AMADOR HILL FARM & ORCHARD
Certified Organic - Locally Grown - Sustainably Farmed
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CSA Box#10 Friday August 31st
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Dear CSA Shareholders,
The past two months have been filled with hot sun baked days, oodles of bugs, and muddy mornings. We fell in love with the chickens, and interacting with the food everyday made the experience all the more special.
Kory cannot wait to come back in the fall for directed study and Ari learned valuable skills that will carry over into her sustainable horticulture master’s degree. As we move forward we will look back on our memories of Amador Farm with extreme fondness, maybe even coming back for work share in future summers!
Kory and Ari,
Amador Hill Farm & Orchard Summer Interns
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DELIVERY TIMELINE
The estimated delivery times we sent you in our first newsletter are remaining fairly consistent. To review your drop site's delivery time you can keep this schedule handy:
CSA PICK UP INFO
Questions call Jerry at 651-583-0705 or Susanne at 651-334-8235
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WHAT'S IN THE BOX THIS WEEK
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MELON - HONEY WHITE
What many of us have been waiting for – the arrival of melons! Nothing like the sweet, juicy taste of a melon fresh from the farm! You will find a Honey White variety in your box, with dramatic white flesh, sweet and slightly firm - very good for melon salads (see recipe below)! Let your melon sit on the counter for a day or two to finish ripening, these are just about ready, and we were eager to pack melons in the box this week, we know you're been waiting for them!
Storage:
Keep your mellon whole at room temperature for up to two weeks. Once cut, melons will last in the refrigerator in a sealed container a few days.
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CARROTS - COSMIC PURPLE
We know you’ve been just waiting for more carrots! This time of year the carrots have a richer taste, very sweet and earthly. With cooling weather we encourage you to try roasting or braising your carrot to bring out the depth of flavors. To roast your carrots, gently scrub clean, toss with olive oil or sunflower oil, salt and pepper, and a bit of rosemary if you have on hand. Roast in a 400 F oven on a baking sheet for 30 to 45 minutes. If your carrots have green-tops, use like kale, they are highly nutritious with a sweet -fresh taste - mix into any kale dishes you make this week or add to smoothies or juices!
Storage:
Store carrots and green tops separately, sealed in plastic in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for up to two weeks.
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KOHLRABI
You will find either an Azur or Korridor Kohlrabi in your box. Azur is purple skinned, with crisp white flesh and purple-green leaves. Korridor is a pale green bulb with pale flesh and green leaves. Their tastes are very similar. If you have not tried Kohlrabi before, they are slightly sweet, nutty and have a crisp texture unlike anything you’ve had in your CSA box to date! These kohlrabi are on the mature side so their skins will be just a bit tougher and less flavorful than younger bulbs and will need to be peeled with a carrot peeler. A simple way to serve Kohlrabi is to peel, cut into matchstick sized pieces and serve over a salad. Be sure to keep the leaves and use as you would cabbage. They are delicious and nutritious. Kohlrabi has such an excellent crunchy texture, it makes some of the best slaw around – try a Kohlrabi – Carrot – Apple Slaw in your favorite slaw dressing. You can roast or braise Kohlrabi the same way you would carrots.
Storage:
Store the bulb and greens separately, in sealed containers in the refrigerator - a week or more for the bulb, and a couple of days for the leaves.
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DARK OPAL BASIL
This deep colored intensely flavored aromatic variety of basil adds wonderful color to a bowl of sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Or try a different look for your Caprese Salad with their deep maroon leaves. This basil is a nice compliment to eggplant – have you tried Eggplant Caprese – with either roasted, grilled or fried eggplant? See a recipe below for a unique take!
Storage:
Give the stems a fresh cut, remove the rubber band and place in a vase of water like a bouquet of flowers. They will last for a week at room temperature. If you prefer to store them in the refrigerator, wrap in paper towel, seal in plastic and store in the crisper drawer for a few days.
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TOMATOES
We are packing one or more varieties of tomatoes in each box this week – the varieties will be randomly divided among boxes. Check out
Lauren's Gazpacho
recipe below for something wonderful for a holiday weekend!
Storage:
PLEASE DO NOT REFRIGERATE - tomatoes will loose flavor when chilled, and these are so delicious, you don't want to miss out! Storing your tomatoes at room temperature in a single layer on a platter or shallow bowl is best.
