Good Eats Newsletter - August 5, 2015

Meat Share Members - It's a Meat Delivery Week! Localvore Members  & Regular Veggie Only Share Members take a LIGHT GREEN BAG This week your bag will contain: Mesclun, Potatoes, Kohlrabi, Scallions, Kale, Napa Cabbage. Cucumbers, Beets, Celery, Green Beans And OUT of the bag: Brown bag of Tomatoes Localvore Offerings Include: Tangletown Farm Eggs Earth Sky Time Goldburgers Cellars at Jasper Hill Kinsman Ridge Half Veggie Only Members take a YELLOW BAG containing: Mesclun, Scallions, Kale, Napa Cabbage  Cucumber, Beets, Celery And OUT of the bag: Brown bag of Tomatoes (marked for small share members) Kingdom Farm and Food Days Hoping to see you NEXT weekend.   Saturday August 15th  We invite you to come out and visit the farm! Tours between 11am and 2pm Our event is part of the Kingdom Farm and Food Days a weekend long event of farm and food events and activities in the NEK.   Storage and Use Tips Tomatoes - Both shares will pick up tomatoes this week.   Large share members tomatoes will be in the PLAIN brown bags.   Small share member tomatoes will be in the STICKERED brown bag that say "TOMATOES FOR YELLOW BAG MEMBERS". Kohlrabi is the vegetable in large share bags this week that looks like a moon landing craft.  It comes in two lovely shades of green or purple.  I love this veggie.  Why?  Because it kind of tastes like broccoli, it packs the nutritional punch of the other members of the cruciferous veggies (broccoli, kale, cabbage), and when you cut it up into strips and cook it, it is completely unintimidating (it looks like apple slices or plain potato strips).  So this makes it a veggie that is easy for even picky kids to try and often like.  I also love it because it's versatile.  It adds crunch and body to a salad, it's great tossed on grill in a drizzle of olive oil in roasting basket or tin foil, it's great as a side dressed up in a myriad of ethnic flavor profiles, and it's terrific in many dishes calling for a veggie melange. And to top it off, it stores a long time, so you can eat everything else in the fridge first and then 3 weeks later discover you still have perfect kohlrabi. To use it, cut off that tough colorful exterior. Then cut up the white part into whatever shape you like.  Eat it raw or cook it up.  Recipes below. Celery - Yum.  Fresh potassium rich celery this week for all share members. Napa Cabbage - cool cabbage salads in the fridge is what we were thinking.  A Napa cabbage can be so many different salads, it's hard to choose.  I often go straight to a version of an asian themed salad - tamari, ginger, garlic, scallions and cilantro if I have it.  I like to prep the ingredients (sliced napa, shredded carrots, scallions, maybe cukes, peas if I have them, maybe almonds or toasted sesame seeds), make the dressing, and then keep throwing together the salads in the days that follow as needed. Scallions - and because many good Napa Salads call for scallions we harvested scallions this week too.  Had hoped we might get the Napa salad trifecta and have cilantro for you too, but alas, we didn't have enough.  We'll keep shooting for that! Cucumbers this week for both shares are slicing cukees. Red Beets this week!  Don't forget that the beet greens are a whole other veggie in your bag.  Trim the greens from the beets and store the green loosely wrapped in a separate plastic bag.  Kale for both shares this week will be green kale.  My favorite for making Kale Caesars. Potatoes - This weeks potatoes for large share members are Peter Wilcox, a purple on the outside potato with white flesh.  This is a great all pupose potato. Mesclun - and of course we have your bag of delicious fresh greens this week too.  One member wrote this week to tell me that our mesclun greens are a favorite of her cat, who comes running when she opens the bag for his tasty greens treat. Who'd of thunk it. 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. Around the Farm The greenhouse project is moving forward steadily in between the demands of other projects on the farm.  Nice to see the structure taking shape. Localvore Lore From Cellars at Jasper Hill this week week we have Kinsman Ridge, a new cheese in Good Eats. And one I am really loving.  This is a smooth, buttery rich delicious semi soft tomme.  It's at home on a cheese plate or in the lunchbox with some fresh bread.  This is a new cheese from cheese makers Deb and Doug Erb at Landaff Creamery in NH.  Their first cheese (simply named Landaff) has been in the share a number of times.  Kinsman Ridge is the second creation from Landaff Creamery and is made possible by the the aging process/partnership with Cellars at Jasper Hill.   VT Goldburgers made by Earth, Sky, Time Farm are in the share this week.  These veggie burgers are really delicious.  They're a certified organic vegetable farm and wood fired bakery in Manchester Vermont. Their VT Goldburgers are made from organic VT grown carrots and potatoes and organic almonds, sunflower, flax, and sesame seeds, brown rice and oats. They are seasoned with curry spices and wood fired in our brick oven. They are soy free, wheat free, vegan and delicious. These are tasty burgers!  You can simply heat them in a skillet with a little olive oil but they also do well in the toaster or on a grill.    We also have another round of eggs from Tangletown Farm.   Take note - you may not see eggs again for 4 weeks.  The older hens are slowing down now and the new hens just need a few more weeks before their production will be able to keep pace with demand. Here's a pic of the new hens a little earlier this season when they were half grown.     Meat Share Meat share members will receive Pete's Greens Pork Chops & Bacon this week from our 2014 herd of happy pastured piggies.  The pigs roamed 20 acres of pasture grazing freely while also receiving regular deliveries of roots and greens and squash and other tasty veggies from the farm.  They dined well as shall you when you dig in to this vitamin packed tasty meat.  Also in the meat share this month is a Pete's Greens Whole Chicken.  Our chickens are raised inside until they are feathered out enough and then are turned out.  We supplement their foraging with greens and veggie scraps as well.  Seth and Kim at McKnight Farm in E. Montpelier raise the organic beef in our share.  