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CSA News: Week 16-August 31 to September 6

Posted by sio@dmin on
 August 31, 2010

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This Week’s Share

  • Beans, Venture, Romano, and/or Dragon’s Tongue
  • Carrots
  • Corn
  • Cucumbers
  • Dill
  • Eggplant, Orient Express
  • Garlic
  • Lettuce
  • Onions, Copra
  • Summer Squash
  • Tomatoes, Heirlooms or Slicing or Sungold Cherries

Share Notes

  • Beans: Our next plantings of beans are on, and you will begin to see beautiful Dragon’s Tongue and Romano Italian Flat Beans in your shares over the next couple weeks.
  • Onions: This week in your share you will see your first distribution of Copra onions. These onions are a yellow storage variety and will be distributed in your shares through the fall season
  • Tomatoes: Many of you have seen your first tomatoes of the season, but if you haven’t then the week for you has arrived. Over the next several weeks you will see  4 different types of tomatoes on a rotating basis: heirloom tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, Sungold cherry tomatoes, and San Marzano Paste tomatoes.

Recipes

Beans Recipe

Fresh Beans with Blue Cheese and Bread Crumbs
From www.taste.com.au

2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup walnut nuts, finely chopped
½ cup fresh breadcrumbs (made with day-old Italian style flat beans)
½ pound fresh beans (halved lengthwise if they are a flat bean)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 to 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Bring a medium size pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the walnuts and breadcrumbs and cook, tossing, for 2-3 minutes or until toasted and crisp. Cook the beans in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes until bright green ad tender crisp. Drain well. Place the beans on a serving platter and drizzle with lemon juice. Sprinkle with blue cheese and walnut crumbs. Serve immediately.

Corn Recipe

Grilled Corn with Chipotle-Lime Butter
Adapted from EatingWell in Season by Jesse Price

Note: The chipotle-lime butter used in this recipe is also great melted on some grilled fish or chicken.

2-4 ears fresh sweet corn, husked
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce* plus 1/4 teaspoon adobo sauce or 1/4 teaspoon chipotle pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 oz queso fresco, crumbled (optional)

*Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce are smoked jalapenos packed in flavorful sauce. Look for the small can with the Mexican food in large supermarkets. Once opened, they’ll keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.

Preheat gill to high. Wrap each ear in foil. Place on the grill and cook, turning frequently for 10 minutes. Remove from grill and let stand in the foil while preparing butter. Combine butter, lime zest, chipotle and adobo sauce (or ground chipotle) and salt in a bowl. Carefully unwrap the corn. Serve with the butter, and top with queso fresco if desired.

Eggplant Recipe

Eggplant and Roasted Garlic Tart
From Field of Greens by Anne Sommerville

1 batch Yeasted Tart Dough (recipe included below), with 2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram added
1 head of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 Japanese eggplant, sliced ¾ inch thick on a diagonal
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
3 large eggs
1½ cups half-and-half or 1 cup half-and-half and ½ cup crème fraiche
2 ounces provolone cheese, grated, about ¾ cup
2 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and thinly sliced

Make the tart dough as explained below and follow instruction for lining the tart pan.

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Brush the head of garlic with a little olive oil and roast it on a sheet pan until soft, about 30 minutes. When the garlic has cooled, cut the top off the bulb and squeeze the cloves out of the skin. Set aside half of the cloves (whole) for the tart and mash the remaining cloves for the custard.

The eggplant can be roasted in the oven at the same time as the garlic. Brush both sides of the slices with the remaining olive oil, lay them on a sheet pan, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until the slices are soft, about 15 minutes. Cool, cut each slice into 2 or 3 strips, and toss with the marjoram.

Beat the eggs in a bowl and whisk  in the mashed roasted garlic, followed by the half-and-half, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Spread the cheese on the bottom of the tart dough. Lay the eggplant slices on the cheese, followed by the roasted garlic cloves and sun-dried tomatoes. Pour the custard over the vegetables and bake for about 40 minutes, until the custard sets and the top turns golden.  Make one 9-inch tart; serves six.

Yeasted Tart Dough

Note: The dough can be made day in advance and held in the refrigerator. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and allow dough to return to room temperature before forming it. The dough can also be frozen, wrapped in foil.

1 teaspoon active dry yeast (½ package)
Pinch of sugar
¼ cup warm (110˚F) water
About 1 cup unbleached white flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon minced lemon zest (optional)
1 large egg at room temperature
3 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
Unbleached white flour for shaping

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water an set in a warm place while you gather the other ingredients. Combine 1 cup flour, the salt, and the minced lemon zest in a bowl and make a well. Break the egg in to the middle of the well; add the butter and pour in the yeast mixture, which should be foamy with bubbles. Mix with a wooden spoon to form a soft, smooth dough. Dust it with flour and gather into a ball; set it in a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it is doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to 1 hour. If you are not ready to shape the dough at this time, knead it down and let it rise again.

Use a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Flatten dough, place it in the center of the pan, and press it out to the edge using either your knuckles or the heel of your hand. Add only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. If the dough shrinks back while you’re shaping it, cover with a towel and let it relax for 20 minutes before you finish pressing it out. It should be thin on the bottom and thicker on the sides, about ¼ inch higher than the rim of the pan. It can be filled immediately or refrigerated until needed. Once the tart is filled, bake in the middle of a 375˚F oven for 35 to 45 minutes. Make 1 9-inch tart shell.

Summer Squash Recipes

Summer Squash Yeast Rolls

From Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert

2-3 cups summer squash, shredded/grated
1 cup water
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup bread flour, plus another 1¾ to 2½ cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat bread flour
1/3 cup dry milk powder
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
½ teaspoon ground mace (optional)

Combine shredded squash, water, sugar, oil and salt in saucepan and heat slowly until warm, stirring to blend. Combine the 1 cup break flour and 1 cup whole wheat bread flour, milk powder, yeast (and mace if using) in a bowl. Add the liquid ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and beat well until smooth.  Stir in enough  additional flour (1¾ cups to 2½ cups) to make a soft dough. Knead 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, turn to grease both sides, cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in size. Punch down and let rise 10 minutes. Shape rolls and place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake in preheated oven at 350˚F until golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. Brush with milk for a soft crust and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before removing to wire rack.

Curried Summer Squash Soup
Adapted from the Territorial Seed Garden Cookbook

6 smaller summer squash, trimmed and cut into ½ inch chunks
1 cup thinly sliced onion
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon dry mustard
3 cups chicken/veggie broth or bouillon
3 tablespoons uncooked rice
1½ cups milk (skim, whole, or even cream)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Dill (and/or chives) for garnish

Combine summer squash, onion, curry powder, sugar, ginger, and mustard in a covered saucepan. Add broth and rice. Simmer, covered, 45 minutes. Puree in blender, food processor, or strainer. If in a blender, do a quarter of the mixture at a time. Place in a large bowl and add salt, pepper, and milk or cream. Chill thoroughly or serve hot. Garnish with dill or chives, if desired.

Categories : Blogroll, CSA Newsletter, Farm News & Updates, Recipe

CSA News: Week 15- August 24th to August 30

Posted by sio@dmin on
 August 24, 2010

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This Week’s Share

  • Basil
  • Carrots
  • Corn
  • Celery
  • Cucumbers
  • Eggplant, Orient Express
  • Lettuce
  • Onions, Red Wing
  • Potatoes, Yukon Gold
  • Summer Squash

Share Notes

  • Basil: Enjoy your second large distribution of basil. Try making a batch of pesto and filling up an ice cube tray with the pesto. Place the ice cube tray in the freezer, and once pesto cubes have frozen completely dump them out of the tray into a freezer storage container/bag. Take out basil cubes out to thaw as you need them. One cube is enough for one to two servings. Pesto can be frozen for up to 6 months with cheese added, or up to year with no cheese added.
  • Corn: Say hello to the summer’s first sweet corn! Due to the cool spring/early summer corn is a few weeks behind this season. We have several healthy plantings out in our fields, and you can look forward to seeing corn in your shares over the next few weeks. Try grilling the ears up whole, or just eat the corn fresh straight from the cob, no cooking needed.

Recipes

Celery Recipe

German Potato Salad
Adapted from Serving up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman

2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 ounces bacon, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons white wine or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
4 celery stalks with leaves, diced and leaved chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Combine potatoes with 6 cups salted water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Reserve ¼-cup of the cooking liquid and drain. Transfer potatoes to a large mixing bowl and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the diced bacon over medium heat until brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl with the potatoes. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease.

Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the reserved cooking liquid, oil, vinegar, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Pour the mixture over the potatoes and toss to coat. Add the celery and chopped celery leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Serve immediately.

Corn Recipe

Spaghetti with Clams and Corn
From Eating Well in Season by Jessie Price

6 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups diced onions (sweet onions if you have them from last week or red from this week)
1 cup fresh corn kernals
6 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2/3 cup dry white wine (such as Pinto Grigio)
1 pound fresh minced clams or chopped clam strips
½ cup chopped fresh basil
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Cook pasta in boiling water until just tender, about 8 minutes, or according to package directions. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking liquid; drain the pasta. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and salt, and stir to coat, and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and just beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, stir in corn, garlic, thyme and pepper, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over vegetables; stir to coat. Stir in wine and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. When pasta is ready, return the pan to medium-high heat. Stir in the reserved cooking liquid and clams (and any juices). Simmer, stirring often, until the clams are cooked through, about 1 minute. Stir in the pasta, basil and parsley. Serve with lemon wedges. Makes 4 servings.

Eggplant Recipes

Grilled Smoky Eggplant Salad
From Eating Well in Season by Jessie Price

2 small eggplants
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
Olive oil cooking spray
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 small tomato, diced
1 small clove of garlic, chopped
1½ teaspoons paprika (preferably smoked)
3 cups mixed salad greens or chopped lettuce
2 ounces Manchego cheese, cut into thin curls with a vegetable peeler

Preheat grill to medium. Cut stripes in each eggplant’s peel by running a vegetable peeler down the length of it and repeating at about 1-inch intervals. Slice the eggplants into rounds 1/3 to ½ inch thick. Lay them on a baking sheet an sprinkle lightly with ½ teaspoon salt. Let stand for about 5 minutes.

Blot the eggplant slices with paper towels and lightly  coat both sides with olive oil cooking spray. Grill the eggplant, flipping halfway through, until soft and browned on both sides, 9 to 11 minutes.

Puree the oil, vinegar, tomato, garlic, paprika and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in a blender until well combined. Toss the salad greens with half of the vinaigrette in a medium bowl. Arrange the eggplant slices on 6 salad plates. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Place salad greens over and between eggplant slices, then scatter the cheese curls on top of each salad. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 6 servings.

Potato Recipe

German Potato Salad
(see above in Celery Recipes)

Summer Squash Recipe

Lemony Zucchini Goat Cheese Pizza
Provided by CSA Member Jessica Roberts

Note: Homemade pizza is great for using what’s in season, so don’t just limit yourself to summer squash. Try thin slices of eggplant, potato, onion, tomato or even fresh corn sliced off the cob. The real take-away from this recipe is the tangy and delicious lemony goat cheese. One batch of dough makes one small pizza, which with a big green salad, makes an nice summer meal for two.

1 batch Simple Pizza Dough (recipe below) or a store-bought pizza dough (Grand Central, Hotlips Pizza, Trader Joe’s, New Season) that will yield one small (approx. 11 to 12 inches across), thin pizza
1 lemon
4 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
Few leaves of fresh basil, cut into thin slivers
2 small summer squash (zucchini and/or patty pan), sliced as thinly as you can pull off with a knife or your mandoline (I went for 1/8-inch thick with mine)
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Roll your pizza dough into a thin 12-inch circle and lay it on a tray or stone that has been dusted lightly with cornmeal.

In a small bowl, stir together the goat cheese with the juice of half your lemon. Season it with salt and freshly ground pepper, and spread it over your pizza dough. Scatter fresh basil slivers over the cheese.

Arrange your zucchini coins in concentric circles over the goat cheese spread, overlapping them slightly. You can alternate their colors, if you’re feeling fancy. Squeeze the juice of the second half of your lemon on top of you zucchini, then drizzle with olive oil and finish with more salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes (your baking time will vary, so please watch carefully), or until the edges of your pizza are golden brown and the zucchini looks roasted and a little curled up at the edges. Serve with a green salad if desired.

Really Simple Pizza Dough
From http://smittenkitchen.com

Note: Makes enough for one small, thin crust pizza. Double it if you like your pizza thick and bready or you want to make two pizzas.

1 1/2 cups flour (can replace up to half of this with whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water (may need up to 1 or 2 tablespoons more)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Stir dry ingredients, including yeast, in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil, stirring mixture into as close to a ball as you can. Dump all clumps and floury bits onto a lightly floured surface and knead everything into a homogeneous ball.

If you are finding this step difficult, one of the best tricks I picked up from my bread-making class is to simply pause. Leave the dough in a lightly-floured spot, put the empty bowl upside-down on top of it and come back in 2 to 5 minutes, at which point you will find the dough a lot more lovable.

Knead it for just a minute or two. Lightly oil the bowl (a spritz of cooking spray perfectly does the trick) where you had mixed it – one-bowl recipe! – dump the dough in, turn it over so all sides are coated, cover it in plastic wrap and leave it undisturbed for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size.

Dump it back on the floured counter (yup, I leave mine messy), and gently press the air out of the dough with the palm of your hands. Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let it sit under that plastic wrap for 20 more minutes.

Sprinkle a pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal and preheat your oven to its top temperature. Roll out the pizza, toss on whatever topping and seasonings you like. (I always err on the side of skimpy with toppings so to not weight down the dough too much, or if I have multiple toppings, to keep them very thinly sliced.)

Bake it for about 10 minutes until it’s lightly blistered and impossible to resist.

Categories : Blogroll, CSA Newsletter, Farm News & Updates, Recipe

CSA News: Week 14- August 17 to August 23

Posted by sio@dmin on
 August 17, 2010

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This Week’s Share

  • Beans, Yellow and/or Green
  • Carrots
  • Cilantro
  • Cucumbers
  • Eggplant, Orient Express
  • Garlic
  • Lettuce
  • Onions, Siskiyou Sweets
  • Summer Squash

Share Notes:

  • Summer Squash: With all the heat squash is abundant this week. Try a delicious quick pickle or tasty squash cookie to get through any surplus you may have.
  • Tomato Update: You can expect to see tomatoes in your share starting in the next few weeks and continuing into October. The cold wet spring that carried on into July created less than ideal growing conditions for heat loving tomato plants. Ripe tomatoes are a couple weeks behind due to slow growth in the late spring/early summer.Another unexpected event that happened with our tomatoes this year will impact the amount of red slicing tomatoes you will receive this season. At SIO we purchase our seeds from several different small seed companies. Unfortunately this year one of the companies we work with erred in packing our Early Girl tomato seed. We planted what we thought were several beds of Early Girl tomatoes, a standard red slicing type. As they matured in the fields we realized they are in fact Sungold Cherry Tomatoes. For you this means your shares will include several distributions of cherry tomatoes, and fewer distributions of red slicing tomatoes. As usual you will receive several distributions of mixed heirloom tomatoes, as well as a Roma type sauce tomato called a San Marzano Paste Tomatoes.

Farm News

Thank You to Work Party Participants

potatoparty_liam potatoparty_harvestpotatoparty_threegirls

A big thank you to all who turned out for the Annual Potato Harvest Party and French Fry Feast. We brought in over 4,000 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes, way to go members!!

Recipes

Bean Recipe

Beans with Olive Sauce
From Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

For the Hot and Spicy Olive Tapenade:

½ pound mixed olives, mostly Kalamata
¼ capers, rinsed
2 to 3 garlic cloves, to taste, finely chopped
Grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1 teaspoon chopped green peppercorns, drained
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

If the olives are excessively salty, rinse them in several changes of water. Remove the pits, then chop them by hand and mix with the remaining ingredients. Stored in the refrigerator, this will keep well for up to 2 weeks.

For the Beans:

1 pound beans (yellow and/or green)
1/3 cup Hot and Spicy Tapenade

Bring a larger pot of water to a boil. While water is heating up prepare the bins by cutting off the tips and tails and cutting into 2 to 3 inch pieces. Drop the prepared beans into boiling water in handfuls and cook at a full boil until  they’re slightly resilient to the tooth. Start tasting them after 3 to 4 minutes, although they may take longer. When they’re done, drain them, shake dry, and spread on a towel. Place beans in a serving bowl once relatively dry and toss the warm beans with 1/3 cup (or more to taste) Hot and Spicy Tapenade. Enjoy. Serves 4 as a side dish.

Cucumber Recipes

Cucumbers Stuffed with Herbed Cottage Cheese
From The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Molly Katzen

Note: A cold stuffed fruit or vegetable can make an oasis out of a hot summer day’s lunch. Serve it on a bed of crisp, cold greens, with homemade bread and butter.

