Week 1 2012

WEEK 1

The 2012 CSA Season has begun!

The delivery for the week of Monday, May 7 and Thursday, May 10

In order to help you figure out what is what in this week’s delivery I will list the veggies by in groups according to their bags.

Bag 1

Best in a Salad

Romaine Lettuce (2 types)

Bibb Lettuce

Arugula

Bag 2

Beets and Beet Greens

Cilantro

Oregano

Mint

Spinach (Monday only due to the heat)

Bag 3

These are best cooked

Yellow veined Chard

Green Mustard

Purple Mustard

This week you will feel like Spring as you dive into the greens and salad in your weekly box!  I recommend getting some tasty nuts and delicious cheese to put into your salad bowl and have it for dinner tonight.  If I was shopping right now I will pick up a bag of sliced almonds (from the Co-Op in bulk), a block of double cream Gouda and a loaf of really yummy bread (maybe head over to Cristaudos).  Toast the almonds with a little coarse sea salt.  Thinly slice the bread and toast with some Gouda.  Wash up your lettuce, make your dressing (recipe below) and toss with the almonds.  I may throw in a glass of Pinot Noir and cheers to the start of a great growing season.

As you look through your box you will find a rather large bag of greens.  Some people get a little intimidated you so many greens and are not sure what to do with them.  The greens will keep coming throughout the season, so experiment with them.  You will find they are fabulous with a little tamari (or soy sauce) steamed in a Wok, cooked in quiche, added to a stir fry, eaten raw with lemon juice and many other way.  If you search the Internet for how to cook greens, you will be amazed to see what people are doing with these extraordinary healthy little garden delights.  I will give you some recipes over the coarse of the season, but try new things on your own and I’m quite certain you will be pleasantly surprised that you do so like greens; here, there and just about anywhere, Sam I am.  Sorry, I spend a large chunk of my day reading Dr. Seuss.

On a personal note, we did have a wonderful addition to our family.

Finnean Joseph Kaszubski entered the world weighing just over 9 pounds on March 10^th under the light of a full moon and a blanket of stars, with Venus and Jupiter shining bright, so I’m told I was a little busy.  Big sister, Evaline, is very proud and loving having a baby to dote over.

Salad Dressing

Mix in a food processor (this is key for well mixed great tasting dressing) 

You are making this to taste, not by exact measurement so the quantities are approximations.  Be brave and try new flavors in your dressing.  Once you get going you will never go back to buying store bought dressings again.

Basis Dressing

½ cup Nice Tasting Olive Oil (or your choice of oil)

1/2 cup Vinegar (a blend of rice vinegar and balsamic, or cider, wine or sherry vinegar)

1-2 t sugar (to taste)

salt and pepper to taste

Store in the fridge for about a week in a jar.

Garden Variation

Start with you 1 cup basic dressing

1 cup arugula

2 garlic scapes

*2 sprigs of oregano

·      You can use any herbs you like and mix it up for variety

This makes a wonderfully thick fabulous tasting dressing

Dijon Dressing

Start with ½ cup of the basic dressing the bottom of a salad bowl, add generous tablespoons of Dijon Mustard, a dash of tarragon (fresh is better if you have it, it’s not in the box)

Honey Mustard

Add to the Dijon Dressing, brown sugar or honey to taste.  Also a tablespoon of mayonnaise makes it creamy

Monday Pick Up at Amy and Grant’s house

5pm-6pm

607 S. Glenview, Carbondale

Craig and Phil

Andrew and Meagan

Gary and Karen

Melissa

Tracy and Eric

Kathy and Joe

J.P. and Amanda

Dorcy

Amy and Grant

Kim and Brian

John and Laurie

Thursday Pick Up at Lewis School

4pm-5pm

801 S. Lewis Lane, Carbondale

Carmen and Nick

Dawn and Jeff

Brenda and Todd

Mike

Karen and Robb

Kathy Ward

Amanda and Ryan

Rachel and Nick

Tonya Collins

Week 22 Final Delivery for 2011

Week 22 2011- The Final Delivery of the 2011 Season!

Hey CSAers,

We would like to thank each of you for a wonderful and bountiful season. We hope that enjoyed preparing and eating the veggies as much as we did. For the most part, we were very happy with this year’s growing season.

We had a couple of nights of frost; which has left the garden looking quite different. The Fall is here and Jack Frost is knocking on our doors. We hope that you have a fabulous winter and survive eating store bought flavorless veggies. Remember, Spring will come again!

If you are interested in joining Clear Creek CSA for the 2012 season, I will send out CSA sign up reminders in January. However, if you already know that you are going to sign up and would like to pick up on a certain day of the week let me know.

