Tangerini's Farm-CSA News

A friend once offered this sound advice: "You get what you get... and you don't get upset!" This was one of the first things her son was taught at preschool. They used this motto to deal with the various tears that came when someone else had a child's favorite toy - or they didn't get the color sticker he/she wanted. She loved it until her son quoted it back to her when she was mad about something.

As silly as it seems, it is also a good motto for dealing with life and food. You get what you get - and then you try to make the most of it. It is also great for when dinner is served and there are complaints about the veggies. If you have kids, you can remind them that they helped pick these, just the other day, and that "you get what you get"!

It is funny how picking the vegetables and seeing where they come from can make them more appetizing - for big people and the little ones too. The kids can learn a lot from walking out into the fields and picking out large, ripe zucchini from the leafy plants. It's a great opportunity to explain how they grew from a small seed, planted earlier in the year, and how the sun, rain, and soil help them grow. They can watch the tractor being driven around the farm and see the crew weed and hoe and nurture the crops.

Although this is time consuming - and many of us just don't have time for anything - I think it is important to instill within us all a seasonal awareness of "you get what you get". It reminds us that things take work and can sometimes be out of our control. But there also are the surprises. Like appreciating the year (last year) that the red peppers were growing like gangbusters. And maybe this year it will be the ... squash?

Each year and season brings its own struggles and blessings. It is nice to have moments to take it all in and reflect. I hope that each of you, in your own ways, have time this week for such a moment.

See you at the farm,
Laura

An Abundance of Zucchini

Summer time, in our house, means zucchini bread. For breakfast, for a snack - even as a dessert! It is high in vitamin C and is a fun veggie to sneak into kids' diets. But once you have made bread, then what? Here are two recipes (one from a NY restaurant and one from a CSA member) that offer a new take.

The first is from The Red Cat in NY. It is one of their signature dishes - something you don't hear too often about zucchini! The second is from Marcia (a CSA member)who wrote that even her squash disliking daughter thought it was a hit.

Quick Sauté of Zucchini with Toasted Almonds and Pecorino
2 small zucchinis
2 T sliced almonds
Salt
Pepper
2 ounces of pecorino romano, in long shaved pieces

Cut the zucchini lengthwise into thin (1/8") slices, then cut crosswise into matchsticks. You should have around 2-1/2 cups. Heat the oil over medium heat and when it's hot add the nuts. Cook them until they are golden, with just a little bit of pale brown showing, about 30 seconds. Add the zucchini, cook for about 30 seconds, add salt and pepper, then cook about 30 seconds more, stirring the zucchini. As soon as they begin to give off moisture, they're done. Divide between two plates, scatter the pecorino shavings on top, and serve.

If you want to do this for more than two servings, cook the batches separately -- if you pile too much zucchini in your pan you'll end up steaming it rather than sautéing it.

Zucchini (or summer squash/combo) Bisque - about 8 cups
6 large zucchini (about 2-1/2 pounds total)
4 garlic cloves
3 T olive oil
2-3/4 c water
1/3 c heavy cream
Freshly grated Parmesan

Chopped dill weed

Cut the zucchini into half-inch cubes and finely chop the garlic. In a six-quart heavy pot, heat oil over moderately high heat until hot (but not smoking) and sauté zucchini, stirring until golden, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate and stir in garlic. Cook mixture, stirring, until zucchini is softened, about 15 minutes. Add water and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Purée 2/3 of the zucchini mixture (including liquid) until smooth. Add puree to remaining zucchini mixture in the pot and stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer mixture one minute. Serve soup sprinkled with a Parmesan and some chopped dill.

More on Preserving Food

Did any of you make it out to the pickling class last week? How about trying to make refrigerator pickles? I know you are pressed for time... so how about something even easier and faster? How about storing some of your share vegetables for use later in the winter?

The beans in this week's share - even things like the corn - can all be blanched and frozen in ziplock type bags. The blanching, which is a quick boiling step, can be done in any household stovetop pot and is easy to do. All that follows is a quick water/ice bath dip and then they are ready to go into the freezer. This preserves the taste and texture quite well.

Directions for Freezing Green Beans

Wash the green beans (or other vegetable) and then trim the ends. If you wish, cut them into smaller pieces, usually about 1 inch long. Get a pot of water boiling, enough to completely cover the beans. You can reuse the water 5 times for multiple batches, should you wish. Also, get a large bowl and fill it with cold water and ice. This will be your ice bath. Once the hot water is boiling, submerge the beans in the water and blanch for 3-4 minutes. Take the beans out of the water, drain and then plunge them into the cold water/ice bath. Cool for 3-4 minutes (the same amount of time as the blanching). Drain thoroughly, bag the green beans, label your bag and then put them in the freezer. You are done!

Directions for Freezing Other Vegetables

The steps are the same as above, being careful to clean first, blanch for the allotted time, cool for the same amount of time - then bag and freeze. See the list below for various vegetables and their blanching times.

Corn - 4 to 6 minutes
Diced Carrots - 2 minutes
Small, Whole Carrots - 5 minutes
Sliced Squash - 3 minutes
Swiss Chard - 2 minutes (not a second more!)

Don't Forget...

to stop into the farm stand to check out these other local products!

From week to week, there will be local products and produce for sale in the indoor farm stand. Don't forget to check it out when you're there for your share pick-up!

Blueberry picking has started at the farm. Berries are $2.99/lb and are organically produced.

If you want full flats of Raspberries, Black Raspberries, currants or gooseberries please email me. Raspberries and Black raspberries will be $48.00/Flat w/ 12- 1/2pt containers per flat.

This week we'll be bringing in whole chicken as well as breast, leg and thigh sections. We will also be offering veal, ground beef and ground turkey. Check out the freezer when you come to pick up your produce!