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Mesclun, Head Lettuce, European Cucumber, Cilantro, Green Cabbage, Adirondack Red Potatoes, Yellow Onions,
OUT OF THE BAG
Frozen Corn and Frozen Tomatoes
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Mesclun, Head Lettuce, European Cucumber, Pac Choi, Rainbow Carrots, Yellow Onions, and
OUT OF THE BAG
Frozen Corn
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Mesclun, Basil (in your mesclun), Head Lettuce, European Cucumber, Pac Choi, Green Cabbage, Rainbow Carrots, Yellow Onions, and
OUT OF THE BAG
Frozen Broccoli
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Mesclun, Cress, European Cucumber, Head lettuce, and Rainbow Carrots
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Patchwork Farm & Bakery
Anna Rosie's Country French or Whole Wheat
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Eggs
Champlain Valley Creamery Queso Fresco
VT Tortilla Co tortillas
Pete's Greens Tomatillo Salsa
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Sweet Rowen Farmstead - Cheese Curds
Champlain Valley Creamery - Queso Fresco
PLEASE TAKE BOTH!
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Summer CSA Sign-up Now Open!
Sign up for your Summer CSA today! The new season starts June 13. Help us with our summer planting and reserve your share today! If you sign up and pay by June 1, we'll send you your own basil start as a thank you gift!
We've got a great variety of summer crops we're planning for our CSA members - head lettuce, mesclun, spinach, kale, and more greens; fresh bunches of carrots, beets, and onions; beans; broccoli and cauliflower; eggplant and fennel; strawberries and blueberries; new potatoes; cucumbers and salad turnips; herbs to add a little spice; and all the tomatoes and peppers you can imagine! Plus lots more; you can expect about 70 different varieties this summer!
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New CSA Delivery Site!
Folks have been asking about a delivery site in Plainfield, and we finally found one! If you would pick up your CSA in Plainfield, please sign up for the Summer Share here and select Plainfield. We need at least 12 members to make this site viable. The pick-up site is a residence on Laird Pond Road.
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Around the Farm with Melissa
Aphids are the bane of four season growing in greenhouses. You may find a few guests in your pac choi this week. We do our best to give them a good wash but there may be a few stragglers holding on tight. These passengers are aphids and “aphid mummies”, which are the cases left from the parasitic wasps’ larvae.
Every year this time of year we are using beneficial insects and constant monitoring in order to keep aphids at bay. I have determined that as long as we are growing four seasons and not breaking the cycle of their reproduction, then we will continue to have to be really vigilant and accept that there will be some aphids present, some years more than others. Certified Organic agriculture does allow for the use of some pesticides such as soaps and other naturally derived products, but if I don’t have to use them in the closed system of an early greenhouses then we can maintain a healthy population of helpful beneficial insects, “the good guys”.
Something that we have learned this year is that steaming our soil helps minimize the aphid problems. This may become a way to break the cycle of aphids in our greenhouses in future seasons.
So give your pac choi a little wash and thank those Aphidius (wasp) mummies for their help!
~Meliss
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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.
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USING AND STORING YOUR VEGGIES
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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: Mustard, kale, arugula, mizuna, and shoots for this week's mesclun! 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.
Lettuce heads: The first crop of fresh lettuce heads is here! This week you're receiving bunched heads of lettuce, one of three varieties: sturdy Romaine, crisp red leaf, or the tender Panisse. Lettuce heads have been pre-washed but you may want to wash them again to ensure there is no dirt left around the stem. The best way to wash your lettuce is to tear it into pieces and submerge in water. Swish it around, then lift the lettuce out of the water. This method allows the dirt to sink to the bottom of the basin or bowl. A salad spinner is the best way to dry the lettuce after washing. Second best is to wrap the washed lettuce in a towel to absorb the moisture. If you have any lettuce left over, try throwing a kitchen towel into the spinner bowl before covering and placing in the fridge.After washing, wrap lettuce in a paper towel and store inside a plastic bag in the crisper drawer. Try using lettuce leaves as a replacement for a taco or tortilla shell!
Cilantro: A member of the carrot family and related to parsley, cilantro is the leaves and stems of the coriander plant (the seeds of the same plant are the spice known as coriander). Cilantro has a very pungent odor and is widely used in Mexican, Caribbean and Asian cooking. The leaves and stems can be chopped and added to salads, soups and sauces, and can garnish many meals. I toss cilantro into any Mexican dish I am making, and love it in summer when I have tomatoes to make salsa. If you can't use all your cilantro just yet and wish to save it for a future dish, you can freeze it. Wash and gently dry your cilantro with paper towels. Then either put sprigs loosely in a plastic bag and freeze them. Or lightly chop cilantro, measure by the tablespoon into ice trays, fill remaining space in ice tray with water, and then after cubes are frozen, store in a plastic bag. You can take one out and thaw anytime you need to use it.
