Good Eats Weekly Newsletter - April 18, 2018

Around the Farm

I had an interesting visit to the Lewisburg, PA area last weekend. I visited a 21 year old Mennonite tractor dealer who has been selling extra equipment that we've had kicking around. He's 21 but his dealership is 10 years old; he started selling used lawn mowers when he was 11. He has 14 siblings and apparently a very tough mom. It's beautiful farm country there, rolling fertile valleys divided by high hardwood ridges. The Amish/ Mennonite economy is interesting to me, they are operating seemingly thriving farms in an area where farmland costs $16k per acre. That is 3 times what we consider to be a high price for farmland in Vermont. Most of the farming is conventional soy and corn and lots of alfalfa for dairy cows as well. I don't understand how they can make it work with the super high land prices but the farms feel prosperous. Most of the Mennonites in that area are not permitted to have cars or trucks but can use tractors. But the tractors have to have steel wheels - the idea being that if you have steel wheels you're less likely to drive your tractor to farm, it's a technological limiter. It's strange to see very modern dairy farms with new buildings and new tractors but all the tractors have steel wheels. 

One fellow described the Mennonite health insurance program. According to him each family pays in quarterly to a fund-you pay what you can afford with no guidelines. If you need to go to the hospital, the fund pays your bills. They don't limit medical care - people are permitted to go the whole modern medical route for cancer for example. They must be a relatively healthy group because he said that what each family pays into the fund is much less than what it would cost to buy health insurance. They've done an impressive job of keeping certain standards and a way of life while the world has been changing fast all around. 
~Pete

Reminders and Notes

"It is all a labor of love," wrote Todd Hardie of Thornhill Farm. This week, we're using Todd's organic rye in bread from Red Hen (read below). It is a labor of love what we do to produce good food, and like love, sometimes it hurts. At our farm, we had expected some sunny days over the weekend, but instead it was cloudy. This has resulted in a shortage of mesclun greens so there have been some adjustments to your shares, which is why this newsletter is so late! As much as we plan, until we actually harvest, we don't always know what we have available. We harvest many of the greens on Tuesday mornings. As I write this, our crew is out cutting the greens. On days like today when our predictions fall short, once we wash and sort through the greens, we can weigh out how much we have. Then, I decide how to divide up the greens between shares.
Here's hoping for sunny days ahead!
~Taylar
Going out of town?
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.

This week in your share:

Everyday Large

European Cucumber (most shares, see below), Parsley, Chard, Tatsoi, Yellow Onions, Rainbow Carrots, Purple Potatoes,
OUT OF THE BAG
Frozen Beans and Frozen Spinach

Everyday Standard

Mesclun, Basil (inside your mesclun), Pac choi OR Tatsoi, Yellow Onions, Red Beets, Purple Potatoes, and
OUT OF THE BAG
Frozen Beans

Fancy

Mesclun, Dill, Vivid Choy OR Kale, Red Beets, Rainbow Carrots, Yellow Onions, Purple Potatoes
OUT OF THE BAG
Frozen Cauliflower

Lean & Green

Mesclun, Basil (inside your mesclun), Broccoli Raab, Mustard Greens, and Carrots



Bread Share

Red Hen Baking Co
Crossett Hill Batard

Pete's Pantry

Red Hen Baking Co Bread, Champlain Orchards apples, Pete's Greens Baba Ganoush and Zesty Dill Freezer Pickles

