SCHOONER FARMS CSA WEEK 1 JUNE 27, 2016 NEWSLETTER

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1 SCHOONER FARMS CSA WEEK 1 JUNE 27, 2016 NEWSLETTER HOWDY! Summer is about to get tasty! CONTACT INFO Chard This Week s Harvest Basil Parsley Chard - Rainbow & White Kale - 3 Types Cutting Celery Bak Choy Radishes Garlic Garlic Scapes Turnips Lettuce Don Schooner - Owner Becky White-Schooner - Office & Distribution Phone info@schoonerberries.com Website: schoonerberries.com Distribution Days Tues. 3-6 Sat. 9-noon General Farm Hours Mon-Fri 8-3 Sat 9-12 closed on Sunday NEWS FROM THE FARM Well, our first harvest of the season is finally here! The Garden Crew has been hard at work doing what they do best. The garden looks SPECTACULAR this summer! Schooner will be available for tours to show you just how stinking awesome the crops are growing. The warm temperatures have caused a little havoc on the lettuces - some of the early varieties have blasted. Never fear - we always do succession planning on lettuces so we will have more soon. We plant a few heat tolerant varieties but they didn t like the 90 plus degrees. We have had some goose damage. They like chard and lettuce too. The goslings are all flying so they will be leaving us soon. We hope. Otherwise, it is just weeding and seeding as usual! We have a wonderful group of dedicated garden staff this year and they are doing a wonderful job. We are very grateful for their hard work and enthusiasm. Our new hens have just started laying and we will have pullet eggs available for sale. They are $3/doz. They are on the small side yet but still delicious! Feel free to mosey out and visit the girls. They are gorgeous. PAGE 1

2 HOW TO HANDLE & CARE FOR YOUR GOODS - Everything this week is fairly simple to care for! Your MUST RINSE all your veggies. We are not allowed to rinse them other than to just get the clods of dirt off. PLEASE rinse thoroughly. We do our best to clean everything off but you will still need to rinse your stuff! LETTUCE: Lettuce will perish quickly if not stored properly. Fill sink with cool water, put greens in and swish around to allow sand and dirt to settle to sink bottom. It is best to rip and tear lettuce rather than cutting with a knife. Lettuces like moisture and cool temperatures, so store lettuce in perforated plastic bags wrapped in damp paper towels, and keep in the refrigerator vegetable crisper. CHARD: Wash as you would Lettuce. Don t tear until ready to use. HERBS - just stand them in a glass of fresh water. Cover with a baggie and enjoy through out the week OR this week the herb selection can easily be dried by hanging them and letting them air dry. Basil will dry beautifully and once dry just put in a storage vessel and keep in a dark cupboard. Parsley & cutting celery can be used interchangeably. The look almost identical. Just rinse and keep in a plastic bag. KALE - is considered one of the oldest forms of cabbage, and native to the eastern Mediterranean, researchers believe it may have been grown as a food crop as early as 2000 B. C. Preparation: First off, you must be sure to remove the tough stem. To do so, run your knife down either side of the center stem, pull to remove, and discard. Then, coarsely chop the leaves into ribbons or pieces. Secondly, be sure to cook your kale until tender, but not overcooked. This can take a little bit of getting used to, because kale takes a lot longer to cook than most greens. When it's tender and turns a bright green, it's usually done. STORAGE - Do not store greens in paper bags. Store unwashed with a dampened paper towel in a perforated plastic bag and refrigerate. By changing the towel occasionally and keeping it damp, you ll be able to store the greens for up to a week. Freezing: Greens freeze well. Wash, then blanch for 3 minutes, drain and plunge into ice water. Chill for two minutes; drain. Pack in freezer containers or bags. Use within 6 months. GARLIC: This is FRESH garlic and it has not been cured. It will have a more mild flavor yet still wonderful You may use it now or keep it in a dry dark spot until you are ready to devour. TURNIPS: Rinse and then keep in crisper. Greens can be used too. BAK CHOY: Keep bok choy refrigerated (32-36 F), storing in a perforated plastic bag. CULINARY TIPS _ Both the stalk and the leaves can be eaten raw, or cooked. Whether they're stir-fried, gently steamed or added to soup, Bok Choy is easy to prepare and a nutritious addition to meals. Separate the leaves from the stalks, as the thicker stalks take longer to cook. Rinse well and drain, then shred or cut across the leaves, and cut stalks into small slices along the diagonal, saute with a small amount of water or chicken stock. PAGE 2

