CSA Share Week 12: From our farm to your table this week

Basil
Fennel
Cabbage
Green onions
Green peppers
Red Tomatoes
Squash & Zucchini

Tips for using &/or preserving your produce…

Basil
I’ve had pizza on the brain for the last few days and one of my favorite summer pizzas, Pizza Margherita, is simple, delicious and easy to make with the items in your share.  Just make or purchase your favorite pizza crust, top it with a thin layer of your favorite marinara and add layers of fresh mozzarella, fresh tomato slices and basil leaves.  Last, drizzle a little olive oil or balsamic vinaigrette on top.  It’s sort of like Caprese Salad on bread.  You don’t have to bake this one very long, just about 20 minutes at 350 (if your crust is already done).  The soft mozarella won’t get really brown, you just want it to get it melted and smooth.  YUM!

Fennel
If you recall from about two weeks ago, fennel has an interesting round but slightly flat, white root with feathery green leaves and a hint of licorice flavor.  The last recipe I shared with you was a fennel apple slaw that Ford, his parents and I LOVED!  This week, let me encourage you to try something new by cooking your fennel just briefly and enjoying the tenderness and flavor brought on by the heat.  Here’s a nice recipe for roasted fennel from Giada De Laurentiis: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/roasted-fennel-with-parmesan-recipe/index.html  This is SOOOOO easy and got GREAT review from a lot of folks.  Give it a try. 

Cabbage
Although I sometimes feel a little “burned out” on giant heads of white cabbage that seem to last for days (I’m not a kraut fan), I don’t seem to tire of the small green & purple cabbage heads that keeping coming in at a slow and steady pace.  We have no trouble eating them up in cabbage salads, slaws, and an occasional warm cabbage casserole.  …but, if you’re feeling like I use to in graduate school when my absolutely wonderful grandfather would bring me 2-3 giant heads of white cabbage that were bigger than basketballs (honestly) you might enjoy the neat blog called The Old Foodie ( http://www.theoldfoodie.com/2010/08/creative-cabbage.html ).  The blogger, Janet Clarkson, also has some interesting links and publications on food history. 

…and by the way, please don’t tell Papaw Finley I didn’t eat all that cabbage.

   
Onion, large green
Keep using up these larger green onions as you would any onion and don’t forget you can chop up the bottom parts of the green stems.  They won’t be around too much longer.  You might like whipping up your own sour cream and onion dip by sautéing the white parts of the onions along with a little garlic in some oil and stirring that into sour cream.  Mince some of the green stems and sprinkle them on top, it will taste fresh and look so pretty!

Green Peppers

When we have an abundance of green peppers (and it’s about that time) I like to make pickled green pepper relish.  Many of the relishes and pickled products available at supermarkets are sky-high in sodium and/or contain additional preservatives or ingredients that I’d rather avoid.  Home canning still requires some sodium in the form of canning salt, but when you can your own vegetables, you’re in charge of just what form and quantities of sodium you’ll have in the finished product.  Canning pickled vegetables is simple and requires only a boiling water bath canner and a few simple utensils. Check out the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture guides on canning for excellent resources on how to can safely at home.  Here's the general website for the UK Extension program with tons of great resources: http://ces.ca.uky.edu/ces/

 ...and here’s some more great information through that site:  Here’s what I consider the best overall introduction to proper canning techniques: http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/fcs3/fcs3325/fcs3325.pdf

For specific canning methods (fruit, vegetable, pickling, etc.) just look in the table that says "Food Preservation" then click on the blue link that says "YES" to the right of the topic that interests you and you'll have a PDF that describes how to can/preserve that particular item. http://www.ca.uky.edu/hes/index.php?p=207

For hands-on workshops and some “personal training” in the art of food preservation, take advantage of the the Laurel County Extension office http://ces.ca.uky.edu/laurel/ .  Our local extension agents and staff offer a variety of helpful classes and private sessions to train folks on food preservation.  Thanks to Tina Bledsoe, of the Laurel County Extension Office, in one evening I learned everything I need to know to safely can green beans using a pressure canner.  Thanks Tina!

 Tomatoes
The time has come when eating fresh tomatoes is just not enough to keep up with the supply coming in from the fields.  (Otherwise known in my home as “tomato bliss.”)  So get your piecrusts, freezer bags, and canners because we’re going to start talking about delicious ways to turn your tomatoes into warm meals, frozen ingredients for winter meals and even jars of canned tomatoes and salsa that are every bit as convenient (once canned, that is) as the supermarket versions but SO much better.  Let’s begin this phase of tomato bliss with a tasty tomato basil tart.  See below:

Garlicky Tomato Tart  ~ 6 servings
- adapted from an old Weight Watchers publication (Sorry, it’s a recipe passed on by a friend of mine.  I don’t have the original publication but I’ve certainly tried to find it!)