For the Herbed Cottage Cheese:

2 cups cottage cheese
2 tablespoons of several different herbs, minced (cilantro, dill, basil, thyme, chives, parsley, marjoram, and mint, any combination of these is just fine).

Start with the smaller quantities listed above, and increase, to taste, as needed. Set aside until cucumbers, or other vegetable is ready to stuff.

For the Cucumbers:

Cucumbers, as many as you would like to stuff

Slice cucumbers in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a small spoon. Lay each half on its back, and fill them generously  (about ½ cup filling per half). Chill if needed and enjoy.

Buttermilk & Cucumber Dressing
From The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Molly Katzen

Note: This dressing is great with fresh summer garden salads.  You can even use it to dress a simple cucumber salad.

1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
1½ cups buttermilk
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon dill
1 teaspoon mild paprika

Puree everything together in a blender or food processor fitted with the steel blade. Yields approximately 2¾ cups.

Eggplant Recipes

Grilled Eggplant Raita
From Eating Local by Janet Fletcher

Note: This Indian style yogurt salad is great served with grilled lamb chops or kebabs, or with steamed rice and lentil for a vegetarian meal.

2 Japanese eggplants, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons peanut oil
Kosher or sea salt
1 cup plain yogurt, preferably whole milk
½ teaspoon sugar
1 serrano chile, halved lengthwise
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon black mustard seed
¼ teaspoon cumin seed
2 tablespoons cilantro, coarsely chopped

Prepare a moderate charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium (375˚F). Brush the eggplants all over with 1 tablespoons of the peanut oil. Season all over with salt. Place the eggplants cut side down, directly over the coals or gas flame, cover the grill, and cook until the flesh is soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the grill, cool slightly, then scrape the eggplant flesh from the skin and chop coarsely. Put it in a serving bowl. Gently stir in the yogurt, sugar, and salt to taste.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a small skillet over moderate heat. Add the chile and garlic and sauté until the garlic starts to color, about 1 minute. Add the mustard seed and cumin and cook until the cumin darkens. Pour the contents of the skillet over the eggplant and stir in gently along with cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Summer Squash Recipes

Zucchini (or Patty Pan) Pickles
From Chef David Padberg at Park Kitchen restaurant in the NW Park Blocks

Note: Great for sandwiches, hamburgers, antipasti platters, or just a simple snack.

2 pounds summer squash
salt
1 pint cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground mustard seed
1 teaspoon turmeric

Slice summer squash lengthwise into 1/4″ ribbons, lightly sprinkle with salt and allow them to rest for 15 minutes to purge off excess water. Rinse and drain, then spread in a casserole dish. Make a brine by dissolving the cider vinegar with the cup sugar, ground mustard seed, and turmeric, then bring to a boil and pour it over the squash. Refrigerate overnight and enjoy.

Squash Cookies
From Donald Kotler, Owner of Toast Restaurant
Provided for Zenger Farm Cooking Camp

¾ cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons butter (soft)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest of ½ an orange
1 cup grated summer squash
Add chocolate chips, nuts, or raisins if desired (I prefer chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the eggs, butter, vanilla, and orange zest and mix until evenly combined. Add grated squash and mix. Then add chocolate chips, nuts, and/or raisins if desired. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a greased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool. For best results remove cookies from tray to a wire rack for cooling. Enjoy with a glass of milk!

Categories : Blogroll, CSA Newsletter, Farm News & Updates, Recipe

CSA News: Week 13- August 10 to August 16

Posted by sio@dmin on
 August 10, 2010

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This Week’s Share

  • Basil
  • Beans, Green and/or Yellow
  • Carrots
  • Cucumbers
  • Eggplant, Orient Express
  • Garlic
  • Lettuce
  • Onions, Torpedo
  • Summer Squash

Share Notes:

  • Cucumbers: In addition the standard green slicing cucumbers and lemon cucumbers SIO traditionally grows, we are also trying out another lemon cucumber variety called Boothby. It is more elongated than the the spherical lemons cucumber you may be used to. You will see all these types of cucumbers in your share throughout their season.
  • Eggplant: We grow two varieties of eggplant, a classic bell-shaped eggplant named Nadia and a long, slender, Asian-style eggplant named Orient Express. With this first distribution you will see the Japanese eggplant, with several distributions of both types in your share from now until the fall.

Come Join Us

The Annual SIO Potato Harvest Work Party and French Fry Feast is this Saturday, August 14th from 10am-2pm. Take a look at the schedule below and come join us for all or part of the day, even if it’s just for lunch.

This is a very kid friendly event, just make sure to wear farm field appropriate shoes and be ready to get dirty.  Please bring a potluck dish to share, we’ll provide the fresh french fries.

Schedule of Events

  • 10-12:30 spuds harvest
  • 12:30-1pm farm tour
  • 1pm-2pm potluck lunch

If you’re not quite sure about coming, check out video from the 2008 Potato Harvest Party and you’ll surely won’t be able to resist.

Recipes

Basil Recipe

Basil Pesto
Recipe from Francesca Benedetti (CSA Coordinator at SIO)

2 cups basil, large stems removed
3-4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, or pecans
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil (how much depends on your preferred pesto consistency)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Put basil and garlic in a blender or food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the toasted nuts and pulse a few more times. Now pour the olive oil in relatively slow with the blender processor going until a paste is formed. Add the Parmesan cheese and continue adding oil (up to 1/2 cup) until your desired pesto consistency is achieved. Add alt and pepper to taste. You may also add in 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice near then end for a more tangy flavor Makes approximately 1 cup. Great on pasta, sandwiches, vegetable dishes, corn on the cob, toast, and many more things.

Cucumber Recipe

Jicama and Cucumbers with Chile and Lime
From Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

Note: Originally native to Mexico, Jicama is a large tuber covered with a papery tan skin. Its appearance doesn’t even hint at its bright white flesh, which is crisp, juicy and sweet.

½ small jicama (about 8 ounces)
2 cucumbers
Grated zest and juice of 2 limes
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and finely diced
Salt

Peel the jicama and cut into bite-sized cubes. Peel the cucumber if that is your preference; otherwise score the skins with a fork, then quarter them lengthwise and dice into cubes. If they’re very mature, scrape out and discard the seeds first. Toss everything together and taste for salt and lime. Refrigerate until very cold, or serve right away on little plates with toothpick or small forks. Serves 4 to 6.

Eggplant Recipe

Roasted Summer Vegetables
From Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman Wert

Note: This is a versatile summer recipe that can be used as a side dish, main dish, or salad. Be sure to make enough for leftovers to put on pizza. Try a variety of vegetables through out the summer, including almost anything from your share this week or potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, corn, etc.

8 to 10 cups fresh vegetables (try summer squash, eggplant, onions, beans, and carrots from this week’s share)

Cut all vegetables into bite sized pieces for even cooking time (i.e. thinly slice carrots, but chop summer squash into larger chunks). Toss with one of the seasoning options below. Then spread seasoned vegetables in a thin layer on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven at 425˚F for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

For a Main Dish: Serve over cooked penne pasta, wild rice, or couscous and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

For a Salad: Cool vegetables (or use the leftovers) and add 2 cups diced tomatoes, 3 ounces feta cheese, and additional vinaigrette dressing.

Kabab Variation: Soak wooden skewers, if using, at least 30 minutes in water to prevent scorching. Thread a variety of season vegetables on each skewer, keeping mushrooms separate as they will cook faster; carrot chunks and small whole potatoes should be boiled a few in advance. Grill over medium heat until vegetables are tender.

Seasoning One:

3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1½ tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 to 4 cloves garlic, minced

Seasoning Two:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon thyme
1/8 teapsoon pepper

Seasoning Three:

¾ cup Italian dressing or vinaigrette dressing

Seasoning Four:

4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons each fresh thyme, oregano, and basil, chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Chef’s Corner: August

In addition to the crops SIO grows for our CSA program, we also grown and sell produce to 30-40 Portland area restaurants and kitchens, and this season at SIO we are partnering with some of those restaurants for some culinary inspiration. We have been picking the brains of some of the areas most talented chefs and restaurant owners, and have asked them to provide us with recipes and general cooking techniques based on the crops that you receive in your shares. Out at the farm we crop plan separately for both our CSA program and restaurant sales, so you don’t have to worry that part of your share may be going the restaurant down the street. For the month of August our featured restaurant is Wildwood, located in Portland’s beautiful Northwest neighborhood, near Forest Park’s 17-mile long Wildwood Trail.

