CSA Week 10 - Recipes

APPLE SALSA!

2 tart apples
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 fresh jalapeno chile
1 fresh Anaheim chile
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
Handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 cup (2 ounces) walnuts, coarsely chopped and lightly toasted
2 tablespoons peeled and finely slivered fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cut the apples from the cores, leaving the skins intact, and cut the fruit into 1/4-inch cubes.

Toss the apple pieces with the lime juice and set aside.

Cut the chilies in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and white ribs. Slice them thinly. Add to the apples. Add the onion, cilantro, walnuts, ginger and salt and mix thoroughly.

CSA - Week 10

August 19th- The abundance in the garden instills in us a powerful sense of gratitude and humility, and simultaneously keeps us on our feet as there’s always more to do to keep it coming! Our community of apprentices continue to learn the many lessons of food production. Since I arrived at Camp Joy I have had the privilege and responsibility of caring for my own section of the garden and I have had the opportunity to experiment with cheese making and preserving. With the guidance and support of seasoned homesteaders I have had many successes (as well as valuable failures).

It is always exciting to experience the first moments of the season. It seems like there have been many of those moments lately. Most recently, we canned our first round of apple juice. It was an early morning gathering in the kitchen as we came together as a community to cut into barrels of apples. It was a lengthy process pressing the apples and canning many gallons of juice on the stove. However, I know that the Camp Joy family will be grateful for apple juice throughout the winter months!

CSA - Week 9

Post by: Kristie

Apple Quotes to Ponder...

"With an apple I will astonish Paris."
-Paul Cezanne

"We are born believing. A man bears beliefs as a tree bears apples."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree."
-Martin Luther

"If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe."
-Carl Sagan

"When the apple is ripe it will fall."
-Proverb

"I tell you folks, all politics is applesauce."
-Will Rogers

"Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why."
-Bernard Baruch

"You never know how many apples there are in a seed."
-Source Unknown

"Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples don't count on harvesting golden Delicious."
-Source Unknown

What's in your basket this week? bush beans, plums, apples, garlic, onions, carrots, cucumbers, summer squash, tomatoes, lettuce, kales, bok choi, and parsley.

CSA - Week 9 Recipes

Summer Squash Oatmeal Cookies

1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
2 c. summer squash, grated
3 1/2 c. oatmeal
1 c. raisins, optional
1 c. nuts, optional

Beat butter and sugar together well. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients together and add creamed mixture. Stir in summer squash, oatmeal, raisins and nuts. Drop onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes.


Chilled Cucumber Soup

Two 14 to 16 ounce cucumbers
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more to taste
1 small scallion, trimmed and chopped
2 cups buttermilk or 1 cup milk plus 1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon minced fresh mint
1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
1 teaspoon minced flat-leaf parsley
Large pinch cayenne pepper plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste (optional)

Peel the cucumbers, trim the ends, cut in half lengthwise and scrape out the watery area where seeds would be. Coarsely chop. Crush the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt into a paste with the flat side of a chef's knife. Combine the cucumber, garlic, remaining salt, and the buttermilk in a blender and process until completely smooth. Add half of each of the herbs and the cayenne and pulse several times to combine. Transfer soup to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour or until thoroughly chilled. Before serving, season with salt, pepper, and lemon if desired. Divide among 4 soup bowls and sprinkle with the remaining herbs. Serve.

CSA Week 8

Post By: Ivo

Its pretty cool right now as the garden teems with edibles. Just walking along the paths watching everything ripen is an adventure. It was so sweet planting onion thinking to myself "they're so fragile, how will they survive?" and so we have beautiful bulbs bursting out of the ground. I was pretty astounded at this weeks management of the CSA. I loved organizing and distributing all the summer squash/cucumbers for each person, feeling excited thinking about how they would feel finding them.

What went in your basket: Apples, green beans, onions, plums, garlic, carrots, cucumbers, summer squash, cabbage, kale, lettuce, fennel, basil, bok choy, cutting greens.

CSA Week 8 - Recipes

Spicy Bok Choy in Garlic Sauce
1 pound bok choy
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

1. Trim off the ends of the bok choy and chop, keeping the white parts separate from the green as they will need to cook longer. Rinse and spin or pat dry. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl or cup, stir together the vegetable oil and sesame oil. In a separate larger bowl, stir together the water, ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Set this aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the bok choy stems first; stir fry for a few minutes or until the pieces start to turn a pale green. When stems are almost cooked, add the leaves; cook and stir until leaves are wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the bok choy to a serving dish. Pour the sauce into the skillet or wok, and set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Pour over the bok choy and toss lightly to coat.

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 :)