Good Eats Newsletter - November 12, 2014


Localvore Members 
& Veggie Only Share Members
take a TAN / LIGHT GREEN BAG

This week your bag will contain:
Claytonia; Carrots; Beets;
Kale; Pac Choi; Lettuce

And OUT of the bag:
1 Butternut Squash

Localvore and any share with pantry items Include:
Pete's Kitchen Pizza Dough
Pete's Kitchen Pizza Sauce
Blue Ledge Riley's Coat cheese
Pete's Kitchen Tomatillo Salsa


Half Veggie Only Members
take a YELLOW BAG
containing:
Claytonia; Carrots; Brussel sprouts; Lettuce

And OUT of the bag:
1 Butternut  Squash

Donating Your Share at Thanksgiving
If you are traveling and not able to use your share for upcoming holidays, consider donating it to those less fortunate who could use a little help.

Simply email us and we can send your share to the food shelf any week you choose.

After receiving last years' donations, Waterbury Food Shelf director sent a note of thanks:

"I would like to thank everyone who generously donated their CSAs to the Waterbury Area Food Shelf for Thanksgiving.   As you know, it is very expensive to try and feed your family healthy nutritious food and the CSA donations were so exciting for all our families at the food shelf.  Your kindness is definitely appreciated by all the individuals who visit the food shelf."

Thanksgiving Delivery Reminder

Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away!

We will deliver all CSA shares a day early on Thanksgiving week.

All sites that normally get their shares on Wednesday will instead be delivered on Tuesday, November 25.
All Thursday sites will instead be delivered on Wednesday, November 26.

Please plan accordingly for that week's pick up. If you can't pick up that week you can either donate your share to the food shelf or skip it and get a credit. Just let us know!

Around the Farm

To be a farmer is to be your vocation. Long hours and hard manual labor, but the reward of all that work is to know where the food we grow is going.

The CSA process opens a dimension of agriculture where exchange between the producers and the members is possible, an exchange where both parties receive something.

You maybe don't know, but having the oportunity to receive comments from you on a week to week basis is like gold for us. It gives us precious information on what you like, don't like and prefer, and that makes changes easier on us for weeks and years to come.
On the other hand, you have all the stories about fruits, vegetables and other products you have on your table. Most coming from Pete's Greens, others coming from amazing cheesemakers, flour producers or egg growers.

Thank you again, dear members, to make this food for the soul exchange possible, everytime you join us for a season of cheers. ~Emilie



Emile joined us in January this year from Quebec where she spent many years working on her parents farm.  She brings a wealth of farming experience and an admirable dedication to her work. 
    Where I found em just before noon today...





Above Left:  Heather and Patrick in the kitchen prepping beets that will be diced and sent to schools.
Above Right:  Niles was weighing and packing potatoes
Below Left:  Tim and Alison were getting started packing Braising mix
Below Right:  Molly was washing greens




Have you Ordered Your Local Thanksgiving Turkey Yet?

Tangletown Farm still has some of their fantastic pasture raised turkeys available and you could have a fresh (not frozen) bird delivered Thanksgiving week along with your CSA delivery. 

You can place your order directly with Lila, pay via cc, and we'll deliver it to your delivery site either Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving (depending on which day/site you are signed up for).


We have some exciting site updates and additions!

We are happy to announce the following changes and additions to our delivery schedule.

Starting next week, 11/19, we are adding a new site in Berlin on Wednesdays!
Blue Cross/Blue Shield building
445 Industrial Parkway in Berlin (by the hospital).
Pick up times will be from 3-7pm.
Employees as well as community members can pick up at this site.

Also starting next week on Thursday we are going to start delivering to the Waterbury Farm Market
2808 Waterbury-Stowe Rd (Rt 100)
Pick up times will be from 10-6 pm.

Effective this week, we have changed our Cambridge location 
OLD - Brown & Jenkins (no longer operating out of their retail store on Rt. 15.
NEW - VT Maple Outlet
3929 VT Rt 15
Jeffersonville
the pick up hours will be from 3:30-5pm.

If you would like to change your delivery site to either of these locations
please email and let me know what site you would like to pick up at.


