Week 20; October 15, 2008

It’s hard to believe this is the last share. We wish it could carry on for a few more months. Maybe soon enough we’ll be able to swing winter shares.
Meantime, thanks to all those people who signed up. Thanks too for all of the positive feedback. It really helps keep us going.

There’s a lot in this share that is either familiar to you or is becoming familiar to you—like edamame (see Aug. 20/week 12 blog entry for info. on how to cook).

Spaghetti squash might be one novelty. This is one squash you don’t often see featured in cookbooks or recipes. Maybe it’s because it’s really easy to cook:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Brush both halves with the butter and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Place them, cut sides down, on a baking sheet and roast until fork-tender, about 1 hour.

Apparently, you can also easily cook it in a microwave in less than 20 minutes. See recipe link below for information on how to do this as well as how to spice up this relatively neutral-flavored squash. The Moroccan flavor profile of the squash would go nicely with some seared lamb chops or grilled lamb kabobs. Add some peppers and onion to the kebab if you have any left over from last week’s share.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/SPAGHETTI-SQUASH-WITH-MOROCCAN-SPICES-106168

In this week’s share:
½ pound spinach
½ pound salad mix
2 pounds yellow potatoes
1 spaghetti squash
1 pound garlic
3-4 Japanese eggplants
1 pound edamame
1 head of Romaine
2 bunches of beets
1 bunch of carrots

Week 19, Oct. 8, 2008

Unfortunately, this is the 2nd to last share of the season. Next week is the last.

We’ve been hit by frost a couple of times this week, so some of those warm-weather vegetables you were perhaps surprised to still be getting in recent weeks are now history. But, fortunately, there are plenty of cool-weather vegetables to enjoy.

Here’s what was in this week’s share:
1 bunch parsley
handful of garlic
1 head of romaine lettuce
1 lb of shallots
2 bunches of beets—the regular red beets are Bulls Blood, the rose-colored ones with the bulls-eye pattern are Chiogga
2 delicata squash
Bag of spinach
½ lb. arugula
1 Napa cabbage
1 watermelon

Week 18; October 1, 2008

While the cooler weather makes most of us long for comfort foods like squash and potatoes (in this week’s share), we’ve been lucky to not yet get hit by a frost here. So we have been able to still include some frost-vulnerable crops like green beans, peppers and eggplant.

Tips:
If you’re “done” with peppers, chop them up, put in a freezer-safe bag and store in the freezer.
Now that It’s cool enough to turn on the oven, try roasting eggplant. Brush the cut side with oil, season with salt and roast, cut-side down first so that it turns a nice golden-brown color. That gives a nice caramelized flavor to the surface while the insides turn a creamy consistency. You can always serve with a roast chicken, rice and a chutney. (If you’re in Cooperstown, Tanna’s extra spicy garlic and ginger chutney—sold at Cooperstown Natural Foods any day of the week—is addictive.)
The mesclun mix has some greens with kick in it. We were thinking of pairing it tonight with some of the butternut squash in this recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple Sherry Vinaigrette: http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes/roasted_butternut_squash_salad.aspx Just modify the recipe so that you’re using the mesclun mix instead of the greens called for in the recipe.

Here’s what was in this week’s share:

1 head of romaine lettuce
Bag of mesclun mix
1 pound of green beans
2 red peppers
2 eggplants
1 butternut squash
1 bunch purple carrots
Purple potatoes
Cilantro
Garlic
Cured onion

Week 17; Sept. 24, 2008

Sorry for the delayed posting…
On this wet weekend, you might want to make a soup with some of your veggies. We nursed ourselves through our first colds for the season (that is, the school season) with a vegetable soup made from chicken broth, green beans, spinach (kale would work too), potatoes, leeks, chopped tomatoes and basil. See below for some other cooking suggestions.

Here’s what was in this week’s share:
1 pound beans—green or yellow wax
½ pound cooking spinach
1 acorn squash
1/2 pound mild mesclun mix
bunch of leeks
1 bok choy
1 bunch of red Russian kale
red potatoes
garlic
red onion

Bok choy- well suited to stir-frying; slice leaves into ½-inch strips and thicker, wider portion towards bottom of leaves into thinner strips, about ¼-inch wide, so that it cooks at the same rate as the leafy portion

Acorn squash- not a squash well-suited to peeling; best roasted
Here’s how:
Preheat oven to 400° F and line a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil
Slice a thin slice off both ends and then slice in half perpendicular to the ribs
Scrape out seeds
Rub cut sides and hollowed center with butter
Season with salt
Roast “bowl” side facing up until very tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 to 1 ½ hours

Kale- good braised or sautéed or chopped up in an early fall vegetable soup (see above); kale goes well with any cured meat—bacon, pancetta, ham—and garlic

Week 16, Sept. 17, 2008

For all those hankering for comfort-type foods, we’re moving fast into fall crops. Hopefully not too fast. We’re a bit nervous about tonight’s frost warning. We’re covering up delicate crops, like greens, today to keep them protected. And then, well, we pray.

