Good Day Everyone! Only a few more days of summer remain! The long days of summer have taken their toll on our heat loving plants. They are tattered and beaten up after countless harvests. We feel almost as battered and worn!
Some of our summer cover crops have been tilled in and now neat rows of spinach and baby lettuces are popping up. The winter squash are ripening and stand out in hues of red and tan against the green vines. Red kuri, butternut, and delicata winter squash can be something to look forward to after our first frost!
As you may have guessed Asinete's sweet corn is finished and we have been busy tilling up the corn stumps to make room for the winter cover crop of fava beans. We will be ordering 500 pounds of fava bean seeds in a week or so. 500 pounds will be enough to cover the five acres we cultivate for the winter. After taking and taking all spring, summer and fall from the gardens it feels so good to give something back to the ground.. a cover crop that will prevent erosion from the heavy rains, add nitrogen to the soil, improve soil "tilth" (texture) and as a bonus the fava bean flowers will be an important food source for the honeybees in the spring.
In other farm news this week we would like to thank our friends and neighbors for sharing the bounty of their Asian pear and Bartlett pears. Rest assured they are grown without chemicals!
Enjoy!
Suzie, Asinete, MA, Robin, Violet and Wayne
Harvest This Week Will Include:
Asian Pears and Barlett Pears
Green and Purple Beans
Basil
Sungold Tomatoes
Heirloom Tomatoes
Garlic
Cucumber
Squash
Carrots
Beets or Hakurei Turnips
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Dill
Eggplant
Gypsy Peppers (sweet)
Arugula
Arugula Info
Cleaning & Storing Arugula
Bunched arugula needs to have its tough stems removed and discarded before cleaning. Arugula is best cleaned in a large bowl or basin of cool water. Gently swish leaves in the water, letting any dirt fall to the bottom of the bowl. Lift clean leaves out of the water (leaving dirt behind) and transfer to a salad spinner or several layers of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Dry in the spinner or by rolling in the towels. Transfer leaves to a layer or two of paper towels (or clean, dry ones if you dried the leaves with towels), gently roll them up, and store in a loosely closed plastic bag in the fridge.
Arugula stored this way will last up to a week. Uncleaned leaves last about 3 days.
Pasta with Arugula and Goat Cheese Sauce
from A Complete Menu Cookbook for All Occasions by Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette 4 servings
a bunch of fresh arugula
4 springs fresh parsley
1 8 ounce container low-fat yogurt or sour cream
1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
S and P to taste
1 pound fusilli noodles
Grated parmesan cheese, as garnish
1. Before preparing sauce, fill a large casserole with water, and bring the water to a boil.
2 Wash and clean well the arugula and parsley. Dry thoroughly. Trim and chop both the arugula and the parsley.
3. Place the arugula and the parsley in a food processor. Add the yogurt or sour cream, goat cheese, salt, and pepper. Blend the ingredients thoroughly. Keep the sauce at room temperature until ready to use.
4. Add a pinch of salt to the boiling water, and cook the fusilli noodles following the instructions on the package. When the noodles are cooked, drain them, and place them in four serving dishes. Pour the sauce evenly over the top of each serving and add some cheese to each dish. Serve immediately.
ARUGULA PESTO SAUCE eat with artichokes, noodles, toast, carrot sticks...
3 cups packed arugula (about 3/4 pound), washed well and spun dry 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted golden and cooled 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 large garlic clove, chopped 3 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup hot water plus additional if desired In a food processor pulse together all ingredients except oil and water until arugula is chopped fine. With motor running add oil in a stream, blending mixture until smooth. Sauce may be made up to this point 1 week ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap. Bring sauce to room temperature to continue. Stir in 1/4 cup hot water plus additional for thinner consistency if desired.
ARUGULA SALAD The Victory Garden Cookbook, Marian Morash
Wash and dry the arugula. Chop garlic and toss with arugula. Use a good strong green olive oil and red wine vinegar. Dress with oil, a bit of vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.
ARUGULA AND TOMATO SALAD from Debbie's kitchen Wash and dry the arugula; tear into bite size pieces. Toss arugula with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Add chopped tomatoes and serve. (My 2-year old couldn't get enough of this salad.)
SMOKED TURKEY TEA SANDWICHES WITH ARUGULA MAYONAISSE
1/2 cup
1/3 cup
1 tbsp.
1 tbsp.
1/2 tsp.
12
10 oz. mayonnaise
coarsely chopped arugula leaves plus several whole leaves (about 4 bunches total)
1 T minced leek or shallot
1 T minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
12 thin slices firm white sandwich bread
10 ounces thinly sliced smoked turkey
Mix mayo, chopped arugula, shallot, parsley and lemon peel in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Assemble sandwiches with remaining ingredients, using the arugula mayo. Cut into quarters.
Bon Apetit, June 1999
ARUGULA VICHYSSOISE
3/4 cup
2 tbsp.
1 clove
1
2 cups
2 cups
3 tbsp.
1 slice
1 finely chopped white and pale green part of leek, washed well (about 1 leek)
olive oil
garlic, chopped
small russet (baking) potato, peeled, grated coarse (about 3/4 cup), and reserved in water to cover
low-salt chicken broth
packed arugula, washed well and spun dry
half-and-half or heavy cream
homemade-type white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
small plum tomato, seeded and diced, for garnish
In a small heavy saucepan cook the leek with salt and pepper to taste in 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until it is softened, add the garlic, the potato, drained, and the broth, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the potato is very soft. Stir in the arugula, simmer the mixture, covered, for 1 minute, and in a blender purŽe it in batches for 2 minutes, or until it is completely smooth. Transfer the purŽe to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water, stir in the half-and half, and chill the soup, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until it is cold.
While the soup is chilling, in small heavy skillet cook the bread cubes in the remaining 1 tablespoon over moderate heat, stirring, until they are browned, transfer the croutons to paper towels, and season them with salt. Divide the soup between 2 bowls and top it with the croutons and the tomato. Makes about 2 1/2 cups, serving 2.
