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

Weekly CSA Newsletter 5

Casalegno Family Farm Weekly

June 26 – July 2, 2011

Welcome to any of you that are just starting up with us – Summer is truly here (despite that rain we got on Tuesday – just enough to give us all a free car wash!) and as we wait for those beloved summer crops we are coming ever nearer the peak of the season that is soon to be filled with all my favorite foods - Italian beans, juicy heirloom Tomatoes, sweet peppers, crisp cucumbers loads of summer squash and sweet basil and of course our delicious tree fruit.  The first of the plums are so close to being ripe, we expect to begin picking next week and you should get some in your box to enjoy.  

In this weeks Full Share box:

Kale 

Chard

Beets

Lettuce

Radishes OR Broccoli

Potatoes

Garlic

Carrots

Garlic chives and Green onions

The Casalegno Family’s     Red Italian Garlic

This specialty garlic was originally brought over from Italy by one of the Casalegno brothers sometime in the early 1900’s.  We have been growing the same strain ever since.  We love this garlic for it’s rich full flavor and use it for everything.  If yours is still a little dirty from the earth that is because it was just pulled! Wipe it with a dry cloth, but don’t get it wet.  It may still be a little soft because it is so fresh but is perfectly good to use.  It will harden up as it dries out. Keep somewhere relatively dark, dry and cool to cure and it will last for many months!

Raw Beet and Carrot Salad

- 1 pound carrots
- 1 pound uncooked beets
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon vinegar - balsamic, wine or honey vinegar
- 1 teaspoon strong Dijon mustard
- Tabasco sauce or poblano pepper flakes, to taste
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper

Optional add-ins:
- Leafy fresh herbs (cilantro, flat-leaf parsley, chives), chopped
- Toasted nuts (almonds, pine nuts, cashews, peanuts) or seeds (sesame, sunflower seeds)
- Shaved parmesan or cubed feta cheese or crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese
- Chiffonade of lettuce leaves
- A grated apple or shallot
- Any dried herb, spice, or spice mix you think might work

Trim, peel, and grate the carrots and beets. Place the rest of the main ingredients, from garlic to black pepper, in a large salad bowl, add the grated carrots and beets, and toss until well combined. Add any desired add-ins and toss again.  Taste, adjust the seasoning, and let stand for 30 minutes, if you can, before serving: the beets and carrots will render juices that will make the salad moister. 

 

Stir Fried Kale and Carrots

Ingredients                                                                                                                                    3/4 lb. fresh kale
Boiling water
2 tsp. olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and cut julienne
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. ground coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pinch cayenne pepper, if desired

Directions

1.Rinse kale and remove large stem running through center of each leaf. Place a few leaves on top of each other and cut into thin strips. Repeat until all kale is cut.
2. Add kale to pot of boiling water and boil uncovered 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add carrots and sauté 2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 more minute. Add coriander, salt and pepper, to taste, and cayenne, if using. Cook 15 seconds. Add kale and cook 1-2 minutes. Serve.

Broccoli

This amazingly tasty broccoli is one of the crops that really kept us going all winter! Broccoli plants usually produce 1 main larger center head like the ones you are used to seeing in stores.  After this has been harvested this wonderful brassica does not simply quit but instead shoots off many smaller stalks that we continue to harvest.  They are very tasty and can be used many ways – my absolute favorite way to prepare them is to cook greens, stems and all in olive oil in a very hot pan (careful though! It spits hot oil!) until it is completely tender and begins to brown, then sprinkled generously with sea salt.  It is so crisp, flavorful and good for you!

Roasted radishes with soy and sesame
This recipe was REALLY good! It had kind of an Asian influenced flavor, with just a little bite.  If you are not crazy about eating radishes raw, or just need a new way to prepare them, then this recipe is perfect!

1.Preheat the oven to 375°.
2. Slice the radishes lengthwise into about 4 thin slices. Toss with oil on a large baking sheet. (I used sesame oil, but you can use any oil you like or have on hand)
3. Roast for 25 minutes, turning once or twice, until the radishes are tender and beginning to brown.
4. Drizzle soy sauce over the roasted radishes and toss with chopped onion (I used yellow onion, but green onion would be great, and even red would work)
5. Roast for a further 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.
6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and, if desired, cilantro.

That’s all for this week everyone – hope you all enjoy your produce and have a fun, safe Independence Day!

~Casalegno Family Farm