Veg

Thanksgiving Preparations

2011-11-22T16:04:00.000-08:00

Come along with us on our visit to Bolton's Turkey Farm to pick up our Thanksgiving turkey!

The store is rearranged for the occasion.

Footprints lead you back to the turkey pick-up area.

There's Gerry! Almost his turn!

They were SOLD OUT of turkeys.

If your name wasn't on this list, no turkey for you!

The place was bustling!

Don't forget apples for your pies!

All LOCAL apples!

Everything you need for Thanksgiving.

And outside, the Amish bakery has you covered for desserts.

(Gerry had to drag me away from the powdered doughnuts.)

Gerry and I would like to wish all of you a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!

Final Share

2011-10-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

cornmeal - sweet potatoes - peppers - kale

salad mix - honey - dill - tomatoes - eggplant

What a lovely, fall share.

We'll miss our weekly veggies.

Sweet Potatoes

2011-10-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

It's taken me forever to write this post because sweet potatoes confuse me. Whenever I see a dish or product made with sweet potatoes, the implication seems to be that they are so much healthier than white potatoes. So when I saw this chart of nutrition facts, I was really surprised to see the carb count. Fifty eight grams! I've seen iced cinnamon buns at WaWa with fewer carbs than that!

At this point, I was starting to wonder about eating sweet potatoes. They must be murder on blood sugar, right? Well, as it turns out, your blood sugar will rise about 30% less when you eat sweet potatoes vs. regular potatoes, due to their higher fiber content.

Of course I can't overlook the most obvious fact about sweet potatoes: their color. The flesh of a sweet potato is a lovely, vibrant orange as opposed to the white flesh of a regular potato, and by now we all know what that means: Antioxidants! Vitamin C! Beta carotene! It's good to know that the sweet 'tater fries I've been eating do have some redeeming qualities after all!

For further information check out the very good articles at both Livestrong and Worlds Healthiest Foods.

Week Twenty Three

2011-10-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

This week's share includes salad mix, sweet potatoes, chives, winter squash, peppers (ALL kinds of peppers!), gourd, eggplant, kale, and potatoes.

Some thoughts:
Sweet potatoes are growing on me.

Gerry needs to pickle a pint of peppers.

We just saw a recipe using kale...guess that's on this week's agenda!

Home Canning 101

2011-10-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

One thing we don't do much is preserve food. We've frozen some things and canned tomatoes with my mom, but Gerry's always been a little timid about trying to can on his own. He's scared he's going to poison someone, plain and simple. I'm not even sure he trusted my mom, and she's been canning for many years!

So when I saw a coupon for the Ball Canning Discovery Kit, I thought it might be just the thing to tempt Ger into giving it a try. The kit comes with three pint jars with lids and rings, a small canning rack, and a little booklet with a few different recipes, including salsa. Knowing how Gerry feels about salsa, I thought it might be just the thing to spark an interest in canning!

And it worked! Our farm share supplied the tomatoes, peppers, onions, even the cilantro! Ger was a little conservative with the jalapeno peppers, and the salsa could be hotter, but he can adjust that next time. Meanwhile, he's gobbling it up!

The recipe made exactly enough to fill the three pint jars. Those clever people from Ball...they know what they're doing!

Before we bought this kit, I looked up some reviews about it. I liked that it offered a simplified, friendlier approach to canning, but I was worried that it was a complete waste of money. As it turns out, even many experienced canners really like this smaller rack, as it's convenient for preserving small batches.

Also, I have been prowling around at the Ball Canning and Preserving website, and WOW, is there a lot of information there! There are recipes, discussion boards, and tons of other resources. It's worth a look!

Week 22, Half Share

2011-10-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

sweet potatoes - peppers (bell, sweet, and hot) - zinnias -

red potatoes - cilantro - beets - tomatoes -

salad mix - gourd (Ger chose a luffa) -

eggplant - basil - delicata squash

(I'm so excited...we got another luffa!)

Gerry's Delicata Squash

2011-10-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

[Susan's note: Getting a decent photo of this was a nightmare. I took about 26 shots, and this is the best of the bunch. Just wish that one piece of onion wasn't sitting there looking like a booger!]

I've never had delicata squash before. I figured it was just like other squash-you bake it and eat it! But in my search for recipes, I came across many that suggested doing a "twice baked" style of cooking. After reading several of the recipes, I decided to-SURPRISE!-wing it.

Here is my recipe:

4- Delicata squash, similar size (2-3 pounds), halved
1- small red onion, finely diced
2-cloves of garlic, minced
1/4-cup of bread crumbs
1/4 to 1/3-cup of parmesan cheese
1-Tbsp butter

After halving the squash, set half of the halves aside.
Place the rest of the squash on a baking sheet with about 1/8 of an inch of water. Bake in 350 degree oven until tender.
When cooked, allow the halves to cool until you are able to handle them, then scoop out the pulp and mash.
While the innards are cooling, sautee the onion and garlic together until soft and translucent.
Combine the onion and garlic with the mashed squash. Mix in the bread crumbs and cheese.
Fill the remaining squash halves with the squash/onion/cheese mixture. Place on a baking sheet and put in a 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the squash is tender and the filling browns.
Serve and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Graham Muffins

2011-10-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

Before we even got out of bed this morning, Susan and I discussed what I could cook today for the blog. Then I signed into Facebook and, lo and behold, the first thing I see is a post from Whole Foods about Sweet Potato Graham Muffins. Decision made, let's get cooking!

These were really simple to make, but beware, the batter is EXTREMELY stiff! I opted to add the cinnamon and I'm glad I did. Even with the cinnamon, these are a more savory muffin, very much reminiscent of corn bread. I think these would go really well with chili or jambalaya. I may have to make some to test my theory!

(If Susan doesn't eat them all for breakfast.)

Twenty One!

2011-10-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

onions
basil
sweet potatoes
salad mix
peppers
tomatoes
winter squash
beets
sage
eggplant
gourd
not pictured: carrots and flowers

I (Susan) did the pick up for the first time in a while. Unfortunately, I had a terrible headache, so the experience of choosing the produce wasn't all it could have been. But driving home with a car full of lovely, fresh smells was wonderful!

What Do I Do With a Gourd?

2011-10-03T15:49:00.001-07:00

I've been trying all day to post this blurb Gerry wrote about gourds, and it hasn't been cooperating, so I am going to start over from scratch!

When Ger was at the farm on Friday picking up our half-share, another CSA member asked what to do with the gourds. Gerry told him he was planning to dry ours to make birdhouses, and he would post information later. Well, it's MUCH later now, but better late than never!

How to Dry Gourds
Another Take on Drying Gourds--Great info here!
Making a Gourd Birdhouse

This is an example of a gourd birdhouse we bought down in Kinzers, PA at Smucker's Gourds. We like the natural look of the gourds hanging in our trees, and birds really do use them!

Use it Up

2011-10-03T06:56:00.000-07:00

Just a quick shot of the turkey roast Gerry cooked a few days ago, surrounded by whatever we had left in the crisper drawer. It smelled like Thanksgiving at our house!

Week Twenty

2011-09-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been twenty weeks since we started this.

Five months!

And I don't know what we're going to do when it's over. Wander aimlessly around produce departments, looking for something semi-local? Study up on canning for next summer?

For now we are enjoying: kale, eggplant, onions, peppers, basil, sweet potatoes, squash, cilantro, pumpkin, salad mix, zinnias, gourd.

Pumpkins Plus!

2011-09-29T04:44:00.000-07:00

Behold the majestic muffin!

I think this is the first time we've ever made something besides a jack-o-lantern from a pumpkin! And because our carrot and parsnip patch is growing like crazy, I asked Gerry to look for a muffin recipe that included both pumpkin and carrots.

Yep, another shot of our carrots. We're so proud of actually GROWING something, we can't help ourselves. Yeah, we know they could have been thinned better so they wouldn't twist around each other, but we sort of like that!

I'm going to hand over the keyboard to Ger now so he can talk about making these, but before I do, I just want to say that they are really good!

My favorite cake is carrot cake. Hands down. I love how moist it is, I love the spices, I love the cream cheese icing. Of course, because Susan doesn't like cream cheese, I have to compromise and leave the icing out. But there is nothing better than a carrot cake! UNLESS it's this recipe for carrot/pumpkin cake!

These are delicious! Once again I have changed the recipe just a little bit. I don't keep canned pineapple in the house but I always have a couple of bags of those jumbo raisins from Trader Joe's, so I substituted the raisins for the pineapple. Combined with the fresh-from-the-garden carrots and fresh-from-the-farm, homemade pumpkin puree, these cakes (or muffins, if you like) are as moist as anything you'll ever have! See if you don't love them, too!

This week's share is coming tomorrow! We flaked this week and didn't remember our pick up until the last minute. Neil was kind enough to let us switch our pick up!

Forks Over Knives

2011-09-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

Time for another movie review! This time we watched Forks Over Knives, a documentary which came out just this year. The basic premise of this movie is that eating a plant-based diet is healthier. Forget what your mom told you about needing to drink your milk for calcium or eat your meat so you'll grow big and strong. The doctors in this film claim animal-based products are at the root of many of the health problems we face, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. In fact, they say many health issues can be reversed by eating a plant-based diet.

Now it probably won't surprise anyone to hear that I, as a vegetarian, was more receptive to this message. Gerry is skeptical and wants to know more about the science behind it. Gerry also likes his turkey bacon and cheese burgers an awful lot. But I am also a big fan of cheese and consume my share of milk. In fact, I just had a check up and my doctor asked me about my dairy consumption and told me to keep drinking my cereal milk! But I wonder if there is anything to this. I wonder how our overall health would change if we gave up animal products entirely. It's something to think about.

If the trailer piques your interest, there are tons of related videos on YouTube, including the entire movie for $3.99. Or, check it out of your local library! I know the Bucks County system has it! There is also more information at the official website.

Happy Squash

2011-09-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

Susan found me a GOOD recipe, southwestern stuffed acorn squash, at the Eating Well website. This dish is insanely good! I love it!

You can to adapt this recipe to any number of servings you want--it's very simple! I used the two acorn squash from our week 19 share and the carnival squash we got last week.

The tomatoes, onion and bell pepper were also in our share--and I ALWAYS have garlic in the house. I used turkey sausage from Bolton's in Silverdale. [Susan's note: How about a veggie version next time?]

A can of low sodium black beans finished it off! Pay attention to the beans! Some of the brands I looked at had over 1000 mg. of sodium--which is ridiculous! I used the O Organics brand which came in at about 400 mg of sodium.

My cat slotted spoon was almost as happy as I was when this was finished!

Week 19

2011-09-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

This week our half-share includes: corn, eggplant, various peppers, watermelon, tomatoes, flowers, pumpkin, onions, acorn squash, purple basil, salad greens, and sweet potatoes!

Soup's On!

2011-09-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

It's FALL! That means it's time for soup.

Starting with this recipe for Turkey and Squash Soup from Eating Well, I made a few, small changes:

- a can of chickpeas instead of the corn;

-a fresh jalepeno from our share instead of the red pepper flakes;

-shallots from the share instead of leeks.

