FarmShare, C.S.A. Newsletter for 23 October 2012

What’s happening on the farm this week?

The last Newsletter!  It’s been fun – I hope you guys have enjoyed reading the storage and handling tips for your weekly produce and have managed to try some of the recipes.  As with last year, we’ll once again be sending out a member survey sometime in November and, if you fill it out, you’ll receive a little incentive to come back and visit us here at the farm!

Many sincere thanks to you all for such a great season.  Your support of the farm is ever so important to the many dozens of us folks whose lives and livelyhoods are intertwined with this land and the food we grow on it.  We couldn’t do it without YOU!  Have a great winter and we all look forward to seeing you again next year for another fabulous CSA season.  Cheers!

What’s in this week’s boxes?

Fruit

Apples

Apple Cider

Apple Cider Donuts

Veggies

Lettuce Head

Salad Greens

Brussel Sprouts

Cauliflower: Cheddar, Purple, or White

Winter Squash

Pumpkin

STORAGE, HANDLING AND COOKING TIPS

Apples

Storage + 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.

Apple Cider

Storage + Handling

Hurrah for the official state beverage of New Hampshire! Applecrest’s apple cider is pressed here on the farm each week from apples culled from our very orchards. To make our cider, we wash and grind our apples into a mash, then wrap this applesauce-like mash in cloth and place it on wooden racks. A press then squeezes the layers together, pressing the juice out and into a waiting tank for bottling. Our cider is unfiltered, unsweetened, and unpasteurized – although we do add a smidgen of potassium sorbate (an odorless, flavorless, colorless preservative) to extend the cider’s shelf life. The sweetness of the apple cider depends on the sugar content and variety of apples that were pressed that day.  The natural yeasts found in the cider will cause it to ferment over time, but it should last for a few weeks.

Lettuce

Storage + Handling

Keep unwashed lettuce in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you want to prep the lettuce for dinner later, the gentlest method of washing is to place the entire head in a bowl of cold water and gently swish to get the dirt out.  You may have to do this a few times with fresh water if you find a lot of dirt settling at the bottom. Then rinse and slice the head at the base to allow the leaves to separate.  Roll the leaves in paper towels and place them in a plastic bag or container in the refrigerator. If you have a salad spinner, by all means spin the leaves dry. Wet greens wilt quickly, so be sure they are good and dry before refrigerating them.

 

Salad Greens

Storage + Handling

 

Store unwashed salad greens in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. When you are ready to eat the greens, wash them in a bowl of cold water to let dirt settle to the bottom. Once all of the dirt is removed, rinse and dry. Put them in a bowl covered with a wet paper towel in the refrigerator until serving time. Enjoy your greens within three or four days. Salads are a great addition to any meal, but are also good for tacos and sandwiches.

Brussel Sprouts

Storage + Handling

For all of you Brussel Sprout naysayers out there, give these little cabbages another try! They are super nutritious and will reward your palate with a sweet, nutty flavor. Plus, they are Farmer Todd’s favorite vegetable.

 

Store your brussel sprouts unwashed in a closed plastic bag in the veggie bin and don’t forget about them. Their flavor is sweetest at the time of harvest, so try to eat them right away.

When ready to enjoy, rinse the sprouts in cool water and remove any loose or discolored leaves. The key to yummy brussels sprouts is cooking them enough, but not too much.  As with full-sized cabbage, overcooking sprouts produces an unpleasant, sulfurous smell.  Ideally, sprouts should be tender enough to yield when pierced with a fork, but not so soft that the fork sinks right in.

To roast brussels sprouts, first boil the sprouts until just tender, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on size.  Drain and rinse in cool water to stop the cooking, then coat lightly in olive oil, place in a roasting pan and roast in a 375-degree oven until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Brussel sprouts can also be steamed or sliced and stir-fried.

 

Cauliflower

Storage + Handling

Look at that color! If your kids weren’t interested in cauliflower before, we think they will be now. Do they think the cauliflower will change color when it’s cooked? Make an experiment out of cooking together. Cheddar cauliflower contains about 25 times more Vitamin A than the white variety. It is also creamier when cooked, making it a nice choice for serving mashed. It is perhaps the most delicious of all of the cauliflower available on the market. The purple variety is high in tannins and its color comes from anthocyanin, a flavanoid packed with antioxidants. And remember, all types of cauliflower contain most of the same great nutritional benefits found in broccoli: vitamin C, protein, and iron!