Gourmet, June 1993
LINGUINE WITH ARUGULA, PINE NUTS AND PARMESAN CHEESE
1 lb.
1/2 cup
4 oz.
1 cup
1/2 cup
linguine
olive oil
arugula, trimmed
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
pine nuts, toasted
Additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add arugula and stir until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
Drain pasta and return to pot. Add arugula and toss well. Add 1 cup Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste; toss well. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Serve immediately, passing additional Parmesan separately. Serves 6.
Bon Appetit
ARUGULA SALAD WITH LEMON-PEPPER DRESSING
1/4 cup
1/4 cup
2 tsp.
1/2 tsp.
6 cups olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
fresh lemon juice
grated lemon peel
dried crushed red pepper
coarsely torn arugula
Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add arugula to bowl and toss to coat.
Bon Appetit
ARUGULA, FENNEL AND ORANGE SALAD
1/4 cup
3 tbsp.
1 1/2 tbsp.
2
7 cups
1
1 minced shallots
extra-virgin olive oil
fresh lemon juice
large oranges
arugula (about 10 large bunches), trimmed
large fennel bulb, quartered lengthwise, cored, thinly sliced crosswise
small red onion, thinly sliced
Whisk minced shallots, olive oil and lemon juice in medium bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Cut all peel and white pith from oranges. Using small sharp knife, cut between membranes to release segments. Combine arugula, fennel and onion in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Add orange segments; toss to combine. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper and serve. Serves 6.
Bon Appetit
ARUGULA PESTO SAUCE
(eat with artichokes, noodles, toast, carrot sticks, etc.)
3 cups
1/3 cup
1/2 cup
1/2 tsp.
1 lg. clove
3 tbsp.
1/4 cup packed arugula (about 3/4 pound), washed well and spun dry
pine nuts, toasted golden and cooled
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt
garlic, chopped
olive oil
hot water plus additional if desired
In a food processor pulse together all ingredients except oil and water until arugula is chopped fine. With motor running add oil in a stream, blending mixture until smooth. Sauce may be made up to this point 1 week ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap. Bring sauce to room temperature to continue. Stir in 1/4 cup hot water plus additional for thinner consistency if desired.
Pasta Arugula
from Rosemary Webb
1/2 to 1 bunch of chopped arugula (one inch sizes) 3/4 pound of pasta (I used tiny shells) Juice of one half lemon 2 tablespoons of dry white wine 2 cloves of finely minced garlic 3 teaspoons of olive oil 1/8 to 1/4 cup of chicken broth or other mild broth Cook pasta and toss with raw arugula, while the pasta is cooking place the rest of the ingredients in a glass bowl and heat for 1 minute in the microwave. toss everything at once. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Chicken, Wild Rice And Pecan Salad In Romaine Spears adapted from Bon Apetit
3 Cups chicken broth
4 oz. wild rice
1 pound cooked chicken
1 bunch arugula -- chopped
1/4 cup green onions -- chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 cup walnuts or pecans -- toasted and chopped
1 large or 2 small heads romaine lettuce, or 3 cups baby lettuce greens
For chicken - roasted chicken, skinned, boned, meat cut into 1/-inch pieces Bring broth to a boil in medium saucepan. Add rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until just tender, about 50 minutes. Drain well.
Transfer the rice to a large bowl. Mix in chicken, arugula and green onions. Mix soy sauce, vinegar and oil in small bowl. Pour over salad and mix to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)
Mix nuts into salad. Place salad in center of platter. Reserve outer romaine leaves for another use. Arrange inner leaves on platter around salad.
LEMON COUSCOUS SALAD WITH ARUGULA, SCALLIONS, & DILL
adapted from Gourmet
2 1/4 cups water
a 10-ounce box couscous (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1 bunch arugula, leaves washed thoroughly, spun dry, and shredded fine (about 2 cups)
3 large scallions, sliced thin
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill, or to taste
In a saucepan bring water to a boil and stir in couscous and salt. Remove pan from heat and let couscous stand, cover 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and transfer to a bowl. Stir in lemon juice, oil, and salt and pepper to taste and cool couscous completely. Stir in arugula, scallions, and dill and chill for 2 hours or overnight.
Dill
Fresh Dill Pasta Salad
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
* 1 (8 ounce) package seashell pasta
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1/4 cup sour cream
* 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill weed
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 2 (4 ounce) cans small shrimp, drained
* 1/2 cup chopped celery
* 1/2 cup chopped seeded cucumber
* 2 tomatoes, diced
* 3 tablespoons minced shallot
* salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water to cool.
2. In a serving bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, dill and black pepper. Gently stir in the pasta, shrimp, celery, cucumber, tomato and shallots. Mix in salt to taste and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Beets and Greens
INGREDIENTS
* 1 bunch beets - trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached, greens washed and reserved
* 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* 1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
* sea salt (optional)
* fresh-ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Rub the beets with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place onto prepared baking sheet. Place in preheated oven, and bake until the beets can be easily pierced with a fork, 20 to 60 minutes depending on size. When done, allow to cool on the baking sheet until cool enough to handle, then remove and discard the skin, and cut the beets into wedges or slices.
3. Meanwhile, cut the beet greens in to 1/4 inch wide ribbons. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion; cook and stir until it begins to turn golden brown, about 10 minutes. Once the onions have begun to caramelize, stir in the beet greens and cook until they wilt. Add the beet slices and continue cooking until heated through. Season with sea salt and pepper before serving.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
CSA Harvest #15
Good day all! Well for those of you who made it to the potluck we hope you had a great time! The food was as excellent as the live music that we were so graciously treated to from our friends "Shasta Ray and the Down Home Band". For the rest of you we hope you can make it next year for our 3rd annual potluck! You can also catch Shasta Ray playing each Thursday at Charlie's BBQ on Harvard every Thursday.. so you can pick up your CSA share and then go hear great live music!