Cheese Share

von Trapp Farmstead
1959

Every week we'll send you snapshots of veggies in your share. You can always find more recipes and storage info on our blog and website.
Mesclun: A little this, a little that! The mesclun includes mizuna, spinach, cress, shoots, arugula, and a little brassica. All greens are pre-washed and ready to eat. Unopened, this bag will last for at least a week or 10 days. Opened, it will start to deteriorate after a few days.
Basil: A popular herb for Italian dishes, basil is sensitive to water and cold. Your basil is INSIDEyour bag of mesclun! Try making a yummy basil dressing for your salad.
Parsleyhas lots of nutritional benefits - high in vitamins A, C, and K, and in folic acid (great for pregnant women). The activity of parsley's volatile oils qualifies it as a "chemoprotective" food, meaning it can help neutralize particular types of carcinogens. Try adding parsley stems to your simmering stock, both to impart flavor and help clarify the broth. It can be sprinkled an a host of different recipes, including salads, vegetables sautes, and grilled fish. It can be a rub for chicken lamb, and beef when combined with garlic, lemon zest, and salt. It's a key flavor ingredient in the Mediterranean dish tabouli (see recipe below). A nice way to store is to place the parsley bunch stems in a glass of water, like flowers in a vase, and then cover loosely with a plastic bag and keep in the fridge. If this is too finicky, just store loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in crisper drawer.
Dill: It may be a less common herb, but dill is a flavorful addition to fish, vegetables, and eggs, and goes well with cheese. Store it in a damp paper towel inside a plastic bag or to preserve it, you can dry it or wash it, chop it, dry it, then freeze it. Dill goes great with beets, potatoes, and in Greek-style dishes.
European Cucumber: First cucumbers have arrived! They're coming in slowly, and a few Everyday Large members will receive their cukes next week. This time of year, I recommend savoring them freshly sliced! Perhaps put them in a little vinaigrette of olive oil, vinegar, parsley, and salt. Store in a fairly warm place.
Pac Choi: 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.
Tatsoi is a dark green Asian salad green that has a spoon like shape, a pleasant and sweet aroma flavor like a mild mustard flavor, similar to bok choi. Tatsoi is generally eaten raw or sauteed, but may be added to soups at the end of the cooking period. Store tatsoi in a plastic bag or container and use within several days.
Vivid Choy: Vivid choy is part of the family of pac choi, only leafier, with less stem. It's great for braising or stir fry, or try it in a soup or wilted.
Chard: Chard is a dark leafy green with ruffled leaves and stems that may be brightly colored crimson red, orange, yellow. It's actually related to the beet, whose greens can be used like hard. Try chard on its own or in quiches and omeletes. Young and tender leaves and stems can be tossed into salads. Store wrapped loosely in plastic in the refrigerator; it will last several days. To prepare it, wash it well and tear or chop the leaves. If the stems are very thick, strip the leaves from them before proceeding so you can cook the stems a couple minutes longer. Steam, braise, and saute chard. Cook the stems longer than the leaves by starting them a minute or two earlier. Try chard in crecipes that call for beet or turnip greens or spinach.
Broccoli raab: I received some comments last week about our broccoli raab. You may notice that our raab does not look like broccoli, nor does it look like other kinds of raab you might find in the store. Last week I talked with our crop manager Melissa about the raab and one of her thoughts about the abundance of leaves is a nitrogen balance issue in the soil. Also, large scale producers will select only the tallest/ thickest stalks for market. We don't have that ability, and the growing conditions between our high tunnels and greenhouse have resulted in raab that is leafier than other varieties. Our team has started to brainstorm ideas about how we may refine growing conditions and harvesting to produce raab that is more familiar to our members -- but that must wait until next season! Store broccoli raab in your refrigerator crisper unwashed, either wrapped in a wet towel or in a plastic bag. It will keep two or three days. For longer storage, blanch and freeze.
Red Beets: This is the time of year when it's tough to make beets sound glamorous! But red beets are full of good stuff for our bodies and they can be very versatile once cooked (or even eaten raw - try grating for slaws or salads). With a little creativity, beets can be super enjoyable. You can boil or roast them then enjoy hot or cold. They make a nice heft to a salad or can be cooked down into a soup. They add good color to a roasted root mix or to a risotto. You can even slice them thinly into rounds and bake at low heat to make beet chips - I love to do this with root veggies to make my own chips (there are a gazillion recipe ideas out there for doing this). As a side dish, they're great for dressing with a pistachio butter, almond butter, blue cheese dressing... endless possibilities!
Frozen Beans: Everyday Share members are both receiving a package of frozen beans. You'll find either yellow or green beans - please, only take one package. Our beans have been picked, washed, blanched, bagged and frozen all in a few hours. They simply need to be heated up. Remove from plastic bag and heat in water or mix into a dish as you would fresh produce, or try out the "Speedy Beans" recipe below.

