AMADOR HILL FARM & ORCHARD
Certified Organic - Locally Grown - Sustainably Farmed
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CSA Box #2 Friday July 6th
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Dear CSA Shareholders,
This week was a holiday week highlighted on Amador Hill with suddenly emerging high winds and thunderstorm lights vying for air time with small town firecrackers. In one storm we lost two of our favorite old apple trees, spun around by the high wind and cracked at the core. These were trees very loyal to the orchard for many years -- it was a sad loss of a living being. We will harvest their apples this fall and salvage what we can from their fallen forms.
On Wednesday, storms were followed by heavy heavy heat -- and heat-filled nights that didn't cool down, unlike any other year. All of this bogged down my intensity as farm manager and affected crew energy. On the Fourth, I melted under head-and-shoulder gear I wear to ward off mosquitoes, and in the end, entropy prevailed. I took half a day off from the farm. Probably a good idea given that the Fourth is a holiday for most sane-seeking people. The rest was good and sanity refreshing.
Today on Thursday we also say hello to two new interns -- Kory and Arianna, having said goodbye to our two early summer interns, Natalie and Claire. There were many transitions this week and short-staff on crew. In the midst of all this we have a scrumptious CSA box with the basics ready for delivery on Friday. Life on the farm persists and the vegetables are enjoying the luxury of rain combined with irrigation and exuberant heat.
This coming weekend we have a wedding on our farm campus. There will be large fans under the wedding tent, blowing the mosquitoes away as the dance begins and the wedded couple finds a new beginning, sealed by vows for a promised life.
So, I do believe that love and life persist in the heat of high summer and the dance goes on.
Eat your vegetables and join with others. All bets are off unless we stay healthy, active and on target.
Blessings,
Jacquelyn
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We invite you to visit the farm!
Join us for Pizza on the Orchard! Wood-fired pizza made with fresh farm ingredients and Sunrise Flour Mill heritage flour. Jeff Vitali, Amador Hill farm hand, and Italian cook will make a meat and vegetarian pizza each week based on our seasonal produce and we invite you to come picnic and enjoy the farm! Click the photo below for a link to the event page or visit w-e-i.org under Upcoming Events.
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Box Return Reminder
Please be kind and remember to leave your boxes at your drop site. If possible please use your own bags to bring your produce home and leave your unfolded box in the designated spot. If you must take your box home please remember to return it the following week.
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WHAT'S IN THE BOX THIS WEEK
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GARLIC SCAPES
Scapes are the green flower bud of the garlic plant. Similar to chives, but thicker, crisper and more flavorful and have a hint of sweetness with a gentle taste of garlic. Eat them raw or cooked in place of garlic in any recipe. D
ry or freeze them for soups and stews later in the year. See a few suggestions below for ways to use these early summer delight.
Storage:
They will last more than a week in your refrigerator stored in a plastic bag in your vegetable crisper drawer.
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RECORD STRAWBERRIES
We have a very special Italian variety of June-bearing strawberries for you this week. Extra sweet and juicy, you only a little sprinkle of sugar to draw out the juices before adding to strawberry shortcake or on top of a bowl of ice cream. We managed to harvest these right before the storm, so please savor.
Storage:
Fresh farm strawberries are best refrigerated and left in their storage container until ready to use, for about 3 days. If they go 4 days, they might be a bit soft, just cut them up, sprinkle with a bit of sugar and keep another couple of days, though we do believe you'll eat these up quickly!
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BRIGHT LIGHTS CHARD
Introducing Chard, a member of the Goosefoot family of plants, closely related to beets. If you enjoyed last weeks beet greens you'll love the Chard in your box this week! Unlike traditional beets, which store energy in the bulb root --chard produced tender leaves and crunchy stalks. They are just as nutritious, high in fiber with plenty of vitamins K, A, C and are a good source of magnesium, potassium and iron. The amazing color array make for a beautiful presentation on a platter! You can use leaves and stalks separately to achieve a optimal cooking texture - use stems as you would a nice crisp celery and leaves as you would spinach or kale. Or cook together for a nice contrast in texture.
Here's a simple recipe -
Sautéed Chard
- just
substitute your garlic with scapes, add some baby kale at the very end of your cooking, top with sliced green onions.