1 10” pie crust
Cooking spray
2 large eggs

2 large egg whites
1 tsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups peeled, seeded, chopped tomato
1 Tbsp sun-dried tomato or regular tomato paste
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp sugar
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme (or ¼ tsp dry)
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/8 tsp pepper
2/3 cup milk
2 Tbsp powdered milk (a little flour will also work)
2 LARGE ripe tomatoes, cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (about ¾ lb)
¼ cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
¼ cup finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

-Grease a 10” quiche dish, tart pan or good ole’ pie pan and bake your favorite homemade or store-bought pie crust according to package/recipe and cool.

-Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet.  Add garlic and sauté about 30 seconds.  Add chopped tomato, tomato paste, salt, and sugar and sauté an additional 15 minutes or until thick.  You want it to get thick and pasty to avoid a watery tart.   Trust me, it’s worth it!

Now, remove the tomato mixture from heat and stir in herbs & pepper.  Set aside.

Whisk milk and eggs together vigorously and stir into tomato mixture.

Arrange sliced tomatoes on the top of your cooked crust.  A nice circle over overlaid tomatoes looks VERY pretty!

Spoon egg/cooked tomato mixture on top, sprinkle with cheeses and bake at 375^oF for 45 minutes OR until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Squash & Zucchini
Okay, are there any squash haters out there?  I know, I know, you’re CSA members and you’re probably some of the healthiest, die-hard veggie eaters on the planet but I also know that even some of you (or someone you cook for) probably get tired of squash around mid- to late July.  Here’s how you can make it through another week of squash & zucchini – turn them into BROWNIES!! …yes, BROWNIES!!  I don’t know very many people who don’t like brownies.  The Martha Stewart family of publications includes a great little magazine called Everyday Food.  The May 2012 edition included this awesome recipe called Chocolate-Zucchini Cakes with Walnuts (http://www.marthastewart.com/319343/chocolate-zucchini-cakes-with-walnuts).  It’s really fabulous as is, but I tweaked it a bit (see recipe below for my version) and, because I’m lazy, baked them in a casserole dish instead of muffin tins and called them brownies.  A word of caution: the first two times I made these, I didn’t deviate from much from the recipe below but this week I decided to try an ultra-healthy version using ONLY whole wheat flour, no butter (at all) and some applesauce in place of the butter.  The result was somewhere between brownies and jello.  Don’t do it.  Use butter.

Chocolate Zucchini (or Squash) BROWNIES
- adapted from Everyday Food, May 2012

1 cup finley grated zucchini or squash (about 1 medium) peeled, & any really large seeds removed
½ tsp salt
¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup butter, melted then cooled slightly
¼ cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
3 Tbsp sour cream
½ tsp vanilla
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ to ¾ cup walnut pieces

Grease 8” square (for thick brownies) or 11x7” (for thinner brownies) casserole dish & set aside.
Toss grated zucchini with salt and leave in a colander in the sink to drain while you prepare the batter. (This really helps keep prevent the final product from having a “watered-down” flavor.)
Whisk flour and cocoa powder together in a large mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix butter, oil, sugar, egg, sour cream, & vanilla  until smooth and creamy.
Gently combine flour/cocoa with wet mixture & stir in chocolate chips.
Pour into greased casserole dish, sprinkle with walnut pieces & bake 25-35 minutes.
Remove from the oven, cool slightly & watch your squash-haters devour these gooey, brownies!!

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

CSA Share Week 11: From our farm to your table this week …

~WEEK 11~

Wow! We’re half way through the CSA season!  You’ve been eating fresh, organic produce from Sustainable Harvest Farm for 11 weeks now and you have 11 more to go!  Thank you so much for your dedication to local, sustainable agriculture and for investing in Sustainable Harvest Farm.

Please make plans to celebrate the end of the harvest season with us here on the farm with a potluck and farm tour on the final CSA pickup day, Saturday September 29.  More details are forthcoming, but for now, please

SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, September 29.

Cabbage
Cucumbers
Red Tomatoes
Green onions
Green peppers
Squash & Zucchini
SWEET Corn
Watermelon

Tips for using and/or preserving your produce…

Cabbage
Fresh, tender cabbage is wonderful as a base for salads.  Just last week I mixed a bit of mayonnaise with shredded green & purple cabbage to create a flavorful bed for a Cobb salad.  It made the Cobb salad a bit more interesting. 

   
Cucumbers

You’ve probably been trying all sorts of interesting cucumber recipes.  I really like pickles & plain cucumbers so I use most of ours one of those two ways.  Another fun idea you can try is to use a veggie peeler or cheese slicer to create long, thin ribbons of cucumbers.  This makes for a really pretty, impressive summer salad without a lot of effort.  So, if you feel like getting artistic with your salads, try slicing long ribbons of cucumber & yellow squash with shredded carrots, onions & your favorite oil & vinegar dressing!