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Cucumbers
By now you’ve gotten to know our standard, good producing cucumbers – Marketmore Slicers and Lemon Cucumbers. We hope you look forward to having a few of them in your box each week, cucumbers never get old! It might be a nice week for refrigerator pickles - which can be as simple as slicing your cucs, covering with white vinegar and a hot pepper or a little sliced onion and refrigerating overnight.
Storage:
Store in sealed container in your refrigerator for several days.
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STARBOR CURLY KALE
LAST MINUTE ADD- ON – STARBOR KALE
We are packing our very fine producer, Starbor Kale, the curly variety you’ve seen in past boxes. Enjoy your greens this week!
Storage:
Remove the rubber band, wrap the bundle of leaves loosely in a paper towel and store in your refrigerator in a sealable container. This will last a week or more.
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MIXED SUMMER VEGETABLES
Kory and Ari will pack the boxes with any extra produce they harvest this week. Your box may include cucumbers, eggplant, and sweet peppers.
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Early Sweet Summer Apples or Tart Crab Apples
This week our farmers send a few mixed apples. Each week, more and more of our apples ripen and we'll give you a run down on varieties in a week or two!
These apples are quite nice for an easy refrigerator apple sauce. Core, but do not peel 2 lb of apples, combine with 1 cup of water and bring to a gentle boil on the stovetop in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, partially cover and simmer low for 20 - 30 minutes. Run the apples through a food mill if you have one. Otherwise you can simply mash them with a potato masher or fork. Return the mashed apples to the pot, add 1 t cinnamon, 2 t sugar (more sugar if you prefer very sweet applesauce). If your apples are more sweet than tart you can add 1 t lemon juice too. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook covered for another 20 minutes. Serve chilled. This should serve four people as a modest desert, and will last about a week in your refrigerator.
Storage:
Store unwashed apples in a shallow platter on the counter or in your fruit drawer of your refrigerator for several weeks.
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FARM SHARE RECIPES & TIPS
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Recipe links and tips for using your Farm Share Produce Together This Week:
Consider a Kale and Carrot-Green Pesto dressed over heirloom tomato caprese salad this week! Use your Kohlrabi in place of parsnips in the Braised Carrot recipe below. Cucs and Melons go great together in a cool late summer salad!
Tips from previous newsletter:
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CSA INSPIRATIONS FROM LAUREN
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GAZPACHO! The Spanish chilled soup! The liquid salad! The savory smoothie! Gazpacho is a blessing for those trying to eat up all their vegetables, as it can be adjusted to accommodate whatever you have on hand. If you have tomatoes that have gotten a bit too smushed for salad, GAZPACHO. If you have a small mountain of zucchini in the fridge, ADD IT TO THE GAZPACHO. The recipe I provide doesn’t use bread in the mix, but if you have some stale bread at hand, feel free to chuck it in the GAZPACHO. I do have some hard rules for this soup, however.
·Use sherry vinegar! Any other type will make it lose its distinctive ZING.
·Pour in quality olive oil. It will make a deep difference in the flavor and make sure to get a good emulsion going by drizzling in the oil. It should turn it from bright red into an alluring blush pink and it will be slightly thick.
·Chill it for at least thirty minutes before eating. It is a little sad if eaten lukewarm and the time in the fridge gives the flavors some time to meld.
·Drink it out of a glass. It’s best consumed in big, refreshing sips after a bike ride home from lake swimming.
Gazpacho
Adapted from the recipe by Julia Moskin from the New York Times
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly cut into chunks
1 sweet pepper or another long, light green pepper, such as Anaheim, cored, seeded and roughly cut into chunks
1 slicing cucumber, about 8 inches long, roughly cut into chunks (or two Lemon Cucumbers)
1 small onion or shallot, peeled and roughly cut into chunks (can sub with a few green onions!)
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, more to taste
Salt and black pepper
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste, plus more for drizzling
Combine all of the items except the olive oil in a blender or large jar (if you plan on using an immersion blender). Blend ingredients until smooth and then with the blender still running, slowly pour the olive oil down the center. This will cause the gazpacho to get thicker. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Refrigerate at least thirty minutes before eating.
Lauren Haun
Local 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 produce 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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