Tag: bicolor okra

  • CSA 2023 Summer Week 3

    Italian Basil
    Seminole Pumpkin
    Japanese Eggplant
    Bicolor Okra
    Sweet Habanero Peppers
    Florida Pears
    Kennebec Potatoes
    Malabar Spinach
    Grape Tomatoes (Watsonia Organic Farms)

    It’s Basil season! Here’s a few tips to keep your Summer Week 3 delivery fresh. We recommend this countertop method because it should keep the basil fresh for around two weeks AND smells lovely! 🙂

    Below we share our focaccia recipe – topped with grape tomatoes, basil, and sweet Habaneros, this bread is the bomb!

    You’ve probably started to noticed veggies from partner-grower Clem’s Organic Gardens in previous shares, like heirloom tomatoes and carrots. Farmer John visited Clem’s farm to learn more about his methods and geek out on sharing regenerative best practices. Clem’s soil is something to tout: For seven years he’s been nurturing his soil with compost and wood chips. At the risk of oversimplifying, basically, the result is some pretty amazing dirt. His carrots are hand harvested and packed with all the nutrients the fertile soil provides, and his tomatoes are grown directly in the dirt with the help of the “lower and lean” method and greenhouse. Watch Farmer John’s video of his visit here. You’ll learn why we trust him and pick up a few things to try at home in your own gardens.  Another partner, Watsonia Organic Farms, provided the grape tomatoes in this week’s share. These sweet lovelies were the inspiration behind the Buddha bowl recipe below. We’d love to see your own kitchen magic! Tag us on IG at frogsongcsa. 🙂

    Poached Egg Buddha Bowls with Grape Tomatoes

    Ingredients:

    • 3/4 cup wheat berries
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
    • 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
    • 1/2 cup quartered grape tomatoes
    • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
    • 2 tablespoons Greek olives
    • 2 large eggs

    Instructions:

    • Place wheat berries and 2-1/2 cups water in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until tender, about 1 hour. Drain; transfer to a bowl. Cool slightly.
    • Stir in oil, lemon juice, mint, salt and pepper; divide between 2 bowls. Top with tomatoes, ricotta cheese, herbs, and olives.
    • To poach each egg:
      • Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil, then salt the water. Crack eggs into a small cup.
      • With a spoon, begin stirring the boiling water in a large, circular motion.
      • When the water is swirling like a tornado, add the eggs. The swirling water will help the egg white wrap around itself as it cooks.
      • Cook for about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.
      • Using a slotted spoon, remove the egg (or eggs) to each of the bowls.
    • Drizzle with additional oil and sprinkle with more pepper.

    Seminole Pumpkin Crisp

    Ingredients for the topping:

    • 1 1/4 cups oats
    • 1 cup flour**
    • 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
    • 1 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
    • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
    • 1/4 tsp. salt
    • 1 stick butter, room temperature

    Ingredients for the filling:

    • 1 seminole pumpkin (4 cups roasted)
    • 1 1/2 cups full-fat coconut milk
    • 1/2 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
    • 1 tsp. vanilla
    • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
    • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
    • 1/4 tsp. salt
    • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
    • 2 tablespoons melted butter (optional

    Instructions:

    1. Heat the oven to 350.
    2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the pumpkin in half. Remove the seeds and pulp. Bake 45 minutes, or until the skin begins to blister. It’s done when it can be easily pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool.
    3. Combine the oats, flour, pecans, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl. Slice the butter into 8 pieces over the top of the bowl. Using a pastry blender or two butter knives, cut in the butter until it’s well-distributed and the mixture becomes coarse and crumbly. It should look like beach sand and shells.
    4. Once the pumpkin has cooled, peel it and slice it into chunks. Measure out about 4 cups of the pumpkin into a bowl (save the rest for another use). Smash it with a fork. Add the coconut milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix well.
    5. Oil a cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon coconut oil.
    6. Pour the filling into the skillet. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the top. Drizzle the melted butter over the top.
    7. Bake for 35 minutes, or until it’s golden brown and the edges are bubbly.
    8. Serve warm, topped with ice cream and freshly grated nutmeg.

    Tomato Basil Focaccia

    Ingredients

    Dough:

    • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
    • ½ cup Semolina, plus extra for dusting
    • 2½ tsp active dry yeast
    • 2 tsp sugar or honey
    • 2 tsp salt
    • 1 tbsp olive oil plus extra for greasing
    • 1¼ cups lukewarm water ( add 2-3 tbsp more as needed)

    Toppings:

    • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • 10-12 basil leaves
    • 6-7 grape tomatoes, halved
    • 4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
    • 2-3 sweet Habenero peppers
    • ¼ cup cheese, crumbled
    • 5 olives, sliced

    Instructions:

    • Proof the yeast: In a small bowl, mix the yeast, lukewarm water, and sugar. Allow the yeast to bloom for 5-6 minutes or until you see the yeast becoming frothy. Once bloomed, add in the olive oil.
    • Prepare the dough: In a large bowl mix the flour, semolina and salt. Then gradually pour in the yeast and olive oil mixture and start mixing with a spoon until the mixture comes together. When the mixture gets hard for the spoon to mix, then start kneading the dough with your hands in a circular motion, helping the yeast mixture evenly incorporate into the dough. Certain flours may require more water, so add more water, if needed, slowly 1 tbsp at a time. I used 1½ cups water. Keep doing this till the mixture comes together as a sticky dough.
    • Knead the dough: Sprinkle some flour onto a clean surface and knead the dough vigorously for 10 minutes. Just keep rolling, pushing and folding the dough over and over till you have a soft, smooth, and spongy dough. Add a little flour in between if the dough starts to stick to your hands, but don’t dry the dough out by adding too much. This will help the gluten develop and make the dough more elastic.
    • First dough rise: Grease a bowl with some olive oil and then shape the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl. Cover with cling wrap and let rest in a warm place for 45 minutes or until double in size.
    • Shape the dough: Stretch the proofed dough into the shape of your baking dish. Flour your work surface to ensure it doesn’t stick while you’re shaping it.
    • Prepare the dish: Grease your 13″ x 9″ baking dish with olive oil and sprinkle some semolina. Then, add in your dough, using your fingers to guide it towards the edges so it fills up the whole pan. Now, pour the topping olive oil over the dough.
    • Make dips and wells: Use your fingers to gently press into the dough like a piano to make lots of rough dips and wells.
    • Add the toppings: Add chopped garlic followed by basil, cherry tomatoes, cheese and olives. Sprinkle more basil and other herbs of choice on top.
    • Second dough rise: Now cover the dish again with a damp towel to retain humidity. Let it rest in a warm place and allow to rise for another 30 minutes.
    • While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 425oF/220oC.
    • Bake: Gently press the toppings into the dough to ensure that are nicely embedded into the dough. Now, bake the focaccia for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. As soon as you take it out from the oven, brush with olive oil for extra shine and let it cool for 10-15 minutes on a mesh rack.
    • Serve warm and enjoy as a snack or slice it in between and enjoy as a sandwich with your favorite filling!

  • Summer 1 CSA – Week 2

    Members will enjoy the following produce in their shares this week:

    • Sweet Corn
    • Cucumbers, nonconformers
    • Rainbow Chard or Collard Greens, bunch – NSOF
    • Kale, Curly Green or Lacinato, bunch – NSOF
    • Malabar Spinach
    • Bicolor Okra
    • Cubanelle Peppers
    • Tri-Color Potatoes
    • Mixed Summer Squash
    • Plum Tomatoes

    Zucchini Fritters – source : Fifteen Spatulas

    Ingredients
    • 1.5 lbs zucchini (2 large)
    • 1/3 cup flour (all-purpose or whole wheat flour both work)
    • 1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
    • Olive oil for frying, (1/2 cup maximum needed)
    Instructions
    1. Shred the zucchini. My preferred method, which I find to be the easiest and fastest for shredding zucchini, is to use the shredding blade of the food processor. You can also shred by using a box grater.
    2. Place the shredded zucchini into a thin kitchen towel and squeeze as much water out as you can.
    3. Place the squeezed zucchini into a bowl and add all the remaining ingredients except the olive oil. Lightly scramble the eggs in the bowl, then mix everything well until the mixture is moist and all ingredients are distributed.
    4. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add 3 tbsp of olive oil. Use a 3Tbsp cookie scoop to portion mounds directly into the pan, then gently press down with a turner to flatten.
    5. Fry the zucchini fritters for about 4 minutes on the first side, and 3 minutes on the other, or until golden brown on each side. Enjoy while hot!

    Corn Okra Creole – source : Spicy Southern Kitchen

    Ingredients
    • 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 1 green bell pepper, diced
    • 1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
    • 3 cups sliced fresh or frozen okra
    • 2 cups fresh or frozen corn
    • 1 (14-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
    • 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
    • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
    • salt and pepper
    Instructions
    1. Heat oil and butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add green pepper and onion and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes.
    2. Add okra and corn and cook, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes.
    3. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Creole seasoning, thyme and hot pepper sauce. Let simmer for about 3 minutes.
    4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

    Roasted Potatoes, Peppers & Kale : Oven Roasted Vegetables – source : Oh! Homesteading

    Ingredients
    • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of freshly scrubbed and sliced small potatoes ~Or~ Red potatoes.
    • One cup cuts red pepper. Cut in medium-size chunks
    • One cup washed and chopped Kale
    • One cup onion. Cut in medium size chunks or left whole if small
    • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, or ghee
    Instructions
    1. Prepare all vegetables by rinsing and then either slicing or cutting into chunks. Next, toss all ingredients (except the chopped kale which will be added during the last 15 minutes of roasting) together in a mixing bowl to thoroughly coat vegetables with the coconut oil or ghee.
    2. Grind a sprinkling of black pepper and Himalayan pink salt over the vegetable mixture and spoon mixture into a 9×13 baking pan or dish.
    3. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Stir the vegetables with a spatula to ensure even roasting. Set timer for 15 more minutes. At this point, check potatoes for tenderness by poking with a fork. If they need further roasting, set timer for 15 more minutes. You will be adding the chopped kale at the end during the last 15 minutes of roasting time. Stir again and recheck for tenderness.

    Bamya Okra and Tomatoes – Mediterranean Style Okra – source: The Mediterranean Dish

    Ingredients
    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 small onion chopped (1 cup chopped onion)
    • 4 garlic cloves minced
    • 2 small green chiles such as jalapeno chopped
    • 1 lb frozen or fresh cut okra sliced into rounds (or small whole okra, trimmed)
    • Salt and pepper
    • 1 tsp ground allspice
    • ½ tsp coriander
    • ½ tsp paprika
    • 1 ½ cup crushed tomatoes
    • ½ cup water
    • 1 tomato sliced into rounds
    • Juice of ½ lime more to your liking
    Instructions
    • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet (or pan with a lid) over medium-high until shimmering but not smoking. Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, garlic and chopped jalapeno peppers. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes stirring regularly (do not let the garlic burn, if needed adjust heat).
    • Add the okra and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes over medium-high heat.
    • Season with kosher salt, black pepper and spices. Toss to coat.
    • Add the crushed tomatoes and water. Stir to combine. Add the tomato slices on top. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and cover most of the way (leave a little opening at the top). Let the okra simmer on low heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until the okra has softened. Uncover and add juice of ½ lime (more to your liking).
    • Remove from heat and serve over rice or with warm pita bread.