Green Onions 
The green onions you’ll find in the share this week are a bit larger than the ones you received earlier in the year.  The taste is similar & you’ll find that you can use them like a typical, small green onion, or as a replacement for regular white or yellow onions.  However you use them, you’ll find them to be more fresh & crisp than storage onions.  Because they have not been dried & are not suitable for long term storage, you’ll want to keep them in the fridge & use them within a week or two.  Both the white bulb & the lower portions of the hollow green leaves are edible.  My dad says that he use to use those long green leaves like drinking straws when he was a boy.  It sounds like fun but I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who wouldn’t like the flavor of onion in whatever they’re drinking!

Green Peppers

For the second year we’ve grown traditional green peppers along with a lighter variety known as Flavor Burst.  Both are delicious, sweet, green peppers that can be used interchangeably.  I love using sliced green peppers to dip into hummus or mix in with salads but my favorite way to cook green peppers is to stuff them with polenta.  Check out this recipe by Nicole Aloni for a rich, creamy version of polenta stuffed peppers.

Tomatoes

They’re back!!  That’s right, you’ll be seeing lots of beautiful, red tomatoes from the field (rather than the greenhouse) from now through the end of the CSA season.  This week you will receive one large heirloom tomato.  Ford tells me that heirlooms don't ripen all at once like commercially-grown tomatoes, & are known for their odd shapes & colors. We will have some commercial hybrid tomatoes available for purchase if you think your heirloom tomato won’t get you through the week.  You will receive a few different varieties throughout the summer but I think you’ll find that all of them have even more delicious tomato flavor than the tomatoes grown in the greenhouse.  Slice them, dice them, put them in salsas & salads & enjoy your fresh field tomatoes.  As the season progresses I’ll share some easy preservation tips with you to help you hold on to that wonderful tomato flavor well into cool weather days.  Finley gets VERY excited about finding & picking ripe tomatoes.  Here he is in his favorite hat plucking a ripe heirloom tomato in the raised beds near our house.

Squash & Zucchini
A good friend of mine gave me a great cookbook full of recipes that combine fresh summer vegetables with fresh herbs for dishes that bring out the best of both – Herbs Love Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions & Zucchini by Ruth Bass.  The recipe below features yellow squash (or zucchini, or both), tomatoes, onions, cilantro & parsley.  

Spicy Squash with Cilantro
-adapted from Herbs Love Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions & Zucchini by Ruth Bass

- 3-4 cups yellow squash, zucchini, or a combination of
   the two, washed & cut into 1/4 –inch slices

- 1 firm, red tomato, peeled & diced

-1 large white onion, finely chopped

- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

-1 clove garlic, minced

-1/4 cup chopped green chili peppers

-1/2 cup white wine

-1/2 cup water

-¼ cup pitted, chopped black olives

-1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- salt and pepper to taste

In a large, deep skillet, saucepan or Dutch oven, bring about 2 cups of water to boil.

Add the zucchini, tomato, onion, garlic, & chili peppers & cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until the zucchini is tender.

Drain off excess water but leave enough to maintain a soupy consistency then stir in the cilantro, parsley, & wine & continue to cook an additional 10 minutes over medium heat.
Remove from heat and stir in olives, cheese, salt and pepper.  Serve immediately along with fresh slices of your favorite bread.

Sweet Corn
Isn’t it funny how familiar things can seem boring or undesirable until someone gives us a new perspective?  That’s how my parents & I felt about raw sweet corn until Ford came along.  We were all aghast when Ford munched on fresh, raw corn right out in the field!  My dad was sure it was damaging Ford’s GI tract & I assumed it would be bitter & fibrous.  Eventually Ford’s enthusiasm for munching on raw corn led us to try it for ourselves & I can honestly say that we were missing out on some great flavor!  If you’ve never tried it, go ahead, peel back the husk & take a bite.  You’ll be surprised by sweetness & crunch of those juicy yellow kernels.  For an excellent addition to summer salads, remove the husks, wash the corn in cold water & remove the silks then slice it right off the cob.  Fresh or cooked corn pairs beautifully with raw tomatoes & onions.  This week you’re receiving the second harvest form the first corn we planted.  Some of the ears will be perfect, but some will not have full kernels on the outer tip.  You probably won’t see any more sweet corn for another two weeks.  Ford tells me we had some trouble with germination.

