CSA Week 7 - Recipe

Nectarines are usually not long in the basket but if you find yourself with extras I just made this cobbler and it was amazing! The first blackberries of the season are the best. Get out there and capture nature's plump, slowly flavored to perfection berry. As soon as the real heat hits they will turn fast and won't be nearly as special.

Ingredients For filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-2 pounds mixed stone fruit, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges and fresh blackberries (8 cups total)* vary the fruit based on preference or what you have.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

For topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal (not stone-ground)
2 teaspoons baking powder
Rounded 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream, divided
2 teaspoon sugar

Equipment:
Your favorite cookie cutter (2 to 2 1/2 inches)

Preparation
Make filling:
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter a 3-qt glass or ceramic baking dish.

Toss together filling ingredients in a large bowl. Spread out in baking dish and bake until just bubbling, 10 to 20 minutes. Make topping while filling bakes: Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt, then blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 cup cream and stir just until a dough forms.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and lightly dust with flour, then roll out with a floured rolling pin into a 1/2-inch-thick round (about 10 inches in diameter). Cut out biscuits with lightly floured cutter. If necessary, gather scraps and re roll once, then cut out more biscuits.

Arrange biscuits 1/2 inch apart over hot filling. Brush tops with remaining Tbsp cream, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake until topping is golden and fruit is bubbling in center, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool to warm, 30 minutes.

I used slightly less sugar and drizzled the top with honey too!

Serve with your favorite variety of cream.

My daughter had so much fun making this with me. Berry picking, mixing and rolling dough. Hands on :)

CSA Week 7

New this week: Snap Beans!

Fresh from our hands to yours...

Apples, Basil, Carrots, Cilantro, Cucumbers, Garlic, Kale, Lettuce, Nectarines, Onions, Plums & Summer Squash.

These crisp, tasty beans sprawl the ground and call us to search way down low for their hidden abundance. They are tasty fresh or lightly steamed. They accompany almost any dish. Your favorite herbs can take them to the next level. Garlic green beans are a tried and true. Saute and enjoy, ymmm! Summer will bring you more beans than you thought you could ever eat. We will share more of our recipes and preserving ideas with you in the future.

We hope that you get a chance to explore the garden when you pick up, the first part of Thursday or the second Saturday of each month from 10-1. It is fantastically cared for this year. Our crew is really loving this land and it shows. There is something magical about watching the transformation throughout not only the seasons but the years. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication.

CSA Week 6!

Post by: Ivo

Thoughts of an apprentice...
Carrying the bin filled with the Swiss chard I just harvested. I think about how these are all being distributed for our share holders. To see my efforts… and the efforts of the chard…they had to go. I think about all the leaves which had leaf miner (Chard struggles with this pest) on them that I picked off; there were just as many leaves picked that had leaf miner as were picked for the CSA. Some of the plants which only had a few leaves still left that were good had to be picked to meet our demand; are those plants going to be ok for the following harvest? Did they get enough water? “I’ve been watering pretty well” I assure myself. Regardless of my efforts to mulch our good crop some plants become vulnerable to a fungus at its roots. Whenever gofers tunnel under our beds (too bad their tunnels run through my entire section) they expose the roots stressing them further. The tunnels and leaf miner are indirect causes of this fungus. Most persevere. I have to see what will happen as the season progresses and feel free. Nothing serious, just a few thoughts of an apprentice.

What's in your basket this week? ... garlic, kale, parsley, lettuce, carrots, apples, summer squash, basil, cilantro, plums, snap peas, onion, dill, cucumbers, cut greens, chard, and nectarines.

CSA Week 6 - Recipes

I am about to attempt to use everything you received in your CSA basket in a very delicious way!

Lets start with a Camp Joy salad! Cut up lettuce, grate carrots, cut up snap peas/cucumbers/cutting greens. Mix together. Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard(Dijon preferred) and 1/4 cup water. Put the vinaigrette in a blender along with some basil and blend until smooth. Pour over salad.

Saute garlic and summer squash in olive oil. Add dill towards the end.

Steam kale/chard/onion.

Cilantro and parsley may be used as you desire (i.e. sprinkle over any of the dishes)

For dessert cut up apples, plums and nectarines!

P.S. On any given day this is what we could be eating! ; )

CSA Week 5

Posted by: Kristie

What's in your basket this week? sugar snap peas, summer squash, kale, lettuce, dill, cilantro, parsley, cabbage, carrots, garlic, basil, plums, rosemary, and chard.

"The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse." - Helen Keller

And it is so true in farming, as well.


One difficulty that became a blessing: In the spring, the deer were sneaking into the farm at night. Among the crops that they delighted in were the godetia - in one night, they mowed all the developing blooms. Such travesty!! We thought the plants wouldn't recover. But lo and behold, with much patience, they did eventually bloom. Because of the deer's munching, the godetia's blooms were delayed late enough in the season so that they could play a greater role in our cut flower CSA. How helpful! We hope you're enjoying the flowers. =)

CSA Week 5 - Recipes

Tofu and Cabbage Salad with Peanut Dressing

Salad:
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 lb block firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch strips lengthwise
1 medium head green or red cabbage, shredded or chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-sized cubes
2/3 cup chopped green onions

Dressing:
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp soy sauce (light or regular)

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Pat tofu strips dry, then sauté until light brown (about 4 minutes per side). Combine vegetables in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, mix dressing ingredients with 2 tbsp water (puree in blender for a smoother texture). Pour 3/4 dressing over vegetables and toss. Top salad with tofu strips and drizzle on remainder of dressing.

ZUCCHINI CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
(Makes about two dozen)

1 egg, beaten
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
Combine above ingredients a in large bowl.

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
Combine above ingredients in a separate, small bowl and blend into liquid mixture.

1 cup finely shredded zucchini
12 oz chocolate chips
Stir these into other ingredients, mix well. Drop by spoonful onto greased baking sheet, and flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake at 350°, 10 to 15 minutes.

CSA Week 4

Post by: Ivo

How to tell you this...I wanted to go to a farm to see how to do this and that. Its so great and fun. All the energy, patients, and songs to which we sing so far into our work is reflected so that you can see and taste it to be sure.



What went into your basket: Snap peas, plums, garlic, Logan berries, lettuce, cilantro, dill, kale, carrots, summer squash, basil, parsley, chard, cutting greens, rosemary.

CSA Week 4 - Recepies

Basil & Garlic Pesto Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Equipment needed: A food processor (Blender perhaps?)
  

Method

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Makes 1 cup.

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.