What’s in Your Box for Week 2

Posted on July 9, 2016 by patty

In the Standard Box:

Red Beets with Greens 1 bu
Red Dandelion Greens 1 bu
Rainier Cherries* 1.5 lb
Gooseberries 1/2 pt
Spinach 2 bu
Rainbow Chard 1 bu
Basil 1/4 lb
Red Butter Lettuce 2 hds
Baby Dill 1 bu

In the Small Box:

Golden Beets with Greens 1 bu
Red Dandelion Greens 1 bu
Rainier Cherries* 1.5 lb
Gooseberries 1/2 pt
Lacinato Kale 1 bu
Romaine Lettuce (Red Dog Farm) 1 hd
Baby Dill 1 bu

Red Dandelion Greens

Red Dandelion greens (above) are not dandelions at all, but members of the Chicory family. These antioxidant-rich greens are an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K, as well as iron, calcium, and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Red Dandelion greens have a slightly bitter, peppery taste, so if you eat them raw in a salad, toss them with your lettuce, as you would with radicchio. Wilt them into pasta dishes with a strong cheese like Parmesan or Pecorino, or add to hearty soups. They don’t wilt down too much, like spinach.

As a vegetable side, braised Red Dandelions are especially delicious with bacon or pancetta. Other complimentary flavors include anchovies, ham, egg, legumes, soy sauce, vinegar, mustard, lemon, onion, garlic, chili, nuts and sesame. A classic French raw dandelion salad incorporates bacon, croutons, hard-boiled eggs and a Dijon dressing. Mix them into cold grain salads (like Nash’s whole grains or wild rice). They can be sautéed or stir-fried just like other greens. They maintain their flavor well.

Gooseberries

Gooseberries are from the same botanical family as currants, and grow wild and prolific in places like North America and Siberia. They have numerous health beneficial effects against cancer, aging, inflammation, and neurological diseases. Rich in antioxidants and vitamins, the fiber content constitutes 26 percent of the daily recommended value.

Gooseberry Cobbler

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. butter, divided
1-1/3 cups sugar, divided
3/4 cup Nash’s soft white wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 cup gooseberries
1 cup boiling water

In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup butter and 1/3 cup sugar; blend well. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder; mix well. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to butter mixture; stir well.

Spread batter in a well-greased 8″ round cake pan; top with gooseberries. Sprinkle remaining sugar over berries and dot with remaining butter. Pour boiling water over all; do not stir. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Serves 10.

Fresh Dill

Dill is a delicious addition to your pickled veggies, salad dressings, and fish dishes. It has bioactive compounds (also called phytonutrients, or plant chemicals) that help to protect our cells from cancer by protecting them from carcinogenic compounds in our environment.

Throw some extra dill into your side dishes (a must in potato salads) on these warm summer evenings. Dill has similar compounds to garlic that offer anti-bacterial properties, so it can also help to prevent bacterial overgrowth. This unassuming, but powerful herb also offers us important minerals, such as calcium, manganese, iron, and magnesium.

Pickled Eggs with Dill

12 large eggs 1 red onion, sliced
Small bundle of fresh dill ½ tsp. mustard seeds
1 clove garlic, halved 1 ¼ cup cider vinegar
¾ cup water 2 tsp. salt

Fill a large saucepan with water (enough to cover dozen eggs). Bring the water to a simmer (not a boil!) and then gently add in the eggs by lowering them in with a spoon, one by one. Set your timer to 12 minutes and allow eggs to simmer. Turn off heat, remove the eggs from the pot, and run under cold water. You can gently pour the pot of eggs through a metal strainer and then run cold water over them. Peel the eggs once cool enough to handle.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring all other ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.

Pour mixture into a large jar (or two smaller jars), and add the hard-boiled eggs and allow to cool for several minutes, then refrigerate. Your eggs will need anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks to pickle. Once ready though, they will stay good for quite a long time. Serve on a bed of spinach greens or eat as a snack.

