AMADOR HILL FARM & ORCHARD
Certified Organic - Locally Grown - Sustainably Farmed
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CSA Box#8 Friday August 17th
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Dear CSA Shareholders,
We are happy to announce the beginning of tomato harvest on Amador Hill. As a farm situated north of the Twin Cities, we are about a week behind tomatoes in the Twin Cities, but all our varieties are faithful producers at this time in the season. Just yesterday we found some more tomatoes slightly under-ripe waiting for us. We decided to include few of these in the boxes at the last minute. If need be, you can leave them out on the counter or in a paper bag at room temperature to complete their ripening.
Yesterday evening we also enjoyed our next-to-last pizza-on-the-orchard at our farm. The evening was perfect and the farm glowed with unusual beauty and calm energy. We made over 32 pizzas in our outdoor wood-fired oven.
Our pizzas feature fresh farm veggies from our farm and all local ingredients.
There is still one more pizza evening coming up next week. It would be lovely to see more CSA shareholders visit the farm next Wednesday evening. You can also meet WEI staff and Amador Hill farm crew while you enjoy a pizza of your choice. More information below.
That's all for now.
Blessings,
Jacquelyn
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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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Sweet Corn
Sweet corn is such a treasured harvest in Minnesota. Everyone has their favorite way of preparing it. We ask you to let us know what you are doing with your sweet corn? Boiled and buttered, grilled, showcased in a corn salad?
Storage:
Your corn will taste best if you keep it chilled and use it within 2 to 3 days. When you get your CSA box home, wrap the cobs with damp paper towels and store in the crisping drawer of your refrigerator. Or you can remove the husks and silks and store bare cobs in sealed plastic bags.
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Green Magic Broccoli
Fresh organic broccoli is so flavorful, you may enjoy snacking on a few florets on the way home from picking up your box this week. Besides being delicious and full of vitamins A, C, Calcium and Iron, broccoli supports the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, improving digestive health.
Storage:
Wrap your broccoli in plastic, store unwashed in your crisper drawer of your refrigerator for 7 to 10 days. (if there is a rubber band holding them together, remove for best air flow)
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Italian (Flat) Parsley
Italian Parsley, an often underappreciated herb, has a mildly bitter flavor, is highly aromatic and compliments a wide range of meats, starches and produce. With a citrusy taste, parsley can be added to just about any dish towards the end of cooking or as a garnish to help bring flavors together. It is a good digestive aid and helps to balance blood sugar levels in the body. Add a handful or parsley to your smoothies for a boost of flavor and as a cleansing agent to remove toxins from the kidneys and liver. (see below for a great Tabouli recipe parsley, mint, tomatoes, and cucumbers, cooling and refreshing on these hot days)
Storage:
Remove the rubber band from the herb bundle. You can store this in the refrigerator, unwashed, wrapped loosely in paper towel in a paper bag for several days. It will also do well in a vase like the basil.
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Common Mint
This refreshing and highly versatile herb has been used for centuries in many different cultures. Often paired with cucumbers, dill and garlic or with meats in Mediterranean cuisine. It can be blended into yogurt, tabouli, or drizzled over fried eggplant with olive oil in Middle Eastern cooking recipes. Widely used in Indian and Southeast Asian dishes, mint can be a focal flavor in chutney or as an aromatic accent to curries. **Mint is another wonderful digestive aid, so save a sprig to add to your tea or water after dinner.
Storage:
Storage:
Remove the rubber band from the herb bundle. You can store this in the refrigerator, unwashed, wrapped loosely in paper towel in a paper bag for several days. It will also do well in a vase like the basil.
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Sun Sugar Tomatoes
A petite, super sweet and tangy variety and great for introducing kids to tomatoes for the first time. Beautiful yellow-orange in color, Sun Sugars are perfect for displaying on a platter of mixed tomatoes, drizzled in olive oil or cut in half and mixed with sliced cucumbers and a touch of salt.
Storage:
PLEASE DO NOT REFRIGERATE - tomatoes will lose 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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Cherry Tomatoes
A classic cherry tomato, bright red, plump and sweet like candy. Use your cherry tomatoes for snacking on or in any summer salad. These are perfect tomatoes for skewering whole on veggie kababs over the grill.
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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Mixed Beans
A lovely mix of color! You can steam your beans for just 3 or 4 minutes to best preserve the amazing flavor of these early beans. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and cracked black pepper for a delightful side dish.
Storage:
Store your beans unwashed, sealed in plastic in your refrigerator for about a week. They will do best in the crisper drawer. To freeze your beans, wash and remove ends, drop into boiling water - blanching - for about 2-3 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water to cool, pat dry with a towel and store in sealable plastic bags for about 6 months.