European Cucumber: This variety of cucumber is different from other slicing cucumbers in that it has a softer flesh (no need to peel) and doesn't have any seeds. Ideally they like to be kept at about 50 degrees or they may go soft in a couple days. But you can keep them bagged and toss them in the crisper drawer; they'll keep a few days longer than that. They make a great snack for kids' lunches, a nice topping for salads, or can be delightful on their own as a salad - add some vinegar, a little oil, salt, and pepper and you're ready to go. Herbs make a nice addition or try a little diced onion. You can also make this salad with a variation using mayonnaise or sour cream. I like to make in the morning and eat at lunch, this way the cukes have time to marinate in the yummy dressing.
Cress: It has a deep pungency with a unique twist between arugula and horseradish, pledging its allegiance to the mustard family. Below the Mason Dixon line, upland cress is known as "creasy greens." Traditionally gathered by foragers in the Appalachian Mountains who started looking out for the hearty winter leaves while there was still snow on the ground, the leaves were believed to have medicinal benefits and used in many folk recipes to help heal wounds. Those claims may not be entirely far-fetched as the cress is indeed rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, and calcium.
Use cress the same way you would watercress. Left raw, the leaves can be chopped and mixed into a salad, tucked into a sandwich, or tossed over broiled fish as a garnish. Use a food processor to blend a handful of cress with a cup of creme fraiche or sour cream and a few garlic cloves for a zesty side to grilled meats or blend into soups. Store in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer for 1-2 weeks.
A member of the brassicas family along with cabbage and kale, pac choi (aka bok choy or Chinese cabbage) originated in China, where it has been grown for over 1500 years. As 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). 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. My favorite way to cook it is to halve or quarter it lengthwise (depending on the size), brush it with olive or sunflower oil and throw it on the grill. Prepared this way, it makes an excellent and easy side. Store pac choi loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer.
Menu Planning Tip: Your head lettuce will deteriorate faster than your bagged mesclun. I recommend using the head lettuce first. Make sure your bagged greens stay cool; they will turn yellow and wilt when kept out of refrigeration or in a too-warm fridge. Unopened and kept cool, they should last at least a week unopened.
Featured Recipes
Spicy Vegetarian Tacos
Use chicken, bean burger, or beans if you have them. Also drizzle on your tomatillo salsa! Highly versatile, include whatever veggies you've got; this is a great way to use your frozen veggies.
tortillas or taco shells
1 tablespoon taco seasoning (or make your own with cumin, garlic, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper)
Mixed vegetables- red or green peppers, mushrooms, onions, cabbage
protein
olive oil
3-4 carrots, shredded
salt and pepper
queso fresco or feta cheese
cilantro
lime, chopped
mixed greens
for the sauce
1/2 cup crema or sour cream
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
instructions
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. add the taco seasoning,peppers, onions, mushrooms, and other desired vegetables, and cook until tender.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the crema and seasonings.
Place the veggies and protein crumble in each tortilla, top with a sprinkling of cheese, shredded carrot, cilantro, a squirt of lime, and drizzle with crema. Add the mixed greens and serve immediately.
Cabbage Latkes
2 c cabbage, finely grated
1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites
1 scallion, chopped (if available, or onion)
2 tbs whole-wheat flour
salt and pepper to taste
non-stick cooking spray
1 Tbs vegetable oil
Place the cabbage in bowl. With a wooden spoon, mix in the eggs and scallion. Add flour and season to taste. Use wet hands, form latkes. Wipe a non-stick frying pan with a paper towel dipped in oil and spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray. On medium heat, heat pan and drop batter by tablespoonfuls into pan. Using the back of a spoon, pat down each latke to flatten it. Put as many as you can in the skillet without crowding. Putting them too close together will make them soggy. Fry 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden and crisp around the edges. Blot excess oil with paper towels.
Pac Choi and Pepper Stir Fry
This is a great stir fry to enjoy with dinner. It would be great with chicken cooked in with it or on the side, or topped with cashews.
1 bunch pac choi
1 lb. peppers (frozen sweet peppers would be great here)
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 sauté 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.
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Meat Share
Chicken two ways! You're receiving a small whole Pete's Pastured chicken AND chicken from Maple Wind Farm, either ground chicken or chicken thighs. A small chicken will take less time to cook and won't give you quite as many meals but for smaller households, that may be perfect! The small chicken will give you the opportunity to make the veggies the star of the meal. Ground chicken is great for browning for tacos, turning into patties or meatballs, or crumbling into your favorite casserole, pasta, or egg dish.
Two VT99 pork products this week. We have bacon ends and spare ribs. Bacon ends are the "trimmings" from making bacon. Ideally, packaged bacon is all the same length, so in an effort not to waste everyone's favorite pork product, the ends are saved and repackaged. Evan Bendickson, the project manager for VT99, suggests using this in soups or crumbling and cooking it up for a salad topping or baked potato topping. Other ideas include adding to refried beans or southern style green beans. Use it any way you would use crumbled bacon. Spare ribs are best cooked long and slow until the meat is falling from the bone.