I shared the soup with some co-workers who LOVED it--they all wanted the recipe!

Give it a try and see if you don't love it too!

Watermelon

2011-09-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

I was tempted to skip doing watermelon nutrition, because, well, it's watermelon. It's yummy, it isn't fattening, but it's mostly just water, right? Even the chart to the left didn't do much to convince me otherwise. But then I searched the internet for more info and found this article which pulled me in because it echoed my thoughts exactly: The usual notion about watermelon is they are just water with taste, harmless, but not a good choice for nutritional value.

Au contraire! Besides supplying a good amount of vitamins A and C and containing the ever-important antioxidant lycopene, watermelon is a good source of vitamin B1 or thiamine, and minerals such as potassium and magnesium, all things which help balance a body's electrolytes. Anyone who has ever spent a night with leg cramps knows how important that is!

Gerry and I love these little watermelons, because there are only two of us. Two people and a giant watermelon can be overwhelming!

Half Share, Week Eighteen

2011-09-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

I think this is the prettiest share picture I've ever taken!

This week our half share includes: watermelon, tomatoes, various peppers, pumpkin, winter squash, red onions, eggplant, purple basil, a decorative gourd, and salad mix!

I just can't decide if I want to eat the pumpkins we've been getting or decorate with them!

P is for Peppers!

2011-09-12T13:42:00.000-07:00

P is for peppers! Sweet peppers, hot peppers, tiny peppers, big peppers--have we got peppers! The nutritional info shown to the right is for sweet peppers, specifically, but peppers in general follow that pattern. They are low in calories, have zero fat or cholesterol, and provide a ton of vitamin C. One thing I was interested to find out is that red bell peppers, in addition to having a more mellow flavor, contain MORE nutrients than their green counterparts. So go for the color for maximum nutrition!

Just look at all the different types of peppers we've been getting!

Looks like some of those rare "cucumber peppers" got into this basket. We heard the yellow variety in this basket is HOT HOT HOT, but we've been too chicken to try them!

And my favorites, the teeny weeny miniatures!
(I like cute food.)

Fall Comfort Food

2011-09-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was dreary and rainy, with no sunshine and cloud cover that made it feel like dusk all day long. As it got closer to lunchtime, I wanted something from the past: a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. There is nothing better than a meal that takes you back to a time in your life when everything was just simpler. I guess that is why they call it comfort food! Of course, what I had in mind was a little more involved than opening a red and white can.

I used this recipe as the basis for my soup. We had plenty of tomatoes on hand from our half share, and I also used both basil and onions from the farm.

The cooking time was a little longer than just heating up a can of soup, but infinitely more rewarding, as the house filled with the aroma of stewing tomatoes.

Preparation was also a bit more complicated than twisting a can opener.

But the final result? Fabulous. Worth it. Just what I wanted. And dare I say it? Mmm, mmm good!

Weekend

2011-09-06T15:40:00.001-07:00

Just a little late with Gerry's Labor Day indulgence: a meatball sub with mushrooms and peppers.

Oh yeah, there was cheese, too, but I made him hand it over for pictures before he obscured all the peppers!

Hope everyone had a relaxing weekend!

Week 17

2011-09-06T15:35:00.000-07:00

This week's half share includes various tomatoes, pumpkin, watermelon, cabbage, onions, shallots, pea shoots, eggplant, zinnias, various peppers, basil, and winter squash! What a cold and dreary day--I almost didn't have enough light to take the picture!

A Change of Pace...Or Not

2011-09-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

Susan says: I've been after Gerry to make something that isn't based on tomatoes. Not only do I despise tomatoes, but the blog was looking like a gallery of tomato dishes! So when I saw this recipe in an old Martha Stewart magazine, I thought it would make a nice change from all the 'maters. Of course, look how it wound up: covered in salsa!

Gerry says: I made the recipe exactly as the directions stated--mark this day on your calendar--and it was absolutely delicious! I can see serving it with something like fried chicken and a green vegetable, especially on a cool fall evening. Then I thought about it a little bit and realized that most polenta is cooked and then fried, isn't it, in little patties? So I tried it with the polenta and fresh corn. WOW! EXCELLENT! I dressed them with a dollop of sour cream and a spoonful of fresh salsa and had a couple accompanied by an ice cold Corona. Perfect!

Susan interjects: How about homemade salsa with the polenta fries?

Gerry finishes up: I was expecting these to be a little firmer but that didn't happen. I think if I had used a bit less liquid in the original recipe they would have held up a bit better and been great as a finger food for football season.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

2011-09-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hey, sports fans! The NFL season starts in just one week! Is anyone else excited?

There is nothing better than football food--NFL or soccer--it's all delicious! So I thought I'd work on putting together some recipes for game-day snacks.

I love salsa. I love spicy salsa. I love fresh, spicy salsa! This recipe is a quick way to have fresh salsa around when you want it. It's best if you let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of days to let all the flavors meld together.

Salsa is obviously great with tortilla chips, but I also love it on enchiladas (a dollop of sour cream and a spoonful of salsa on top add terrific color to the dish), in tacos, or as a garnish on broiled or grilled swordfish. It has loads of uses besides just a dip. Another way I've always enjoyed salsa is with sourdough bread. Some fresh sourdough, butter and a spoonful of salsa--like bruschetta, with loads more kick!

Week Sixteen, Half Share

2011-08-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

peppers
squash
tomatoes
potatoes
zinnias
sage
basil
watermelon
onions
shallots
cabbage
eggplant
cucumbers

Gerry picked up the share this week and chose all the tiniest potatoes for me. I love, love, love those tiny taters made into "crashed" potatoes. In fact, they're already gone!

Clean Slate!

2011-08-29T18:35:00.000-07:00

Know what this is?

It's our first batch of the Easiest, Best Tomato Sauce Ever! In other words, it's everything we couldn't keep up with last week (while on vacation), roasted and pureed.

I found the recipe in a book called The Quarter Acre Farm by Spring Warren. It's a cool book AND blog about growing enough food on an average residential lot to feed a small family. This is the book I credit with inspiring me to try this:

Yep, those are home-grown carrots! Gerry and I took the plunge and planted our first little raised bed with carrots and parsnips. Farmer Neil didn't sound too optimistic about our chances of growing parsnips, but so far they seem to be doing quite well! We're keeping our fingers crossed that we'll have parsnips for Thanksgiving dinner!

Anyway, about Spring and The Quarter Acre Farm. What I love about Spring is her matter of fact approach to gardening. If she runs into a problem, she just does a little research and experiments with something new. She takes some wrong turns, but it's all part of the process. I don't think there's another gardening book out there that I, a non-gardener, would have enjoyed as much as hers.

And this recipe--what's not to love about a recipe that frankly addresses a problem common to almost everyone? Sometimes you just can't keep up and find yourself with an odd assortment of produce past its prime. This is a GREAT way to give yourself a clean slate without adding to the compost pile!

The recipe is a snap, but do pay attention to the warning to use at least two-thirds tomatoes in your mix. We went a little light on the tomatoes once, and the sauce was a very unappetizing shade of brown!

The next recipe we're trying from the site is Zucchini Noodles! Don't they look fun?

Pizza, Please!

2011-08-28T17:43:00.000-07:00

Just a simple dinner for our last day of vacation.

Tomatoes from our CSA share, and basil from another local farm.

Personal-size pizza shells from Petruzzi Pizza in Hazleton, via Glenwood Foods in Ephrata. They are worth the trip!

Savory Zucchini Bake

2011-08-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this dish is not a looker. You can dress it up with a pretty casserole dish or herbs on top, but here it is in all its utilitarian glory. And that's appropriate, because this is not a fussy recipe.

Savory Zucchini Bake

from the book From Asparagus to Zucchini
3 cups peeled and grated zucchini
1 cup packaged quick baking mix (like Bisquick)
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2-1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan or Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan. Mix all ingredients and pour into pan. Bake 30 minutes. Makes 12 servings.

When I read this out loud for Gerry, he said, "Mix ALL ingredients?" Yep, indeedy, you just mix everything and dump it in the pan. His next question? "Can I put sausage in it?"

This recipe is very similar to one we posted back in '08, ALA Zucchini from the PA Department of Agriculture. And guess what--he put sausage in that dish too!

Gerry's take: Fussy is definitely not a word I would use to describe this! I needed a recipe that would do three things: 1) Use up some squash. 2) Go together quickly and easily. 3) Work as leftovers. This one filled the bill! I happened to have a lot of yellow squash, so that's what I used, although the zucchini probably would have looked a little better. I also used fresh oregano because, well, our little pot of herbs from the Week Two share has grown into a huge bush.

Give this one a try--you won't be disappointed!

#15 Already!

2011-08-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

Gerry did the pick up and photo today, while I took a nap! Maybe we should continue with the role reversal and have me cook this week. Um...er...well, we'll see!

Here's the list of what's included in this week's whole and half shares. Not much left for me to do!

Eating with Relish!

2011-08-21T18:13:00.000-07:00

Gerry hoarded his cabbage for two weeks so he could make a huge bowl of slaw. He told me he used this recipe, but I knew there had to be revisions. Sure enough, he left out the celery seed (didn't have any), used both green and red cabbage, and subbed green pepper for red. One thing he didn't change was the inclusion of sweet pickle relish, but he made his own using his homemade pickles! The funny thing is, that probably made the recipe better, because one review of the original version said it was too sweet. I don't think it was too sweet for Gerry, because he's aleady eaten the entire batch in just a couple of days, and everytime he has some he says how much he enjoys the relish in it!

Riffing on Ratatouille

2011-08-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

Sooooo...ratatouille...where to begin. My first ever exposure to this dish was back in 1977. I was barely 18, had just started in the grocery industry, and was working in frozen food. I'd never even heard of ratatouille, but my store manager apparently loved it enough for both of us, because he would check on the supply of Stouffer's frozen ratatouille every day. Really! Every. Single. Day. Once I took a good look at the food with the funny name, I realize why I'd never heard of it: it was made with eggplant. I had never had eggplant in my life! I don't think my mother would have known what to do with an eggplant--it simply had never crossed our threshold.

Onward we go and over the years I've tried eggplant parmesan, fried eggplant, various other eggplant dishes, and never found it to be all that interesting. I'll eat it, but I don't need to have it. But then we started to get these lovely little eggplants in our half share, and I thought of that dish with the funny name again.

I discovered that the most famous ratatouille recipe in the world is Julia Child's, so that's where I started. Now, I don't mean any disrespect, but as is my habit, I didn't follow it exactly. She would have you sauteeing each vegetable separately. I'm not patient enough for that, so everything went in together. All in all, it turned out nicely, and doesn't seem to have suffered from my tweaks.

Then we came across the recipe touted as a "baked riff on ratatouille" in the September 2011 issue of Whole Living magazine. This layered dish pairs tomatoes, onion, and squash with potatoes and parmesan cheese. THAT sounded REALLY good, so I gave it a shot! It's isn't a true ratatouille because it doesn't have eggplant, but it is absolutely delicious!