Watermelon
As a lover of watermelon, I once turned my nose up at savory watermelon dishes & salads that combined watermelon, herbs, vegetables & cheese. Watermelon, so I thought, was perfect on its own & would only be diminished if combined with other, less-than-perfect foods. The abundance of watermelon coming in from the fields now gave me the courage to experiment with our melon &, once, again, I found that trying something new turned out to be quite a treat. Today I tossed fresh watermelon slices with arugula & feta cheese. The peppery arugula & sweet melon were a nice contrast & the zesty, salty zing of feta cheese was especially tasty with the sweet melon. Here’s a good recipe for a very similar salad that I adapted from the original version posted on the Tasty Kitchen blog. …oh, & by the way, if that fennel bulb is still in your fridge from last week, I think that would a GREAT addition to the watermelon salad.

Savory Watermelon Salad

-4 cups fresh greens torn into bite size pieces (arugula is nice and spicy but I think it’s best when combined with other, more mild greens like lettuce and spinach)
-1/4 of a large watermelon or ½ small watermelon,  
  seeded and cubed
-1/2 cup lemon juice
-1/2 cup olive oil
-1/4 cup sweet onion, very thinly sliced
-1 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. pepper
-Toppings: ½ cup crumbled feta cheese & ½ cup mint leaves, finely chopped or julienned

Combine greens and watermelon, set aside.

Whisk together lemon juice, oil, minced onion, salt & pepper.  Pour over melon and greens.
Top with crumbled feta and mint leaves.

Serve immediately.

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

CSA Share Week 10: From our farm to your table this week...

Basil
Cucumbers
Fennel
Green Tomatoes
Squash & Zucchini
SWEET Corn
Watermelon

Mix & Match Recipe of the Week: Tomato Corn Pie
This delicious pie combines corn, tomatoes & basil into an amazing one-dish dinner.  Because we won’t have sufficient quantities of red tomatoes for all of our CSA members this week, you’ll be getting green tomatoes instead, but you should be able to find some local or regional red tomatoes this week for this YUMMY pie.  Check out the recipe at Smitten Kitchen.

Tips for using and/or preserving your produce…

Basil  This week, if you don’t want to dry  your basil or turn it into pesto, you might want to just snip the bottom of the stems, place them in a jar of water and pick of the leaves all week to enjoy fresh basil on your salads, sandwiches, and just about any summer dish.  I recently came across a nice twist on potato salad that called for stirring pesto (rather than mustard) and lemon juice into the mayonnaise mixture for the salad and garnishing it with a handful of tiny basil leaves.  What a great idea! 

Cucumbers

In my grandmother’s home, no summer meal was complete without a big plate of peeled, cucumber spears.  That simple preparation was always a cool, welcomed treat after a hot day of work.  This week, try enjoying them fresh, with maybe just a sprinkling of salt.  They make an excellent replacement for chips to go along with your sandwich.

Fennel

Fennel, also known as Florence fennel, anise, and anise bulb, is a popular Italian vegetable.  If you’ve never tried fennel, you may be surprised to find the distinct, licorice flavor in the roots & stems.  Yes, that’s right, licorice, but don’t stop reading now just because you saw the word licorice and thought of black licorice and jelly beans.  I didn’t inheret the gene that allows humans to tolerate black licorice or black jelly beans so I was quite reluctant to try this vegetable.   …but, I can honestly say that fennel has a lovely crisp, juicy, fresh flavor that far surpasses that of the rogue black jelly beans that, in my opinion, spoil joy of gobbling a handful of sugary jelly beans!  Enough about jelly beans.  You’re probably wondering just what to do with this interesting round, white root with feathery green leaves so I’ll get right to the point: fennel is probably best raw or lightly cooked.  The white root is what is eaten as vegetable but you can also use the feathery parts of the leaves as an herb.  The stems are quite unique and can make a simple, fresh-picked flower arrangement more interesting.  Raw fennel root is nice on a tray of raw veggies or in a salad.  When cooked, it becomes slightly sweet and loses a bit of the characteristic licorice flavor.  Don’t make the mistake of overcooking your fennel to drown out its flavor or you will miss out on the delightful texture.  Above, you’ll find a great salad recipe that brings fennel and apples together just beautifully!

Fennel, Apple, & Pecan Salad

from Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman

Dressing
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1 shallot or 1 small green onion minced

- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp white or white balsamic vinegar
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salad

- 2 fennel bulbs , trimmed, cut into quarters, &
   thinly sliced
- 2 large apples, quartered, cored, & thinly sliced
- 1 cup pecans, toasted
- Chopped fennel leaves (fronds) as a garnish.

Whisk together first 5 ingredients to make the dressing.  Set aside.
Combine fennel, apples, & pecans in a large bowl.  Toss to mix.
Pour in the dressing. 

Garnish with fennel fronds & serve.
Green Tomatoes
Even if you don’t like them, you’ve probably at least seen or tried fried green tomatoes but you probably haven’t heard of another fabulous way to eat green tomatoes: green tomato pie.  That’s right, the word pie was at the end of that sentence and no, it’s not savory like a deep dish pizza.  It’s a sweet pie that is surprisingly similar to apple pie.  Okay, I was skeptical the first time I heard about it but my mother-in-law from Washington (state) convinced me to give it a try.  I highly recommend you bake one this week with the lovely little green tomatoes in your basket.  You’ll enjoy the flavor and the interesting conversations it will stir up at a dinner party!  This will probably be the last of the green tomatoes you will see until fall.