Paul Kasten, Sous Chef at Wildwood Restaurant & Bar

Founded in 1994, Wildwood is an American restaurant and bar bringing you the best the Pacific Northwest has to offer.  Our menus are inspired by the fresh seasonal produce that we are so fortunate to have throughout the region.  The complexity of our dishes comes from the depth of flavor in the ingredients, most which are found within miles of the restaurant.

Local ingredients keep us firmly rooted in our rich Oregon soil.  Wildwood supports local farms which practice environmentally sound agriculture and sustainable farming, and market driven menus always showcase our local farms and purveyors.  We have been working with Sauvie Island Organics for many years now, and they remain one of our favorite farms.  It is always a privilege to work with whatever fantastic produce they have to offer.

I have assembled a menu for a summer barbecue highlighting some of my favorite products available this month from Sauvie Island Organics.  These four dishes are meant to be served family style and will make a satisfying meal for six to eight people.

The cured salmon should be started about five days in advance to allow additional curing time if needed.  It will hold well in the refrigerator for several days after it is finished.

The chicken should be brined the day before.

The chickpeas should be soaked two days before and cooked the day prior to the barbecue.

The focaccia croutons for the bread salad can be toasted the day before and stored in a sealed container until needed.

As far as the actual grilling goes, this is arranged so that you can cook three dishes on your grill with one firing, making it convenient for those using charcoal.  The carrots and eggplant will require high heat, while the chicken, which cooks last, will need to grill longer over lower heat.

HOME CURED OREGON CHINOOK SALMON GRAVLAX
shaved torpedo onion, cucumber, lime yogurt, chile and arugula

gravlax:

1 lb very fresh local Chinook salmon fillet
4T granulated sugar
3T kosher salt
1 bunch dill, large stems removed

Remove any pin bones from the salmon.  Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel.  Evenly coat the fish with a mixture of the salt and sugar.  Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap with half of the dill spread out on it.  Lay the salmon on top.  Cover salmon with the remaining dill and wrap tightly.  Lay flat in a Tupperware container or baking dish and refrigerate for three days.  At this point the salmon should be uniformly firmer from the cure.  If some spots still feel like raw, fresh fish, apply the same amount of salt and sugar again and cure for another day or two.  When the fish is fully cured, rinse it, pat it dry, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until needed.  Thinly cut two or three slices per person.  Lay them out on a platter and top with the following ingredients in the order listed:

lime yogurt
½ c thinly shaved torpedo onion
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, sliced thinly
1 serrano pepper, seeded and minced
1 handful arugula leaves

lime yogurt:

Whisk together ¼ c good quality store bought or home made yogurt, juice and zest of one lime, and 1T good extra virgin olive oil.

MARINATED GRILLED EGGPLANT

2 lb Japanese eggplant, sliced lengthwise ¼” thick
1c good olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
¼c parsley leaves, torn
1 lemon, quartered

Brush eggplant with a light coat of olive oil and season lightly with kosher salt.  Prepare a very hot grill.  Lay the eggplant on the grill and place a baking sheet on top.  Cook until nicely charred on one side and almost cooked through.  Remove and place in a bowl.  Combine remaining olive oil, garlic and parsley.  Coat grilled eggplant with oil mixture and allow to marinate at room temperature while you cook the carrots and chicken.  To serve, remove eggplant from marinade, squeeze the lemon over it and season liberally with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

GRILLED CARROT AND CHICKPEA SALAD
pine nuts, shaved torpedo onion, cilantro, feta and lemon vinaigrette

1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
½c dried chickpeas
3 bay leaves
½c torpedo onion, thinly shaved
½c cilantro, coarsely chopped
½c crumbled feta cheese
¼c pine nuts, toasted
¼c lemon juice
Zest of two lemons
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼c good olive oil

Vinaigrette:

Whisk together lemon juice, zest, garlic and olive oil.  Add kosher salt to taste.

Chickpeas:

Soak chickpeas in cold water in the refrigerator overnight.  Put them in a saucepan with one quart of water and the bay leaves.  Bring to a simmer and cook until chickpeas are tender.  Remove from heat, stir in 2T kosher salt, and let stand in the salted water overnight in the fridge.  The day of the barbecue, drain and rinse the chickpeas and let them come to room temperature.

Salad:

Brush carrots lightly with olive oil and season with kosher salt.  Place on a hot grill with a baking sheet on top.  Cook until carrots are nicely charred on one side and cooked but not soft.  Remove and cut carrots into bite sized pieces.  Leave out at room temperature until ready to serve.  Toss with chickpeas, onion, cilantro, feta, pine nuts and vinaigrette.  Season with kosher salt to taste.

GRILLED WHOLE CHICKEN AND PANZANELLA

chicken/brine:

½ gallon water
6 oz kosher salt
4 oz granulated sugar
1 bulb garlic, unpeeled, cloves smashed with the side of a knife
2T fennel seed, toasted
1T chile flake
4 lb ice
1 3½ lb. pasture raised chicken, butterflied (spine removed with knife or shears)

Combine water, salt, sugar, garlic and spices.  Bring to a simmer for two minutes and whisk to dissolve salt and sugar.  Pour over ice in a container large enough to accommodate the chicken.  Brine overnight in the refrigerator.  Remove from brine, pat dry and rest chicken at room temperature for one hour before grilling.  After grilling the eggplant and carrots, allow the grill to cool to medium-hot, brush the grates and the chicken with olive oil, lay the chicken flat on the grill, skin side up and put the lid on.  After roughly twenty-five minutes, flip the chicken to brown the skin side.  Remove when a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 170 degrees.  At this point the breast should be at about 160 degrees.  Remove from grill and tent with foil for ten minutes before serving on a platter on top of the panzanella.

Panzanella (bread salad):

1 loaf focaccia, approximately 6″x8″
½ lb. tomatoes, peeled, seeded and grated on a box grater
½ lb. tomatoes, diced
¼c zinfandel or other good red wine vinegar
1c good olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼c shallot, minced
Juice of one lemon
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1c basil leaves, torn into large pieces

Vinaigrette:

Whisk together grated tomato, vinegar, ½ cup olive oil, garlic, shallot and lemon juice.  Add kosher salt to taste.

Salad:

Cut focaccia into 1″ cubes. Toss with remaining ½ cup olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt.  Toast on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven until crisp outside, but still soft on the inside.  Toss with vinaigrette about five minutes before serving to allow the bread to soak in some of the moisture.  When ready to serve, toss with the remaining ingredients.

Categories : Blogroll, Chef's Corner, CSA Newsletter, Farm News & Updates, Recipe

CSA News: Week 12-August 3 to August 9

Posted by sio@dmin on
 August 3, 2010

This Week’s Share

  • Beets
  • Beans, Yellow and Green
  • Carrots
  • Cucumber
  • Garlic
  • Lettuce
  • Onions, Siskiyou Sweets
  • Parsley
  • Summer Squash

Share Notes

Cucumber: Refreshing and crisp cucumbers are here! Enjoy your first taste of this summer crop in your share this week and look forward to many more to come.

Onions, Siskiyou Sweets: Spanish onion with juicy, mild, sweet white flesh, similar to a Walla Walla type onion.

Save the Date

Your Invited to the SIO Annual Potato Harvest Party and French Fry Feast
Saturday August, 14th 10am-2pm

Join us for our annual potato harvest work party and french fry feast. This is a very kid friendly event. Please bring a potluck dish to share. Join us anytime during the event, even just for lunch!

Schedule of Events

  • 10-12:30 spuds harvest
  • 12:30-1pm farm tour
  • 1pm-2pm potluck lunch

Recipes

Bean Recipe

Garlicky String Beans
Adapted from Food to Live By by Myra Goodman

1 pounds green and/or yellow beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper

Fill a large bowl of water with ice cubes and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the beans and 1 teaspoon of salt and cook until the beans are just crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Immediately drain the beans in a colander, then plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the beans again in the colander.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Season the beans with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot or at room temperature.

Beets Recipe

Jeweled Beet Salad
From Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman

4 medium sized beets, with greens
¼ cup rice vinegar, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Separate the beet greens from the roots. Discard any bruised or damaged leaves. Chop the stems into ¼-inch pieces and the leaves into ¼-inch ribbons. Peel the roots and grate with a box grater or food processor. Combine the greens and grated roots in a steamer and steam over boiling water for about 5 minutes, until tender. Immediately plunge into cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well.

