CSA Harvest #11

Happy CSA Thursday!! A bit tuckered out tonight after a long day planting our next round of crops including: Chinese cabbage, daikon radish, more carrots (purple dragon!), parsley, rainbow chard, Lacinato kale, Easter egg radishes, arugula, baby greens and much more!
It has been a very productive week for us here and we feel confident that we will have a great variety of produce to carry us all the way through the season.
We have heard from many of you about your baskets and how much the produce has been enjoyed. In the next few weeks we will be sending out a survey to find out what each of you enjoy and may not enjoy in your CSA share and hopefully we will have time to improve and or make changes before the season is over.

Sorry that this blog entry will be a bit short... still have to eat some dinner as we have been making the most of these warm summer evenings in the gardens.

Enjoy your bounty!


Harvest This Week Includes:

Cucumber Mix (marketmore and boothby blonde)

Arugula

Plums

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes

Heirloom Tomato Mix (may include Cherokee purple, Brandywine, Black Krim, Pruden's Purple, Green Zebra)

Red and Yellow Onions

Scarlet Nantes Carrots

Summer Squash

Basil (again I know!)

Asinete's Luscious Bicolor Sweet Corn

Hot Peppers (Bulgarian Carrot/Jalapeno)



Arugula~
Arugula is a pungent, peppery salad green that has been widely used in Italy since ancient Roman times. It was virtually unknown in the United States until the 1970s when it, along with other exotic mesclun greens from the Mediterranean region, such as radicchio and mache, caught the wave of interest in the new style of seasonal cooking known as California cuisine -- and rode that wave into the periphery of the mainstream American diet. Arugula is now widely available in farmers markets, even though it is still seldom seen in the average American supermarket.

To the uninitiated, arugula can take some getting used to, though it is an easily acquired taste if properly presented. In relatively small quantities, shreds of arugula can add a touch of spice to any salad without overwhelming it. It is also excellent as the dominant or even sole green in a salad with fruit or a fruity dressing to offset its pungency.


Apple Vinaigrette
This is an excellent dressing for an arugula and/or spinach salad. For more layers of flavor complexity, add walnuts and/or feta cheese and/or crumbled bacon.

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons grated sweet or purple onion
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup finely chopped apple

1. Whisk together sugar, vinegar, onion, mustard, salt, oil, and apple, or pulse a few times in blender.

2. Refrigerate salad greens and dressing separately until serving time.

Arugula and Pear Salad

Dressing:
2 tablespoons minced shallot
3 tablespoons vegetable broth
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 firm red Bartlett pears
5 cups butterhead lettuce (Bibb or Boston)
washed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
4 cups arugula, trimmed, washed and dried

1. To prepare dressing, whisk shallots, broth, oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

2. To prepare salad, toast walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

3. Just before serving, cut pears into 16 slices each. Place in a large bowl. Spoon on 1 tablespoon of the dressing and toss to coat. Add lettuce, arugula and the remaining dressing; toss well. Divide among 8 plates. Top with walnuts.

Arugula, Orange and Red Onion Salad

2 bunches arugula, washed and trimmed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 large navel oranges, peel and white pith removed, cut into segments
8 very thin slices red onion, separated into rings
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Drizzle the arugula with half of the olive oil and the lemon juice; toss to coat and divide among 4 salad plates.

2. Arrange the orange segments and onions on top, dividing evenly. Drizzle with remaining oil and season with black pepper.

Arugula, Orange and Fennel Salad

Salad:
1 large fennel bulb
1 red onion, shaved paper thin
2 cup mandarin orange segments
6 bunches fresh arugula
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)

Vinaigrette:
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon turbinado or other brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Trim off the top off the fennel bulb. Slice the fennel and onion paper thin.

3. To prepare the vinaigrette, combine ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk.

4. Toss the arugula, fennel and onion with vinaigrette, divide among serving plates and top with mandarin orange slices, walnuts and, if desire, pomegranate seeds.

Grilled Fig and Arugula Salad

8 large black mission figs or 12 smaller green figs
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for brushing figs
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 lb. arugula
1/2 lb. ricotta salata, grated
1/4 lb. proscuitto, julienned

1. Rinse and trim stem end of figs and split lengthwise.

2. Whisk olive oil into 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Toss arugula with vinaigrette.

3. Lightly brush figs with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill or broil figs one minute on each side. Remove figs from heat and toss with remaining 3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar.

4. Place figs on a bed of greens then sprinkle with cheese and Proscuitto and serve.

Arugula and Red Pepper Pesto

1/2 lb. arugula
1 1/2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 roasted red peppers
1 cup toasted piñon nuts
1 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 cup olive oil

1. Blend everything together in a food processor, stopping to scrape sides and processing again. We like the pesto rich, salty and oily. A few cloves of sweet roasted garlic are a nice addition.

2. Older arugula can be bitter; this pesto can be cut with fresh spinach for milder flavor.

3. Spread on pizza crust, and top with cheese & veggies; toss with hot pasta (ziti is a particularly good vehicle); add to sour cream for a dip. You can freeze the pesto in greased ice cube trays for easy-access portions.

Arugula and Olive Pesto

3 cups arugula
1/2 cup best-quality extra virgin olive oil
1 small clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup coarsely chopped kalamata olives, or other oil-cured black olive
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese

1. Place all ingredients except cheese in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

2. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and stir in the cheese. Taste for seasonings adding salt or pepper as desired.

Makes enough sauce for one pound of pasta.

Linguine with Arugula, Pine Nuts
and Parmesan Cheese

1 pound linguine
1/2 cup olive oil
4 ounces arugula, trimmed
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add arugula and stir until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

3. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add arugula and toss well. Add 1 cup Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste; toss well.

4. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Serve immediately, adding additional Parmesan, if desired.



Basil Ideas!

Fresh Basil Pesto
If you want to freeze the pesto you make, omit the cheese (it doesn't freeze well). Line an ice cube tray with plastic wrap, and fill each pocket with the pesto. Freeze and then remove from the ice tray and store in a freezer bag. When you want to use, defrost and add in grated Parmesan or Romano.

Ingredients

* 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
* 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
* 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
* 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

* Special equipment needed: A food processor (Check Amazon.com's sale on Cuisinart food processors.)

Method

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Makes 1 cup.

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.


Bulgarian Carrot Pepper:
The Bulgarian Carrot Pepper looks just like a carrot - but doesn't taste like a carrot! This is a hot spicy pepper perfect for chili, roasting, or for salsas.