Green Tomato Pie
-5-6 small to medium green tomatoes
-2 Tbsp unbleached, all-purpose flour
-2 Tbsp cornstarch (or 3 more Tbsp flour)
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-1/4 to 1/3 cup light brown sugar

-1/2 to 1 tsp of ground cinnamon

-1/4 tsp nutmeg

-1/4 tsp salt

-1 Tbsp lemon juice
- Two 9” pie crusts (for the top & bottom of ONE 9” double-crust
   pie)
Optional topping
-1 Tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tsp additional granulated sugar + 1/2 tsp additional cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425^oF.
Wash, peel, slice and chop green tomatoes & place in a colander in the sink.
Place one 9” pie crust in the bottom of a well-greased 9” pie plate.
Whisk together flour, cornstarch (if using), sugars, cinnamon, & nutmeg.

Sprinkle about 1-2 Tbsp of this mixture on top of the pie crust in the bottom of your pie plate.

Stir tomatoes, lemon juice, & salt into the remaining mixture and pour into the pie crust.

Place the second crust on top, gently folding & crimping the edges all around with a fork.  Cut 3-4 generous slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
Optional topping: brush top crust with heavy cream and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture before baking.
Bake for 20 minutes at 425 then reduce heat to 325 and bake for 40 minutes more.

Cool at room temperature for about 45-60 minutes before serving.

Squash & Zucchini

This week they’re together again because one of my favorite ways to prepare (and EAT) squash & zucchini is by grilling them side by side.  Just wash & slice them into large chunks, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper & your favorite summer herbs (like BASIL) and throw them directly on the grill or put them on sticks along with your favorite meat and make kebabs.

Sweet Corn

YES! Corn is finally here!  Tonight I ate two ears of boiled corn smeared with butter and rolled in salt.  Summer is HERE!  A quick boil (just 5-10 minutes) is all it takes to make those fresh kernels tender and delicious.  Boil them and eat them right of the cob or slice the kernels of the cob to mix into your favorite summer salad.  Any way you prepare it, it’s delicious.

Watermelon

The relatively small, round melons in your share this week are known as Sugar Baby Watermelons.  They are dark green on the outside with a sweet, dark red flesh.  They range from soccer ball to basketball size and were the first to reach their peak but we have a couple of larger varieties on the way for the weeks ahead.   You probably don’t need my help deciding how to prepare these.  Just slice, eat, enjoy & repeat!  My mother and I have been known to turn one large watermelon into dinner for two.  All we need is a knife and two spoons!  . 

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

CSA Share Week 9:

From our farm to your table this week …  

 This week you’ll see the same line-up as last Saturday with TWO exceptions: 1) no lettuce and 2) GREEN tomatoes!
When I sampled our lettuce this week to see if it had turned bitter in the heat, I had one of those “YUCK” experiences on my tongue that I think Finley must have when he decides to taste leaves, grass and other less palatable items he finds around the yard.   Until fall brings cooler weather, you will probably not be seeing any fresh lettuce from our farm with the exception of some iceberg lettuce that could be ready in a couple of weeks. The good news is that there are PLENTY of other good vegetables to make up for it, including your first green tomatoes.

Basil
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cucumbers
Squash
Green Tomatoes
Zucchini

Tips for using and/or preserving your produce…

Basil

Unless you’re living on Caprese salad, pesto, and other fresh basil recipes, you might want to begin using a portion of your basil for drying or for frozen pesto.  This week I heard a gentleman say  “Every soup tastes better with basil in it.”  If you do a little each week throughout the summer, I think you’ll find that you have more than enough dried basil to get you through winter cooking and you might even have enough to fill a few glass spice jars for homeade Christmas gifts!

Broccoli

Very soon both broccoli and cabbage will give way to the hot, dry, July weather, so, while you still have a bunch of broccoli, I recommend chopping it up into a big, cold salad for the fourth of July!  There are several good broccoli salad recipes out there.  One of my favorites (a little on the heavy side) is the broccoli and bacon salad we shared early in the CSA season.  If you didn’t hold onto it, you should be able to find the recipe on our blog under CSA week two.  By the way, I noticed that some of the new recipes aren’t appearing so I’m working to update the blog over the next week or two to make it more accurate and user friendly.  Please pardon the inconvenience.  Thanks for your patience!

