Newsletter – July 27, 2010

Dear Members,

This week you will be getting Yukon Gold Potatoes, red onions, green cabbage, kohlrabi, green beans, squash and cucumbers. New this week will be red turnips, corn, tomatoes and eggplant.
Sometimes when new crops come on only a few will be ready to pick. It is hard to say that everyone will get everything. It may be a combination of the above “new items”!

I was readying an article from the “Prevention Magazine” April 2010. It explained how you could eat your way to better looking skin. Here is a list of things you can eat to make yourself glow, even in this heat! Romaine lettuce and tomatoes are two of the most important veggies you can eat. The lettuce gives you over 100% of you Daily Value of vitamin A which helps cell turnover and the potassium will improve circulation. Tomatoes provides up to 25% more protection from sunburn and some studies found it can help you retain or regain collagen, the stuff that prevents sagging and fine lines.

Two important fruits you can eat are strawberries and apples. Strawberries will give you 130% of you Daily Value of vitamin C. Vitamin C boosts the production of collagen fibers. The skins of apples

Dill Pickles!

With the pickling cucumbers coming on soon (are you on the picking list??), I thought I’d share my favorite dill pickle recipe.  It’s not a recipe I came up with – it’s from Allrecipes.com, but it’s delicious! We made pickles from this recipe last year.  You have to let them sit for 8 weeks before you get to eat them, but they are worth the wait!

Newsletter: July 20, 2010

Dear Friends,

This week you are getting New Red Potatoes, Sweet White Onions, White Turnips, Red Beets, White Cauliflower, Slicing Cucumbers, Pickling Cucumbers, a mixture of Squash, Yellow or Green Beans and Garlic.

I have mentioned before that our broccoli and cauliflower will be a new experience for you. Believe me when I tell you, you want to cook this at least a little bit before eating! The cauliflower will be very flavorful and will not taste anything like what you have gotten from the grocery store. I tend to cook mine until tender to a fork, adding a little salt the last two or three minutes. You will find nine exciting recipes in our cookbook to aid you in your meal planning!

I know I requested names and phone numbers of members who want to pick pickling cucumbers. You will get a chance to do this! But for right now, Jerry feels he doesn’t have as many crops on as he would like. So, he will be giving out what pickling cucumbers we have to the entire membership to eat, rather than a few members to pickle. We do have another field coming on in a week or two! Hang in there; you will get your phone call!

Zucchini Mushroom Frittata

So glad to see a few zucchini recipes popping up on the blog.  It is the bane and the delight of summer – squash coming out of your ears!  Here’s a recipe that I put together this week:

Zucchini Mushroom Frittata

6 large eggs
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tsp each dried basil and thyme (or 1 T each fresh)

Chile Relleno Casserole

If you are like me and you still have roasted peppers in the freezer (last year was an amazing pepper year, wasn’t it?) and the zucchini is beginning to take over your kitchen, then this might be a recipe for you to try!  I know the recipe calls for 6-12 roasted peppers, but my poblanos from last year have a bit more bite.  I have only been using about 3 and that has been enough for us.  I originally did this recipe with some more mild roasted Anaheim’s from a 2 years ago.  Use your own judgement for the pepper amount. I’ve successfully used less meat in the filling, too.

Chile Relleno Casserole

Brown together
1 large onion, diced
1 pound lean ground beef

when nearly done, add

Newsletter: July 13, 2010

Dear Friends of the Farm,

The weather is holding out! No bad storms out this way, but many have blown past us. Pour Ft. Morgan. Every storm that have past us have hit them hard. I really don’t know how anyone is farming over there this summer!

New this week is broccoli and Patty Pan summer squash! If your broccoli is wilted when you get it, please place it in a cool sink of water; they will return with a flourish! Our broccoli and cauliflower will be very strong tasting to you. Just like everything else on the farm…it will have more flavor. One in which you may not be accustomed. For easier digestion, do not eat raw, steam or boil for a minute and a half; fully cooked – 5 minutes or to taste.

Patty Pan squash can be either white or yellow. They are round and disked shape. They just happen to be my favorite! I cube them and stir-fry then with a ton of onion and garlic. I like to add dill weed, Italian spices or plain ol’ salt and pepper. Makes a nice dish when peppers and carrots come on and added to it!

Peanut Butter Oat Bars with Chocolate Chips and Zucchini

The season has only begun and already it feels like there is an abundance of summer squash in my kitchen.  Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love it!  But in case you were looking for something new to do with your zucchini (or that really big one in your share this week), here’s a recipe I came up with a couple of years ago.  We all shared some today in between distribution and washing onions.  It’s a keeper!

Peanut Butter Oat Bars with Chocolate Chips and zucchini

Cream together
1 c natural peanut butter
1/2 c butter
1/2 c sucanat
1/4 c turbinado

Add
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
3 c shredded zucchini

Stir in until combined
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Then stir in
1 1/2 c rolled oats
1 c chocolate chips

Spoon into prepared 9×13 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Originally posted at In the Kitchen with Another Mama

Newsletter – July 6

Dear Friends,

Happy 4th of July! We hope everyone had a safe and excitingly fun holiday.

We had a good start to the season, but things are going to slow down a bit. You will notice that crops will be late from now on. . . I think! We had to replant several crops due to freezing, too much rain or hail last May. However, with the heat we have had and (we hope) will continue to have, things have a way of catching up! New this week are slicing cucumbers. Pickles will be on soon. I can start taking names & numbers of those members who would like to pick pickling cucumbers. Give me a call and leave a message if you do not get a hold of me directly. I will call you back when I know there are pickles to be had! I never know when Jerry may come in and say… “you can get four people out to pick…”

Hurray! We are getting cherries this week! News from First Fruit in Palisade is that this will be a low fruit year. They had a lot of late spring frost in May and some penny size hail. It hurt them quite a bit, but they still think they can meet our needs for the summer. You will be getting cherries only once this year. Darn! Last year was so bountiful, we got them three times! They need our support this year…that’s why you are in Community Supported Agriculture. Farmers need your support in the bad years as well as the good!! So put in a good word to the good Lord above for them!

It is time to reserve the third Sunday in September (the 19th) for the Harvest Festival!