This week’s share:

Fruit 

Macoun, McIntosh, Honey Crisp Apples

Veggies

Savoy Cabbage

Purple Top Turnip (for full shares only)

Kale and Swiss Chard bunch

Corn

Cherry Tomato mix

Tomato

Salad mix

Head Lettuce

Storage, handling and general cooking tips:

Savoy Cabbage

Savoy Cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A.  Cabbage provides a wonderful phytonutrient–the polyphenols. These antioxidants can be found in all forms of cabbage, protecting our delicate red blood cells from damaging oxidization. Savoy cabbage, of the three varieties, has a more delicate flavor, easily incorporated in many dishes.

Storage + Handling

Keeping cabbage cold will keep it fresh and help it retain its vitamin C content. Put the whole head in a plastic bag in the crisper of your refrigerator, Savoy cabbage will keep for about 1 week.

If you need to store a partial head of cabbage, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Since the vitamin C content of cabbage starts to quickly degrade once it has been cut, you should use the remainder within a couple of days.

To prepare: Remove any damaged outer leaves and cut the cabbage in half and then into quarters, cut off the hard core from each quarter at an angle. Slice and wash thoroughly.

Cabbage can be steamed, boiled, stir-fried or used as a wrap for fillings, it is easy to overcook Savoy cabbage and spoil its texture and flavour so just cook until tender. To steam cabbage, place in a steamer and cook for 5-10 minutes until tender but still crisp. To boil, bring a pan of water to the boil, add the prepared cabbage and cook for 5 8 minutes until tender but still crisp. To stir-fry cabbage, heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan, add the cabbage and stir fry for 4-5 minutes or until tender but still crisp. To use individual leaves for fillings, place the filling in the centre of the leaf and bring the sides of the leaf over and then tuck in the top and bottom. The parcels can be steamed or covered in sauce and baked.

Turnips

Turnips, also a member of the cruciferous family, provide a healthy dose of vitamin C and most of the B complex vitamins. Turnip greens provide a days worth of vitamin A and K, so don’t throw those on the compost heap! Add them to your veggie saute or boil as you would spinach.

Preparation and Cooking

Turnip can be served as an accompanying vegetable or included in stews. They can also be made into soup, mashed or puréed. Mini turnips are served raw or cooked. Grate raw mini turnips and include in salads or slice thinly and drizzle with French dressing or mayonnaise.

Peel and wash turnips and cut into even-sized pieces. Mini turnips do not need peeling before cooking, simply wash and trim the tops if cooking whole. Alternatively, cut into even-sized pieces before cooking.

Turnip can be boiled or steamed. To boil or steam, cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Mini turnips can be boiled whole or chopped and steamed or roasted. To boil, bring a pan of water to the boil and cook whole mini turnips for 20-30 minutes or until tender. Coat in melted butter or cheese sauce to serve. To roast chopped turnip, preheat the oven to 400 F.  Par-boil prepared turnips chunks for 5 minutes in boiling salted water. Add several tablspoons olive oil to a roasting tin and preheat in the oven for 5 minutes. Add the drained turnip to the tin and coat in the oil. Roast for 30-45 minutes, basting occasionally with the oil, until crunchy and golden brown.

Storage and Handling

Keep in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 week.

Braising Greens: Swiss Chard + Kale

Storage + Handling

Chard and Kale are beautiful! Chard stems come in a rainbow of colors from green and yellow to red, pink, white and orange. Kale has the curly edge. Both are very good for you too – chock full of minerals like calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, and potassium, as well as vitamins A and C, plus 13 different antioxidants. You should eat these leafy greens once a week!

Braising greens also very perishable, so enjoy them soon after pickup. They can be stored unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for two to three days. The leaves can be eaten raw, like beet greens and spinach, or cooked. Before cooking, separate the leaves from their large center rib/stem. The easiest way to do this is to fold the leaf in half along the stem and then just slice the rib off. Next, rinse the greens under cold running water. Do not soak it as this will result in the loss of water-soluble nutrients. Dry the leaves. Now the chard or kale can be covered or bagged in plastic and refrigerated for a few hours until needed. Braising greens can be parboiled, steamed, baked, or sautéed. They are wonderful with pasta, in omelets, frittatas, soups, or lasagna.

If you hate to throw anything away, rest assured, you can also eat the stems! One easy way to prepare them is to slice the stems into 3-inch chunks, boil in salted water for 5 minutes or so, then bake in a 400-degree oven with butter, salt, pepper, and ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese for 20 minutes.

Braising green leaves also freeze well after blanching. Blanch for 2 minutes then immediately immerse the leaves in a cold-water bath for 2 minutes. Dry the leaves and pack them into freezer containers, leaving no headspace or air. Leaves last for up to one year in the freezer. Don’t forget to date your storage bags. And when cooking veggies that you have blanched and frozen, always bring them back (cook) in butter.

