Categories
Recipes

Market Vegetable Mélange with Chicken

An original recipe by CSA member Melanie Suksomnil

Courtesy Melanie Suksomnil
Courtesy Melanie Suksomnil

A rustic homage to late summer produce, this recipe is incredibly flexible and can be customized to whatever the season’s harvest (or trip to the grocery store) has brought to your kitchen. For a vegan/vegetarian version, substitute the chicken with largely diced oyster mushrooms or simply omit the chicken!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
6 skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 bunch baby leeks, wash thoroughly to remove sand and thinly chopped
8 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 sweet red long pepper, cut into 1-inch squares (can substitute bell pepper)
1 sweet green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
2 medium zucchinis, halved lengthwise and cut into ½” thick slices
1 small eggplant, quartered lengthwise and cut into ½” thick slices
2 large heirloom tomatoes, peeled* and chopped
½ pound green string beans
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped –or- ½ teaspoon dried basil
6 sprigs fresh thyme, with tough stems removed then chopped –or- ½ teaspoon dried
thyme
¼ cup fresh oregano, chopped –or- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon celery seed (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup fresh parsley, minced (optional, for garnish)

Directions

1. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven (or large, heavy skillet) over medium heat. Add chicken and brown, about 3 minutes each side. Transfer chicken to a bowl and set aside.

2. Add remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, onion, leeks, and garlic to the pot and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or until onions start to become translucent. Add the red long pepper, green bell pepper, and zucchini and cook 5 minutes longer. Transfer at least half of these vegetables to the bowl with the chicken.

3. Add eggplant to the pot and cook 5 minutes or until eggplant begins to turn golden. Add heirloom tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme and celery seed. Bring to rapid simmer, then lower heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Add chicken and reserved vegetables back to the pot. Cover and simmer additional 15 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and is beginning to fall away from bone.

5. Add green string beans, stirring them in and cooking until they become vibrant green, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper then (being careful not to burn your tongue!) taste to make sure it’s to your liking.

6. If you don’t need to thicken the mélange (see note below), you’re ready to serve! Garnish with the fresh parsley at serving time.

Serving suggestion: Serve over rice or egg noodles, though any cooked whole grain accompaniment will work nicely. You can also serve with a hearty whole-grain bread or crusty French baguette.

If your tomatoes are extra juicy and the finished mélange is too soupy for your taste, combine ¼ cup water with 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour in a cup and whisk until combined (this is a “slurry”). Pour the slurry into the still bubbling pot and simmer over medium-low heat while stirring constantly until mélange has thickened; this will take a minute or two.

*To quickly peel the tomatoes, score a large “X” on the bottom of each then immerse in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove tomatoes from boiling water with a spider and plunge into a bowl filled with cold water (straight from the tap is fine). The skins should slip right off!

Categories
Veggie Box Videos

Veggie Box Videos #1 – Going Italian

Introducing a new video series by Sunnyside CSA featuring local chefs giving you tips and demos on what to do with your CSA vegetables!

Up first is Gianna Cerbone-Teoli, chef and owner of Manducatis Rustica in Long Island City! In just a few minutes she whips up three delicious dishes with a few veggies for your eating pleasure.

Watch it, share it, spread the word!

If you know of local chefs who you think would be perfect for this project (and would want to get on camera for us), contact us.

Enjoy!

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #13

GEOF-tomatoes
Tomatoes image via GEOF

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Tomatoes – 6 lb. bag
Yellow Potatoes – 1 quart
Zucchini – 2 pieces OR Sweet Dumpling/Acorn Squash – 2 pieces
Scallions – 1 bunch
Swiss Chard – 1 bunch
Green Bell Peppers – 2 pieces
Garlic – 1 piece
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Fruit Share
Peaches – 1 bag
Mixed bag of Apples and Pears
Ripen peaches in a paper bag on the counter, then refrigerate.

Herb Share
Mint – 1 bunch
Oregano – 1 bunch

Milk Not Jails
Dairy share pick up

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
If you ordered, pick up your LWF items

A few friendly reminders & updates:

STORAGE TIPS
In a bag in the fridge: Scallions, Eggplant
In the fridge: Peppers
On the counter: Spaghetti Squash, Tomatoes, Garlic
Cool, dark place: Potatoes

NOTES FROM GOLDEN EARTHWORM
Last week’s heat has helped the tomatoes turn a corner. We now have ample supply of tomatoes and hope to have at least 6lbs for everyone this week! The rest of the contents may be a bit mixed this week. We may not have enough eggplant, spaghetti squash or bell peppers for everyone this week but we’ll be sure to make it up in the weeks to come. Even the fruit share is likely to change as the week goes on, so please keep checking our newsletter for updates to this week’s share.

Also, if you are yearning for even more tomatoes, we do have some delicious seconds available. Keep in mind that they can only be picked up at the Jamesport farm location and/or our farmers markets. Please contact the farm for more information.

