2014 CSA Week 13

Greetings!

Can you believe it's the end of July already?! Where has this summer gone! There are just a few weeks left of our fabulous CSA from Sustainable Harvest Farm and I've been so grateful for all the hard work Ford, Amanda and Finley have been putting into providing us with their beautiful abundance of fresh, healthy food.

In shares this week... 

Item	How to store it	How long will it last?
fennel	unwashed in fridge	1 week
squash	unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
carrots	unwashed in fridge	2-3 weeks
tomatoes	room temperature	several days
corn	shucked or with husks in the coolest part of the fridge	best enjoyed as soon as possible
green beans	dry, unwashed in the fridge	3-4 days
basil	store in an unclosed container in fridge, or snip off bottom of stalks and immerse in water	1-2 weeks
melons	fridge or room temp	enjoy as soon as possible
beets	unwashed in fridge	2-3 months

If you're not as sure as I was on what exactly is fennel, you will delight with this recipe from Dishing Up The Dirt that utilizes both beets and fennel.

Roasted Beet and Fennel Salad With Citrus Vinaigrette

Roasting fennel and beets together really brings out a nice sweetness. Enjoy.
Serves 2

PREP TIME  10 mins.
COOK TIME  30 mins.

Ingredients:

2 medium-sized fennel bulbs, trimmed and sliced into 1 inch pieces (save the trimmings for another use)
2-3 large beets, cut into 1 inch cubes, save the beet greens and chop them up as well.
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 TBS olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Citrus Vinaigrette
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dijon style mustard
2 TBS lemon juice
2TBS lime juice
1 1/2 TBS fresh orange juice
fine sea salt
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing. Taste test and set aside.
In a large bowl combine the chopped fennel and beets together. Drizzle with olive oil salt and pepper. Place on a prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven until beets are fork tender and fennel is browned on both sides. About 20 minutes. Toss veggies once halfway through cooking time.
Cook quinoa according to your specific brands instructions. Once quinoa has about 2 minutes left of cooking place chopped beet greens in with the quinoa so they steam up a bit.
Combine roasted veggies with quinoa and beet greens. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy. This tastes great warm, at room temperature, or even chilled.
Use this recipe as a guide. Adjust ingredients and measurements as needed. Always taste test as you go!

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Another recipe using corn, squash, tomatoes and basil from The Maker Makes site that sounds delicious and looks beautiful! The basil oil adds a definite tasty twist!

Skillet Corn, Zucchini, and Tomatoes with Basil Oil

Ingredients:

For the Basil Oil
1/2 Cup Basil
2 Tb Olive Oil
Pinch of Salt

For The Skillet Corn
3 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
1/2 Small Red Onion (diced)
4-5 Ears of Corn (shaved)
1/4 Small Head of Red Cabbage (thinly sliced)
2 Carrots (chopped)
3 Small Zucchini (diced)
2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
 
Boil a pot of water. Add basil, blanching for 10 seconds. With a slotted spoon, remove basil from boiling water and place into a bowl of ice water, pat excess water from basil. In a food processor or blender, blend basil, oil, and salt until smooth. Set Aside.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, about 30 seconds. Add corn, zucchini, carrots, and cabbage. Cook, about 8-10 minutes.
Add tomatoes and vinegar, cook about 6-8 minutes.
Remove vegetables from heat, stir in basil oil, and serve.

Have a great week!
~Nancy