Greetings!
The Summer 2014 season is officially here! We have made a lot of changes to the email format and newsletter for the coming year and we hope you find it as exciting as we do! In advance, myself, the staff, and the farmers of Fresh Fork Market want to thank you for joining us this season. We are in for an exciting year again and we hope you enjoy the journey.
For your convenience, here is a little preview of this email. There is a lot of important info. Please read thoroughly.
Section 1: Some Roomkeeping Notes
Section 2: My Corner - about this week's contents
Section 3: Product Feature
Section 1: A Few Logistical Things and Policy Notes
As always, if you miss your pick up you can come to any other stop for the week. Our last stops are on Saturday. Our latest stop is Tremont which ends at 2pm. You are also always welcome to send a friend, neighbor, or coworker in your place. If you do not pickup by the end of the week, you will forfeit your bag for the week.
However, if you know in advance that you will be absent, please register for a vacation stop. To do so, you should give us a week's notice. This may be done by notifying the greeter at the back of the truck or doing it online. For the full vacation policy, please click here.
If you want to order extras, your order must be placed and paid for (with a MasterCard, Visa or Fresh Fork Market credits) by Tuesday at midnight to receive it the same week. Orders may be placed directly at http://csalogin.freshforkmarket.com If the order is not paid full, it will not process and will not be available at the truck. You will receive a confirmation email. Please print this and bring it with you to help us fill your order more quickly and ensure accuracy.
Please check your bag when you pickup. As you know, we try not to make mistakes. However, we ask everyone to check their bag before they leave. We can then fix any mistakes right on the spot. If there is anything wrong when you get home, just drop us an email at info@freshforkmarket.com and we will make it up to you the following week.
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We like to start the summer with a whole chicken. We do this nearly every year. Why? Most folks these days forgo the whole chicken at the store and go right for the boneless, skinless chicken breasts. We don't even sell our chickens that way. Instead, we offer you a whole bird. From it, you get two full breasts, which could be as much as 4 portions, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 full wings, and the bones and carcass which make a fantastic stock and some of the meat that comes off in the boiling could be used in other dishes. That is a lot of meat that can easily translate into several meals.
Or simply roast your bird and you will get meat for a roast chicken dinner, with plenty of leftovers for chicken salad, and other assorted dishes, and still be able to make stock from the bones.
So if you are still asking, "Trevor, we get it, but why can't you just cut them up." Price. It's that simple. You'd end up paying about $7 per lb for breasts because of labor, storage, and packaging costs on the processing, as well as the fact that drumsticks, thighs, and bones wouldn't sell. In short, there would be too much waste. Our model is always to try to give you the best possible value with the freshest local foods. Whole chickens are the only logical choice then.
But back to my rambling about farmers. These birds were raised by Jon and Jonas Raber and about 4 of their neighbors who have grown with us over the last four years. The Raber brothers live in Nova, OH, just west of Ashland. Their organic pastures gently roll uphill from a stream and the birds chow down on the lush grass, bugs, and seeds they find on pasture. They are outside 24/7 in a floor-less cage called a chicken tractor.
We call this pasture raised. We won't refer to the as free range. Free range does not have a limited enough definition. It may mean free to roam inside a chicken barn with thousands of other birds. Or it may mean free to go outside when they decide too, often onto a concrete slab. This means they don't get the benefit of the grass, bugs, seeds, etc.
We think this makes not only a more responsible chicken, but one that tastes better, is healthier for you, and will make for an amazing dinner!
Be sure to check our blog for tons of chicken recipes, including this document from last year's Chicken 101 Class. Scroll to the bottom to get the document.
Section 3: Product Detail
As our returning customers know, you can shop online for extras like milk, eggs, butter, cheese, meats, and more. Over the coming weeks I'll use this area to highlight suggested products that go well with that week's contents.