This week in your box (bag) you will find:

Turnip Greens
Mustard Greens

In the Ziploc:
Red Kale
Arugula
Baby Lettuces
Pok Choy

Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Tomatilloes
Cilantro
Eggplant
Diakon Radishes

Tomatillo Salsa

Tomatilloes- This is the bulk of the recipe so as many as you want
Garlic- 2 to 3 cloves
Cilantro- the bunch in your box
Hot Peppers- to taste
Sweet peppers- 4 to 5 peppers
½ cup of White Vinegar or lemon juice (less is fine if you are not going to can it)
2 T Salt
1 Red Onion
½ T cumin
½ T grape seed oil (or any high hear oil)


Take the husks off of the tomatilloes, wash and put in a large pan
Remove seeds and stem from hot peppers then add to pan
Add salt, vinegar and enough water so everything is covered
Cook on medium for 25 minutes

In a skillet,
Sauté onions, garlic, sweet peppers and cumin in oil
Add to the pan once browned

Cook everything for another 10 minutes then blend the whole mixture

I canned up a gallon of this salsa last night and it is great. If you decide to can it the headspace is ¼ inch and the cook time is 15 minutes for pints.

Week 21 2011

This week you will find some new things.

Diakon Radishes (roasting radishes) About 2 inches in diameter and creamy white.
Red Kale
Green Kale
Mustard Greens
Pok Choi
Rosemary
Basil
Cherry Tomatoes
Tomatillos
Hot Peppers
Sweet Peppers
Eggplant


Vegetable of the Week: Daikon Radish
From our cookbook: although daikon radishes are actually members of the far-flung cabbage family, they look like white, overgrown carrots and taste like mild radishes. Unchecked, daikon radishes have been known to weigh in at 50 pounds.

Daikon Basics

Daikon is a variety of radish, but unlike the more usual salad radishes, needs a much longer growing time, and has a milder flavor. Most varieties are long, white roots, shaped very much like carrots. A few varieties are round like a turnip, and about 4 inches across. Daikon originates in Asia, and is most commonly used in east Asian cuisine. There are Asian recipes for Daikon, or it can be used similarly to other root vegetables in soups, stews, salads and stir-fries. A 3 ounce serving of fresh daikon is only 18 calories, but contains 34 percent of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin C.

To store, wrap the unwashed root in a plastic bag and it will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. You can cut off what you need and return the rest to the refrigerator. It just needs scrubbing, not peeling. For longer storage, grate and dry, or slice thinly and pickle.

RECIPES


Daikon Radish and Kale Soup

http://caloriecount.about.com/daikon-radish-kale-soup-recipe-r629961

Kale Salad

12 oz kale
13 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 quart boiling water
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil

1. Rinse Kale; tear leaves into about 1-inch pieces, discarding tough ribs and veins.
2. In a 5 to 6 quart pot over high heat, bring about 1 quart of water to boil. Add Kale and cook until slightly wilted,3 to 5 minutes. Drain
3. When cool, squeeze excess liquid from kale and place in bowl.
4. Combine soy sauce and oil and pour over kale. Serve at room temperature.

(Serves 6)

Miso soup with tofu and grated daikon

6 cups water
¼ cup miso (Soybean paste available at the Food Coop-I like red miso, my daughter likes golden)
½ cup firm tofu
½ cup grated Daikon
1/3 cup sliced green onion

Boil the water and miso until blended. Add the tofu and Daikon, cook briefly. Serve with green onion as garnish. (can add Tamari, fish sauce, Mirin--rice cooking wine, balsamic vinegar, or crumbled seaweed to taste)

Oven-Roasted Jerk Eggplant

Eggplant - two whole ones, stems removed, sliced vertically into 10 to 12 'fillets' (discard skinny end pieces that are mostly skin)
Jamaican Wet-Jerk Marinade - 1 1/2 to 2 cups (recipe below)

Breadcrumbs - 1 cup crisp, fine
Nutri-grain or other no-sugar-added corn or wheat flake cereal, 1/2 cup crushed
Flour - 1/4 cup unbleached white all-purpose
Nutritional Yeast - 1/4 cup
Paprika - 1 teaspoon
A touch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable Oil - 1 1/2 teaspoons
Eggs - 2 large, beaten
Cooking spray or olive oil spray

Place the sliced eggplant in cold salted water, weighting them down so they stay submerged. Soak for 30 to 45 minutes. Drain well, rinse, and pat dry.

Rub the Jamaican Wet-Jerk Marinade into the cut sides of the eggplant, making sure every surface is well coated. Place the jerk-rubbed eggplant in a non reactive container with a cover or in zippered freezer bags. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 450F. At the same time, place a baking sheet in the oven.

Remove the jerk-marinated eggplant from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.

Combine the breadcrumbs, cereal flakes, flour, nutritional yeast, paprika, and salt and pepper in a large, shallow dish. Stir in the vegetable oil.