Whisk together the vinegar, chives, mint, and orange juice in a medium bowl. Whist in the oil until is fully incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Add the greens and beets and toss to mix. Taste again and add more salt and pepper or vinegar if desired. Crumble three quarters of the goat cheese over the salad and toss to mix. Garnish with the remaining goat cheese and serve.

Sweet Onion Recipe

Delicious Siskiyou Sweets Onion Rings
Recipe from Shannon Raider (SIO Alumni)

Oil for frying
2 large sweet onions
Salt
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
½ cup Cornstarch
Good Cold Beer (I prefer a Porter)

Pour oil for frying (canola, grapeseed or peanut) 2 in. deep into a cast iron skillet or your favorite frying vessel and heat to 350˚F. Slice onions crosswise to 1/4 in. thickness and separate rings. In a brown paper bag toss rings till dusted with cornstarch and set aside. Mix flour with salt and cornstarch. Quickly stir in 1 good COLD beer and stir till the lumps are pretty much gone. Set the bowl of batter in another bowl full of ice water. Keep batter cold while you dunk rings. Fry onions taking care not to crowd the pan. Too many will cool the oil and resulting in a less crisp ring. Lightly salt if preferred and indulge immediately.

Parsley Recipe

Parsley Pesto

Note: This simple recipe can be used on pasta, potatoes, bread, and many other things.

1 cup Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, de-stemmed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 clove garlic, minced
up to 1/4 cup Parmesan or Asiago cheese, grated (optional)
1 tsp. Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Heat pine nuts in a dry pan on medium heat until browned, being careful not to burn. Cool on a plate. Remove parsley leaves from stems. Once pine nuts have cooled, combine all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth. Serve.


Summer Squash Recipe

Quinoa Casserole
Adapted from www.savvyvegetarian.com

1 cup quinoa, dry
1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 small summer squash, chopped
1 cup beans, but into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon paprika
pinch cayenne
1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon rock salt
1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cup boiling water or soup stock (use smaller amount of water for slow cooker or crockpot)
1/4 cup minced parsley (cilantro also works)
Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Soak quinoa 15 minutes to an hour and rinse well in a fine metal strainer and leave to drain. Heat olive oil on medium in a large sauté pan or frying pan. Add onion and stir-fry until transparent. Peel and chop carrots (1/2″ dice) and summer squash (1′ dice). Add carrot to the hot skillet and stir-fry for four minutes. Add the beans and continue to saute for another minute. Add summer squash and stir-fry for an additional minute. Add the spices, except for the fresh herb and salt, lower heat and stir until they start to brown

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a three or four quart oven proof casserole with lid. Add all ingredients except fresh herb and pepper. Stir in 1 3/4 cups boiling water or stock, cover, and bake 20 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Before serving, remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Stir in the minced fresh parsley or cilantro, fresh ground pepper, and serve.

Categories : Blogroll, CSA Newsletter, Farm News & Updates, Recipe, Uncategorized

CSA News: Week 11- July 27 to August 2

Posted by sio@dmin on
 July 27, 2010

This Week’s Share

  • Basil
  • Green Beans
  • Carrots
  • Chard
  • Garlic
  • Lettuce
  • Onions, Torpedo
  • Potatoes, Yukon Gold
  • Summer Squash

Share Notes

  • Basil: Enjoy your first fragrant basil leaves in your share this week. Throughout basil season we distribute several herb/cooking quantities, and in September you can expect to receive some pesto batch amounts.
  • Beans: The vines, flowers, and pods have now caught up from the cool spring and early summer delay. You will see rotating varieties of fresh beans in your share for the next several weeks, starting off this week with the tried and true green bean.
  • Onions, Torpedo: Wondering why your onion has such a unique shape? It’s an Italian heirloom variety called a red torpedo onion, and boy what a treat. Try these in any dish calling for onions, or chop and add them fresh to salads, sandwiches, guacamole/salsa, etc.

Save the Date

Your Invited to the SIO Annual Potato Harvest Party and French Fry Feast
Saturday August, 14th 10am-2pm

Join us for our annual potato harvest work party and french fry feast. This is a very kid friendly event. Please bring a potluck dish to share. Join us anytime during the event, even just for lunch!

Schedule of Events

  • 10-12:30 spuds harvest
  • 12:30-1pm farm tour
  • 1pm-2pm potluck lunch

Recipes

Green Beans Recipe

Green Beans With Potatoes and Garlic
Adapted from New York Time: Health and Fitness,  www.nytimes.com

Note: Because this dish is good at room temperature or hot, you can make it several hours ahead. The steamed green beans and potatoes will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator.

3/4 pound green beans, trimmed and broken in half
1 pound potatoes, scrubbed and cut in 2-inch wedges
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 to 3 large garlic cloves (to taste), minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 hardboiled eggs, diced (optional)

Steam the green beans above 1 inch of boiling water for four to five minutes until tender. Remove from the steamer, and rinse with cold water. Set aside. Add the potatoes, and steam for 10 to 15 minutes until tender.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, nonstick skillet. Add the garlic, and cook for a minute or so until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the beans and cook, stirring, for three minutes until quite tender and coated with oil (but still bright green). Gently stir in the potatoes, and add salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until they begin to color lightly. Scatter the diced hard-boiled eggs over the top, cover and turn heat to low. Cook another three minutes. Serve hot or warm. Serves four.

Summertime Sauté
By Francesca Benedetti (SIO CSA Coordinator)

Note: You can really throw anything in here it tastes great. If you have any fava beans left I would highly recommend shelling and adding them to the mix.

2 to 3 summer squash, sliced thin
½ pound green beans, cut in half
1 onion, diced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
½ bunch chard, sliced into 1-inch ribbons
10 basil leaves, chopped (more or less depending on what you like)
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
2 to 3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté for another 3 to 4 minutes. When your kitchen is permeated with that lovely sautéed onion and garlic aroma start adding in the other vegetables according to cooking time. Add the squash and beans first and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the chard and sauté for another 2 minutes. Finally turn the heat up to high and douse with Balsamic vinegar. Add the basil and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté on high heat for another 2 to 3 minutes. Splash one more time with Balsamic vinegar, remove from heat and serve immediately. Make it a mean and serve with pasta, cous cous, quinoa, rice, polenta or any grain of your choice.


Chard Recipe

Swiss Chard with Bacon and Mustard Sauce
From Fresh from the Garden Cookbook by Ann Lovejoy

Note: This same recipe works equally as well with spinach or kale in place of chard. You can also lightly sauté some green beans and summer squash and add those in toward the end of the cooking time with the chard.

4 slices lean bacon (preferably peppered), chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped into medium dice
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram or thyme leaves
2 fresh sage leaves, shredded
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1 tablespoon stone-ground, Dijon, or any sharp mustard
8 cups shredded Swiss chard

In a large saucepan, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until golden but soft. Remove to drain on a paper towel. Add the onion, marjoram, and sage to the pan and cook stirring often, over medium heat until onion is pale golden, about 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and stir to deglaze the pan, loosening any stuck bits. Add the mustard and stir until smooth. Bringing the sauce to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, add the chard without stirring, and cover tightly. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, until chard is limp, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir the chard into the sauce and serve at once, garnished with bacon. Serves 4 as a side dish.

Summertime Saute
(see above in Bean Recipes)

Summer Squash Recipes

Summer Squash Burritos
Adapted from The Territorial Seed Garden Cookbook

1 to 2 tablespoons oil or cooking fat
1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 to 4 summer squash, sliced thin
1 large or 2 small carrots, sliced thin
1 medium onion, sliced thin
3 or 4 large mushrooms, sliced thin
½ to 1 cup salsa
1 package flour tortillas

Toppings, to taste (all are optional of course)

Lettuce, shredded
Cilantro, chopped (if you have some left form last week’s share)
Basil, chopped
1 can sliced black olives
1 avocado, sliced
2 cups grated Cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
Yogurt or sour cream

Summertime Saute
(see above in Bean Recipes)

Categories : Blogroll, CSA Newsletter, Farm News & Updates, Recipe

CSA News: Week 10- July 20 to July 26

Posted by sio@dmin on
 July 20, 2010

This Week’s Share

  • Beets
  • Carrots
  • Cilantro
  • Fava Beans
  • Garlic
  • Kale, Red Ursa
  • Lettuce
  • Summer Squash

Share Notes

  • Summer Squash: Enjoy the true taste of summer with the season’s first summer squash. Use your first zucchini and/or patty pan squash in a simple vegetable sauté, as a pizza topping, or in a delicious soup.