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Small Omnivore
1 whole chicken
1 bunch kale
1 dozen eggs
1 head lettuce
2 pounds organic turtle black beans
2 pounds organic hard red winter wheat flour
1 bag (@ 6 oz.) pea shoots
Small Vegetarian
no chicken, add:
1 pound asparagus
1/2 pound spinach
1 pack (2 count) Luna Burgers
1 pound seasonal linguine
Small Vegan
small vegetarian minus eggs & seasonal linguine, add:
1 1/2 pounds parsnips
1 bunch Swiss chard
1 bunch radishes
1 bunch beets with tops
Large Omnivore
small omnivore plus:
1 head broccoli
1/2 pound spinach
4 count Italian sausage links (1.25 pounds)
2 pounds cornmeal
1 pound rhubarb
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Garlic Chicken and Pea Shoots
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2 chicken breasts or 2 thighs and 2 drumsticks. Debone and cut into strips or chunks
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch pea shoots, trimmed
3/4 cup chicken broth
salt and black pepper to taste
Directions: Toss the chicken breast with the flour in a ziploc bag. Once coated, add the sesame oil and toss until evenly mixed. Heat the sunflower oil in a skillet over high heat. Stir in the chicken and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until softened. Stir in the pea shoots. After just a few minutes, when wilted, pour in the chicken broth. Simmer. Cook and stir a few minutes until the chicken broth has thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Pea Shoot Salad with Black Beans
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2-3 oz. fresh pea shoots
2 lbs. asparagus, blanched, and cut and chopped
1 lb. black beans, prepared
Burr Oak ( or other drier aged cheese), coarsely grated
olive oil
salt (we recommend Himalayan pink)
freshly cracked pepper
Prepare black beans. Soak for 8 hours, drain, add fresh water and boil until tender ( 1-2 hours). Cool with cold running water or overnight in fridge. Blanch asparagus for a minute or two in boiling water. It should remain bright green. Plunge into ice water bath to stop it from cooking. Drain well. Chop. Set aside. Coarsely chop the pea shoots and arrange on serving platter or plates. Top with the asparagus and black beans, strewn evenly over. Drizzle with olive oil. Add the grated cheese, and salt. Add a small amount of cracked pepper. Optionally, you can sprinkle with a little vinegar for brightness, I prefer sherry or wine vinegar.
Adapted from a recipe online at Food 52. |
This is a slightly different version of kale chips than you might be used to. Click the link below to see all the pictures form this great website.
A bunch of kale, center stems removed, washed and dried thoroughly About 1 tbsp. sesame oil or olive oil 1 to 2 tsp. soy sauce About 1 tbsp. sesame seeds Preheat your oven to 350F. Tear the kale into large pieces and place them in a bowl. (NOTE: I have to stress how important it is that your kale is dry. Otherwise, the chips will turn out soggy.) Next, add the oil, soy sauce, and sesame seeds, and toss it all together with your hands. You want each piece to be glistening, but not so much that any of the oil or seasoning pools at the bottom of the bowl. You can also taste a piece at this point. It shouldn't be too salty, because the taste will condense in the final chip. Feel free to add a little more soy sauce if you'd like, though. On 1 or 2 baking sheets (with or without parchment paper), lay the pieces out flat. Bake 6 to 7 minutes. You may need to experiment a little with the timing to get it right. Once out of the oven, they'll cool very quickly. Enjoy! Original blog post on A cup of Jo.
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Parker's thoughts on a roast chicken:
Nearly every direction is optional. You will have to have an oven. True. But the time, the seasoning, the temperature and other suggestions are all variations. Keep in mind that the final product is for you and the others at the dinner table. The roasting method you choose must please them.
I prefer to truss (tie with string) the chicken. I like to put a piece of onion, carrot, and celery in the cavity along with a bay leaf and some dried thyme. I rub the chicken with olive oil and season it with salt and pepper. Start the roasting at 450 degrees. About ¼ of the total cooking time will be at 450. If the roasting time is one hour, the first fifteen minutes will be at 450 and then the heat is lowered to 350. Throughout the roasting time I brush the chicken with soft butter several times. Your goal is to develop a roasting method that pleases you. The kind of pan you use, your oven, your preference of the weight of the chicken will all determine your method of roasting the chicken.
Robert's easy crock pot method: Put thawed chicken in a crock pot with about 1 1/2 cup of white wine or water and assorted vegetables. Turn crock pot to high and let it go for about 8 hours.
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Kale
Kale is a super food! It is loaded with nutrition. High in vitamins and minerals, it is a food you should not miss. It has more iron than beef and more calcium than milk. It is great braised in olive oil and eaten alone or added to other dishes. Meat eaters should cook up some chopped bacon and add the kale to the pan and cook in the drippings. Find kale recipes
Pea Shoots or Tendrils
Pea shoots are the stalk of the pea plant. They are fresh and delicious. You can eat them raw in salads or as garnish, or try them sauteed or in a stir fry. While they may seem a little weird, these tasty leaves will add a sweet fresh flavor to any dish.
Eggs Our eggs come farm fresh from hens that are pasture raised. This means they not only get to run around, they get to run around the pasture and forage for some of their foods. That means that the yolks will be more orange and richer than you might be used to. Wait until you taste them! I know that I cannot buy a store bought egg any more. |
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