This week’s share:

Fruit

Strawberries

Blueberries

Cherries

Veggies

Lettuce

Salad Greens

Snow peas

English Shell Peas

Tomatoes

Herbs

Garlic Scape

Scallion

Storage, handling and general cooking tips:

Blueberries

This wonder fruit has finally made it! Blueberries are known to have the highest antioxidant content out of all fresh fruits. This powerhouse activates 2 brain protective enzymes as soon as you ingest it and are also known to preserve vision.

Wild blueberries, indigenous to North America, are over 13,000 years old. Used year-round by Native Americans, it soon became a favorite of the European settlers and it is said they were eaten in the first Thanksgiving. In the early 1900’s Elizabeth White and Dr. Frederick Coville of New Jersey set out to domesticate and cultivate blueberries, and by 1916 they succeeded with their first commercial crop.

Today blueberries can be found worldwide, although none as sweet and cherished as our home-grown, New England varieties. Enjoy your Applecrest blueberries fresh out of the container, sprinkled over cereal, topped on ice cream, or mixed into your muffin.

Storage and Handling

Blueberries are delicate and fickle, be gentle with them. Keep your fresh blueberries refrigerated, unwashed, in their container. They should last up to two weeks. Water on fresh blueberries hastens deterioration, so do not wash before refrigerating. Blueberries are highly perishable so do try to use them as soon as possible.

Cherries

Local cherries are hard to come by and super tough to grow in this area. This is the first year our friends at Brookdale Farm in Hollis, NH have grown cherries so we are anxious to hear what you think of their first offering. Cherries are also natural antioxidants full of melatonin, anthocyanins and bioflavonoids, all known to benefit your day to day life. Eat them raw as a snack, pit them and throw them in your smoothies, or add them to a fruit salad.

Storage and Handling

Store unwashed cherries in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, and wash just before eating. Before eating fresh sweet cherries, leave them out on the counter for a few hours as the flavor is much better at room temperature. Fresh cherries should be consumed within two to four days.

Strawberries

Storage + Handling

Strawberries stop ripening the moment they are picked, so don’t wait to enjoy them!  They are best eaten immediately. If you plan to eat your strawberries today, wash them first. Place the berries in a bowl of water with a bit of soap and swish to let the dirt sink to the bottom, then rinse. This gentle method protects the berries from bruising.

If you’d like to save your berries for later, please don’t wash them until you plan to use them as moisture causes them to spoil more quickly. Just pop them as is into the refrigerator in an uncovered container. Don’t forget to let the berries sit at room temperature for an hour after you take them out of the refrigerator – that way they’ll have the best flavor and texture.

Strawberries also freeze well. Wash and dry them thoroughly, then hull. Next, place them cut or whole into a freezer-safe container.

Shell peas

Storage

Peas don’t have much of a shelf life, so we don’t recommend storing them —in their pods or shelled—for very long. Store pods in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator and use them within a couple of days. Once they’re shelled, the best way to store peas is to freeze them. First blanch them for a minute or two in boiling salted water and then shock them in an ice-water bath until cool, to help maintain their bright color. Drain and freeze them in zip-top bags. They will keep for five to six months.

Handling

(Or should we say shelling for the English peas)?

It may seem a bit tedious but its easy and worth every second. Remove the stem of the pod, peel the stringy fiber from the seam, pry the pod open and run your thumb along the interior to detach the peas. Pour into a bowl, and continue on to the next pod.

Cook tips

We dare you to shell your entire box of peas without eating one pea, its nearly impossible. If you’re lucky enough to have 10% leftover try some of this:

Throw the freshly shelled peas on a salad, in a blender, or steam with other vegetables.

Snow Peas

Storage + Handling

I suggest eating your snow peas right off the bat, but if you would like to store them, they will stand to be refrigerated in a plastic bag for up to 4 days. They are great raw and dipped in dressing. My son eats them like candy. I like to steam them first until crisp-tender, then plunge them in cold water to stop the cooking. I pat them dry and then toss with a bit of sesame oil, sesame seeds, and thin slices of red pepper. It’s super fresh and the colors look beautiful together. Snow peas also taste yummy stir-fried with other veggies and meats and served over rice.

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.

Recipes

Tomato Orecchiette with Brie and Basil

In this super simple and delicious recipe, the brie cheese acts as a creamy sauce when melted by the warm pasta. Cook and prep time are short, meaning you’ll have more time to hang out outside on these beautiful days.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces orecchiette pasta
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 4 ounces brie cheese, sliced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, sliced

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

 

Sweet pea and herb dip

Serves 6.

This slightly sweet and vibrant green dip might replace guacamole at your next potluck bbq!

•2 cups shelled english peas

• 1/4 c. basil leaves

• 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves

• 1 garlic clove

• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 c. olive oil

Directions

Combine the peas, herbs, garlic, Parmesan, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times until combined.

With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil. Stop the processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pulse the processor several more times until the dip is smooth.