This month it's McKnight Organic Steak (Porterhouse, Rib, or Tbone).  As this beef is grass fed and has less fat than conventional beef, I'd recommend marinating.  Lemon juice or wine in the marinade is great to help tenderize a bit.  Also, cooking in some liquid or cooking at high heat for a short time on both sides is better than a longer time at lower heat (which will dry out the meat more).   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 Spicy Asian Slaw with Napa Cabbage, Carrots & Ginger Dressing   3 tbsp rice vinegar 2 tsp sugar 1 tsp peeled and grated fresh ginger 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp canola oil 1/2 tsp grated lime zest 1 tbsp fresh lime juice 1/2 serrano chile, seeded and membranes removed, finely chopped 1 small Napa cabbage (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved lengthwise, cored, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices 1 1/2 cups grated carrots 4 scallions, sliced 1/2 cup chopped cilantro   In a small bowl, whisk together rice vinegar, sugar, ginger, sesame oil, canola oil, lime zest, lime juice, and chile. Set aside.   Separate the cabbage leaves into a large bowl. Add carrots, scallions, and cilantro, and toss well.   Pour the dressing into the cabbage mixture and toss again. Let stand for 10 minutes, tossing occasionally.         Simple Roasted Kohlrabi   2-4 kohlrabi - outer skin trimmed to white bulb, and cut into 1/4 " thick strips 1 TB olive oil salt and pepper   Preheat oven to 450.  Toss kohlrabi with olive oild, salt & pepper on a baking sheet.  Bake until browned 15-20 mins.  Works just as well tossed with oil and placed in tin foil and placed on grill.       Napa Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Carrot Slaw Adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit July 1998   3 tablespoons rice vinegar 3 tablespoons sunflower oil 2.5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter 1.5 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce 1.5 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar 1 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger 1 tablespoons minced garlic   1 Napa Cabbage chopped 2 kohlrabi peeled and cut into matchstick size strips 1 large red or yellow bell peppers, cut into matchstick-size strips 2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips 4 scallions, cut into matchstick-size strips 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro     Whisk first 7 ingredients in small bowl to blend. (Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before continuing.)   If you have a food processor you can use it to grate the carrots, kohlrabi and cabbage and peppers. Otherwise hand chop and mix together in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve.       Spicy Beet and Kohlrabi Salad   5 beets, roasted and then chopped 2 head of kohlrabi, peeled, roasted and then chopped 2 T. olive oil 2 scallions, chopped 1/2 t. garam masala 1 t. fresh grated ginger 1/2 t. corriander pinch of red pepper flakes zest of one lemon juice of 1/2 lemon 1 t. coconut oil 1 t. honey salt to taste   Place whole beets and kohlrabi into a glass dish and sprinkle with olive oil. Cover and roast at 400F for 40-60 minutes, or until tender.   Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Stir well to mix. Once beets and kohlrabi are cooked carefully remove the skin from the beets and chop them.    Add the chopped beets and kohlrabi. And gently toss to coat them in the dressing. Serve warm.       Chilled Beet & Celery Soup   1 1⁄2 lbs beets 1 large onion 2 cups celery, thinly sliced (works well with celery root too) 2 tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper 2 teaspoons sugar 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 3 cups low sodium chicken broth 1⁄2 lemon, juice of 1⁄3 cup plain yogurt 2 tablespoons minced chives (or finely minced scallions)   Peel the beets and cut them into 1" chunks.  Peel and dice the onion, and chop the celery.   In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, cook the onion and celery in the olive oil, with the sugar and a little salt and pepper.When soft, add the beets, vinegar and broth, and simmer, covered, until they are tender- about 40 minutes.   Puree the soup, and chill 6 hours to overnight.   Adjust the seasoning of the soup by adding a little more salt and pepper, if needed, and lemon juice to taste. Serve with a dollop of yogurt, and a sprinkling of minced chives.       Raw Kale and Kohlrabi Salad with Tahini-Maple Dressing I haven't made this but I am going to.  The original recipe was a Kale and Brussel Sprouts recipe but the kohlrabi will be a great substitution. Thinly sliced bkohlrabi and toasted slivered almonds will lend the crunch, while parmesan and miso will contribute savoriness.    1 bunch of curly green kale 2 kohlrabi  3 tablespoons sliced almonds ¼ cup shaved Parmesan (use a vegetable peeler to shave the cheese into little strips) dash of sea salt Tahini-maple dressing ¼ cup tahini 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 2 teaspoons white miso 2 teaspoons maple syrup Pinch of red pepper flakes ¼ cup water   Strip the kale leaves from the ribs  of the kale. Chop the kale into small, bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle a dash of sea salt over the kale and use your hands to massage the kale by lightly scrunching handfuls of kale in your hands. Release and repeat until the kale becomes darker in color and more fragrant. Transfer the kale to a medium serving bowl.   Cut off the tough outer skin of your kohlrabi and then cut into matchsticks or other 1/4" thick shape.   In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the tahini, vinegar, miso, maple syrup and red pepper flakes. Whisk in the water until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Some brands of tahini are thicker than others, so if your dressing is too thick, add a bit more water and/or vinegar, to taste. Pour the dressing over the kale and sprouts and mix well. In a small pan over medium heat, toast the almond slivers, stirring frequently, until fragrant and turning golden (this will take less than five minutes so watch carefully). Add the toasted almonds and parmesan shavings to the salad and toss. Serve immediately.