Week 11 Newsletter 2017

 Hello Everyone,

The End-of-August has arrived and everything is fruiting and ripening in the garden.  It is such a contrast - the rapid growth of spring and now the summer slows.  The tomato plants are giving their energy to the fruits and no longer reach for the sky, the bottom leaves are turning brown and falling off. The eggplant plants are also giving all their energy to the eggplants and the plants are no longer lush green and vibrant. We are harvesting the summer bounty: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, onions, potatoes & winter squash. 

I hope you are enjoying the flood of tomatoes! 


What to expect to find in your bins this week:
                                                                   

Nectarines & Peaches  
Tomatoes  
Cherry Tomatoes
Lettuce
Red Onions
Eggplant
Zucchini or Broccolini
Beets
Spaghetti Squash                                                                           

....and buckets:

Nectarines & Peaches
Tomatoes
Beets
Lettuce
Spaghetti Squash                                     

                   
This week's recipes are very easy.



Basic Roasted Beets


INGREDIENTS

1 pound small beets, (about 5), well-scrubbed

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wrap beets in 2 or 3 packets of foil. Place on a baking sheet; bake until beets are slightly soft to the touch, 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on their size. Cool beets in packets, then rub off skins.


Roasted beets pair well with a salad that includes feta cheese and red onions.

Easy Baked Spaghetti Squash


Time:
1 Hour 16 Mins

Yield: 4 to 5 cups


1 (3-lb.) spaghetti squash
1/2 cup water


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scrape out and discard seeds and membranes. Place halves, cut side down, in a large baking dish; add water. Bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes or until tender. Remove squash from oven. Turn cut side up; cool for 10 minutes. Scrape inside of squash with a fork to remove spaghetti-like strands.

I like to add a small amount of maple syrup and butter when the squash is cooling down.

Week 10 Newsletter 2017

Hello Everyone,

Yes, we do have tomatoes! The warm temperatures have kept the ripening process going and each day a few more change from green to orange to red. You will find a few bright red slicers coming your way this week. It looks like we will have nice supply of tomatoes to enjoy for the next few weeks. Please remember to store your tomatoes on your kitchen counter. Tomatoes do not like the cold temperatures and the texture and flavor will suffer if they are stored in the refrigerator.

You may have noticed that I remove the green tops from the carrots before putting them in the bins. Over the years I have found that they keep much longer if the tops are removed. Carrots "transpire"and this causes the crisp carrots to become limp and rubbery.

Hope you are enjoying a beautiful summer evening!

What to expect to find in your bin this week:

Nectarines
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Leeks
Banana Peppers
Carrots
Cucumbers/Zucchini
Beans 
Basil

and buckets:

Nectarines
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Leeks
Carrots

Yikes! There is an octopus in my bucket

Here are couple of my favorite recipes.


Salmon and Tomatoes in Foil

  MARK BITTMAN  YIELD 4 servings  TIME 30 minutes S]

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ to 2 pounds salmon fillet, cut crosswise (4 pieces)
12 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
 Salt and pepper
16 basil leaves

PREPARATION

For each of 4 packages, place one 12-inch-long sheet of aluminum foil on top of another. Smear top sheet with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, and layer a fillet of salmon, 6 tomato halves, salt and pepper, 4 basil leaves and another half tablespoon oil. Seal package by folding foil onto itself and crimping edges tightly. Repeat to make other packages, and refrigerate until ready to cook, no more than 24 hours later.
When you are ready to cook, heat oven to 500 degrees. Place packages in a roasting pan. (Or they can be cooked on top of the stove in 2 skillets over medium-high heat.) Cook 5 minutes (for medium-rare) to 8 minutes from the time the mixture starts to sizzle, or roughly 10 to 12 minutes total.
Let packages rest a minute, and cut a slit along the top with a knife. Use a knife and fork to open the package. Spoon the salmon, garnish and juices onto a plate, and serve.


Panzanella With Mozzarella and Herbs

MELISSA CLARK  YIELD 6 servings  TIME 45 minutes 


INGREDIENTS

4 ounces ciabatta or baguette, preferably stale, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste
¾ teaspoon kosher sea salt, more to taste
2 pounds very ripe tomatoes, preferably a mix of varieties and colors
6 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn or cut into bite-size pieces
½ cup thinly sliced red onion, about half a small onion
2 garlic cloves, grated to a paste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, more to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or thyme (or a combination)
 Large pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
 Black pepper, to taste
½ cup thinly sliced Persian or Kirby cucumber, about 1 small cucumber
½ cup torn basil leaves
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon capers, drained

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread the bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons oil and a pinch of salt. Bake until they are dried out and pale golden brown at the edges, about 7 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
Cut tomatoes into bite-size pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Add mozzarella, onions, garlic paste, 1 tablespoon vinegar, oregano or thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes if using. Toss to coat and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, the mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt and some black pepper to taste. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil until the mixture is thickened. Stir in cucumbers, basil and parsley.
Add bread cubes, cucumber mixture and capers to the tomatoes and toss well. Let sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours before serving. Toss with a little more olive oil, vinegar and salt if needed just before serving.

