Tag: cucumbers

  • CSA 2026 WEEK 41

    From Our Farm

    Basil, Italian

    Persimmons, Fuyu

    Potatoes, Kennebec

    Sugar Cane

    From Our Partners

    Beans – Tendwell Farm

    Cucumbers – Watsonia

    Lettuce, Red Leaf – Tendwell Farm

    Radishes, Watermelon – Clem’s Organic Garden

    Tomatoes, Grape – Tendwell Farm

    Try out this great recipe we found around the web that feature items from your CSA share:

    Roasted Sweet Mini Peppers

    Ingredients:

    • 16 oz mini sweet peppers and sliced in half and removed seeds
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 1 tablespoon basil fresh- chiffonade (roll up and slice thinly)

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C)
    2. Place the peppers on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, garnish with minced garlic and salt and pepper to taste and toss well. Lay the peppers with the inside of the peppers facing up.
    3. Bake peppers for about 15 minutes (depending on the size of your sweet mini peppers, if using regular bell peppers it will take longer as they are thicker). Flip sweet mini peppers over with the caramelized outside facing up and then bake for another 5 minutes, until the edges and golden and the peppers are fork tender.
    4. Garnish with fresh basil and serve with Tuscan bread or your favorite dishes.

    Recipe adapted from: https://www.hwcmagazine.com/recipe/how-to-roast-sweet-mini-peppers/

  • CSA 2026 WEEK 39

    From Our Farm

    Basil, Italian

    Potatoes, Purple

    Spinach, Malabar

    Sweet Potato Greens

    Mississippi Hull Peas

    From Our Partners

    Cucumbers – Watsonia

    Muscadines – Watsonia

    Peppers, Jimmy Nardello – Tendwell Farm

    Tomatoes, Grape – Tendwell Farm

    Try out this great recipe we found around the web that feature items from your CSA share:

    Blistered Sweet Peppers with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil

    Ingredients:

    • 1 lb. Jimmy Nardello pepper
    • 1 pint grape tomatoes
    • 1 bu. basil 
    • Olive oil
    • Flaky sea salt like Jacobson or Maldon

    Instructions:

    1. Wash peppers, tomatoes, and basil and dry
    2. Pick basil leaves and set aside
    3. Heat a large sauté pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil
    4. Once the pan just starts to smoke, add peppers and let them cook on one side until blistered (about 3 minutes)
    5. Flip peppers and let blister again for 3 minutes or so
    6. Toss in cherry tomatoes and let blister for 1-2 minutes
    7. Toss in basil leaves and let them crisp and infuse flavor into the oil
    8. Plate and add several pinches of flaky salt on top

    Recipe adapted from: https://www.spiritrock.org/recipes/blistered-sweet-peppers-with-cherry-tomatoes-and-basil

  • CSA 2023 Fall Week 6

    Green/Yellow Beans
    Bok Choy
    Grapefruit
    Fingerling Sweet Potatoes
    Radishes
    Roselle
    Arugula
    Scallions (LPF)
    Cucumbers, Pickling (SFO)
    Yellow Squash (SFO)

    Our roselle bushes are still bursting with calyces! This week we share two recipes to highlight this amazing plant’s versatility; roselle nourishes our bodies with loads of Vitamin C and minerals and nourishes our souls by giving a tangy shot of color to recipes. The curd recipe below is a classic example. If you’re tempted to make it without roselle, take heed. Sure it tastes lovely enough, but the egg yolks and strawberries are gonna give you something that looks a little bit like hummus. Not to knock hummus – we love it, but it’s not exactly beautiful. The roselle is what gives this curd multiple flavor notes and a beautiful Barbie-pink hue.

    With flu season upon us, we also share a simple fire cider recipe to keep those sinuses clear and ignite the immune system. Note that this recipe is a “quick” method and needs to be kept in the fridge. After a year, give it a sniff before you sip to make sure it’s still fresh.  Tell us: how are you loving our roselle? Send us your own kitchen magic and photos on IG @frogsongcsa

    Roselle Fire Cider

    Ingredients:

    • 64 ounces apple cider vinegar
    • 10 ounces honey
    • 2 medium onions
    • 2 large garlic bulbs
    • 4 ounces fresh ginger or galangal root
    • 2 ounces fresh turmeric root
    • 5 ounces horseradish root
    • 2 large pomegranates – When ripe they are plump, succulent, and garnet in color. Can substitute with 4 ounces of pomegranate juice for 1 pomegranate.
    • 2 oranges
    • ½ ounce dried whole cayenne peppers
    • 1.25 ounce dried roselle, cut and sifted.

    Instructions:

     Peel the garlic, and coarsely chop the onions, ginger, horseradish, and turmeric. Place them in a food processor or blender, along with the cayenne peppers. Add enough apple cider vinegar to cover. Work in two batches. Blend carefully with the lid on and take care not to let fumes or slurry get in your eyes.

