Good day everyone. In honor of only 1 more day left of summer (yes Thursday is the Autumnal Equinox)I wanted to post a picture of the country that Asinete calls home.. the Pacific Island of Kiribati. Where is Kiribati you will probably ask.. well if you look at a map midway between Australia and Hawaii right along that doted line that is the equator you will see tiny, scattered islands and that is Kiribati. Since Kiribati straddles the equator it is always summer there. If you would really like to surprise Asinete you could greet him with the Kiribati greeting.. Mauri!! (pronounced Mowree)just don't tell him I told you ;)
It might be the end of summer but after this week we still have 9 more deliveries to make! Our last delivery will be Thanksgiving week.. most likely on a Mon or Tues as many of you may be gone for the holiday. Don't worry we will keep you all updated! If you still have unpaid balances we would really appreciate all of those to be paid completely by Nov 1st.
The rain has given all the crops at the farm a good soaking. Some crops love the rain (broccoli, carrots, fennel, lettuce and more) whereas others suffer in some ways (mainly split tomatoes & rotting strawberries that don't like getting wet). You may notice you don't get as many strawberries this week and that is because too many were beautiful on one side and complete mush on the other.
Amazingly our new raspberries that we planted this spring are going gangbusters heavily loaded down with the fall crop of berries. Still not enough for all of you at once but this week we are going to start rotating them through the CSA baskets so hopefully you will all get some in the next few weeks. Next year they will be much bigger and even more loaded with some for everyone!
Happy Fall and perhaps you can celebrate the Equinox with a large cold slice of .. watermelon? yep! Sorry that we could not get these yellow sunshine melons to you sooner in the blazing hot days of summer.. we hope you will still enjoy them! The other melon in your basket is a French cantaloupe called a Charentais. We would love to hear what you all have enjoyed more.. the cantaloupe you have already been getting the last few weeks (Ambrosia) or this new Charentais melon..
Enjoy the last week of summer's bounty!
Suzie, Asinete, M.A., Violet and Sally
Harvest This Week Includes:
Hakurei Turnips (they're back!!) use those greens as well!
Strawberries
Yellow Sweet Onions
Sweet Peppers and Hungarian Hot Wax Peppers (the longer skinnier ones either yellow or red) *hot ones will be in paper sack with your cherry tomatoes!
Carrots
Winterbor Kale (recipe ideas below.. please try kale chips recipe below.. yummmm!!!)
Summer Squash
Cucumbers
Cherry Tomatoes
Heirloom and San Marzano Tomatoes
Sunshine Watermelon
Charantais cantaloupe
On rotation: raspberries
How to store it and cook it!!
In case we did not tell you your carrots keep better with their tops lopped off and keep the topless carrots in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer until used.
Kale time!!
Your kale this week is a variety called Winterbor. Kale may be new to your palate but it should be a mainstay of your recipes from fall through early spring. Kale survives our winters like a champion and the cold weather even makes it more tasty by converting the starches into sugars when the weather freezes.
The following is an excerpt from a holistic health website regarding kale:
"Nutritionally rated, kale is near the top amongst vegetables. It's a real nutrition booster, with its high level of beta carotene and plentiful
amounts of vitamins C and E. These antioxidants make it a good food to lower the risk of heart disease, stroke and cataracts. Kale is also loaded with such minerals as calcium, potassium, manganese and iron.
Additionally, kale is high in sulforaphane, which stimulates the body to
produce cancer-fighting enzymes. Sulfur compounds called glucosinolates, which are found in generous amounts in cruciferous vegetables like kale, are broken down into compounds called isothiocyanates and indoles when the vegetable is chewed or cut. The presence of vitamin C makes this process even more effective, as the compounds are more readily available for the body's use.
Researchers believe kale's cancer-lessening ability stems from these
and many population compounds. Some surveys, experimental testing, several animal trials studies have found that eating kale on a regular basis lowers the risk of different cancers.
Kale is also among the highest vegetable sources of chlorophyll, an immune system stimulant.
In the "Medical Value of Natural Foods," published in 1936, Dr W.H. Graves wrote that kale is also effective in treating constipation, obesity, acidosis, emaciation, poor teeth, pyorrhea, arthritis, gout, rheumatism, skin diseases and bladder disorders."
The longer kale is stored, the stronger its flavor becomes. The best way to store it is to wrap it in a damp towel and place it in a plastic bag in a cold place like the refrigerator. In this way it lasts for 10 to 14 days.
Kale Recipe Ideas!! The kale tastes much better if you tear or cut the leaves away from the hard rib part of each leaf. We find tearing leaves much faster than cutting!
Garlicky Braised Kale
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
Generous pinch red chile flakes
10 ounces kale
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Heat a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pot. Add the garlic and chile flakes and sauté for about a minute, or until fragrant. Add the kale and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until just wilted. Add the water. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the kale is tender. Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately.
Serves 2 to 4. A fantastic side dish that will go with just about anything. Toss with pasta and grated Parmegiano-Reggiano to turn it into a simple and delicious complete meal.
Hilary's Delicious and Nutritious Kale Chips!
You need:
* 1 bunch of kale
* 1/4 teaspoon paprika
* salt to taste
* 1/4 teaspoon sugar
* dash of cayenne pepper
* 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Wash and dry kale. Remove leaves from stems and rip into chip-sized pieces. Place kale in large bowl.
3. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on kale and evenly massage onto leaves. Slowly add salt and paprika and pepper (or your choice of seasonings) to kale while tossing in bowl. Do not add the sugar yet.
4. Spread kale evenly on very lightly coated baking sheet or on parchment paper on baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for about 12 minutes. Flip after 5 minutes. Keep your eye on them to make sure they don’t over cook or burn (they can easily).
5. Remove when done and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Sprinkle with sugar while still hot.
Orzo with Kale
Ingredients
* 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
* 2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 4 cloves garlic, sliced
* 1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
* 1 large lemon, juiced
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste
* salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of lightly-salted water to a boil; sprinkle the turmeric over the boiling water and stir in the orzo; return to a boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes; drain. Scrape into a mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the garlic in the hot oil for a few seconds until it begins to bubble. Stir the kale into the garlic, cover the skillet with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the cover and continue cooking and stirring until the kale is tender, about 10 minutes more. Stir the kale mixture into the orzo along with the lemon juice, nutmeg, and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutritional Information open nutritional information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 103 | Total Fat: 2.1g | Cholesterol: < 1mg
HUNGARIAN STUFFED PEPPERS
1 sm. onion, diced
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. regular rice
1 1/2 c. water
1 tbsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 med. size peppers
1/4 c. butter
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 c. tomatoes, peeled & quartered or 2 cans Italian stewed tomatoes
Saute onions in tablespoon of butter until soft in a large skillet. Add rice; cook over low heat for 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup water. Cook until rice is tender (about 10 minutes). Remove skillet from heat; add meat, salt and pepper. The night before wash peppers, cut off tops, scoop out seeds and membrane. The next day, stuff loosely with rice mixture. On top of the stove, melt 1/4 cup butter. Stir in flour, sugar, remaining 1 cup water and tomatoes. Simmer over low heat; stir constantly until sauce is smooth. (Use only 1/2 cup water if using canned tomatoes.) In a crock pot, stand filled peppers upright. Cover with tomato sauce; cover. Simmer over low heat until peppers are tender (about 1 hour or so). Serve with crusty French bread. Serves 6.
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