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Friday June 17, 2011
Greetings Farmers' Market CSA Members,
This week I am very fortunate to have both my daughter Maggie and a CSA member contribute to the newsletter. Maggie researched the recipes and Leah Wolff-Pellingra, a CSA member with an amazing blog called Noshing Confessions (www.noshingconfessions.com) has created the solution to the tragedy of “CSA Box Overload”. One of the many things that wakes me at 3:00 AM is the fear that too many members are overwhelmed upon receiving their weekly box.
Well, Leah has the answer - Enjoy!
Remember we have beautiful organic cotton Denison Farm canvas market bags(designed by Larry Winchester, a Troy CSA member) for sale this year. For you CSA members, the cost is $12 and for non-members, the cost is $16. If you would like to purchase a bag, please email me to let me know and send a check to Denison Farm - 333 Buttermilk Falls Road, Schaghticoke, NY 12154. You will be able to pick it up at either the Troy or Saratoga Farmers’ Market or at the farm (anytime!).
This week in your box, you will most likely find:
Chinese Cabbage, Lettuce, Sugar Snap Peas, Bok Choi, Turnips, Broccoli, and Parsley
Enjoy your share and have a great week– Justine
“Meals are about to arrive at my house. Do I know the ingredients that will be in my box tomorrow? Not really. The weather has taken a beating on Upstate New York this year, so I'm sure even the Denisons are just finding out today what produce can make the harvest. Do I have a general plan, a modus operandi, if you will? You betcha.
Step 1: Triage
What needs to get eaten right now? What will not last the week, cannot be frozen, will spoil first? Usually, this involves mesculin mix, heads of lettuce, and perhaps bok choy. My friend Dani from Moderate Oven washes the mesculin in her salad spinner first thing, then places it back in her crisper, wrapped in paper towels (plastic bags are guaranteed to rot your mesculin, especially whichever poor leaves are squished into the bottom).
As to the rest, some will freeze beautifully and some have a long refrigerator life. An example of the later is your root veg. Your root veg tops, however, are another story. Which brings us to...
Step 2: Divide and Conquer
Eat your turnip tops. And your radish tops. And your beet greens. Serve them up with their crunchy root counter parts or separately.
My favorite method: cover them in water, swish, drain and rinse thoroughly. Chop, then, saute quickly in olive oil, with garlic, salt and a bit of red pepper flakes. Serve as is or place in the bottom of a quiche aka frozen parve pie shell. Alternatively, add them raw 5 minutes before you want to serve a soup or serve them judiciously mixed into your mesculin, tossed through with olive oil, salt and sugar, with their roots finely julienned or shaved on top.
Step 3: Everything In Its Place
The key to cooking a CSA share is to not add bok choy to your macaroni and cheese. The key is to take a given ingredient, and use it where it naturally belongs in your family's food culture. In our family, bok choy belongs in a stir fry. Cilantro belongs in salsa or in a tortilla. Swiss chard belongs in a soup or a frittata. Young turnips belong in our bellies, be they raw, mashed or roasted.
What if you've never cooked with or even seen an ingredient before? Look it up on a site you trust, be it here on Noshing Confessions, or over at America's Test Kitchen or Food Network. All of the vegetables from last year's Denison Farm's harvest can be found tagged here on Noshing Confessions. If there's an odd ingredient in the weekly box, I'll get a new recipe up that I enjoy it in as soon as possible (do I have a celeriac soup recipe for you :).
Bottom line: Trust yourself. You will make mistakes. You can always try again. If it doesn't work out? Order pizza and be done.
Step 4: Wrap Up and Store
Remember triage, when we figured out what would keep? This is because there will come a time when your family will not be able to eat all that arrives at your door. Then, you will blanch, brine, pickle, freeze, can or just donate a food at your drop off site, knowing another family will have better use for it than yours.
I know how to blanch, chill and freeze well. I love stocking up on berries, green beans, zucchini and corn to take us through the winter. I'm learning how to can, preserve and pickle this year. I'll keep you posted.
Final Step: Don't take it too seriously. It is food, it is delicious. You will get it right, or you won't. Your 4 year old will eat it or she won't. Have fun. It's worth it. “
Braised Bok Choi www.marthastewart.com
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 8 heads baby bok choy, trimmed, and halved lengthwise if large
* 1/4 cup homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock, or water
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add bok choy, and cook, turning once, until just beginning to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Add stock and soy sauce. Cover; reduce heat to medium, and simmer until bok choy is tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer bok choy to a serving platter, reserving cooking liquid in skillet.
Cook liquid over medium-high heat until it is reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour over bok choy, and serve.
Sugar Snaps With Toasted Almonds www.marthastewart.com
* 1/2 cup whole almonds, (2 1/2 ounces)
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 pound fresh sugar snap peas, ends trimmed
* 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, (1 lemon)
* 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread almonds on a baking sheet; place in oven. Toast until almonds are golden and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool completely. Transfer half the almonds to a cutting board, and chop coarsely. Place remaining half in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade; process until almonds are finely chopped, 15 to 20 seconds. Add coarsely chopped almonds, and stir to combine.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add peas, lemon juice, salt, and pepper; stir until all ingredients are well combined and heated through, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds, and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving bowl, and serve.
Chinese Cabbage
Chinese Cabbage, commonly known as Napa Cabbage, is both an early Summer and Fall crop for it tolerates frost well. It is very versatile and can be eaten both raw and cooked.
Chop raw Chinese Cabbage into green salads.
Substitute Chinese Cabbage in traditional coleslaw.
For an Asian style salad. Toss chopped cabbage with grated carrots, chopped scallions, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce (Tamari).
Chinese Cabbage cooks quickly. Steam for 3-5 minutes, or until leaves are wilted down but remain a little crisp.
When substituting Chinese cabbage for regular cabbage, reduce the cooking time by 2 minutes.
Chinese Cabbage is great in stir-fry recipes and is a main ingredient for egg rolls.
Stir-fry Chinese cabbage alone or with onion, toasted sesame oil, and tamari, or add it chopped toward the end of your mixed vegetable stir-fry.
Chinese Cabbage is wonderful in soups, fried rice, and mashed potatoes (and potatoes mashed with turnips and parsley).
Store unwashed and unpeeled Chinese cabbage in a plastic bag (loosely closed) in the crisper of your refrigerator. It may last up to 2 weeks!
Parsley
Think of Parsley as a green and toss it into a salad with the other greens.
Use it as a green in stir-fries. Add it toward the end of cooking to retain color, flavor, and nutrition.
Chop it into just about any chilled pasta, vegetable salad, soups or stews (adding toward the end of cooking).
Use either fresh or dried parsley in tomato sauce.
Parsley Oil
Salt
1-2 large bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley, rinsed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath, set aside. Pick 2 tablespoons of parsley leaves; wrap in damp paper towel, and refrigerate. Add remaining parsley leaves to boiling water; cook until bright green, about 20 seconds. Drain, and transfer to ice bath to stop cooking.
Transfer parsley to a food processor, and process until pureed. Transfer puree into a double thickness of cheesecloth; squeeze out all juice into a small bowl. Discard leaves. Add olive oil to parsley juice; season with salt. Store oil in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 1 week. (www.marthastewart.com)
Relevant Recipes from the website:
Chinese Cabbage (Asian Chicken Salad)
Basil Broccoli Penne
Spinach Broccoli Enchiladas and Spanish Rice
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