Weekly CSA Newsletter 8

Casalegno Family Farm Weekly

July 17 – 23, 2011

It feels like summer is really here – and everything on the farm is growing great! We started the down town farmer’s market this Wednesday, and it is good to be back, seeing our old customers.  Beans will be rolling in by the bucketful pretty soon – you guys got the first of them in your boxes today.  Our favorite flat Italian Romano Bean will be along shortly as well! Right now the Dahlias are really starting explode – remember if you are not signed up for flowers and are interested in getting them weekly we do have spots available, or you can always just pick up a bouquet for $5 each any time you come by!

  

 

 In this weeks Full Share Box:

Lettuce                   Green beans

Chard                     Summer Squash and Zucchini

Kale                       Broccoli and Radishes ~OR~ Beets and Carrots  

Red onions             Cucumbers          

Garlic                      Lemons

Bunch of fresh Herbs    

 

Roasted Garlic

Of all the wonderful gifts of nourishment Mother Earth gives to us, I would have to say that for me garlic is probably the most essential.  Few meals are complete with out this delicious pungent bulb, and our immune systems all thank us for the healthy boost it gives.  Besides adding into our daily cooking there is another amazing way to use garlic: roasting.  Just smothering it in olive oil, wrapping it up and throwing it in the oven transforms it into another substance entirely – mellow, buttery and spreadable!

·   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

·   Clean garlic heads without damaging skins too much

·   Drizzle generously with good olive oil.  You can cut the top 1/4 of the heads off if you wish - the cloves will be more saturated with the oils, and a little easier to squeeze out if you do.  Otherwise it will be a bit firmer and less oily, but still delicious.

·   Wrap well with tin foil.

·   Place directly in oven, cook for about 25-35 minutes, or until there is some give when gently squeezed with an oven mitt.

·   Enjoy spread on good fresh bread with a sprinkling of sea salt, mashed in with potatoes, as a pizza topping or mixed with sour cream, salt and herbs for a delicious dip!

Lemon, Garlic and Herb roasted Chicken

A favorite recipe!

• 1 5-6 lb. Roasting chicken • salt and pepper • 1 head garlic cut in half lengthwise

• 1 large bunch of herbs – thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, bay etc. • 1 lemon, halved

• 2 TB butter, melted

Remove the chicken giblets, if any and rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers if necessary and pat the outside dry.  Place in a roasting pan and liberally salt and pepper inside of chicken.  Stuff cavity with ½ of lemon, then all herbs and garlic, then other lemon ½.  Brush the outside with the melted butter then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Tie legs together with kitchen string.  Roast for 1 ½ hours. Or until juices run clear when cut between leg and thigh.

 

 Zucchini Gratin

Ingredients

·        6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, plus extra for topping

·        1 yellow onion, cut in 1/2 and sliced

·        2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (4 zucchini)

·        2 teaspoons kosher salt

·        1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·        1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

·        2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

·        1 cup hot milk

·        3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

·        3/4 cup grated cheese – Chedar, Gruyere or Jack

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a very large (12-inch) saute pan and cook the onions over low heat for 10 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the hot milk and cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 10-inch baking dish.

Combine the bread crumbs and cheese and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Dot with 1 tablespoon of butter cut into small bits and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned

PARMESAN GREEN BEANS

They are here!!! Hope you all enjoy them as much as we did!

·                     ½ -1 pound green beans

·                     Extra-virgin olive oil

·                     Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

·                     ½ -1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Trim off the tough end of the beans and arrange the beans on a nonstick cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and bake until the cheese melts and forms a crisp shell over the beans, about 10 minutes. Let the beans sit a few minutes for the cheese to cool slightly. Lift the beans out onto a platter and serve.

 THANKS EVERYONE!!!! Have a happy healthy week –
                                            Casalegno Family Farm