Cabbage

Again, fresh cabbage won’t be around much longer (most likely 1-2 more weeks) so it’s a great time to make up a big, delicious cabbage salad or slaw to enjoy before it’s all gone.  Over the years I’ve learned that some of you travel to Lexington occasionally for healthy treats from Good Foods Market and Whole Foods.  While you’re in Lexington, you might want to head over to South Broadway and have lunch at Alfalfa’s.  They have a lot of great food, including a signature, fresh cabbage salad.

Cucumbers

Each year I have to make up at least one batch of dainty cucumber sandwiches.  It’s cool, refreshing, and it sort of makes me feel like I’m at a southern tea party!  These southern classics are great for showers and parties. 

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
-2 small or one medium grated cucumber, peeled & seeded
  IMPORTANT NOTE: – To get a creamy spread 
  that isn’t watery, you’ll need to toss your grated
  cucumber with a little salt and leave it in a
  colander for about 30 minutes, pressing the
  excess water out a few times.
- 8oz cream cheese, slightly softened
-1-2 Tbsp mayonnaise
-1 small garlic clove, pressed
-1 tsp fresh dill

Simply stir together all of the above ingredients and spread the mix on your favorite, dainty squares of bread.  You can cut the crusts off your favorite bread & cut the sandwich into quarters.  White is traditional but I always use regular wheat bread or occasionally, for a party, I buy those cute little loaves of pumpernickel bread sliced into thin squares.

This recipe will make enough for a crowd, so cut it in half or to one fourth if you just want to give it a try for yourself at home.  The spread will store just fine in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days.

Squash & Zucchini
Both squash & zucchini make excellent vehicles for delivering a flavorful, filling meal when you carve them into little boats and fill them with your favorite meaty (or vegetarian) filling and top them with cheese.  We really enjoyed baking zucchini filled with our home-grown, grass-fed beef so I will share that version with you.  We also love vegetarian meals so you could easily transform this one by replacing the meat with beans, shredded, seasoned tofu, or some combination of the two. However you prepare the filling, I think it is best with plenty of cheese on top!

Baked, Stuffed Zucchini
-5 medium zucchini (or squash or some of each)
-2 Tbsp olive oil
-1 medium onion, minced
-2-4 cloves garlic, pressed with the flat side of a knife and minced
-6 oz roasted red peppers, chopped
-1.5 cups freshly diced tomatoes OR 8-10oz canned tomatoes
-1.5 cups marinara
-½ teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper to taste
-½ - ¾ lb cooked ground beef (or 8-12 oz beans, or crumbled tofu)
16 oz of your favorite shredded cheese  (mozzarella is good with this Italian style filling but cheddar or pepper jack might be best if you use beans and Mexican seasonings in the filling)

Preheat oven to 350^oF.
Pierce whole, uncut zucchini a few times with a fork, stack on a plate with a little water in the bottom, and microwave for about 8 minutes.  The exact time varies with the size of the veggies & your microwave, but you're goal is to see the skin get a little brighter and for the flesh to become soft enough to pierce very easily with a fork without becoming mushy.
Slice the zucchinis in half, length-wise, remove seeds and a bit of the flesh with a melon-baller, leaving about 1/2 inch "walls" to create little zucchini canoes.
Set the zucchini aside for now and prepare your filling.
Heat olive oil in skillet and sauté onions, peppers and garlic until onions become translucent then combine with all remaining ingredients except cheese, mixing thoroughly.
Distribute filling equally among zucchini halves, top with cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

Green Tomatoes
Fried green tomatoes happen to be one of my favorite foods (…and one of my favorite movies!). There are countless variations in the recipes from soggy, pan fried mounds of tomato with thick batter to light, crunchy baked versions.  I tried several and found that my favorite falls somewhere between.  During my extreme calorie-counting days (long ago) I made some dry, baked, barely-breaded versions that resemble fried green tomatoes but just don’t hold a candle to the slices that have a bit more batter, although I don’t think frying is an absolute necessity when it comes to making a good “fried” green tomato.  There are enough fried green tomato recipes on the Southern Living website to make your head spin.  Try out this link to browse them: Southern Living Fried Green Tomatoes.

Have a GREAT week and thanks so much for your support!

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

Week 8

CSA Share Week 8: From our farm to your table this week …  

Basil
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cucumbers
Lettuce
Squash
Tomatoes
Zucchini

Tips for using and/or preserving your produce…

Basil

Did you try Caprese Salad last week?  I hope you did!  I just had some for lunch and I can’t get enough.  We also  used up all of the extra basil that wasn’t sold at market last Saturday to make some delicious pesto.  If you are a fan of homeade pesto, then you know just how nice and easy  it is to  make and use.  If you’ve never tried pesto before, this is a great time to give it a whirl (literally)!  Use the finished product as a nice spread for fresh bread or crackers, stir it into your favorite pasta, use it as a paste to flavor your favorite grilled meat or try Ford’s favorite: mix it with some mayo and spread it on your favorite summertime sandwich.  Yum!