Baked Tomatoes, Squash, and Potatoes

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 small tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium yellow summer squash, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium yukon gold potato, sliced 1/4 inch thick
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil over medium and cook onion until tender and lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes.

Arrange the onion on the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Overlap tomato, squash, and potato on top of the onion. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with thyme and Parmesan, and drizzle with more oil.

Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, 30 minutes more.

In the end, I'm happy I tried both versions. They were both tasty and filling and worth the effort. But the one with cheese? Wonderful.

Week 14: Half Share

2011-08-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

While I was picking out my vegetables today, I realized something: I haven't been stressing the fact that these are HALF shares. Imagine twice this amount, and that's what you'd get if you signed up for a FULL share! It's a lot of stuff!

This week's share includes: tomatoes, corn, flowers, cukes, eggplant, cabbage, a few different kinds of peppers including some cute little baby ones, summer squash, carrots, onions, a melon (I chose a cantaloupe), potatoes, and cherry tomatoes!

King Corn

2011-08-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

When we restarted the blog for the summer, I promised there would be movie reviews, and I even added a "movie review" category to the sidebar! So what happened? Honestly, I find them hard to write. To begin with, I am not an expert in farming or nutrition, so I'm worried I'll mess up the facts. The other problem is intent: I don't want to sound preachy, and I don't want to BE preachy.

But I still want movie reviews, so I'm giving it another go, and we'll see how I do!

A few days ago, Gerry and I rewatched the documentary King Corn. To summarize the movie, way too much corn is being produced because of government subsidies, and this is leading to a degradation of our food supply. Go to the King Corn website and click on the "Farm Bill" button on the right to read a better explanation of this than I could ever write. When I was a kid, corn was the lovely, tender stuff we bought at farm stands for a dollar a dozen. Now it's industrialized and the things they're doing with it--feeding it to cows who aren't built for that diet and processing it into freaky corn sweeteners--are practically poisoning us.

For Gerry, his first viewing of King Corn marked the beginning of a shift in his diet. There is a scene in the movie (and I hope I'm not ruining it for anyone) where a nutritionist sticks his hand through a little door in the side of a live cow to show the effects of the corn heavy diet. Gerry remembers me asking if he was ready to become a vegetarian. I couldn't see anything that drastic happening, but I did encourage him to seek out healthier alternatives to the meats he was buying at the grocery store. We realized this would mean the end of discount meats, so he's compensated by eating less. Eating a better quality meat (and less of it) has resulted in better numbers at the doctor's office, too.

For my part, I've never eaten meat, so I didn't have any changes to make there. Instead, I zeroed in on high fructose corn syrup. I'm sure I'd heard of HFCS before watching King Corn, but I don't think I realized how prevalent it was. I sort of figured that it would be in really junky things like Pop Tarts and Kool Aid...you know, things I wasn't eating anyway. Then I started checking bread wrappers. HFCS! Spaghetti sauce. HFCS! Cranberry juice. HFCS! Raisin bran. HFCS! Ritz crackers. HFCS! Holy cow.

So now what? Well, at first I looked for substitutes. I actually found and bought different highly-processed foods that just happened to be free of the dreaded sweetener. And these days it's much easier to do as some manufacturers have caught on and removed HFCS from their recipes.

So that's a step in the right direction...sort of. Eventually, however, I figured out that an even easier way to avoid the stuff was by avoiding processed foods. These days, I couldn't even tell you what's for sale in most of the middle aisles of the grocery store. And honestly? When I see the array of things for sale it makes me kind of sick.

Just in case you think I'm getting a little preachy let me tell you this: I love cotton candy, potato chips are a staple around here, and we still go out for fast food sometimes. We're not perfect. But we're a long way from where we were.

So what does this have to do with anything? Well, we believe it's important to support small farms by joining a CSA or shopping at local farm stands because it ensures we will have fresh, healthy food to eat. I don't want to see even more small farms gobbled up by corn growers so that more cows--and more people for that matter-- can eat themselves sick.

Whoops!

2011-08-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

I ate it so fast, I forgot to take a picture.

Delicious.

How do you make your corn on the cob? My mom always did hers on a pot on the stove, so that's how I MUST have it. No microwave or grill for me!

Carrot Cakes

2011-08-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late with this, but last week's carrots went into carrot cupcakes/muffins. Gerry used this recipe as a starting point and made the usual changes of mixed spice and raw sugar. He also substituted another cup of carrot for the apple. I think ours look better than theirs! We whipped up a bit of cream cheese icing for a few we took to a get together on Sunday, but they are every bit as tasty plain!

I couldn't seem to capture the color of the carrots inside. They are much more orange than this in real life!

We love having this kind of thing around to take along as a snack during an afternoon shopping or a breakfast on the run. It's sort of our answer to nutrition bars. They also make nice little "thank you" treats for friends!

Week Thirteen

2011-08-09T18:48:00.000-07:00

FIRST CORN!

cantaloupe - onions - cherry tomatoes - basil

summer squash - Japanese eggplant - flowers

pickling cukes - red potatoes -assorted peppers

tomatoes - red cabbage

Presto, It's Pesto!

2011-08-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever avoided a food thinking that you just didn't like it? I was that way with pesto. For some reason, I was convinced I disliked pesto. I know I've had it, I know I thought it left a funny aftertaste, and I know for that reason alone, I've avoided it.

Then came last weeks share and another bunch of beautifully fragrant basil. I've felt guilty because I haven't been able to use the basil fast enough in the past few weeks and have had to throw some out. I was looking for recipes that used basil and kept coming back to pesto. After reading How to Make Pesto Like an Italian Grandmother at 101 Cookbooks, I decided to give it a try. The only thing I didn't do according to the recipe was the chopping. I'm way too lazy to do all that chopping, especially when I have the perfect "pesto sized" attachment for my blender! So I did everything precisely to the recipe except I used my machine.

Ok, can I say OMG here? This stuff is awesome! I added it to some linguine from the Dreamfields pasta line (hint: you can get a coupon at the site). I use Dreamfields for the lower absorbed carbs. The flavor of the pesto was INCREDIBLE! Parmesan, garlic, basil, pine nuts and good olive oil? The bomb. I can't say enough about it--except to add that I had to have been a complete idiot to have avoided pesto for all this time. The only thing I can think is that I had pesto from a can or jar--and that just can't be as good as freshly made!

A little tip: BJ's Wholesale Club has an eight ounce bag of pine nuts for $9.99. This is a great price! I've seen them for $7 for a 4 ounce bag in grocery stores. [Susan's note: This does sort of fly in the face of the whole local food thing, but it's hard to avoid that with pine nuts as North American pine nuts are sort of hard to get.]

Finally, thanks to CSA member Velga for this tip--if you aren't going to use the pesto right away, it tends to get darker as seen here. Add a little lemon juice and the acid will help keep the color. Thanks, Velga!

Cantaloupe

2011-08-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

Most things as sweet and tasty as cantaloupe are nowhere near as good for you. Check out that calorie count: only 25 calories per cup! And unlike some vegetables which tempt you to add butter or cheese or some fruit which just begs for whipped cream, you'll likely be eating your cantaloupe as-is. Winner!

In addition to being low calorie, cantaloupe also provides a good amount of vitamins A and C and isn't too high in carbs. Compare this to watermelon which provides significantly lower levels of vitamins with about twice the carbohydrates and (this surprised me) more calories.

Spice It Up!

2011-08-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

With the positively frigid weather we had on Thursday (only in the seventies!), Gerry took the opportunity to cook a dish with a lot of heat: chicken paprikas. I debated for a long time whether it was okay to call this paprikas, which traditionally uses sour cream, but Google turned up a few instances of genuine Hungarians preferring their paprikas sans sour cream, so I'm running with it. The couscous on the other hand...I'm not sure how they'd feel about that in Hungary.

For some reason, Gerry doesn't think to use paprika too often, which explains why our tin of it was six years old! He used it anyway, liberally, but some of the fire had gone out of it. There are also different types of paprika, which was news to me. Now that we need a new supply, we'll keep that in mind! Do you have a favorite place to buy spices? We have been happy with My Spice Sage, because shipping is free and there are always free samples!

One thing Gerry really enjoyed about this dish was the slightly smoky flavor imparted by the paprika. And although the top of his head broke out in a sweat, he wishes it were a little hotter!

Week 12

2011-08-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

Basil, tomatoes, carrots, eggplant, potatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, cabbage, onions.
Our first chance to cook will be Thursday. What should we make?

Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes

2011-08-02T03:32:00.000-07:00

Another quick, easy, tasty and healthy lunch/dinner/snack idea when the weather is just too darn hot to cook. How about fresh tomatoes stuffed with tuna salad? This goes together in a snap--make your favorite tuna salad, cut a nice deep well in your tomatoes, place a heaping scoop of tuna salad in the tomato, eat!

Simple as can be! AND requires no oven/stove/heat whatsoever!

Tasty Cake

2011-07-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

Ger has been banging out batches of zucchini muffins for weeks now, using our old standby recipe. They're tasty, but they're nothing new, so we skipped blogging about them. But then--wouldn't you know it--the new Martha Stewart magazine arrived, and Martha takes zucchini muffins to a whole new level.

Zucchini Bundt Cake with Orange Glaze,

From Martha Stewart Living, August 2011
1 1/2 sticked unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon anise seeds
[We used the Goodall's mixed spice we love so much instead of cinnamon and anise seeds. Close enough.]
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional) [Not sure why they say this is optional. It would be a crime to leave it out, in my opinion.]
coarse salt
2 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces each)
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush a 6 cup bundt pan with butter and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together flour, baking powder, spices, and 1 teaspoon salt.

2. Grate zucchini on the large holes of a box grater, then squeeze dry in a clean kitchen towel or press in a ricer. (You will need 2 1/2 cups.)

3. Stir together eggs and sugar, the stir in melted butter, zucchini, and orange zest and juice. Stir in flour mixture. Transfer batter to pan.

4. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about one hour (cake will rise quite a bit over the top of the pan but should not run over). Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let cake cool for 10 minutes. Run a paring knife around edges of cake to loosen, and turn out onto wire rack. Let cool for at least 30 minutes.

5. Brush several layers of orange glaze evenly over cake. [I am leaving the candied zucchini part out. Who wants to be boiling syrup in this weather?]

Orange Glaze
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

2 pinches of ground cardamom (optional)

1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, plus 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
whole milk, as needed for thinning

Whisk together sugar and cardamom. Whisk in orange zest and juice, and whisk until mixture has the consistency of thick honey. If mixture is too thick, whisk in milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.

Gerry didn't thin his glaze as much as they did in the magazine. I like it this way, because I think the drips look more casual and rustic. It would also be nice drizzled on the tops of zucchini muffins, just to add a touch of sweet. The Martha way, with the delicate glaze and candied zucchini would be nice for a party, but who needs all that folderal in everyday life?

We did add a handful of raisins, though. These Trader Joe's Jumbos are just too good to miss. They are one of the reasons we would never make it as locavores! Big and juicy, a little go a long way!

Pretty!

2011-07-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

We won't be sauteeing these, grilling them, or eating them raw.

But we are enjoying them!