    Place the mix into a double boiler.(Don’t have one? Nest a smaller pot inside a bigger pot or saucepan) Add the rest of the apple cider vinegar to the mix and keep the heat on low, with the lid on. Let the mixture heat on low; don’t let it get above 120°F (49°C) for three hours, stirring occasionally. Take care with the fumes – they don’t’ call if fire for nuthin’!

    Peel oranges and deseed the pomegranates. Mash the pomegranates and oranges with a potato masher in the sink.

    After a couple of hours, taste the mix. If it’s too mild, add more of the spicy herbs and cook for one more hour. After three hours of total cooking time, turn off the heat, and add the roselle and the juicy pomegranate/orange mixture. Let sit for one hour and check the color—if it’s too light, add more hibiscus. When the cider is a beautiful red hue, strain the mixture through a cheesecloth or potato ricer. You’ll need to squeeze out or press the slurry, or you will lose a great deal of the medicine. (Don’t use your bare hands to squeeze out the cider or you’ll burn/irritate your skin.) Add the honey and mix well, making sure all the honey is dissolved.

    Place in sterilized, clear-glass jars, label, and refrigerate. Dosage is 1 teaspoon as needed.

    Roselle Hibiscus-Strawberry Curd

    Ingredients:

    • ½ cup sugar
    • 1½ tablespoons dried roselle
    • ¾ cup strawberry purée
    • 3 whole eggs
    • 2 egg yolks
    • 2 tablespoons lime juice
    • 2 teaspoons lime zest
    • 2 teaspoons corn starch, sifted
    • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes

    Instructions:

    • Pulse sugar and dried roselle in a food processor until roselle is finely ground.
    • Prepare a double broiler, or fit a heat proof bowl over a large pot filled with an inch of simmering water.
    • In the heat proof bowl, combine roselle sugar, strawberry purée, eggs, egg yolks, lime juice, lime zest, and corn starch. Whisk to combine.
    • With stove on medium-high heat, cook, whisking continuously, until mixture thickens and reaches 170°F on the thermometer, about 4-5 minutes.
    • Remove bowl from heat and strain curd through a fine metal strainer to remove any pieces of cooked egg or hibiscus.
    • Add butter and whisk to melt and combine.
    • Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Serve with pastry, meringue, or enjoy alone.

    Bok Choy in Ginger (or Galangal!) Sauce

    Ingredients:

    • 6 small bok choys
    • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
    • 1/4 cup ginger or galangal
    • 1/4 cup water

    SAUCE

    • 3 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
    • 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
    • 1 tsp oyster sauce
    • 2 tsp Chinese cooking wine
    • 1 tsp sesame oil , toasted
    • 1/4 cup water
    • 1/4 tsp cooking salt
    • Pinch white pepper

    Instructions:

    Cutting – Trim the base of the bok choy then separate all the leaves. Leave the delicate baby bok choy in the center intact, it’s precious! Cut giant stems in half lengthwise so they are all roughly the same size. Rinse in colander, shake off excess water (don’t need to dry fully).

    Sauce – Stir sauce ingredients except water until cornflour is dissolved. Then stir in water.

    Gingery oil – Put the ginger/galangal and oil in a large non-stick pan. Turn onto medium heat. Once the ginger starts sizzling, sauté for 1 minute until it turns light golden and is a bit floppy. Add bok choy then use 2 spatulas to toss the ginger for around 15 seconds to coat.

    Steam – Turn heat up to medium, pour water over. Cover with lid and steam for just 45 seconds.

    Sauce – Remove lid (bok choy will still be a bit underdone), pour in sauce, toss for 30 seconds until sauce changes from murky to clear, and thickens. Bok choy should be just floppy but still soft crunch, not mushy.

    Serve – Pour the bok choy and all the sauce onto a serving plate, then eat!

    Summer Squash Gratin – adapted from foodandwine.com

    Ingredients:

    • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • 2-4 scallions white and tender green parts thinly sliced into rounds
    • 1/4 cup dry white wine
    • 3 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices
    • 3 medium yellow summer squash, cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • 1 cup finely shredded Gruyère (about 2 ounces)
    • 1 cherry tomato, very thinly sliced crosswise

    Instructions:

    Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over moderately high heat. Add the scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Spread in a 9-inch round baking dish

    On 2 large baking sheets, spread the zucchini and yellow squash and brush with the remaining oil; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the cheese and let sit until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.

    Tightly roll 1 piece of zucchini and set it on the scallions in the center of the dish. Working outward from that center slice, continue rolling and coiling additional pieces of zucchini and yellow squash until you reach the edge of the baking dish. Season the tomato slices with salt and pepper, then tuck in intervals between the zucchini and squash. Scrape any cheese off of the baking sheets and sprinkle on top.

