FarmShare CSA Newsletter, week of August 25th, 2015
What’s in this week’s box?
Veggies:
Beets
Cherry Tomatoes
Heirloom Tomatoes
Corn
Fruit:
Peaches
Cantaloupes
Raspberries
Storage, handling and general cooking tips…
Beets
Storage – If your beets still have greens attached, cut them off, leaving an inch of stem. Keep these greens unwashed and refrigerated in a closed plastic bag. Store the beet roots, with the rootlets (or “tails”) attached, unwashed, in a plastic bag in the crisper bin of your refrigerator. They will keep for several weeks, but their sweetness diminishes with time; so try to use them within a week.
Handling – Just before cooking, scrub beets well and remove any scraggly leaves and rootlets. If your recipe calls for raw beets, peel them with a knife or vegetable peeler, then grate or cut them according to your needs.
Try baking beets at 350-400 degrees for an hour or until they are easily pierced with a fork. Cut the tops and bottoms off and the skin should easily slip off. Why not add some other root vegetables to the dish along with olive oil, garlic, herbs, and salt. I like to boil beets as well. Boil beets 45 minutes to an hour depending on size, they should easily pierce when done. Plunge them directly into cold water after boiling and the skins will slip right off. Then slice and top with fresh lime juice. Please don’t miss the opportunity to have your kids taste beets! Beets are chock full of fiber, vitamins (lots of Bs and C!), minerals (iron, magnesium), and antioxidants. Plus, they look beautiful on the plate.
Melon
Storage and Handling
Melon can keep up to a week, whole and uncut, into your fridge. IF your melon has been sitting in your car and its a hot day, let it cool off before sticking it right into the fridge, as the drastic temperature change will cause the fruit to spoil faster. Melons can be eaten cut up, wrapped in salty, cured meats, in fruit salad, or even sliced and grilled.
Peaches & Nectarines
Driving down rt. 88 past the Applecrest orchards one thing is for sure, the peach trees are chock full of these tasty gems, and are ripening as we speak! Our peaches are packed with major nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium. They are an excellent source of fiber and the juice of peaches is considered a magnificent moisturizer. Eaten fresh, baked in a pie, or grilled to bring out more sweetness this versatile treat won’t last long on your kitchen counter
Storage and Handling
Peaches bruise easily, so when testing for ripe-ness use your whole hand, not just one finger. Leave peaches out, on the counter. If they need to ripen more, place in a closed paper bag. Once ripe, store in the crisper bin of your refrigerator where they’ll keep for up to five days. Peaches can also be frozen. Peel and slice them, lay them on a baking tray and stick in the freezer for a few hours until they’re frozen through. Transfer the peach wedges to a resealable plastic bag and freeze until ready to use. They’ll keep at least 6 months (longer in a free-standing freezer) and are perfect to use in baking.
Cook tips
Eat these guys fresh, rinsed and wiped to remove fuzz. Or bake into a crumble. Or put in your morning cereal. Or serve with almond essence infused whipped cream, as almonds are a close cousin to peaches. Delicious in savory dishes as well, you can grill them and put in a salad, can be made into a chutney alongside your pork or beef, or preserve them to be enjoyed mid-winter. There are endless options.
Corn
Corn is quintessential Americana, synonymous with BBQs, Summertime, and Grilling. There isn’t a red-checkered tablecloth on a picnic table that won’t see a bowl of these steaming ears. Sweet corn is not only tasty it also contains fiber, protein, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium and phosphorous. Fun fact: there is one silk for every kernel of corn, on average there are 800 kernels in 16 rows on each ear of corn. Here at Applecrest we grow about 5 acres of corn, which at the height of the season will remove about 40 tons of carbon dioxide from the air, talk about goin’ green!
