2015 CSA Week 7

Greetings friends,

Can you believe it's been 7 weeks already? I know I feel the healthiest I've been in months from eating all the fresh organic produce provided so graciously by our hosts the Waterstats. They obviously work very hard in order to supply so many people with perfect food. I suggest we all take the time to thank them in an email or better yet, in person at the farmers markets. Thanks Ford, Amanda and boys!

In shares this week...

Item	How to store it	How long will it last?
Fresh Garlic	unwashed, in fridge	up to 1 week
Kohlrabi	washed or unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
Summer Squash and Zucchini	unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
Cabbage	washed or unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
Cucumbers	washed or unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
Basil	stored in an unclosed container in fridge, or snip off bottom of stalks and immerse in water	1-2 weeks
Early Tomatoes	room temperature	several days

From Amanda...

The fresh basil in your share marks the height of summer flavor.  Add it to almost ANYTHING.  Although you'll receive a small quantity this week, look for more in the weeks to come!

Fresh garlic is a delight.  If you've never had the pleasure of enjoying freshly harvested garlic, you may be surprised, as I was, at just how nice and vibrant it is compared to the dried version in grocery stores.  For a lovely description of fresh garlic and step-by-step instructions for how to get the most out of every single morsel of your garlic, check out Fresh Garlic from Chocolate and Zucchini.

fresh garlic bulb - photo from Chocolate and Zucchini site.

Another new item in your share this week is cabbage.  I was never a big fan of cabbage until I tried the small tender heads that we grow here on our farm.  They are much more flavorful and tender than the large, mostly-white cabbage heads my grandparents grew.  These little beauties are delicious finely chopped in slaw or a salad like the famous house salad at Alfalfa in Lexington or slaw but our all-time favorite cabbage recipe is the simple, creamy cabbage casserole below.

Creamy Cabbage Casserole

1 small cabbage head, washed and cut into slender wedges

½ tsp salt

½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

1 small onion, finely chopped

½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Dash of paprika or ground red pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

-Bring pot of water to boil (enough to immerse all cabbage wedges simultaneously).-Immerse cabbage in boiling water for about 4-5 minutes, then drain.-Combine cabbage with salt, yogurt and onion and spread evenly into a 8x8” square baking dish.-Top with shredded cheddar and paprika/ground red pepper.-Bake for 30 minutes.
 *Note – this is very easy to double if you have two small cabbage heads or one large cabbage head. Just prepare in a 9x11” casserole dish.

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I'm still enjoying chopping everything up and cooking in my wok with a little coconut oil & olive oil and water to steam, adding fresh herbs from my garden with other spices. I will cook either rice or lentils then ladle the veggies on top. One trick I've learned to complete the different tastes is squeezing lemon juice while cooking. Try it, you'll love it!

Have a great week!

Nancy