Veggies galore!!!

It is finally here!  Full swing harvest season!  If you are a member of the CSA at farmthisway you are in for some pretty great eating! 

This week the basket was BOUNTIFUL.  Zucchini and Summer Squash, onions, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, green beans, CORN, farm fresh eggs and hot banana peppers.  Did I miss anything?  Probably, the distribution boxes were brimming with good stuff and that came with a large potted Citronella Geranium to keep those bugs away! 

Last night's dinner was all farmthisway!!  We had fresh corn (some of us cooked it (the boys) and some ate it fresh/raw (the girls)) steamed green beans and egg salad made from our farm fresh eggs.  It was delicious!  My 7 year old son cleared his whole plate, which almost never happens.

More farmthisway for lunch today.  I boiled some pasta, and while that was cooking, I tossed some summer squash and zucchini, onions, tomatoes from my farmthisway patio planter, with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic.  Topped it with Parmesan and had my sister in law and one of my daughter's friends over for lunch, and everyone ate it up.  My sister in law pointed out to my kids that they are very lucky, because most kids are eating a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, while they're getting the really good stuff.  Again, my son cleared his plate. 

Later in the week, I will stuff some of those hot banana peppers with cream cheese, shredded cheddar, and some panko bread crumbs for a late night snack while watching the Tour de France on the DVR in the evening with my husband. 

Need any ideas for your veggies?  Just leave a comment below and I can get you some recipe ideas! 

For now...here is something fun to try with your cauliflower.  Being from Buffalo, I can't say it is as good as wings, but it is a fun and healthier snack for sure, and also works if you are having guests who don't eat meat, or you yourself do not..  Buffalo Cauliflower Bites Let me know what you think! 

A sneak peak

As you may or may not know, the way a CSA program works is you get what is ready to harvest and what the farm has enough to share with you that week.  Different years yield different weather and growing conditions, and some weeks, even the farmer's themselves don't know exactly what will be in the distribution until they are finished packing them up.  So, while the website may list what members got last year for each week, it may differ greatly to this year's harvest.  But it is fun to get an idea of what you might get.  Almost like hints of a Christmas present.  But even better because you get a distribution every week for the length of your membership!

That being said, I would like to offer you a sneak peek at what you will likely see tomorrow, whether you pick up your distribution at The Blasdell Farmer's Market or directly at the farm at farmthisway.  The chickens are still laying, despite a skunk in the chicken tractor incident, so there will be eggs.  Farm fresh brown eggs!  So many ways to use these.  We usually do a breakfast for dinner night once every week or two.  Over easy, scrambles, omelets, or in crepe batter, these eggs are tasty, healthy and just plain wonderful!  This week it looks like we will be getting some green peppers in the mix, so these may favor strongly into an omelet station for breakfast for dinner night this week!

Also in the mix for this week is some more cabbage (see my early post about cabbage if you are looking for something new to try with cabbage), beets (YAY!  These are one of my favorites!) , heirloom tomatoes and a special surprise item....Don't worry, you won't need any recipe for this surprise item, you will know just what to do with it!

I will re-visit my favorite beet recipe for you, as I know some folks are a little beet opposed.  This is a recipe my whole family loves, it is easy and delicious, and I stole it from my chef brother....

Roasted Beets

First, wash your beets.  Spread out a small sheet of aluminum foil for each beet (enough to wrap around with a little extra room).  Put one beet on each piece of foil.  Sprinkle each with a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt and pepper (and any other herbs/spices you like) and wrap tightly.  Place all of the beet packages in a roasting pan and cover.  Cook at 350 degrees until tender, this will depend on the size of the beet.  Usually anywhere from 30 minutes for smaller beets to an hour for the really big ones.  You will notice that you have not peeled your beets yet.  That's ok.  They are FAR easier to peel after they've been cooked!  After they are taken from the oven and cool a bit, so they can be handled, grab a couple of paper towels, and basically just peel off the skin in a turning motion.  You can do this bare handed if you don't mind stained hands for a few days...Slice the beets and arrange either plain on a platter, or on top of a bed of spinach or arugula, and then top with crumbled Feta, and splash with your favorite balsamic vinegar.  One of our favorite salads ever.