Week Eleven

2011-07-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

What'd we get this week?
zucchini - yellow squash - Japanese eggplant

string beans - frying peppers - jalapeno peppers

potatoes - onions - carrots

pickling cucumbers - cantaloupe - tomatoes

basil - flowers - bell peppers

NOT Too Hot to Cook!

2011-07-25T17:32:00.000-07:00

Gerry was finally willing to turn on the stove, so tonight was all about the eggplant! He was talking about combining the eggplant with zucchini and cheese and stuff and making a casserole, but I convinced him to save that for standard eggplant and use these delicate beauties in something which would highlight, rather than hide, the eggplant. This recipe seemed to fit the bill: quick, easy, and made from ingredients on hand.

Okay, my turn...Gerry here. I read through the recipe Susan sent me and decided to make some small changes. After all, this really is just sauteeing some vegetables, so you can take liberties. One of the comments after the recipe suggested adding garlic, and I considered it, but then I used a green frying pepper from our share last week, sliced into nice, thin rounds. I also used a red onion because I didn't have a sweet onion and some oregano from our plant.

You could also use olive oil in the pan rather than butter for a healthier version, but I went whole hog tonight! There's always the danger of having a dish like this turn into more of a sauce than a side dish, so take care to cut your tomatoes extra chunky and don't overcook!

While I am not normally a huge eggplant fan--I find that it is rather bland and requires too much "other stuff" to make it interesting--these little japanese eggplants, also known as nasubi, are delicious! They have fewer seeds and a more delicate texture. Susan's idea to give these little guys their moment in the sun was the right way to go--will make this dish again!

Too Hot to Cook

2011-07-22T17:37:00.000-07:00

With temperatures hitting triple digits and no air conditioning in the kitchen, we're avoiding the stove at all costs. Luckily, this week's share included a nice basket of cucumbers, perfect for pickling! Unfortunately, Susan HATES pickles-fortunately, I love 'em! Let the pickling adventure begin!
A search for "ice-box pickles" turned up hundreds of similar recipes. Dill vs. bread and butter? Spears vs. slices? How to decide? What to pick? After mulling it over, I decided I wanted to try bread and butter slices. The key element I was looking for was a recipe that was truly "no cook." The last thing I wanted to do on a 105 degree day was put a pot of water on the stove, heat it up and have the resulting evaporation add to our general discomfort! So, I found a recipe that called for salt, sugar, vinegar, mustard seed, turmeric, celery seed and NO stove!

I used two bell peppers from our recent shares, a sweet onion, cut into generous wedges, and the basket of pickling cukes cut into chunky slices. All that was left to do then was throw the veggies in a gallon container, pour the pickling spice mixture over them, and refrigerate. That's it!

After letting them sit for about twenty-four hours, I thought they could use a little more time. They taste really good--a nice, crispy snap and delicious spice mix, but they will taste even better with a little more time in the fridge! [Susan's note: I may join them.]

Heavenly Zucchini Fritters

2011-07-19T20:43:00.000-07:00

Last night we took inventory of what we had left from last-week's share. At the top of the list: zucchini. I'd meant to give a couple to my mom, but forgot, so it was time for another zucchini experiment!

I had photocopied a recipe for zucchini fritters (or pancakes) from Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking. I can't say it enough: I love the Laurie Colwin books about cooking. This recipe is from a chapter called How to Disguise Vegetables. Does it get any better than that?

Shred the zucchini--use four small ones--and drain it on a towel. Separate two eggs and beat the whites until fairly stiff. Add half a cup of milk to the egg yolk, beat and add about half to three-quarters of a cup of flour--the batter should be a little thicker than pancake batter. Add the zucchini, salt, pepper and some chopped scallion. Fold in the egg whites and fry in clarified butter (or unclarified butter) or olive oil until golden on both sides.

I handed off the recipe to Gerry and told him to call me when he had something interesting for me to photograph. When he called, this is what he'd whipped up:

And I do mean whipped up. The recipe has you beat the egg whites, so the batter is this amazing, fluffy consistancy. This was looking promising!

One thing Ger said he'd do differently next time is use less oil. By the time he got to the end of the batter, there was much less oil in the pan, and the fritters cooked up just fine.

These smell absolutely wonderful when they're cooking. Like drool-worthy wonderful.

And they taste as good as they look. Gerry had ketchup with his, and I (of course) passed on that and had mine plain. We both give this recipe an A+. We will be making these again...and again...and again...once we finish the first batch. The recipe as written makes a dozen good-sized fritters, but they reheat nicely in a dry pan on top of the stove. Try them!

Week Ten!

2011-07-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

red potatoes
tomatoes
carrots
peppers
eggplant
beets
zucchini
yellow squash
basil
pickling cucumbers
chard
toes :)

Carrot Time!

2011-07-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to see carrots in the share for the second week in a row! This is one vegetable I absolutely l-o-v-e. We even have a little carrot (and parsnip) patch of our own, but we started ours really late, and they're way behind.

So what do carrots have going for them, besides being delicious? Looking at the nutrition facts, the one number that really stands out if vitamin A: 170% of the RDA in just a half cup! Vitamin A goes hand in hand with beta carotene, an antioxidant which enhances your immune system and may help protect against cancer. That's good enough for me!

Store carrots in the crisper section of your fridge. Remove the tops and seal in a plastic bag, but don't wash them until you're ready to use. Also keep them apart from apples, pears, and potatoes. The ethylene gas put off by those fruits and veg can cause carrots to turn bitter.

We've found that these beauties don't even need peeling. Just give them a good scrub and enjoy!

Oh, and just for fun, check out the Carrot Museum website! Carrot collectors, record-setting carrots (19 feet long), even a carrot clarinet!

We Got the Beets

2011-07-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight we're going to the long-awaited U2 concert, so dinner was something quick and easy. Gerry bought a grill at the tail end of summer last year (great deal!) and was really looking forward to getting it out this year. I figured we had a backlog of beets so maybe grill + beets was an option. One quick Google search turned up many hearty endorsements for grilled beets so it was a go!

Confession: Once Ger started to slice the beets, I felt like a complete fool for ever wondering what they were. The kitchen smelled like a borscht factory! These beets have one distinct advantage over the red variety: no staining! ==Handing over the keyboard to Gerry== So I grilled beets--and I like them! I didn't grill them for the eight minutes suggested in the recipes. About five is enough, probably because the beets are smaller. They are just soft enough without falling apart. Along with the beets I threw a few squash on there, because I know this is just the start of zucchini season, and we'll need as many variations as possible! Everything just got a brush of good olive oil, salt and fresh cracked pepper, and it is delicious! Just as the comments on the recipe say, the charred bits are a nice contrast to the sweetness of the beets. Oddly enough, that was the one comment Susan made about the beets. (Yes, I MADE her take a bite!) She thought they were too sweet. [And too beet-y, but the zucchini I can eat.] Along with some chicken from Bolton's, we had a great pre-concert dinner! Now off to the show!

Week Nine

2011-07-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

Dear blog followers,

Please excuse our absence from posting this past week.

We lost our beloved Isabella kitty to complications of diabetes. Isabella, who recently starred in the video Isabella Eats Her Greens, will be missed terribly.

I made a little rainbow of vegetables today in her honor.

This week's share includes peppers, potatoes (HOORAY!), green and yellow squash, tomatoes, basil (smells sooooo good), carrots, eggplant, onions, and beets. There were also hot peppers, but I wasn't wearing my glasses, and was therefore blind as a bat, and I forgot to take them!

Eight to Eat

2011-07-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes, cucumbers, white beets, green and yellow squash, carrots, onions.
Lots of colors this week!

Tomato Talk

2011-07-04T05:25:00.000-07:00

The cover of this month's AARP Magazine includes a blurb that says, "The Food That Cures (Almost) Everything." I flip to page 24, eager to see what it could be, and it's...tomatoes. Well, darn, I thought, that's too bad because...

I will never, not ever, eat a tomato. Okay, maybe that's a little extreme. My attempt to eat one raw was an utter failure, but I am willing to give it another shot. I'm hoping to be a little more successful with cooked tomatoes, because it sounds like cooking them tempers the acidity, but I'm afraid I'll never develop a taste for them. And so, due to my utter ignorance, I am turning the tomato discussion over to Gerry.

First of all, the AARP magazine. The DAY I turned 50, I joined AARP--for the discounts! As a bit of cruel fun, I had them send me a card in Susan's name along with mine. I am 10 years older than Susan, so when you do the math, clearly the AARP card in her name was both unecessary and vicious. But I digress...

At this time I think I am supposed to wax poetic about the tomato. I will, I will, but let me tell you a little story first. When I was but a small boy, I developed a "food allergy." Keep in mind that this was LONG before food allergies in children were as common as they are today. It turned out I was allergic to--gulp--tomatoes! If I TOUCHED a tomato, I would break out in a rash. Luck being what it is, my rash always manifested itself most intensely on my face! Yeah, a red-headed, freckle-faced kid, kinda chubby, with a lovely red, itchy rash on his face. Adorable, huh? And then one day it just went away--poof--gone, no more rashes from tomatoes!

So move ahead to today, a new century, 45 years on from my rashy days, and you'll find that I LOVE tomatoes. They are so versatile. I love them in salad, on a hamburger, as a sauce, broiled with some parmesan cheese on top, fried Irish-style, marinated in Italian dressing, or just plain, with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. They are delicious, especially when they're local and in season.

Okay, Gerry, okay. We get it. You like tomatoes. So what about nutrition? That AARP article I mentioned explains that tomatoes may help prevent certain types of cancer, heart disease, and even diabetes. They are an excellent source of vitamins A and C, a good source of potassium, and are packed with lycopene, the antioxidant compound which gives tomatoes their color.

One interesting thing I found out while reading about tomato nutrition is that cooking your tomatoes raises their nutritional benefits. Never knew that!

Why I Saved My Tomatoes

2011-07-03T05:13:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about farm fresh produce is that it has tremendous shelf life when you get it home, especially if you store it properly! I had saved most of the tomatoes from last week's half-share, hoping to combine them into a pasta dish with tomatoes this week. I was delighted to find not only tomatoes but also zucchini and basil in this week's half-share. Everything was falling into place! Perfect!

Being diabetic, I went about five years without EVER eating pasta--EVER! Then I discovered Dreamfields pasta. Somehow they make it so that it is extremely low in digestible carbs, which makes it ideal for me. I found a recipe for pasta with fresh tomatoes and zucchini and went to work!

The ingredients are pretty basic--again, great to use stuff I already have! I cut my zucchini on the bias and then halved them. I used 1/2 of a red onion cut a little thicker than the recipe calls for. I also used red wine vinegar because it's what I had. I am sure I could have used red or white wine for the recipe just as well. We did buy a few extra zucchini at the farm stand down the road from us, but I'm sure we'll have PLENTY to work with in the coming weeks!

I've started using my bread knife to cut tomatoes--don't tell Susan! I've contaminated the bread knife! I find it makes for easier slicing, especially when the tomatoes are really ripe! There are two cloves of garlic under there too-you can just see them peeking out from under the tomatoes.

First you sautee the zucchini and onion.