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Chestnut Crab Apples
These are a highly coveted early crab apple variety, people who know Chestnut Crabs, seek them out this time of year. These specialty apples are larger than typical crab apples, with white, crisp meat, and an intense sweet-sour flavor. They are much sweeter than most crab apples, resembling a Honeycrisp in flavor.
Storage:
Store in your vegetable
drawer of the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
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Summer Medley:
In addition to the list or produce described above, you'll see some of familiar items like various cucumber, zucchini, and possibly some eggplant.
Here are some of the varieties you may see in your box, we will distribute randomly among boxes.
Lemon Cucumbers - the tennis ball sized round yellow cucumber - a very juicy cucumber
Boothy Blonde Cucumbers - short and plump pale yellow cucumbers with a nice tangy flavor
Marketmore cucumber, our good standard slicing cucumber
Greem and Striped Zucchini
Patty Pan - the short disc shaped yellow summer squash, much meatier and firm than other summer squash
Eggplant - traditional and Japanese
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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:
COOL SUMMER SALADS TO MANAGE THE HEAT!
CRAVING MORE THAN A SALAD? This is a truly decedent dish!
Tips from previous newsletter:
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CSA Inspirations from Lauren
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TRUE CONFESSION: I’ve never stuffed a vegetable. Or even a turkey for that matter. But as I flipped through Yotam Ottolenghi’s “Plenty” cookbook (a new vegetarian classic!) and saw a oozing dish of stuffed tomatoes and positively swooned. A few pages later and I see the solution to all my zucchini problems: carve them into mini canoes and stuff them with herb packed fillings and bake! The great thing about stuffing vegetables and baking them is that once you get the process down, you can alter the flavors of the fillings to whatever you like. Add some sweet corn kernels and replace the oregano with cilantro for a more Tex Mex feel (maybe with some shredded cheese on top?). Use mint and parsley and top with a bit of plain greek yogurt for something more Mediterranean. Whatever you decide to do, your friends and family will at least be grateful for being spared another loaf of zucchini bread.
Stuffed zucchinis with oregano and pine nut salsa
Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe published in the Guardian on 10/7/2017
2 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthways
½ garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 large egg, beaten
3 TB (40g) pecorino, finely grated
3 TB (40g) fresh sourdough breadcrumbs
Salt
½ cup (100g) cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 lemon – zest finely grated, to get 2 tsp, and juiced, to get 1 tbsp
4 tbsp finely chopped oregano leaves
3 TB (40g) pine nuts (or walnuts! Or almonds!) lightly toasted and chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
Heat the oven to its highest setting (425F). Using a dessert spoon, scoop out the zucchini flesh, but not all of it: you want a little bit of flesh left all around the sides, so the courgettes hold their shape. You’ll end up with four zucchini “canoes”. Transfer the flesh to a sieve and squeeze out as much liquid as you can: you should be left with about 100g flesh. Put this in a bowl and mix in the garlic, egg, pecorino, breadcrumbs and a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Crush the tomatoes with your hands, then stir into the zucchini mixture.
In a second bowl, mix the lemon zest, oregano and nuts. Stir half of this into the zucchini mixture and save the rest for the topping.
Lay the hollowed zucchinis cut side up on a medium oven tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle a tablespoon of oil over the top and season with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt. Spoon the zucchini filling into the hollows, and bake for 15 minutes, until the filling is set and golden-brown.
While the zucchinis are baking, make the topping. Mix the lemon juice, remaining two tablespoons of oil and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt into the oregano and nut bowl.
Once the zucchinis are cooked, let them cool a little before serving, with the topping drizzled over the top.
-Lauren Haun
Local Food Writer
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Pizza on the Orchard with Vitali Pizza!
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 22 --Last Pizza Evening
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
$18 for 12" Pizza
$15 if pre-ordered 24 hours ahead:
Jeff Vitali, local family Italian cook and Amador Hill farm hand, prepares
Vitali Pizza
in our outdoor brick oven using fresh local ingredients from WEI’s
North Circle Food Hub
partners:
Heritage Pizza Flour
All natural European Style Cheese
Fresh organic, USDA suitably raised meats
Seasonal selection of vegetables & herbs grown on local, organic, sustainable farms including
Pizza on the Orchard
Amador Hill Farm & Orchard
15715 RIVER ROAD, NORTH BRANCH (Amador Township), MN
Two more dates - Wednesdays August 15th & 22nd
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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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