CONNECT WITH YOUR FARM
Golden Earthworm welcomes you to explore their website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share.

+ FIND RECIPES
 + VEGETABLE INFO & STORAGE TIPS

If you have questions or concerns about your share, please do not hesitate to contact the farm. That is one of the benefits of knowing where your food comes from!

RECIPES FROM THE FARM
Romesco Sauce
Roasted Tomato Soup with Parmesan Wafers

Save the Date:
Golden Earthworm’s Harvest Festival on Sunday, October 20th
This year’s Harvest Festival promises to be a delicious and fun outing! If enough people are interested, we’ll organize a bus trip, as we did last year! Stay tuned for more info.
Save the date! October 20th ~ 11am-3pm

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #8

GEOF potatoes
Potatoes! Image via GEOF

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Zucchini – 3 pieces
Swiss Chard – 1 bunch
Red Batavian Lettuce – 1 head
Green Batavian Lettuce – 1 head
Green Cabbage – 1 head
Cucumbers – 4-5 pieces
Baby Red Potatoes – 1 quart
Garlic – 1 small head
Basil – 1 bunch
Onion – 1 bunch
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Fruit Share
Peaches – 1 bag
(Ripen peaches in a paper bag on the counter, then refrigerate)
Blueberries – 1 pint
(Store in the refrigerator)

Herb Share
Orange Mint – 1 bunch
Marjoram – 1 bunch

Milk Not Jails
Dairy share pick up

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
If you ordered, pick up your LWF items

A few friendly reminders & updates:

NOTES FROM GOLDEN EARTHWORM
Everyone seemed to find last week’s storage tips helpful, so I’ll try to include them in each newsletter from now on. All greens – Swiss Chard, Lettuce and the Green Cabbage should be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge. The Basil can be stored this way for a day, but if you want it to last longer its stems should be put in a glass (bouquet style) standing up in the fridge. The Cucumbers should be stored in the fridge, as should the Onion and the Potatoes, which are freshly harvested and will not store well in this heat. The garlic is fresh, so its skin has not fully dried out. This is a special hard-neck variety not found in stores. It is worth its weight in gold! We don’t grow much since the organic seed is very hard to come by in quantity, so savor it! It can sit on your counter for a week or so, but I would highly recommend using it with the basil for a delicious pesto! (Recipe below) I use pesto on pasta or as a spread on crostini or crackers as an appetizer.

Bon appetit! -Maggie

A NOTE FROM YOUR FARMER
After a couple of lackluster weeks of harvests for the CSA boxes we have a lovely assortment of new crops to harvest and send out this week. At these times we get the feeling that some of our members think were playing a trick or game and hiding all our extra special delicious crops somewhere. It may be hard to believe, but even with our 70+ acres in production for CSA, it is possible to have very, very little to harvest at a particular point during the year. Almost always this is due to lengthy periods of excessively wet field conditions.

Climatic conditions from June 7 through June 19th prevented us from working in the fields doing any kind of tillage, planting, weeding, fertilizing, etc. Most vegetable production is fairly complex, but growing for CSA is extra complex and demanding because of the need to continuously harvest and deliver a well balanced, diverse assortment of produce. With great weather this is already a significant challenge. With extended disruptions to planting and general field work it is not possible to come through with the intended crops at the desired time, thus leading to potential dissatisfaction when you pick up your shares.

We always plan to plant a certain quantity of crops which relates to the number of members we anticipate signing up. What we actually harvest is a result of various things, but the largest deciding factor of what ends up in your CSA box is the WEATHER! For people whose daily lives are relatively unaffected by weather, this may seem mind boggling that the darn weather affects their CSA share.

Farmers and field workers are intrinsically linked to the daily weather and how it affects them. In April and part of May we long for the awful Long Island wind to stop blowing from the East or the North, so we and the plants can thaw out. In the summer it’s such a rare treat to have a nice cool moist Easterly breeze, or a crisp North wind like we had this past Sunday. This past week we were lucky enough to enjoy high humidity and temperatures in the mid 90’s and the searing sun for more than 10 hours a day!!! But luckily there was a nice breeze for part of it. Talk about things that slow down production! Yes, the farm keeps on rolling, just a little slower.

Which brings me to the main theme of last week… irrigation. That is about all I did last week – the whole week- plus a little tractor work. I think it’s been 3-4 weeks with no rain and the unirrigated parts of the farm are either dust or completely dried out vegetation. With heat like last week all of our crops need loads of water, so that’s what we must provide. Luckily we can, and we managed to do it.

We irrigate with aluminum pipes with sprinklers that are hand moved from section to section, and also with a fair amount of drip hoses on crops like tomatoes and cucumbers.  As you will see in your shares this week the cucumbers are very happy with the heat and the water they get from their drip lines. Now that we have watered the crops we need to start watering the other sections of the farm so we can prepare for our late summer and fall plantings.