In a separate bowl, combine the beaten eggs and 1/4 cup water, preferably spring or filtered (vegans, use rice or soy milk, omitting the eggs and water). Set aside.

Line a tray with waxed paper. Working with one eggplant slice at a time, dip the eggplant into the crumb mixture, then into the egg mixture (or soy milk), then back into the crumbs. At this point, the eggplant slices will be rather huge and bristly with crumbs. (This is a somewhat messy process, especially when it comes to the egg-then-redip phase; you may have to assist with your fingertips, pressing the crumbs into any bald spots so the entire piece is coated with two layers of crumb and one of egg.) Place the crumbed piece on the prepared tray. Repeat the breading until all of the eggplant is coated.

Lower the oven temperature to 375‹F and remove the hot baking sheet from the oven. Quickly but thoroughly spray it with cooking spray or oil (or give it a swipe with a paper-towel dipped in vegetable oil). Place the coated eggplant on the hot baking sheet. Bake until somewhat browned, 30-40 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully turn the slices. Return to the oven and bake until crisp and golden, about another 25 minutes. Serve hot.

The following recipe is rather long and involved, maybe most appropriate for a special occasion. For a simple way to prepare eggplant and many of the squash in your box, cut into 1/2 inch slices, brush with olive oil or butter and garlic, and grill on the barbeque.

From Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon.

Week 20 2011

Oct. 11th and Oct. 14th

WOW! What a gorgeous weekend! The sun was shining, there was a slight breeze and the nights were chilly. It was perfect. We were able to get a lot of work done on the farm. All the sweet taters are out of the ground and nestled in for curing. The grass in the orchard and blueberry patch is mowed, the irrigation in up and running (again) and the fall garden in looking great. Grandma Jeanie and Grandpa Butch were a huge help this weekend- thanks!
We are expecting a frost soon here in So. IL; it usually comes around the 15th. We are planning on covering up many of the plants to keep them going until the end of the CSA. We hope this will be successful.

Take care and enjoy the Fall,
Anne

hot peppers
sweet peppers
eggplant
greens
sweet potatoes
winter squash
basil- genevose and globe
oregano
tomatilloes
tomatoes

Week 19

Oct. 4th and Oct. 7th

I'm sorry, I forgot to post a blog this week

Boxes included:

hot peppers
sweet peppers
eggplant
greens
sweet potatoes
winter squash
basil- genevose and globe
rosemary
oregano
tomatilloes
tomatoes

Delivery 18

September 28th and 3oth 2011

This week in the box:

Hot Peppers (recipe below for hot sauces)
Sweet Peppers
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Winter Squash
Mini Pumpkins (edible)
Greens
Mustard Greens
Radishes
Pimentos
Green Peppers
Basil (3 types Global, Thai and Genevose)
Oregano
Dill
Rosemary

Have a great day!!

Hot Pepper Sauce recipes

http://www.pepperfool.com/recipes/hotsauce_idx.html

http://southernfood.about.com/od/chilepeppers/r/blbb349.htm

http://www.instructables.com/id/Roasted-Hot-Pepper-Sauce-original-recipe/

you may have to copy and paste these I forgot to link them

Week 17

17^th Delivery

September 20, 2011 and September 23, 2011

UPCOMING EVENT

Join us for a tour of Clear Creek Farm and a visit to the Heil’s Sorghum Farm.

We will begin the tour of our farm around 10:30 then we will travel over to the Heil’s Sorghum Farm to watch part of the process of making sweet sorghum syrup. He will begin crushing the cane in the early morning and hopefully we will make it over for the cooking down process. They helped us make our first batch of sweet sorghum syrup last weekend. Our canes made 4 gallons of juice; which resulted in 3 pints of syrup. We had a lot of fun learning about the process.

When: Saturday, September 24th

Time: 10:30

Where: Our Farm then the Heil’s Sorghum Farm in Cobden

What to bring: Water bottles, a snack, mud-loving clothes and shoes

We hope to see you on Saturday!

This week’s veggies:

Tomatoes

Hot peppers

Sweet Peppers

Tomatillos

Ornamental Gourds

Winter Squash- Delecata and Long Pie Pumkin

Eggplant

Herb Bundle

Oregano

Basil- Globe, Genevose, and Thai

Sage

Parsley

Healthy Eggplant Recipes for those of you looking for something to so with your Eggplant!

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/healthy_eggplant_recipes

Eggplant Feta Phyllo Pies from Martha

http://www.marthastewart.com/314507/eggplant-feta-phyllo-pies?czone=food/produce-guide-cnt/summer-produce-recipes&backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/summer-eggplant-recipes#slide_3

Poor Man's Steak (Or a Vegetarian's Delight)

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/poor_mans_steak_bistecche_dei_poveri.html