Before the potluck we were busy in our "tater patch" trying to get all of our potatoes harvested and out of the ground. The potato plants have been dead for many months now but we noticed that the fingerling potatoes seemed to keep better in the ground. You may notice that many of your potatoes have been poked or have small (or large) holes in them. We apologize for that! Those mysterious cuts and piercings are caused by the tools we use to harvest potatoes. To harvest the potatoes without these tools would mean an even more arduous task then we already endure with the tater harvest. We must look foolish on our hands and knees scratching through the soil for tubers.. (and indeed we are!) Next year we are hoping to harvest the potato crop with the help of an antique potato harvester. This would save us a week or two of potato groveling. We need to put our tractor to work somehow!
In other farm news it is that time of year for us to begin planning what sort of cover crop seed we will be planting for the winter and what sorts of garlic varieties we want to get into the ground next month. For a cover crop we will be planting fava beans. These beans overwinter well, add nitrogen to the soil and incorporate very easily into the soil when tilled in in the spring. Last year we did a mix of vetch, clover and oats but were not very happy with the results.
If you have a favorite variety of garlic let us know asap so we can be sure to order some to plant. This year we only harvested hard neck garlic. We will be ordering softneck garlic this year too. Softneck garlic stores much better and can be used for garlic braids.. a great farmer's market item!
We hope you are all enjoying these lingering fruits and vegetables of summer! After this week we will only have one more summer delivery and then it will be Fall (my favorite season!) I love the way the light changes and even the air smells different.
May you all enjoy these last two weeks of summertime!
Your farmer friends~ Suzie, Asinete, Violet, Robin and Wayne
** Favor Request from Packing Shed~ please make sure your CSA baskets are clean when you return them to us each week. A quick upside down shake can dislodge some of the dead leaves and grit that accumulates. It takes longer for us to process 55 baskets when we have to clean them all first. Thank you!
CSA Harvest This Week Will Include:
Beans (Green, Royal Burgundy, Romano Bean mix)
Arugula (new planting)
Lacinato Kale (also called Dinosaur kale- look at the leaves and you'll know why!)
Garlic
Red Zeppelin Onion
Yellow Walla Walla Onion
French Fingerling Potatoes
Melon! (may be watermelon, Charentais or Ambrosia)
Zucchini
Heirloom Tomato Mix
Sungold Tomatoes
Lemon and Boothby Blonde Cucumbers
Dill
Basil (enjoy while you can!)
Hints to deal with the tomato flood!
Fresh Tomato Sauce:
Ingredients:
* 1 to 1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, about 3 large tomatoes
* 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
* 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
* black pepper, to taste
* 1 pound spaghetti
* freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Preparation:
If desired, peel tomatoes; remove seeds, straining juice into a bowl. Save the juice and discard seeds. In a food processor, combine garlic, tomatoes with juice, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and basil. Pulse quickly to chop roughly. Pulse more for a smoother sauce, if desired. Transfer to a bowl, add salt and pepper and let stand to marinate for about 20 minutes.
Cook pasta until just tender, drain and toss hot with the marinated tomato sauce. If hotter spaghetti is desired, heat the sauce just until hot on stovetop or in microwave. Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese.
Serves 4 to 6.
Fresh Garden Sauce
A chunky garden tomato sauce with fresh basil.
Ingredients:
* 3/4 cup chopped onion
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 6 cups chopped tomatoes, canned or about 6 fresh, peeled tomatoes
* 3/4 cup dry red wine
* 1/4 cup shredded carrots
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup sliced zucchini
* 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
Preparation:
Heat olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat; add onion, cooking until tender. Stir in garlic, tomatoes, wine, carrots, parsley, basil, sugar, and salt. Bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring frequently.
Add sliced zucchini and mushrooms; cook until sauce is thick, about 20 minutes longer. Serve with hot cooked pasta.
Tomato sauce recipe serves 4.
Insalata Caprese Salad - Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil Plate
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/4-inch thick (they have fresh mozzarella at Safeway and Fred Meyer)it is found on display floating in water. yummy stuff!
2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 cup fresh basil leaves
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons drained capers (optional)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
In a circular design around the side of a serving plate, alternate fresh mozzarella slices on a large platter (or on individual plates if you are doing individual portions) with sliced tomatoes, overlapping for effect.
Tear fresh basil leaves and sprinkle liberally over the slices. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Sprinkle capers over the top.
Just before serving, drizzle on some excellent extra-virgin olive oil. NOTE: Insalata Caprese should never be allowed to sit in oil for any length of time and become soggy, and no vinegar of any kind goes on Insalata Caprese!
Makes 4 servings.
For a last minute alternative take your tomato, cut out the stem, cut it into quarters and put into freezer bags (or vacuum seal). If you have freezer space this is a great way to store the tomatoes until you need the for sauce or salsa.
Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil Recipe
Ingredients
* 6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
* 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped.
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
* 1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
* 1/4 cup olive oil
Method
1 Prepare the tomatoes first. Parboil the tomatoes for one minute in boiling water that has just been removed from the burner. Drain. Using a sharp small knife, remove the skins of the tomatoes. (If the tomatoes are too hot, you can protect your finger tips by rubbing them with an ice cube between tomatoes.) Once the tomatoes are peeled, cut them in halves or quarters and remove the seeds and juice from their centers. Also cut out and discard the stem area. Why use plum tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes? The skins are much thicker and there are fewer seeds and less juice.
2 Make sure there is a top rack in place in your oven. Turn on the oven to 450°F to preheat.
3 While the oven is heating, chop up the tomatoes finely. Put tomatoes, garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4 Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place on a cooking sheet, olive oil side down. You will want to toast them in the top rack in your oven, so you may need to do these in batches depending on the size of your oven. Once the oven has reached 450°F, place a tray of bread slices in the oven on the top rack. Toast for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.
