Try out these great recipes we found around the web that feature items from your share:
Blueberry Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:
⅔ cup sliced almonds
3 tablespoons sugar
8 cups spring greens, baby spinach or your greens of choice
salt and pepper
4 baby seedless cucumbers, thinly sliced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup blueberries
¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette:
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
pinch of salt and pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh chives
Instructions:
Place the almonds in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir in the sugar and cook, stirring often, until the sugar melts and is caramely, coating all of the almonds – about 6 to 8 minutes. Don’t take your eyes off of this as they can burn quickly! Transfer the almonds to a piece of parchment paper to let them cool. Break them into pieces if they are clumped.
In a large bowl, toss the greens with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Sprinkle on the blueberries, cucumbers, green onions and parmesan cheese. Add the almonds on top. Serve immediately with the balsamic dressing!
Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette
Whisk together the vinegar, garlic, cream, mustard, honey and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stream in the olive oil while whisking until emulsified. Stir in the chives. Serve with your favorite salad! This dressing stays great in the fridge. Just shake or whisk it to combine before serving.
This week’s CSA share brings you the very best from our farm, as well as two partners!
Frog Song Organics
Green Beans
Cantaloupe
Celery
Sweet Red (cured) Onions
Parsley
Yam Fingerling Sweet Potatoes
Summer Squash Mix
Little Pond Farm
Cherry Tomatoes
Organic Aqua Fresh
Aquaponic Lettuce
Quick Pickling
Long hot days call for one of summer’s most refreshing treats: pickled veggies! They’re tasty and a great way to preserve the abundance of cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, and squash from our farm and your garden. Quick pickling is a method that preserves your haul for around two months in the fridge. It’s different from canning; the veggies won’t develop the deep flavor that comes from fermentation, but with quick pickling, they only need to marinate a few days in the brine before serving.
Brine 101
A basic brine is equal parts vinegar and water, but you can adjust the ratio to your preference. Any basic vinegar is game — white vinegar, apple cider, white wine, and rice vinegar. Just steer clear of aged or concentrated vinegars like balsamic or malt vinegar.
How to Quick Pickle Any Vegetable
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh vegetables, such as cucumbers, carrots, green beans, summer squash, or cherry tomatoes
2 sprigs fresh herbs, such as thyme, dill, or rosemary (optional)
1 to 2 teaspoons whole spices, such as black peppercorns, coriander, or mustard seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon dried herbs or ground spices (optional)
2 cloves garlic, smashed or sliced (optional)
1 cup vinegar, such as white, apple cider, or rice
1 cup water
1 tablespoon kosher salt, or 2 teaspoons pickling salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)
Equipment:
Chef’s knife and cutting board
2 wide-mouth pint jars with rings and lids
Canning funnel (optional)
Instructions:
Prepare the jars by washing in warm, soapy water and rinsing well. Set aside to dry, or dry completely by hand.
Wash and dry the vegetables and prep (i.e. peel the carrots, trim the end of beans, cut into desired shapes and sizes).
Add the flavorings. Divide the herbs, spices, or garlic you are using between the jars.
Pack the vegetables into the jars, making sure there is a 1/2 inch of space from the rim of the jar to the tops of the vegetables. Pack them in as tightly as you can without smashing.
Make the brine. Place the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar (if using) in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Pour the brine over the vegetables, filling each jar to within 1/2 inch of the top. You might not use all the brine.
Remove air bubbles. Gently tap the jars against the counter a few times to remove all the air bubbles. Top off with more brine if necessary.
Seal the jars. Place the lids on the jars and screw on the rings until tight.
Cool and refrigerate. Let the jars cool to room temperature. Store the pickles in the refrigerator. The pickles will improve with flavor as they age — try to wait at least 48 hours before cracking them open.
Recipes
Cantaloupe Gazpacho
Ingredients:
2 cups cantaloupe, peeled and cubed
1 cucumber, peeled and cubed
1 sweet pepper or red bell pepper, diced
½ sweet red onion
½ cup cherry tomatoes
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
¼ bunch fresh basil
freshly cracked pepper, for garnish
Instructions:
In a blender, combine all ingredients except basil. Blend very well until extremely smooth. Strain into an air-tight container and allow to chill in the fridge for at least an hour (this can be made the day before serving as well).
When ready to serve, portion the chilled soup evenly into bowls, then garnish with freshly picked basil. Served alongside prosciutto or one of our FSO pastured sausages takes this tasty, refreshing dish up a notch. Enjoy!
