Good Eats Newsletter - September 23, 2015

Localvore Members  & Regular Veggie Only Share Members take a LIGHT GREEN BAG   This week your bag will contain: Carrots, Potatoes, Cauliflower, Pac Choi, Beets, Onions, Carmen Peppers   And OUT of the bag: Brown bag of Tomatoes Corn     Localvore Offerings Include: Slowfire Bakery Bread Tangletown Eggs Sweet Rowen Nettle Cheese     Half Veggie Only Members take a YELLOW BAG containing: Potatoes, Beets, Cauliflower, Pac Choi, Carrots     And OUT of the bag: Brown bag of Tomatoes Corn     Gift Giveaway Ending Soon!     Sign up for the Fall/Winter Share and Pay by September 26th to Receive a Free Gift!   Sign Up Now !       Only a few days left to receive your choice of a cool Pete's Greens T, baseball hat or canvas bag!     Or Click here to JOIN and select your gift     Click here to read about the Fall/Winter Share

It's the Perfect time to Sign Up for the Fall/Winter Share!   If you're not ready for the fresh veggies of summer to come to an end, you can keep the good food coming by signing up for the Fall/Winter Share now. Deliveries start the week after the summer share ends, so you won't miss a beat!   We'll send you greens every week (spinach, shoots salad mix, pac choi), root veggies (onions, carrots, potatoes, beets), squash, and frozen veggies we have preserved from summer harvests (broccoli, corn, peppers). Join now and keep eating wholesome foods while supporting your local economy.     Delivery times and locations are generally the same as the summer share. Click Here to Sign Up Now!   If you'd like to learn more, check out our Fall/Winter Share Description page, or send us an email.   Pete's Greens Supports the NOFA Farm Share Program   Fall is a time to reflect on the bounty of summer, and take some time to appreciate the communities we live in. It is also a time to think of how we can effect positive change around us. One truly wholesome way to do this is to contribute to the NOFA-VT Farm Share program.   We have funded 5 NOFA-VT Farm Shares for our Fall/Winter CSA so far, and there are 7 more people on the wait-list. Help fund their shares this season!   NOFA Vermont's Farm Share program assists low-income Vermonters in obtaining farm-fresh vegetables through partially subsidized CSA shares. Because we participate in this program, qualifying Vermonters can receive veggie shares from our farm. This is one meaningful way that we reach more Vermonters and contribute to the effort to bring food justice to our local communities.   Through the program, NOFA-VT will match each dollar that our CSA raises to offer reduced rates to income eligible individuals and families. For each four members who donate at the $25 level for example, we can offer a veggie share to a neighbor who otherwise could not afford our CSA. Your donation is tax deductible and supports the local food movement. It's one more reason to sign up for our Fall/Winter share and spread the love!     You can also support the NOFA Farm Share program when you shop at participating stores next week.   Share the Harvest when you shop at participating local businesses, and a portion of the day's proceeds will support the NOFA Farm Share Program!   Make a difference in your community this fall! Around the Farm   Our crew is busy harvesting, packing, and storing fall veggies! We are also planting new successions of greens to keep growing all through the winter!         Storage and Use Tips Carrots - This week you'll see rainbow carrots! Carrots should be stored loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer, where they will keep for a couple of weeks. Store them away from apples, pears and other produce that create ethylene gas, which causes them to become bitter.   Potatoes - These slightly waxy potatoes are golden skinned and golden fleshed and are truly all purpose. They are great for boiling, mashing or roasting and are plenty waxy enough to make excellent potato salad. Nicola potatoes have a very special attribute among potatoes - they are low on the glycemic index compared to all other varieties. This means they do not cause blood sugar spike the way that other varieties may, if you are sensitive to blood sugar ups and down then you know this is an issue that can wreak havoc with people with insulin resistance. They also have a yummy slightly nutty flavor.  Store in a cool dry place away from onions.    Corn – Store fresh corn in the fridge for a few days if needed. Or eat it right away! Try your corn this week in a delicious three sisters chili (below)   Romanesca Cauliflower- A very striking vegetable, the Romanesca variety of cauliflower has a beautiful light green color with pointed florets instead of the usual rounded. Originally from Northern Italy, its taste is somewhat milder than the traditional cauliflower as well. Cook as you would a regular cauli. Consider blanching the florets and adding to a crudite platter. Store unwashed in a loosely wrapped plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.   Carmen Peppers - This sweet Italian pepper is a bull’s horn type (corno di toro), so named for its elongated shape. Store unwashed (or washed and dried) peppers in the refrigerator in a loosely closed plastic bag. Moisture is a pepper’s enemy and hastens spoiling. For peak flavor and nutrition, use within a week. Great roasted over a gas kitchen burner or under your oven’s broiler.   Beets - 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.   Tomatoes – This will be your last week of red tomatoes! Enjoy them in salads or atop a quiche! Store on your countertop, out of direct sunlight.   Onions - Regular veggie members have onions in their bags this week. I start almost every recipe with some chopped and sauteed onions. Once cut open, keep remaining onion in a sealed plastic container in your fridge.   Pac Choi - Bunched pac choi coming your way with week. Part of the cabbage family, it packs in nutrition with high scores for vitamins A and C and calcium. Pac Choi is 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).  As leaves become more mature they are more often served cooked. 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. Store pac choi loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer.   