Winter Store Hours Change at the Waterbury Farm Market

The hours at the Waterbury Farm Market have changed slightly for the winter.
Monday-Thursday 10-6 (previously 10-7)
Friday and Saturday 10-7
Sunday 10-5


Storage and Use Tips
For salad fixings this week, look in your bags for delicious, nutritious claytonia. This is a cold- hardy, mild green also known as "miner's lettuce." This wild grown green was foraged by miners in the California gold rush. This provided a rare source of vitamin C during the cold winters and helped to prevent scurvy. Claytonia is typically eaten raw in salads but can also be cooked like spinach. Store in a sealed bag in your fridge for up to 5-7 days.

Large share members will get red beets this week. These beets are large and flavorful.  They may be eaten cooked or 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. Store these in your crisper drawer for up to a week.

Butternut squash is nutty and sweet. It is great for mashing, soups, roasting and probably most loved because it is easy to peel and boil making is perfect for quick dinners with the kids. See the recipe below for butternut squash mac and cheese - my kids are pretty picky and don't enjoy squash, but they loved this dish and didn't even know what was inside it.

Adolescent lacinato kale will be bagged up for the large share this week. This kale is wonderful, fresh and young so it is nice and tender. It can be eaten raw (see below for a salad recipe), added to a smoothie, made into kale chips, or cooked down in soup or stir fry.

Half share members will get another round of brussels sprouts this week.  Store the sprouts wrapped in a plastic bag in the fridge. Don't leave them too long because they are better the fresher they are! Brussel sprouts can be cooked a variety of ways, and can be eaten raw as well (they can be shaved fine and tossed into a salad for example).

Pac choi is a healthy green filled with vitamins A and C and calcium. It's 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).  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. 

This week's lettuce is Panisse. I love to throw this mild lettuce on a sandwich or in my morning smoothie. If you're like me and barely wash your lettuce just be on the lookout for some slugs this week. Molly saw a few when harvesting.... We do wash everything at the farm very well but being an organic farm sometimes these critters find their way onto our veggies as we don't spray or treat any of our crops.  And heads give them a place to hide.

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.

Localvore Lore

It's a pizza week!

We made the pizza dough at the farm last week and then froze it for delivery.  Our pizza dough is made with Aurora Farm's organic unbleached VT white flour, Gleason Grain Snake Mountain Sifted whole wheat flour, local Sunflower Oil, sea salt and yeast. Use within four to five hours of thawing (ready to go the night you pick up share or store in freezer for later use). Coat a smooth surface with flour and cornmeal (just flour is ok) so that the dough does not stick to the surface. Form dough into ball and flatten with heels of palms. Stretch dough with hands or use a rolling pin to form shape of baking pan (I use a cookie sheet so I form it into a square). Once dough is slightly stretched on surface you can stretch dough in the air with hands by making two fists held together with dough on top. Move each hand up, down and out turning the dough clockwise. Each dough can be stretched to a 16" round, for thicker crust make smaller. If you like light fluffy crust I put my baking sheet on the top of my oven while preheating and let rise. Otherwise set aside in neutral area till oven is ready at 425F. Cook 12-14 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese bubbles.

We also made pizza sauce to go along with the share 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 your pizza right away or freeze it for later use.  You can of course use this on pasta too.

Blue Ledge Riley's Coat cheese is a special treat for you this week. It's a cave aged raw goat and cow's milk cheese. This cheese is a great grating cheese so would be a wonderful addition to a pizza. Here's what Hannah, the owner, has to to say about this cheese:

"We all thought the flavor of these wheels was really great, made back in July at the height of summer! This cheese ages in the same room as our blue cheese so sometimes if there is a tiny crack in the rind some blue creeps in. Tiny bits of blue are normal and delicious. You can eat the rind if they choose, or cut it off. Enjoy!"




Pete's kitchen tomatillo salsa is a yummy reminder of summer. It's made with our organic tomatillos, onions, roasted jalapenos, plus cider vinegar, lime juice, garlic, cilantro and salt.  It has good flavor and some nice zip.  This salsa is wonderful with chips or as a sauce for meats, steamed veggies, or beans.  It will also be amazing on a pizza! It will come to you frozen so you can thaw it out and enjoy right away (it's good for one week) or stick back in the freezer for up to a year.



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 Pantry, or you can skip your share delivery and you will retain a credit on your account toward the purchase of your next share.



