Tag: sugar belle citrus

  • Winter 2024 Week 1

    Dill

    Sugar Belle Citrus (TFG)

    Calamondin Citrus

    Dandelion Greens

    Orange Baby Carrots

    Red Leaf Lettuce

    Sweet Habanero Peppers

    French Breakfast Radishes

    Fingerling Sweet Potatoes

    Happy New Year, CSA Members! It’s the first week of the 2024 Winter Season, and we’re so happy you’re here with us. Get ready for cool season veggies like peas, onions, broccoli, turnips, radishes, sugarcane, and lots of greens. It’s a highly generative season here where we reside, and for that we are grateful!

    This week, you’ll find citrus in your share that are small, orange and thin skinned. They are calamondins, also often called calamansi. Some describe them like a sour tangerine. The skin is so thin and tender that it’s edible and has a sweet flavor. The flesh and juice inside is sour, reminiscent of a lime or lemon. Taken together, it’s a pleasing mouthful of sweet and sour that will make your lips pucker and smile. You’ll find them used most often in marmalade, desserts, juiced in beverages, or enhancing dishes with that sweet/sour acidity. This citrus has a very short shelf life, so you won’t hardly find them in stores. Get to enjoying them sooner than later! Here are three recipes for using them three very different ways: in pie, as a drink, and with fish.

    THIS WEEK’S RECIPES

     

    Calamondin Refresher

    Ingredients

    • 4 Calamondin
    • 1 cup of club soda, seltzer water or water
    • 3 tablespoons of sugar
    • 2 cups of ice cubes

    Instructions

    1. Slice 1 calamondin, remove seeds, and set aside.
    2. Cut 3 calamondin in half, remove seeds, and squeeze the juice in to a tall glass.
    3. Add sugar and club soda to calamondin juice and stir until sugar dissolves.
    4. Add ice cubes and garnish with slices of calamondin.
    5. Serve & enjoy!
    Snapper with Calamondins and Brown Butter
    Ingredients
    1. 2 snapper (or other mild white fish) fillets
    2. 1/2 stick butter
    For the Spice Blend
    1. 1/4 teaspoon cumin
    2. 1/4 teaspoon oregano
    3. 1/4 teaspoon paprika
    4. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    5. 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
    For the Calamondin Relish
    1. 1/2 cup seeded, diced calamondins*
    2. 3 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil, divided
    3. 2 cloves garlic
    4. handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
    5. 1/4 teaspoon salt
    Instructions
    1. Pat the snapper dry with paper towels.
    2. Combine the spices in a small dish and sprinkle over both sides of the snapper fillets.
    3. Heat the butter in a light-colored skillet over medium. Allow the butter to melt and begin to foam. Keep a close eye on it as the milk solids begin to brown. Give it a stir occasionally, and once it achieves a general medium-brown color, pour it into a small bowl.
    4. Wipe out the skillet and return it to the heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil. Saute the diced calamondins and their juices until the peels become very soft. Add the garlic and stir for one minute. Stir in parsley and salt. Transfer to a small dish.
    5. Wipe out the pan once again, and add two tablespoons of oil. Saute the fish for a couple minutes on each side, or until the tip of a knife slips through the thickest part easily.
    6. Transfer the fish to a serving plate. Top with calamondin relish and drizzle with brown butter.
    Notes
    1. *Slice calamondins in half horizontally. Most of the seeds should be visible. Pop them out with the tip of a paring knife. Dice the fruit, including the peel, and be sure to reserve all the juice on the cutting board.

    Recipe from Suwanee Rose

    Calamansi Pie

    Ingredients

    Graham Cracker Crust

    • 1¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar
    • 5 tbsp unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
    • pinch salt

    Calamansi Filling

    • 2 10-oz cans condensed milk
    • ½ cup sour cream
    • ¾ cup fresh calamansi juice or calamansi extract

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350F
    2. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt and melted butter until evenly moist, resembling wet sand.
    3. Transfer mixture into a 9-inch pie dish and press firmly and evenly onto the bottom and slightly up the sides. Set aside.
    4. For the calamansi filling, combine condensed milk, sour cream and calamansi juice or calamansi extract. Stir until smooth and incorporated.
    5. Transfer into prepared pie dish and smoothen the top.
    6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until tiny bubbles appear on the surface of the pie (usually beginning at the sides). The middle of your pie should have a slight jiggle but set everywhere else.
    7. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly then chill in the fridge for 4 hours, preferably overnight.

    Recipe from The Unlikely Baker

  • CSA 2023 Fall Week 13 – FINAL WEEK!

    Bok Choy

    Salad Tomatoes or Sugar Belle Citrus

    Orange Baby Carrots

    Dried Roselle Hibiscus Loose Leaf Tea

    Mustard Greens

    Spring Mix

    Purple Daikon Radishes

    Green Tomatoes

    Happy Holidays, CSA members! The final week of the Fall season is here, Week 13. As I was wrapping presents this week, it occurred to me how opening up a CSA share is kind of like receiving a gift each week. A shiny green box arrives, you unfold the flaps, and peek inside to discover what mix of colorful fruits and veggies await. Thank you for gifting yourself, or maybe even someone you care about, a CSA membership this season. We hope it felt a little bit like getting a present each week to you, too.

