Week Seven Summer Share June 30th 2015

Posted by on Jun 30, 2015 in Uncategorized

Important Information

  • Tree fruit share begin this week at your respective distribution site. Please make sure that your sign out sheet has one indicated for you before you take one. Fruit shares are in a yellow and red colored ½ bushel box.
  • When corresponding regarding missed or rescheduling shares please specify produce, eggs, and or fruit for clarity.
  • If you are splitting a share with someone please check with each other to see whose turn it is so that you aren’t both trying to pick up the same share!
  • We are still interested in a few more Saturday worker shares; please contact us for details if interested.

Farm news from Jane

Boy do we have some of the most “die hard” members who came out to pick strawberries on Saturday! Although the rain didn’t begin until after ten o’clock we still had members with raingear (or not) picking in the rain. Although they weren’t easy picking the “spoils” are delicious…  Thanks for all the encouragement which you shared and also for the support of the meat offerings.  Because of time restrictions we will only be able to offer meat products at the farm during farm distributions on Thursdays and at other farm events such as the blueberry picking which we hope to have in August.  If you wish to purchase meat products at the farm on a Thursday farm distribution you can also pick up your other shares there as long as we schedule it in advance.

Summer has officially arrived on the farm with the first harvest of summer squash. Get ready; the first and second plantings are ready at the same time. The late freeze we had in May caused the first planting to be “set back” and the second planting with the help of lots of moisture and warm temperatures has caught up. There will be one of each in this share but by the looks of the plants they will be producing volumes within the coming weeks! So get all those favorite recipes out and purvey all the other necessary ingredients. This week we have the first of the most beautiful golden beets. This year we have tried a new variety called Touchstone Gold and they are a beautiful shape as well as color. You’ll fine golden beets a bit more mild flavored than the traditional red beet so you may be able to convince your non beet relative to try a taste. Roasting will caramelize the sugars and will also mellow the flavor. A grill wok is a great way to keep the heat out of the kitchen while expediting the cooking process a bit.

We’d like to send a big shout out to all the worker shares for your great help getting the harvest in these past few weeks. Peas can be tedious to pick but the lively conversations and the many hands seem to keep everyone moving happily along! We were also able to get the tomatoes trellised and up off the ground on Thursday with their help. The beginners did such a wonderful job they look so beautiful. Trellising is also a very time consuming and tedious job but makes tomato picking a much nicer task at harvest.

There are two full moons this month the second one has the very romantic name of ‘blue moon”. The first one is Thursday evening so grab your favorite outdoor companion and enjoy some of nature’s finest views! Enjoy the eats, Jane

 

Produce:   Zucchini   Yellow Squash   Golden Beets   Red head lettuce   Green Onions   Snow Peas   Swiss chard

Fruit Share:    Sweet cherries (two varieties)

 

Produce tips:

– Summer squash should be bagged and refrigerated for shelf life.

– Snow peas are edible pods and are delicious raw, steamed or stir fried. I’ve even had people shell them and discard the pod but I don’t know why as they are tender and tasty.

– If your Swiss chard is piling up on you try the Swiss chard pizza or quiche recipe or blanch for a minute or two and freeze in bags for winter soups, lasagna, or sauce recipes.

– Don’t forget that summer squash cut into sticks makes a great snack or appetizer with a dip.

 

Recipes

SPRING GREENS RISOTTO

3 Tbsp olive oil; 1/2 c chopped green onions; 1 1/2 c Arborio rice; 1/2 tsp salt; 4 c hot chicken or vegetable broth, divided; 4 cups coarsely chopped spring greens (spinach, chard, sorrel); 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg (optional); 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in heavy pot over medium- high heat. Add onions; cook 3 minutes. Add rice and salt. Cook and stir until rice begins to color. 2. Add 1/2 c broth; cook and stir until most of broth is absorbed. Add 1 1/2 c broth; simmer, stirring occasionally, until mostly absorbed, about 10 minutes. Add remaining broth. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place greens on top of rice. Cover and simmer 3 minutes. Stir in greens. Simmer and stir a few minutes more until broth is absorbed and rice is tender but moist. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan and serve.

Makes 6 servings; Recipe from Farm-Fresh Recipes.