Recipes


Caramelized Onion, Kale, and Chevre Pizza
Here's a basic pizza recipe that is easy and tastes amazing! The baby kale would be amazing on this - and I don't think you would even need to pre-cook it since it's already soft enough to eat.

1 onion, sliced
several cloves of garlic
1 shallot if you have it, minced
around 10-12 leaves of kale stripped from stalk and chopped into ribbons
mozzarella cheese
Riley's cheese, grated
oregano
crushed red pepper

Preheat the oven to 425F.  Stretch your pizza dough with well floured hands and place on baking sheet, let rest.

Heat a skillet, and add olive oil to coat.  Add the onion and cover and simmer first on medium for around 5 minutes.  Add youur shallots (if using) and garlic and saute a bit more til these soften but don't brown, and then remove to a plate.

In same skillet, toss in a bit more oil, some water, and the chopped kale and saute the kale til it softens.  Steam will help achieve this and might take 5 mins.  Then turn off.

Build pizza.  Start with a smear of olive oil on the crust.  Sprinkle with mozzarella and Riley's cheese and spread over crust.  Then the kale. Next give your pizza a good sprinkling of oregano, crushed red pepper, and a bit of salt.

Bake for 10-15 mins until bottom is nicely baked and top comes together.  Remove to a rack, slice  and enjoy.

 


Salsa Verde Pizza with goat cheese and bacon
I never thought to put tomatillo salsa on a  pizza but this sounds excellent.

1 pizza dough
A fewtablespoons good quality olive oil
2/3cup Tomatillo Salsa
A couple of very thin slices of red onion
4 ounces goat cheese, coarsely crumbled into roughly 1/2-inch pieces
3 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and coarsely crumbled OR 4 ounces Mexican chorizo sausage, casing removed and cooked thoroughly
2 tablespoons grated Mexican queso anejo, Romano or Parmesan
A Handful of cilantro leaves

Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Generously oil a 13 x 18 rimmed baking sheet; use a rubber spatula to gently deflate the dough and scrape it out onto the baking sheet. Gently coax the dough—nudging and tugging—into an even rectangle about 9 by 13 inches.

Spread on the sauce, leaving a 1-inch border around the outside. Scatter on the bacon, sliced onion and crumbled goat cheese. Bake in the middle of the oven until puffy and brown, about 25 minutes.

Sprinkle with queso anejo and cilantro leaves.



Creamy, light butternut squash macaroni and cheese
This recipe was a hit with the kids. This week's squash is larger than the one called for in this recipe so you won't need to use the whole thing.

3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 [1-pound] squash)
1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded GruyĆØre cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) grated pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1 pound uncooked cavatappi
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine squash, broth, milk, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place the hot squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Place blended squash mixture in a bowl; stir in GruyĆØre, pecorino Romano, and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir until combined.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well. Add pasta to squash mixture, and stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add panko, and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the hot pasta mixture. Lightly coat topping with cooking spray.

Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.



Brussel Leaf and Spinach Saute
Peeling the sprouts is a little time consuming, but once that's over the dish comes together quickly. I believe this weeks' claytonia would be an excellent substitute for the spinach called for in this recipe. Give it a try and let me know how it works out! Recipe from Epicurious, October 2012.

1 pound brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine or champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
4 cups baby spinach
2 generous pinches of sea salt
1/2 cup Marcona almonds

Working with one brussels sprout at a time, peel each individual leaf, starting from the outside and working toward the middle. Continue to peel until you get to the tough core where it is just too tight to pull any more leaves. Discard the core and put the leaves in a big bowl. Repeat with the remaining brussels sprouts.

Over medium heat, warm the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add all of the brussels leaves and sautƩ for about 30 seconds. Add the vinegar and maple syrup and toss to coat. Add the spinach to the pan and toss until it is just barely wilted. It is better just slightly underdone in this case, as it will continue to cook in its own heat.

Sprinkle with the salt and Marcona almonds and serve immediately.



Penne Pasta in a Roasted Beet Sauce
I stumbled upon this recipe and thought it looked awesome! Isn't it gorgeous? I would recommend roasting the garlic along with the beets before blending all together. Serves 2.

