June 25th, 2010

NU-WAY FARM CSA

News from the Farm this Week:

June 25^th, 2010

This Week You'll Receive Some of the Following:

Zucchini

Carrots

Cabbage

Kale

Broccoli

Lettuce

Turnips

& Three Kinds of Peas: Snap Peas, Snow Peas, or Shell Peas

About Zucchini

Once the deluge begins, it never seems to stop—since you may already be risking zucchini saturation, here are some facts and ideas to help inspire you to conquer that squash mountain.

Zucchini offer generous amounts of vitamins A and C, along with iron, calcium, riboflavin and lots of dietary fibers.

Since zucchini contains a lot of water, many recipes will call for a high-temperature sauté—leave the peel on and work to caramelize the inner flesh. Salt zucchini after you have browned it for best results. You’ll see zucchini paired with mint in many of these recipes—that's very common in Greece. Flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, and basil are the other best herbs to enliven the flavor of summer squash.

Spaghetti with Zucchini, Snow Peas, Feta and Mint

1 large zucchini, julienned (cut into very thin two inch ribbons)

1 small carrot, finely diced

1 cup snow (or snap) peas, fibrous membranes removed

1 pound spaghetti

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

4 oz. Feta cheese

One half cup white wine

2 T. butter

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Half cup fresh mint leaves

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook pasta while making the sauce.

Heat a deep, wide skillet over medium high, then add the butter and a swirl of the olive oil==when the butter begins to sizzle, add the onion, garlic, and carrot. Sauté two or three minutes, then toss in the snow peas and zucchini. Turn the heat up to high and toss only occasionally, allowing the zucchini to brown slightly, but not so long that it becomes limp—about four minutes in total. Season vegetables with salt and pepper, then add the white wine and reduce to a gentle simmer.

When the pasta is one minute shy of turning al dente, drain it and add the spaghetti right into the pan with the vegetables along with a tiny bit of the cooking liquid. Add most of the mint and feta along with a bit more salt and pepper; toss well to combine all the ingredients. Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with a bit of mint and a crumble of feta. Drizzle with a bit more extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.

Zucchini Bread from Karen Seibel

2/3 cup shortening (or ½ cup applesauce)

2.6 cups sugar

4 eggs

3 cups shredded, drained zucchini

2/3 cup water

3.3 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1.5 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. clove

1 tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. allspice

2/3 cup walnuts

2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients and put into three medium or two large, greased and floured pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-70 minutes.

Yogurtlu Kabak

Turkish-style Zucchini with Yogurt

1 pound zucchini, coarsely grated

Salt

3-4 T. fine olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1.5 cups plain Greek-style yogurt

Put zucchini in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, and let stand for 30 minutes. Squeeze with hands to press out as much liquid as possible. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet and sauté zucchini, stirring, for about 7 minutes. Allow to cool.

Beat yogurt with garlic until smooth, then season with a little salt. Put zucchini in a bowl, mix well with yogurt, and serve at room temperature. This is a great accompaniment to grilled vegetables or meats.

Kolokithodeftedes

Try saying that four times fast—delicious Greek zucchini fritters. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Double or triple recipe as needed.

2 cups shredded zucchini

½ cup shredded onion

2 oz. grated Parmigiano or Kefalotyri

½ cup lightly toasted bread crumbs

3 T. chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 T. chopped fresh mint leaves

2 large eggs

Salt and Pepper

Olive oil for frying

Layer the shredded zucchini in a sieve, salting well, and leave to drain for twenty minutes. Rinse and squeeze out any excess liquid. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stirring well.

Heat oil to come about ¾ inches deep in a wok or wide pan, until the surface begins to tremble and the oil sputters when sprinkled with a tiny bit of water. Push heaped teaspoons of the mixture into the oil and fry until bronze colored (a few minutes), then turn them over. Don’t crowd the pan or the temperature will drop. Drain on paper towels and serve piping hot.

Zucchini, Carrot, and Turnip Slaw

A very thin julienne cut for the vegetables is best here—use a mandoline if you have one

2 large zucchini, julienned

2 large turnips, peeled and julienned

2 green onions or one small red onion, thinly sliced

4 small carrots, peeled and julienned

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Juice of one lemon

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

Salt and Freshly ground Pepper

½ tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. sugar

In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, sugar and a generous pinch both salt and pepper. Toss the julienned vegetables and cilantro together to combine, then drizzle with the dressing and toss to combine. Check for salt. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to two hours (beyond that and the vegetables will lose their crispness).

June 4th, 2010

This week you'll be seeing some of the following in your boxes:

Strawberries

Cilantro

Green Onions

Turnip Greens

Rhubarb

Braising spinach

Eggs

By next week, we'll be seeing many new items, including snap peas, cabbage, carrots, and beet greens. David spent much of this week transplanting his tomatoe, pepper, and cucumber seedlings, and they are already taking off. Tomorrow he plans to transplant all the celeriac, eggplants, and potatoes. Get your kitchens ready!

David is unhappy with the little turnips he's sending in this week, since some of them are less than perfect. I assured him that we all own paring knives and can easily trim them up for our purposes. Or just discard them.

Another note about Turnip Greens

As already reported, turnip greens are a good source of Vitamin A, folate, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and calcium. They are also high in lutein. If you find them too bitter, try this: simmer the greens in generously salted water for three or four minutes, then drain the greens in a colander and discard the cooking liquid. Fill the pot with clean water, add a little salt, and bring that to a boil--then continue cooking the greens as per your recipe.

Turnip Greens with Pinto Beans

This is a Southern clasis--made easy here with canned beans, though of course you can cook your own. Very high in fiber and deliciousness. Bacon entirely optional.

1 bunch turnip greens with turnips

2 cans pinto beans, drained

2 cloves garlic, smashed

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon (or 3 T. lemon juice)

2 slices bacon, chopped

Separate the greens from the turnips and wash thoroughly, then chop the greens coarsely. Trim the turnips into quarters.

Bring a small pot of generously salted water to a boil and blanch the turnip greens for four minute, then drain in a colander.

Heat a deep skillet over medium, add the bacon and cook until rendered and just beginning to become crisp. Remove the bacon and drain off most of the bacon fat, then add two tablespoons of the olive oil to the still hot pan along with the garlic, turnips, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss for three or four minutes to begin cooking the turnips. Then add the pinto beans and the blanched turnip greens along with 1.5 cups of water. Add the cooked bacon. Simmer the greens and beans very slowly, for about ten minutes, allowing the liquid to reduce until it begins to thicken (but not so long that the beans break down). Remove from heat and add the juice of one lemon and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and serve.