Slow Roasted Chicken with Vegetables
Slow roasting chicken with veggies is a great way to use some of those hearty root crops that might be stragglers in your fridge. Chop 'em up and throw 'em into the crock pot!
2 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 3-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise and cut into 3-inch pieces
8 small red potatoes, quartered
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 medium lemon, halved
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 broiler/fryer chicken (3 to 4 pounds)
1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-1/2 teaspoons paprika
Place carrots, celery and potatoes in a 6-qt. slow cooker; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place lemon halves and garlic in chicken cavity. Tuck wings under chicken; tie drumsticks together. Place chicken over vegetables in slow cooker, breast side up. Mix together rosemary, lemon juice, oil, paprika and remaining salt in small bowl; rub over chicken.
Cook, covered, on low until a thermometer inserted in thigh reads at least 170° and vegetables are tender, about 6-8 hours.
Remove chicken from slow cooker; tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes before carving. Serve with vegetables. Yield: 6 servings.
20- Minute Mexican Skillet Chicken
I found this recipe when searching for some Mexican-themed ground chicken recipes. It's great because it is very versatile - use whatever beans or veggies you have on hand, You can make it ahead of time and heat it up the next day. Try shredding a little queso fresco on it or garnish with cilantro. To make it vegetarian, substitute mushrooms for chicken (or more beans). Omit the beans, and it's paleo friendly.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced into ½-inch pieces (red or yellow)
1 garlic clove, grated
1¼ lbs ground chicken or turkey, mix of white and dark meat for best flavor
Mexican spice blend (from my cookbook) or an all-natural taco seasoning of your choice, to taste
1 cup whole cherry tomatoes
1 cup cooked black beans, (approximately ½ can, rinsed & drained)
¼ c. chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
* Serve with cauliflower rice or quick-cooking Jasmine rice, optional
In a large 10-inch skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the onions and garlic. Sauté until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add the chicken. Sprinkle with Mexican spice blend and sauté, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and continue to sauté until the tomatoes begin to burst and the chicken is cooked through. Taste, and season with additional spice blend to your liking.
Add the black beans and parsley. Stir gently to warm through.
When ready to eat, serve warm straight from the skillet with cauliflower rice or Jasmine rice, if using.
Jamaican Jerk Spice Ribs
3 tsp. cup cayenne pepper
2 tbsp. cinnamon, ground
2 tbsp. nutmeg, ground
6 tbsp. allspice, ground
6 tbsp thyme, dried
1/2-cup brown sugar
6 tbsp onion powder
6 tbsp gr. Ginger
¼ cup salt
Combine all spices in a bowl.
Place the ribs on a sheet pan. Rub the spices into each side, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Next day
Preheat oven to 275. Remove plastic wrap and cover ribs with foil. Slow roast in oven for 2-3 hours checking in each 15 minutes after 2 hours. When the meat pulls away from the bone, remove, leave covered and serve in the next 15 or so minutes.
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Pantry Lore
It's a Cinco de Mayo theme this week... we have freshly made tortillas from Vermont Tortilla Company! Their artisanal Corn Tortillas are produced in Shelburne, VT with local organic non-GMO corn, with no added preservatives. With simple ingredients (corn, water, lime) and using traditional practices to stone-grind and steep the corn in minerals, these tortillas have a nice corn flavor and will go perfectly with any grilled meats or vegetables.
Tomatillo Salsa (a salsa verde) from the kitchen here at Pete's Greens with our farm-grown tomatillos will make a great addition to any Mexican-inspired dish. It also makes a great addition to eggs, burger meat mixtures, filling (mixed with cheese) for jalapeno poppers, and sandwiches. It has a little kick.
It's been awhile since we've had this Queso Fresco from Champlain Valley Creamery, but it'll go delightfully well with your tacos! Queso Fresco is a traditional Mexican cheese. It translates to "fresh cheese" in Spanish. This cheese shreds and melts nicely, making it a perfect topping for tacos, pizzas, burritos, salads, and anywhere you would use mozzarella or other fresh cheeses. Champlain Valley Creamery is a certified organic, GMO free creamery based in Middlebury.
Rounding out the share: farm fresh eggs from either Tangletown Farm or Besteyfield Farm. Tangletown's hens are back after a long winter of slow production. I love a good breakfast burrito!
Cheese share members are receiving TWO cheeses this week! We have cheddar cheese curds from our neighbors at Sweet Rowen Farmstead and Queso Fresco from Champlain Valley Creamery. Sweet Rowen is a small scale dairy in West Glover, owned by farmer Paul Lisai, one of the few young dairy farmers! You can visit Sweet Rowen every Saturday at the Capital City Farmers' Market -- where you can also visit our Pete's Greens veggie stand! (And visit me! I'll be helping Paul at market this summer. Stop by and say hi! I love putting faces to members' names.)
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