Friday, Jan 28 Harvest Bag
all for $20
includes the following items:
broccoli
Tuscano kale
fennel bulb
Brussels Sprout
vine ripened tomatoes
carrots
red and yellow fingerling potatoes
blueberries
"Paige" Mandarin oranges
Speaking about growing things organically on our farm:
Yes, you may encounter a few aphids in the Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli and kale...just use a strong stream of water from your kitchen faucet and you should be able to rinse off most of the critters. One of many "advantages" of not spraying pesticides on the vegetables!
My favorite way to prepare the fingerling potatoes:
Thinly slice the potatoes lengthwise, arrange single layer on a cookie sheet ( not touching each other), brush on a little olive oil on both sides, salt and pepper to your taste, roast in oven at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes until crispy on the outsides.
Use the fennel bulb as you might use an onion...cut up the white bulb portion and add to a stir fry...it will give you a mildly, sweet licorice flavor. You can also use the white bulb portion to make a salad by finely shaving and adding to salad greens
Kale--How about a nice fresh kale salad using the bunch of Tuscano kale in your box this week. First, gently massage the leaves with your hands for a minute to make them a bit more tender. Then cut up the leaves into thin "ribbons" discarding the thicker "rib" portion of the stem. Mix in a bowl with some vinaigrette dressing and chopped nuts and fruits and finish with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top..delicious and good for you! Or how about some "kale chips"...wash and separate the leafy part from the stem, (discard the "rib"), cut up the leaves into smaller portions, add a little olive oil and seasonings, put on a roasting pan and roast in a hot oven until the leaves are crispy
Brussels Sprout.
An easy recipe:
Wash off the sprouts, cut them in half, coat with a little olive oil, garlic powder and salt and pepper, spread them out single layer on a cookie sheet ( don't crowd them ) and roast in your oven at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, turning once or twice until crispy on the outside. You can add a little Balsamic vinegar during the last 5 minutes of roasting them if desired. The other night, I tried a quick "pan-fry" method of cooking the sprouts...unfortunately, they came out rather bitter tasting, so I strongly recommend the slower oven roasting method mentioned above.
EASY TIPS FOR PERFECT ROASTED VEGETABLES
adapted from The Santa Monica Farmer's Cookbook by Amelia Saltsman
Roasting vegetables concentrates their flavors, develops and caramelizes natural sugars, and gives them that appetizing crisped look. Best of all, the same technique works for just about any vegetable you've got on hand, any time of the year. Follow these simple steps for great results.
Keep vegetables or vegetables pieces a uniform size for even cooking.
Toss cleaned, trimmed vegetables with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, kosher or sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. For convenience, do this directly in the pan.
Always preheat the oven.
Roast dense vegetables, such as beets or potatoes, at 400 degrees, quick-cooking ones, such as asparagus or tomatoes, at 425 to 450 degrees.
Don't crowd the pan, or your vegetables will steam rather than brown. Large baking sheets and heatproof-glass dishes are ideal for roasting.
Roast vegetables uncovered in the upper third of the oven for better browning.
Halfway through the cooking time, remove the pan from the oven and give it a shake or use a spatula to loosen and turn the vegetables.
When the vegetables are browned and tender, season again with your favorite seasonings...salt, pepper, garlic powder.
If serving the vegetables at room temperature, allow them to cool before piling them onto a serving dish( so they won't steam themselves and get soft).
