FarmShare C.S.A. Newsletter, week of July 29th, 2014
What’s in this week’s box?
Eggplant
Red Cabbage
Cucumbers–Pickling and Slicers
Summer Squash and Zucchini
Green Beans
Fruit:
Blueberries
Storage, handling and general cooking tips…
Eggplant
Storage- Eggplant prefers to be kept at about 50 degrees F, which is warmer than most refrigerators and cooler than most kitchen counters. Wrap unwashed eggplant in a towel (not in plastic) to absorb any moistrue and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator. Used within a week, it should still be fresh and mild.
Handling- Rinse eggplant in cool water and cut off the stem. Many people like to peel, salt, and drain their eggplant to draw out any bitter flavor; however, bitterness develops only in eggplant that has been stored for a while, so with farm fresh specimens this is generally not necessary. Many recipes call for salting in older to make the vegetable less watery and more absorbent– much like draining tofu. Salting is not an essential step, but it can greatly enhance the taste and texture of your dish and is well worth the extra effort.
Eggplant’s thick skin can be difficult to cut. Do so carefully with a sharp knife. The shape of an eggplant determines how it is best prepared. Slice a straight, narrow eggplant into rounds for grilling or broiling, and cut a rounded, bulbous eggplant into cubes for stews and stir-fries.
Cabbage
Storage– Cabbage is cleverly self-packaged. Just stick dry, unwashed caggage in the refrigerator, preferably in the vegetable bin. The outer leaves may eventually get floppy or yellowish, but you can remove and discard them to reveal fresh inner leaves. Cabbage can keep for more than a month. Once it’s cut, seal it in a plastic bag and continue to refrigerate it; it will keep for several weeks.
Cabbage will lose freshness rapidly once the head is chopped, so plan on using it within a day. If you only need half a head, place the remaining half in a plastic bag and shake a few drops of water onto the cut side. Close the bag and refrigerate. The cut half should last another few days if it was fairly fresh when you cut it.
To freeze cabbage: Cut into coarse shreds and blanch for 2 minutes in boiling water. Remove, drain, and chill. Pack into airtight containers and freeze up to one year. Once thawed, frozen cabbage will only work well in cooked applications. Cooked cabbage may be refrigerated in a covered container for up to four days.
Handling Rinse the cabbage under cold running water just before use. You’ll need a big, sharp knife and plenty of elbow room. Peel away a few of the outer leaves, then cut the cabbage in half through the stem end. Lay it flat and quarter it, again through the stem end. Then balance each section upright and slice away the triangular core that is exposed at the base. From there you can chop, sliver, or grate the quarters.
Cucumbers
Storage-Most supermarket cucumbers are usually waxed to keep them from drying out during the trip from wherever they were grown. Our cucumbers will dehydrate faster than a waxy cucumber so be sure to get them into the refrigerator right away. If you store unwashed cucumbers in a sealed plastic bag in the vegetable crisper bin, they’ll hold for at least a week. Cucumbers store best at around 45 degrees F, but refrigerators are usually set cooler than this. Keep cucumbers tucked far away from tomatoes, apples, and citrus fruits, as these give off ethylene gas that accelerates cucumber deterioration.
Handling- You can do a lot of fancy things to the skin of a cucumber, and when it is young, fresh, and unwaxed, it really only needs to be thoroughly washed. However, if the skin seems touch or bitter you can remove it; if they seeds are bulky, slice the cucumber lengthwise and scoop them out. Scoring the skin of a cucumber with a fork or citrus zester gives it attractive stripes and may help release any bitterness. Slice, dice, or cut a cucumber into chunks according to specifications given in your recipe.
Tomatoes
The sun-loving tomato’s arrival could mean only one thing—Summer is definitely here! This delectable, heart healthy summer fruit, beyond being a palate pleaser is fantastic in so many ways. Tomatoes can be eaten raw, stewed, sun dried, in soup, as a snack, with balsamic vinegar and fresh mozzarella, chopped into salsa, on sandwiches and burgers. The possibilities are endless.
FYI-Tomato paste will remove chlorine from hair, especially if you have blond hair and the recent heat wave has turned you into a pool diving mermaid and your locks are now greenish.
Did you know that tomatoes are thought to originate in Peru where their Aztec name “xitomatl’ means “plump thing with a navel”.
Storage
Tomatoes bruise easily, so handle them with care. Wash and dry your tomatoes before storing. Unless you’re planning to store your tomatoes for over a week, a windowsill, counter-top or bowl, stem side down, works fine. If you know you won’t use them in the next few days, then lower temperatures (a cool entryway) will help to preserve the fruit. Contrary to our common practice in the US, storing in a refrigerator is not otherwise recommended, as the cooler temperatures can reduce flavor and cause mushiness and mealyness. Your fresh-picked tomatoes will last longer on the kitchen counter than store-bought ones anyways, which are probably a few days old when you get them.
