This week’s CSA box includes:
- Napa Cabbage
- Dandelion Greens
- Dill
- Romaine Lettuce
- Sweet Onions
- Snow Peas
- Watermelon Radishes
- Fingerling Yam Sweet Potatoes
- Cherry Tomatoes – Little Pond Farm
If you take a whiff of the dill inside this week’s CSA box and immediately feel a sense of calm, you’re not alone. For centuries it’s had the same effect on people. The name means “to calm or soothe” thanks to its effect on colicky babies and nerves. It’s also great for women’s health, digestion, cholesterol, and a host of other issues. We love dill for helping us stay healthy and calm while making everything it touches more delicious! This week we share two of our favorite recipes below or, if you prefer to store it away for future use, here’s three ways:
- Refrigerate. Fresh dill can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. Wash in cold water, remove excess moisture with a salad spinner, and wrap the bundle of dill in several damp paper towels. Place the wrapped stems and leaves in a plastic bag or airtight container. Store in the crisper drawer for up to two weeks.
- Freezer. For long-term storage that maintains a fresh flavor, freezing dill is the best option. Start by thoroughly rinsing. Use a salad spinner or kitchen towel to remove excess moisture. Place the sprigs upright in a glass jar or lay flat in a freezer bag. You can also freeze chopped dill. Wash and dry it, chop, and portion into ice cube trays. Fill the trays with just enough water to cover the dill. Place in the freezer. Once frozen, remove the ice cubes and store them in a plastic freezer bag for up to three months
- Dried. Drying herbs is one of the most reliable methods for long-term storage. The best way is with a food dehydrator, but letting them hang upside down at room temperature for several weeks works too! You’ll know it’s ready when the sprigs crumble to the touch. Place the dried stems over a large bowl and use your hands to crumble the leaves from the stem. Store dried dill leaves in an airtight container or glass jar. With proper storage, the shelf-life of dried dill leaves is about twelve months.
Avgolemono Soup
Ingredients:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ to 1 cup finely chopped carrots
- ½ to 1 cup finely chopped celery
- ½ to 1 cup finely chopped green onions
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup rice or orzo
- Salt and pepper
- 8 oz cooked shredded chicken
- ½ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 large eggs
- Fresh dill and parsley to taste
Instructions:
- In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium-high. Add the carrots, celery and green onions, toss together to sauté briefly then stir in the garlic.
- Add the chicken broth and bay leaves then raise the heat to high. Once the liquid has come to a rolling boil, add the rice (we prefer orzo), salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Now stir in the cooked chicken.
- To prepare the egg-lemon sauce, in a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and eggs. While whisking add 2 ladles of the broth from the cooking pot (this helps temper the eggs). Once fully combined, add the sauce to the chicken soup and stir. Remove from the heat immediately.
Garnish with fresh parsley and dill. Serve hot with your favorite bread. Enjoy!
FSO tip: add avgolemono sauce to the soup at the very end, and immediately remove from heat to prevent the eggs from cooking.
Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ cups grated cucumber
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp dried or 2 tbsp fresh dill
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions:
- Grate cucumber with a cheese grater with the peel left on.
- Add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl and mix well.
- Enjoy as a dip or spread.
Sweet Potato Bread – adapted from fullasamother.com
Ingredients:
- 2 cups Sweet Potato puree
- ½ cup filtered water
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup avocado oil (or oil of choice)
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond or soy milk
- ¼ cup FSO cane syrup or maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup + 3 tbsp cassava flour (coconut flour works too!)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
Instructions:
- Peel & cut sweet potatoes into 1” cubes and boil until tender. Drain water and strain.
- In a food processor (or blender), combine cooked sweet potatoes and filtered water, then blend until smooth. If the puree seems too thick, add more water 2 tablespoons at a time, until mashed potato consistency is achieved.
- Add eggs, milk, syrup and vanilla, then blend until combined.
- In a medium bowl, sift dry ingredients. Add to wet mixture in the food processor, and blend until fully combined, scraping down the sides half way through.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake in the center rack one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in loaf center comes out clean.
- Allow the loaf to cool for 20-30 minutes, then remove from the pan and place on a cutting board to serve. Note: This bread has a wet texture. If baked long enough, the texture should be similar to a custard-like bread pudding – minus the bread! It’s perfect with fresh berries.
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.