Some cooking notes from Maryellen:
winter squash- slice this in half down its length and scrape out seeds (to make a boat shape); brush cut side with oil and gently roast on a heavy baking sheet or baking pan (350° to 425° F is a safe range) ; if you place cut side down on the pan, you’ll get more caramelized flesh, which will taste toasty and sweet; I usually then just serve with butter and a sprinkling of brown sugar or maple sugar

Peppers: taste the Italian sweets—the long tapered variety—fresh; we’ve never tasted a pepper so sweet and crisp

Sweet corn: probably the last you’ll see this season; if you’ve had enough, blanch and freeze it for when you’re hankering for some this winter; or make chowder!

In this week’s share:
2 delicata squash
1 pound green beans
1 bunch parsley
2 ½ lbs. white potatoes
½ lb. salad mix
½ lb. spinach
1 bunch purple carrots
1 onion
bag of red peppers
half dozen or so ears of sweet corn
1 watermelon

Week 15, Sept. 10, 2004

I’ve been holding off on roasting beets all summer—just because I hate to turn on my oven that time of year. It’s my absolute favorite way to eat them. The roasting seems to concentrate their sugars; they just taste so sweet. I can’t count how many farmers market customers I’ve converted into beet lovers by telling them to try roasting them. Roasting, in general, is a pretty flexible technique in terms of temperatures and times, but here’s a basic guideline:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

For 1 pound of beets: trim, peel (or don’t; the peels will slip right off when rubbed with a towel or pressed with your fork after roasting) and cut into 1-inch-thick wedges. Toss with enough extra-virgin olive oil to generously coat (1 to 3 Tbs.). Toss with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Spread on a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until undersides are beginning to turn golden brown along the edges. Flip and continue roasting until tender, about 15 minutes.

I like to then serve with balsamic vinegar and crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese.


In this week’s share:

1 pound edamame (see wk. 12 share info. for cooking instructions)
Salad mix
1 pound of beets
1 large onion
1 canteloupe
7 to 8 mixed sweet peppers, mostly red
10 ears of corn
2 pounds white potatoes
yellow wax beans
1 bunch carrots

Week 14; September 3, 2008

Our tomatoes are hanging in there, despite the damage from all the rain we had this summer. We haven’t seen or heard of anyone’s tomatoes thriving this summer—on farms or in small gardens—so we’re glad we can still keep them coming thus far.
Now, of course, we’ve hit a dry spell. We just keep nursing new seedlings with drip irrigation so that we’ll hopefully have plenty of fall greens!
Meantime, some of summer’s best are now peaking—like melons! And the peppers are sweet. We’re not one to snack on peppers, but these are so crisp and light on the palate that that’s just what we’ve been doing—when not eating the melon, that is.

In this week’s share:

1 cantaloupe
4 heirloom tomatoes
1 bag of mixed sweet peppers (6 to 7)
1 bunch of beets
1 large white onion
12 ears of corn
½ pound of salad mix (these are baby lettuce leaves, so a light dressing like a homemade vinaigrette is recommended)

Week 13; August 27, 2008

It hasn’t always felt like it, but summer is still here. Here’s what was in this week’s share:

2 bunches of carrots
½ pound salad mix
1 ½ pound shell beans
1 cucumber
1 to 2 eggplants, depending on size
6 tomatoes
1 large onion
1 bulb of garlic
1 bunch of parsley
1 bunch of basil
1 pound of purple beans (unfortunately, these will lose their regal color once cooked; serve fresh with a green goddess dressing or hummus?!)
6 ears of sweet corn

The corn was at its peak of maturity, which is when the bugs love it. So we did our best to find ears that weren’t buggy. That would explain why a lot of the husk was peeled back or off. If you haven’t already eaten it, it holds best wrapped in a damp towel in a zipper-lock bag in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.

The lima-like beans with the mottling on the pods are fresh shell beans. We love these. Cook them just like you would a dried bean. Because they’re fresh, however, they shouldn’t need quite as much time to cook.