 

Wrap dry, unwashed cauliflower loosely in plastic and store it in the refrigerator.  It will keep for up to a week, but will taste sweetest if used within a few days. To eat, trim off the leaves and any brown spots.  Rinse the cauliflower and cut out the cone-shaped core at the base using a small paring knife.  Stop there if you plan to cook it whole.  Otherwise, break it by hand or knife into florets. Serve cauliflower raw on vegetable trays with dip or add cauliflower to roasts, soups, or curries. Steaming and blanching are the best methods to preserve the most flavor and nutrition. To blanch: place in salted boiling water for 3 minutes, cool under running water, and drain.

 

Winter Squash

Storage + Handling

Winter squash are cooked and eaten as a vegetable, but they are really a vining fruit. They are an excellent source of Vitamins A and B, plus full of dietary fiber, iron and beta carotene.

Winter squash are picked when their skins have hardened and are fully mature. This hard skin guarantees a long shelf life. Store your squash in a dark, well-ventilated area for up to two months. Wrap cut pieces in plastic and refrigerate up to five days.

Wash your squash well when ready to eat. The flesh can be removed from the skin before or after cooking (after is MUCH easier!), although if you plan to sauté the squash, we recommend removing the skin first. Use a sharp knife to cut away the skin and as well as any seeds and fibrous stringy parts inside the cavity. Slice the squash into equally-sized pieces and you are ready to sauté!

Squash is most-often baked whole or split lengthwise (removing seeds). Pierce whole squash in several places or roast halved squash, hollow side up or down, for 45-60 minutes. When it is roasted like this in dry heat, the sugars caramelize and sweeten the flesh, creating a delicious, buttery texture.

True green tomatoes come from heirloom stocks that produce a tart flavor. This particular variety sweetens with cooking and should not be eaten raw. Green tomatoes are often fried to attain a balance of tart-sweet taste or used in relishes.  With care, mature green tomatoes will keep and ripen for about 4 to 6 weeks in the fall if you care to wait!

Recipes

Mulled Apple Cider

 

Simmer 4 cups of apple cider with 4 cinnamon sticks and about 12 cloves for about 5 minutes – do not let it boil. Pour into 4 mugs, each with a cinnamon stick and a couple cloves.

 

Apple Cider-braised Cabbage

From Epicurious.com

 

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 2-pound head green cabbage, quartered, cored, thinly sliced

1/2 cup apple cider

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

 

Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add cabbage and sauté until slightly wilted, tossing frequently, about 6 minutes. Stir in apple cider. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook until cabbage is tender, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Uncover and simmer until almost all liquid in pot evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

 

Brussel Sprouts au Gratin

From A Veggie Venture
Serves 8
2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts, stem ends sliced off, outer layer of leaves removed, sprouts halved lengthwise through the core
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream

TOPPING
1/2 cup panko or traditional bread crumbs
1/4 ounce fresh Parmesan, grated
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 425F. Toss the Brussels sprouts with the butter, salt and pepper. Arrange in a shallow baking dish just large enough for a generous single layer. (The sprouts do shrink while roasting so some overlap is good.) Roast for about 35 minutes (stirring well after 15, 25 and 35 minutes) until the sprouts are very nearly cooked through and brown in spots. Pour the cream over top and return to the oven for 5 – 10 minutes (stirring after 5 and 10 minutes) until cream thickens, coats the Brussels sprouts and darkens slightly. Remove from oven, switch oven to the broiler.

Mix topping ingredients and spread evenly over top. Place under broiler for 5 – 10 minutes until topping turns crisp and golden.

 

Roasted Cauliflower in Lemon-Tahini Sauce

From Vegetarian Times

 

1 large head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets

4 tsp. olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tahini (ground sesame paste, found in a jar)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ tsp. salt

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

 

Place oven rack in top position. Preheat oven to 425F.

Toss cauliflower with 2 teaspoons olive oil and season with salt. Spread on large cookie sheet and bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until cauliflower is fork-tender and slightly browned.

 

Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tsp. olive oil in small saucepan over medium heat. Sauté garlic in oil 1 to 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Stir in tahini, lemon juice, 5 tablespoons water and salt. Simmer over low heat 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

 

Divide cauliflower among plates. Whisk sauce, then spoon over cauliflower. Sprinkle with parsley and sesame seeds, and serve with a sprinkling of paprika for color if you like.

 

Lettuce + Apple salad

 

Dressing

1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dash ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

 

2 apples cored and chopped

Head lettuce or salad greens

Optional: pomegranate seeds, chopped pecans, toasted pine nuts

 

In a large salad bowl, whisk dressing ingredients until blended. Chop apples into bite-sized pieces and place over salad greens or head lettuce. Dress salad just before serving. Add pomegranate seeds, chopped pecans or toasted pine nuts to make your salad truly hearty!

 

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