Alternatively, you can toast the bread without coating it in olive oil first. Toast on a griddle for 1 minute on each side. Take a sharp knife and score each slice 3 times. Rub some garlic in the slices and drizzle half a teaspoon of olive oil on each slice. This is the more traditional method of making bruschetta.
5 Align the bread on a serving platter, olive oil side up. Either place the tomato topping in a bowl separately with a spoon for people to serve themselves over the bread, or place some topping on each slice of bread and serve. If you top each slice with the tomatoes, do it right before serving or the bread may get soggy.
Makes 24 small slices. Serves 6-10 as an appetizer. Or 3-4 for lunch (delicious served with cottage cheese on the side.)
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
CSA Harvest #14
Good day!! Here we are at week 14 with only 12 more deliveries to go woohoo! (not that we're excited about that!) This week we would like to thank our good friends and "farm angels" at Meadowlark Welding for sharing the photos they took of us at farmer's market in Roseburg. As you can see we always have a great time there! Also we want to thank Meadowlark Welding for the delicious Moyer Plums they shared with us this week for the CSA. As many of you know our area used to be used for major plum-prune operations. The Moyer plum is used for making prunes but also tastes delicious just as it is.
Thank you to all of you who responded to our Farm Potluck Invitation. We are excited to see many of you on Sunday. Please come after 1pm and bring a dish to share and any fold up chairs you may have handy. There will be some great food and great music! If you need directions to the farm please call us (541) 863-2646
Sorry this will be a short entry.. I had just had it all done before and somehow the whole entry was erased.. give me weeds over technology any day! :)
Thank you!!
Suzie, Asinete, MA, Violet, Robin and Wayne
Harvest This Week Will Include:
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Golden Beets/ Bull's Blood Beets
Moyer Plums
Sungold Tomatoes
Hakurei Turnips
Cucumber Mix
Summer Squash
Scarlet Nantes Carrots
Heirloom Tomato Mix
Big Daddy Yellow Sweet Onion
Dill
Ancho Pepper/ Jalapeno
Heirloom Tomato Mix
Roasted Root Vegetables
* 12 small red new potatoes
* 8 baby Yukon gold potatoes or fingerling potatoes
* 2 cups whole baby carrots, peeled
* 4 turnips, peeled
* 12 whole shallots, peeled
* 12 small white boiling onions, peeled
* 8 baby beets, scrubbed and stemmed
* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 teaspoons dried sweet marjoram
* Kosher salt
* Fresh ground black pepper
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 F.
In a large bowl, combine red potatoes, gold potatoes, carrots, turnips, shallots, onions, and beets.
In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and sweet marjoram. Pour over vegetables and toss so they are evenly coated.
Transfer vegetables to a large, deep roasting pan and spread in a single layer. Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper.
Roast vegetables uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, turning the vegetables 2 to 3 times during the process.
Yield: 8 servings
"Asinan" Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad
Asinan (Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad)
3 large cucumbers
1 Onion, med
1 jalapeno chile
dressing
1/4 cup of white vinegar
1/4 cup of oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
Instructions
Calories per serving: 168 Fat grams per serving: 1 Approx. Cook Time: 4:00 Peel and thinly slice the cucumbers. Slice the onion thinly. Seed and thinly slice the chile. Put the cucumber slices in a shallow bowl, arrange the onion slices on top and sprinkle with the chile slices. Combine all the ingredients with the dressing, mixing well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt. Pour the dressing over the onions and cucumbers and refrigerate a few hours or overnight if possible to allow flavors to blend. Yields: 4 Servings
Cucumber Dill Dip
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 c. Hellmann's real mayonnaise
2 med. cucumbers, peeled, seeded, chopped
2 tbsp. sliced green onion
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. snipped fresh dill or 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients until well mixed. Cover; chill. Makes 2 1/2 cups.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
CSA Harvest #13~ the halfway there delivery!!
Good day!! Wow how the time flies! This will be the 13th week into your adventure of eating locally grown food through the CSA program. On our end we have to keep reminding ourselves that we still have 13 more weeks to go!
At this time of year the weeds try to make their last valiant attempt to get as tall as they can and produce their seeds before the killing frosts of fall come. We struggle to keep them at bay, to keep everything watered and harvested.
I always want the farm to look nice and presentable but in the end I have to remember that we are not being paid by the hour.. we are paid by how much we can harvest and effectively market. Of course our main market is to all of you through the CSA, then comes farmers market and now we have opened a farm stand here at the farm! This will be open Sat from 3-8pm and Sunday from 10-7 pm. We have already met some great folks who happen to just be traveling through. Many are local people who would not other wise seek out organic food. They are full of questions about the odd looking heirloom tomatoes and remark on the weird looking hard neck garlic. The farm stand has given us a chance to reach out to folks who do not normally go to farmers market or enroll in CSA programs.. we can still educate them about the benefits of eating locally produced foods! It was great when we even saw people coming back later in the day to buy more corn and tomatoes because they said it was so good they needed to get more!
Potluck Time at Big Lick Farm~~~~~ We hope you will all be able to attend our 2nd Annual Farm Open house/potluck!! The date will be Sunday September 6th after 1 pm. We will have some great music from our neighbor Shasta Ray! Please let us know if you will be attending or not.. and if so with how many people.
CSA Harvest This Week:
Bartlett Pears~ To fully ripen place in paper bag to keep it dark. Keep in cool place 'til ripe.
Summer Squash
Hakurei Turnips~ a "gourmet" turnip. Greens also edible!
Arugula (last of it until new planting ready)
Garlic
Red and Yellow Onions
Sungold Tomatoes
Tomato Medley (Cherokee Purple, Black Krim, Brandywine, Green Zebra, Sweet Cluster)
Luscious Sweet Corn
Basil
French Fingerling Potatoes
Rainbow Chard
Cucumber Mix
Jalapenos
Hakurei turnips are a Japanese variety noted for their tenderness and mild flavor. Here are some preparation ideas!