To cook shell beans: Remove the beans from their pods. Place them in a pot of water with aromatics, such as onion, peppercorns and a bay leaf (I’ll also throw in carrot trimmings if they’re kicking around). Bring to a boil, and then lower to a simmer until they are tender. Stir occasionally. Depending on the age of the bean, the amount of time needed to cook varies. I recommend tasting beginning after about 20 minutes. We have hard water, so it can take twice that time in my kitchen. I’m going to try adding a little baking soda to the water this year to soften it and, hopefully, speed things along. I know that helps when cooking dried beans.

You can use them with your corn to make succotash. They’re also great in pasta. Last night we caramelized some onion, browned some diced eggplant in extra-virgin olive oil, and then simmered them briefly with chopped tomatoes, more extra-virgin olive oil and minced garlic. Chopped basil was added in at the end. It was great as is, but the beans would have been a nice addition and source of protein. And the good news is that all those ingredients are in this week’s share.

Week 12; Aug. 20, 2008

Yes, we have corn at last! Our corn crop took a hammering recently from torrential thunderstorms with strong winds (what’s up with all these storms?! Sigh.). But not all of it was leveled by the wind. The kernels on this variety aren’t large but are succulent and sweet. This was picked just hours before we delivered your shares.

You might also be wondering what those fuzzy little green pods are. They’re edamame, also known as soybean. They’re such a treat. We like to just boil them in their pods in well salted water for about 5 minutes. Drain, spread on a baking sheet and sprinkle with Kosher salt (the salt part makes it tasty, but it is optional). They can be served warm, but some recommend serving at room temperature. The best way to eat is to just pinch the beans out of their pods and into your mouth with your teeth or with your thumb and fingers. If anyone else has a take on how to serve these, please comment!

For something different to do with red cabbage, try this Chinese chicken salad with peanut sauce: http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes/chinese_chicken_salad.aspx
If you’re vegetarian, you could substitute tofu or tempeh for the chicken.

Here’s what was in this week’s share:
1 pound edamame in pods
1 Walla Walla onion
4 tomatoes
1 quart of red potatoes
1 bunch of beets
1 bunch of purple carrots
1 red cabbage
1 bulb of garlic
10 to 12 ears of corn

Week 11, August 13, 2008

We had a rather curious harvest this week. Our walk-in refrigerator broke down over the weekend, and the refrigeration repairman was still waiting on parts Wednesday morning when we needed to harvest the CSA share. So, in the name of getting things harvested as close to delivery time as possible—so that nothing sat out for too long, we didn’t jot down a list of what was in the week’s share. So, this is what we think was in the share:

1 bunch basil
¾ pounds green beans
4 tomatoes
1 quart of potatoes
½ pound salad mix
2 cucumbers
3 bulbs of garlic
1 bunch of leeks
1 large onion
3 patty pan squash (great grilled or roasted or sautéed; they brown really beautifully)

Week 10; August 6, 2008

Farm stuff:
We’re planning an open house Aug. 12—Tuesday afternoon/early evening for CSA members to see the farm, learn more about how we do things differently from a conventional farm, and why that might really matter to you, our environment, and, thus, the world at large. (We’d also just be glad to meet members face to face!)

There will be one or two fixed tour times. Children are encouraged to come. Stay tuned for info. on tour times and directions to the farm.

In this week’s share:
½ pound yellow wax beans
1 head of broccoli
3 Walla Walla onions
½ pound mixed baby lettuce leaves
3 cucumbers
3 zucchini
1 large eggplant
4 tomatoes
1 bunch of carrots
1 head of Napa cabbage (good for stir fries)

Ideas from Maryellen on eggplant:
While roasting eggplant is pretty sensational, grilling is a delicious alternative to turning on your oven in August. If the idea of grilled eggplant is new to you or you just feel like you could brush up on how to get it right, here are some basic instructions from someone who used to work at Chez Pannise, a Berkeley-CA restaurant founded by Alice Waters, a goddess in the movement to eat fresh, in season and local:
http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes/grilled-eggplant.aspx

If you received Japanese eggplant, which are more slender than bulbous, slice them at a diagonal so that they are more oval in shape than round and, thus, less likely to fall between your grill’s grates.

Alice Waters has a new book out called the Art of Simple Food that I have only had time to browse through. It’s refreshingly, well, simple in terms of approaching cooking and keeping the focus on quality of ingredients.

