cheese that hasn't been pressed into a block or wheel, and therefore the pieces are light and squeaky. They are delicious for snacking, pizza topping, grilled cheese, nachos, and of course poutine!  Axel's Eggs: Pastured eggs from Axel's farm in Craftsbury! Visit our blog for more storage tips and recipes! Storage Tips Black Radish: Of an ancient origin, black radishes are one of the oldest cultivated radishes. Nutritionally, they are excellent for Vitamin C, among other healthy nutrients and vitamins. Some say they help fight off infection and promote healthy digestive function. They are firmer, drier, and stronger than other radishes. You can eat raw or cooked; try slicing or grating over a salad or added into a slaw. You could also slice them thinly, then salt and drain and mix with sour cream as a spread for chewy rye bread. You can peel the outer layer or scrub clean and eat with the skin on Radicchio: This lettuce relative is actually a chicory, which has a bitter punch of flavor. Radicchio makes a great addition to salads for a pop of color and a contrast in flavor. You can also use the leaves as a base for hors d'oeuvres, or sauté them for a side dish. Pairs well with full-flavored cheeses, balsamic vinegar, and honey. Romaine: This lettuce makes a great salad or adds some crunch to a sandwich. Store it in the fridge in a large plastic tub with a piece of paper towel to absorb excess moisture and condensation. If you store wet lettuce in a produce bag, it will likely only last a couple days.  Adirondack Red Potatoes: Adirondack Red potatoes have a bright red skin and an even more vibrant interior! Use these purplish red potatoes, which do lighten some after cooking, as vibrant home fries for dinner or breakfast. Keep these in a cool, dry, dark place. RECIPES Squeaky Cheese Pizza: PG Pizza Sauce Sweet Rowen Cheese Curds Spicy Italian Sausage Caramelized onions Peppers Flatbread crust Prepare the pizza: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees While the oven is cooking caramelize the onions. Slice the onions thin, then cook them in a pan over medium-high heat to start the process, stirring frequently. Reduce the head and cover, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown. Pre-cook the Italian sausage in a skillet, set aside to cool Spoon sauce over your flatbread crust. Top with your sausage, onions and peppers. Finish by sprinkling as many cheese curds as you see fit. Bake until the edges of your crust begin to brown and the cheese curds are fully melted Black Radish Salad: 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard 2 black radishes (weighing about one half pound each) peeled and trimmed One small shallot, sliced paper-thin 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Fine sea salt Preparation: In a medium sized bowl whisk together the lemon juice and the mustard, then slowly whisk in the olive oil into the mixture until it emulsifies. Grate the radish on a grater with small holes. Add the grated radish and the shallot to the vinaigrette and toss so that all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Season with salt. Serve immediately. Black Radish Chips: Ingredients 2 large black radishes olive oil balsamic vinegar salt, pepper piment d'Espelette (optional, substitute chili flakes) Preparation: Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Grease a baking dish (unless it is non-stick). Wash and scrub the radishes. Peel them with a vegetable peeler, leaving half of the peel in stripes if desired. Slice the radishes thinly -- very thin slices will be more chip-like, slightly thicker slices will be moister -- and put the slices in the baking dish. Pour a little olive oil and a little vinegar, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and piment d'Espelette. Toss to coat. Adjust the amounts so all the slices look comfortably dressed, but not drenched. Put in the oven to bake for about 20 minutes, until the chips are golden and their edges start to crisp up. Serve warm, as an appetizer or a side. Adapted from Chocolate and Zucchini Bitter Greens Salad with Melted Cheese: 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar Extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 large head radicchio (3/4 pound), cored and coarsely shredded 5 ounces arugula 1/4 pound Crucolo, provolone, Taleggio, or Fontina cheese, grated 1/2 cup roughly chopped lightly toasted hazelnuts Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling Prepare the salad: Heat the broiler to high. Whisk the red wine vinegar with 1/4 cup olive oil in a large bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the radicchio and arugula and toss to coat them nicely. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Pile the salad on ovenproof plates or an ovenproof platter and top with the cheese. Broil the salad just until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the toasted hazelnuts on top and finish with a drizzle of balsamic. Serve right away. Adapted from Epicurious Beet Hummus: 2 packs/cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained well (about 30 ounces including packing water) 1 1/2 cups diced roasted beets 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup tahini (one ingredient: sesame seeds) 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup beet juice 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar 1/4 tsp garlic powder Roast the beets: Preheat the oven to 375°. Trim beet greens and wash beets (no need to dry the beets off, the water helps them cook).  Wrap each beet in foil and place wrapped beets on baking sheet and roast until tender (this ranges between 30 to 60 minutes depending on size). Let the beets cool for at least 10 minutes. Unwrap from foil and then peel off the skin (I just rubbed them with my thumbs and skins come off easily). Dice.  Make the hummus: Combine all the ingredients listed above in a high-speed blender. Blend on high for about 2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Store in glass containers, keeps for up to 10 days in the fridge.  Adapted from Hello Nutritarian Beet Hummus Salad Dressing: 2/3 cup beet hummus 1/3 cup water 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp dried dill or 2 tbsp fresh dill 2 tsp raw sesame seeds 1/4 tsp garlic powder Make the dressing: In a medium mixing bowl, add the hummus and water and whisk together well. Add dill, sesame seeds and garlic powder, whisk until incorporated. RECIPE NOTES Store in refrigerator, in air-tight container for up to 10 days. Perfect for salads, drizzled over beans, fresh avocado and baked potatoes. Adapted from Hello Nutritarian Pete's Greens | www.petesgreens.com