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

2014 CSA Week 12

Greetings!

I hope everyone is finding creative ways of staying cool during these dog days of summer! I love it! I can't get enough of this season, and enjoying wonderful fresh produce!

Ford, Amanda and family are still dealing with recovering from their house fire, so please continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

In shares this week...

Item	How to store it	How long will it last?
kale and chard	washed or unwashed in refrigerator	1-2 weeks
squash	unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
peppers	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
blackberries	store in coolest part of fridge	3-5 days

I'm glad to continue to see the large greens of kale and chard. I always feel so healthy eating these, and continue to recommend throwing them in the pan you are using to lightly sautee chopped vegetables in olive or coconut oil, garlic and onion. Or, add to any soups, but I'm not thinking about soups in this heat!

Caprese Salad

I know Amanda has shared this recipe before for caprese salad, one of my favs! Use the fresh tomatoes and basil with thick slices of mozzarella, olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. Try reducing the vinaigrette as in this Caprese Salad recipe from Pioneer Woman, and it will be so awesome! And, so pretty!

Roasted corn in husks on grill

Next, I will share an amazing way to enjoy fresh corn I learned from a friend from Mexico. It is unbelievably delicious! The best way to cook the corn for the flavor is to roast in the shuck on the grill (no presoaking required). Keep turning until the husk is nice and crispy, indicating wonderful roasted corn inside. Be careful taking off the husks! Use towels or pot holders. If you don't have time (or patience), then cook the corn your normal (faster) method. Boil shucked cobs in water for 4 minutes is about just right. Now, put away that butter! Instead, spread mayonnaise on the cob (or if this sounds too decadent use yoghurt, but it won't be nearly as good!), and roll in parmesan cheese. Some add spices like chili powder and lime juice, but I prefer it without.  You'll thank me after trying this!

Corn cobs with mayo and rolled in parmesan

I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

~Nancy

2014 CSA Week 11

Greetings fellow CSA members!

I'm back from an enjoyable vacation in the Canadian Rockies. It's a magical place, but I'm so happy to be back to my beautiful Kentucky! I can't help sharing a photo from my trip, TAKEN WITH AN IPHONE! I didn't feel like carting around my heavy camera. It's amazing what these phones can do nowadays!

Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada, 7-7-14, 9 p.m.

Before continuing with the blog, I want to send out an earnest request for thoughts and prayers for Ford and Amanda after experiencing a house fire this past weekend. Thank goodness no one was injured, but apparently there was quite a bit of damage. Let's join together in our love for them in prayers for a renovation beyond expectation after this unfortunate set-back. We know, with good grace and fortitude, they will be fine. The support of great family and friends always helps!


Amazingly, In the midst of all this chaos, there is still magnificent produce for our benefit in shares this week.

Here is what will be awaiting us.
I've missed my share of Sustainable Harvest Farm!

Item	How to store it	How long will it last?
cabbage or broccoli	washed or unwashed in refrigerator	1-2 weeks
yellow squash	unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
zucchini	unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
tomatoes	room temperature	several days
cucumbers	Unwashed in the fridge	1-2 weeks
green beans	dry, unwashed in the fridge	3-4 days
blackberries	store in coolest part of fridge	3-5 days

OK, I've already admitted my tried and true method of cooking (at least when I'm the only guinea pig) is chopping everything up and throwing in a wok with olive or coconut oil (and lots of garlic). Before I owned a dishwasher, I took pride in my "one pan meals" especially when doing the clean-up. Now that I have a dishwasher, I still hate to use too many dishes or pots. So, this remains my main style of cooking, and is very yummy.

Blackberries!!! Can't wait to add them to my yoghurt, ice cream, and to make my first blackberry cobbler of the season! Check out this recipe from the Pioneer Woman website. 

But, what do we do with cucumbers???? Even with my imagination, they just don't go with a stir fry (though, I have to admit I never tried it).

After some research and experience, here are some ideas:

Cucumber Water

Have you tried adding slices to a pitcher of iced water? Cucumbers add such a refreshing taste to plain drinking water. Try them in place of lemon slices, or combine the two with some mint! You can add them to your water bottle. There are even detox diets based on drinking cucumber water which, besides the great taste, has great health benefits. It's a staple in all the spas these days.

If you enjoy gin and tonics in the summer, add cuke slices for a more refreshing drink.

Here's a different (and easy!) recipe for an appetizer found on marthastewart.com:

Cucumber-Feta Toasts

Toasted bread spread with feta and topped with sliced cucumber makes a cool and refreshing appetizer.

Ingredients

1/2 baguette
2 teaspoons plus 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 ounces feta
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 small English cucumber, thinly sliced crosswise

Directions

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 450 degrees. Split baguette lengthwise and lightly brush cut sides with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Bake until golden around edges, 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mash together feta, 4 teaspoons oil, and lemon juice with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Spread feta mixture evenly over toasted baguette and top with cucumber. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and a drizzle of oil. Cut into pieces to serve.

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And, when in doubt, there are always pickles! Lots of recipes are found on the web. Here's an easy recipe that doesn't require kettle steamers, special jars, or vacuum lids. This is found on myrecipes.com from a 2007 Cooking Light issue.