If you’re entertaining this week or just want to surprise the family with an appetizer before dinner, this recipe for bruschetta with grilled eggplant and Vidalia onion is a fun way to make use of some of those sweet Walla Wallas and the eggplant and last week’s garlic: http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes/bruschetta-grilled-eggplant-vidalia-onion.aspx?ac=ts&ra=fp
The author, Jessica Bard, is a friend of mine who lives on a former family dairy farm in the Hudson Valley. She teaches classes at Warren Kitchen Tools (http://www.warrenkitchentools.com/) in Rhinebeck. It’s a store that a lot of Culinary Institute of America students go to for their knives and for knife sharpening. I’ve been wanting to get down there to have my knives sharpened for the last year or so (gulp). After seeing what the nearest sharpening service did to our knives for butchering chickens, I vowed I’d make a trip and have someone who deals only in kitchen knives--not also lawn mower blades—take care of these all-too-important tools. Besides, I’m dying to drool over their knife selection.
If you’ve never had your knives sharpened, do it—even if they aren’t anything special. You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to prep foods. Also, the sharper they are, the safer. Knives that cut more easily are less apt to slip while in action. Just make sure you take them to someone with experience sharpening knives. I believe Warren Kitchen Tools will even accept knives for sharpening through the mail. You’ll have to pay for shipping, but the actual cost of sharpening is really inexpensive. If you go this route, ask them for advice on how to safely package your knives.

Other tips: If you’re not home to cook as much this week and want to use as much of your veggies as you can, try a stir-fry with the cabbage, yellow beans, broccoli, zucchini, and walla wallas. You could also throw in carrots. They are just so good raw, that I have a hard time extracting them from my 3-year-old’s fists to use for cooking. If you’re one of our Cooperstown members, Cooperstown Natural Foods sells really good quality ginger, a staple in stir-frying. Make the stir fry extra big and enjoy leftovers for lunch. Just remember to cook the vegetables in batches—you don’t want to overcrowd the pan or cook vegetables simultaneously that end up cooking at a different rate.

Week Nine; July 30, 2008

At last, tomatoes!!! We really wanted to get you tomatoes, so we picked them a little under-ripe. Just let them sit on your countertop, and they’ll ripen. Don’t refrigerate. Bleck! They’ll just get mushy.

We are hoping this is just the beginning of a generous tomato crop, but all that rain we’ve had wasn’t such a good thing for tomatoes. For one thing, bees don’t care for rain. So they have not been busy cross pollinating—bopping from blossom to blossom—so that the plants are more prolific. (We’re noticing this too with our summer squash; production is now down.) Also, all this rain encourages blight—“the scourge of tomato growers in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic states and Midwest,” notes our seed supplier. And no matter how much we dust the plants with copper (an organic method for discouraging blight), with so much moisture, there’s little that can be done. We are seeing blight on the leaves of our tomato plants but, so far, not the tomatoes themselves. We’re just trying to keep our fingers crossed, since we planted our largest tomato crop ever—about 1,500 plants among which are 15 different varieties.

The variety you have this week is called New Girl. It’s an early variety that, as far as I can tell, is relatively all-purpose. Use it sliced, in salads or in a quick sauce.


Here’s what was in this week’s share:
3 tomatoes
3 green peppers
2 big fresh onions—1 red, 1 Walla Walla
fresh garlic
½ pound salad mix
3 cucumbers
1 bunch of basil
2 large eggplants
1 pound of green beans
1 head of green cabbage

Week Eight; July 23, 2008

This week we included our newest onions—Walla Walla Sweets. That name kind of says it all. They’re a mild, juicy variety not meant for storage (keep in your fridge).

They may look huge and overwhelming, but if you slice relatively thin and slow cook over medium to medium-low heat in olive oil and/or butter, stirring occasionally, they melt down into a perfect portion of caramelized onions to add to a pasta dish or bruschetta. We used them last night in a pasta dish with broccoli, green onion tops, chicken and a parmesan-cream sauce. I just kind of winged the sauce with heavy cream, a dry white wine and parmesan cheese. The next time I make it, I’ll write down the recipe.

Here is what was in this week’s share:
Green Beans
Green cabbage
Zucchini
fresh garlic
½ pound salad mix
Walla Walla Sweet onions
Beets with tops
Carrots

If there’s anything else in your share that you’re wondering what to do with or would just like a fresh different idea for, write us or post a comment soliciting input from others.

Week Seven; July 16, 2008

In this week's share...

