Good Eats Weekly Newsletter - December 13, 2017

Announcements!

Reminder for Lean & Green Share members: Your last delivery will be next week, December 20/21. This share will return in late spring 2018! We'll let you know when. In the meantime, we want your feedback (survey coming this week)! And, we welcome you to join another weekly veggie share option. You can sign up for the other three shares - Everyday Standard, Everyday Large, or the Fancy Share - and get started January 3. Send me an email if you're interested in joining a new share option.
Weather: Winter is showing its true colors this week! It always seems like the snowiest days are Tuesday/ Wednesday, when most of our CSA packing and delivery happens! We strive to deliver the shares by the advertised pickup time, but there are can be factors out of our control during inclement weather. If any of our trucks get delayed, I will work my hardest to get that info to you ASAP so you're not at the site before your food is. We communicate any delivery delays or changes via email. If you prefer to receive the info another way, please let me know.
~ Taylar
 
Around the Farm
Aaahhh winter. The time for planning, ordering supplies, and investigating new equipment and ideas. And for the dedicated, hard working washhouse crew to wash and pack mountains of storage crops and send them out to all you hungry people!  

The first real snow is coming tonight and tomorrow. We'll have to start watching our connected greenhouses and maybe heat them in order to melt some snow off the roof. On Saturday we re-covered our original greenhouse on the Craftsbury farm. It's made out of logs and was built in the winter of 2003. For the past 14 years it's only had 2 sheets of plastic; it just got it third covering last weekend (see below). It's a tough old house; the cedar posts in the soil are starting to rot but it's still working well. We hope to get 5 more years of service out of it. 

We finished mulching 5 acres of garlic a couple weeks back. We used our bale chopper to shred and spread 150 round bales of straw and clover hay over the 5 acres. A couple days ago I rooted around in the mulch and was pleased to find dozens of earthworms working hard pulling the mulch down into the soil for food. I was surprised to see them so busy with soil temps near freezing. The garlic is well sprouted but has not emerged. 

Every winter we try to solve consistent crop problems. Currently one of our most difficult crops to produce reliably is Brussels sprouts. They suffer from both aphids and alternaria (a fungal disease) and this year were almost total junk. Many other organic growers in the Northeast have given up on them for the same reasons. We're digging in and developing a program for beneficial insects, crop covers, and beneficial companion plantings and are hopeful that we'll be able to produce pretty organic Brussels sprouts. 
Happy winter!
~ Pete
 
Reminder!!!
We take off the week of Christmas, so no delivery on December 27/28!!
Need to skip a delivery? We can donate your share to the food shelf, send it the next week, or credit your account for a future share. Please notify us by Monday, 8 am, at the latest for any changes to that week's delivery.
 
Shop locally!! Give the gift of VEGGIES this Christmas! We have gift certificates available - make it even easier for your loved ones to stay healthy. Buy local and buy fresh! Any denomination available. $50 will buy two weeks of an Everyday Standard Share - our most popular size!
 

This week in your share:

Everyday Large

 Salad Mix, Spinach, Pac Choi, Yellow Onions, Rainbow Carrots, Rutabaga, Peter Wilcox Potatoes, Butternut Squash

Everyday Standard

Salad Mix, Spinach, Napa Cabbage, Rainbow Carrots, Peter Wilcox Potatoes, Squash

Fancy

Salad Mix, Spinach, Sorrel, Shallots, Rainbow Carrots, Rutabaga, Sweet Potatoes, Red or Green Kabocha Squash

Lean & Green

Salad Mix, Spinach, Red Kale, Valentine Radish, Shallots

Pete's Pantry

Butterworks Yogurt (pick one flavor!), Mcfarline's Apiary Honey, Ruth Antone's Jam (pick one)
Salad Mix: Lettuce, claytonia, upland cress, spinach, and roots. A hearty blend
Redbor Kale is in the super veggie club and is just about the healthiest vegetable you can eat. 1 cup packs 1300% of your daily requirements for Vita K, 200% of your Vita A, and nearly 100% of vita C, along with lots and lots more vitas and minerals. Over 45 different flavonoids have been identified in kale that combine to provide both anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. It is now believed that kale offers risk-lowering benefits for five types of cancer including bladder, breast, colon, ovary and prostate cancer. It also has the ability to lower cholesterol (and for this purpose steaming is best). It is also now recognized that kale provides much support for your body's own detox system. And what's more, it's tasty, so eat lots. Keep kale loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer. Strip the leaves from the stems and wash them well before chopping and cooking.
Squash: Sadly, our squash supply has come to an end! This is the last week of our winter squash. The Everyday and Fancy shares will each have a slightly different variety and/or size of squash! Try to use squash within a week. If you have any blemishes or soft spots, please just cut them off and enjoy the rest of the squash.
Napa Cabbage: On another side note, we had limited success with our Napa cabbage crop this year so unfortunately, this is it for Napa cabbage! You're receiving either a head of green Napa, a bunch of leafy green Napa, or a head of leafy red Napa. The leafy Napas are going to be perfect for a Napa cabbage salad. Napa goes wonderfully in Southeast Asian dishes, with ingredients like chili, curry, carrots, scallions, and radishes.
Peter Wilcox Potatoes: Peter Wilcox potatoes are in your share this week! Wilcox potatoes are beautiful purple potatoes. They are nicely textured, firm but not waxy, and wonderful whether roasted, boiled, or sliced into wedges or fried. They have a full earthy flavor that hints of hazelnuts. For best visual and nutritional effects, leave the skin on while cooking.