    Bake for 30 minutes, until the zucchini and squash are tender and browned in spots. Sprinkle with sea salt. Let cool slightly, then serve with crusty bread.

  • CSA 2023 Spring Week 11

    Here’s what our team is preparing for your CSA share this week!

    • Celery
    • Cilantro (Clem’s Organic Gardens)
    • Cucumbers
    • Japanese Eggplant
    • Sweet Red (Cured) Onions
    • Yellow Peaches (Watsonia Organics)
    • Bonita Sweet Potatoes
    • Watermelon
    • Yellow & Green Zucchini

    Our partners

    This week’s CSA share includes fresh and tasty items from two partner-growers a bit farther north. How does that work? Well, first we carefully vet our partners to find those who share our values and standards. We pick up the produce ourselves using a refrigerated truck to ensure what arrives to your kitchen is the freshest, highest quality possible.

    Last July during the vetting process we visited the peach orchards of The Watson Brothers in South Carolina, and – wow! Their fruit is grown with tons of organic compost just like our orchards and loves the conditions of the peach capital of the US. The “Early 8 Ball” variety this week is a super flavorful ‘cling’ peach that we’re especially proud to include in this week’s share. Below is a recipe for a refreshing watermelon-peach salad that combines some of the best of our farm’s harvest this week with the best of theirs.

    Your cilantro comes from Clem’s Organic Gardens, a farm growing certified organic vegetables just outside of Brevard, NC. By using organic practices, caring for the soil, and emphasizing quality of their produce, their small-scale organic farm meets (ok, exceeds!) our standards. Here’s more information about all our partners. We love that by supporting these like-minded farmers we give you, our beloved CSA members, more diversity in your weekly share – together we truly are building a more sustainable food system!

    Check out our cilantro pesto recipe below, or if you prefer to hold onto yours for a few more weeks, here’s some storage tips:

    1. Prepare the herbs by snipping off the bottom of the stems. Make sure the leaves are completely dry.
    2. Put the herbs in water by filling a jar or a water glass partially with water (just enough to cover the stems and not touch the leaves!) and place the stem ends of the herbs into the water in the jar.
    3. Cover and store. This means that if you’re storing the herbs in the refrigerator, cover loosely with a plastic bag. Cilantro loves cool temperatures and should be stored in the refrigerator. It’s different than basil, which doesn’t like the cold and prefers room temperature.

    FSO time hack: wash cilantro, coarsely chop, and store in a paper towel-lined airtight container in the refrigerator for easy access during the week. If you can’t use the cilantro before it wilts, all is not lost! Bring it back to life by submerging it in ice-cold water for a quick pick-me-up.

    Recipes

    Watermelon Peach Salad – adapted from whatsgabycooking.com

    Ingredients:

    • 1 small seedless watermelon, cut into 1 inch cubes or melon balls
    • 1 shallot, finely chopped
    • 4 tablespoons torn mint plus extra for garnish
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
    • 1 sheet fresh feta cheese, cut into ½ cubes (about ½ cup once cubed)
    • 2 yellow peaches, sliced
    • 3 cucumbers, sliced into ½ inch thick rounds

    Vinaigrette

    • 4 tablespoons olive oil
    • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
    • 1 shallot, finely chopped
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

    Instructions:

    1. Combine the watermelon, shallots, and mint in a large bowl with the olive oil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Transfer to a fridge and let marinate for at least 1 hour, up to 3 hours.
    2. Remove from the fridge and add the sliced peaches, cubed feta, cucumbers and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving platter, drizzle with the vinaigrette and season with salt, pepper and extra mint.
    3. In a small bowl whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients and drizzle over the salad. Season to taste, adjusting as needed.

    Zucchini Bread – adapted from cookieandkate.com

    Ingredients:

    • Optional: ¾ cup roughly chopped raw walnuts or pecans
    • ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
    • ½ cup honey or FSO cane syrup
    • 2 eggs
    • ½ cup milk of choice or water
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + more to swirl on top
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1 ½ cups grated zucchini (1 small-to-medium zucchini—gently squeeze out excess moisture before stirring it into the batter)
    • 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a 9” x 5” loaf pan to prevent the bread from sticking. If you’ll be toasting the nuts, line a small, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
    2. Toast the nuts: Once the oven has finished preheating, pour the chopped nuts onto your prepared baking sheet. Bake until the nuts are fragrant and toasted, about 5 minutes, stirring halfway.
    3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the coconut oil and honey. Beat them with a whisk until they are combined. Add the eggs and beat well. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for about 20 seconds in the microwave.)
    4. Add the milk, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and nutmeg, and whisk to blend. Switch to a big spoon and stir in the zucchini (be sure to squeeze excess moisture out of the zucchini first). Add the flour and stir just until combined. Some lumps are ok! Gently fold in the toasted nuts now, if using.
    5. Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with additional cinnamon. If you’d like a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zig-zag pattern.
    6. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the center of the loaf springs back to the touch. Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack. Use a serrated knife to cut individual slices.
    7. This bread is moist, so it will keep for just 2 to 3 days at room temperature. Store it in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months or so. I like to slice the bread before freezing and defrost individual slices, either by lightly toasting them or defrosting them in the microwave.

