We often get asked what to do with all this turmeric! The fresh root will keep for a few weeks in your fridge, but I recommend freezing the roots! It is easily grated from the frozen state, making it simple to obtain your daily dose of beneficial turmeric! You may wish to break up the root into smaller, ready-to-use chunks before freezing. But, we don’t thinks it’s necessary to peel the root. Grate a hunk into your stir-fry, soups, dressings and tea!
Welcome to the Summer 2 CSA Season! We are harvesting from our farm:
Tulsi (Holy Basil)
Red & Green Okra
Cubanelle or Corno di Toro Green Peppers
Plus adding these great items from partner producers:
Green Cabbage – New Sprout
Mediterranean Eggplant – New Sprout
Curly Green Kale – New Sprout
Purple Top Turnips – New Sprout
Grape Tomatoes – New Sprout
Vidalia Onions – Oso Sweet
Recipe: Crispy Shoestring Oven Roasted Okra Fries
This is a farmer John original – when dad makes dinner for the kids, they eat this okra up! You can make it as a side dish, or top any dish like grits or pasta with these crispy bits.
1. Preheat oven to 420 degrees, convection if available. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper, or 9 x 13 glass pans. 2. Wash okra and slice lengthwise into narrow strips. Each piece should be cut into quarters. 3. Toss in a bowl with salt to taste and a small amount of avocado, sunflower, or high-heat oil of your choice. 4. Arrange okra on your baking dish in a single layer with plenty of space. 5. Roast until very crispy. Check after about 20 minutes and stir if needed. Total cook time should be about 30-35 minutes.
Chicken & Okra
Recipe: Frango com Quiabo (Chicken and Okra)
Contributed by Leidy Dos Santos
This dish is the flagship of my state, Minas Gerais. Usually associated with caipiras (people that live in the countryside), frango com quiabo is my favorite childhood dish and every spoonful takes me back to the little farm where I grew up. I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
1 pound of okra
2 medium onion
5 garlic cloves
1 lime
1 tablespoon of paprika (we use annatto for color is Brazil, but paprika works too)
1 cup chopped green onions
1 cup chopped parsley
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste
Cut the whole chicken your preferred way. I cut it into 10 pieces.
Marinate the chicken in lime juice, 3 crushed garlic cloves, 1 diced medium onion (the smaller, the better), paprika, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and salt. Let it marinate in the fridge for at least 30 min.
Meanwhile, cut the okra in thick slices and sautee in olive oil on high heat until the sliminess is gone. Set aside.
Cut 1 medium onion in very small pieces and add it to a hot pot with olive oil. Cook it until it’s on the verge of burning, but not burned. It should have a deep brown color that’s going to make the chicken look and taste amazing. It takes some time and stirring, but it’s definitely worth it.
Add the chicken to the pot after the onions are ready and cook it for about 10 minutes to sear it.
Add the okra and 2 crushed garlic cloves.
Add salt and enough water to cover it up and let it simmer on medium heat until the chicken is cooked (30 – 40 min).
Garnish with green onions and parsley. Enjoy!
We eat it with rice and polenta, but just rice is great too.
Excerpt of an article from NCBI : Within Ayurveda, Tulsi Basil AKA Holy Basil, is known as “The Incomparable One,” “Mother Medicine of Nature” and “The Queen of Herbs,” and is revered as an “elixir of life” that is without equal for both its medicinal and spiritual properties. Studies have shown that tulsi protects against toxic chemical-induced injury by increasing the body’s levels of anti-oxidant molecules and enhancing the activity of anti-oxidant enzymes, which protect cellular organelles and membranes by mopping up damaging free radicals caused by lack of oxygen and other toxic agents. Modern research has revealed that tulsi has anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal activity, that includes activity against many pathogens responsible for human infections.
Fresh Tulsi Tea for Immune Defense and Inner Peace
Gently rinse a handful of tulsi sprigs
Bring a quart of water just to a boil, and turn off heat
Add tulsi to pot and let steep for 10-15 minutes
Sweeten if desired
Pork and Holy Basil Stir Fry (Pad Kra Pao) source: The Woks of Life
Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 shallots (thinly sliced)
7 cloves garlic (sliced)
3 Thai bird or holland chilies (de-seeded, if desired, and thinly sliced)
1 pound ground pork
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon thin/light soy sauce
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
⅓ cup low sodium chicken broth or water
holy basil leaves (about 1 1/2 cups packed)
Instructions
In a wok over medium high heat, add the oil, shallots and garlic, and fry for 3 minutes. Add the chilies and cook for another minute. Crank up the heat to high, and add the ground pork, breaking it up into small bits and allowing it to crisp up.
Add the sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Stir-fry for another minute and deglaze the pan with the broth or water. Because your pan is over high heat, the liquid should cook off very quickly. Add the basil, and stir-fry until wilted. Serve over rice.
1 tsp Basil seeds Soaked in 1/2 cup water for 10 minutes
Instructions
Wash the leaves thoroughly. Dissolve sugar in a cup of water in a saucepan by heating it over a medium flame and add leaves into it. Let it come to a boil. Switch off the flame. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes so that the flavors are released. This would take around 4-5 minutes.
In a large vessel combine the tulsi leaves water(strain the leaves and remove), lemon juice squeezed from 2-3 medium lemons and 2-3 cups water. Keep refrigerated.
Add basil seeds soaked in water. Garnish with tulsi leaves, ice, and lemon wedges.
Notes
Adjust the sweetness and tanginess according to your taste
If you dont like the dominant flavor of tulsi add few leaves. Also if so After boiling immediately remove the basil leaves.
1 cup quartered and thinly sliced cucumber (preferably English cucumber)
½ cup chopped fresh leafy herbs (choose from basil, dill, mint, parsley and/or cilantro)
½ cup chopped radishes
1 medium jalapeño, very thinly sliced (omit if sensitive to spice)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar, to taste
2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese or 1 ripe avocado, diced
Instructions
In a large serving bowl, combine the corn, tomato, green onion, cucumber, herbs (don’t skimp on the herbs!), radishes, and jalapeño.
In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and several twists of black pepper. Whisk until blended, then pour it over the salad. Toss to combine.
Add most of the feta or avocado (reserve some for garnish), and gently toss. Taste, and add more vinegar for more tang (I usually add another full tablespoon), or salt for more overall flavor. Garnish with the remaining feta or avocado.
Serve promptly, or chill for later. This salad keeps well for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, covered.
2 corno de toro pepper (or bell/sweet pepper), diced
1 jalapeno, if desired, diced
1 medium summer squash, cubed
2 ears of fresh sweet corn, cut from cob, plus 1 more cup if adding to cornbread
1 1/2 inch piece of fresh turmeric, grated
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can tomatoes
1 cup broth of choice or water
1 1/2 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbps smoked paprika
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh Herbs to garnish – I used fresh basil and parsley
I added a cup of sweet corn to our corn bread recipe ! While the cornbread bakes, heat a couple tablespoons of your choice of oil (I used coconut) to medium high.
Add onion, peppers, carrot, stirring occasionally until onion becomes translucent.
Add summer squash, spices, grated turmeric and a few twists of salt and pepper, stir.
Add canned tomatoes and broth, stir and reduce heat.
Let simmer for fifteen minutes. Add black beans and fresh corn, stir. Let simmer for a few more minutes.