Storage and Handling
Corn can be stored in its husk up to four days in the refrigerator but it will be at its sweetest the closer it is to the day it was picked. Corn can also be frozen. Boil your ears of corn for 4-6 minutes, cool in an ice bath, cut kernels off the cob, store in air tight container (bag or tupperware works), and stick in freezer. You’ll thank yourself on a cold February night, when you can taste these sun kissed kernels alongside your meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
Cook tips
Corn can be grilled, boiled, or roasted. Easily eaten directly off the cob, added to a salad, or frozen for later use.
Tomatoes
The sun-loving tomato’s arrival could mean only one thing—Summer is definitely here! This delectable, heart healthy summer fruit, beyond being a palate pleaser is fantastic in so many ways. Tomatoes can be eaten raw, stewed, sun dried, in soup, as a snack, with balsamic vinegar and fresh mozzarella, chopped into salsa, on sandwiches and burgers. The possibilities are endless.
FYI-Tomato paste will remove chlorine from hair, especially if you have blond hair and the recent heat wave has turned you into a pool diving mermaid and your locks are now greenish.
Did you know that tomatoes are thought to originate in Peru where their Aztec name “xitomatl’ means “plump thing with a navel”.
Storage
Tomatoes bruise easily, so handle them with care. Wash and dry your tomatoes before storing. Unless you’re planning to store your tomatoes for over a week, a windowsill, counter-top or bowl, stem side down, works fine. If you know you won’t use them in the next few days, then lower temperatures (a cool entryway) will help to preserve the fruit. Contrary to our common practice in the US, storing in a refrigerator is not otherwise recommended, as the cooler temperatures can reduce flavor and cause mushiness and mealyness. Your fresh-picked tomatoes will last longer on the kitchen counter than store-bought ones anyways, which are probably a few days old when you get them.
Recipes of the Week!
Take a fancy foodie picture with your Applecrest fruit and veggies? Let us know and post it on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter with #applecrest !
- Elote or Roasted Sweet Corn
- French Tomato Tart
- Rigatoni with roasted cherry tomatoes
- Beet and Tomato Gazpacho
- Tomato, Peach and Burrata Salad
- Skillet Peach Cobbler
- Melon Agua Fresca
- Pan roasted Corn with Cherry Tomatoes
- Grilled Pizza with Eggplant and Cherry Tomatoes
- Eggplant for Eggplant Haters (dinner for two)
- Crustless Broccoli and Scallion Quiche
- Roasted Cauliflower and Sesame Spread
- Grilled Peach, Chicken and Feta Salad
- Peach Cream Pie
Elote or Roasted Sweet Corn
From The Kitchn
4 ears corn
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Cotija cheese (Parmesan will work if you can’t find it)
2 limes, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
salt
Prepare a grill or grill pan with high heat. Keep corn in husks, or remove one strip of husks. Place directly on grill. Cook for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until husks are well blackened and the kernels are bright yellow.
If serving on the cob, remove husks and slather each ear with a generous spoonful of mayonnaise. Add the juice of one lime wedge per ear, followed by a pinch of salt, a healthy sprinkle of cheese and a light dusting of cumin and chili powder.
If serving off the cob, cut the kernels off of each ear. Place into a jar or small cup and top with remaining ingredients.
If you prefer, serve the corn with the toppings on the side and let everyone dress their own.
Summer Beet and Corn Salad
1 bunch of beets (I had 3 medium sized beets)
2 ears of corn, kernels removed
1 cup of fresh peas, if you have them…I didn’t
1 small red onion, minced
2 stalks celery, minced
1 cup feta cheese crumbles
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
- Trim the tops off the beets and put them in a pot of water just to cover. Boil for 30-45 minutes until they’re just tender. Check by sticking a sharp knife into the center of one. Cool them while you prep the other vegetables.
- Microwave the corn kernels (and peas if you are using them) for about a minute or two, or just leave them raw if you prefer. Put the corn, celery and onion into a serving bowl. When the beets are cool enough to handle, trim off both ends and gently peel off the skin. Chop the beets into chunks and add to the bowl.
- The garnet colored beets are one of the most beautiful and healthy foods on the planet.