Summer Squash
Storage– Unwaxed farm-fresh zucchini and summer squash respire through their skins, so they need to be refrigerated as soon as possible. Store them unwashed in a perforated plastic bag in the vegetable bin, or refrigerate them in a sealed plastic container that you’ve lined with a kitchen towel. In the refrigerator they keep for about a week and a half.
Handling– Rinse under cool running water to remove any dirt or prickles; then slice off the stem and blossom ends. According to the specifications of your recipe, slice the vegetable into rounds, quarters, or chunks.
Cook tips
Zucchini is wonderful steamed, sautéed, grilled or stuffed and baked. You can also cut uncooked zucchini into strips and serve it as an appetizer, or dice and grate it into a salad. Overcooked zucchini will end up as mush. To salvage it, make soup!
Blueberries
Storage and Handling
Blueberries are delicate and fickle, be gentle with them. Keep your fresh blueberries refrigerated, unwashed, in their container. They should last up to two weeks. Water on fresh blueberries hastens deterioration, so do not wash before refrigerating. Blueberries are highly perishable so do try to use them as soon as possible.
Recipes of the Week!
Pickled Red Cabbage Recipe
Makes 1 big jar
You have to salt the cabbage overnight before continuing
- 1 small red cabbage or 1/2 large one
- salt
- 1 or 2 bags of pickling spices or you can use: 2 bay leaves, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 cardamom pods, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp allspice berries, 1/2 tsp black peppercorns, 4 or 5 cloves
- 500 – 750 ml malt vinegar (or you can use a mixture of malt vinegar, sherry vinegar and cider vinegar)
Tear off the outer leaves of the cabbage and any that look a bit tired. Remove the core and slice the cabbage into 1/4 inch slices. Lay them out on a large ceramic plate and salt very generously. Leave overnight.
…In the morning try some of the salty cabbage and, you might wonder why you are pickling it…
Rinse the salt off and dry the cabbage. Put the vinegar and pickling spices in a pan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat slightly and cook for 10 minutes. Now you can remove the muslin bag of spices if you have one.
Pour about half of the hot vinegar into a sterilized jar then add most of the cabbage. Fill up the jar with the rest of the vinegar and any more cabbage that will fit in. Make sure the cabbage is covered with vinegar then seal the jar and store in a cool dry place for about a month before opening.
Black Bean Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw
From This Homemade Life
2 15 ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons olive oil
juice of one lime
Hard shell tacos
Feta cheese
Mix beans, cumin, olive oil and lime juice in a medium bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Red Cabbage Slaw
1/2 head red cabbage, finely shredded
4 green onions chopped, both white and green parts
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper
Place cabbage, carrots and onion in a large bowl. Whisk together the vinegar, orange juice, oil and honey and pour over the cabbage. Add the cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
To assemble the tacos take your hard shell, add the slaw, then beans and top with a sprinkling of feta.
Creamed Swiss Chard with Lemony Breadcrumbs
from BonAppetit
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup torn fresh breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- Kosher salt
- 2 large bunches Swiss chard, ribs and stems cut into 2” lengths, leaves torn into 2” pieces
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium shallots, sliced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup heavy cream
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Preheat oven to 400°. Toss breadcrumbs, oil, and lemon zest on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt. Toast, tossing once, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes.
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Meanwhile, cook chard leaves in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 1 minute. Drain; transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain and squeeze well in a clean kitchen towel to remove excess moisture.
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Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and chard ribs and stems, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until tender, 5–8 minutes. Add cream; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Add chard leaves and cook, stirring, until warmed through and coated with cream sauce; season with salt and pepper.
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Top Swiss chard with breadcrumbs just before serving.
Italian Potato Salad with Swiss Chard
from Relish
4 large yellow potatoes
1 small bunch of Swiss chard
1/2 cup roughly chopped white onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/3 cup light olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon coarse salt
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Cut potatoes (skin on) into 1 1/2- to 2-inch chunks. Add to boiling water and cook until tender but still firm. Drain well.
- Tear Swiss chard (including stem) into large pieces. Place in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes. Pour into a colander to drain.
- In a large bowl, combine potatoes, Swiss chard and onion.
- In a small bowl, combine garlic, vinegar, oil and red pepper flakes. Pour over potato mixture and gently toss. Add salt and toss again. Refrigerate until chilled.
Eggplant Caviar
from Real Simple
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant (about 1 1⁄2 pounds)
- 1/2 small onion, finely chopped (1⁄4 cup)
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise (optional)
- kosher salt and black pepper
- Pumpernickel bread and cut-up vegetables, for serving
Directions
- Heat oven to 400° F. Using a fork, prick the eggplant all over. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast until very tender, 50 to 60 minutes.
