Midsummer Farm CSA Weekly Newsletter: Share Pick Up #1 (Wednesday) Greetings Midsummer Farm CSA subscribers!
In the basket this week ... we have dandelion greens (I've been chopping these fine and adding to tomato sauce - the little bit of bitter really goes well with the tomato), fennel fronds (fabulous as an after dinner fresh tea or in a salad), arugula (some recipes below), turnip greens, french breakfast radishes, scallions (Welsh Onions), pea and lentil shoots (great in salads or lightly cooked), and lots of lettuces. Most of these can be stored in plastic bags in the fridge.
The organic fruits this week are avocados - certified organic. I don't grow many fruits (just figs, berries, and melons) so I order in certified organic fruits to liven up the baskets!
I got organic shitake mushrooms for the mushroom share - I order all the mushrooms from certified organic farms in Pennsylvania. These just arrived a couple minutes ago and look great! I put them in a plastic bag with a paper/pulp pint container - they can be stored like this for quite a while - don't seal the bag, leave the pulp container in with them, and just flip the top of the bag over so they don't dry out.
If you signed up for a Flower Share - you'll get 5 bouquets throughout the course of the season with your basket - I usually try to spread them out and I plan them for when I have lots of flowers ready to go. If you signed up for a double flower share, you will get 10 bouquets. If you find that you are having company over or need a bouquet any particular week, let me know; even if I wasn't planning to do a bouquet that week, I can almost always pull one together for you!
If you did not sign up for the flower share - you're always welcome to and you can always order one to go with your basket ... just give me a couple days notice. Bouquets are $16 each when ordered individually.
Weekly Newsletter - I am hoping to find the time to send out a quick email like this one each week before the pick up to give you an idea of what will be in the basket each week. I tend to always find other stuff when I'm out in the garden though - so you'll usually see some surprises in your basket! Always take a quick look at the newsletter in case there are any announcements or choices to be made....
Always feel free to email me with any questions you may have or if you find yourself needing some recipe inspiration!
Very best and thanks,
~Barbara
Midsummer Farm
Email: CSA@midsummerfarm.com
Phone: 845-986-9699.
RECIPE: Simple Dark Greens Sauté
This is a great way to utilize almost any dark leafy green you may find in your baskets! The Turnip Greens and Dandelion Greens would be great prepared this way. Changing fresh herbs to match flavors - adding peppers, mushrooms, other veggies gives added dimension.
1-2 cups of various finely-chopped seasonal greens
1 lb shrimp or sliced chicken breast or thigh (you can also use sausage, scallops, clams, or pork for different effects)
5-6 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5-6 tbsp Clam Juice, Chicken Broth, or White Wine
A sprinkle red pepper flakes
1-4 toes garlic - chopped coarsely
˝ onion or 3 welsh onions - chopped fine
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: cooked pasta or rice can be added as well
Seasonal: as the season progresses, you can add chopped summer squash, peppers, green beans to this sauté.
Heat Olive Oil in a sauté pan. Sauté onion, red pepper flakes, black pepper, garlic. Add meats and any large vegetable pieces. Get a nice sizzling going where the meat starts to brown and brown bits start to form on pan bottom, then add clam juice, chicken broth, or white wine and deglaze pan, scraping the bottom and stirring vigorously. Add the chopped greens. Once everything is cooked through, you can add the optional pasta/rice and cook another minute. Take off the heat and add the chopped seasonal greens and serve.
A lot of Lettuce this week - start by eating the Deer's Tongue - the Tall Light Colored one that is tied together with a green tie - they are heirloom and don't last in the refrigerator very long. Use the pea and lentil shoot s quickly as well.
RECIPE:
Building a Salad Dressing
You don't have to feel you need a recipe for creating a salad dressing.
You just need to be aware of four elements and then look around your kitchen, dig through your CSA basket, and start building your own new and exciting dressing. 4 elements to a salad dressing: 1) Vinegar
2) Oil (you can never really go wrong with Extra-Virgin, Organic, Cold-Pressed Olive Oil)
3) Backbone flavor: garlic or onion, pepper, salt, and a dash of sweet something
4) Upfront flavor: Chopped Herbs and savory greens
And optional 5) - some protein/fat
You can use any type of vinegar from good old apple cider to fancy flavored vinegars; Just try to keep in mind your other ingredients and use a vinegar with a matching flavor. Although Extra Virgin Olive Oil is always a sound choice, a salad is the prefect place to use your delicate, more volatile oils like walnut, pistachio, and flax seed. You will probably always want to add something oniony - garlic powder, chopped fresh garlic, chopped chives, thinly sliced scallions or welsh onions, thinly sliced red onions, etc. And a dash of sea salt or seaweed usually helps round out the flavors. Experiment with red pepper flakes, paprika, and freshly ground black peppers. And adding a sweet usually really brings it all together - this could be a dash of fair-trade organic sugar, a dallop of brown rice syrup or barley malt, some chopped fresh stevia leaves, or a handful of berries or slices of pear. (If you used balsamic vinegar, your dressing will probably be sweet enough.) And don't forego adding chopped fresh herbs and spring greens! The protein/fat you choose is totally up to you - beans, nuts, seeds, chicken, shrimp, avocado, hard boiled egg, tuna, pork - all seem to go well in most salads. Adding a protein really makes the salad into a meal. And once you have artistically created it, don't skimp on the dressing - it is the fats in the dressing that helps you fully metabolize all the nutrients and minerals in the raw greens.
Arugula Pesto
This makes a great spread for rustic bread...
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (can also use other nuts)
1 bunch or bag arugula
1-3 tablespoons vinegar
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
olive oil (amount depends on food processor)
salt and pepper to taste
Toast nuts in a pan and add to food processor or blender. Also add arugula, 1 to 2 tablespoon vinegar, crushed garlic, salt and pepper and blend until well mixed (very thick paste). Add olive oil until pesto is desired consistency (usually until it's spreadable).
Note: the vinegar takes some of the bite out of the arugula. Add more or less depending on taste.
Also, blending the garlic, vinegar, salt, nuts, and arugula before adding the oil is important-it allows the flavors to permeate the vinegar and make it more flavorful and
you fully metabolize all the nutrients and minerals in the raw greens.
Arugula and Pine Nut Salad
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (can also use other nuts)
1 bunch or bag arugula
Golden balsamic vinegar (can also use red but mutes the green color of the arugula)
Some shaved Parmesan Cheese (optional)
Olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Toss all ingredients together - taste for flavorings and swerve quickly. This is my favorite way to eat arugula this spring!
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