Recipes

Beet Recipe

Cilantro-Lime Beet Salad with Cotija
Adapted from http://iheartkale.blogspot.com

Note: Cotija is a hard, salty, crumbly Mexican cheese that can be found in the cheese section of most grocery stores. If you can’t find it, try ricotta salata.

4-6 beets (save tops for using in something else)
1 small red onion, sliced into thin half-moons
3 limes
1/4 cup packed chopped cilantro (plus some extra for garnish)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces cotija cheese, cubed

Scrub the beets and place in a large saucepan with plenty of water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 45 minutes to an hour, until beets are very tender when poked with a knife. Drain and cool.

Meanwhile, place the onions in a bowl with the juice of 2 of the limes and a few shakes of salt. Marinate while you boil the beets and make the dressing–they’ll be less harsh and slightly pickled when you’re ready to add them.

When the beets have cooled down, peel them and chop into 1-inch cubes. To make the dressing, combine the zest and juice of the remaining lime, olive oil, cilantro, cayenne and salt in a food processor and pulse until you have a smooth green mixture. Toss the beets with the dressing and top with the pickled onions (and their juice), cotija and some extra cilantro for garnish.

Fava Bean Recipes

Fava Bean and Herb Soup with Fried Pita Bread
Adapted from Local Flavors by Deborah Madison

3 cups vegetable stock or light chicken stock
2 cups shelled fava beans (about 2½ pounds pods)
5 very slender leeks, white parts plus and inch of the greens, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small summer squash (zucchini or patty pan), thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons slivered mint leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pita bread
2 tablespoons olive oil

Blanch the shelled fava beans in boiling water for 1 minute. Heat the stock, and add leeks, onion and garlic and bring to a boil. While the stock is heating up peel the blanched favas. Once the stock is boiling lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. If needed, continue peeling favas during this 10 minutes. Add the peeled favas and sliced zucchini to the stock, simmer for 10 minutes more, then stir in the herbs. Taste for salt and season with pepper. Turn off the heat and allow the soup to rest so that the herbs can infuse the broth. Meanwhile, cut or tear the pita bread into small pieces and fry in the olive oil over medium-high heat until crisp and golden. Serve the soup with several pieces of bread floating in each bowl.

Grilled Bruschetta with Fava Bean Puree and Pecorino
Adapted from Eating Local by Janet Fletcher

2 to 2 ½ pounds fresh fava beans (to yield 2 cups shelled, unpeeled beans)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
1 large clove garlic, minced
9 fresh basil leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 slices Italian country bread, about ½ inch thick and 3 inches long
Aged sheep’s milk cheese (such as pecorino, toscana, Manchego, or ricotta salata)

Prepare a moderate charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium. Remove the fava beans from their pods. Bring a pot of water to boil over high heat. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Add the fava beans to the boiling water and boil for 1 ½ minutes, or a little longer if the beans are large. Drain in a sieve or colander, then transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking. When the beans are cool, drain them again. To peel them, pierce the skin with your fingernail; inner bean should slip out easily.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small skillet over moderate heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Put the peeled favas, the sautéed garlic, and all the oil left in the skillet, 3 of the basil leaves, and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small food processor. Pulse until nearly, but not completely smooth; leave the spread slightly coarse. Transfer to a bowl and stir in salt and pepper to taste.

Grill the bread on both sides directly over the coals or gas flame until golden brown. Top each toast with some of the fava spread, dividing evenly. Drizzle with some olive oil. Shave or grate some cheese over each toast. Garnish with a basil leaf. Serve immediately.

Kale Recipe

Lulu Wilson Kale Salad
From Lulu Wilson Restaurant in Aspen, CO

Note: The chef that provided this recipe recommends using a very sharp knife when cutting the kale. A dull knife will crush the kale and make the salad soggy

1 bunch kale
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup currants
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup pine nuts, not toasted

Using a very sharp knife, cut away the kale leaves’ though center stems. Roll the leaves like a cigar and cut them into very fines slices, about 1/8th– inch wide. Put the kale and olive oil into a bowl and toss by hand. Add the lemon juice and toss again. Add the currants, Parmesan, and pine nuts and toss by hand until the mixture is soft. Taste and adjust quantities if needed. Serve on a cold plate

Summer Squash Recipes

Summer Squash Pizza with Goat Cheese and Walnuts
From www.foodandwine.com

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 garlic clove, minced
All-purpose flour, for dusting
6 ounces pizza dough (recipe below for making your own or purchase pre-made at Hot Lips, New Seasons, Trader Joes, etc.)
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup shredded part-skim-milk mozzarella
1 teaspoon chopped summer savory
1/4 pound summer squash, thinly sliced on a mandoline
2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts

Preheat the oven to 500°. Preheat a pizza stone. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the minced garlic and let stand. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to form a 12-inch round, 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the round to a lightly floured pizza stone.

Leaving a 1/2-inch border of dough, brush the round with the garlic oil and sprinkle with crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper. Scatter the onion slices over the round; top with the mozzarella and savory. Arrange the squash slices on top in a single layer, overlapping them slightly. Dot with the crumbled goat cheese.

Slide the pizza onto the hot stone and bake for about 5 minutes, until the bottom is crisp and the squash is slightly browned. Transfer the pizza to a work surface. Sprinkle with the walnuts and drizzle with olive oil. Cut into wedges and serve.

The Best Pizza Dough
From www.foodandwine.com

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water (110° F)
2 cups unbleached bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, combine the yeast, 1/4 cup lukewarm water and 1/4 cup flour in a small bowl. Let it stand for 30 minutes. Add the remaining 1-3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons luke warm water, olive oil and salt. Mix the dough thoroughly. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, elastic and a bit tacky to the touch, 7 to 8 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and turn to cover with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (75° F) until double in volume, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.  Alternately, you can let this dough rise in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, bring the dough to room temperature and proceed.

Fava Bean and Herb Soup with Fried Pita Bread
(recipe above in Fava Bean Recipes)

Categories : Blogroll, CSA Newsletter, Farm News & Updates, Recipe

CSA News: Week 9- July 13 to July 19

Posted by sio@dmin on
 July 13, 2010

This Week’s Share

  • Cabbage, Smooth Green
  • Carrots
  • Chard
  • Dill
  • Garlic
  • Lettuce, Romaine
  • Potatoes, Yukon Gold
  • Scallions

Share Notes

  • Carrots: This week in your share you will receive three pounds of beautiful carrots. We are at the point in the season where the cool weather and heavy rains of the late spring and early summer have slowed the summer squash and beans down by a week or so…they are looking great in the field and will be on on the way in abundance soon.

Recipes

Carrot Recipes

Pickled Carrot Spears with Dill
Recipe adapted from EdiblePortland, by Lucy Norris

Note: This recipe can is easily doubled to make 4 pints.

1 lb large carrots (peeled and cut into spears), or whole small carrots
2 garlic cloves (peeled)
2 whole small chili peppers
2 sprigs dill
1 tsp celery seed (1/2 tsp per jar)
1 1/4 cups white distilled vinegar
1 1/4 cups water
1/8 cup coarse salt (Kosher or pickling)
2 clean pint jars, with lids and lid rings

1. Into each clean pint jar, place one clove of garlic, one chili, one sprig of dill, and 1/2 teaspoon celery seed. Then pack carrots vertically into jars (be careful not to handle mouth of jar).

2. Meanwhile, combine vinegar, water, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour hot liquid over vegetables, leaving at least a 1/4-inch head-space. Remove air bubbles.

3. Place lid over mouth of jar, screw on cap, and then process jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes (longer for elevations over 1,000 ft).

4. Allow jars to cool, and store in a dark cupboard for at least three weeks before tasting. Once opened, store in refrigerator for up to six months (only using clean utensils when handling).

Makes 2 pints

Romaine Lettuce Recipe

Caesar Salad
From Shannon Raider, a former SIO Farmer

Note: If you like a little less intensity you can adjust the taste, just put in less garlic and anchovy.

1-2 head(s) romaine lettuce, washed and torn into salad-size pieces
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus ¾ cup olive oil
½ tin of whole anchovy fillets
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2-6 shakes of Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons Worcester sauce
1 raw egg yolk or 1 coddled egg yolk*
¼ cup lime juice
¼-½ cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

In the bottom of the bowl that you will serve your salad into, work 3 cloves of garlic into a paste with 2 tablespoons olive oil and pinch of salt using two forks. Next, add half a tin (or one of those tiny jars) of whole anchovy fillets into the garlic paste in the same fashion. Adjust anchovy amount to your liking. Then add 1 tablespoon dry mustard, 2-6 shakes of Tabasco sauce and 2 tablespoons Worcester sauce.
 Whisk in the raw egg yolk or coddled egg yolk*. Whisk in 3/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup lime juice.
 Stir in grated Parmesan Cheese (at least a 1/4 cup, but I like a lot of cheese).
 Add salt and generous amounts of ground black pepper to taste.
 Pour dressing into a jar and toss salad in the well seasoned bowl, toss with as much dressing as you like.
 Extra dressing can be stored for up to one week in the refrigerator.

