2013 CSA Week 9

From our farm to your table this week…

Item	How to Store it	How long will it last?
Basil	DO NOT WASH; store in an UNCLOSED CONTAINER in fridge OR snip the bottom of the stalks & immerse in water as you would with fresh cut flowers	1-2 weeks
Cabbage (Thursday)	unwashed in fridge	2-3 months
Cucumbers	unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
Melon (Thursday pickup)	At room temperature	1 week
Peppers	unwashed, in fridge	2-3 weeks
Potatoes – non-organic (Saturday pickup) *note – thes are NOT washed in order to preserve the delicate skin	unwashed in a cool, dry, dark place (preferably in a paper bag or ventilated container)	up to several months
Tomatoes	at room temp	~1 week
Yellow Squash	unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
Zucchini	unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks

More information…

Basil
If you love pesto, now through August or September is the time to make up a big batch to enjoy and some extra to freeze.  There are lots of pesto recipes out there.  Here’s a relatively easy one that we use often.  If you have extra basil at home and want to double or triple the recipe, consider freezing the extra in ice cube trays.  Those make perfect portions for cooking.

Simple, Delicious, Homemade Pesto

- 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, washed & dry

- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/8 cup (2 Tbsp) walnuts
-  2 cloves garlic

- 1.5 tsp cold water

- 1.5 tsp lemon juice

- ¼ tsp salt

Whirl it all around in a food processor until it is smooth!  Store it in the refrigerator if you don’t eat it all right away. Yes, it’s that easy! 

Cabbage
Cabbage salads and quick boiling or sautéing are my favorite methods for preparing cabbage, but if you’re feeling more creative, maybe you’d like to try cabbage rolls!  From vegetarian and vegan fillings to extra beefy varieties, there are lots of versions out there to try.  Here are a couple you might enjoy.  Meaty version from Rachel Ray: Stuffed Cabbage (note – regular cabbage can be substituted for the crinkly, Savoy cabbage).  …and here’s a lovely vegetarian option from Susan Voisin of the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen: Vegan Cabbage Rolls.

Cucumbers
Almost every summer meal at my grandmother’s house included a small platter of peeled cucumbers sliced into long, slender spears.  Now that most of the lettuce has grown bitter in the summer heat, a side of fresh cucumber and tomato wedges makes a perfect substitute for a tossed salad and lately, that’s how we’ve been enjoying them!

Melon
Need I say more? Who hasn’t been waiting for sweet, fresh, mouthwatering, local melons!  This week our Thursday shares will include one small melon.  Slice, eat, enjoy!

Peppers

Peppers are versatile supplementary ingredients in a variety of meals but they can also stand out as the star of a main course meal like stuffed peppers.   My favorite version is similar to this recipe for Polenta Stuffed Peppers but they’re also excellent filled with tuna, chicken, beef, or rice. 

Potatoes

For those of you who might not be familiar with local agriculture terms, we call these freshly harvested potatoes – the first of the season for us, “new potatoes.”  They are, in fact part of the same crop that we will continue to harvest through the end of the growing season, store, and eat all winter.  When they are freshly dug from the earth, however, they have papery thin skin, an extra tender texture and they are, well, amazingly delicious.  Please, please, please don’t do anything drastic with these potatoes like mix them up with too many other ingredients or you’ll never know the joy of the “new potato.”  Simply scrub them well and peel (if desired), boil until fork tender and stir in a bit of butter, milk, salt, pepper and fresh parsley.  You won’t be disappointed. 

Tomatoes
If you like vegetarian lasagnas and you’re tired of eating your tomatoes fresh (…is that really possible?!?!), you might enjoy this recipe for Fresh Tomato Lasagna that takes advantage of a bounty of fresh summer tomatoes and puts them to good use in a homemade sauce.  There’s still plenty of protein in there from all the cheese, so you’re sure to have a filling, meatless meal.

 Yellow Squash & Zucchini

If the combination of your CSA share, your home garden, and your generous family/friends is putting a bushel of summer squashes on your doorstep each week, you may be looking for ways to clear your kitchen.  Here  are a few ideas for preserving either yellow squash or zucchini for dishes you’ll be sure to enjoy in the winter:

1)      Option 1 – Shredding Squash for Sweet Breads

a.      Wash, dry and shred your squash.  You may remove the peel or leave it intact, whatever you prefer.

b.       it in a fine colander and allow the excess juices to drain for about 30 minutes.

c.       Pack tightly into a freezer (NOT just zip-top) bag and remove as much excess air as possible.  This is a great way to have extra veggies on hand for sweet breads, casseroles or the recipe above for zucchini cheddar squares.

2)     Option 2 – Blanched Squash for Casseroles

a.      Slice squash into thin rounds or dice into small cubes, blanch (immerse in boiling water for 3 minutes) dry thoroughly in colander, and pack into freezer bags, remove as much excess air as possible.  This makes for a very handy squash casserole around Thanksgiving!  It’s been my experience that the diced squash has a more pleasant texture after freezing than the thin rounds.

 

As always, please feel free to contact me for clarification, further information, or to share your own adventures in cooking local, USDA-certified organic produce.  amanda.waterstrat@gmail.com