Then everything heads into the big pot for a nice simmer.

Toss in your cooked pasta and Bob's your uncle! It's done! a really nice, light pasta dish. I'm pretty sure this will taste great hot or cold. I enjoyed it tonight with some turkey sausage from my favorite farm market, Bolton's.

Coming Attractions

2011-07-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

I promised some pictures of veggies to come.

Here's what's growing around the farm!

Eggplant!

Ugli (or ugly) tomatoes! (But this guy's pretty cute, dontcha think?)

Honey! Busy bees are multiplying and they're up to EIGHT hives!

Corn! Look's like it's knee high by the Fourth of July!

Progress Report

2011-06-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

Remember our little oregano plant from Week Two?

Not only is it still alive, but it's thriving!

That's a BIG pot it's planted in!

Paws for Greens

2011-06-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

Last week was kind of a blur, and I forgot to share this little video I made of our cat, Isabella, eating a beet leaf. (It's better than it sounds, really!)

Isabella's veggie bent came to light back in 2008 when we first joined the Myerov Farm CSA. She would meet us at the door and couldn't wait to see what we had in the bags for her to try next--kale, spinach, corn husks, you name it!

Come to think of it, she's tried more vegetables than I have. Hmm. Maybe she should guest post.

Week Seven

2011-06-28T17:34:00.000-07:00

Beets (red and white), chard, zucchini, green onions, basil, tomatoes, cucumber.

Depending on the bag you chose, you may have received a slightly different assortment. I hear little white turnips were part of some of the bags--hope we get some next time!

Gerry and I toured the fields and greenhouses again today. Things are really coming along! I'll share some "coming attractions" throughout the week!

Pick a Peck of Pickled...

2011-06-25T11:07:00.001-07:00

Hi! Susan here. After much deliberation and some polling of friends, we decided these are albino beets. We had 8 votes for albino beets, 9 votes for turnips, five votes for rutabagas, and one wiseguy, knowing I hate tomatoes, tried to tell me they are "root tomatoes." Ha ha. Very funny. Gerry and I, with the advantage of smelling and tasting them, settled on beets. If it turns out we're wrong, then I guess we invented a new recipe!

I guess that means it's time for me to take over for a couple of minutes! Gerry here, to go over the pickled beets with you. For the record, I was one of the votes for turnips, but I was looking at a photo online at the time. Once I saw them "in the flesh", they were beets. So...

There are probably thousands of pickling recipes online. Not only that, our local Mennonite owned grocery store has a "Pickling and Canning" end display. Yes, END display of pickling supplies, including ready made packets of pickling spices! I did what I usually do-- I Googled "pickled beet recipe," looked at the first three or four, and picked the one that a) was the quickest; b) used ingredients I already had; and c) did NOT require a bushel basket of beets, 10 cases of canning jars and sterilizing equipment! Thus, this recipe for Quick Pickled Beets was the winner.

Believe it or not, I had EVERY item in the recipe! I couldn't believe my luck! When does that EVER happen? This really did only take 40 minutes from start to finish. It's super simple and the pickled beets and onion are delicious! They have just enough bite without too much "pucker" after effect. Really nice! The best part for me is that the recipe is for a really reasonable quantity of beets and can be used with pickles as well. I suspect that there are pickling cukes in our future...

I am thinking that when I use these pickled beets and onions in my next salad all I will have to do is grind some fresh pepper over it and it will be perfectly dressed! Enjoy!

Fattoush

2011-06-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

Last week, I was reading a book called More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin. It's not a cookbook exactly. It's more like a book about meals and memories and cooking with some recipes thrown in. As you may have guessed from the title, there is also a book called Home Cooking, and I recommend them both. For locals, the Bucks County Free Library has them both.

So Gerry and I were riding the bikes at the gym, I was reading this book, and I got to a chapter called "Tomatoes." My dislike of tomatoes is practically legendary, but reading isn't eating, so I dove in. Soon I was handing the book to Gerry and urging him to read this part:

My favorite salad is the ubiquitous salad of the Middle East: diced cucumber, onion, and tomato dressed with salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice. If you fry up some squares of pita bread in olive oil and add some flat-leafed parsley and a little fresh mint, you have a salad called fattosh, which is ridiculously delicious and extremely simple to make. This salad, with or without bread, is my summer staple.

Gerry's eyebrows rose, and he nodded. We had gotten a little behind on our cucumbers, so this was a perfect way to use them up before getting the next week's share. This week's share also includes cukes and tomatoes, so you might want to give this dish a try!

Preparation is ridiculousy quick and easy. Chop everything and toss it in some lemon juice and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste, and it's done!

Gerry wasn't too sure about adding the pita squares, but I urged him to give it a try, just to see what a Middle Eastern "bread salad" was like. "Think of them as croutons," I said. Turns out he really liked what the pita added to the dish. But either way, it's a pretty, simple, and (if you like tomatoes) delicious summer meal!

Week Six

2011-06-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

Here's week six! I'm thrilled the cucumbers are still coming, although we're down to one this week, so I fear the end is near. Also: chives, peas, baby spinach, tomatoes, jalapenos, radishes, and...I'm not sure! How embarrassing. I thought they were beets, then I saw them in the picture and thought, "Hmm, they look like turnips or rutabagas." But I cut one in half and there are rings in the flesh, so I think they're beets after all. Maybe an heirloom albino beet? Help me!

Spotlight on Spinach

2011-06-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

It's hard to write about spinach without going the Popeye route, so let me just get it out of the way: Are you really strong to the finish if you eats your spinach? Pretty much! On the vitamin and mineral front, spinach is a real superpower and holds a spot on most lists of the top ten most nutritious vegetables. Vitamin A, calcium, vitamin C...it's got it all.

I fully expected to hate spinach, but I've found I don't really mind a bit of spinach mixed in with other greens in a salad. Gerry likes to use spinach in egg dishes for some extra color and nutrition.

So what about the Popeye claim? Well, the Wikipedia entry for spinach specifically adresses this!

The cartoon character Popeye the Sailor Man is portrayed as having a strong affinity for spinach, becoming physically stronger after consuming it. A frequently circulated story claims that this portrayal was based on faulty calculations of the iron content. In the story, German scientist Emil von Wolff misplaced a decimal point in an 1870 measurement of spinach's iron content, leading to an iron value 10 times higher than it should have been and this faulty measurement was not noticed until the 1930s. However, recent study has shown that this is just another long standing myth, and spinach was chosen and promoted in Popeye for its vitamin A content alone.

Caldo Verde-ish

2011-06-17T16:49:00.001-07:00

It's June 17th--what could be more perfect for an early summer dinner than...soup? On one of our first tours of the farm this season, Neil showed us all the different varieties of kale in the field. I had no idea there was more than one kind of kale! [Note from Susan: Isn't one enough?]Greens are always difficult for us--my mother didn't even cook spinach much when we were kids, so things like kale and chard are rather new to me. And Susan, well, Susan doesn't have a whole lot of "kitchen experience," if ya know what I mean!

When you mention kale, people usually start talking about Portuguese kale soup with sausage. I work with a gentleman from Portugal, so when I saw all the kale in the field, I immediately went to my co-worker and asked what I could do with it when it showed up in the share. He told me about caldo verde and talked about his mother and grandmother making it, especially after a long day out. He spoke very eloquently and fondly of watching as his mother and grandmother shared the preparation duties. I was sold!

Ok, ok, an apology to anyone of Portuguese decent. This is very much an adaptation of caldo verde! Susan will tell you that I am terrible that way. I change quantities, ingredients, add things, take things out--when it comes to cooking, free form is my style.

I started with this recipe, but...

-I didn't think I had enough kale, so I used the chard we received this week as well.

-I didn't use chorizo, I used pepper and onion turkey grillers from Bolton's Farm Market in Silverdale, because I already had them.

-I left out the onion, because I didn't have one!

-I added mushrooms, because...well, because I like mushrooms.

So, technically, this is NOT caldo verde, but boy is it delicious! I will definitely make this again! It was great that the weather cooperated and cooled down--no steamy pot of soup on the stove in hot weather, thankyouverymuch.

I took the soup to work for lunch the other day and shared it with my Portuguese friend--he seemed to enjoy it. He commented on the seasoning being very good, not too salty, and also mentioned that you could see the pureed potatoes thickening the broth. I was pretty pleased with his reaction, although, what was he going to say, right? Still, I'm going to call it a success!

Week Five

2011-06-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

Let's see if I can pass the vegetable identification quiz:

Peas, radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers, chard, kale, and spinach.

I was thrown by the oddly shaped cucumber, but cutting it in half positively identified it as such!

This is embarrassing to admit, but I'm not 100% sure about one of the green leafys. Someone please correct me if any of them are wrong!

Who's Your Farmer?

2011-06-14T07:09:00.000-07:00

"You shouldn't be buying garlic shipped in holds of ships from thousands of miles away, between sex toys and flip flops."

--Carol Boutard in the film Ingredients

If you need any convincing that buying local food is the way to go, this documentary should take care of that. Now, before you roll your eyes and click away, let me add that the film does NOT say the only solution is to become a 100%, hardcore locavore, eating only food that's grown within a 100 mile radius. It specifically says you can have your olive oil, your coffee, bananas, or chocolate and still support the local food movement.

One point the film makes over and over is that locally grown food is just better stuff. The large-scale, industrial farms are interested in just about everything but flavor. Chemicals and genetic modifications may result in lower labor costs, higher yields, and a more uniform product, but flavor and nutrition and sometimes even safety are sacrificed.

Of course, another aspect to consider is fuel and energy costs. The film quotes a statistic that one fifth of our nation's fossil fuel consumption is used in the growing, packaging, and transporting of food. I think we've all heard that food costs are due to go up, and that's partly because of fuel costs.

I could go on...and on...but why not just watch the film? It is truly a feast for the eyes and food for thought. If you're a Bucks County resident, the film is available to borrow for free at the Bucks County Free Library. There is also a great Ingredients website and blog.

Asparagus Made Simple

2011-06-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

So, what does the hungry soccer fan do after returning home from the game? Instead of heading for the junk food, I decided to try an idea Susan had suggested.

The recipe is for asparagus with cheese cooked under the broiler--very quick and easy! I had a wedge of parmesan cheese, some garlic and butter and we stopped and picked up a loaf of sourdough bread--simple ingredients!

Inspiration came from this recipe at Steamy Kitchen but I didn't bother to cook the asparagus first-I prefer my asparagus crisper and cooking it would have been overkill. I also didn't grill the bread, I just put it all together and stuck it under the broiler. It doesn't get any easier than that!

All in all, this was a good meal. The cheese--I used a basic parmesan from Trader Joe's--was delicious. It has a really rich and nutty flavor, the kind of flavor that fills your mouth but doesn't have a bitter aftertaste. Really nice, and a great price! I paired the asparagus and bread with a mixed green salad to round out the meal. After all of the junk food temptations at the stadium, it was great to have some healthy food to come home to.