Summer Corn and Squash Chowder – adapted from lifemadesimple.com
Ingredients:
4 strips FSO pastured bacon – cooked, chopped into bits
1/2 large sweet yellow onion – diced
2 ribs celery – finely diced
3-5 ears sweet corn – cut off from the cob
1 large zucchini – cut into quarters lengthwise, then sliced (can substitute with the squash mix from this week’s CSA share!)
1 large yellow squash – cut into quarters lengthwise, then sliced
4 cloves garlic – minced
5 cup chicken broth – low sodium
4 red potatoes – peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 1/4 tsp kosher sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cup half and half – or whole milk
Instructions:
Set a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook crisp, about 5 minutes.
Add onion and celery, cook for 3 minutes, then add corn and continue cooking for an additional 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Pour in chicken broth and turn heat up to medium-high. Once the mixture is simmering, add the potatoes along with the salt, pepper, paprika, parsley, thyme and cayenne. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes before adding the zucchini and yellow squash.
Once the zucchini and yellow squash has been added, cook until the potatoes are fork tender and the zucchini and squash are fully cooked, about 10-12 minutes.
Transfer 2 cups of chowder to a food processor or blender. Puree until silky smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Return the mixture to the pot and add the half and half. Stir to combine, then remove from the heat.
Let the chowder sit for 10 minutes before serving.
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:
Heat the oil in a large pot, add mustard seeds. When they sputter, add garlic. Sauté until lightly golden. Be careful not to burn.
Add the red pepper flakes, turmeric, and tomatoes and sauté on medium until tomatoes begin to break down, around 2-4 minutes.
Add the chopped spinach and sauté until it wilts down, about two minutes.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
Use immediately or refrigerate. Flavors are even more intense the next day. Refrigerate for up to 2 to 3 days.
This week’s CSA offering from the farm will include the following:
Green Beans
Cantaloupe
Japanese or Fairytale Eggplant
Fennel Bulb with Fronds
Red Sweet Onions
Parsley
Jalapeno Peppers
Squash Mix
Murasaki Sweet Potatoes
This week we would like to feature great recipe from bonappetit to take advantage of our Pork share (Interested? You can place your order here!). We hope you enjoy!
Sizzling Pork and Eggplant Hiyayakko
“Hiyayakko is a Japanese warm-weather starter or side dish made of a small square of chilled silken tofu, a sprinkling of toppings, and saucy drizzles (think a heap of bonito flakes and puddle of soy sauce, or fresh tomatoes with ponzu). In this version the simple template goes family-style, with sliced silken tofu carefully shingled on a platter, topped with a savory ground pork and eggplant stir-fry. The combination of cold, custardy tofu and hot, saucy pork is exactly what I want on a summer weeknight, spooned into bowls and showered with tons of farmers market basil. —Kendra Vaculin“
Ingredients
6- oz. package silken tofu
2 medium Japanese eggplant (about 8 oz. total), cut into 3″-long pieces, quartered lengthwise
1 lb. ground pork
2 red Thai chiles, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 2″ piece ginger, scrubbed, finely grated
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
4 Tbsp. soy sauce, divided
3 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar, divided
Basil leaves (for serving)
Preparation
Wrap tofu in a few layers of paper towels to absorb moisture; place on a plate. Chill until ready to use.
Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook eggplant, stirring occasionally, until slightly tender, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in same skillet. Cook pork, breaking up meat, 1 minute. Add chiles, garlic, ginger, and sugar and cook, stirring and continuing to break up meat into small pieces, until pork is no longer pink and mixture is fragrant, about 4 minutes.
Return eggplant to skillet; add fish sauce, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, and 2 Tbsp. vinegar. Cook, stirring often, until liquid is mostly absorbed and eggplant is browned and tender, about 3 minutes. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. soy sauce and remaining 1 Tbsp. vinegar and cook, stirring, until mixture is slightly saucy, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Carefully unwrap tofu; slice crosswise ½”-thick. Shingle tofu on a platter. Spoon eggplant mixture over; top with basil.
Purée chiles, garlic, lemongrass, oil, ginger, cumin, sugar, and 1 tsp. salt in a blender or food processor until smooth. Score cut sides of eggplant in a cross-hatch pattern with the tip of a sharp knife. Coat each eggplant liberally with curry paste; set aside any remaining paste. Let eggplants sit at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Lightly season eggplants with salt and grill, turning occasionally, until browned and tender, about 5 minutes per side. Serve with reserved curry paste.
Marinade can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.
Another great dish that uses our bulk sausage and maximizes your share, try this meal with a Italian flare.