Week 9 Newsletter 2017

Hello Everyone,

Here we are at Week 9, we have passed the halfway point of the CSA season. It is getting harder and harder to decide what to put in the bins, because there are so many items that are ripening at the same time. My challenge is to provide you with interesting combinations and a few new items each week. The zinnias and sunflowers are blooming, so keep a look out for these flowers in the next few weeks when you pickup you bins/buckets. This year I am rotating the flower deliver to different pick up locations and will not be listing them as an item in your bins/buckets.

Full Share:

Nectarines
Red Skinned Potatoes                   
Cucumbers                                                
Kale
Tomatoes
Garlic
Pole beans
Lettuce
Red Onions


Small Share:

Nectarines
Cucumbers
Beans
Tomatoes
Red Onions

Why not try something new this week...

Caprese On A Stick


 1 pint cherry tomatoes cut in half
 1 (0.6 ounce) package of fresh basil leaves  
 1 (16 ounce) package small fresh mozzarella balls
• Toothpicks
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Thread a tomato half , a small piece of basil leave, and a mozzarella ball onto toothpicks until ingredients are used
• Drizzle the olive oil over the tomato, cheese, and basil, leaving the end of the toothpick clean.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.


Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/213849/caprese-on-a-stick/

Massaged Kale Salad


From: EatingWell Soups Special Issue April 2016

Here a pungent garlicky dressing is infused into kale by massaging the greens and the dressing together with your hands. Any type of kale will work in this kale salad recipe, just remember to remove the tough stems before you start.


2 bunches kale
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
 ¼ cup lemon juice
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 minced anchovy fillet or ½ teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon salt



Strip leaves from the stems (discard stems). Wash and dry the leaves. Tear the leaves into small pieces and place in a large bowl. Add Parmesan, oil, lemon juice, garlic, soy sauce, anchovy (if using), pepper and salt. With clean hands, firmly massage and crush the greens to work in the flavoring. Stop when the volume of greens is reduced by about half. The greens should look a little darker and somewhat shiny. Taste and adjust seasoning with more Parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, soy sauce and/or pepper, if desired.

Week 8 Newsletter 2017

Hello Everyone,

We are in the cherry season wrap-up mode.  The mechanical harvesting was completed last Thursday and Wednesday was the last day of hand picking cherries for this year.  We have a few pounds of cherries in the cooler and will continue to pack and deliver cherries for the next few days.  All in all it seems like the harvest went well!

What to expect to find in your bin/ bucket this week:

Apricots                                                          
Zucchini
Cucumbers
Summer Crisp Lettuce
White Onions
Green Beans 
Green Cabbage                                                              
Peppers
Carrots

Small:

Apricots
White Onions
Carrots                                            
Green Cabbage
Summer Crisp Lettuce








Here a couple of recipes that include items you will find in this week's bins & buckets.

Summer Veggie Quinoa

from My Fitness Pal August 2017

Ingredients

1/3 cup (85 grams) white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons molasses (or honey)
3 small (120 grams each) zucchini or yellow squash or mix of both, halved
1 medium (110 grams each) white onion, cut into thick chunks
1 medium (120 grams) red bell pepper, cut into thick chunks
2 medium (60 grams each) carrots, quartered
2 3/4 cups (660 grams) low-sodium vegetable broth (certified gluten-free if necessary)
1 1/2 cups (255 grams) uncooked quinoa (certified gluten-free if necessary)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Directions

Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and molasses in a large bowl or zip top plastic bag. Add zucchini, onion, bell pepper and carrots; seal and toss to coat. Let marinate 15 to 30 minutes while quinoa cooks.

Bring 1 3/4 cups broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in quinoa. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.

Prepare a charcoal fire or preheat gas grill to medium-high heat. Drain vegetables, reserving marinade.

Grill vegetables in a grill basket or on greased grill grate for 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until tender. Cool slightly and chop vegetables into bite-size pieces.

Combine quinoa, grilled vegetables and reserved marinade in a large bowl. Serve room temperature or chilled.

Nutrition Information

Serves: 4 |  Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups 

Per serving: Calories: 361; Total Fat: 11g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 5g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 559mg; Carbohydrate: 57g; Dietary Fiber: 7g; Sugar: 11g; Protein: 11g


Haricots Verts, Corn and Carrot Salad

 MELISSA CLARK  YIELD 6 to 8 servings  TIME 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

½ teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup minced fresh chives
 Black pepper, as needed
1 pound haricots verts, trimmed
2 ⅔ cups cooked fresh corn kernels (from about 4 corn cobs)
½ pound carrot, peeled and coarsely grated (2 cups)

PREPARATION

In a small bowl, whisk together salt, vinegar, garlic and mustard. Whisking constantly, slowly whisk in oil until incorporated. Whisk in chives and pepper.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in haricots verts and cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, cool and chop into bite-size pieces.
In a large bowl, toss together haricots verts, corn and carrot. Toss in dressing and season with salt and pepper.