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BABY KALE MIX
A market favorite! Baby Kale offers all of the nutritional properties of mature kale, but with a more tender and gentle texture, slightly less bitter, no need to massage this kale for your recipe. This is the perfect kale for a light salad or throwing into any cooked dish at the last minute - only needs a minute or two of cooking! Use baby kale in place of baby spinach in most recipes. Keep this link handy from Lakewinds Co-Op, one of our new drop sites this year, you'll find all kinds of uses the kale varieties we grow.
Storage
: I find it best to leave these delicate greens in their bag until ready to use, they will last
just
about a week in the refrigerator, but midway though the week if you haven't used them all up, wash & dry well by spinning or patting dry. Then store a few more days in a sealable container. You can add a paper towel to absorb excess moisture build up for extended shelf life - but I believe you'll eat these greens quickly.
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PIRAT LETTUCE
If you had our Spring Greens CSA share this year, you’ll remember that this variety of Butter Leaf Lettuce is something to get excited about. Jacquelyn & Melissa's favorite lettuce! The leaves are beautiful green tinged with red, with a silky, rich, buttery texture. This is not the lettuce for dousing in a heavy dressing but one to be savored and dressed lightly. They make the very best lettuce wraps, BLTs, or carb-free tacos. Yes, use these leaves as you would taco shells, you may need to double up leaves but they are a great way to transform taco night into a lighter vegetable centered meal and a have a marvelous presentation!
Storage:
Leave in its plastic bag refrigerated OR wash and pat or spin dry, store in sealable container with one piece of paper towel for a week to ten days. Remember this produce lasts longer than what you buy in the store because it was picked just YESTERDAY!! For the best presentation, avoid crowding in your refrigerator which can cause bruising.
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GREEN ONIONS
A versatile, mild enhancement to any meal. You know you can top your salads, tacos, or soups with green onions, but have you tried grilling them? Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper or other seasonings, grill medium high on indirect heat for about 1-2 minutes per side. Delicious!
Scallion omelets or scallion pancakes are good ways to add a little extra onion to your diet - onions, garlic and other alliums are good for heart health and believed to play a role in lowering 'bad' cholesterol - among many other health benefits! So eat up you onions! Try the
kitchen.com scallion pancake recipe
.
Storage:
store in their bag for up to a week. If you don't use all parts of your onions by weeks end, throw them in a storage container in the freezer with other vegetable and herb scraps for later day broth.
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YELLOW SUMMER SQUASH
Add a lovely splash of color to your platter! A gentle flavor and texture that works well with many of the vegetables on our list this week. Try grilling, shaved and served raw, or shredded summer squash is a good addition to frittatas. Slice thin, brush with oil and roast with your favorite spices for crunchy squash chips. So many ways to use this beauty! Try slicing very thin or spiraling, then tossing with oil, vinegar and lemon juice, a good handful of chopped basil, sliced green onions, top with pumpkin seeds and parmesan cheese for a delightful raw summer dish. This is just the beginning of summer squash, just a couple this week but many more on the way. Save these ideas.
Storage
: Don't wash until your are ready to use. Keep in your vegetable crisper in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or perforated container for about a week. When you use your fatter squash, you can scoop out some of the extra seeds and softer center as you would with winter squash - this helps the meatier exterior portions cook more evenly and gets rid of some of the excess moisture. Don't throw what you scoop out, save for a 'later day broth' or add to a smoothie for the nutrients!
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GENOVESE BASIL
This staple herb in Italian cooking has robust leaves with a sweet and earthy flavor, the aroma can be intoxicating! You should of course consider a simple warm pasta tossed with chopped basil and parmesan cheese, or a nice basil pesto. Use them whole on a sandwich was you would spinach for an extra flavor boost. Add a good portion of basil leaves and stems to your weekly vinaigrette with minced scapes.
Storage:
you can place the stems water like a floral bouquet and leave on your counter rather than strong in the refrigerator, as they are sensitive to cold and excessive moisture once cut.
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PEA SHOOTS
Enjoy a little bonus this week, a small bag of Pea Shoots! Delicious greens for topping salad. If you haven't had them before, you are in for a treat - these are the tender young shoots from the pea plant and taste just like peas. We hope you enjoy!