Cooking Tips: Cooking Greens
This week, shares include a variety of bunched greens. I use Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian as a great reference for cooking. Mark recommends boiling or steaming greens to get them cooked, or lightly sauteeing them - you can eat them plain this way or have them cooked for dressing up or adding to other dishes.
Just remember that tender greens like spinach and arugula need less cooking time and greens with thick stems, like lacinato or green kale, chard, and collard greens, need stems cooked a few minutes longer before adding in the leaves.
Cook tender greens for about 3 minutes after you get a pot of salted water boiling. Cook the sturdier greens for about 10 minutes, adding the stems in first and then leaves after about 3 - 5 minutes. Don't over cook them, make sure the bright color remains. Drain, or stick in an ice bath or run under cold water.
Dress up your greens with a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon; nut oil (sesame, walnut, sunflower seed, etc); chopped hard boiled egg; nuts; miso, soy sauce, or tamari; citrus zest; vinaigrette; a dressing of lemon, olive oil, and garlic; or spices like za'atar. I prefer greens prepared simply: lightly sauteed with olive oil, garlic, and salt!
Here's an adaptable recipe:
COLD MUSTARD GREENS WITH OLIVE OIL AND LEMON
Adapted from ''Leafy Greens'' (Macmillan, 1995), by Mark Bittman
Total time: 20 minutes
1 pound mustard greens or other dark leafy greens, washed and trimmed
1/4 teaspoon very finely minced garlic
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook greens until bright green and tender, 3 minutes or less. Remove, and plunge into ice water. Drain well; squeeze dry.
2. Toss greens with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Juice one of the lemons, and sprinkle the juice over the greens. Quarter remaining lemon, and serve with greens.

Featured Recipes

Speedy Beans
This is a quick and easy way to cook your frozen beans while adding some gourmet flavors. The recipe is intended to be an alternative method to steaming the beans, and can be made with just cooking oil, salt and pepper or any kind of seasoning you like. Use a chili seasoning for Mexican beans or curry for curried beans. The options are limitless.
1 lb bag of frozen green or yellow beans
1 tbs cooking oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbs ginger root, grated
2 cloves garlic, pressed and minced
salt and pepper to taste
Heat the cooking oil in a non-stick pan over high heat. When the oil begins to pop, about 3 minutes, add the frozen beans. Cook the beans, stirring every 30 seconds, until all of the ice has melted and most of the water in the pan has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger root, garlic and salt. Continue to saute in sauce for another 3-5 minutes, until about half the beans begin to brown. Remove the pan from heat and serve.

Sesame Green Beans
A quick way to add some flare to your green beans. You can substitute the sesame oil and seeds for minced garlic to make Garlic Green Beans, also a great alternative to those that may be allergic to nuts.
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
1 Tbs sesame seeds
1 package frozen Pete's Kitchen green beans
1/4 c chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat cooking oil and sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat, when warm add sesame seeds. When seeds start to darken, stir in green beans, stirring until beans are covered with oil. Pour in chicken broth, salt and pepper. Cover and cook until beans are tender but still crisp, about 3 minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates.

Whiskey Glazed Carrots
These fancy carrots would be a nice addition to an Easter dinner or other special occasion.
2-3 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into thick slices
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup Jack Daniels, or other whiskey
2/3 to 1 cup sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
In a large skillet or pot with a lid, heat the butter over medium high heat until melted. Add half of the carrots to the pan and cook briefly just to sear, 60-90 seconds. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining carrots. Set aside.
Very carefully add the whiskey to the pan and allow to evaporate for about 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to medium. Sprinkle the brown sugar into the pan and stir. Mix in the carrots, stir well, and cover. Cook for 5 minutes.
Remove the lid and season with the salt and pepper. Cover once more and continue cooking until the carrots are fork tender and the glaze has thickened, about 5-10 minutes more. Transfer to a serving platter and top with minced fresh herbs, if desired, for extra color. Serve immediately.
Tabouli (or Parsley Salad)
Tabouli is such a great dish to have sitting in fridge to ladle on as a side to grilled meat and green salad. Or just as a quick snack. Make sure you give it time to marinate in the fridge as it's best after having a chance to sit to bring flavors together. Serves 6.
1 cup bulgur (or cous cous)
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice -- and/or lime juice
1 teaspoon garlic -- crushed
1/2 cup chopped scallions/ green onions
1/2 teaspoon dried mint flakes
1/4 cup olive oil -- (good quality)
fresh black pepper
2 medium tomatoes -- diced
1 cup fresh parsley -- chopped and packed
Optional: 1 cup chopped cucumber and/ or 1/2 cup coarsely grated carrot
Wash the bulgur wheat and soak it in water for 5-7 minute. Drain very well (squeeze the bulgur wheat by hand to get rid of any excess water). Set aside.
Very finely chop the vegetables, herbs and green onions as indicated above. Be sure to place the tomatoes in a colander to drain excess juice.
Place the chopped vegetables, herbs and green onions in a mixing bowl or dish. Add the bulgur and season with salt. Mix gently.
Now add the the lime juice and olive oil and mix again.
For best results, cover the tabouli and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter. If you like, serve the tabouli with a side of pita and romaine lettuce leaves, which act as wraps or “boats” for the tabouli. Accompanied nicely by baba ganoush!
Vivid Choy Salad
Chop up the vivid choy. Eat it dressed or try one of these toppings: thinly sliced radish or salad turnips, shredded carrot, toasted nuts or seeds, cooked tofu or tempeh, grilled chicken or beef, spicy Asian pork, slices of citrus...
Dressing
1/4 t. powdered ginger (or mince a “thumb” of fresh)
1/4 t. minced fresh garlic
1/4 t. mustard powder
1/2 t. sesame oil
1 t. local honey
1 t. mirin (a sweet, rice wine often used in teriyaki sauces)
1 T. rice vinegar
a pinch of salt
a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. This should make enough for two salads, if dressed lightly.

