week 3 2012

WEEK 3

This week in your box you will find:

Chard

Beets and Beet Greens

Mustard

Garlic Scapes

Oregano

Mint

Cilantro

Sage

Wasn’t that a fantastic rain last night!  You could hear the sighs of relief from all over Southern Illinois!  We sat on our screened in porch throughout the storm and enjoy every second of it!

Have a great week!

Canning

Canning

Over the last few years I have begun canning veggies from the garden to have the fresh tastes in the winter.  It is really easier than I thought it would be and very rewarding in the winter when the vegetable department leave a whole lot to be desired.   If you are interested in canning I recommend the Ball Blue Book of Canning; it provides a necessary base of knowledge about canning and is full of recipes.  Many things only require a water bath to can making it very affordable to give canning a try.

Strawberries

Strawberries!

Don’t forget that it is strawberry season in Southern IL and this is a quick season.  I recommend buying way more that you can eat so that you will have plenty to put away for the summer.  I went to Blueberry Hill where they DO NOT spray their berries (thanks for the tip Amy) and bought 2 huge flats of #2 for a bargain.  I canned a gallon of strawberry sauce; which is jam that didn’t set right, but still tastes so good.  I would like to go back to get more strawberries to try it again.  This time I will follow the recipe; I have a very hard time with this skill.  It canning is not your thing freeze them. To freeze strawberries all you have to do is clean them and cut the stems off.

You can, also, pick your own berries if you are looking for a fun outing to enjoy the beautiful weather.  Remember, you are always welcome to come out to our farm and try your hand and back at hoeing or pulling up weeds.  Just give us a call to make sure we will be home.

Egg Noodles

Rolling out egg noodles

The other night we made Egg Noodles from scratch and it was a lot of fun!  Also, it wasn’t difficult and quite kid friendly (Evaline was a great help- honestly).

2 cups flour

4 eggs

1 T olive oil

1 t salt

In a bowl, mix flour and salt.  Make into a volcano and add the oil and eggs into the center.  With a fork mix it all together.  On a lightly floured surface knead until stretchy about 10 minutes.  Wrap the dough ball in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

Divide into quarters.  Roll each out into 1/16-inch-thick strip, 4 inches wide and as long as possible.  Let dry while you roll out the remaining dough.

Roll up lengthwise and cut into slices.  Unroll and drape over drying rack 30 minutes before cooking.  Cook in boiling salt water for 2 to 3 minutes.   

Evaline was great at unrolling the noodles.

 

Anne’s notes:

1.  I used a rod to dry the noodles

2.  My noodles were a little thicker; therefore I cooked them for about 5 minutes (I tasted for softness)

3. I used a scissors to cut the rolls

4. Evaline (my 2 year old) was fantastic at unrolling and hanging the noodles on the rod to dry

Sauce

In a Cuissnart (or any food processor) combine and process

1 cup arugula

a sprig of basil

3 garlic scapes

a couple sprigs of parsley

½ olive oil

¼ red wine vinegar

¼ balsamic vinegar

To serve:

Dinner is ready!

Put noodles on plate, cover with sauce and a dollop of plain yogurt. Garnish with a basil leaf.  It was really delicious and filling.  This dish received thumbs up from the whole family.

Week 2 2012

Week 2  2012

May 14, 2012 and May 17, 2012

This week you will find the box looks pretty similar to last week’s box.  We hope that you are enjoying all the fresh greens and salads!  The other night I made “Pink Orzo” for dinner and it was a big hit; especially with Evaline.  She asked Adam and I if she could please have our beets to give her bowl a brighter pink hue.  The recipe is below.

This week’s box:

Romaine Lettuce

Bibb Lettuce

Arugula

Mustard

Purple Mustard

Beets

Beet Greens (red stem)

Oregano

Cilantro

Mint

Parsley

Enjoy!

Pink Orzo

Start by cooking 2 cups of orzo. 

Clean 2-3 beets and cut into thin slices then in half.

Add the beets to the orzo AFTER you have drained the water, but while it is still very hot.  This will allow the beets to soften and give the orzo a bright pink color.

In an different skillet sauté:

1 T cooking oil

½ red onion cook until glassy

salt to taste

Add 6-7 thinly cut mushrooms; cook until tender

Lastly, toss in 3 garlic scapes (chopped into tiny pieces) and a splash of tamari

Fill everyone’s bowl with orzo and top with the mushrooms.

                                                      Evaline enjoying chard from the garden!

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