*Coddling causes the egg white to cook and leaves the yolk liquid. This sterilizes the egg of any bacteria that could contaminate. Bring egg to room temperature. Place the egg in a small bowl or mug and pour boiling water around the egg until it is covered. Let stand for exactly 1 minute. Immediately run cold water into the bowl.

Potato Recipe

Herbed Potato Salad
From Francesca Benedetti, CSA Coordinator at SIO

1 1/2 pounds new potatoes
2 tablespoon chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Juice of ½ a lemon
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
4 scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

No need to peel these beautiful new potatoes, just wash and cut them into bite-size pieces. Boil them in lightly salted water until fork tender, this should take 8 to 10 minutes max. Keep an eye on them, you don’t want to over-cook them. When tender, remove potatoes from heat, drain, and set aside.

In a large bowl combine oil with white wine vinegar. Squeeze in the lemon juice, pour in the chicken broth (vegetable broth for the vegetarians among you), Dijon mustard and whisk away. The vinaigrette will become thicker. Add garlic and dill to the large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Whisk dressing until very well combined. Add potatoes to the dressing while they’re still warm, that way they’ll take on the flavors even more. Sprinkle the chopped spring onions in there and let the potato salad cool off. Serve the potato salad at room-temperature or cold.

Chef’s Corner: July

In addition to the crops SIO grows for our CSA program, we also grown and sell produce to 30-40 Portland area restaurants and kitchens, and this season at SIO we are partnering with some of those restaurants for some culinary inspiration. We have been picking the brains of some of the areas most talented chefs and restaurant owners, and have asked them to provide us with recipes and general cooking techniques based on the crops that you receive in your shares. Out at the farm we crop plan separately for both our CSA program and restaurant sales, so you don’t have to worry that part of your share may be going the restaurant down the street. For the month of July our featured restaurant is clarklewis, located in the close-in Southeast Industrial neighborhood along the Willamette River.

Dolan Lane, Chef at clarklewis

Since 2003 clarklewis has been the standard-bearer for the farm-to-table food movement in Portland. The philosophy has been rigorously maintained by Bruce Carey and Chef Dolan Lane since they took over the operation in 2007. We create delicious hand-crafted Northwest cuisine with Italian and French influences, and proudly support our local farmers.

Each year I look forward not only to what each changing season brings but building new relationships with farmers, cheese makers, ranchers and all who contribute to making Oregon the great food region it has become. This has been my first year using SIO’s produce, and to be honest they have yet to disappoint. From the flavorful and bright greens to the tender broccoli, I look forward to see what they bring this growing season and many to come.

Recipes

Roasted Beet Salad with an Oregon Blue Cheese Terrine, Arugula and Red Port Vinaigrette

Serves 4

For the beets:

3-4 med sized red beets
1 Tbl olive oil
Salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven to 375. Wash beets and toss in a bowl with the olive oil and season.
Place in a roasting pan lined with foil and cover with foil. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour or until wood skewer slides thru the beats easily. Let cool to touch and peel off skin. Cut each beet into 6-8 wedges and reserve.

For the terrine:

6 ounces Rogue River Oregon blue cheese (room temp)
3 ounces softened butter
1 tablespoon brandy
10 sprigs thyme picked and rough chopped
½ cup hazelnuts roasted, peeled and rough chopped (reserve half for finish)
Salt and pepper

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients and season to taste. Line small container with plastic wrap with excess hanging over sides. Place cheese mixture inside and fold extra plastic over to shape small rectangle. Place in fridge and set up for at least 6 hours.

For the Port Vinaigrette:

¼ cup red wine vinegar
¾ cup olive oil
½ cup red port
1 tablespoon balsamic
1 shallot minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Salt and pepper

Sauté shallot until opaque, add port and balsamic and reduce by ¾. Remove from heat and cool to room temp and whisk in remaining ingredients.

To serve:

Lightly dress roasted beets with port vinaigrette and dived onto 4 plates. Add arugula to bowl and coat with remaining vinaigrette that is left in bowl also coating lightly. Season and place on top of beets. Slice 4 pieces of terrine about 2 oz each and place on arugula.

Grilled bread can be served with or toasted walnuts.

Poached New Potatoes with Astoria Boquerones

This is simple but a great hors d’ouevre for the summer.
Astoria boquerones are a new local producer of these Spanish delights.

12 new potatoes
12 Astoria boquerones
Olive oil, for drizzling
Fleur de sel, to taste

Place 12 each new potatoes in cold salted water. Put on med heat and cook until almost tender and turn off heat a let slowly finish cooking in the warm water. Once potatoes are completely cooked remove from water and let cool.

Cut potatoes in half. Divide 12 boquerones in half length wise and place on potato, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with fleur de sel. Serve and enjoy.

Chilled Carrot Soup with Cilantro
Yield 2 Quarts

1 ½ pounds carrots, sliced
2 tablespoons cilantro chiffonade
1 onion, sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 teaspoons toasted coriander ground
4 tablespoons crème fraiche (may substitute sour cream)
2 quarts vegetables stock
Salt and pepper

Sweat onions in olive oil until translucent; add celery, carrots, coriander
and continue to sweat for 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth, bring to simmer, and cook until vegetable are tender. Puree until smooth in blender. If necessary thin soup with more vegetable broth and season to taste. Chill soup. Serve in cold bowls with a dollop of crème fraiche and chiffonade cilantro.

Categories : Blogroll, Chef's Corner, CSA Newsletter, Farm News & Updates, Recipe

CSA News: Week 8- July 6 to July 12

Posted by sio@dmin on
 July 6, 2010

This Week’s Share

  • Arugula
  • Beets (with tops)
  • Carrots
  • Fava Beans
  • Fennel
  • Fresh Garlic
  • Kale, Lacinato
  • Lettuce

Share Notes

  • Beets: Hail the arrival of beets! This week your beets have their greens attached, and make sure to keep them because they can be used in anyway you might use chard or kale.
  • Fava Beans: Favas are a “broad bean”, that, unlike most of the beans we eat, which are native to Mesoamerica, originated in the Old World. For the time they are here they make a delicious seasonal food. Warning: There is a rare genetic deficiency that affects some people and can lead to health problems if they eat fava beans. This condition is relatively rare and usually detected by childhood, but if you have never eaten fava beans before we recommend you check out www.g6pd.org to learn more.
  • Fennel: Enjoy the last spring harvest of fennel, it will return again in the fall.

Recipes

Beet Recipes

Roasted Beet and Avocado Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
From Karla Benedetti (CSA Coordinator Francesca’s Aunt)

4 beets
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons plus 7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 tablespoons fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 shallot, minced
¾ teaspoon grated orange peel
8 ounces arugula
8 ounces lettuce, chopped into ribbons or bite-sized pieces
4 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced
8 ounces goat cheese

This first part can be made 1 day ahead. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Peel beets with a vegetable peeler. Cut into ½-inch wedges. Place wedges in a large bowl and sprinkle with vinegar, 2 teaspoons oil, salt and pepper. Place beets on foil in a single layer and cover tightly with another sheets foil. Bake until  juices form, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until juices evaporate and beets are tender, tossing occasionally, about 40 minutes. Cool.

For the dressing, whisk orange juice, lime juice, shallots and orange peel in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in 7 tablespoons oil. Season dressing with salt and pepper.

Place greens and cheese in a bowl. Toss with ½-cup dressing. Mound greens (arugula and lettuce) on a platter or individual plates. Surround the greens with beets and avocados, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with the rest of the dressing and serve.

Beets with Fennel

Note: You can make this and then let it cool, and when you’re getting ready to eat, put the heat back under it to warm it up again.

4-6 beets (depending on size)
2 fennel bulbs
1 onion
Juice from 1 Lemon
1/3 cup white wine
2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Peel the beets and put into the boiling water. You’ll want to let them cook for about 15 – 20 minutes (when a knife easily goes into them). Once they’ve cooked, drain them and set them aside to cool. Cut your onion in half, and cut those halves into slices. Do the same with your fennel and your beets. Put your olive oil and butter into a medium stock pot and set it over medium heat. Add in your onion, fennel, salt, and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add in your white wine, mustard, and lemon juice. After another 5 minutes, add in your beets. Cook for another 5 minutes.