Purple Green Beans
Broccoli
Zucchini
½ pound salad mix
1 bulb of fresh garlic
½ pound arugula
1 large bunch of spring onions
Basil

Week Six; July 9, 2008

In this week’s share:

Bunch of Broccoli
1 head of green cabbage
4 zucchini
bunch of medium-sized beets
Swiss chard
½ pound salad mix
1 head of Romaine
1 bulb of fresh garlic


Cooking notes:
I highly recommend making use of the beet greens. They’re flavorful and also really good for you. For weeknight purposes, I usually sauté them over medium-high heat in extra-virgin olive oil until well wilted. Either way they go great with garlic and balsamic vinegar and goat or blue cheese.

Storage notes:
Fresh garlic can either be stored in the refrigerator or on the countertop. On the countertop, the exterior layer on the bulb will begin to dry some. So you may need to peel that away. The garlic has not been cured, so it’s still more sweet and delicate in flavor than after it’s been hung to dry for a few weeks. Use as much of the garlic as is tender, not just the formed cloves. The outer and inner skin layers of the bulb and up the green stalk, provided it is yields to a knife. You'll likely know when it's getting too tough. It’s pretty amazing stuff.

If you have a salad spinner, wash and spin your salad mix and then store in there. It holds for up to a week that way. The spinner also protects the delicate lettuce leaves from getting squashed in the fridge.

Beet greens hold well if cut from the beets and stored in a ziplock bag with a damp paper towel. You can also store the beets right in there. That’s also a good way to hold lettuce. Wash and spin the leaves first. Swiss chard holds well this way too.

Week Five; July 2, 2008

Yes, we’re still in the season in which greens abound. It doesn’t last forever. Try mixing the lettuces and frisee to give some dimension to a salad.

July 2
In this week’s share:

Broccoli
Zucchini and Pattypan squash (the latter is great cut into wedges and roasted, grilled or sautéed so that the cut sides brown, bringing out its natural sweetness)
Arugula
Green onions (use it all, bulb bottoms and green tops)
1 bunch of basil
1 head of escarole (not to be confused with lettuce; see June 11 posting for cooking advice)
1 head of Romaine
1 head of Red Lettuce
1 head of Frisée

For a quick weeknight use of the arugula, try this pasta dish by Tony Rosenfeld: http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes/shell_pasta_arugula_feta.aspx

Week Four; June 25, 2008

We had higher hopes for this week but a lot of our May seedings never germinated because the weather was so cool and dry. In all, however, it didn’t turn out so bad. And June has been a different story. All of the great stuff that comes in next month and in August is growing beautifully because we’ve had so much rain. You can see some pics of the fields in tomorrow’s Farm to Fork blog posting at Fine Cooking’s web site: http://blogs.taunton.com/n/blogs/blog.aspx?webtag=fc-farmtofork
It talks a little about how May’s weather affected us, and how, for now, we’re busy keeping the weeds at bay.

In this week’s share:

• 1 bunch of fresh onions –use all of it, from the whites to the green tops
• 1 pound sugar snap peas
• 2 heads of lettuce
• 1 bunch cilantro
• ¾ pound broccoli
• garlic scapes –chop and use as you would garlic; it’s especially good fresh in a salad, be it a green salad (see below), potato, egg or pasta
  

Recipe from Maryellen Driscoll at Free Bird Farm:
I tend to make all of my salad dressings. This is one I make for Romaine lettuce. It’s a riff on Caesar Salad dressing but lighter and with a little more zing. Minced scapes would also work well in this salad.

Juice from ½ of a lemon
1 tablespoon sour cream or mayonnaise
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
dash of Tabasco
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped capers
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 to 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the lemon juice, sour cream or mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and capers. While constantly whisking, slowly pour in the olive oil to blend. Taste and add more olive oil if the dressing tastes too acidic. Season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Drizzle half of the dressing over a bowl of romaine lettuce leaves (large leaves cut into thirds or quartered). Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese (preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano). Toss. Taste. Add more dressing if needed. Toss again. Serve with croutons (see note below).

I also like to make my own croutons. In our house, we’re kind of hooked on Heidelberg’s French Peasant loaf. It makes great toast, works for a substantial sandwich as well as good old peanut butter and jelly, and the ends of the loaf make great, crispy croutons. I usually just cut a couple of slices into squares, pile in a cast-iron skillet, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, toss, and then gently toast over medium-low heat. Turn pieces once golden brown and continue cooking until both sides are crisped and golden brown.

Week Three; June 18, 2008

In this week's share...