    Cilantro Pesto

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups of cilantro
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • ¼ cup pine nuts
    • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • ½ a lemon, juiced
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

    Instructions:

    • Pick the cilantro leaves off the stems and set the leaves aside.
    • Peel and mince the garlic.
    • Toast the pine nuts for 1 minute on medium-high heat until browned and set aside.
    • Into a blender, add the olive oil, pine nuts, lemon juice, salt, pepper, minced garlic, and Parmesan cheese.
    • Blend on the lowest setting for 15 seconds.
    • Place the cilantro inside the blender until smooth, about 15 seconds.
    • Transfer the cilantro pesto to a bowl or jar and serve as desired.

  • CSA 2023 Spring Week 7

    This week’s CSA share brings:

    Italian Basil

    Sweet Corn

    Cucumbers

    Scallions

    New Red Potatoes

    Farmer’s Favorite Radishes

    Malabar Spinach

    Squash Mix

    Strawberries

    Pseudo Spinach

    How is it that with this heat, there’s spinach in this week’s CSA share? Well, technically the Malabar tucked in your box isn’t spinach.  It goes by different names: Basella alba, Indian spinach, and Ceylon spinach to name a few, and is a great alternative for folks like us who live in places where spinach-spinach retreats when it gets too hot. Malabar thrives in the heat! This tender perennial native to tropical Asia (hardy only to zone 10), is easily grown during the heat of summer.

    Cooked Malabar leaves become slimy (in a good way, like Okra!). That makes it perfect for soups and stews like the Dal recipe we share below. It’s also great raw, and, like all veggies, fresh is best! Malabar spinach will only last 2 to 5 days in the fridge. For more lifespan, cut 1/2 inch off the bottom of the stem and place in a jar with fairly deep water. It’ll start to root in less than a week. Cut off leaves as needed.

    Basil Storage

    This week’s share also brings the return of our Italian Basil. A reminder about this herb, it’s delicate and doesn’t have much tolerance for cold (we can relate!). To prevent wilting, we recommend storing on the counter. Clip the stems at a 45-degree angle, like flowers, and fill a jar about halfway full of water. Cover loosely with a plastic bag. Another option is to make a batch of basil oil. The recipe below will add a hint of basil to your dishes this week – we love the addition of garlic but it’s completely optional.

    Recipes

    Vegan Malabar Spinach Dal

    Ingredients:

    • 1 bag Malabar spinach (trim out any tough stems and chop)
    • 1 cup pink lentils
    • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
    • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
    • 10 cloves garlic (smashed but not chopped)
    • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 3 medium tomatoes (chopped)
    • ½ cup peanuts (optional, but nice, and they add great texture)
    • ½ teaspoon turmeric
    • Juice of 1 lemon
    • Salt to taste

    Instructions:

    1. Heat the oil in a large pot, add mustard seeds. When they sputter, add garlic. Sauté until lightly golden. Be careful not to burn.
    2. Add the red pepper flakes, turmeric, and tomatoes and sauté on medium until tomatoes begin to break down, around 2-4 minutes.
    3. Add the chopped spinach and sauté until it wilts down, about two minutes.
    4. Add the peanuts and the lentils, mix well. Add three cups of water (or enough to drown the lentils). Add salt and mix well. Bring to a boil, then cover with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer 30 minutes or until soft. Add more water if necessary.
    5. When the dal is cooked, use a whisk to beat the dal five or six times. Now squeeze in the lemon, add salt if needed.
    6. Serve over rice or with rotis – enjoy!

    Tzatziki (Cucumber Yogurt Salad) – adapted from simplyrecipes.com

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cucumbers, peeled, quartered lengthwise, then sliced
    • 1 cup plain yogurt
    • 1 teaspoon dried dill, or a couple teaspoons of fresh dill
    • Sprinkling salt and pepper
    • 1 lemon, juiced

    Instructions:

    1. Taste the cucumbers: If it’s bitter, soak slices in salted water for half an hour, or longer, until the bitterness is reduced, then rinse and drain before using.
    2. Gently mix together the ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.

    Basil-infused Oil

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, stemmed and washed
    • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon water
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

    Instructions:

    1. Place the basil, water, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes in a mini-food processor and pulse a few times. Add the olive oil and blend until you have smooth sauce.
    2. Use immediately or refrigerate. Flavors are even more intense the next day. Refrigerate for up to 2 to 3 days.