Hi folks!! My Amish friends are starting to provide me with a few new items this week that you might possibly find in your share. Some of my newest produce..Carrots, Detroit beets and green English peas are starting to be provided by our family of farmers. I'm excited about being able to provide you with new produce as we receive it. I'm not duplicating pictures from previous post so if you find produce in your share that’s not listed below please click on the link provided below  to view other pictures of produce you could have received this week.

Thanks,  Tommy

see our last blog entry

(French Breakfast Radishes)

(Detroit Beets)

(Garlic Scapes)

(Carrots)

Hi everyone...

We apologize for being just a tad behind on your identification postings.  From here on out we promise to do better.  Below you will find some pictures (very helpful) on identifying your produce.  We hope this helps.

Now a few ground rules.  First off, I will not post every single thing in the box every week.  If I have covered it already, I may just mention it (or may not) and it will be found in previous posts.  Also, I may not mention really common things… like broccoli… pretty much everyone knows what that is and what it looks like.  I will try to tell you varieties of things so you can become familiar with them and learn, for example, all the different types of tomatoes. 

Also, just because an item is pictured here does not necessarily mean you were supposed to get it in your box.  Sometimes we don't have enough of one thing to give it to every group or share type.  So... as a result... we mix it up.  Even within the same group, your friend's box might be different than yours.  For example, not everyone will get all the four types of lettuce pictured below.  We expect that by serendipity, you will eventually get some of everything.  We have to have the ability to remain flexible, otherwise the system won't work.  Please do not flood us with e-mails saying "I didn't get cauliflower" because your friend may not have gotten brocolli.  Ask them... maybe they'll want to trade!!

PLEASE SEE OUR SEPARATE POST ON HERBS FOR HERB IDENTIFICATION.

One last thing... www.epicurious.com and www.foodsubs.com are oustanding references for cooking.  One is awesome for food identification and the other you just type in your raw materials and it gives you recipes... HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to use these links.

We hope this really enhances your food experience.

Tim

Fresh Strawberries

Chandler, Honey O's,

Early Glows, etc.

Just eat 'em...

Speckled ButterCrunch Lettuce

(not sure of the seed)

 

 

 

 

Bok Choi

Wonderful in stir fry

 

 

 

Watercress

Look here for more info: Watercress on Wikipedia

Mustard Greens

Spicey, tangy green.  Good in salads sparingly.

More on Mustard Greens

You can tell it from the kale by biting it off a little raw... it will be a little hot like a Radish.

Kale

Serve boiled, sauteed or marinated

Swiss Chard

(Cook like spinach)

Detroit Red Beets

The greens are WONDERFUL as salad material.  Eat these babies sliced raw.  If you have never tried a fresh beet... do not miss out!

Napa Cabbage

aka Loose Leaf cabbage and Chinese Cabbage

Wonderful for stir frying, sautee is good too.

We have had a couple of questions regarding how much food we are getting and if we have "extra" food to sell, why is it not automatically included in the box.  The question goes something like this. "Aren't we supposed to be sharing in the bounty?"  I will try to explain our reasoning below.

A small share = 1/4 bushel of food.

A small box = 1/2 bushel of space (look at the label on the box)

This is done so we can ship larger items or special orders in the box too, however, we tend to like to deliver fuller boxes because it looks better.

QUESTION: Are the boxes being delivered pretty full?

If they are, then our members are getting twice as much as they are contractually supposed to get.  Over a season, we usually provide at least 50% more food than people sign up for.  This is historically true every year for the past 7 years.

The same logic applies with the big boxes.

Additionally we grow for restaurant, country club and caterer sales too.  Sometimes they don't always take what we anticipate they will take.  We put these things up for extra sales.

Beyond this, we take any other overages that spoil and feed my livestock with it to recover part of the cash.  Now we could deliver all of this food to the CSA customers, but then we would get complaints that people can't eat that much food and to please stop delivering it.  A person can only eat so much cabbage, and for that matter, so many strawberries.  Very few people ever take those berries and actually make jam or jelly... they would probably rot and they would throw them away.  People might feel like they are getting more value, but that would only be a feeling in most cases.

It's a delicate balance and we find it difficult to please everyone.  Most people would be surprised how many people quit because the amount of food they get is too much.  At the same time we get people disappointed.  We have yet how to figure out the dilemma of making everyone happy.