Transfer to a small bowl and serve alongside raw vegetables or whole-grain crackers or pita chips.

 

Blueberry, Strawberry and Jicama Salsa

This salsa is great with grilled fish or chicken or with tortilla chips. It is best eaten the day it is made.

Ingredients

1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup diced strawberries
1 cup diced jicama
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded
Juice of 1 large lime
Salt, to taste

1. In a medium bowl, combine blueberries, strawberries, jicama, cilantro, red onion, jalapeno, and lime juice. Stir until well combined. Season with salt, to taste. Serve with tortilla chips at room temperature or chilled. Combine with grilled chicken or fish at dinner time!

 

Garlic Scape and Scallion Pancakes

Makes three 8-10″ pancakes.

This savory Asian pancake can be combined with fresh or stir fried veggies to make a full meal. Cake flour, available in the baking aisle at the grocery store, has a lower gluten content, resulting in a dough that isn’t as tough, and can be rolled out thinly much more easily, it shouldn’t spring back as you try to to roll. However, you can make this entirely of AP flour, it might just be a little more challenging to roll out thin or need to rest a little longer.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups cake flour
3/4 cup warm water
About 3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup total of garlic scapes, cilantro (leaves and stems), and thai basil, scallions, sliced thin
salt
peanut or canola oil, for frying and oiling the bowl

Directions

Combine flours together. Add water, either in a well in the middle of the flours, or in a stand mixer with a dough hook, and work to evenly combine. Knead for about three minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the ball of dough into a slightly oiled (peanut or canola) bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let rest for about thirty minutes.

Divide dough into three equal pieces (or more depending on the size of pancake you wish). Roll one piece of dough out into a circle, as thinly as possible.

Brush one side of rolled out dough with a very thin layer of sesame oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt, and scatter garlic scapes, basil, scallions and cilantro evenly and liberally over the dough, making sure to get the edges.

Starting at the edge, carefully roll dough in one direction, encompassing the filling, until you have a long rope.

Coil the rope (think: cinnamon bun) into a tight bundle.  Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rest for about thirty minutes.

After it has rested, flatten the coil slightly with your hand. Then, roll the disk with a rolling pin, until it is an even circle about 8-10″ in diameter.

Heat a tablespoon of peanut or canola oil in a pan over medium-high heat, until the oil shimmers. Gently place the pancake in the pan, laying it away from you as you put it in–so you don’t get splashed with oil. Fry gently for about two minutes on both sides until golden brown. Drain briefly on a paper towel.

Cut into wedges. Serve warm with a dipping sauce of soy sauce infused with slices of fresh ginger.

Top pancake with shredded veggies such as carrots and zucchini and chopped snow peas to make this a whole meal!

Adapted from Pitchfork Diaries’ Catie Schwalb

 

Frisée aux Lardons (Curly Endive With Bacon and Egg)

This week’s salad mix contains a lot of curly endive; but also a lot of beet greens, pok choy, and other fantastic normal salad mix-y things. Use this recipe with your salad mix to carefully balance out the flavors of the creamy egg, salty bacon, and slightly bitter curly endive. Add crispy toasted bread to make this a complete meal.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 handfuls tender, pale curly endive and salad mix (about 10 ounces)
• 6 ounces thick-cut bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick lardons
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated garlic
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 4 eggs
• 12 thin slices from a French baguette, lightly toasted and rubbed with a garlic clove

Directions

Wash and dry curly endive, place in a shallow salad bowl and refrigerate.

In a small skillet, simmer bacon for about 5 minutes in a small amount of water. Drain and dry skillet, then cook bacon over medium heat until lightly browned and crisp, but still a bit springy.

For the vinaigrette, whisk together mustard, vinegar and garlic. Whisk in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Put a low-sided skillet on the stove and fill two-thirds with salted water. Bring to a gentle simmer. Crack each egg into a cup and carefully lower into the water. Poach eggs for 3 to 4 minutes, until whites have set and yolks are still soft. With a slotted spoon, remove to a towel-lined plate.

Lightly salt endive and toss with vinaigrette, coating well. Divide greens among 4 plates, place an egg in center of each. Spoon warm lardons over salads. Shower with freshly ground black pepper and serve alongside toasty french bread.

Blueberries with lemon cream

Adjust this recipe depending on how many berries you have, yet feel free to use any berry to round out the two cups.

• 4 ounce(s) reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel) 
• 3/4 cup(s) low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 teaspoon(s) honey
• 2 teaspoon(s) freshly grated lemon zest
• 2 cup(s) fresh blueberries

Directions

1. Using a fork, break up cream cheese in a medium bowl. Drain off any liquid from the yogurt; add yogurt to the bowl along with honey. Using an electric mixer, beat at high speed until light and creamy. Stir in lemon zest.
2. Layer the lemon cream and blueberries in dessert dishes or wineglasses. If not serving immediately, cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

That’s it for this week!

As always, if any questions, always feel free to email us or give us a call!

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