- When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, halve it lengthwise and scrape out the flesh, discarding the skin. Finely chop the flesh and transfer it to a large bowl.
- Add the onion, garlic, parsley, oil, vinegar, mayonnaise (if using), ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and mix to combine. Sprinkle with additional parsley and serve with the bread and vegetables, if desired.
Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles
from Alton Brown
Ingredients
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 cup water
1 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
Pinch kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon pickling spice
Directions
Combine onion and cucumber slices in a clean spring-top jar.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 4 full minutes to wake up the flavors of the spices.
Slowly pour the hot pickling liquid over the onion and cucumber slice, completely filling the jar. Allow the pickles to cool to room temperature before topping off with any remaining pickling liquid. Refrigerate.
Refrigerate the pickles for a week to ripen. They will keep for about 2 months in the refrigerator.
easisest fridge dill pickles
from Smitten Kitchen
8 larger or to 10 smaller firm, fresh Kirby (pickling) cucumbers
3 teaspoons kosher, coarse or pickling salt (if using a featherweight brand such as Diamond, use a little more)
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup white vinegar
Slice your cucumbers very thin — I used 1/8-inch slices here but usually go even thinner on a mandoline. Place them in a 1-liter or equivalent lidded jar. Add 3 teaspoons salt and dill, then pour in white vinegar. Close the jar and give it a few shakes to begin distributing the ingredients.
You’re going to find the liquid level in the jar worrisomely low as it is well below the pickle pile line, but don’t fret. Within an hour or two, the salt will draw the moisture from the cucumbers and wilt them, while the liquid becomes a perfectly balanced pickle brine.
Place jar in the refrigerator near the front, which should remind you to shake it once or twice more over the new few hours. (Or whenever you’re back at the fridge.) You can eat them as little as 1 to 2 hours later, but they become ideal at 6 to 8 hours. They’ll keep in the fridge, submerged in their brine, for 3 weeks, though never around here.
Roasted Vegetable Napoleons
from epicurious
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 pound eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices
- 1 1/4 pounds zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices
- 1 large tomato (about 1 1/4 pounds), cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
- 2 medium red onions cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
- 1 pound medium red potatoes, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
- 3/4 cup ricotta
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 pound mozzarella, cut into six 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 6 fresh rosemary sprigs
Preheat oven to 450°F. and brush 2 baking sheets with some of the olive oil.
Arrange as many vegetables as possible in one layer on sheets. Brush vegetables with some remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables in middle and lower thirds of oven, switching positions of sheets in oven half way through roasting, until just tender and lightly browned, 10-15 minutes. Transfer vegetables as roasted to a tray, arranging them in one layer. Roast remaining vegetables in same manner. Vegetables may be roasted 1 day ahead, cooled completely, and chilled, layered between sheets of plastic wrap on trays and covered. Bring vegetables to room temperature before proceeding.
In a small bowl stir together ricotta, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.
Put 1 eggplant slice on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Spread 1 tablespoon of ricotta mixture over eggplant. Cover ricotta mixture with 2 potato slices and layer with 2 zucchini slices, 1 onion slice, 1 mozzarella slice, 2 to 3 tomato slices, 2 zucchini slices, and 1 onion slice. Spread 1 tablespoon ricotta mixture over onion and top with 1 eggplant slice. Make 5 more napoleons using remaining vegetables, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella in same manner.
Insert a metal or wooden skewer through center of each napoleon to make a hole from top to bottom. Trim rosemary sprigs to 1-inch taller than napoleons and remove bottom leaves from each sprig, leaving about 1-inch of leaves around top. Insert 1 sprig into each napoleon and bake in middle of oven 5 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted and vegetables are heated through.
Zucchini Bread Oatmeal
from oh she glows
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup non-dairy milk or water (I prefer almond milk as it’s creamy), plus more as needed to thin out
- 1/2-1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt & nutmeg, to taste
- 1/2 cup packed finely grated zucchini
- 1 tbsp chia seeds or ground flax
- 1 tbsp raisins
- 2 tbsp chopped pecans
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp packed brown sugar, divided
- 1 tsp Earth Balance (or other buttery spread)
- In a medium sized pot, add water or milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and oats. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes.
- Now stir in the grated zucchini, chia seeds, raisins, 1 tbsp packed brown sugar, and 1 tbsp of the pecans. Cook over medium heat, adding more liquid when necessary, for another 5-6 minutes. Reduce heat to low if required. When cooked, remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Pour into bowl and top with remaining 1 tbsp pecans, 1 tsp packed brown sugar, and 1 tsp Earth Balance. Serve and enjoy- but be careful as it’s very hot!
