WESTLAKE STOP IS MOVING
After many years, our Westlake stop is moving. Our new location is at the St. John's Medical Center at the intersection of Center Ridge Road and Crocker Road. Westlake customers can look for a more detailed email to come this afternoon, and everyone can find more details when we update the website later today. Our second canning party is this Saturday. We are going to can tomatoes. The event will be held at the Cleveland Culinary and Launch Kitchen from 8 am to noon. We will be canning tomatoes and making tomato sauce. How much we get done depends on the group. If you would like to join in and take home your share of the canning, Register Now! We now have Guernsey milk heavy cream! We have been working with this producer for some time on developing other products for their milk. They now have a separator and are able to produce cream and skim milk. We just added the heavy cream to our inventory. It is rich and delicious and a great addition to our line up. To read up on our milk product check out this page: Milk. And to order the cream, follow this link: Shop |
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This season seems to be the toughest year so far for many of our growers. I've never had an August where eggplant, corn, and peppers aren't readily abundant. Last week was a prime example. We were basing our projections off of corn that was nearly mature the Thursday prior. A week later, we were only about to get 50 dz ears per day. That's about 8 to 10% of what I buy in a day. Our primary grower in Hartville is nearly 6 weeks late with his first corn and has had nothing to date. My backup grower is struggling with raccoon, birds, and cool nights.
Last year at this time, I was waist high in corn from several farmers. We had so much that I bought a corn cutter and husker and was putting sweet corn away for winter. In fact, by mid-October we had 20,000 # in the freezer. This year, I can't get a firm answer if we will get any volume before the end of the month! Last week, we could not even get enough for any of our larger stops at all. A few of the smaller stops were the lucky recipients of corn last week. Those who did not get corn will receive them over the next few weeks when we can finally get a real shipment in - it will be a bonus on a week where corn isn't featured. We chose to do this because the available substitutes last week were cabbage, cucumbers, and zucchini/squash, which I imagine is getting quite boring by this part of the season. That's why we didn't make any substitutions-we know it is coming, it is just a matter of when.
This leads right into a good topic that I'll share with you. Our relationship with our farmers. We have taken several years developing a relationship with our farmers. We trust them. We like them. We are essentially partners. So what to do when one of our best producers is having a tough year? Do we kick him to the curb and look for a new one? Heck no. We stand by our farmers in both good years and bad.
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Small Omnivore
1 pound ground beef
1 yellow doll watermelon
1 bunch green onions
1 bunch radishes
1 pound dragon tongue beans
1 candy onion
1 pound tomatoes
2 green peppers
1 pint blueberries or blackberries
1 sleeve green leaf lettuce
Small Vegetarian
2 personal cantaloupe
2 zucchini or summer squash
1 8 oz package of smoked cheddar
1 yellow doll watermelon
1 bunch green onions
1 bunch radishes
1 pound dragon tongue beans
1 candy onion
1 pound tomatoes
2 green peppers
1 pint blueberries or blackberries
1 sleeve green leaf lettuce
Small Vegan
2 personal cantaloupe
2 zucchini or summer squash
1 pack Luna burgers (vegan patties)
1 bunch Tuscan kale
1 yellow doll watermelon
1 bunch green onions
1 bunch radishes
1 pound dragon tongue beans
1 candy onion
1 pound tomatoes
2 green peppers
1 pint blueberries or blackberries
1 sleeve green leaf lettuce
Large Omnivore
1 pound ground beef
1 yellow doll watermelon
1 bunch green onions
1 bunch radishes
1 pound dragon tongue beans
1 candy onion
1 pound tomatoes
2 green peppers
1 pint blueberries or blackberries
1 sleeve green leaf lettuce
2 eggplant
1 package rolled oats (1.5 #)
1 pound ground lamb
2 personal cantaloupe
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 Hungarian hot peppers
Large Vegetarian
4 personal cantaloupe
2 eggplant
1 package rolled oats (1.5#)
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 Hungarian Hot Peppers
1 pound Ohio City Pasta linguine
1 package Luna Burgers
2 zucchini or summer squash
1 8 oz package of smoked cheddar
1 yellow doll watermelon
1 bunch green onions
1 bunch radishes
1 pound dragon tongue beans
1 candy onion
1 pound tomatoes
2 green peppers
1 pint blueberries or blackberries
1 sleeve green leaf lettuce
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Moroccan Spiced Stuffed Peppers
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This is an interesting version of stuffed peppers. It comes from Food.com and the only change that I make is to substitute spelt berries or wheat berries for the rice.
5 large red bell peppers or 5 large green bell peppers
1 1/2 cups short grain brown rice, cooked
1 lb ground lamb
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups chicken broth
Directions:
Cut the tops of the peppers, remove the core & seeds.
Place the peppers in a large saucepan with salted water. (The water should cover the peppers.).
Bring the water to a boil, then cover and simmer on low 5 minutes. Drain peppers upside down on paper towels.
Brown lamb and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat.
Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice, mint, spices, cooked rice and 3/4 cup of the broth.