Red Hots

2011-06-11T06:46:00.000-07:00

To me, radishes have always seemed like one of the punctuation marks of the vegetable world. They provide little exclamations of flavor to salads, but they are never the whole focus of a dish. I guess that's why I never gave much thought to what sort of nutrients they were providing. As it turns out, those cute little red balls are related to some of the heavy hitters of nutrition known as cruciferous vegetables and are an excellent source of vitamin C.

Another thing I didn't know about radishes is that the leaves are also edible and, of course, full of nutrients. Just be sure to separate the leaves from the roots before you store them and use the leaves within a couple of days. I found this out too late to sample a leaf this week, but hopefully we'll have more to experiment with in the weeks to come!

Local Produce

2011-06-09T16:42:00.000-07:00

This is a veggie post with a twist, a different kind of local produce, if you will. Beautiful works by a local artist!

Farm Buildings on Derstine Road, available on Etsy

I have a friend named Taryn Day, and she is an artist. She paints, she draws, she teaches, and she is just plain good. Taryn started her blog a few years ago, and I always looked forward to seeing what she'd painted or whose portrait she'd done, so I was really excited when she asked if I would volunteer to have my portrait drawn and added to her portfolio. You can see the portraits she did of both me and Gerry over there in the sidebar. Pretty nice, huh?

Then, when Ger and I started to renovate our kitchen, I immediately skipped ahead about twenty seven steps and starting thinking about what I could hang on the walls. (Nevermind that we hadn't picked a paint color yet!) After looking at posters and prints and things online for a while, I finally realized I was overlooking a talented artist who was right under my nose! Worried that she might find my request trite and ridiculous, I asked Taryn if she might do some paintings of vegetables. To my delight, she jumped in and gave it a try, and the very first one she did was these radishes, which couldn't be more perfect.

A few paintings later, this radish turned up, and Gerry immediately said, "I want it!" That Gerry and his affinity for root vegetables!

Radicchio Lettuce available on Etsy

I hope you enjoyed this mini art show! With our shared appreciation of vegetables and beauty and all things local, I thought you might enjoy it!

To see more:

Taryn Day Fine Art

Awake and Painting on Etsy

Awake and Painting Blog

Editing to add: The radish painting is in a painting competition! My radish painting!

Vote for the radishes! :)

We Have a Winner

2011-06-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

Behold the glory that is polenta fries.
As I said, polenta was a new one for me, and even though I know it's only corn, a mush-like bowl of the stuff just didn't sound appealing. But polenta fries? Now that sounds like a winner! The recipe we used is this one for baked polenta fries, from 101 Cookbooks. We also referred to Crumby Icing's take on the recipe using the very same polenta from Castle Valley Mill.

Can you tell how happy I was to finally be making these?

The first step of the recipe is to cook the polenta to a thick consistancy so it can be spread out on a baking sheet. The recipe warned that it could take a while for the polenta to reach this stage. It didn't take ours too long, thank goodness, because it requires constant stirring (and I was starving).

Here's another look at the consistancy you want. It almost gets to be like a yeast dough, kind of stiff but springy. Notice how it's in a bowl now instead of a pot? That's because we forgot...

...the cheese. Just in case you are as absentminded as we are, please note that it didn't hurt it any to scrape it back up off the baking sheet to mix in the cheese!

Okay, we're back on track, the cheese is mixed in, and it's time to spread it out. You want it to be about a half inch thick. Gerry was grooving on his spatula, but I helped out with my bare hands once it cooled off.

Ger was determined not to have any raggedy edges! He cut off the jagged edges and used them to fill in where the dough looked a little thin. I'm calling it "dough." I guess it's dough, sort of. At this point, you put the whole baking sheet into the fridge for about an hour. That may be the most difficult part of the process: finding room in the refrigerator!

Okay, don't laugh. Yes, we used a quilting ruler to cut our fries. Maybe I've been nagging Gerry a little too much about being more neat and precise when he cooks!

Careful, Gerry, careful.

Ah, but look at them. Aren't they lovely?
HINT: Even though you are brushing them with oil or butter, you might want to work on a sheet of parchment. We thought we did a good job coating them, but they stuck to the sheet quite a bit. I think our fries ended up in the oven for about 28 minutes, which is a bit more than the recipe called for. This idea is a keeper, however, we both think they could use a little something else if you aren't planning to serve them with some sort of dipping sauce. Crumby Icing suggested adding rosemary to the mix. I think any herbs would be good or maybe crab seasoning. Gerry is campaigning for more cheese!

Week Four

2011-06-07T17:57:00.000-07:00

Asparagus, cucumbers, lettuce, radicchio, tomatoes, radishes, and Asian greens.

Glad Gerry was there to choose his own tomatoes!

Blogger has been giving me fits for the past few days. Last night, I tried for a half hour to upload photos only to find out that feature was down for maintenance. Tonight I'm having trouble with the "search" feature (which I finally just removed), comments aren't getting through, and photos still don't seem to be working right. I have a lot of things to post about, so this does not make me happy! Just bear with me!

Leafy Greens

2011-06-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist taking pictures as we prepared our own "bagged salad" the other night. Everything was just so beautiful.

This being my first experience with radicchio, I was amazed by how beautifully the leaves nestled inside each other. I assure you I knew what radicchio was, I just never had the chance to take it apart!

Ger did the rinsing, and, boy, was there a lot of mud in the sink afterward!

I got to whirl it all in the salad spinner. We resisted buying a spinner for a long, long time, because it takes up a lot of space, but I love the thing. When we decided we wanted one, I told my mom, and she found one for me at a rummage sale that same week. It was only $2 and it works a treat!

The finished product.

Now, normally, we wouldn't just shove the lettuce into a plastic bag, but we had some special produce bags here, and they really do seem to work. When we're storing our leafy greens for a longer time or in a regular plastic bag, we throw a paper towel in with them.

What's your method for keeping leafy greens fresh?

40 Shades of Green

2011-06-03T16:34:00.000-07:00

Bonus points to you if you know what this post's title refers to!

When Gerry and I picked up our share last week, we took a spin around the farm to visit all the veggies and see how things were progressing. You might recognize some of these things from this week's share!

I'm always fascinated by how the cucumbers are grown on trellises in the greenhouse. They are like cucumber trees!

This is what it looked like in there back in February, with the bags awaiting their plants.

One is ready for picking, while a baby is just starting out alongside of it.

Tomato-lovers, this week was just a taste of things to come! The plants are loaded with 'maters, and it won't be long 'til you're enjoying them!

This was a new one for me--radicchio. I expected the whole plant to be purple!

Mmm. I'm glad the rabbits can't get at this!

And there's that beautiful bok choy.

Week Three

2011-05-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

Bok choy, cucumbers, radishes, leaf lettuce, tomato, radicchio.

I love the little pops of color--especially the rosy pink of the radishes!

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm happy that we got bok choy again. Gerry has been lapping up that ABC Slaw and has a few people at work interested in trying it as well. And as I am eating the very last of the cucumber from last week, I was hoping to see them again this time. When I first peeked in the bag and didn't see them, I was bummed, so I started patting down the bag on the drive home. I was thrilled when my hand finally closed around one of the cucumbers.

Now get your mind out of the gutter!

We were instructed to choose our tomatoes (one for a half share, two for a full share) carefully. I'm not sure what anyone else looked for, but I took the one with a tail!

ABC Slaw

2011-05-29T17:12:00.000-07:00

Although we've been doing a good job at eating our veggies so far, we had been studiously avoiding one of them: the bok choy. We tried it as a stir fry the last time 'round, but I wasn't dying to have it again, and Gerry said he liked it better raw. So, when it showed up in our share for the second week in a row, we thought maybe a slaw recipe was in order.

I started Googling and scoping out some recipes, but many of them involved mayonnaise or mustard which are two (more) things I just don't eat. Finally, I found a bok choy, carrot, and apple slaw which looked like something I'd try and, also important, could be made with things we normally have on hand.

We're going to call this ABC Slaw, because it includes Apples, Bok choy, and Carrots!

Now I'll cede the floor to Gerry, so he can tell you how we made it!

Thank you, Susan!

The prep for this slaw is very simple. We used 3 carrots, real carrots, not "baby" carrots and a few small Empire apples. While Susan cut the carrots into matchstick-sized pieces, I prepped the bok choy by cutting it length-wise, slicing off the bottom and then washing the stems and leaves very well. I sliced the bok choy similar to how I would cut up celery for chicken salad. [Note from Susan: the stem portion actually looks a lot like celery once it's chopped up, while the leaves become like ribbons.] As the recipe directs, the bok choy then goes in a colander, where you sprinkle it with salt. Place a plate directly onto the bok choy and weigh it down. We used a nice big jar of peanut butter. The idea is to draw some moisture out of the bok choy with the salt.

Look--the Irish flag!

While the bok choy sat off to the side, we cut three small Empire apples into matchstick-sized pieces, then placed them in a bowl with the carrots along with 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger, 1 and a half tablespoons of vegetable oil and 1 and a half teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice. A couple of grinds of black pepper from the pepper mill finished off the seasoning. Toss thoroughly to coat the apples and carrots.

This all got tossed together in a nice big bowl, covered and placed in the fridge for a couple of hours while we went to the gym and did some roaming around. Since I didn't have any readily available protein to cook for dinner, I decided to have a complete vegetable dinner. I had a big plate of the slaw, which I found to be really delicious!

In this recipe, the sweetness of the apples and carrots play off the tart lemon juice, while the bok choy has a nice crunchy consistency and really picks up the flavors of the dressing. The ginger is just noticeable enough, but not overwhelming. I can see raisins as a nice addition to this as well.

When it comes to the weekly CSA pick up, I don't think I'll be as concerned about the bok choy as I was. A nicely chilled, refreshing slaw is a great summer dish. This could be a side dish with hamburgers, steaks, just about anything! AND I didn't have to slave over a hot stove and steaming wok! YAY!

Cooling Off

2011-05-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

Summertime, summertime, sum- sum- summertime.

What's that? Watermelon and honeydew?

We didn't get either one from the CSA this week!

What's this doing on the blog?

Surprise! It isn't honeydew--it's cucumber!

This is perfect for me because I hate honeydew...

but I loooooooove cucumbers.

(I had to show off my mad peeling skillz. Not bad for a beginner, huh?)

I know, I know. I just talked about how I need to leave the skin on, but I didn't think it would look as nice with the watermelon.

Besides, I wanted to fool you!
Did I fool you?

Cucumbers=Happiness

2011-05-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

Watch out! Now that I've figured out how to do it, I'm going to be including nutrition charts in my veggie exposes!

Cucumbers. Love them. And these cucumbers? Oh man, they are wonderful. They're crisp and crunchy and full of flavor--no limp, watery cucumbers here! And with the temperatures and humidity shooting up, they're a perfect refreshing snack.

You might glance over at the nutrition facts and think, "Oh, not much to see there." It's true that cucumbers aren't nutritional powerhouses compared to the likes of spinach or blueberries, but they do contain some vitamin C, potassium, fiber (leave the skin on!), and anti-oxidants.