 Apples

Storage and Handling

Apples should be kept uncovered or in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator. Warm temperatures will cause apples to lose their crispness and flavor, so if they are kept out of the refrigerator, make sure it is in a cool, ventilated place far from direct sunlight. To prevent cut apples from turning brown, sprinkle with lemon juice or soak them in a bowl of ½ cup water and 2 tbsp lemon juice.

Corn

Storage and Handling 

Corn is best when eaten right away, before the sugars turn to starch, and diminish its sweet taste. This is mostly true for eating corn right off the cob, but after 4 days, corn will still be edible and tasty enough to cook with. Corn should be refrigerated with the husks still on. The husks will preserve that milky moisture in the kernels. Keep them in the crisper drawer without any strong smelling foods, as corn will easily absorb those odors.

Cook tips

Try eating your corn raw – when it’s fresh like this, it’s yummy! My kids love to pick an ear off the stalk, shuck it in the field, and chomp away. To cook your corn, boil it in water for about 4-6 minutes, depending on how soft you like it. Last night, I cooked it for just 3 minutes then let it steam in the pot until the rest of dinner was ready a few minutes later. It was perfectly cooked and just popped off the cob! Corn is best when eaten simply: boil, slather with butter, and sprinkle with salt. Do you twirl your corn and eat around the cob or lengthwise like a typewriter? In our family, I’m the typewriter.

Corn is also delicious grilled. Pull back the corn husks without removing them fully, remove the silks, then pull the husks back up and soak for at least 15 minutes in water. Grill corn in its husks (maybe brush some pesto on the corn before pulling up the husks), turning occasionally until charred about 20 minutes.  Corn is super versatile. Think: creamed corn, corn bread, corn chowder, salsa, succotash, or as a topping to salad.

Tomatoes

Storage + Handling Tips

Tomatoes bruise easily, so handle them with care. They are best stored at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, stem-side down. Keep them away from your bananas and onions to avoid decay and icky taste. Never refrigerate tomatoes! The cold renders tomatoes mealy and flavorless. Eat them within a few days.

You can also freeze tomatoes. There is no need to peel or blanch them beforehand. Once thawed, the tomato skins will slip easily off. Simply rinse and dry the tomatoes thoroughly, then place in freezer bags. You can suck any air out of the bag with a straw. Frozen tomatoes are great for cooked dishes.

Fresh tomatoes are yummy sliced and layered with mozzerella cheese, basil, olive oil and salt. They work wonders for burgers, wraps, pastas and salad. 

Salad Greens

Storage and Handling

Store unwashed lettuce or mesclun in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. To store lettuce or greens that you have already washed and dried, roll the leaves loosely in a kitchen towel, put the towel in a plastic bag, and place the package in the vegetable crisper bin.  Wet greens will spoil quickly, so make sure they are truly dry before refrigerating them.  If you have a salad spinner, wash and spin the greens before refrigerating them.  Eat mesclun mix within three or four days, and use lettuce within a week.

Salad greens bruise easily, so be sure to handle them gently.  For lettuce, slice the head at its base with a sharp knife and let the leaves fall open.  Discard any damaged or leathery outer leaves and tear large leaves into bite sized pieces.  Both lettuce and mesclun mix can be washed by swishing them around in a basin of cold water.  If a lot of dirt collects in the water, wash them a second time.  Dry the greens in a salad spinner, or if you don’t have one, place them loosely in a mesh bag or thin towel, then go outside and swing them around your head.

Recipes

Corn, Kale and Black bean Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 2 (15-oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups fresh corn
• ⅓ cup sliced scallions (white and light green parts)
• 2 cups kale and swiss chard, chopped
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• ⅓ cup plus 2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• ½ tsp. ground cumin
• Dash of ground chipotle (optional)
• 1 ¼ cups tomatillo sauce
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese or soy cheese (2 oz.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F. In large nonstick skillet, combine black beans, corn, scallions, kale, and tomato. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 cup cilantro, oregano, cumin and chipotle powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Coat medium baking dish with thin layer of tomatillo sauce.
Place tortillas in stack on microwavable plate; cover with moist paper towel. Microwave tortillas on high until soft and heated through, about 1 minute. Spread tortillas with about 1/4 cup bean mixture. Roll tortillas and place seam side down in baking dish. Pour tomatillo sauce and any remaining filling over enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese and bake, uncovered, until bubbling, 15 minutes.
Sprinkle enchiladas with remaining 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro and serve.

 

Cabbage Salad with Apples and Walnuts
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

This salad is great as it is, but feel free to make adjustments–add a sprinkle of dill, swap out yogurt for the creme fraiche, etc.