Fava Bean Recipes

Grilled Fava Beans
Recipe adapted from The Food Section, http://www.thefoodsection.com/foodsection

Olive oil, enough to coat pods generously
Salt, use generously
Fava bean pods, as many as you want to grill (I recommend a large number because they are so delicious and so easy to make)

Season the whole raw bean pods generously with salt and toss with extra virgin olive oil. Place the pods on the grill and cook until blackened and soft. As the pods pop and blister on the outside, they steam within. When they have sufficiently charred on both sides, remove the pods from the grill, let cool, and then pry them open to reveal the beans, which may be slipped from their thin skins or eaten whole, skin and all. The salty, meaty beans are as tasty as they are easy to prepare.

Fava Bean Ragout
From Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters

3 to 4 pounds fava beans
1 large clove garlic
1 small sprig rosemary
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
½ lemon

Shell the fava beans and discard the pods. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the favas, and simmer for 1 minute. Drain and cool them immediately in cold water. Pierce the outer skin with a thumbnail and squeeze each bean out of its skin with a thumb and forefinger. Peel and chop the garlic very fine. Strip the rosemary leaves off the sprig and chop very fine. Put the fava beans in a saucepan with a mixture of half water and half olive oil, enough to barely cover them. Add the garlic and rosemary, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until the beans are tender, about 5 minutes, more or less, depending on the beans. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and another grind or two of pepper, and serve. This is great with potato gnocchi or pasta.

Fennel Recipes

Pasta with Golden Fennel
From Local Flavors by Deborah Madison

Note: Member Jessica Roberts, lover of fennel, submitted this recipe to us last season. She often makes it with bulghur wheat instead of pasta, and says both ways are, “so delicious and easy!”

2 fennel bulbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (can use olive oil)
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups water, divided
1 garlic glove minced
3/4 to 1 pound fettuccine
Parmigiano-reggiano or dry Monterey jack cheese

Set aside the fennel greens. Quarter the bulbs and thinly slice. Heat a large pot of water for the pasta. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with the olive oil in a wide skillet. Add the chopped fennel and saute over high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned in places, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt. Toss with the lemon juice, then add 1 cup of water. Reduce the heat and cook, covered, until the liquid has evaporated. Add another 1/2 cup of water and continue cooking in this fashion until the fennel is very soft and deep gold in color, about 25 minutes in all. Season with pepper. If your fennel still has any greens chop up a handful (about 1/3 cup) and mix with the garlic and lemon zest and set aside (omit the fennel greens if you don’t have any to use). Add salt and the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Scoop it out and add it to the pan with the fennel and chopped greens. Taste for salt and season with pepper. Serve with the cheese, finely grated or thinly shaved over the top.

Beet with Fennel
(see above in Beet Recipes)

Categories : Blogroll, CSA Newsletter, Farm News & Updates, Recipe

CSA News: Week 7- June 29 to July 5th

Posted by sio@dmin on
 June 29, 2010

This Week’s Share

  • Broccoli
  • Carrots
  • Chard
  • Fresh Garlic
  • Lettuce
  • New Potatoes
  • Parsley, Italian Flat Leaf

Share Notes

  • Broccoli: Because of the cool spring broccoli is particularly abundant this season. Enjoy the last broccoli harvest for the spring season, it will return again in the fall.
  • Fresh Garlic: Enjoy your first distribution of mature garlic. Although the bulb has formed, the garlic has not been completely cured/dried and therefore will keep longer in your refrigerator. Use the bulb and cloves as you would cured garlic. You may notice some orange spots on the leaves which is fungal rust that does not affect the part of the garlic you eat.
  • New Potatoes: Just in time for 4th of July are the red, white, and blue new potatoes. Make a festive salad for your holiday BBQ, or just enjoy them for their brilliant hues. You may notice the potatoes are unwashed, and that is because we didn’t want to damage their delicate “new” skins. Also, make sure to keep them refrigerated as they have not yet developed a thick and protective skin.

Recipes

Broccoli Recipe

Braised Broccoli with Olives
From Local Flavors by Deborah Madison

4 small heads of broccoli or 1½ pounds broccoli sprouts
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup olive oil
1 onion (use one from last week if you still have it)
1 tablespoon chopped marjoram or oregano
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons olive paste or finely chopped Gaeta olives
Grated zest of ½ lemon

Separate the stalks from the broccoli crowns. Thickly peel and trim the stalks and chop them into ½-inch pieces. Peel the base of the broccoli crowns, then separate the florets. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil; add salt, then the broccoli. Cook for 5 minutes (even if the water returns to a boil), then scoop into a colander to drain, reserving a cup of the water. Chop into small pieces just smaller than bite-sized. Warm the olive oil in a wide skillet, then add onion, marjoram, and garlic. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring now and then, until the onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in olive paste (or chopped olives); add the broccoli and stir to coat well. Taste for salt, season with pepper, and add lemon zest. Add the reserved broccoli water and simmer gently until the broccoli is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Carrot Recipe

Carrot and Parsley Salad
From the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

3½ cup carrot, grated
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients in serving bowl. Can be made ahead and refrigerated, covered, until serving time. It will keep nicely for 2 to 3 days. Six servings. Variations: Add 1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint or chives or 1 teaspoon cumin.

Chard Recipes

Swiss Chard Stracciatella
From Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman

6 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade)
3 garlic cloves, minced
6-8 stems chard with leaves, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
2 large eggs, beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the broth and garlic in large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the chard, cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the chard is tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and simmer for 1 minute. Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Bring the soup to a boil. With a fork gradually stir the eggs into the soup. Cook briefly, stirring constantly with a fork until threads appear, less than 1 minute. Season to taste. Serve immediately, passing additional cheese at the table.

Penne with Chard and Sausage
From Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, removed from its casing and crumbled
9-12 stems chard with leaves, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1½ cups diced canned tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
1 pound penne or other similar short pasta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan, to serve

Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and sauté until brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chard and garlic and sauté until the chard is wilted and the garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth, parsley, basil, and mint. Reduce the heat and simmer while you cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente; drain well. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl. Season the pasta sauce with salt and pepper. Add the sauce to the pasta and toss well. Serve immediately, passing the Parmesan at the table.

New Potatoes Recipes

Garlic Potato Salad
From Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert

6 cups new potatoes, cubed
3 cloves garlic (or 6 scapes if you have them left), minced
1 cup scallions, minced (optional)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil cubed potatoes in water until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Combine garlic, green onions, vinegar, herbs and salt and pepper in a bowl. Add cooked potatoes and stir to coat. Chill about 3 hours before serving. Serves 6 to 8.

Sauvie Island Center Farm News

Since 2005 Sauvie Island Organics has partnered with the Sauvie Island Center (www.sauvieislandcenter.org) to bring Portland youth out to Sauvie Island to gain a greater understanding of where their food comes from. Through the Center’s innovative field trip programs over 800 students will tour our fields in the 2010 season.  We are proud to support the work the Center does and hope you will too.

Three ways you can help the Sauvie Island Center grow this summer:

1.  Wednesday, July 21, SHOP at Proper Eats Market and Café

Proper Eats will donate 10% of sales on July 21st to the Sauvie Island Center. Proper Eats is located in the historic St. Johns business district. The market brings locally grown, organic products to the greater North Portland Community. Open 9 am to 10 pm at 8638 N. Lombard Ave. www.propereats.org.

2.  Thursday, July 22, DINE at Lincoln Restaurant.

Join the Sauvie Island Center for a special evening meal prepared by James Beard nominated chef, Jenn Louis.  Come for happy hour from 5:30-7pm, or for dinner from 5:30 until 9pm.  Lincoln will donate 10% of food sales from the evening to the Sauvie Island Center.  Make your reservation today by calling 503-288-6200. 3808 N Williams, www.lincolnpdx.com.

3.  Saturday, July 24th, DANCE at the Sauvie Island Center Annual Barn Dance (with picnic and farm tour).

Bring a picnic and a blanket and the Sauvie Island Center will provide the rest…..beer and other beverages, desserts, live music and a farm tour.  This event is at Howell Territorial Park (adjacent to Sauvie Island Organics) from 5:30-8:00pm. Come for a beautiful summer evening on Sauvie Island, and an opportunity to learn more about the Sauvie Island Center’s educational programs.  Tickets are $5 per person or $10 per family.  For details and directions visit their website at www.sauvieislandcenter.org.

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