Toss the salad with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar to taste. Add lots of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Chill the salad for at least an hour or two, if you can hold off that long. Sprinkle the feta on top when ready to serve. The cheese will stay white that way. Delicious!!!
French Tomato Tart
From David Lebovitz
One 9- or 10-inch (23-25 cm) tart
“Because this is ‘country-style’ fare, this tart is open to lots of interpretation. For those of you with tart dough “issues”, you can make this either free-style or in a fluted tart ring with a removable bottom. Kate didn’t let the dough rest, but simply rolled it out, transferred it into the tart ring, and ran the rolling pin over the dough to neatly shear away the edges.
If you wish to make a free-style tart, roll the dough out to about 14-inches across, then transfer it to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Assemble the tart, leaving a 2-inch (5 cm) border, which you’ll then fold up to enclose the tart.
Depending on the size of your pan, you may have a bit of dough leftover. We used it to make a few mini-tartlets, which we enjoyed later than evening with our aperitifs. ”
Tart Filling
- One unbaked tart dough (see recipe, below)
- Dijon or whole-grain mustard
- 2-3 large ripe tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- two generous tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme, chives, chervil, or tarragon
- 8 ounces (250 g) fresh or slightly aged goat cheese, sliced into rounds
- Optional: 1 1/2 tablespoons flavorful honey
Tart Dough
1 1/2 cups (210 g) flour
4 1/2 ounces (125 g) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2-3 tablespoons cold water1. Make the dough by mixing the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and use your hands, or a pastry blender, to break in the butter until the mixture has a crumbly, cornmeal-like texture.
2. Mix the egg with 2 tablespoons of the water. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the beaten egg mixture, stirring the mixture until the dough holds together. If it’s not coming together easily, add the additional tablespoon of ice water.
3. Gather the dough into a ball and roll the dough on a lightly floured surface, adding additional flour only as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the counter.
4. Once the dough is large enough so that it will cover the bottom of the pan and go up the sides, roll the dough around the rolling pin then unroll it over the tart pan. “Dock” the bottom of the pastry firmly with your fingertips a few times, pressing in to make indentations.
If making a freestyle tart, simply transfer the dough to a prepared baking sheet (see headnote); no need to make indentations with your fingers.
5. Preheat the oven to 425ºF (218ºC). See note.
6. Spread an even layer of mustard over the bottom of the tart dough and let it sit a few minutes to dry out.
7. Slice the tomatoes and arrange them over the mustard in a single, even layer. Drizzle the olive oil over the top.
8. Sprinkle with some chopped fresh herbs, then arrange the slices of goat cheese on top. Add some more fresh herbs, then drizzle with some honey, if using.
(If baking a free-form tart, gather the edges when you’re done, to envelope the filling.)
9. Bake the tart for 30 minutes or so, until the dough is cooked, the tomatoes are tender, and the cheese on top is nicely browned. Depending on the heat of your oven, if the cheese doesn’t brown as much as you’d like it, you might want to pass it under the broiler until it’s just right.
Note: Kate indeed does cook her tart in a very hot oven. You might wish to check the tart midway through baking and turn it down a bit in case the top is getting too dark, before the crust and tomatoes appear to be cooked.
Rigatoni with roasted cherry tomatoes, arugula, and crisp bread
From Boston.com
| 4 | slices stale Italian bread, torn into irregular 2-inch pieces |
| 5 | tablespoons olive oil |
| Salt and black pepper, to taste | |
| 1 | pound rigatoni |
| 20 | cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes |
| 1 | tablespoon honey |
| 1 | tablespoon crushed red pepper |
| 1/2 | pound fresh ricotta |
| 1 | bunch arugula, stems removed |
| Extra olive oil (for sprinkling) | |
| 3/4 | cup grated Parmesan (for serving) |
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Place the bread in the pan and toss to coat it in the oil. Cook for 10 minutes, turning several times, until the bread is crisp and golden on both sides. Remove the bread from the pan and wipe out the skillet.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the rigatoni and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes or until the pasta is tender but still has some bite. Drain into a colander. Transfer to a bowl. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
4. Meanwhile, in the skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the cherry or grape tomatoes, honey, red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes burst.