 

RAINBOW SWISS CHARD APPETIZER

3 tablespoons butter; 2 tablespoons minced shallots; 4 stems chives, chopped; 1/4 teaspoon dried, ground thyme; 1 bunch rainbow Swiss chard (about 10 stalks), finely chopped (use the greens for another recipe); cream cheese, softened; toasted, sliced French bread or gourmet whole wheat cracker

Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté 2 minutes. Add chives, thyme, and chopped chard stalks; sauté until stalks are tender, tossing to coat with butter. Transfer to bowl and let cool, patting it with paper towels to soak up excess butter. Spread cream cheese on toasted bread or crackers. When chard is cool, spoon some onto each cracker. Makes about 4 servings.

 

SWISS CHARD QUICHE

1 lb. Swiss chard or spinach, cook and drain thoroughly; 4 eggs, beaten; 1 cup milk; 1 cup Swiss cheese shredded; 1 cup bread cubed; 1/2 cup sliced green onions; 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated. Combine all ingredients with cooked greens. Pour into 2 quart baking dish. Cover and bake in 375 degree oven until set, 25-30 min.

 

SWISS CHARD OMELET WITH MIDDLE EASTERN SAVOR

For each omelet: 1-2 teaspoons olive oil; 3 eggs, beaten; 1/2 cup chopped, cooked chard leaves and/or stems, warm or at room temperature; 1 tablespoon currants; 1 tablespoon finely chopped kalamata olives; I tablespoon toasted pine nuts; lemon juice; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; herb sprig (rosemary, thyme, sage, etc.)

Heat olive oil in small nonstick skillet over high flame. Add beaten eggs-they will immediately begin to set on bottom of pan. With a spatula or nonstick egg lifter, pull the cooked egg from outer edges of pan toward center. The uncooked egg will spread and cook. Use spatula to help spread the liquid egg off top of cooked egg and onto exposed sections of pan bottom. Continue to do this until nearly all the liquid egg is set. Reduce heat to very low. The egg will continue to cook as you layer the following across the omelet: chard, currants, olives, and pine nuts. Sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, hold a plate close to the edge of skillet and, shaking skillet slightly, slip omelet onto the plate, either rolling it into a cigar shape or folding it over into a half-moon. Serve immediately. (Or, since this entire process takes only 2-3 minutes, you can keep the omelet warm in the oven while you make more of them.) Garnish with an herb sprig. Makes 1 serving. *This is best if the chard has been cooked with garlic and onions. Recipe from MACSAC

 

CHARD WRAPPED CHICKEN

1/4 cup olive oil; 2 Tbsp fresh dill, oregano or sage; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese; 6 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts; 6 swiss chard leaves, stems trimmed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl combine olive oil, 1 tbsp herbs, garlic and pepper. In another small bowl combine feta cheese and one tablespoon of the olive oil mixture. Mash mixture together with the back of a spoon to forma paste. Top each chicken breast with some of the feta mixture pressing firmly. Wrap center portion of each chicken breast with a Swiss chard leaf, leaving ends exposed. Place wrapped chicken in a 3 quart (9 x 13) rectangular baking dish. Bake

uncovered for 25 – 30 minutes or until done. If desired, sprinkle chicken with remaining tablespoon of herbs.

 

HONEY-MUSTARD DRESSING

In a screw-top jar combine ¼-1/3 cup of coarse grain mustard, ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup honey and 2 cloves of garlic, minced. Cover and shake well. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Shake well before serving. Recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook

 

HONEY-PEANUT DRESSING

Mix ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup creamy peanut butter and 1 T. lemon juice. Makes ½ cup dressing

Recipe form Betty Crocker Cookbook

 

ORANGE-GINGER BEETS

1/2 pound beets, cooked; 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger; 1/2 tsp grated orange rind or 1/4 tsp ground ginger; 1/3 cup orange juice; Salt and freshly ground pepper; 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice to taste; 1/2 tbsp cornstarch; 1/2 tbsp butter or margarine; 1 tsp sugar; Grated orange rind for garnish

Cut cooked beets in julienne strips; set aside. In small bowl mix orange rind and juice, lemon juice, cornstarch, sugar, ginger, salt, and pepper to taste. Melt butter or margarine in saucepan; add orange juice mixture. Stir over medium heat until mixture boils; reduce heat. Add beets and return to boil again. Remove and serve with sprinkling of grated orange rind for an extra touch. Serves 2