Curried Hakurei Turnips
One chopped onion
2 tablespoons oil
5 or 6 hakurei, peeled and sliced thin (all the recipes said to peel them but it seemed sort of pointless, since they were so tender throughout)
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
one lemon, cut into wedges
Sauté the onion in the oil for a few minutes until translucent. Add the turnips, the curry powder and salt and cook until everything is tender. Squeeze some lemon juice over the dish before serving and serve with extra lemon wedges.
Sauteed Hakurei Turnips and Braised Greens
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
1 Bunch Hakurei Turnips with greens
1 lb Greens such as Chard, Mizuna or Braising Mix
2 tsp oil, divide
½ cup water, apple juice or white wine
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Method:
1. Cut the greens from the turnips. Wash and tear all the greens into large pieces and remove the stems. Cut the turnips into bite sized pieces.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sautee the turnips stirring or tossing occasionally until they are crispy outside and tender inside. Season with salt and pepper and remove to a warm plate.
3. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil over medium heat.
4. Add the washed and wet greens, and add to pan in batches. Stir and mix as they wilt.
5. Add the wine or other liquid and cook until it is mostly evaporated.
6. Plate greens and arrange the warm turnips on top.
Rainbow Chard Recipe Ideas:
Rainbow Chard Salad with Raisins and Walnuts
serves 4
About half a large bunch of rainbow chard
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup walnuts
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese
Wash the chard well and let dry. Fold the leaves in half and slice away the tough stalk. Discard or compost. Cut the leaves in half, lengthwise, then slice into fine ribbons. You should have about 4-6 cups of finely sliced chard.
Put the walnuts in a small, heavy frying pan over medium heat and toast for about five minutes, shaking to keep them from burning. Add the raisins to the pan right at the end just to warm them through.
Whisk the sugar, olive oil, wine, and orange juice together and taste. Adjust to taste and add salt and pepper.
Toss the raisins, hot walnuts, chard and dressing all together. Distribute among individual salad bowls and sprinkle Parmesan on top.
Enjoy!!
Suzie, Asinete, M.A, Violet and Robin!
At this time of year the weeds try to make their last valiant attempt to get as tall as they can and produce their seeds before the killing frosts of fall come. We struggle to keep them at bay, to keep everything watered and harvested.
I always want the farm to look nice and presentable but in the end I have to remember that we are not being paid by the hour.. we are paid by how much we can harvest and effectively market. Of course our main market is to all of you through the CSA, then comes farmers market and now we have opened a farm stand here at the farm! This will be open Sat from 3-8pm and Sunday from 10-7 pm. We have already met some great folks who happen to just be traveling through. Many are local people who would not other wise seek out organic food. They are full of questions about the odd looking heirloom tomatoes and remark on the weird looking hard neck garlic. The farm stand has given us a chance to reach out to folks who do not normally go to farmers market or enroll in CSA programs.. we can still educate them about the benefits of eating locally produced foods! It was great when we even saw people coming back later in the day to buy more corn and tomatoes because they said it was so good they needed to get more!
Potluck Time at Big Lick Farm~~~~~ We hope you will all be able to attend our 2nd Annual Farm Open house/potluck!! The date will be Sunday September 6th after 1 pm. We will have some great music from our neighbor Shasta Ray! Please let us know if you will be attending or not.. and if so with how many people.
CSA Harvest This Week:
Bartlett Pears~ To fully ripen place in paper bag to keep it dark. Keep in cool place 'til ripe.
Summer Squash
Hakurei Turnips~ a "gourmet" turnip. Greens also edible!
Arugula (last of it until new planting ready)
Garlic
Red and Yellow Onions
Sungold Tomatoes
Tomato Medley (Cherokee Purple, Black Krim, Brandywine, Green Zebra, Sweet Cluster)
Luscious Sweet Corn
Basil
French Fingerling Potatoes
Rainbow Chard
Cucumber Mix
Jalapenos
Hakurei turnips are a Japanese variety noted for their tenderness and mild flavor. Here are some preparation ideas!
Curried Hakurei Turnips
One chopped onion
2 tablespoons oil
5 or 6 hakurei, peeled and sliced thin (all the recipes said to peel them but it seemed sort of pointless, since they were so tender throughout)
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
one lemon, cut into wedges
Sauté the onion in the oil for a few minutes until translucent. Add the turnips, the curry powder and salt and cook until everything is tender. Squeeze some lemon juice over the dish before serving and serve with extra lemon wedges.
Sauteed Hakurei Turnips and Braised Greens
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
1 Bunch Hakurei Turnips with greens
1 lb Greens such as Chard, Mizuna or Braising Mix
2 tsp oil, divide
½ cup water, apple juice or white wine
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Method:
1. Cut the greens from the turnips. Wash and tear all the greens into large pieces and remove the stems. Cut the turnips into bite sized pieces.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sautee the turnips stirring or tossing occasionally until they are crispy outside and tender inside. Season with salt and pepper and remove to a warm plate.
3. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil over medium heat.
4. Add the washed and wet greens, and add to pan in batches. Stir and mix as they wilt.
5. Add the wine or other liquid and cook until it is mostly evaporated.
6. Plate greens and arrange the warm turnips on top.
Rainbow Chard Recipe Ideas:
Rainbow Chard Salad with Raisins and Walnuts
serves 4
About half a large bunch of rainbow chard
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup walnuts
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese
Wash the chard well and let dry. Fold the leaves in half and slice away the tough stalk. Discard or compost. Cut the leaves in half, lengthwise, then slice into fine ribbons. You should have about 4-6 cups of finely sliced chard.
Put the walnuts in a small, heavy frying pan over medium heat and toast for about five minutes, shaking to keep them from burning. Add the raisins to the pan right at the end just to warm them through.
Whisk the sugar, olive oil, wine, and orange juice together and taste. Adjust to taste and add salt and pepper.
Toss the raisins, hot walnuts, chard and dressing all together. Distribute among individual salad bowls and sprinkle Parmesan on top.
Enjoy!!