Running out of ideas for your heirloom tomatoes?  They can be tossed with olive oil and whatever herbs you have and put on the grill as well.  Last week, we did these tossed with oil, salt, pepper and rosemary and used them as a side with our steaks on the grill, along with some portabella mushrooms.  MMMMM.....

Happy, Healthy Eating my friends!

A broccoli conundrum

Hey, just a quick note.  As some of you may have noticed, it was HOT Wednesday.  The broccoli that you got as part of you distribution, may have turned a bit yellow in the heat.  It was pretty and green when picked and early in the day, but as the day went on, it got a little yellow.  We ate ours that way, and it tasted just fine, we LOVE broccoli at our house.  (I also froze some to use for cream of broccoli soup when the weather cools). 

HOWEVER....I spoke to Carolyn at the Hamburg Farmer's Market today and she said that if anyone would like some replacement broccoli, just give them a jingle and head out to the farm to get some fresh cut green broccoli.  Marty and Carolyn want to make sure everyone is happy.  Just another reason I love our CSA membership at www.farmthisway.com

Enjoy your weekend!

An Egg-ceptional Project

When Marty tweeted at me and asked if we wanted to borrow some chickens for a week or two, I thought he was joking.  As it turns out...he was, by all means, serious...

A couple of hours later, these two ladies showed up in our yard...

They are part of a new experiment Marty thought of.  Since he was a little boy, Marty always wanted to have chickens.  His mom told him it was against regulations where they lived, but he could call the town and ask.  His mother, as often mothers are, was right, he was told they were against ordinance.  After a Summer full of a young boy rechecking the rules over and over, the town officer told him, that he thought actually, it would be OK, but if anyone complained, the chickens would have to go.  That wasn't enough for Marty, so he gave up on the chicken project until he was an adult himself.  Now, if you pay a visit to his farm, you will see an elaborate system of chicken runs all surround by some safeguards to keep the coyotes and other such creatures from having chicken for dinner, and many very happy chickens.  Marty and Carolyn raise the laying hens for eggs for themselves and for their CSA Members.  As a member I can tell you, this is one of our favorite parts of our weekly distributions.  We love the produce, flowers, etc., but there is no egg, like a farm fresh egg. 

Back to yesterday, and Marty's new idea.  Since they aren't selling these eggs, and are primarily doing this egg business to provide eggs in their distributions, Marty thought, "Why not loan out the chickens".  Apparently a couple of the girls had a vacation to Lackawanna recently.  This week there are a couple in Orchard Park.  We put their mini-chicken tractor in the back yard near the pond, so they could get to know their cousins, the ducks and geese who frequent our lawn. The kids are thrilled!!! 

Maybe we should make the chickens a little travel journal, a passport of where they've been?  Or compile a book of pictures of their adventures?  An AFS program of chicken exchange....

The next question is, after their vacation with the Gilmartin Family, who would like to get a chicken visit next?  Let us know!  Seriously.  Project Chicken is in full swing, and could be coming to a yard near you!

Cabbage, Cabbage, Cabbage!!

This week's farmthisway distribution was bountiful as ever.  We got 10 cucumbers, 2 clam shells of  heirloom tomatoes, 2 bunches of totally organic carrots, several heads of broccoli, a dozen fresh brown eggs, a quart of strawberries (which didn't even make it home), and 5 heads of cabbage.  My frequent question of the day when people were picking up their distributions was "What should I do with all of this cabbage".  I have a few suggestions....

1) Cole Slaw!  Quick and Easy.  Shred up a head of cole slaw and a bunch or two of carrots.  (I use my food processor).  Then, if you want to be really quick, use a jar of cole slaw dressing, my favorite is Marzetti's, or for a bit sweeter of a taste use a poppy seed dressing.  It's a neat switch up.  If you would like to go old school and make your own slaw dressing, you can use 3/4 cup of mayonnaise, 2 TBS of vinegar, and then salt, pepper and sugar to taste. 

