Tag: purple basil

  • Weekly CSA Share: Week 12, May 22-25

    As we turn the corner and head into summer with temperatures hitting the high 90’s we transition out of our leafy green season and start harvesting our heat tolerant crops such as peppers, eggplant, sweet corn, and more. We are pulling out the remainder of our carrots and potatoes from the ground and storing them in our refrigerated storage unit so we can continue to sell them through the summer season. Unfortunately the sweet corn that we predicted to be ready for our CSA shares this week is taking it’s “sweet” time but not to worry, we should have plenty for our members next week. Enjoy the last of the seasons delicate baby red radishes and grown in straw- strawberries along with beans, rainbow carrots, celery, shishito peppers, eggplant and purple basil.

    Shishito Peppers (Wednesday and Thursday Members)- Pepper roulette anyone?? Shishito peppers are the smaller green peppers in your share. They are generally pretty mild but every once in a while you will get one that will knock your socks off and there is no way to know until it’s too late. These peppers are commonly served “blistered” sautéed in hot oil in a frying pan over medium, tossing and turning them frequently until they blister. Serve them up as a quick little appetizer, sprinkled with a little coarse ground sea salt and one of your favorite dipping sauces.

    Here’s how to blister your peppers: Heat a little olive oil in a wide sauté pan until it is good and hot but not smoking. Add the peppers and cook them over medium, tossing and turning them frequently until they blister. They shouldn’t char except in places. Don’t rush. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to cook a pan full of peppers. When they’re done, toss them with sea salt and add a squeeze of fresh lemon. Slide the peppers into a bowl and serve them hot. You pick them up by the stem end and eat the whole thing, minus the stem, that is.

    Carmen Peppers or Corno Del Toro peppers (Saturday Members)- an Italian favorite, these long, tapered, bull-horn shaped green peppers are sweet and spicy enjoy them sliced up and sautéed in a veggie stir fry. Larger peppers can be stuffed with your favorite meat, cheese and spice medley and grilled for a truly tasty treat!

    Japanese Eggplant- This member of the nightshade family is not only tasty, it’s a low calorie vegetable with only 20 calories per cup. Eggplant is valued for the variety of ways it can be cooked, and Japanese eggplant is even more versatile because it has a much thinner skin and is practically seedless. The sponginess of its fleshy inside drinks in seasonings like soy sauce, miso and ginger. This particular variety is long and slender unlike the traditional oval shaped variety. Try it grilled, stir-fried or baked in thin slices. Tip: “Leave the skin on this vegetable because it will add fiber to your diet, causing you to remain full for longer periods of time while regulating your digestive system,” according to Tracy Lockwood, a registered dietitian at F-Factor Nutrition. Look over some of these recipes below for inspiration…

    Japanese Eggplant with Ginger & Scallions.

    Japanese Eggplant with Chicken and Thai (sub purple) Basil Stir Fry. 

    Purple Basil- This hybrid basil variety has a slightly stronger anise flavor than the common green sweet basil. The dark opal color of the leaves intensifies with maturity, although variegated green leaves are considered normal. Enjoy this fragrant basil in floral arrangements, as a colorful addition to a salad, or infuse it in some vinegar, the dark color leaches into the vinegar, leaving it a beautiful shade of burgundy. It may also be infused in some olive oil however, I have yet to try it so I am not sure if it retains the purple hue. Store it like you would regular basil, In a jar or cup of water on your counter out of the sun. If it starts to look a little sad trim its ends and put it in freshwater.

    Strawberries- Enjoy them because It’s the last week of strawberries. I know I said that a few weeks ago but we had a sudden growth spurt and the plants decided to keep on producing berries. We would like to say one last thank you to our CSA members and friends of the farm who came out to help put these plants in the ground last fall. It was because of them that we were able to provide berries for the one of the longest strawberry producing years on record at Frog Song. Coincidence? I think not, It’s pure LOVE and SUPPORT!

    Rainbow Carrots – All of the carrots are coming out of the ground this week. We say goodbye to the lush green carrot tops but carrots are here to stay. We will continue to sell these colorful carrots because of our refrigerated storage units which allow us to preserve these beautiful tasty carrots and continue to sell them throughout the summer season, when it is too hot for anything else to grow, along with out potatoes and cured onions. Give them a good wash and store them in a jar full of water, this will keep them crisp, fresh and readily available for quick snacking. You may even add some herbs like rosemary, dill or garlic to give them some added flavor.

    Red Radish- Enjoy these little baby red radishes and their leafy green tops. The hot weather does a number on the greens so we may have a few radishes in the coming weeks but these are the last of the greens. Eat them in salads or sauté them with some garlic and olive oil for a quick side dish but make sure to give them a good wash before you do.

           

    • Till Next Week- Shani

  • Weekly CSA Share November 28-December 1

    Welcome to the last week of November, this season is flying by. With only three more shares to go after this week it’s time to start thinking about our 14 week Spring Season, March- June 2019. Sign up before December 22nd and receive a complementary jar of our delicious, low-sugar strawberry jam. Visit our Online Store for specific pricing, dates and to sign up.

    This week your share includes: Fingerling Murasaki Sweet Potatoes, Turmeric, Purple and Green Basil (whoops, just kidding), Juicy Ruby Red Grapefruit, Red Leaf or Baby Romaine Lettuce, Sunchokes, Moringa Leaves, Tri-Colored Beans and NEW THIS WEEK…the vibrant Watermelon Radish.