Potato and Vivid Choy Soup
4 tablespoons sunflower or olive oil
2 pounds potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 cups water
½ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
4 green garlic stalks, minced (including about half of the bottom sections of the green) - or minced garlic
1 bunch vivid choy, with butt ends cut off and bottom parts of the thicker stems removed; the remaining stems and leaves coarsely chopped
1 bunch of salad turnip greens or other bitter greens, stems removed and coarsely chopped
1 cup of spinach
½ bunch of garlic chives, minced
Sour cream for dollopin’
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add potatoes; sauté 3 minutes.
Add 8 cups water and crushed red pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in another heavy large pot over medium heat. Add green garlic; sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add vivid choy and salad turnip greens; sauté until wilted, about 3 minutes.
Add sautéed greens to potato mixture.
Purée until smooth with a handheld blender. Season with salt and pepper.
Ladle soup into bowls. Add dollop of sour cream to each bowl. Garnish soup with sliced spinach leaves and garlic chives.

 

Pantry Lore

This Querina variety of apple from Champlain Orchards was selected by owner Bill Suhr for this week's share. This is a firm and juicy apple with a sweet tart flavor, perfect for fresh eating! It is similar in style to a McIntosh.
Bread and Pantry/ Localvore share members are receiving a loaf of Crossett Hill Batard bread from Red Hen Baking Co. This bread is named for the hill that Red Hen called home for its first 8 years. Based on the country loaves of France, the Crossett Hill Batard is now made entirely with local wheat and rye!  Hearty, yet not too dense, this bread is especially good with sharp cheeses. It is made with Gleason Grains' certified organic VT-grown bolted wheat flour, Thornhill Farm's certified organic VT-grown whole rye flour, certified organic Quebec- grown unbleached wheat flour, water, and salt. Readers of this newsletter already know about Gleason Grains but I'd like to share a little about Thornhill Farm, run by our neighbor Todd Hardie over in Greensboro. Here's what Todd has to say about this rye:
We celebrate the harvest of winter rye each August. This crop has been in the ground for around 11 months. Being in the ground this long and through the cold winters of Northern Vermont builds character into this grain. Every August there is a tight window as we wait for the sun and winds to dry the winter rye, harvest the crop and prepare the land for the next crop, winter rye or a rotation with legumes & green manures. We restored a John Deere 45 combine, over 60 years old now. The word “combine” comes from the combination of all that she does - cut, gather, clean, and deliver the rye berries to the gravity wagon that will bring this grain to the silo. We do not go to bed until the harvest of each day is cleaned again by the silos. As a farm that grows organic grain, certified by Vermont Organic Farmers, we always grow an understory of legumes with our winter rye and barley. When these seeds and leaves grow up into the heads of the grain that are combined, they have to be cleaned out and separated from the winter rye, as they contain water and dirt that we want to keep out of the silo, so that the rye will dry more efficiently and keep longer there.
In the photo below, check out Todd in action, harvesting the rye last August.
Two additional items come from our on-farm kitchen, Baba Ganoush and Zesty Dill Freezer PicklesBaba ganoush is a thick mediterranian spread made from our farm-grown organic eggplant, garlic, tahini, oil, lemon, and spices. It is great as a dip or on sandwiches. When serving, a little sprinkle of parsley really dresses it up! We also make these pickles from our farm-grown organic cucumbers, dill, and peppers (you may notice the multi-colored sweet peppers). They have a nice zip that makes them perfect for adding to sandwiches, burgers, or as a garnish to a cheese plate.
Cheese share members are receiving a wedge of von Trapp Farmstead's 1959, the aged cheddar named for the year the Farmstead was started. Von Trapp Farmstead raises just 50 cows and is certified organic.

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