3 medium-sized beets, cleaned and cut into a small dice
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 sprigs thyme
3 cloves garlic
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs. vermouth
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish, or Riley's coat cheese
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup cream or milk
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 pound penne pasta
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Tbs. poppy seeds
mint leaves, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400.

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the diced beets with 1 Tbs. oil, thyme sprigs and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes. Check for doneness at the 30-minute mark.

Transfer beets to a food processor. Add the garlic, balsamic vinegar, vermouth, half of the cheese and the 2 remaining Tbs. oil. Pulse until it’s as smooth as you can get it.

Transfer beet mixture to a small saucepan. Add the stock and cream and bring to a light simmer. Add the sugar, remaining cheese and another pinch of salt. Simmer on medium-low while you prepare the rest of the meal.

Toast the poppy seeds in a small skillet until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Cook the penne until al dente. Drain and return to skillet. Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss to combine. Season accordingly. Serve pasta garnished with a good sprinkle of the poppy seeds, the mint leaves and more cheese.


Marinated Beets
A little sugar softens the edge of the vinegar here and complements the natural sweetness of the beets. Keep these on hand for healthy snacks, or add to salads.

1 bunch beets
1/3 cup red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
Salt to taste
2 garlic cloves, cut in half
2 teaspoons sugar

Place the beets in a saucepan, cover with water, add 1/4 cup of the vinegar and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. Remove from the heat, add the garlic to the pot and set aside to cool.

Remove the beets from the pot (do not drain), slip off the skins and cut in wedges.

Combine the remaining vinegar and the sugar. When the sugar has dissolved in the vinegar, stir in 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid from the beets. Toss with the beets and the garlic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then remove the garlic from the marinade. Remove the beets from the marinade with a slotted spoon to serve.



Braised Butternut Squash with Indian Spices
Here's an interesting twist on butternut squash. This recipe is a good way to spice up your squash and give it some flare.

3lb Butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/4 c oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp each cumin, coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 Tbsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt, to taste
1 c water
1 tomato, diced (frozen works great)
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp garam masala (cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, black pepper blend)
Chopped cilantro for garnish, optional

Heat oil in a dutch oven and saute onion, garlic, ginger, spices and mustard seeds. Cook until the seeds start to pop around. Add the salt, water, tomato maple syrup and squash. Simmer until squash is tender, covered for the first 15 minutes. Stir in the garam masala and cilantro, mashing the squash a bit if you'd like.



Butternut Squash PIzza with Hazelnut Dough
I think this pizza would taste just as good on our dough. Try out the  hazelnut crust if you're ambitious!

1 cup very thinly sliced peeled, halved butternut squash
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Coarse salt
1/4 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
1 ball Hazelnut Pizza Dough
6 to 10 small or torn sage leaves
1 to 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Garnish: hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven, preferably convection, to 500 degrees. Drizzle squash with oil, and season with salt; toss.

Spread cornmeal on a baking sheet. Stretch dough into a 9 1/2-inch round; transfer to baking sheet. Drizzle dough with oil, and arrange squash on top, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Bake for 6 minutes (10 minutes if not using convection oven). Meanwhile toss sage with garlic, and drizzle with oil to coat. Sprinkle sage mixture over pizza. Bake until crust is golden brown and cooked through, 6 minutes more (10 minutes more if not using convection oven). Garnish with hazelnuts, and drizzle with oil.
 

Hazelnut Pizza Dough

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl
1 cup warm water (110 degrees)
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one 1/4-ounce envelope)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface and hands
1/2 cup roasted hazelnut meal
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
Coarse salt

Lightly oil a medium bowl. Stir together water and yeast in a large bowl; let stand until foamy. Stir in oil. Add flour, hazelnut meal, sage, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; stir until dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead with floured hands until smooth.

Transfer to oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Divide dough into 2 balls.



Carrot Cake Pancakes
These carrots are a great way to get some veggies into breakfast!

5.6 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
Dash of ground ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups finely grated carrot (about 1 pound)
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through ginger) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (through eggs); add sugar mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in 2 cups carrot.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon 4 (1/4 cup) batter mounds onto pan, spreading with a spatula. Cook for 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over; cook 1 minute or until bottoms are lightly browned. Repeat procedure twice with remaining batter. Combine butter and honey in a small bowl; serve with pancakes.



 


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