 

ORANGE BORSCHT

4 medium-size beets peeled and coarsely grated; 5 cups beef stock; salt; freshly ground black pepper to taste; 2 cups tomato juice; 2 1/2 cups orange juice; yogurt; chopped chives

Bring grated beets to a boil in beef stock which has been seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. Turn down heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add tomato juice. Puree mixture in electric blender, then add orange juice, mixing well to combine. Refrigerate for several hours. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and chopped chives. Yield: approximately 10 cups

 

MARINATED BEET AND SUMMER SQUASH SALAD

2 Medium-size beets, cooked, peeled and thinly sliced; 4 bunching onions, thinly sliced; 1/4 Cup olive oil; 3 Tbsp tarragon vinegar; 1/2 Tbsp sugar; 2 Small yellow summer squash (or zucchini, or a combination), cut into 1/4-inch slices; 1 Tbsp minced dill; 3/4 Cup sour cream; Salt and black pepper; 2 Scallions, each with 3 inches green top, coarsely chopped

Directions: Toss together the beets and onions with 1/8 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1/2 tablespoon sugar. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. In another bowl toss together the squash slices, the remainder of the oil and vinegar, and the dill. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Just prior to serving, drain the squash and toss all the vegetables together with the sour cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper, adding additional sugar and vinegar if desired for a more distinctive sweet-and-sour taste. Makes 3 servings.

WARM GOLDEN BEET SALAD WITH GREENS AND ALMONDS                                                                                1 bunch beets, both tops and roots, olive oil, Salt and freshly ground black pepper, 4 cloves garlic, minced, 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled, 2/3 cup toasted almond slivers.                                              Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan or cake tin with a big square of foil, large enough to complete enclose the beet roots. Lightly rinse the beet roots to remove any really clumpy dirt and pat them dry. Place them in the foil square and lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Fold up the foil and crease to seal. Bake the beets for 60 minutes or until they can be just pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, chop the beet greens into bite-size ribbons. Discard the stalks between the roots and where the leaves start, but chop the leaf ribs along with the leaves. Rinse thoroughly to remove all traces of dirt and grit. In a large skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook on low for about 5 minutes or until the garlic is golden and fragrant. Add the chopped leaves and stir to coat with the garlic. Cook on medium-low for about 10 minutes or until the leaves are soft and tender. Remove from the heat. When the beets are cool, rub them with a paper towel to remove the skin. Then chop into bite sized pieces and toss with the cooked greens, goat cheese, and almonds. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or cold. (This also makes an excellent pressed sandwich filling, especially with some extra goat cheese.)

 

CHEESE-TOPPED SUMMER SQUASH

1 patty pan, crookneck or zucchini; 1/2 cup boiling water; 1 tsp. butter; pinch of seasoning salt; 2 tbsp grated cheddar cheese

Cut squash in half. (Cut patty pan crosswise; crookneck or zucchini lengthwise.) Cook in boiling, salted water about 10 minutes or just until barely tender. Drain. Arrange in flat baking dish. With fork pierce centers of squash several times. Melt butter and add salt. Spoon over squash halves. Pierce again so seasoned butter will be absorbed. Bake in 350°F oven or grill about 20 minutes. Top with cheese and bake 10 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted. Makes 2 servings.

 

SUMMER SQUASH SOUP SMYRNA

2 Medium-size summer squash or zucchini; 3 Cups plain yogurt; 4 Tablespoons each lemon juice and vinegar;  3 Tablespoons olive oil; 1/2 Tablespoons curry powder; 3 Cups tomato juice; Salt and black pepper; 6 Tablespoons minced fresh celery leaves

Seed and chop the squash. Simmer until tender in enough water to barely cover. Drain well, then puree. In a large bowl, beat the yogurt until smooth, then mix in the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and curry; stir in the squash and tomato juice. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper, and refrigerate, covered, for 4 hours. Serve cold, garnished with minced celery leaves. Serves 6 to 8

 

RED WINE VINAIGRETTE

2 oz. olive oil; 4 oz. red wine vinegar; 2 T. parsley, I T. Dijon Mustard; 1 tsp minced garlic; 2 tsp sugar; dash of salt and pepper.

Mix all ingredients together by shaking for best results. Pour over greens and enjoy!