    This week you’ll find a treat in your box that lets you enjoy one of Fall’s signature flavors into the coming months – Roselle Hibiscus Loose Leaf Tea! For a version thats perfect for the winter season try it Caribbean style, also known as Sorrel Tea. It’s ruby red-hued with a warming spiced flavor. Sorrel is a traditional drink in Jamaica and is often served up during the holidays. Try it hot on cold days, or ice it down if you prefer it as a refresher. You can even add rum or alcohol to make a cocktail. Find how to make it in the recipes below.

    This week you’ll also find an Indian inspired recipe for enjoying those flavor packed mustard greens. With a consistency like a creamy thin paste, this would be ideal with rice or roti and gives you an alternative to the go-to sautés. Instead of spinach, I modified this recipe to use seasonal braising mix or collards. You can dial the heat up or down by adjusting the use of the red chile peppers.

    Last but not least, dessert. When searching for holiday recipes, I came across an old civil war period recipe for green tomato cake. Similar to a coffee or spice cake, it intrigued me to find green tomatoes in it! While this week’s recipe is made for modern times, I’m excited to bake it up and imagine what it would have been like to use veggies creatively in leaner ones.

    THIS WEEK’S RECIPES

    Sorrel Tea

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups dried roselle hibiscus
    • 1/2 cups fresh chopped ginger (no need to peel or grate, but do pound or smash open)
    • 6 whole cloves
    • 2 cinnamon sticks
    • 1 teaspoon allspice berries
    • 2 cardamom pods (lightly crushed)
    • 1 cup turbinado sugar or brown sugar (alternative sweeteners like cane syrup or honey can also be used)
    • grated zest or peels from 1 small lime
    • grated zest or peels & juice from 1 medium lemon
    • 2 quarts of water

    Instructions

    1. In a large stockpot combine the roselle, ginger, cloves, cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, cardamom, and sugar.
    2. Cover with 2 quarts of water and stir well to combine.
    3. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, remove from heat and add citrus zests, peels & lemon juice. Stir well.
    4. Cover with a lid and steep for at least two hours or longer for a deeper flavor.
    5. Strain tea over fine-meshed sieve and into a jar/pitcher of your choice. (makes 2 quarts)
    6. Enjoy hot or store in fridge with a tight-fitting lid. If storing, leave room at top for shaking before serving later.
    Indian Mustard Greens (Sarson Ka Saag)

    Ingredients

    • 2 large dried red chile peppers (optional)
    • 2 bunches of collards or braising mix
    • 1 bunch of mustard greens
    • 2 tablespoons of ghee
    • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
    • 1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
    • 2 teaspoons garlic paste
    • 1/2 tomato, chopped
    • salt to taste
    • 1/2 teaspoon white sugar, or to taste
    • 1/4 cup water

    Instructions

    1. Place the chiles into a dry skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir until the chiles turn dark red-brown in color and give off their fragrance, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool, and remove stems of chiles; shake out the seeds, and tear the flesh of the roasted chiles into pieces. Set aside.

    2. Place the spinach into a saucepan over medium heat; place mustard greens into a separate saucepan. If leaves are dry, mix in 1 or 2 of tablespoons of water. If leaves are still wet, just cover the pans and simmer the greens until tender, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

    3. Place greens together into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse several times to break up the greens, then process to a paste, about 1 minute.

    4. Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat, and stir in the cumin seeds, stirring for about 30 seconds or until the seeds sizzle and turn a darker brown color. Mix in the onion, cook and stir until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, and mix in the roasted peppers, ginger paste, garlic paste, and tomato. Mix in the pureed greens, bring to a simmer, and stir in salt and sugar to taste. If dish is too thick, mix in up to about 1/4 cup of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the greens are the desired thickness.

    Recipe adapted from All Recipes

    Green Tomato Cake

    Ingredients

    For the cake

    • 4 cups green tomatoes
    • ½ cup vegetable oil
    • 2 cups white sugar
    • 2 cups eggs
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup chopped walnuts

    For the cream cheese frosting

    • 8 ounces cream cheese
    • 3 ½ cups confectioners powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1 tablespoon milk

    Instructions

    1. Grease a 9×13 baking pan. 
    2. Chop 4 cups green tomatoes (no need to peel or drain!)
    3. Make the batter by first mixing together the vegetable oil, sugar and eggs. In another bowl mix flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and chopped walnuts. Mix these 2 bowls together. 
    4. Add in green tomatoes (and juices) and mix. 
    5. Pour mixture in baking pan.
    6. Bake around 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
    7. Allow to cool. While the cake is cooling, make the cream cheese frosting using cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. 
    8. Once the cake is cool, frost the cake. Then, slice & enjoy!

    Recipe from Brooklyn Farm Girl