Suzie, Asinete, M.A, Violet and Robin!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
CSA Harvest #12
Everyone loves luscious Big Lick Plums! Even Vegas the umbrella cockatoo whose favorite place is hanging out in the tree.. testing the plums to see which one tastes the best! Also you can see above Asinete decked out in his knee pads planting some fall cauliflower seedlings. And the other photo I had to document the arsenal of horsepower employed by Big Lick Farm.. what is that saying "he/she who dies with the most toys wins?" we might qualify yet!
Hopefully you have all received the invitation to the farm potluck/tour on Sunday September 6th. We hope you can all come!
In other farm news we are trying to stay afloat among the rising tide of ripe tomatoes, basil bonanza, and foot long cucumbers which seem to materialize overnight. Asinete keeps saying that we need to employ someone who can prepare meals for us while we are out working in the fields. The ugly, shameful truth is that each of you eat more of the produce we grow then we do. We cannot find the extra energy to do any food preparation when we get in... "mono meals" become the norm at our house about now... lunches and dinners of quesadillas!
Today we also wanted to include a list of local businesses that buy directly from Big Lick Farm to support us and to support our community. We wanted to tell them thank you! Please remember them as you are doing your shopping!
1. Meadowlark Welding- Cindy and Scott Phillips are our "farm angels" coming to our rescue with everything from tractor repair, pump repair to roof repair! Scott is a "jack of all trades" so if you have a special project that involves some form of welding you can give them a call. Look for them under Meadowlark Welding in the phone book.
2. The Maui Vegetarian~ Brian, Crystal and Skye serve beautiful, tasty vegan food. You can find their prepared food at the following health food stores:New Day (Roseburg), Harvest Market (Winston) and Promise in Canyonville.
3. Harvest Market~ owner Steve always buys our tomatoes for preparing food in their kitchen. Gazpacho time!
** Also we have noticed that Kathy of Harrison's Hardware (in Winston) as well as Mystic Earth (Roseburg) owner Michelle always seek us out at farmers market to buy directly from us.
We wish the list was longer..but realize more accounts will come with time.
In your CSA share this week we wanted to get the rest of the plums to you before Vegas eats them all. We hope you are loving the tomatoes! The Sungold cherry tomatoes are impossible to keep up with. At the start of the season I am desperate to find enough to fill all the baskets and now even between CSA and the market we cannot keep up! Please bring containers to pick into if you are coming to the farm potluck! Also as you may have noticed the heirloom tomatoes do not store well. They needed to be left at room temp (like all tomatoes) and eaten asap! Soft spots can be cut off if need be. We highly recommend you enjoy the heirloom tomatoes first and save the round, red hybrid (sweet cluster) ones for later as they will keep a lot longer!
Harvest This Week Will Include:
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes
Mystery Variety Plums
Eggplant Mix
Heirloom Tomatoes (Cherokee Purple,Black Krim and Brandywine)
Sweet Cluster Red Tomatoes
Scallions (Green Onions)
Arugula
Radishes
French Fingerling Potatoes
Basil (surprise!)
Luscious Sweet Corn
Squash Mix (sick of summer squash yet?)
Cucumber Mix (Marketmore, Boothby Blonde, Lemon, Armenian) Most of the Armenian cukes are too long to fit in the basket so we had to cut them and wrap. If you see a long, ribbed green fruit in your basket it is the Armenian.. my favorite!
Peppers (mix of sweet Gypsy and hotter varieties)
Sugar Baby Watermelon (in full share only this week) Next week we should have enough for all the half shares! Sorry we had to cut some up and wrap to be able to fit all the other goodies into the baskets!
Recipe Ideas:
Spaghetti with arugula and cherry tomatoes~ Thank you CSA member Lily for passing this on. Lily made this dish from her arugula and cherry tomatoes last week!
(Beatrice Peltre for The Boston Globe)
July 15, 2009
Serves 4
Most people eat arugula greens (also known as rocket), which have a lemon-pepper flavor, in a salad. But this leafy vegetable is also wonderful in a pesto or to dress up a pizza or pasta. Buy it by the bunch, remove the stems, and thoroughly rinse the leaves, which can be quite sandy, in cool water. To make this pasta, cook spaghetti, and while it bubbles, saute red onion, garlic, and lime rind in olive oil, then add the spaghetti to the pan. Toss with lime juice, a dash of cayenne, chopped basil, and a few cups of arugula. The heat of the spaghetti cooks the vegetable. To serve, add sweet cherry tomatoes, crumbled feta, and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan. The peppery greens, succulent tomatoes, and slightly salty Parmesan and feta transform ordinary spaghetti into a fine summer meal.
Salt, to taste
12 ounces spaghetti
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
Grated rind and juice of 1 lime
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Pinch of cayenne pepper
4 packed cups arugula
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped basil
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Extra Parmesan (for serving)
Extra feta (for serving)
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until it is tender but still has some bite.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, lime rind, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, 4 minutes, or until onions soften. Add cayenne pepper.
3. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it and transfer to a large bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss gently. Tip the spaghetti into the skillet. Toss again.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the arugula, lime juice, and salt. Toss gently and cover the pan for a few minutes. The heat of the spaghetti will cook the arugula. Add the tomatoes, basil, feta, and Parmesan. Toss again. Serve with more Parmesan and feta.
Beatrice Peltre
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
Arugula Pesto- recipe from simplerecipes.com
Arugula Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
* 2 cups of packed arugula leaves, stems removed
* 1/2 cup of walnuts
* 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
* 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
* 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
* 1/2 garlic clove peeled and minced
Method
1 Brown 6 garlic cloves with their peels on in a skillet over medium high heat until the garlic is lightly browned in places, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic from the pan, cool, and remove the skins.
2 Toast the nuts in a pan over medium heat until lightly brown, or heat in a microwave on high heat for a minute or two until you get that roasted flavor. In our microwave it takes 2 minutes.