2) Polish Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Golabki) - Click here for recipe but in my family instead of beef stock, we cook these with tomato soup over the top.  Yum!  And you can substitute ground turkey or chicken for the beef and pork as well.  In a hurry?  You can always make lazy version.  Chop up the cabbage and onions and saute in one pan, saute your meat in another and mix them together with the tomato soup and put it over some rice.  Boil in the bag, easy rice is ready in 10 minutes!

3) COLCANNON!!!   This is one of my family's favorites.  I take a head of cabbage and saute it with some diced up bacon and sometimes onions.  Mix it in with some butter and mashed potatoes and you have a divine dish that my kids eat right up!

There are some relatively easy things to do with your cabbage.  As for some of  the other items, a nice salad is in order, toss your heirlooms and cukes, and carrots with your favorite lettuce and voila! And who doesn't love fresh cut broccoli that just came out of the field?!   Steamed and tossed with pasta and Parmesan Cheese.  YUM!   Enjoy your basket of goodies and let me know your great recipe ideas too!

Our lovely distribution basket for this week.  

What's for dinner?

Last week I chickened out on the Strawberry rhubarb pie.  I had my daughter do it.  She's 13 and excellent in the kitchen.  It was pretty good, though I think I prefer my strawberry pie a little more sweet than tart. 

This week will be the 5th week of our 24 week membership to our CSA with farmthisway .  A little birdie told me that it looks like this week's distribution will include more fresh strawberries, cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes and totally organic carrots and beet greens.  Don't forget the farm fresh brown eggs from those hard working chickens out on the farm. 

Aside from the basic salads (I still have plenty of lettuce in my lettuce bowls!) that can be made from these fine offerings, I always like to think outside the box a little and do something neat with my weekly distribution.  The kids and I think it is fun to play with our food so to speak.  One thing I have never been real sure of what to do with is the abundance of greens.  I am familiar with lettuce, kale, cabbage and spinach, but beyond that, not so much.  Today I searched some things to do with my beet greens, and my favorite thing that I found sounds like what we will have for dinner tomorrow night.  I don't like anything I have to fuss with too much on a Wednesday, because I am at the Farmer's Market on Tuesdays until about 2 and then home to unload and process some of my weekly distribution.  That means dinner has to be quick, easy and not too messy.  And in my world, that does not mean take out...So, instead tomorrow I will make beet greens and bacon tossed with pasta.  I generally tend to avoid all things Martha Stewart, but she has a lovely quick recipe that looks great.  4 slices of bacon chopped (I bought extra slab bacon for Father's Day, so I have this in the fridge), 3 scallions chopped, which I will probably substitute with the Vidalia already in the fridge, greens from 3 beets , coarsely chopped, and salt and pepper to taste. recipe/instructions

It says to serve as a side dish or toss with pasta.  I will be tossing it with pasta, and pairing it with a nice salad made from our lettuce bowl lettuce, fresh organic carrots, cukes, and heirlooms.

Dinner is served.  Is it Wednesday yet?  

If I get creative later in the week, I may also try out a recipe for strawberry soup with cucumber and strawberry salad.   Stay tuned...

Pie time!

I heard that this week's distrubution from farmthisway will include rhubarb and strawberries...This combination leads most people to think of one thing.  PIE.  Now, I bake a lot.  For my own family and friends, and for others as well.  One thing I have never made is Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. I am not sure why that is.  Mostly I think, I just never really had rhubarb around and never thought, hey, this perfectly good strawberry pie needs some vegetables thrown in it. 

I look forward to trying something new this week though.  So, I will attempt my first ever Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.  I will have to follow up with how it turns out.  Usually, if I am unsure of how to make something, I always check with Alton Brown.  Well, with his recipes on foodnetwork.com anyhow, I don't have his direct line, though there are many occasions when that would come in very handy.  But, I searched and didn't come up with a single Alton Brown recipe for the fruit and veggie pie, so i went to my back up.  Emeril.  This is what I found Emeril's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Almond Crumb topping.  I am not going to be scared off by the "Difficult" rating.  And I love pie with a crumb top.  So, stay tuned and I will let you know if I pull it off!