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How to use your Garlic Scapes and Basil Pesto -
- Garlic Scape Pesto-use a tradition basil pesto recipe and substitute half of the basil for scapes
- Grilled Scapes -brush with olive oil, grill 1-2 minutes, flipping once or twice, slice and serve over steak, mince and top a potato
- Scapes-Scramble - mince scapes, fold into your favorite scrambled egg recipe
- Garlic Scape Toast - mince scapes, add to gently melted butter, brush over bread and toast in oven like you would garlic bread -amazing!!
- Garlic Scape Spread - mince garlic scapes, blend well by hand with cream cheese or goat cheese, use as a light spread for crackers, bread or inside a nice piece of Pirat Lettuce for 'a hand-salad', top with finely sliced radishes and green onions.
- Garlic Scape Pasta - Finely chop scares, sauté in olive oil or butter, toss into fresh cooked pasta, top with good handful of julienne basil and parmesan cheese
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CSA Inspirations from Lauren
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It’s important to know how to build a solid vinaigrette so that when you start cranking out salads this summer, you have a favorable result instead of one or two disappointments which cause you to neglect the greens until they end up a brown sludge at the bottom of the crisper drawer. I consulted the “Cook Illustrated: Science of Good Cooking” book to get the definite how to. According to their research, the “dump and shake” method of pouring all the salad dressing ingredients into a jar, slapping on a lid and shaking doesn’t really work. It doesn’t provide a complete emulsion and you’ll need to break out a whisk for that because only a whisk can break down the oil and vinegar particles enough that they are able to mix thoroughly. If you don’t mind oddly greasy leaves and would rather shake, then shake! But be aware that whisking is how you get a dressing that is unified, silky and lovely.
I also learned that without an emulsifier (which include mustard/mayonnaise/egg yolks), you cannot get a completely stable vinaigrette. The emulsifier roughs up the surface of the two liquids so that they can break down and combine easier. Not a fan of traditional mayonnaise, I keep a tube of vegan garlic mayonnaise in the fridge just to use an emulsifier for dressings.
TWO RANDOM TIPS: these come from The Splendid Table’s “How to Eat Supper” book. They suggest rubbing the serving bowl for salad with a split clove of garlic before adding the vegetables, just to give a hint of flavor. Another suggestion is adding a splash of fish sauce to vinaigrette, it doesn’t taste overly “fishy” it just adds a nice richness to the flavor. Cesar salad dressing typically features anchovies, so this makes absolute sense.
Here is the Cook's Illustrated “Foolproof Vinaigrette” which is a good base recipe that you can modify with additional fresh herbs or different oils and vinegars. Enjoy!
1 TB wine vinegar
1 ½ tsp minced shallot
½ tsp mayonnaise
½ Dijon mustard
½ tsp salt
Pepper
3 TB extra virgin olive oil
Combine vinegar, shallot, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper to taste in a small bowl. Whisk until milky in appearance and no lumps remain.
Place oil in a small measuring cup so that it is easy to pour. Whisking constantly, very slowly drizzle olive oil into the vinegar mixture. If pools of oil form, stop adding oil and mix well before adding more oil. Vinaigrette should be glossy and lightly thickened. It can be refrigerated for up to two weeks.
-Lauren Haun
WEI Volunteer & Food Writer
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STAR TRIBUNE PROJECT
Women's Environmental Institute & Amador Hill Farm are proud to be a part of the Star Tribune's summer long series "Out of the Box: Getting the Most Out of Your CSA". This summer they are hosting a private Facebook group to provide shareholders and farmers market shoppers to dialogue, share and learn how to use amazing fresh seasonal local produce! They will have visiting chefs and great information about eating local. Amador Hill Farm will provide two CSA boxes to the project this summer and our shareholders are encouraged to join and participate in the discussions on line!
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WEI's Amador Hill Farm & Orchard is
organically certified by MOSA.
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Interested in getting more involved with the
Women's Environmental Institute?
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15715 RIVER ROAD, NORTH BRANCH, MN 55056
651-583-0705 - wei@w-e-i.org -
WEBSITE
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