3a Food processor method (the fast way): Combine the arugula, walnuts, roasted and raw garlic into a food processor. Pulse while drizzling the olive oil into the processor. Remove the mixture from the processor and put it into a bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
3b Mortar and pestle method (photo pictures pesto produced this way): Combine the nuts and garlic in a mortar. With the pestle, grind until smooth. Add the cheese and olive oil, grind again until smooth. Finely chop the arugula and add it to the mortar. Grind up with the other ingredients until smooth.
Because the pesto is so dependent on the individual ingredients, and the strength of the ingredients depends on the season or variety, test it and add more of the ingredients to taste.
4 Mix with freshly prepared pasta of your choice. You may need to add a little bit of water or more olive oil to mix the pesto more evenly with the pasta.
Makes enough pesto sauce for an ample serving of pasta for four people.
Grilled Eggplant
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
* 1 large eggplant
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
* 1 pinch each thyme, basil, dill, and oregano
* salt and freshly grated black pepper
Preparation:
Heat grill.
When grill is hot, slice eggplant about 1/2-inch thick. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the oil and vinegar mixture.
Place eggplant on the hot preheated grill. Grill about 15 to 20 minutes, turning once.
While the grill is on put your scallions on there and grill them too... the best scallions i ever tasted were south of the border somewhere outside of Hermosillo.. so delicious!
Grilled Scallions
yield: Makes 4 (side dish) servings
active time: 10 min
total time: 25 min
Scallions are often treated more like a garnish than a vegetable, but they make an excellent side dish when grilled and tossed with a simple vinaigrette.
Ingredients
* 3 bunches large scallions, trimmed
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
* 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
* 1/4 teaspoon sugar
* 1 hard-boiled large egg, peeled and chopped
Preparation
Prepare a gas grill for direct-heat cooking over medium heat; see Grilling Procedure .
Toss scallions with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
Grill scallions, covered, turning occasionally, until wilted and tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
Whisk together remaining tablespoon oil, vinegar, mustard, and sugar in a large bowl.
Toss scallions with vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with egg.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
CSA Harvest #10
Hooray for cooler weather... and rain?? Well with the changing weather comes more challenges for the farmer~! We were in a rush tonight to get all of the tomatoes picked in case the rain comes. As many of you may already know when a tomato is nearly ripe and it gets watered... BOOM the tomato absorbs that water and actually explodes (or to use the technical tomato term it "cracks")
We do not want to seem completely ungrateful for the cooler temps and chance of precipitation since we are currently unable to irrigate. Yesterday our friendly neighbor Earl asked me over the fence if I knew the bearing was out on our irrigation pump. Evidently Earl could tell just by the way our pump had changed it's pitch from a usual soft humm to a load, vibrating clank. It was at that moment that I had to admit that I knew nothing of pumps and what they should sound like. Good thing I am a woman where such ignorance of mechanical things is acceptable! ha ha! It was then that we put in a call to our farm angels Scott and Cindy Phillips out at Meadowlark Farm in Lookinglass. Scott is a wiz with farm machinery and he got our pump up and running in no time. Today was spent getting the pump back down to the river, connected to the electric box and "reprimed" (which means you have to manually fill the valves, pipe and pump with water so that the pump does not burn out when you turn it on. Wherever the stereotype arose that farming is mindless work for those who aren't smart enough for other professions is sure untrue. There is so much to learn from mechanical to biology to accounting (my least favorite part) to sales, research and I could go on and on but am getting too tired to make my case! :)
Today we will be featuring some much anticipated items in your CSA share: Asinete's bicolor sweet corn and eggplant! Look for recipe ideas below!!
Harvest This Week Includes
Asi's Luscious Sweet Corn
Classic Eggplant
Tomato Mix (sungold cherry, Cherokee purple, Sweet Cluster, Glacier)
Maxibel Haricot and Royal Burgundy Bean
Garlic
Sweet Yellow Onion
Summer Squash Mix
Basil (we have so much!)
Potatoes
Carrots
Marketmore Cucumbers
Eggplant
Baba Ghanouj ~ this is a Middle Eastern dip that is excellent on pita bread!
Ingredients:
* 2 1-pound eggplants, halved lengthwise
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)*
* 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1 garlic clove, chopped
* Pita bread wedges
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously oil rimmed baking sheet. Place eggplant halves, cut side down, on sheet. Roast until eggplant is very soft, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Using spoon, scoop out pulp from eggplant into strainer set over bowl. Let stand 30 minutes, allowing excess liquid to drain from eggplant.
Transfer eggplant pulp to processor. Add 1/4 cup oil, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic; process until almost smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.) Serve with pita wedges.
* Look for tahini in the natural food section of your grocery store.
Briam (Greek Mixed Vegetables in Tomato Sauce)
SUBMITTED BY: Aggeliki on myrecipes.com
"This is a Greek summertime favorite recipe, full of the aromas of fresh vegetables and herbs. It is easy to make and you can replace or add any vegetables you like and still get a great dish. You can serve it hot or cold."
* 4 tomatoes
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
* 2 tablespoons white sugar
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
* 2 tablespoons fresh oregano
* 1/4 cup capers
* 2 cloves garlic
* salt and ground black pepper to taste
*
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 onions, sliced
* 2 potatoes, sliced
* 2 eggplant, sliced
* 3 zucchini, sliced
* 3 green bell peppers, sliced
* 2 cups okra
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place three of the tomatoes, the 1/2 cup olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, parsley, mint, basil, oregano, capers, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process to create a fresh tomato sauce. Season with salt and black pepper; set aside. Chop the remaining tomato; set aside.
2. Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the onions until slightly golden, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir together the onions, potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, okra, the reserved chopped tomato, and the fresh tomato sauce, and place the mixture in a large baking pan. If needed, stir in a little water so that the vegetables are just covered with sauce.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until all vegetables are tender, about 1 hour.
FOOTNOTES
*
Cook's Note
*
While baking, add water if necessary, but keep in mind that you want the food to be relatively dry in the end.
