Week A Box 3!
This is an A week so, Manna Cafe, Vom Fass, UW Vet School, and On Farm pick up will be this Friday July 2 after 2 pm. Mineral Point Market 8:30 am, Green City Market 7 am Saturday July 3, and Chicago Botanic Garden Farmers Market 9 am July 4. Come as early as you can to insure quality and freshness. Please bring two bags with you. UNFOLD boxes at seems to flatten and keep reusable.
What’s in the box?!
- Red Leaf Lettuce – bag and store in refrigerator. Rich in chlorophyll, iron and vitamins A and C.
- Baby Bulb Fennel – bag and store in refrigerator. Smells like licorice, the leaf can be used as a garnish or added to salad dressing, replace for dill in most recipes nice addition to desserts. Can also make an ice tea. Steep in just boiled water for 5 minutes and add ice. Bulb can be grated into stir fry and salads. Nutritionally high in vitamins A and calcium, potassium and iron; low in calories.
- Lacinato Kale – Bag in store in refrigerator. Rich in vitamins A, C and B. High in Calcium and other minerals as well. Kale is the highest in protein content of all cultivated vegetables! Steam, saute, add to soups or I have heard that Kale chips are delicious. Will post recipe comment on website
- Napa Cabbage – has a Romaine Lettuce look but different. Bag and store in refrigerator. Can be added to salad but great in stir fry. Lasts a long time. Small amounts of vitamins A and C along with fiber and very few calories. Remove outer leaves only before use because they protect the moisture and quality. Will store for more than 2 weeks.
- Bunched Carrots – Greens can be used like parsley, high in Vitamin A and beta carotene, fiber, calcium, potassium and other trace minerals. Best raw! Separate greens for storage. Greens can be dried – hung upside down out of sunlight for later use. Carrots store in bag in refrigerator.
- Green top Beets – store greens and beets separately. Use beet greens soon for retained nutrients. Beets are high in vitamins A and C and also the carotenes. Beet greens are generous in vitamin C, calcium and iron. No need to peel. Grate into salads, cube into soups, slice and steam, or bake whole. Greens are good steamed or sauteed. Bag and refrigerate for storage longevity.
- Spring Turnips -bag and store in refrigerator. good source for vitamin C, potassium and calcium. Delicious steamed and served plain with butter or add to stir fry or grate into salad. Greens are DELICIOUS steamed with butter. A childhood favorite of mine!
- Green Beans – will keep for up to a week. Good amounts of vitamins A, B1, and B2, calcium and potassium. Steam or simmer for max of 10 min’s. Saute, or eat fresh, too!
- Mini White Onions – no bag in refrigerator. Onions which shallots are included also strengthen the bodies health. Great with every meal. Some people are sensitive to raw onions (as am I) but they are delicious and easily digested cooked till translucent.
- Broccoli – cooked lightly high in Vitamins A, C, calcium, potassium, and iron and has a special enzyme sulforaphane to boost health. Soak florets in salted water to remove any hidden pests before preparing. Steam max. 7min’s.
- Cauliflower – offers significant vegetable protein as well as vitamins A, B-complex, C and E and a variety of minerals if cooked lightly. Soak like broccoli, steam whole head for max. 20 min’s and cut up for max of 10 min’s.
- Green Kohlrabi with green tops. Store leaves and globe separately. Use greens within 5 days, globes will last for over a month. Bag Leaves, store all in refrigerator. High in vitamins A and C and minerals potassium and calcium. Use greens like kale or chard, can remove rib if you want. Peel globe and add to salad, stir fry, blanch, steam, mash, or even stuff! They are very fun, yummy and versatile!
- Garlic – is a wonderful probiotic, boosts immune system and increases health. For long time storage, mince into airtight container and cover with olive oil. (though I am sure this will go fast in the kitchen anyways!)Also, can be hung by long stem in dark place to cure for later use.
On the farm this week.
Yay! Sunshine
Between moments Joel hops on the tractor and preps ground to attempt to catch up. Farming food for people is an endless game of chase with weather and seasonal changes. We are very grateful for such a caring crew this season. They all are soo helpful and understanding of the needs and timelines that happen weekly.
Though, the berries look plentiful. When we pick them they don’t amount to much yet. Just a little invitation to any members who would like to come out and enjoy the baby berry patch this season. Seems the big harvests will have to wait till they are a little older. We will get our B week members some shiitakes next pick they flush. (after a good rain) which we hope will hold off for a bit!
I just made the strangest most delicious snack… i tossed kale in olive oil and garlic, then baked it in a single layer at 350 for about 15 minutes on a cookie sheet. probably not new to you guys, but it was new to me… a woman yesterday, and another one today, mentioned that that’s what they were buying so much kale for so I thought I’d try it out. super addictive. (shared by Tessa one of our marketeers)
I’ve had kale chips at a vegetarian cafe’ in Madison which serves them. I’ve wondered ever since I first ate them how they were made; thanks for the recipe. The cafe’ adds a little sprinkle of something spicy–cayenne or some other red pepper? They are very addictive chips and I can’t wait to make the recipe!
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad!
(from SparkRecipes.com)
-chop up the top only of broccoli and cauliflower and put in mixing bowl
-add one T onion flakes
-add 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
-add 1/4 cup dried cranberries
-add 8T (just until everything’s ‘wet’) of Ken’s Sweet Vidalia Onion Dressing (the lite version tastes good too)
-Stir and store in fridge overnight — yummy way to use cauliflower if it’s not your favorite veggie!
Delicious Salad!
Bulb Fennel sliced finely. Kohlrabi Chopped bite size. Cucumber thinly sliced. Napa Cabbage sliced to big bite size. Avocado chopped. All into a big bowl.
Dressing – can be made of any oil and vinegar, the following is delicious but ingredients may be hard to find. Vom Fass has many yummy oils and vinegars. Currant Juice is from KHF but not distributed yet. Next year!!
Mango Vinegar – 1 part
Avacado Oil – 1 part
Currant Juice – 3 parts (juice can be eliminated from the dressing, but I would recommend some kind of tart berry juice)
A little bit of salt
Can be made to any quantity but some what equal parts of the different vegetables. Different salad veggies can be substituted.
A recipe to use several ingredients in this box:
Indian Curry Cauliflower and Beans with Onion & Tomato
1 medium cauliflower, broken into florets, soaked and drained
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
3 tablespoons olive oil
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons mild curry powder (I used Penzey’s sweet curry powder)
½ pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in half
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped napa or other cabbage
1 teaspoon butter (vegans may omit)
garam masala for garnish
2-3 cups cooked brown rice
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; add onion, garlic, and ginger. Stir in curry powder. Stir-fry until onion is just starting to soften. Add cauliflower; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add green beans and stir-fry for 2 minutes more.
Stir in tomatoes (un-drained), lemon juice and salt. Lower heat, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower and beans are tender. Remove lid and cook for 1-2 more minutes to reduce liquid slightly.
Remove from heat and stir in butter. Serve over rice, sprinkling each serving with a little garam masala.
Serves 5-6.
Cooked or canned chickpeas/garbanzo beans may be substituted for green beans if they are not in season.
In traditional Indian cooking, ghee (clarified butter) would be used instead of olive oil. Stirring in a little butter at the end gives a traditional taste and “mouth feel” but allows for the use of a healthier fat.