1 small bulb fennel, halved, cored and very thinly sliced, plus chopped fronds for topping
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
Preparation
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add half the green beans and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, undisturbed, until starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Toss and continue cooking until tender, 3 to 4 minutes; transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Add another 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet and repeat with the remaining green beans; add to the baking sheet and wipe out the skillet
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the sausage to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat, until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to the baking sheet with the green beans. Add the red onion, fennel and thyme to the skillet, season with salt and cook, stirring, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
Return the beans and sausage to the skillet and toss; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and top with fennel fronds.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat: add sugar, and beans. Cook until beans are bright green and tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain, and place in a large bowl of ice water to stop cooking.
Combine the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook until butter melts. Stir in the garlic; cook until pale beige and fragrant. Stir in the beans; cook until wilted, and garlic is dark brown, about 4 minutes. Toss beans with parsley and lemon zest, and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer beans to a serving dish, and garnish with lemon wedges.
In this week’s CSA we will providing the following produce for members! We hope you enjoy-
Celery
Red Cabbage
Sweet Corn
Purple Kohlrabi
Parsley
Red Leaf Lettuce
Cubanelle Peppers
Tricolor Potatoes
Mixed Summer Squash
Turmeric
WEEK 6 FEATURED ITEM: CUBANELLE PEPPERS
The cubanelle pepper, aka the “Cuban pepper” or “Italian frying pepper”, is a very mild pepper commonly used for cooking. Because of its low Scoville rating (the rating used for spiciness of peppers), it is often considered a sweet pepper, and adds a great crunch in salads, on sandwiches, nachos, and pizza. The flesh of the pepper is thinner than that of a bell pepper, something to keep in mind when preparing as the peppers will cook much quicker.
Cook the chorizo and onion in a skillet over medium heat until the onion is tender and the chorizo is cooked.
Stir in the smoked paprika, hot paprika, cumin garlic and sriracha. Remove from the heat.
Cut the peppers in half the long way, and remove the seeds and pith from the insides.
Arrange the peppers in a 9×13 baking pan.
Spoon the meat mixture into the peppers.
Sprinkle the cheese over the top.
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the peppers are cooked to desired doneness.
Frog Song suggestions- For smaller peppers, spoon ingredients into halved peppers. For a vegetarian option, substitute rice for chorizo.
Frog Song Mirepoix and Holy Trinity
Mirepoix and the Creole/ Cajun version, the Holy Trinity, are the flavor base in many soups, stocks, and traditional French dishes, as well as gumbo, jambalaya and more, respectively. Our take this week uses cubanelle peppers for the Trinity.
Traditional Mirepoix- Dice onions, carrots, and celery at a ratio of 2:1:1. Sauté on low temp with butter, oil, or a combination until the vegetables sweat and are translucent, careful to not brown or burn.
Holy Trinity- Substitute carrots with cubanelle peppers and prepare in the same manner.
Celery and Pea Salad- Adapted from Frank Stitt’s Southern Table
Ingredients
2 Celery stalks, cut lengthwise in half and sliced 1/4 think, leaves reserved for garnish
1 cup of drained and rinsed chickpeas
1 roasted bell peppers, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 ounces of shiitake mushrooms caps, sauteed and set aside
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
Zest and juice of one lemon
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar
Fresh cracked pepper
Directions
Combine celery, chickpeas, roasted pepper, mushrooms, red onion, and zest in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Toss with olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. Garnish with celery greens.
2 inch piece of fresh turmeric, peeled and thinly sliced or grated (or 4 teaspoon dry)
3 Tablespoons whole cane sugar (or granulated sweetener of your choice)
1 cup coconut milk (canned, full fat)
2 Tablespoons maple syrup- (substitute Cane Sugar Syrup!)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cheesecloth, String
Directions
Roughly grind up all of the ingredients in a spice grinder, including the star anise and cardamom seeds (they are shown whole in the picture). Then in the center of a square or rectangular layered piece of cheesecloth (so small ingredients don’t come out), place black tea, cardamom, cloves, star anise, and black pepper. Gather the corner to the center and tie into a bundle with the string. Cut off any excess cheesecloth from the top.
In a small saucepan, add 3 cups of water. Add the tea bundle, stirring to saturate. Add the grated or sliced turmeric , and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Cover the saucepan, and steep for 10 minutes.
After steeping, remove the tea bundle and the turmeric, strain if needed, and add the whole cane sugar, stirring until dissolved. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 2-3 hours.
In a separate container, mix coconut milk, vanilla and maple syrup (cane syrup).
After tea has chilled, fill tall glasses with ice.
Fill the glasses about 3/4 full with tea. Top with the coconut milk mixture. Serve!