The cucumbers we're receiving from the Myerov CSA are a variety that originated in Israel called Beit Alpha. After reading more about cucumbers and this type in particular, I realize it's a crime that I've been peeling them! It's perfectly okay to leave the thin, tender skin on, saving time and gaining the benefit of extra fiber.

Polenta?

2011-05-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

Turns out I neglected to take part of my allotment last week: a two pound bag of either whole wheat flour, cornmeal or polenta from Castle Valley Mill! Gerry chose the polenta which led to a whole discussion about the difference between cornmeal and polenta and to what extent they were interchangeable. When I started Googling for some definitive answers, I just got more confused, so I emailed the mill. Mark Fischer mailed me back and said:

It’s all the same Bucks County corn. The difference is in the size of the granules. We call the Grits (if you are from the south)/ Polenta (Italian tradition) the product that has a larger diameter nugget. This gives more texture or “tooth” in foodie terms. The cornmeal is more fine in texture, and makes an excellent creamy polenta if that is your preference. When it comes to grits, you will also hear the terms “hominy grits” and yellow or white grits. Hominy is made by soaking the kernels in lye in order to remove the hulls. I don’t do this, but the scalping machine I use , the August Wolf No. 1 Single Sieve Scalper, does a really good job of mechanically culling much of the hulls that are not ground up. White and Yellow are simply the color of the corn, and I hear from tribal knowledge that there really is no difference in taste. Bucks County grows exceptional yellow Dent variety, so we make yellow grits.

I feel much better having the information straight from the source!

Mark also tipped me off to their Facebook page which, in turn, led to some polenta recipes that look absolutely amazing! Check out this recipe for polenta fries. Can't wait to try that!

Week Two

2011-05-24T19:01:00.001-07:00

Week Two:
Cucumbers, bok choy, asparagus, lettuce, and an herb plant of our choice!

Let's see what the message board says today...

This week it was one bag for half shares and two bags for whole shares.

And we got to choose an herb plant! We asked which one would be the hardest to kill, and Farmer Neil recommended the oregano. I hope he didn't send it to its death!

Eat Up!

2011-05-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

Have you ever eaten a chive flower? I never had until this week! For the picture, I left it whole so it would look pretty, but I broke it up before I ate it. Yum!

Other Myerov Farm elements in this salad included the cucumbers (Wonderful! Full cuke post later this week), mint, and some chopped chives.

Spinach and lettuce were local as well.

Smelly

2011-05-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

In reading about lemon balm, I was drawn to the non-culinary uses, because I wanted to make use of its scent. In a book called Grow Herbs by Jekka McVicar I found a method for extracting the oil from the leaves for use in the bath.

To do this, you take a couple of handfuls of lemon balm leaves, cover them with about a pint of water, and bring to a boil on the stove.

Once you've achieved a boil, cover the pot and let it simmer for five minutes.

After straining out the leaves, this is what you'll have. I was amazed at how dark it was and figued it was going to make for a very potent bath.

Well, not quite. In fact, not at all. As I dumped the herbal extract into the water, the scent completely dissipated. What a disappointment! I was ready for a relaxing, aromatic soak and ended up with nothing more than dingy water. Fail!

On the bright side, my mint-infused iced tea is DELICIOUS! I'll have that again!

Herbal Update

2011-05-20T18:10:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say that this storage method has worked just fine for the herbs for now. It may require some tweaking once the really hot weather sets in, but everything was still lovely and fresh this morning!

We have a batch of iced tea brewing right now with some fresh mint, and I am doing an experiment with the lemon balm which I will tell you about tomorrow!

A is for Asparagus

2011-05-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

As promised, Gerry will be chiming in more often this time 'round. This seemed the perfect place to start, because he kind of loves asparagus, as you shall see. I asked friends for input on cooking the asparagus, because I wasn't wild about it previously, and everyone said to roast it. Well, that didn't work out too well the last time we tried it, but we had another go. Now I'll turn it over to Gerry!

Asparagus--ah, asparagus! One of my favorite vegetables, and we got it the first week! Thank you, Myerov Farm, THANK YOU!

This is such a delicious food. I have even resorted to popping them into the microwave to heat them up quickly. Asparagus is elegant--it complements fish and poultry extremely well. Many people ruin it, in my opinion, by drowning it in Hollandaise sauce. There is nothing wrong with Hollandaise sauce, I just prefer my asparagus fairly plain.

Tonight, we put the asparagus on a baking sheet (on parchment paper-love parchment paper!) drizzled it with good olive oil, some freshly ground salt and pepper then baked them in the oven at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. The salt and pepper melded into the olive oil and the asparagus retained a nice crunch with a wonderful salty, peppery, olive oil flavor. Asparagus turns just a gorgeous, vibrant, deep green when it is cooked. And the color-green is my favorite color, ok?

Susan was a good sport about trying the asparagus. I think she preferred (I hesitate to use the term "liked") the stalks. I prefer the stalks as well, and have found that I especially prefer the thicker asparagus. Maybe because it's a bit more "forgiving" in the cooking process because it is thicker, I'm not sure, but I am certain that I prefer the nice fat ones!

And how about this: asparagus has only about 4 calories per stalk! Obviously, this does NOT include the olive oil, but olive oil is a very healthy fat as well as a great source of flavor. It's also a good source of vitamin C and potassium. More nutritional information may be found via the website of the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board.

Fridge, Freeze, Dry or ??

2011-05-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist taking this picture of the three herbs! The color of those chive flowers along with the green--isn't it beautiful?

Now, how to keep them beautiful. Last year, storing the herbs we received was one of our biggest failures. It seemed like no matter what we did, they looked terrible by the next day. My mom keeps telling me to dry them, but I want to use the NOW, of course! I do like the idea of freezing leaves of mint and lemon balm into ice cubes. That would be a convenient way to add a little different flavor to iced tea. Of course I gave all of our ice cube trays away when we got a fridge with an ice maker!

For now, I have the stems submerged in a glass of water, like flowers in a vase. I've been searching online for other tips. Some sites recommend putting a plastic bag loosely over the tops of the herbs after you've put them in water and then putting the whole thing in the fridge. Other sites say to wrap them loosely in a moist paper towel. Or there's Oprah's $30 solution, the Herb Savor. Pfft! What really works?

Let the Season Begin!

2011-05-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

Today was our first pick up of the 2011 season at Myerov Farm! I seem to remember it being a gloomy, rainy day way back when we did our first pick up in 2008, too. Here's what was included in today's share:

asparagus
pac choi
mint
chives
lemon balm
cucumbers, beit alpha variety (more about them later)

Now, remember, this year we are doing a half share, in an effort to waste less! Full shareholders received TWO heads of pac choi, larger bundles of herbs, extra asparagus, a jar of honey, etc. This will plenty for the two of us!

One thing that's different from when we did this last is everything was set up to serve yourself, so I got to choose the exact veggies I wanted. I liked that! This way, if you are a fan of, for example, super-slim asparagus, you can choose that. If you like your asparagus as fat as possible, you can choose that instead. I couldn't remember which way Gerry liked it, so I picked one that was in the middle. I hope it's juuuuuust right, Baby Bear. Next time I'll be sure to take my camera along so I can show you how beautiful and inviting the full crates of vegetables looked.

If you're maybe still wavering about joining a CSA this year, I want to share something I thought about as I was en route to the farm. Lucky for me, this year I can swing past the farm on my way home from work. It feels good that I can do this without making a special trip. (By the way, if you aren't close to the farm on Elephant Road, you should know that there are other pick up points available in Glenside, New Hope, Doylestown, and Montgomeryville. They are listed here.) Anyway, my new route takes me a different way from what I was used to, and I pass several housing developments along the way. I had to wonder how much of that land was once farm land. You see where I'm going with this, and I won't get into a whole, big preachy thing, but it's something to think about.

What about you? If you're a member of a CSA, what were your reasons for joining?

Gearing Up

2011-05-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

Our season with Myerov Farm hasn't started yet, but we are starting to get into the groove with other locally grown vegetables. At Bolton's Farm Market, Gerry succumbed to the siren song of asparagus, and then we spied the spinach fresh from the field in its picking basket, so we had to have some of that as well! We then stumbled upon a small farmers' market on our way home and snagged some lettuce and these beautiful French breakfast radishes, which are new to us. Isabella has had her first taste of this season's fresh greens, and we will join her at dinner tonight with a big, fresh salad.

If you are thinking of joining a CSA this year, there's still time! If it's something you've never done, I urge you to take the plunge. You can see if there is a CSA local to you at the Local Harvest website. I guarantee you'll learn things, meet great people, and experience new tastes. You'll also be supporting the local economy and helping the environment by eliminating long-distance transport from the equation. C'mon, give it a go!

Vegging Out Again

2011-04-22T13:28:00.001-07:00

--tap tap tap--

Anyone home?

HellooooOOOOOooooo in there!

It's awfully quiet.

Yep, it's been VERY quiet over here for quite a while--years! I can't believe how long it's been! Did you miss us? Have you been eating your veggies? Are you a member of a CSA or thinking about joining one? Well, I have news: We're doing it again!

The big change this time is that our farm, Myerov Farm, now offers HALF SHARES! This is much more appropriate for the two of us and was just the nudge we needed to take the plunge. If you remember, we had a bit of a tough time as just two people keeping up with the amount of produce we were given each week.

If you have kids or eat tons of veggies, this wouldn't have been a problem. For two of us? Help. I also have to confess (again) that I've never been much of a vegetable eater. I tried almost every veggie we got, but I never got to the point where I felt like I'd been converted. Oh sure, I loved the corn, potatoes, and all the fruit, and I found out I really don't mind cucumbers, lettuce, and carrots, but I never did develop a taste for, say, kale or beets. Oh, and tomatoes? They're probably a lost cause. However, a lot can happen in three years, so I'm willing to give it another go. The summer of '08 did get me used to trying new things, a skill which came in handy during some of our travels.

Gerry, on the other hand, loves vegetables and will try anything. He ate pretty much anything set in front of him in Morocco, even if he wasn't quite sure what it was.

But you know how it is. You get busy, you get lazy, and you go out to eat more or slap together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner because you're in a rush. We've definitely been slipping lately, so joining the CSA is also a pledge to pay more attention to what we're putting in our bodies.

We had a really good time the first time around, so I hope you'll follow along with us as we VEG OUT again this summer!

2009 News

2009-06-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

A few people have emailed and asked what's going on regarding our participation in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) this summer.

We had a great time with the CSA, trying new things, seeing exactly where our food was grown, and enjoying the freshest produce imaginable. Unfortunately, we had to admit that the CSA was not going to work for us this summer. Gerry has taken on some additional duties at work, which resulted in schedule changes and a bit of unpredictability. And if you're familiar with my skill level in the kitchen...well, let's just say Snoopy and I have a lot in common.

That is not to say we are going to pass up the opportunity to enjoy fresh fruits and veg as much as we can. We'll be visiting some very local farms to scout out our favorites. So we'll still be supporting local agriculture--it'll just be a bit more low key. I promise we'll still share any new recipe discoveries...and I'll still take zucchini muffins into work at least a few times this summer!

