CSA 2023 Spring Week 9

This week’s CSA share brings a variety of flavors and tastes, along with our Ayurvedic Tulsi basil:

Tulsi Basil

Cantaloupe

Cucumbers

Sweet Corn

Scallions

Jalapeno Peppers

Farmer’s Favorite Radishes

Malabar Spinach

Murasaki Sweet Potatoes

Tulsi Basil

Tulsi basil, also called Holy basil can be used differently than the Italian basil found in your CSA share earlier this month. Sure it tastes and smells great, but Tulsi’s superpower is its healing properties. It’s used to reduce stress, support the immune system, and boost brain power. It’s often made into a tea – those of you who attended our strawberry U-picks earlier this month enjoyed it as one of the refreshments we offered. To dry your Tulsi, tie the bunch with twine and hang upside down in a cool, dark and well-ventilated area. Once dry, you can smash the leaves up and store them in a plastic container. Dried holy basil will keep for around a year, though you’ll probably brew yours sooner than that! For a more refreshing option, we share a Tulsi punch recipe below, and of course it a great addition to your salads, too!

Jalapeño Pepper Storage

This week’s CSA share also brings some summer heat: jalapeño peppers. These little guys are versatile – just spicy enough to add heat to your dishes, but not too spicy to be eaten raw, grilled, smoked, pickled, fried, you name it.  We’re including a pint in this week’s share. If you want to store them, here’s five ways:

1. Can. Wash the jalapeños in cold water and let them air-dry. Cook in boiling water for about three minutes before packing them into a sanitized pint-size or quart-size glass jar. Leave a couple of inches of headspace from the top of the jar. Fill the jars with the cooking liquid, leaving that headspace. Put the lids on the jars and boil the jars in the boiling water for about thirty minutes. Store canned jalapeños in a cool, dark, dry place for up to two years unopened.
2. Freeze. There’s two ways to freeze jalapenos: to prevent freezer burn, flash-freeze them by laying them out—whole or sliced—in a single layer on a baking sheet before sticking in the freezer. Another option is to blanch the jalapeños (submerge them in boiling water for thirty seconds, then plunge them into ice water) before freezing. Leave the jalapeño peppers in the freezer for one hour, then immediately transfer them to a resealable freezer bag. Frozen jalapeño peppers will last indefinitely in freezer bags, but the quality diminishes after about ten or eleven months.
3. Dehydrate. You can dehydrate jalapeños in a food dehydrator or an oven set to a low heat. For either method, slice the jalapeños into coins or cut them in half lengthwise. Place on the dehydrator rack and set your food dehydrator to 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow them to dry for about 10 hours (jalapeño coins will take less time). For the oven method, preheat the oven to the lowest possible setting—usually about 150–170 degrees Fahrenheit. Dry the jalapeños in the oven for about six to twelve hours, depending on the size of the jalapeño pieces. They will last for at least one year in airtight containers.
4. Pickle (our fave!). Make a simple pickle brine with vinegar, water, sugar, and salt, pour over sliced jalapeños in a glass jar, then seal the jar with a tight-fitting lid. Keep the pickled peppers in the refrigerator. For long-term storage, process the jars in a boiling water bath for about twenty minutes. Pickled jalapeños will last in a cool, dark, dry place for up to two years unopened.
5. Refrigerate. Whole jalapeños will last in the refrigerator for about one week. Place ‘em in a paper bag and store in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. To store sliced or diced jalapeños, use an airtight container or sealable plastic bag (with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture) instead of the paper bag.

Recipes

Spicy Pickles

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• ⅓ cup vinegar (apple cider, white, and rice wine are all good)
• 2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tbsp. jalapeno (chopped)
• sliced cucumbers (about 2 cups)
• Sliced radishes (1 cup)
• sliced scallion (about ½ cup)

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl add the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine and until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Add the cucumber, radish, jalapeno, and scallion. Taste and adjust the ingredients to your liking.
2. All the cucumbers should be covered in the brine. If necessary, make more brine.
3. Let the mixture rest in the fridge until you are ready to eat. The flavors develop over time, so an overnight soak is ideal. These pickles will keep for around two months in the fridge.

Tulsi Punch

Ingredients:

• ½ cup tulsi leaves
• 1 tbsp FSO cane syrup
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• A pinch of cardamom powder

Instructions:

1. Soak the Tulsi leaves in clean water for two hours
2. Prepare the cane syrup by dissolving in 2 tbsp boiling water.
3. Squeeze the tulsi leaves and save this liquid.
4. Add the lemon juice and cardamom powder into the Tulsi water.
5. Add cane syrup mixture and refrigerate for at least one hour so flavors can develop.

Tomato-Malabar Spinach Quiche

Ingredients:

• 10-inch pie crust
• 8 cherry tomatoes, sliced, gently squeezed, and drained for 10 minutes
• 1/2 C chopped malabar spinach leaves
• 1/2 C chopped Tulsi or Italian basil
• 2 tbsp minced scallions
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt & pepper
• 1 C milk or soy milk
• 6 large eggs, beaten
• 4 oz. shredded cheese of your choice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Pat crust into pie plate. Flute edges and chill while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
3. Mix eggs, milk and 1/2 cheese. Salt & pepper to taste.
4. Remove crust from the refrigerator. Place tomatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the crust.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.  Layer minced scallions on top of the tomatoes and evenly distribute the minced garlic.  Top with spinach and 1/2 the basil.
5. Pour egg mixture evenly over the vegetable layers. Layer with remaining basil and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes until set.