Easy Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients

6 cups thinly sliced pickling cucumbers (about 2 pounds) $
2 cups thinly sliced onion $
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Preparation

Place 3 cups cucumber in a medium glass bowl; top with 1 cup onion. Repeat procedure with the remaining 3 cups cucumber and remaining 1 cup onion.
Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients in a small saucepan; stir well. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Pour over cucumber mixture; let cool. Cover and chill at least 4 days.
Note: Pickles may be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Enjoy!
~Nancy

2014 CSA Week 10

The share for this week is packed with excellent summer produce!  Along with summer favorites like the first sweet corn of the year, tomatoes and zucchini, you will also find fresh lettuce.  We consider this quite a prize because it is more difficult to grow in the summer heat.  This week you have everything you'll need for an outstanding summer salad and more.

I'd like to tell you that I've been "cooking up a storm" in the kitchen and post lots of great photos of our meals, but I'll be honest with you: I'm spending a lot of time making baby food and feeding babies!  (For example, I need to cook about 5 lbs of pears tonight before I go to bed!) Our family meals are very quick and simple this summer and they occur in lots of small steps throughout the course of a day or two - and they almost never involve me remembering to take pictures.  ...so rather than posting an exciting new dish, I'll provide some links to some great recipes I've found online as well as a couple of our old favorites from older posts.  Scroll down for more.

The complete produce list is below along with storage information.  Recipe links with photos are below the table.

Item	How to store it	How long will it last?
lettuce	washed or unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
squash	unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
zucchini	unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
cucumbers	unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
tomatoes	room temperature	several days
corn	shucked (my preference) or husks in tact in the coldest  area of your fridge (bottom crisper)	not long, enjoy as soon as possible for the sweetest flavor
beets or green beans	dry, unwashed in frIdge	3-4 days for beans, 2-3 MONTHS for beets

Totally AWESOME slideshow of summer recipes from Bon Appetit (be sure to check out the recipe for grilled beets on this one, it's slide 3)

From our own blog last year Amanda's green beans like-Granny-use-to-make (but not like Granny made them)

The Pioneer woman's Summer Stir-Fry

Charred tomato corn salsa from Real Simple

2014 CSA Week 9

Greetings!

Is it summer yet?!  :-)

It's that time again when we all look forward to our wonderful produce from Sustainable Harvest Farm!

Just in time for the 4th of July weekend, find some great potluck style recipes below. I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday!

In this week's share, the new items you might find are beets and green beans (my fav!).

Item	How to store it	How long will it last?
cabbage or broccoli	washed or unwashed in refrigerator	1-2 weeks
summer squash	unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
zucchini	unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
tomatoes	room temperature	several days
garlic	Unwashed in the fridge	up to 1 week
green beans or beets	dry, unwashed in the fridge	3-4 days

Amanda shares some of their favorite recipes:
Broccoli Apple Salad and their favorite Cabbage Casserole.

I found this wonderful recipe for zucchini gratin on a great vegetarian site, 12tomatoes.com
This is the perfect potluck contribution that people will go nuts over!

Zucchini Gratin

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
4 large zucchini, sliced
4 medium shallots, minced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup cheddar cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Green onions, sliced, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven for 400 degrees F.
Heat a large, deep pot to medium heat and add the butter. Once melted, sauté the shallots and garlic in the butter until the shallots are translucent – about a minute or two.
Add the zucchini, heavy cream, salt, pepper, oregano, and Parmesan cheese. Let the mixture cook on the stovetop for about 8 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly. Make sure to keep mixing everything with a spoon while it is cooking.
Then, transfer this mixture to a greased casserole dish (9x13 or a similar size should be plenty big) and mix in most of the cheddar cheese – once everything is blended thoroughly, sprinkle the rest of the cheddar cheese on top.
Bake the gratin for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden-brown. Top with sliced green onions for garnish, if desired.

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And, my favorite potluck item is pasta salad with veggies and herbs. Use anything in season. The dressing sounds like a great one to keep on file! Recipe found here and below.

Lemony Roasted Garlic Pasta (Salad)

Ingredients:
8 oz. pasta (mini bowties, rotini or something small and ‘pasta-salad-like’)
3-4 cups veggies
For the Dressing:
2 heads garlic
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup water (use reserved pasta water)
1 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Tofu, sliced hardboiled eggs, grilled chicken (optional)

This could also be done wrapped in foil on the grill.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°.  Chop veggies into bite-size pieces, if needed.  Spread evenly onto a roasting pan along with 2 heads of garlic.  Drizzle olive oil (approximately 2-3 Tablespoons) evenly over all.  Roast in oven for 10-15 minutes until veggies begin to caramelize.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions and drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the pasta water.

When veggies/garlic are roasted, let cool until garlic is cool enough to handle.  Peel 20 roasted garlic cloves and add them to bowl of food processor.  Add the rest of the dressing ingredients except for water and blend.  Slowly add reserved water until dressing is of desired thickness.

Add cooked veggies to pasta and pour about half the dressing over (or to taste).  Reserve the rest of the dressing for another use.

Serve warm or cold, garnished with chunks of broiled tofu, hardboiled eggs or chicken, if desired.
(optional)

Yummy!


~Nancy