1 small savoy cabbage
1/3 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons creme fraiche or heavy cream (we used sour cream)
2 apples (any crisp, tasty eating variety)
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Tear off and discard the tough outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut it in half and cut out its core. Slice the halves crosswise into a fine chiffonade.

Toast the walnuts in the oven for 8 minutes. While they are still warm, first rub them in a clean dishtowel to remove some of the skins, then chop or coarsely crumble them.

To prepare the dressing, mix the vinegar with the lemon juice, some salt, and a generous amount of pepper.

Whisk in the olive oil and then the creme fraiche or cream. Taste and adjust the acid and salt as desired.

Quarter, peel, and core the apples. Slice the quarters lengthwise fairly thin and cut these slices lengthwise into a julienne. Toss the cabbage, apples, and walnuts (and blue cheese, if you’re using it) with the dressing and an extra pinch of salt. Let the salad sit for 5 minutes, taste again, adjust the seasoning as needed, and serve.

 Garden Fresh Tomato Soup

4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

1 sliced onion

4 whole cloves

2 cups chicken broth

2 tblsp butter

2 tblsp all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. white sugar, to taste

Directions

1. In a stockpot, over medium heat, combine the tomatoes, onion, cloves and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and gently boil for about 20 minutes to blend all of the flavors. Remove from heat and run the mixture through a food mill into a large bowl, or pan. Discard any stuff left over in the food mill.

2.In the now empty stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux, cooking until the roux is a medium brown. Gradually whisk in a bit of the tomato mixture, so that no lumps form, then stir in the rest. Season with sugar and salt, and adjust to taste.

Savoy Cabbage and Turnips

This saute of autumn vegetables makes for an ideal bed for seared duck breast. Enjoy!

• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 turnip, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 head savoy cabbage, about 2 lb., quartered,
  cored and sliced crosswise into strips 1/4
  inch wide
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the turnip and carrot and sauté until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add the cabbage and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the stock, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until the cabbage is tender and most of the cooking liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Ribollita (Reboiled Italian Cabbage Soup)

• 2 cups dry cannellini beans
• 4 cups water
• 3 (32 ounce) cartons chicken broth
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 sage leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 large stalks celery, chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 1/2 cups cabbage, coarsely chopped
• 1 bunch Swiss chard and Kale, trimmed and chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 12 (1/2-inch-thick) slices French bread, lightly toasted
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese for topping
• 1/2 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Sort and rinse the beans before placing them in a large pot with the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook 5 minutes. Turn off heat, cover, and let stand 1 1/2 hours. Drain.

2. Place the beans, chicken broth, garlic, sage leaves, bay leaves, and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until beans are tender, about 2 hours. Cool. Remove 1 cup of beans. Discard the bay leaves and sage leaves. Blend the remaining bean mixture with a hand mixer until smooth. Set aside.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until transparent, about 10 minutes. Combine the carrots, celery, potatoes, cabbage, Swiss chard, and kale with the onions. Stir in the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover, and cook until greens have wilted, stirring at least once, about 20 minutes. Stir in the pureed bean mixture, and cook 40 minute until the mixture thickens. Stir in the reserved beans. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add the toasted bread slices; cook until bread is soaked, about 10 minutes longer. Cool, and refrigerate overnight.

4. Reheat the soup over low heat until heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve each serving garnished with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

Apple Fritters

Ingredients

• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar
• 2-1/4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1-1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 2 whole Large Eggs
• 3/4 cups Whole Milk
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
• 2 whole Crunchy Apples, Peeled And Diced
•  Powdered Sugar (optional, For Dusting)

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a fork, then add milk, melted butter, and vanilla.

Gently fold dry and wet ingredients together until just combined (do not overmix.) Fold in apples. Add enough apples to make a very chunky batter. You want the apples to shine though!

Heat a couple of inches of canola oil over medium to medium-low heat. When it gets hot, drop a little drop of batter into the oil. If it sizzles immediately and rises to the top, the oil is ready; if it burns quickly, turn down the heat.

Drop teaspoons of batter into the hot oil, six or eight at a time. Sometimes they’ll flip over by themselves; sometimes you have to flip them. Just watch them and make sure they don’t get too brown, but cook them long enough to make sure the batter’s cooked through, about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes total.

Remove and drain on a paper towel. Dust very generously with powdered sugar, or dip fritters in a light doughnut glaze (mix all glaze ingredients together, then dunk warm fritters). Serve warm!

Glaze ingredients

• 1-1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1/4 cup Milk

As Always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us!

All the Best,

The FarmShare Team
Applecrest Farm Orchards
133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls NH 03844

Tel: +1 603 926 3721
Email: CSA@applecrest.com
Web: www.applecrest.com