Recipe adapted by Virginia Newman from: http://paleoleap.com

What’s in Your Box for Week 1

Posted on July 8, 2016 by patty

In the Standard Box:

Fava Beans 1.25lb
Romaine Lettuce 1 hd
Red Chard 1 bu
Cucumber
Spinach 2 bu
Cilantro 1 bu
Cherries 1.25 lbs from PDQ Farms
Garlic Scapes 1bu
Lacinato Kale 1bu
Rolled Oats 2lbs

In the Small Box:

Fava Beans 1.25 lb
Romaine Lettuce 1 hd
Red Chard 1 bu
Cucumber
Spinach 1 bu
Cilantro 1 bu
Cherries 1.25 lbs from PDQ Farms

Box Notes for Week 1

Your naked oats were planted May 2015 and rolled last week. Exceptionally creamy and flavorful, use them as you would any thick, rustic rolled oat—in oatmeal, baked goods, and granola. For stove top oats, quickly remove some of the oat hulls that slipped through the roller, by swirling the oats in water and skimming off any hulls that float to the top.

Basic Oat Crumble Topping — Mix 1.5 cups rolled oats, 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup packed light brown sugar, and any favorite spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger), and a pinch salt with 1 cup unsalted butter by cutting the butter into pieces and mixing it in with your fingers until it’s like coarse crumbs. Add nuts, if you want. Sprinkle it on cut up apples and/or berries in a 9×13 pan. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes.

Lacinato kale is tender to eat raw in salads (shredded), or sautéed with garlic scapes and basil. Eat the whole leaf, stems and all.

First cucumbers of the season are super juicy and sweet, perfect for salads and snacking. Peeling is optional. The tender (and delicious!) cucumber peel contains the majority of the vegetable’s fiber and lots of potassium and anti-oxidants.

Spinach contains enormous amounts of vitamins K, A, and C; the B vitamins (especially folate); calcium; potassium; and manganese. It is also one of the richest natural sources of lutein, a carotenoid that protects against degenerative diseases of the eye.

Spinach holds up well when combined with strong flavors like anchovies and bacon, or cheddar, feta, and Parmesan cheeses. To season, try cumin, curry, dill, garlic, ginger, horseradish, mace, marjoram, mint, nutmeg, rice vinegar, sesame, or tarragon. Nash’s spinach is so tender it just melts in your mouth. We recommend it quickly sautéed into breakfast egg scrambles, or raw in salads.

Fresh Fava Beans

Fresh fava beans are delicious and packed with vegetable protein. Schuck the beans from the outer pod, but the inner, whitish hull is perfectly edible. However, if you want to remove it, blanch the beans, then quickly plunge them into icy water. Cut a small slit in the white membrane and squeeze out the emerald green beans. Lots of work, but worth the effort, especially if you are preparing something really elegant.

Kia’s Crock Pot Favas & Chicken

Slow cooked favas are tender and pair effortlessly with anything else you want to toss in the pot. Skip the meat and add extra veggies and lots of herbs for a vegetarian meal.

1-2 cups shucked fava beans
Approx. 2-lbs chicken parts, or other meat
2 cups fresh or canned salsa
4 cups of chopped celery, onions, peppers, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, etc.
Approx. two cups of water
Salt and pepper
Fresh or dried oregano, thyme, basil, cilantro, rosemary, etc.

Put all ingredients in crock pot and salt/pepper/herbs as desired. Cover; cook on medium heat overnight, or for 6-8 hours. Add a fresh bunch of roughly chopped spinach/kale/chard the last 30 minutes of cooking, as desired. Serve hot over rice/quinoa/pasta/shredded cabbage etc.

Fava Tip: Approx 1 lb of fresh favas = 1 cup shucked beans

Garlic Scapes

Garlic scapes are the delicious flower bud stem of the garlic plant, which is trimmed late spring to encourage robust bulb development. Scapes have a mild garlic flavor, and can be used like shallots, onions, or garlic in any recipe. Chop them up and then roast, puree into spreads/pesto, sauté, soup, etc.