Featured Recipes

Scalloped Celeriac and Potatoes
Here’s a variation on a classic that just might be better than the original. Traditionally, scalloped potatoes are cooked in milk or cream; here, however, we cook them in stock, and the result is a more flavorful and delightfully lighter dish. The celeriac adds a brightness that assertively sets the dish apart from its classic cousin. Friend of the Farm.
Serves 6
butter for greasing the baking dish
1 pound celeriac, peeled, halved, sliced about 1/8 inch thick
1 pound baking potatoes, peeled, sliced about 1/8 inch thick
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grated Gruyère or domestic Swiss cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons butter
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with butter.
Place the celeriac and potatoes in alternating layers in the baking dish, seasoning every few layers with salt and pepper. At about the halfway point, add 1/3 cup cheese in an even layer; sprinkle with the thyme. Continue with the celeriac and potatoes, until you have used all of your slices (don’t go all the way to the top edge; leave a little room to allow the liquid to boil).
Pour the stock over the celeriac and potatoes. Dot with butter. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes more. Sprinkle the remaining 2/3 cup cheese over the top layer, add several grindings of fresh pepper, and bake until the cheese turns golden, about 15 minutes.
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Indian Style Potatoes, Carrots, and Turnips
No turnips? Try rutabaga, parsnip, or another root!
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt & pepper to taste
6 potatoes, diced
4 medium carrots, diced
1 large or 2 small gold turnips, diced
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the onion, and season with cumin, turmeric, coriander, chili powder, salt & pepper. Cook and stir until onion is browned.
Reduce the heat to medium, and stir in the potatoes, carrots and turnips. Stir to coat, then cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally, and add water if necessary to keep from sticking to the pan.
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
Instructions
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.
Roasted Red Kale
From Driftless Organics
1 bunch of red kale
Sunflower oil or olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 425. Wash and dry and roughly chop the kale.
Toss with a drizzle of oil and a little bit of salt and pepper. (Not too much salt - the kale shrinks up a lot.)
Spread kale on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet.
Place in oven. Check after 7-8 minutes.
Remove from oven when the kale just turns brown.
Eat as a snack or side dish or garnish.
You will be amazed. The kale turns into a light crispy treat.
Sorrel Garlic Sauce
1 sorrel bunch
½ bunch chives, chopped
2 cloves garlics, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
¾ cup veggie or chicken broth
Lemon juice to taste
Salt & Pepper to taste
Saute the garlic and chives in the butter until tender, about a minute.
Add the broth and continue to cook for five minutes.
Place into food processor along with the sorrel, lemon juice and salt & pepper. Puree until smooth.
Return to the stove and keep warm until ready to serve. Goes great over baked potatoes, fish or lamb.
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.
Thai CSA Noodles
Although this recipe calls for Napa cabbage, you could easily use spinach, broccoli, kale and/or chard instead. Add an extra hot chili if you prefer, otherwise one chili provides a mild kick. Serves 6.
1 lb. pork sausage, plain or breakfast
1 lb. spaghetti or linguini 
2 tsp sunflower oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic scapes chopped fine, or 3 garlic cloves minced
1 hot pepper, seeds removed, finely chopped, or 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 head Napa cabbage, sliced in thin ribbons
3 TB fish sauce
2 TB soy sauce
1 TB green curry paste
2 TB dry sherry
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 cup basil, julienned
1 cup cilantro, optional 
1 cup scallions, thinly sliced
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil while you fry the crumbled sausage in a large, heavy-bottomed pan or wok over medium-high heat. When sausage is fully cooked drain meat and reserve. Add pasta to the boiling water. Heat oil in the heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and chili. Saute, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes. Add Napa cabbage. Cook, tossing frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until cabbage just begins to wilt. Add fish sauce, soy, sherry, curry paste, ginger, pepper and reserved sausage. Toss to combine and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lime juice, basil, scallions and cilantro (if using). Drain pasta, reserving up to 1 cup of the cooking water. Toss the sausage and veggies with drained pasta, adding a bit of the reserved water, if necessary. 
Now available in the Online Market - handmade wreaths by Anners and Danika Johnson! Three styles of evergreen wreaths available for delivery with your CSA. Check them out!
Place your order by noon on Monday for a Wednesday (or Thursday) delivery!

Pantry Lore

The theme this week is breakfast! We have yogurt from Butterworks Farm in Westfield. Butterworks yogurt is made from rich and creamy Jersey cow milk. This is a cream-top style so you'll notice a thick layer on the top of your yogurt - just stir it up and enjoy! Butterworks raises its cows on organic, farm-produced feed. Yogurt that is good for you and good for the land from healthy cows. Please choose one flavor.
Mcfarline's Apiary is located in Benson, VT. This raw honey has never been heated or filtered, which is noted in its color and texture (compared to the golden, liquidy honey you might find in a plastic bear). It is extracted and allowed to settle in the bottling tank where after 1 -2 days most of the wax, propolis, and pollen float to the surface. Then, they bottle what is on the bottom. If you notice small particles on the top layer of your honey, this is just pollen, propolis, and/or wax, which only add to the therapeutic qualities of raw honey. It is unnoticeable while eating. Honey is extremely versatile. This time of year it is an important staple for staying healthy as raw honey is full of powerful antioxidants and acts as a natural cough suppressant. It also adds lovely flavor to yogurt!
Ruth Antone makes a diverse line of homemade jams from fruit she grows at her home in Williston. She doesn't use any sprays on her fruit trees. It always amazes me how different the climate is near Lake Champlain! Here she is with one of her cherry trees. You're receiving one of four kinds of jam: Plum, Cherry, Raspberry/ Blueberry, and Blueberry. Please take 1 jar.

Comments

Popular Posts