5. In a large bowl, toss the rigatoni with a ladle of the tomato mixture.
6. Divide the rigatoni among 4 large bowls or plates. Arrange the tomatoes, ricotta, arugula, and bread around the pasta. Sprinkle the ricotta and arugula with olive oil. Sprinkle the dish with salt, pepper, and Parmesan.
Beet and Tomato Gazpacho
from NYTimes Cooking
- 2 slices red or white onion
- 1 large beet (about 6 ounces), roasted
- 1 small (6 ounces) cucumber or 1/2 long European cucumber peeled and coarsely chopped
- 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, quartered
- 2 sticks celery, coarsely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, halved, green germs removed
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus a little extra for the onion
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
- ½ to 1 cup ice water
For garnish
- ½ cup diced cucumber
- Slivered fresh mint leaves
- Put the onion slices in a bowl, cover with cold water and add a few drops of vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Drain and rinse with cold water. Cut in half or into smaller pieces.
- Working in two batches, blend all of the ingredients except the garnishes in a blender for 2 minutes or longer, until smooth and frothy. Transfer to a bowl or container (a metal bowl is the most efficient for chilling), thin out with more water if desired, and chill for at least 2 hours before eating. Garnish each bowl or glass with diced cucumber and slivered fresh mint leaves.
Tomato, Peach and Burrata Salad
Ingredients:
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 large tomatoes, cut into pieces
2 large peaches, cut into pieces
6 ounces burrata cheese, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons freshly chopped basil
Directions:
1. To make the balsamic reduction, pour the balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer, swirling the pan occasionally, until reduced to about half of the original amount, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, place the tomatoes and peaches on a platter or plate. Top with burrata cheese chunks and basil.
3. Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the salad and serve.
Note-you can find burrata cheese in most grocery stores in the cheese section. If you can’t find it you can substitute fresh mozzarella. Burrata cheese is very soft and will not slice well. Just add the creamy chunks to the salad!
Skillet Peach Cobbler
From Savory Simple
- 1½ pounds fresh ripe peaches (about 5 peaches)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- pinch of salt
- ½ tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 1¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of kosher salt
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons half and half or heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: vanilla ice cream for serving
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Using a knife to draw an X in the bottom of each peach. In batches of 2 or 3, blanch the peaches for 30-60 seconds or until the peach skin begins to pull away from the X slices. Use a slotted spoon to move the peaches into a large bowl of ice water. After they have cooled, peel and chop the peaches, discarding the skin.
- In a large skillet, combine chopped peaches, butter, brown sugar and salt over medium heat. Cook for several minutes until the butter and sugar have melted and the peach juices have released and mostly evaporated. Mix together the lemon juice and cornstarch and add it to the peaches.
- Whisk together the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the cream, butter and vanilla extract with a fork until the dough is just combined. In a small bowl, combine the remaining tablespoon of sugar and cinnamon.
- Divide the peaches into 2 small cast iron skillets (approximately 5 inches each). Use a spoon to evenly distribute the dough over the peaches (it will not completely cover them). Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the dough.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the sides are bubbly and the dough has cooked through.
- Serve hot with ice cream on top.
Melon Agua Fresca
5 lbs melon
2 cups water
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon lime juice
Ice, optional for serving
Seed the melon and discard the seed pulp. Cut the flesh off of the rind into roughly 2-inch chunks. Discard the rind. Place half the melon flesh in a large blender or food processor along with 1 cup water, 1/2 tablespoon honey, and 1/2 tablespoon lime juice. Blend at medium high speed until smooth, then empty it into a large pitcher. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and add the desired amount of ice to the pitcher before serving. Can be kept covered in the refrigerator for a couple days.
As a reminder, part of the fun of being a member of a CSA is collaborating with your community, so always feel free to post cooking suggestions or feedback on recipes that we post, or favorite recipes of your own that you’d like to share.
