CSA 2014 Week #7
- Chard
- Broccoli
- Zucchini
- Lettuce
- Sweet onion
- Green onions
- Carrots
- Blueberries
- Tomatoes
- Strawberries
- Cucumbers
Vegetable Handling and Preparation Tips: 
TOMATOES: DO NOT refrigerate tomatoes. Place them out of the sun at room temperature. Some of our tomatoes are a day or two from being fully ripe, but will be perfect with a little patience.
To remove tomato skins, place the whole tomato in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon, dip in cold water, and remove skins.
Tomatoes can be frozen whole. Core tomatoes, place on cookie sheet, & freeze. When solid, place in a freezer bag & replace in freezer. Remove as many tomatoes as needed at a time. Thawed tomatoes are good for cooking and pureed dishes. Salsas, sauces, & purees also freeze well.
Recipes!
One of our farmer’s market customers, MJ Riehl, sent us this recipe for a chard gratin, it sounds amazing!…
Chard (or Spinach) and Onion Gratin
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (divided)
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (from crustless French bread)
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (divided)
- 18oz chard leaves (remove stems), cut into large pieces
- 8 oz onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole or low-fat milk
- salt and freshly ground pepper
OPTIONAL:
- Add ground ¼ tsp nutmeg to sauce mixture after milk is added
- Use Panko bread crumbs when in a hurry
Yield: 8 servings
- Preheat oven to 400° degrees
- Melt 3 Tbsp butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add pine nuts; sauté 1 minute
- Add bread crumbs; sauté until golden, about 5 minutes
- Cool briefly. Mix in 1/2 cup of cheese and set aside
- Toss 1/2 of chard into large non-stick pot over high heat until wilted, adding 1 Tblsp water if necessary, about 4 minutes. Transfer to sieve set over a bowl and press to drain.
- Repeat with remaining chard
- Melt remaining 2 Tbsp butter in same pot over medium-high heat
- Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring for 1–2 minutes
- Whisk in the milk and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 2-3 minutes
- Whisk in remaining ½ cup cheese and wilted chard.
- Season with salt and pepper
- Transfer chard mixture to a 7-by-11-inch baking dish (Recipe can be made up to this point, gratin and topping refrigerated separately, a day ahead.)
- Top with bread crumb mixture.
- Bake until topping is crisp and chard is bubbling, about 10-12 minutes.
Other recipe ideas…
Pickled Carrot Sticks from epicurious.com
Tomatoes From naturallyella.com
Roasted Cherry Tomato Bowls From loveandlemons.com
News From the Field
Cooler weather has moved into the valley, and we are all enjoying the respite from the heat of last week! You will be seeing the first of the tomatoes in your boxes this week, and the strawberry patch is starting to pick up again so you can look forward to receiving more berries in the weeks to come.
The Tuesday delivery folks will be getting the last of their blueberries, I took a walk around the barns and found Katie and Jade wrapping the pints for your boxes this week…
Also on my walk I saw the green onions being washed on the bunched vegetable washer, where they ride along on a conveyor through an oscillating array of fine sprayers…
I also got to see where they hung up the new mural that was made at the last farm day, it was hung right on the side of one of our buildings, and looks lovely as you walk down the hill to the fields. Everyone did a great job of adding their own artwork, making it a true Winter Green community art piece.
This week I would like to introduce you to one of the new farmers here at Winter Green…
Jade Rosario is from St. Paul, Minnesota and has been farming for 6 years. She started farming in Madison Wisconsin where she went to college for Art History. Her love of food and farming was born when she studied abroad in Italy and became “obsessed with food” as she explains it. She wanted to be able to live and eat as well as they did in Italy and decided that farming was the way to make it happen!
She has worked at an urban CSA farm, she’s lived in an intentional farming community of 60 people, she’s worked at an organic dairy (where her love of cheese was born), she worked as a line cook, and even had her own “pop-up” CSA, following the model of a “pop-up” restaurant, where she sold her vegetables to her CSA members and local chefs.
Jade’s motto is “Keep Calm and Farm On” and her nature name (like a camp name) is “Red Wiggler.” She has a passion for compost, and if you ever run into Jade at the farm she would love to chat about compost with you. Her favorite vegetable, well fruit really, is the cherry tomato, and aspires to have a cherry tomato tattoo to permanently tell the world of her love for this delicious fruit. When she’s not farming, she’s thinking of ways that she could be farming more, cooking, dancing, and dancing while cooking.
We are so excited to have Jade here at the farm this year, she brings wonderful farming experience and a dynamic energy to the crew. Welcome Jade!
I would like to leave you with a photo Jabrila took this morning of your potato plants in bloom, her favorite blooming crop and a stunning sight out in the field right now. We hope you all have a great week and enjoy your vegetables!
-Sara
