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Salad Mix Clamshell

2016 CSA Summer August 13th Baby Salad Mix

2016 CSA Summer August 13th Baby Salad Mix

  • Baby Salad Mix clamshell
  • Chard
  • Kale
  • Pepper Medley
  • Eggplant
  • Mint
  • Basil
  • Thai Basil
  • Yellow Squash
  • Gold Bar Zucchini
  • Potatoes
  • Tomatoes
  • Gourmet Cucumber

 

Spring Roll

Spring Roll

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salad Mix Clamshell

Salad Mix Clamshell

Baby Salad Mix

Mint Tea

Mint Tea

The photos above are inspiration for preparing spring rolls; image at top right is courtesy of lavatnus.blogspot.com.  Since we are having such hot weather, a cool meal of spring rolls would be nice. Planks cut of your squash, zucchini and cucumbers can be used raw with baby salad mix, garnished with mint and thai basil. Strips of cooked eggplant can also be used. Some spring rolls that you may find at a restaurant are typically shrimp or chicken, rolled up with greens and served with a plum sauce, sometimes a peanut sauce. There are enough ingredients in the CSA share this week to make vegetarian spring rolls, but they also lend themselves nicely to wrapping up leftovers with fresh greens. Pick up some rice paper wraps at your local Asian market and try this simple yet delicious treat at home. And what an easy way to have a meal from raw ingredients! For the wrapper, i heat up water in a large frying pan just until warm; then gently dunk the rice paper sheet until submerged and place it on a moistened plate. If it is too stiff to roll, it wasn’t left in the water long enough. If it becomes too delicate, tears or becomes gooey, then it was left in the water too long. Usually just a few seconds under water is all that is necessary. Place prepped ingredients  near the bottom and fold as you would a burrito, folding in the sides and rolling up until the ingredients are sealed inside. These can be stored for a while refrigerated but are best enjoyed fresh.  Use some of your mint for tea and get a bit of relief from the heat with a cooling yet nutritious meal. (The metal lunch box came from C’ville Oriental.) To your health and pleasure…  Enjoy!

2016CSA_Summer_Aug_6 Pepper bag

2016 CSA Summer August 6th- Peppers

2016 CSA Summer August 6th- Peppers

  • Field Arugula
  • Field Mix Greens
  • Chard
  • Lacinato Kale
  • Specialty Peppers
  • Eggplant
  • Mint
  • Basil
  • Thai Basil
  • Yellow Squash
  • Gold Zucchini
  • Potatoes
  • Tomatoes
  • Gourmet Cucumber

What’s this bag of peppers? These are many of our specialty peppers, many of which come from the Chile Institute in New Mexico. Pictured below, right, is a lineup of the contents:

Peppers

Peppers

– padron (medium-hot)

– anaheim (mild green chile)

– serrano (hot)

– cubanelle (mild-sweet)

– anaheim (mild green chile)

– jalapeno (spicy-hot)

 

Peppers are a very healthy food and many places where the weather is hot, people consume hot peppers to cool off. There is also medicinal benefits plus the flavor added can give a dish a whole new dimension. Green chilies have twice the vitamin C by weight than citrus, and are a good source of potassium, iron and fiber. They are also rich in vitamin E and B-complex, which can aid in the prevention of cancer. Chile peppers in the diet can enhance the way in which cholesterol and fats are processed, decreasing cholesterol absorption so more is expelled from the body. Peppers can be dried or frozen for storage, or made into pepper jelly/jam or chutney to have as a handy condiment for the table.

 

The following chutney recipe is inspired by http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/three-pepper-chutney: de-seed and chop your peppers, chop a large onion and combine with a teaspoon of salt, 1 ½ cups of brown sugar and 2 cups of cider vinegar into a large pot. Boil and reduce to simmer, uncovered, for 1 ½ -2 hours, until thickened.  Pour into serving dish or jars and refrigerate until chilled. (Gloves can be used for hot peppers to avoid transferring the oils to your skin.)

To your health & pleasure, always!

Lacinato Kale

2016 CSA Summer July 30 Kale

2016 CSA Summer July 30 Kale

  • Field Arugula
  • Field Mix Greens
  • Chard
  • Lacinato Kale
  • Onions
  • Specialty Peppers
  • Eggplant
  • Thai Basil
  • Yellow Squash
  • Gold Zucchini
  • Potatoes
  • Tomatoes
  • Gourmet Cucumber

Welcome to our newest CSA members! Here is the kale chip recipe we promised, listed below.

– jelly roll pan

-leaves of kale, prepped

-1-3 tablespoons oil

-salt and pepper, spices to liking

-oven 300-325F

(a jelly roll pan is a double bottom cookie sheet with sides)

To prep your kale, just give it a check for any natural debris or water, dry where necessary and remove any of the greater sized ribs or veins of fibrous tissue that run thru the middle of the leaf.

Rip by hand or cut with scissors your pieces into large sections. Toss these pieces with your oil and seasoning, being sure that your greens are evenly coated with the oil. Spread the prepped pieces out on your pan…i like to use a sheet of parchment paper between the baking sheet and the greens. Besides salt or pepper, we like to use spices like garlic, cumin and smoked paprika. We have even had chips that were curry flavored..use your imagination and your favorites for these greens. We love to use the pesto here, adding to the oil then tossing the oil with the greens… Bake your chips up for about 10 to 15 minutes, checking for doneness along edges and turning the chips over, if you like. Bake for another 7-9 minutes or until the leaves are cooked all the way through. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a bit while prepping a presentation plate with paper. Use tongs to move the chips from pan to plate and serve with a side of nutritional gourmet salt to taste. These chips have turned even the most biased into rabid kale eaters! J

Mike on Cville

Mike on Cville

The image from the above right is when Michael appeared on the cover for Cville Weekly two years ago. The article “Beyond Organic” can be viewed at this website: http://www.c-ville.com/beyond-organic-local-farmer-michael-clarks-produce-thrives-despite-growing-pains/#.V5vqo_krLDc. This can introduce you to a more in-depth look into him and his experiences.

To your health & pleasure, always,