Yummy Ways to Contend With all Those Cukes!
Agua de Pepino (Cucumber Limeade)
* 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
* Juice of 2-3 limes
* Sugar to taste (1/4 c or so is good)
* water
* ice
Put cucumber, sugar and lime juice in blender with enough water to reach an inch and a half below the top. Blend well. Strain the pulp out of the mixture and serve over ice. Very tasty drink from our neighbors south of the border!
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
* 3 medium cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup cider vinegar
* 1/2 cup water
* 1 Tbsp sugar
* 2 green onions, sliced into 1/4 thick rings
* 1/2 cup yogurt, sour cream or mayonnaise
Put cucumbers in a non-metallic bowl. Mix together the vinegar, water and sugar. Pour over cucumbers, cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Drain cucumbers and mix in the green onions and yogurt (or sour cream or mayonnaise).
You can also add some sliced sweet onions (i.e., Vidalia) to the cucumbers when you marinate them. This recipe is on the tart side.
From: Lucinda Rasmussen lrasmuss@PICA.ARMY.MIL via Veggies Unite!
Enjoy from your farmer friends!
Suzie, Asinete, M.A, Violet, Robin and Wayne
We do not want to seem completely ungrateful for the cooler temps and chance of precipitation since we are currently unable to irrigate. Yesterday our friendly neighbor Earl asked me over the fence if I knew the bearing was out on our irrigation pump. Evidently Earl could tell just by the way our pump had changed it's pitch from a usual soft humm to a load, vibrating clank. It was at that moment that I had to admit that I knew nothing of pumps and what they should sound like. Good thing I am a woman where such ignorance of mechanical things is acceptable! ha ha! It was then that we put in a call to our farm angels Scott and Cindy Phillips out at Meadowlark Farm in Lookinglass. Scott is a wiz with farm machinery and he got our pump up and running in no time. Today was spent getting the pump back down to the river, connected to the electric box and "reprimed" (which means you have to manually fill the valves, pipe and pump with water so that the pump does not burn out when you turn it on. Wherever the stereotype arose that farming is mindless work for those who aren't smart enough for other professions is sure untrue. There is so much to learn from mechanical to biology to accounting (my least favorite part) to sales, research and I could go on and on but am getting too tired to make my case! :)
Today we will be featuring some much anticipated items in your CSA share: Asinete's bicolor sweet corn and eggplant! Look for recipe ideas below!!
Harvest This Week Includes
Asi's Luscious Sweet Corn
Classic Eggplant
Tomato Mix (sungold cherry, Cherokee purple, Sweet Cluster, Glacier)
Maxibel Haricot and Royal Burgundy Bean
Garlic
Sweet Yellow Onion
Summer Squash Mix
Basil (we have so much!)
Potatoes
Carrots
Marketmore Cucumbers
Eggplant
Baba Ghanouj ~ this is a Middle Eastern dip that is excellent on pita bread!
Ingredients:
* 2 1-pound eggplants, halved lengthwise
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)*
* 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1 garlic clove, chopped
* Pita bread wedges
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously oil rimmed baking sheet. Place eggplant halves, cut side down, on sheet. Roast until eggplant is very soft, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Using spoon, scoop out pulp from eggplant into strainer set over bowl. Let stand 30 minutes, allowing excess liquid to drain from eggplant.
Transfer eggplant pulp to processor. Add 1/4 cup oil, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic; process until almost smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.) Serve with pita wedges.
* Look for tahini in the natural food section of your grocery store.
Briam (Greek Mixed Vegetables in Tomato Sauce)
SUBMITTED BY: Aggeliki on myrecipes.com
"This is a Greek summertime favorite recipe, full of the aromas of fresh vegetables and herbs. It is easy to make and you can replace or add any vegetables you like and still get a great dish. You can serve it hot or cold."
* 4 tomatoes
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
* 2 tablespoons white sugar
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
* 2 tablespoons fresh oregano
* 1/4 cup capers
* 2 cloves garlic
* salt and ground black pepper to taste
*
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 onions, sliced
* 2 potatoes, sliced
* 2 eggplant, sliced
* 3 zucchini, sliced
* 3 green bell peppers, sliced
* 2 cups okra
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place three of the tomatoes, the 1/2 cup olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, parsley, mint, basil, oregano, capers, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process to create a fresh tomato sauce. Season with salt and black pepper; set aside. Chop the remaining tomato; set aside.
2. Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the onions until slightly golden, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir together the onions, potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, okra, the reserved chopped tomato, and the fresh tomato sauce, and place the mixture in a large baking pan. If needed, stir in a little water so that the vegetables are just covered with sauce.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until all vegetables are tender, about 1 hour.
FOOTNOTES
*
Cook's Note
*
While baking, add water if necessary, but keep in mind that you want the food to be relatively dry in the end.
Yummy Ways to Contend With all Those Cukes!
Agua de Pepino (Cucumber Limeade)
* 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
* Juice of 2-3 limes
* Sugar to taste (1/4 c or so is good)
* water
* ice
Put cucumber, sugar and lime juice in blender with enough water to reach an inch and a half below the top. Blend well. Strain the pulp out of the mixture and serve over ice. Very tasty drink from our neighbors south of the border!
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
* 3 medium cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup cider vinegar
* 1/2 cup water
* 1 Tbsp sugar
* 2 green onions, sliced into 1/4 thick rings
* 1/2 cup yogurt, sour cream or mayonnaise
Put cucumbers in a non-metallic bowl. Mix together the vinegar, water and sugar. Pour over cucumbers, cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Drain cucumbers and mix in the green onions and yogurt (or sour cream or mayonnaise).
You can also add some sliced sweet onions (i.e., Vidalia) to the cucumbers when you marinate them. This recipe is on the tart side.
From: Lucinda Rasmussen lrasmuss@PICA.ARMY.MIL via Veggies Unite!
Enjoy from your farmer friends!
Suzie, Asinete, M.A, Violet, Robin and Wayne
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