3 RECIPES CHARD AND WHITE BEAN SALAD WITH FENNEL AND GRUYERE CHEESE 1/2 cup small dry white beans 1/4 teaspoon salt Mustard Vinaigrette (see below) 1 tablespoon green onions chives, thinly sliced 1 to 2 tablespoons Italian Parsley, chopped 1 small fennel bulb or several celery stalks, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces 3 ounces Gruyere cheese, cut into julienne Pepper 6 handfuls (about 12 cups) chard leaves - chopped 2 tablespoons butter 2 slices rye bread or Country French Bread, cut into cubes for croutons Sort through the beans and rinse them well. Cover them with boiling water and let them soak for 1 hour; then pour off the soaking liquid. Cover them generously with fresh water, bring them to a boil, add the salt, and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook until the beans are tender but still hold their shape, 45 minutes or longer, as needed. Drain, and save the liquid to use in a soup stock. While the beans are cooking, prepare the vinaigrette. When the beans have cooled down so that they are warm but no longer hot, toss them with half the vinaigrette and the herbs, fennel and cheese. Season to taste with salt, if needed, and freshly ground black pepper, and set aside. Prepare the greens. I use the stalk as well. Wash the greens carefully, giving special attention to the bases of the chard leaves, which often hold a lot of silt. Spin them dry and if they are not to be used right away, wrap them in a kitchen towel and store them in the refrigerator. Use chard, torn or cut into pieces. Melt the butter in a skillet, add the bread cubes, and toss them well. Fry them over low heat until they are brown and crisp all over, shaking the pan every so often so they don't burn. To assemble the salad, toss the greens with the remaining vinaigrette; then add the beans and the croutons and toss again. Arrange the salad in a shallow, flat bowl with the beans distributed evenly among the greens. Mustard Vinaigrette 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 1/2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 2 Tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream (or plain soy yogurt) 6 tablespoons virgin olive oil Grind the tarragon and the fennel seeds with a pestle to bruise them and partially break them up. Put them in a bowl with the vinegar, salt, mustard, and creme fraiche or sour cream, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the olive oil vigorously until the ingredients are completely amalgamated into a thick sauce. The dressing will be very strong. Adapted from The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison with Edward Espe Brown PAGE 3

4 RECIPES SWISS CHARD AND POTATOES Baba's Blitva s Krumpirom (grandma's Swiss chard and potatoes) 1 bunch of Swiss chard (white works best) 3-4 potatoes olive oil 3 pieces of fresh garlic sliced thin salt and pepper reserved water from potatoes Peel and cube the potatoes. Cut the Swiss chard removing the leaf from the stems. Cut the stems into small pieces and chop the leaves (reserve the leaves). Add the potato and stems to boiling salty water. After approx. 10 minutes of potatoes boiling with the stems add the Swiss chard leaves. Boil until potatoes are tender for mashing (another 5-7 minutes). Reserve approx cups of the potato water before draining potatoes and Swiss card. In a sauté pan, heat olive oil and sliced garlic until garlic is lightly browned. Add potato mixture to the sauté pan and smash the potatoes. Slowly add the reserved water and mash in with the potato mixture until you have a moist mash. Add Salt and pepper to taste. SWISS CHARD AND GARLIC 1 large bunch of fresh Swiss chard 1 small clove garlic, sliced 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp water Pinch of dried crushed red pepper 1 teaspoon butter Salt Rinse out the Swiss chard leaves thoroughly. Remove the toughest third of the stalk, discard or save for another recipe (such as this Swiss chard ribs with cream and pasta). Roughly chop the leaves into inch-wide strips. Heat a saucepan on a medium heat setting, add olive oil, a few small slices of garlic and the crushed red pepper. Sauté for about a minute. Add the chopped Swiss chard leaves. Cover. Check after about 5 minutes. If it looks dry, add a couple tablespoons of water. Flip the leaves over in the pan, so that what was on the bottom, is now on the top. Cover again. Check for doneness after another 5 minutes (remove a piece and taste it). Add salt to taste, and a small amount of butter. Remove the swiss chard to a serving dish. PAGE 4

5 RECIPES PASTA WITH CARAMELIZED ONION, SWISS CHARD AND GARLICKY BREAD CRUMBS 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil 5 anchovy fillets 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2/3 cup bread crumbs 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling 1 yellow onion, halved from stem to root and thinly sliced crosswise Kosher salt and pepper 1 pound Swiss chard, ribs removed, leaves chopped 1/2 pound whole-wheat pasta, such as fusilli. 1. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add 3 anchovies to the skillet; cook until melted, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in the bread crumbs and toast until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. 2. Wipe the skillet clean and return it to a medium-high heat. Add the oil, the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Chop the remaining 2 anchovies and add them to the skillet. Cook until melted. Add the Swiss chard, a handful at a time, and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Cover and keep warm. 3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain well. Toss with the chard mixture and bread crumbs, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Source: New York Times - 10/10 PAGE 5

6 GARLIC SCAPES - What? Heres a few ideas. GARLIC SCAPE PESTO 1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes), top flowery part removed, cut into ¼-inch slices 1/3 cup walnuts 3/4 cup olive oil 1/4-1/2 cup grated parmigiano 1/2 teaspoon salt black pepper to taste Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated. With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to taste; add salt and pepper. Makes about 6 ounces of pesto. Keeps for up to one week in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. MASHED POTATOES WITH GARLIC SCAPES 2 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces. 2 Tablespoons butter 1-2 Tbsp, olive oil 1/4 cup finely chopped scapes 1/4 cup hot milk (or more) Cook potatoes until very tender. Drain and return to pot. Over medium high heat, melt butter with olive oil in a small skillet. Add scapes and saute about 5 minutes. Add to potatoes and mash. Gradually add milk while stirring. Season with salt and pepper. ROASTED GARLIC SCAPES Take the scapes and put them in a lightly oiled roasting pan, top with salt (kosher or seas salt works best but any will do). Put the loaded and covered pan in a hot (425 F) oven for 30 to 45 minutes or until they are beginning to turn brown. serve as a side or main dish. Tastes like roasted garlic but creamier. PAGE 6