Zucchini Gratin
from Ina Garten
1 pound yellow onions, cut in 1/2 and sliced (3 large)
2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (4 zucchini)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup hot milk
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Gruyere
Zucchini Fritters
from Smitten kitchen
Yield: About 10 2 1/2 inch fritters
1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini
1 teaspoon coarse or Kosher salt, plus extra to taste
2 scallions, split lengthwise and sliced thin
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Olive or another oil of your choice, for frying
To serve (optional)
1 cup sour cream or plain, full-fat yogurt
1 to 2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
Pinches of salt
1 small minced or crushed clove of garlic
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Have a baking sheet ready.
Trim ends off zucchini and grate them either on the large holes of a box grater or, if you have one, using the shredding blade of a food processor. The latter is my favorite as I’m convinced it creates the coarsest and most rope-like strands and frankly, I like my fritters to look like mops.
In a large bowl, toss zucchini with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Wring out the zucchini in one of the following ways: pressing it against the holes of a colander with a wooden spoon to extract the water, squeezing out small handfuls at a time, or wrapping it up in a clean dishtowel or piece of cheese cloth and wringing away. You’ll be shocked (I was!) by the amount of liquid you’ll lose, but this is a good thing as it will save the fritters from sogginess.
Return deflated mass of zucchini shreds to bowl. Taste and if you think it could benefit from more salt (most rinses down the drain), add a little bit more; we found 1/4 teaspoon more just right. Stir in scallions, egg and some freshly ground black pepper. In a tiny dish, stir together flour and baking powder, then stir the mixture into the zucchini batter.
In a large heavy skillet — cast iron is dreamy here — heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Drop small bunches of the zucchini mixture onto the skillet only a few at a time so they don’t become crowded and lightly nudge them flatter with the back of your spatula. Cook the fritters over moderately high heat until the edges underneath are golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. If you find this happening too quickly, reduce the heat to medium. Flip the fritters and fry them on the other side until browned underneath again, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Drain briefly on paper towels then transfer to baking sheet and then into the warm oven until needed. Repeat process, keeping the pan well-oiled, with remaining batter. I like to make sure that the fritters have at least 10 minutes in the oven to finish setting and getting extra crisp.
For the topping, if using, stir together the sour cream, lemon juice, zest, salt and garlic and adjust the flavors to your taste. Dollop on each fritter before serving. These fritters are also delicious with a poached or fried egg on top, trust me.
Do ahead: These fritters keep well, either chilled in the fridge for the better part of a week and or frozen in a well-sealed package for months. When you’re ready to use them, simply spread them out on a tray in a 325 degree oven until they’re hot and crisp again.
Green Bean Almondine
from seeded at the Table
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- Juice from half a lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 lb fresh green beans, overgrown stems snapped off, washed
In a 10- or 12-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the almonds and cook until lightly golden, stirring often. Remove from the heat and add lemon juice. Transfer the almonds to a small bowl, making sure to scrape out the butter with it.
Wipe the skillet clean then pour in about 1/2-inch deep of water. Bring water to a boil over medium high heat. Add the green beans and sprinkle with salt. Bring back to a boil, then cover the skillet with lid, leaving a slight crack to vent. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the beans are tender crisp. You can test their doneness by poking the beans with a fork.
Drain the beans, then toss with the butter almond mixture right before serving. Transfer to a serving platter and enjoy
Easy Blueberry Jam {Small Batch Recipe}
from A Pretty Life
- wide saucepan or skillet (I like to use a skillet)
- potato masher
- spatula or spoon
- hand blender
- 2 lbs blueberries, about 6 heaping cups
- 1½ cups sugar
- Prepare your jars by boiling the lids, rings and jars in boiling water for 5 minutes.
- In a wide saucepan or skillet on low-medium heat, add the blueberries and sugar.
- Stir to combine.
- Then use your potato masher to smash up the blueberries and release their juices.
- Turn up the heat to medium, then cook the blueberry mixture until it is gently boiling.
- Keep cooking, and stirring until the mixture thickens. You must, must stir constantly or your jam will burn. As well the constant stirring will help to prevent the jam from splattering out of the pan. You will likely need to cook the jam for 30 or more minutes.
- You will know that the jam is ready when the mixture is thick enough to leave an open trail behind the spoon.
- Remove from heat, and let cool completely before serving.
- If this jam is too chunky for you, you can use your hand blender to puree it.
- Enjoy!
As a reminder, part of the fun of being a member of a CSA is collaborating with your community, so always feel free to post cooking suggestions or feedback on recipes that we post, or favorite recipes of your own that you’d like to share.