Stuff peppers with mixture. Stand stuffed peppers in remaining broth in a large saucepan.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes until peppers are just tender.
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Ingredients:
- 3 cups cooked spelt berries (omit for paleo diet)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup finely diced onion
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 12-15 chopped tomatoes
- 1 3/4 cups tomato sauce
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
- salt and fresh pepper to taste
Directions:
In a large pot or dutch oven, brown ground meat on high heat and season with salt. Drain fat if any, reduce heat to medium-low, then add peppers, onions and garlic.Cook about 5 minutes on low heat.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, marjoram and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Serve about 1 1/3 cups of soup in each bowl and top with 1/2 cup cooked spelt berries.
Makes about 9 1/2 cups. adapted from skinnytaste.com
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8 potatoes, cut into 4 wedges each
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 onion, sliced
12-15 diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken stock
Chopped fresh basil
1. Preheat oven to 425�. Toss together potatoes, oil, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a bowl. Spread potatoes in a single layer on a pan, and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden and tender. 2. Meanwhile, stir together beef, egg, pepper, and remaining 1 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Shape into 6 (3 1/2-inch) patties. 3. Cook patties in a large skillet over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove patties, reserving drippings. Saut� onion in hot drippings 2 minutes. Add tomatoes & stock. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. 4. Return patties to skillet; spoon tomato mixture over patties. Cover and cook 15 minutes; uncover and cook 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with basil, if desired. Serve with potatoes. |
| Cantaloupe, Cucumber and Squash Salad |
- 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- Finely grated zest of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 3 yellow summer squashes (about 1 pound), unpeeled
- 1 cucumber (about 10 ounces), unpeeled
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unseasoned rice-wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 large cantaloupe, rind removed
DIRECTIONS- STEP 1
Make the dressing: Combine yogurt, lime zest and juice, salt, cumin, and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate 20 minutes.
- STEP 2
Make the salad: Using a vegetable peeler or a mandoline, shave squashes and cucumber into wide ribbons, stopping when you reach seeds. Toss with vinegar and salt. Cover, and refrigerate. Shave cantaloupe into ribbons, and refrigerate.
- STEP 3
Just before serving, drain cucumber and squash ribbons, and toss withcantaloupe. Drizzle with dressing.
adapted from Martha Stewart Living |
Ingredients:
1 large very ripe cantaloupe (about 4 pounds melon) 1 cup sugar Preparation:
In a small saucepan, bring sugar and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until it thickens slightly, about10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
While sugar syrup cools, peel, seed, and cut melon into cubes.
Whirl melon in a blender or food processor until completely pureed. Do this in batches. Transfer each batch to a large bowl.
Add about half the sugar syrup to the pureed melon. Taste. It should be a bit sweeter than you want the final sorbet to taste. Add more sugar syrup, about a tablespoon at a time, to taste.
Cover and chill mixture at least an hour and up to overnight.
Freeze mixture in ice cream maker or pour into a metal baking pan and freeze, stirring every 30 to 60 minutes, until frozen.
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Personal Cantaloupe
These cantaloupes are fully ripe and perfect for lunches and snacks. The small size makes them super portable and the kids will love them as a snack or dessert. For a real treat, scoop out the seeds and fill with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Yellow Doll Watermelon
Surely you have had watermelon before, but you may not have tasted this watermelon variety. It is called Yellow Doll- yellow because of it's sweet yellow flesh and doll because of its smaller size. This is an early variety, so is often the first on the market. It features a sweet flesh that is both crisp and delicious.
Most folks enjoy this melon on its own. For a twist, make a vinaigrette of 3 parts sunflower oil and 1 part acid (lemon juice or vinegar- my favorite with this is champagne vinegar). Cut the melon into 1 inch cubes and toss with chopped lettuce and vinaigrette. This is a suggestion from Parker Bosley and I love it. Try this awesome salad adapted from Epicurious: Tomato and Watermelon Salad
Ground Lamb
Yes, we carry lamb. Our lamb is pasture raised and grass fed. It makes for a delicious final product. This lamb is from a farmer outside Wilmot, OH. Crist Miller is the producer. Bar Cento uses it in their meatballs and the Grovewood Tavern uses it for specials. If you have not had lamb at home, it cooks about like ground beef, just don't overcook it for best results. Try blending it with other meats in your favorite meatloaf or meatball recipe. Try frying it in chunks and making a simple yogurt sauce for homemade gyros. Hungarian Hot Peppers These babies are not for the faint of heart. Use sparingly if you are not a fan of hot foods. Hot peppers can have health benefits. We don't make health claims but some people use hot peppers for a variety of gastric and inflammation issues. Here are some tips when dealing with hot peppers: Wear gloves to keep oils off of hands when cutting and chopping. The seeds and the spines have the most capsaicin, so remove them for milder results. Blend hot peppers with vinegar in the Vitamix for a simple hot sauce. Peppers dry well. Use a dehydrator or dry on very low heat (under 200 degrees) in the oven for several hours with a wooden spoon holding the door open. |
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