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Week 10 Share:
Basil
Broccoli
Cucumbers
Mild Onions
Lettuce
Peppers
Tomatoes
Possible additions:
Melons
EOW Will Also Receive:
Celery
Potatoes:
All Blue/All Red
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Dear Members of Turtle Creek Gardens,
Week 10 marks the turn to the second half of our summer CSA and mid-season favorites continue to fill your boxes. Enjoy!
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Lessons in Seasonal Eating
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by Christi Ehler
Given the year-round, unchanging variety of vegetables and fruits in an average supermarket, most of us would be hard-pressed to sense that any time had passed if we happened, Rip Van Winkle-like, to fall asleep there in spring and wake up there in summer, fall, or winter. A walk through a typical produce aisle starts to feel weird and somehow out-of-tune—even somewhat unappealing—after you’ve been feasting on local produce in-season for a while. But when you’re new to it, seasonal cooking requires a little adjustment in thinking.
This hit home for me during the 3 years I worked as a costumed guide at Old World Wisconsin, the living history museum in Eagle, WI. Cooking demonstrations were a daily activity in every farm exhibit. All the fruits and vegetables we used grew on-site in meticulously-researched historic gardens. Though we occasionally used traditional ethnic recipes (particularly for baking) more often than not, our task was to highlight how settlers in the 1800s would have made use of whatever foodstuffs were available in abundance at any given time of year. By definition, if something was growing our exhibit’s grounds, it was fair game—including nuts, berries, and mushrooms foraged from the surrounding woods and meadows.
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An early assignment I received was to make a stew. It was April, and I was provided with an anonymous lump of meat, some shriveled potatoes, and a few limp carrots. When visitors turned up their noses at the time-worn vegetables, that was my cue to explain how such specimens represented what the average 19
th century cook would have had to work with in early spring, assuming an adequate supply had been “laid by” the previous fall. It came as a surprise to me that canning as we know it—glass jars, with metal lids—was not widespread until closer to the turn of the 20
th century. Drying, salting or brining, and underground storage were the main forms of food preservation. Imagine how truly welcome the first green shoots of spring would have been in those days.
In my exhibit’s garden, I found perennial onions and a selection of herbs: thyme, marjoram, parsley. I added them all to the pot. That was as good as it would get—but not bad. The aroma drew appreciative comments from visitors.
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As the summer progressed, the stew assignment repeated itself, but the same stew did not. As new vegetables matured, the stew’s character changed; gradually I began to look at ingredients in a different way. I began to see roots as roots, leaves as leaves, fruits as fruits. I began to see them as potentially interchangeable in their behavior or role in a dish, yet unique in their individual qualities. I began to notice the natural affinity between things that are in season together and to savor the combinations. I came to appreciate eating things that can’t grow in my backyard, such as pineapples or lemons, as almost luxurious.
Our palates have become accustomed to more global variety than the average European immigrant of 150 years ago and technology has improved both our preservation methods and season-extension for crops. These things are cause for gratitude. Nonetheless, there’s no contest at all between a Wisconsin strawberry in June and one shipped from California any time of year, and the transience of this pleasure is another reward of seasonal eating.
I can’t help believing it’s natural for humans to derive a certain satisfaction from living as much as possible by the products of the land that surrounds us. Seasonal eating begins with what’s at hand, but it’s not about deprivation. It’s about direct experience of food in time and place. It’s about creativity.
So, if the recipe calls for a carrot and you’ve got a turnip—go for it. It might be a great meal you’ll remember and want to repeat, or a forgettable experiment.
Bon appétit.
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Ingredients:
1 medium cucumber
1/2 t. salt
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. chopped green pepper
2 T. chopped onion
1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 t. pepper
Dash paprika
French salad dressing, optional
Method:
Cut cucumber in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and pulp, leaving a 1/4-in. shell. Place seeds and pulp in a colander. Sprinkle with salt; drain for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, green pepper, onion, Worcestershire sauce and pepper; mix well. Stir in 2-3 tablespoons drained pulp.
Spoon into cucumber shells; sprinkle with paprika. Refrigerate until serving. Serve with French dressing if desired.
Serves: 2
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Ginger Cucumber & Pepper Salad
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Ingredients:
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
1 T. Finely grated ginger
2 t. sugar
3/4 t. red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
2 lg. cucumbers, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced
1/2 LB mixed color sweet peppers, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/3 c. torn basil
Method:
Combine oil, vinegar, ginger, sugar, and pepper flakes in a bowl. Season with salt.
Add cucumbers, onion, basil, and toss to combine. Chill 15 minutes.
Serves: 4
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Ingredients:
2 c. raw, roasted, or steamed broccoli florets
2 c. cooked barley
¼ c. sunflower seeds
½ c. chickpeas, drained and rinsed if using canned
½ oz feta cheese
Dressing:
2 T. olive oil
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. maple syrup
1/4 t. black pepper
1/8 t. sea salt
Method:
Combine ingredients for bowl.
In a small jar with lid, shake dressing ingredients together. Pour over bowl and toss everything together.
Serves: 1-2
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Tuscan Chicken with Tomato-Basil Relish
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Ingredients:
1⁄2 c. diced tomato
2 T. diced red onion
1⁄4 c. pimiento, drained and sliced
1⁄4 c. fresh basil leaf, snipped
1⁄2 T. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
3⁄4 LB boneless skinless chicken breast
olive oil cooking spray
Method:
Mix tomatoes, onion, pimientos, and basil together in a small bowl. Add vinegar and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Place chicken between two pieces of waxed paper or aluminum foil and flatten to 1/2 inch thick.
Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat and spray with olive oil spray. Add chicken and saute 3 minutes per side, or until done.
Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste on the cooked sides. Divide between 2 dinner plates and spoon the tomato relish on top.
Serves: 2
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Turtle Creek Gardens, LLC | 262-441-0520 |
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