If we consistently provide boxes that are full then, in our minds, this fulfills our commitment to pass on "the bounty." 

We hope this explanation meets everyone's satisfaction and clears up any confusion.  I there is something we haven't considered, of course, we want to hear from you.

Regards,

Tim

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Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar

Ingredients

• 1 bunch beets with
• greens
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (optional)

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 3 teaspoons caraway seed
• 1 large head cabbage, cut into small wedges
  1 pound Polish kielbasa

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound spaghetti

Ingredients

• 8 ounces spaghetti
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced into thin rings
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  - cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 cups broccoli chopped
• 2 cups cauliflower chopped
• 2 cups julienned carrots
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup onions, chopped
• 30 ounces chopped fresh broccoli
• 8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 dash paprika

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) fresh chopped broccoli
• 4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (1 pound) loaf processed cheese food, cubed
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup water

       Ingredients

• 3 pints fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 cups whipped heavy cream

Directions

Swiss chard

Summer, Autumn

Description: Swiss chard’s dark green, ruffled leaves are similar to spinach but chewier. Chard stems come in many colors all have similar flavor and cooking properties.

Selection: Choose bunches with dark green leaves and vividly colored stems. Leaves and stems should feel crisp and smell fresh and earthy.

Storage and handling: Store in a loosely sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator, excess moisture removed, for 3-5 days. Before using, cut leaves away from the stems. Wash leaves in a series of bowls of cold water. Rinse stems and trim blemishes.

Preparation: Swiss chard stems are tougher than the leaves and require longer cooking time. Boil stems, cut into 1- to 2-inch lengths, about 8 minutes. Add leaves after the stems have cooked 5 minutes.

Serving suggestions: Very tender young chard leaves may be added to green salads. Cooked chard leaves may be chilled and dressed with vinaigrette. Add raw sliced stems or leaves to soups; allow 10 minutes to cook stems, 4-5 minutes for leaves. Marinate blanched stems in a vinaigrette and serve at room temperature. Combine cooked greens with eggs, milk, bread, and cheese and bake (SIS, p. 203).

Nutrients (when boiled): Vitamins A, C, E, K; calcium, iron, potassium; lutein and zeaxanthin antioxidants; fiber.

ROASTED KOHLRABI

1 1/2 pounds fresh kohlrabi, ends trimmed, thick green skin sliced off with a knife, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic (garlic is optional, to my taste)
Salt
Good vinegar

Set oven to 450F. Toss the diced kohlrabi with olive oil, garlic and salt in a bowl. (The kohlrabi can be tossed with oil and seasonings right on the pan but uses more oil.) Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and put into oven (it needn't be fully preheated) and roast for 30 - 35 minutes, stirring every five minutes after about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with a good vinegar (probably at the table so the kohlrabi doesn't get squishy).

Have you ever eaten a kohlrabi? These little sputnik-shaped vegetables come in green or purple, can be eaten raw or cooked, and taste a lot like broccoli stems. The word kohlrabi is German for cabbage turnip (kohl as in cole-slaw, and rübe for turnip) though kohlrabi is more related to cabbage and cauliflower than to root vegetables. We usually eat them raw, just peeled, sliced and added to a salad, but they are also delicious cooked and are often used in Indian cuisine.

Have you ever tried mustard greens? Related to kale, cabbage, and collard greens, they are the peppery leafy greens of the mustard plant and are used frequently in Chinese, Japanese, and Indian cooking. I find them less bitter than kale or collard greens, and more peppery, like arugula. Just one taste of a raw leaf and you'll know it came from a mustard plant. Cooked, they taste a lot like spinach, but with more body. I like them with a dash of dark sesame oil, but you could easily just cook them up with a little garlic and olive oil.

Ingredients

• 18  pounds  mustard greens (about 4 bunches)
• 2  quarts water
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1  tablespoon  seasoned salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 5  thyme sprigs
• 2  (8-ounce) smoked turkey wing drumettes, skinned
• 1  bay leaf
• 1 1/4  pounds  turnips (about 8 medium), peeled and quartered

Preparation

Trim stems from mustard greens. Coarsely chop leaves. Combine greens, water, and remaining ingredients in a large stockpot; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until tender. Remove thyme sprigs, turkey wings, and bay leaf