    Sorry folks looks like the basil was ready to be done a little sooner than we expected. We salvaged what we could before the freezing weather arrived, however, this morning when I went to pack my CSA shares I opened the box of basil to portion it out in cute little bags and the green basil had already started to become discolored and wilted. We definitely don’t want to stand behind produce that is not up to our standards so at the last minute we decided it’s best use would be for making our last batch of pesto.  I am very sorry and I know you will likely be as disappointed as I was this morning. It’s a true end to fall when the basil is done. We should just be thankful it lasted for this long! Not to worry I subbed in some baby cucumbers for half of the shares and some summer squash for the other half.

    Watermelon Radish- First of the season, this light green and white radish contains a bright pink starburst of color on the inside, hence the resemblance of its namesake the Watermelon. Enjoy this radish on crudite plates, on top of toast, or in salads.When you get home from picking up your share make sure to cut the greens from the roots, the greens pull out the moisture of the radish. Once separated from the green the radish can stay in your refrigerator for a few weeks and will brighten any dish with just a slice here and there from time to time. I love this radish!

    Murasaki Sweet Potatoes- These small bite sized sweet potatoes are small but dont be fooled by their size they are our most prized sweet potato. Thin crimson skin with a white flesh, simply wash and bake, don’t waste your time peeling.

    Quick Roasted Fingerling Sweet Potatoes

    Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat a large baking sheet or skillet in the oven 15 minutes. Combine salt, cinnamon or nutmeg, and any other seasonings you would like in a small bowl . Toss potatoes in a medium bowl with the olive oil. Sprinkle generously with seasoned-salt mixture, and arrange potatoes in a single layer on preheated pan. Roast until they are tender when pierced with a sharp knife, 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven, and serve hot.

    Red Leaf Lettuce from our friends at Siembra Farms in Gainesville. Here is a great example of two farms working together to feed the system of supply and demand. Siembra was looking to move their lettuce before the first frost and unfortunately our lettuce did not come in as expected due to the rains that washed our seeds out of their beds countless times. We reached out to Cody at Siembra and he was happy to supply our CSA Members and Farmers Markets with some beautiful red leaf lettuce. Thanks Siembra!

    Ruby Red Grapefruit/Meyers Lemon- Ruby Red Grapefruits from our trees and Meyer Lemons from Melrose Organics- for the Thursday shares who missed out on the lemons from last week due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

    Meyer lemons were first introduced to the United States from China in the early 20th century by Frank Meyer.This sweet winter citrus is  a cross between a regular lemon and a mandarin orange and that’s what really sets it apart. These  lemons don’t have the same tang as regular lemons, instead, they add more sweetness to any recipe.

    Sunchoke- Nutrient-rich roots of a North American sunflower variety, with a sweet, earthy flavor. They store well in the fridge for a couple weeks after purchase. It’s up to you whether you peel them or not, but you can just give them a vigorous scrub and leave the skins on for maximum nutritional benefit. Rich in vitamin C, potassium and iron, sunchokes are crunchy and nutty when raw, with a texture similar to water chestnuts. When roasted, baked, or cooked into soups, they make a great substitute for potatoes. Try this crunchy root pureed into a soup or sliced thin to make Sunchoke chips.

    Turmeric- Turmeric is restorative and preventative and has far reaching health benefits for everyone and many people use it in their daily regimen to treat a variety of symptoms and illnesses. It is effective in treating heart disease, cancer, arthritis, inflammation and depression just to name a few.  There is so much information out there on Turmeric that I would literally be writing for an entire week to try and explain all the health benefits of this wonderful superfood. If you are interested in learning more look it up on the world wide web or check out our past blog.

    Turmeric Tonic- For your daily health and wellness

    When combined, these ingredients make a powerful daily tonic effective in fighting a host of ailments.

    • 1 teaspoon raw honey
    • 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon
    • 1 teaspoon turmeric (3 teaspoons fresh diced turmeric)
    • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • In a cup, scoop a teaspoon of raw honey. Squeeze a teaspoon (feel free to approximate) of fresh lemon juice over the honey and mix. The honey will dissolve into the lemon juice. Once this happens, add your turmeric and your cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly (you can strain if the textures will bother you) and enjoy lemon turmeric tonic.

    Moringa- This tree is native to North India but grows well in Asia, Africa and South America. It goes by a variety of names, such as drumstick tree, horseradish tree or ben oil tree. We started experimenting with Moringa as a multi purpose crop. Initially we started growing it as a foragable  protein source for our animals, however, they did not seem to like it as much as our human customers did. It was also a nitrogen fixing crop (helping increase nitrogen content in our soils) as well as providing shade cover for the Turmeric. Most of all we found that fresh Moringa was actually very marketable and highly respected as a medicinal plant having similar “superpowers” to Turmeric and people love the natural, healthy energy it gives you.  Dried Moringa is most commonly found in drugstores and sold online in powder form as a supplement that people can add to their smoothies however we have the unique opportunity to sell it fresh and teach people how to use it in their cooking or to make tea with it.

    Make some Moringa tea with the fresh leaves by boiling a ½ cup of fresh leaves in 1 ½ cups of water, let cool and enjoy with lemon, honey or ginger for added flavor.  The Moringa leaves themselves are very light in flavor so you can add the tea to a variety of other drinks and get the added health benefits without compromising the taste of your beverage. Try it in your morning coffee or earl grey tea. I put about 3 teaspoons of the fresh (or dried) leaves in my coffee filter along with the coffee grounds. Amy made a batch of honey sweetened Hibiscus tea combined with a bunch of our Tulsi basil and some Moringa leaves for a super tasty elixir that will give you  sustained amount of “awakeness” and energy without the jitters or caffeine hangover! If you have some frozen roselle give it a shot you will be hooked on the Moringa and the way it makes you feel!