• 1 head Romaine
• 1 head of Escarole (don't confuse this with lettuce; it looks similar to romaine, but the romaine is more cupped and its leaves more oval in shape. If you're really unsure, just taste each. Romaine will taste like, well, lettuce while the escarole will have a bitter taste.)
• 1 bunch of Cilantro
• 1 bunch of Green Onions (edible to the very tops)
• 1 head of Red Leaf Lettuce
• 1 quart of sugar snap peas (eat fresh--my 3-year-old will even eat them like this; they're that sweet; or cook just briefly; don't shell)
• 1/2 pound of cooking spinach

Enjoy!

Week Two; June 11, 2008

In this week's share…

• ½ pound salad mix
• 1 head red-leaf lettuce (for salad or sandwiches)
• 1 bunch of radishes
• 1 bunch green garlic (http://blogs.taunton.com/n/blogs/blog.aspx?nav=main&webtag=fc-farmtofork&entry=11 for background and how-to-use info. on this)
• 1 head escarole—the big. green leafy thing that is easily confused for lettuce (see note below)

About the spinach: The spinach is larger this week, and, thus, better suited to cooking; still, it just needs a brief wilting if you want to make a quick sauté. Here’s how I do it: After washing, I gently shake my spinach dry so that it’s still a bit wet (or give it a gentle spin in a salad spinner). Then I preheat a sauté pan or skillet over medium to medium-high heat with a tablespoon or so of extra-virgin olive oil (a neutral-flavored oil like safflower or canola would work too) and add the spinach (not all of it at once; do this in batches). The water on the spinach will cause some “popping” when it comes into contact with the hot oil, but the greens tend to smother any splattering. Once they’ve begun to wilt, I just gently turn over with tongs until all of the spinach has wilted but is still bright green and has some body to it. I then season with salt and pepper and remove from the pan. Then onto another batch usually. It’s yummy with minced dried apricots, toasted pine nuts and sautéed, minced garlic. Or ask Jeannine Bohler how the spinach and cheese squares she was planning to make with her 5-year-old turned out. They sounded tempting and simple enough to make with kids. About the escarole: For a quick preparation, you can cut leaves into large pieces (2” wide strips) and wilt in a similar fashion to the spinach (above). Toss at the end with a few splashes of vinegar. Balsamic or red vinegar work well. Escarole has a nutty essence that makes it conducive to pairing with toasted walnuts and, if you like, a crumbled blue cheese. Now that it's not so hot out, I'm thinking about using the escarole to make this spicy sausage, escarole and white bean stew: http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes/spicy-sausage-escarole-white-bean-stew.aspx This escarole and white bean stew with rustic croutons is also tempting and can work for vegetarians provided you subsitute the chicken broth for vegetable broth: http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes/escarole_bean_soup_croutons.aspx

Week One; June 4, 2008

In this week's share...

Just wanted to give you a quick rundown as to what was in this week's share as well as some very quick cooking quick tips.

• 1/2 lb. arugula (great for salads or briefly wilted in extra-virgin olive oil as a side dish or in pasta)
• 1/2 lb. spinach-- young and tender enough that it's great in salad or on a sandwich; if you cook it, cook it briefly, in olive oil and when still a little wet so that it just barely wilts
• 1/2 lb. salad mix-- these are mixed lettuce leaves; different from mesclun mix, which has some other greens with a little more bite to them; if you have a salad spinner, wash and spin this out and store in your refrigerator in the spinner. They'll easily hold up through the week--if you don't eat them sooner. a.. bunch of "green" or "spring" garlic-- I've actually written something on this which will post tomorrow (Friday) on Fine Cooking magazine's web site. They have a new blog feature called Farm to Fork that I've been asked to contribute to weekly. How could I say no? Last week I wrote a little something about our eggs.The link: http://blogs.taunton.com/n/blogs/blog.aspx?webtag=fc-

Welcome

Welcome everyone! My name is Monica Swift and I am setting up this blog so that all of us who have joined Free Bird Farm's CSA this year can have a place to share how we are using our fresh summer produce. Each week I will post the list of produce we received as well as any additional information Maryellen sends along. This will basically be a posting of what we have been receiving in email format. After each post, you will see a 'comments' button. Everyone can leave their own comments for our group as to how we used the produce. Recipes, tips, and general comments are all encouraged. For example, I used my first head of escarole in the sausage, white bean, and escarole soup that Maryellen included in our first email and it was fantastic. I look forward to hearing from everyone all summer long!