    Broccoli

There are so many ways to enjoy good broccoli!  Whether you roast it, eat it raw, or steam it and slather it with cheese it really is delicious and so very good for you.  This week, I’ll share another “mix and match” recipe with you that incorporates a lot of the veggies in your share.  Cornbread salad is one of those recipes that never really sounded that impressive to me, but when I tried it for the first time about three years ago, I was surprised by how much I liked the taste and texture.  The combination of crispy cornbread, fresh veggies and a tangy ranch salad dressing is extremely satisfying.  If cornbread is not your thing, you can replace the red kidney beans in this salad with white/great northern beans, use cubed French bread instead of cornbread, feta or fresh mozzarella cheese in place of the cheddar, and top it off with balsamic vinaigrette instead of ranch dressing.  Then you’ll have a fancy looking French salad.  The truth is, either way it will be DELICIOUS!!

Cabbage

Fish tacos are a popular California food tradition that make for an easy, tasty, summer meal.  They are light, flavorful and offer a nice combination of grilled fish and shredded cabbage.  Simply grill up your favorite white, flaky fish and season it with a spicy rub or marinade.  Serve up tender flakes of the grilled fish on toasted corn tortillas ( I literally pop mine in the toaster for a minute or so before filling them) topped with shredded cabbage, salt, cilantro and a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice. You may also like a drizzle of creamy dressing, a few diced tomatoes, or a sprinkling of cheese, but the simple version is also delicious.

Cucumbers

If you don’t use up all your cucumbers in cornbread salad or dill pickles, consider trying a fresh Greek yogurt sauce made with cucumbers called Tzatziki. It’s often served at Greek restaurants with fresh pita bread as an appetizer or as a creamy side for a warm main dish (sort of like we’d serve sour cream with chili to tone down the heat). Just peel, remove seeds, and dice a medium cucumber and mix with salt, 1 clove minced or crushed garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (there’s even a Kroger brand now) 1-2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and ½ tsp extra virgin olive oil.  Stir it all together gently, refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend & serve with fresh bread or as a creamy topping to a spicy meat & vegetable dish.  Here’s the link to a great Greek meal (including Tzatziki) on a recipe blog called Tasty Kitchen: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/souvlaki-dinner/
Lettuce

We’ve finally gotten our grill up and going after a few repairs and I’m eager to put it to good use.  I have grilling recipes on the brain and there’s one that I’d like to try this summer before our lettuce fades.  There are a couple of approaches but essentially it involves slicing a firm head of lettuce in half (Romaine, wedges of Iceberg, or any hearty, head lettuce that holds it shape) drizzling with olive oil, a little garlic powder, and placing over a hot fire on the grill for a couple of minutes then serving with salt, pepper and a little cheese.  Here’s a link to a nice step-by-step recipe with pictures for grilled Romaine lettuce: http://grillinfools.com/blog/2009/05/11/grilled-romaine-lettuce-thats-right-salad-on-the-grill/

Squash & Zucchini

Okay, I’m finished having raw squash and zucchini for a while.  I’ve moved on to “hotter” dishes for a while (even though it’s VERY hot outside this week).  Today I remembered just how delicious yellow squash can be when it’s sliced and sautéed with a little butter, olive oil, salt and your favorite seasoning.  Chef Jospeh Smith of Joseph’s here in London served some of our squash this week and I must say, he turned those little yellow circles into a warm, mouth-watering side dish.  You can do the same with zuchinni and the heat brings out a nice sweetness that you won’t get from the raw veggies.

 
Tomatoes

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of tomatoes.   My parents like to tell a story about how they recognized my affinity for tomatoes at an early age.  When I was a little girl, about Finley’s age, my dad carried me back from the garden on his shoulders after we picked tomatoes together and by the time he made the short walk from the garden to our house, I had already eaten an entire tomato!  So far, I’ve maintained my reputation as a tomato thief by snatching warm tomatoes from the vine, or fresh picked tomatoes in the barn before they ever have a chance to reach the market or our house.  (Don’t worry, Ford doesn’t let me tamper with your boxes after they’re packed.  They’re locked in a secret vault in our barn.  Okay, that’s a lie, but you get the idea – your veggies are safe.)  If you’ve never eaten one warm from your garden or from the market, put it on your windowsill or your porch in the sunshine for a while then take a big bite and enjoy

Have a GREAT week and thanks so much for your support!