Note: We will have more greens (probably mesclun) back in your share next week! If you're a salad lover, stay tuned!   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   This week's pantry items include Farmer's Cheese from Sweet Rowen Farmstead in Glover, VT. Similar to cream cheese, but without the added cream, this fresh, tangy spreadable cheese comes in a variety of flavors. This week your shares will have their Nettle flavor. This unique cheese recently placed first in its category at the American Cheese Society Competition! The nettles (cooked to eliminate their sting) provide a subtle but peppery herb flavor to this versatile soft cheese.   You will also see Slowfire Bakery Cider Sourdough Bread. It's a seasonal specialty of theirs made from a basic sourdough recipe with Milanaise organic flour, and added local apples and cider. This bread would cook up into an amazing grilled cheese sandwich (yum!) or just eat it plain.   Our friends at Tangletown Farm have provided Fresh Eggs this week. All of their animals are 100% free of hormones and antibiotics.  Their birds love being outside, roaming, pecking, finding things to cluck about.  The eggs are rich and delicious.     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     Quick Stir Fry of Pac Choi & Peppers    1 lb. pac choi 1 lb. sweet peppers, chopped 1 Tbsp fresh ginger root, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp sunflower oil   Separate the pac choi leaves and cut off the chunky stalks. Slice the stalks finely. Roughly chop the leaves. Heat the sunflower oil in a wok or sautee pan. Add the garlic, peppers and ginger. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Add the pac choi stalks. Toss well. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add the pac choi leaves. Stir and then cook for 1 minute, until they are barely wilted. Add soy/tamari and sesame oil and toss.     Three Sisters Chipotle Chili   In this recipe, pureed winter squash takes the place of tomatoes as the base of the chili. The addition of black beans and corn gives us all three of the American Indian mythical sisters. I like this chili made with pork, but you could substitute tempeh or leave the meat out all together. Serves 10.   2 TB sunflower oil or lard 3lbs pork chops cut into 3/4 cubes, seasoned with salt and pepper 1 lg. onion, thinly sliced 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 cup lager, such as Otter Creek Vermont Lager 1 cup chicken or vegetable both 3 cups pureed winter squash 2 tsp. ground cumin 2 tsp. dried oregano 2 chopped chipotle chilies in adobo, plus 2 tsp sauce (or more to taste) 2 cups frozen corn 2 cups cooked black beans 2 cups cooked Jacob's Cattle or other white beans 1/4 cup maple syrup, or to taste apple cider (optional) salt and pepper to taste   Preheat oven to 350F. Heat oil or lard in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Brown pork on all sides in batches. Reserve browned pork on the side. Add onion and garlic to empty pan, sautee, stirring frequently, until soft and turning brown, about 7-8 minutes. Add lager and broth, stirring to deglaze the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer rapidly for 5 minutes to reduce the liquid. Add squash, cumin oregano and chilies. Bring to a simmer. Add browned pork and both types of beans. Add syrup, to taste. If chili is too thick for your liking, add extra broth or apple cider as needed. Add frozen corn. Bring back to a simmer. Cover and bake in a 350F oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven. Season with salt, pepper and cumin to taste. Serve warm, garnished with a dollop of creme fraiche and chopped fresh parsley, if desired.     Potato Gnocchi    Great with stir fried vegetables, wilted greens, pesto, or a tomato cream sauce.   1 lb potatoes 1⁄2 cup gruyere cheese, shredded (or parmesan cheese) 1 teaspoon salt 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper 1 cup flour 1 egg   Cook potatoes (with their skin on) in boiling water until tender. Allow the cooked potatoes to cool slightly, then carefully peel while holding potato with a kitchen mitt. While still hot, puree potatoes through a ricer, food mill, or hand style cheese shredder and shred them into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool completely before proceeding. You can 'flip' the bowl to toss the potatoes to help them cool. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.   Add the cheese, flour, salt, and pepper and toss again by 'flipping' the bowl (similar to sauteeing a pan over a flame). Add in the egg and mix by hand to form a smooth, slightly sticky dough. Briefly knead the dough to incorporate the flour, being careful not to overwork. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces and return them to the bowl.   Working in close proximity to the stove, lightly flour your hands, and have a fork ready. Roll each piece (one at a time) into a long rope, about 1/2-inch in diameter, flouring your hands lightly only if needed. Slice the ropes into pieces 1-inch pieces.   Holding one piece at a time, gently press and roll the balls of dough against the back tines of a fork so slight indentations are formed (dip the back of the fork tines in flour as needed). Repeat with each piece of dough either keeping the pieces on the counter (or you can drop them right off the fork into the boiling water as you make them).   Gently drop the gnocchi into boiling water and wait for them to rise to the top. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more then remove the cooked gnocchi with a slotted spoon or skimmer. Pour sauce over top and serve.     Beet Carrot Slaw    Try with Sweet Rowen farmers cheese!   4 servings   2 Beets, peeled 3 Carrots, peeled 1 c sprouts, or parsley 1/4 c oil 1/4 c cider vinegar 2 tbsp maple syrup or sugar 1 clove garlic, minced salt and pepper to taste Sweet Rowen farmers cheese   Whisk together oil, vinegar, maple, garlic, salt and pepper to make a dressing. Grate beets into a small bowl. Grate carrots into another bowl, mix in sprouts. (Keeping them separate for now will preserve their colors.) Toss 1/2 the dressing with the beets, 1/2 with the carrot & sprouts. Set aside to marinate for a bit. Combine just before serving, with some of the cheese crumbled over the top. This would also be yummy in a sandwich.