Luffa Love

2008-12-30T17:19:00.000-08:00

Remember that luffa we got back at the end of October? It's been drying in a dry, well-ventilated spot all this time, on a table in our living room. Yes, that's right--We've had a gourd sitting on an end table for two months.

All this time, it's been getting lighter and lighter and a little more shriveled bit by bit until, finally, it got to the point where it was frightening people. Seriously. People would touch it and be freaked out and yell, "Get it away!"

So I decided it was time to open it up and get my sponge! Of course, by this time, I've lost my directions, and it seems like no one online can agree on the best way to proceed. After reading several opinions, I pretty much decided to wing it and hope for the best.

So, the picture up top is what it looked like once it dried out. I actually thought it felt kind of neat and leathery. And the seeds inside made a nice rattling sound.

I started by pushing my thumb into the flower end of the gourd. The flower end would be the end opposite the stem end. (Probably obvious to everyone but me.) Then I turned it upside down and shook and shook and shook and shook to get the loose seeds out.

Next, I submerged it in a sink full of water for about fifteen minutes.

Then I just started peeling off the skin. It came off very easily. Looks like an ear of corn, doesn't it?

See how easy it was? One piece!

Looks like I missed a LOT of seeds! I soaked it some more, then I carefully poked in there with a chopstick.

Finally, it's mostly clean!

Almost every set of directions tells you to dry the sponge on a baking rack for a few days. I just set mine on the radiator, and it dried overnight.

I have to admit, I thought this whole thing was pretty cool. If you have kids, by all means, grow some luffas next summer!

Mid Winter Report

2008-12-30T16:54:00.001-08:00

Hey, all! Long time, no post. We had intended to continue posting about vegetables and recipes and such, even after our CSA was finished for the season, but you know what they say about good intentions!

Gerry is slowly making his way through the peppers he froze back in September. They've found their way into everything from breakfast omelets to spaghetti sauce. He also used his first pack of frozen, shredded zucchini for muffins. I thought they came out a little weird, but he thought they were fine. More experimenting will follow.

If you remember, back in November I wrote about Gerry's love of parsnips and blogged about a new recipe he tried with them. Now that I reread it, I even mentioned Christmas dinner! Well, he didn't make that dish for Christmas dinner, but he did make his favorite: carrots and parsnips. You can see them in the picture above.

To make the classic, all you do is boil the carrots and parsnips, then mash them. Easy.

Edit: Gerry told me a few more things about making C&P. Okay, obviously you're going to peel them and chop them up first. Then boil until soft and drain well. Also, add butter, salt and pepper when you mash. Oh, and you can throw in a turnip too, if you'd like.

And if you're interested, you can find the recipe for potatocakes on my other blog.

Winter Vegetables

2008-11-18T13:52:00.000-08:00

The other day, while we were watching the Eagles game, I was looking through some magazines. (Doesn't say much for the game, does it?) Anyway, in my new Martha Stewart magazine, I saw a recipe for brussels sprouts with parsnips. Since we just picked up a load of veg including brussels sprouts and parsnips, I asked Gerry if he wanted to try it with some of his precious parsnips.

Brussels Sprouts with Parsnips (from Martha Stewart Living, December 2008)

2 lbs brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise

6 medium parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons coarse salt

freshly ground pepper

1 cup pecan halves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss vegetables with oil, salt, and pepper on two rimmed baking sheets, and spread into single layers. Roast, rotating sheets halfway through, until tender and gold, about 20 minutes. Divide pecans between sheets; roast 10 minutes more. Toss mixture and serve.

We added in some yellow carrots. Check this out...I did some chopping. Yes, me, the non-cook.

This is how much of a non-cook I am: Gerry measured the olive oil and told me to toss the vegetables to coat them in oil. (No, I didn't throw them across the room. I'm not Amelia Bedelia!) I did, however, exclaim, "Hey, it's working!" when I saw the veggies starting to glisten. Oooh, gotta take a picture!

Gerry took over after that. I couldn't handle any more excitement, so I went upstairs to sew.

Mmmm, this stuff smelled GOOD while it was roasting! I haven't had a taste, but Gerry said the flavors really work. I'm not sure we'll be tossing $4 worth of nuts into our vegetables every day, but this would be a good dish for a holiday dinner.

hehe When he came upstairs, I asked Gerry if he'd remembered to take a picture of the finished product. He said, yes, he sure did. It isn't exactly the picture I expected, but there it is! You might want to put it in a nice bowl or something if you make it for Christmas dinner. --wink--

Just When You Thought It Was Over...

2008-11-18T13:39:00.000-08:00

The CSA season had come to an end, but I guess things were still growing! Last week, we received an email from Neil at the farm, saying he had some winter vegetables for sale. As soon as Gerry heard there were PARSNIPS, he shot back an email with a list of what he wanted: parsnips, carrots, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and conehead cabbage.

Parsnips are Ger's favorite. Looks like Isabella has a new favorite too.

Fourth Bonus Week, Number 24

2008-10-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

Well, we made the first pick up on a cold, rainy day, and now we've made the final pick up on a cold, rainy day. I realized I was wearing the same coat both times, trying to stay warm and dry!

BROCCOLI
CELERY
LUFFA GOURD
ARUGULA
BLUE HUBBARD, BUTTERCUP and BUTTERNUT SQUASH
CABBAGE – Napa, green or cone head
CARROTS
BEETS
TOMATOES
COLORED SWEET PEPPERS
PUMPKINS – pick your own, in field

(I am so excited about the luffa. It doesn't take much!)

First Biryani

2008-10-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

I've been pestering my friend, Sudha, for Indian recipes. This is the first (and hopefully not last) she's written out for me. She originally saw the recipe on tv in India, where Sanjeev Kapoor (she called him the Emeril of Indian Cooking) was making Chicken Biryani. Sudha modified it a little to be vegetarian, and then Gerry modified it from there to include shrimp. So there's shrimp in the pictures, but this is the basic recipe!

Farm ingredients included: peppers, tomatoes, carrots.

Vegetable Biryani

1 1/2 cups basmati rice

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

1-2 green chillies (depending upon the level of heat required) sliced

1 cup (all together) green peppers and carrots, finely diced, and peas

2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped

a few strands of saffron

a couple of drops of rose essence

1/2 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves

2 to 3 tbsp plain yogurt

extremely thin ginger slices (optional)

1/4 cup milk

1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro

spices:

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3-4 cardamoms, peeled and coarsely ground

3-4 cloves

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1/2 tbsp garam masala

Cook the basmati rice until almost done, about 6-7 minutes after it comes to boiling (1 1/2 cups of rice require 3 cups of water). Keep aside.

Add oil in a wok on medium high heat, add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and the bay leaf.

Saute the spices for 1-2 minutes and then add the onion and green chillies. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the peppers, carrots, and peas, saute until the veggies are partially cooked. (Pre-cooking the carrots and peas in the microwave makes it faster.)

Add coarsely chopped tomatoes, a pinch of turmeric, and the ginger-garlic paste. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir in yogurt, cook for 1-2 minutes and then add milk.

Mix in the rice, add salt, and now arrange the thin ginger slices in a ring on top of the rice.

Add garam masala, saffron, rose essence, cilantro, and mint.

Cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium heat, making sure that it doesn't stick to the bottom.

This is how it looked right before putting the lid on to cook for 15 minutes. Gerry called me at work to tell me how good the house smelled!

Week 23

2008-10-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

HONEY – Fall harvest from the hives
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
SWEET POTATOES – Hernandez
CABBAGE – Napa, green or cone head
BUTTERCUP SQUASH
BUTTERNUT SQUASH
SCARLET NANTES or RAINBOW CARROTS
BEETS
WATERMELON – Desert King-seeded orange
PUMPKIN
TOMATOES-paste and peach
COLORED SWEET PEPPERS and HOT PEPPERS

Squashapalooza

2008-10-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

I was right! This weird, warty thing is a buttercup squash! When I first saw it, I asked, "Are we supposed to eat that?" but then I found out buttercups are supposed to be a particularly tasty squash. And, like carrots, they are full of vitamin A and beta carotene. Pretty soon we should be able to see in the dark!

So, what do do with it...hmm. I saw a recipe in this month's Cottage Living that looked promising, so Gerry gave it a try.

Cider Roasted Winter Squash

1/4 cup fresh apple cider or unfiltered apple juice

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

about 4 1/2 pounds winter squash, halved, seeded, and cut into 2-inch wedges

4 sprigs fresh sage, chopped

4 sprigs fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Whisk first four ingredients together in a large bowl. Add squash and remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Place in a single layer on a shallow baking pan and roast, turning once, for 50 to 55 minutes or until tender and a light, golden brown around the edges. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Gerry had his along with some boiled beets and local turkey.

I had mine smushed up with butter. The picture is sort of embarrassing.

In my defense, this is the first time I've eaten squash that wasn't almost completely hidden in bread or a casserole. Gerry told me it would taste kind of like mashed potatoes, and I thought, "Sure, SQUASHY mashed potatoes." He was right, though, it did kind of remind me of mashed potatoes, and it was nowhere near as squashy as I'd feared. Melting some butter on top didn't hurt, either.

Week 22, aka the 2nd Bonus Week!

2008-10-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

beets
watermelon
one, lone summer squash
tomatoes
arrowhead cabbage
carrots
parsley
assorted peppers
sweet potatoes
pumpkin
winter squash (buttercup?)

14 Carrots

2008-10-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

Ah, carrots. After potatoes, carrots are probably my favorite vegetable. When they started showing up in our shares, I declared, "Mine!" and squirreled them away for myself. (I am spoiled, aren't I?)

We all know that carrots are good for your eyes and filled with antioxidants (called carotenoids) which help protect against cancer and heart disease. But did you know they also come in different colors? Originally, carrots were purple or yellow, and orange carrots didn't show up until the 16th century. Now we're starting to see some of these different colors again--yellow and even purple on occasion. I don't care what color they are...I just love carrots!

Progress

2008-10-12T11:41:00.001-07:00

We received our shares for weeks 20 and 21 within 4 days of each other, so we were a little concerned about using everything. That's really been our biggest challenge this summer--using everything. Some weeks it just seemed too hot to cook (or eat for that matter), and other weeks we weren't home much. So we struggled a little, but we've learned some things too. For one thing, we were a little late to the whole freezing idea!

The picture above is week 20. The blue Xs represent things we passed along to my mom. The red and white Xs are things we've eaten ourselves. We weren't in a big hurry to eat the second butternut squash, because we knew it would keep, so it looks like the one thing that really went to waste from this share is the arugula. Sorry, arugula.

Week 21, though. Ugh. We should be shot. The good news is everything is still edible, and Gerry has plans for the zucchini and some of the peppers. He also has all day tomorrow to play around with the other stuff! We'll see what he comes up with.

Week 21--Bonus!

2008-10-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

Wow! We're into week 21 of 20 weeks! How cool!

ketchup
scarlet nantes carrots
butternut squash
napa cabbage
red ace beets
watermelon
cantaloupe
pumpkin
tomatoes
summer squash assortment
sweet bell peppers
sweet Italian bull's horn peppers – Carmen
dill
hot peppers and bitter gourd, optional