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

Week 7

CSA Share Week 7: From our farm to your table this week …  

Basil
Broccoli
Cucumbers
Kale
Lettuce
Squash
Tomatoes
Zucchini

Tips for using and/or preserving your produce…

Basil

Few herbs are as beautiful, versatile and amazingly aromatic as basil.  The leaves of this tender herb are delicious to pluck and eat right off the plant but it also adds wonderful flavor to dozens of dishes – sweet, savory, hot & cold.  You can store basil in the fridge as you would lettuce, but I like to make a fresh snip on the bottom of the stems and put them in a small glass vase or Mason jar just as I would with fresh flowers.  This will keep the basil in great shape for several days and your kitchen will smell fresh and wonderful!  If you don’t want to use it right away, basil can also be easily dried by hanging the stems upside down for a few days then picking the dried leaves to store in plastic bags or glass jars for use in winter cooking. 

Eventually I’ll get around to a pesto recipe or two but first I’d like to share my absolute favorite way to enjoy fresh basil - Caprese Salad.  (It is pronounced “kah-prai-zee” although I called it “caprice” salad for a long time before learning that!) The salad is pictured above at right with the recipe underneath.

    Broccoli

No matter what plants I show our 20-month-old son, Finley, in the small raised-bed garden beside our house, he says “bwok-oh-wee.”  Unfortunately he still thinks it’s more fun to say the name of this veggie than to eat it.
This week I had the pleasure of coordinating a special luncheon for about 60 people with one theme: use locally grown produce for the entire menu.  It was a wonderful adventure in local shopping, cooking, and eating.  Because broccoli was still plentiful early this week, I decided to make 10 broccoli cheddar quiches.  I used a recipe from Kraft as a starting point, so the dish was a bit heavy on the cheese and high in calories, but I must say it’s quite yummy.  It only takes a little more than a cup or of chopped broccoli florets to whip up this simple quiche so buy some fresh eggs from one of the other farmers and you’ll have most of the fixins’ for an easy weeknight dinner! …just don’t forget to pick up some cheddar cheese on the way home!
Cucumbers

If you enjoyed the recipe for refrigerator dill pickles last week, you might like repeating that recipe this week with a slight variation to make a delicious salad.  Just reduce the vinegar by ½ (and consider trying white wine vinegar in place of regular white vinegar), remove the cucumbers from the brine after an overnight soak and transfer to a serving tray using a slotted spoon.  Serve with chunks of fresh tomato and top with crumbled feta cheese.
KaleKale is a perfect partner for tender new potatoes, or any potatoes for that matter.  This week I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the other farmers selling small, tender, “new potatoes.”  Folks (like my dad, grandfather & several of the local farmers) designate a portion of their potato planting for an early harvest of small round “new” potatoes.  They could definitely wait until the end of the summer to dig the potatoes along with the rest of their crop of large, mature roots, BUT once you’ve had a taste of new potatoes, it’s hard to resist digging up just enough for a big family dinner and enjoying them in June.  …oh wait, we’re talking about kale, right?  Yes, exactly.  …so, whether you use new potatoes, “old” potatoes or perhaps another starchy vegetable or grain (rice, polenta, pasta), consider preparing it with just a bit of butter, salt, cream and some fresh parsley then toss in some sautéed kale.  The kale really rounds out the smooth, buttery flavor of creamy, starchy, foods and provides LOTS of added nutrients.
Lettuce

Enjoy these tender, delicious leaves while they last.  A hot dry summer (as it appears we may be entering) can cause the plants to flower, and produce bitter leaves.  It’s the plant’s way of saying “my time is up, I’m making seeds and getting out of here.”  …at least that’s my translation of how Ford explains it to me in much more “agriculturally correct” terms.
Squash & Zucchini

Yes, it’s true, these are different, unique vegetables with their own distinct flavor and texture,  …but it sure is easy and fun to use them together!  I haven’t yet reached the point in the harvest season at which I’m trying to think of 10,000 ways to sneak these veggies into cakes, breads and cookies (although that will come, I’m sure).  I’m still enjoying thin slices or tiny cubes of squash and zucchini over salads.  I really like them raw.  Once on a trip to Washington (state) to visit Ford’s family I thought I had packed the perfect airport food for us to enjoy on the long trip – zucchini & yellow squash sticks, yeah!  Low calorie, light weight, and we wouldn’t be buying expensive, salty, airport food!  While I basked in my culinary and dietetic brilliance Ford completely ignored the little sticks and ate all of our trail mix and granola bars instead.  Go figure? 
Tomatoes

This week, all I have to say is “see recipe above” for AMAZING Caprese Salad.

Have a GREAT week and thanks so much for your support!

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

No Rain??

I don't know about you all, but we didnt get anymore than a drizzle of that rain that was promised for the last 2 days.

Here at Sustrainable Harvest Farm we leave nothing to chance if we can help it to ensure a good crop will be harvested.  But nothing beats a good soaking rain.

We employ several strategies for making sure your crop gets enough water to drink. I'd love to show these to you at the farm tour, but I'm attaching our newest Pistol Creek Rigged Sprinkler that sprays a 120 foot diameter spray. That's sweet corn that is a couple of weeks away...