We appreciate your patience as we deal with the various weather issues that have affected the farm. We would also like everyone to share in the excitement of looking forward to the best months of the CSA season…coming soon! As always, everyone at the farm works diligently to uphold our end of the CSA relationship by growing as much high quality, nutritious, organic produce as we can. We also hope to bring some joy to your lives as we share this unique experience.

Happy Eating from our family to yours…

-Farmer Matt

CONNECT WITH YOUR FARM
Golden Earthworm welcomes you to explore their website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share.

+ FIND RECIPES
 + VEGETABLE INFO & STORAGE TIPS

If you have questions or concerns about your share, please do not hesitate to contact the farm. That is one of the benefits of knowing where your food comes from!

RECIPES FROM THE FARM
Fresh Pesto (for pasta)
New Potatoes with Pesto and Parmesan
Coleslaw with Yoghurt Dressing

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #7

GEOF-parsley
Parsley. image via GEOF

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Radicchio – 1 head
Cucumber – 1 pieces
Zucchini – 3 pieces
Scallions – 1 small head
Parsley – 1 bunch
Walla Walla Onions – 1 bunch
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Fruit Share
Blackberries – 1/2 pint
Blueberries – 1 pint
(Please be sure to store your berries in the fridge!)

Herb share
Chives
Sage

Milk Not Jails
Dairy share pick up

A few friendly reminders & updates:

CSA BBQ on July 13th
Thank you for joining us for our annual cookout—what fun! Are you looking forward to the next CSA get-together? More CSA events coming soon! Contact us with pictures from the BBQ or suggestions/feedback for next time.

NOTES FROM GOLDEN EARTHWORM
I think it’s a good time to talk about veg storage—especially in this heat! As a general rule, veg should be kept cool or cold. It should not be left out on the counter or it will deteriorate very quickly. Remove the tops of the Carrots before storing them in the fridge in a plastic bag. Scallions should also be kept in a bag in the fridge. Cucumbers and Zucchini should be refrigerated as well, but they don’t need to be bagged. The Parsley is best stored in a bag in the fridge, or in a cup of water (standing up like a bouquet) in the fridge. You can revive limp greens of any kind by submerging the whole bunch in a large bowl of ice cold water for several minutes. The Walla Walla Onions are fresh (not cured) so they should be eaten soon and stored in the fridge. The onion greens should be removed. And finally, the berries in the fruit share are extremely perishable. They must be kept in the fridge and eaten with a day.

Our share this week is on the light side as we hit our annual July dip before the bulk of the summer harvest comes in. Perhaps this is perfectly convenient timing since who wants to cook in this heat? Farmer Matt wanted me to give you some more information about this dip in the quantity of produce in the shares…

We are just starting to harvest our cucumber crop, so the one piece this week is just a teaser of things to come. That said, about 30 percent of our cucumber and zucchini plantings were lost due to flooding in the heavy rains last month. As we mentioned in last week’s letter, our planting and cultivating schedules were set back from June 7th through 20th (typically a very busy planting time) because of the wet field conditions, so some of the crops that would usually be harvested this week are delayed. Good news is that we have a lot of beautiful crops coming your way shortly! These include more cucumbers, green beans, eggplant, bell peppers, several types of early potatoes, basil, garlic, red onions, red and cherry tomatoes and baby watermelons!

-Maggie

CONNECT WITH YOUR FARM
Golden Earthworm welcomes you to explore their website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share.

+ FIND RECIPES
 + VEGETABLE INFO & STORAGE TIPS

If you have questions or concerns about your share, please do not hesitate to contact the farm. That is one of the benefits of knowing where your food comes from!

RECIPES FROM THE FARM
Pickled Cucumber
Spaghetti with Parsley Pesto
Caramelized Onion, Feta and Sage Pizza

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #6

GEOF_zucchini
Zucchini Image via GEOF

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Radicchio – 1 head
Kohlrabi – 3 pieces
Zucchini – 3-4 pieces
Green Romaine Lettuce – 1 small head
Red Romaine Lettuce – 1 small head
Swiss Chard  – 1 bunch
Cipolini Onions – 1 bunch
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Milk Not Jails
Weekly dairy share pick up

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
If you ordered, pick up your LWF goodies today!

A few friendly reminders & updates:

CSA BBQ on July 13th
Ready, set, grill! Join us for the CSA’s Annual Cookout on Saturday, July 13th!
When: Saturday, July 13th, 4:30 – 7:30pm
Where: Sunnyside Gardens Park, 48-21 39th Ave
RSVP here via web form
Bring friends and family and your own protein/veggie to grill and a dish to share—we will provide non-alcoholic refreshments, chips and all the BBQ gear. Please, ONLY NON-GLASS containers.
Volunteers are needed to help run the BBQ! Sign up for a shift at VolunteerSpot.
Questions? Contact us!

NOTES FROM GOLDEN EARTHWORM
I was so happy to smell the Cipolini Onions in the barn yesterday! They’re a beautiful early variety, aka “Little Onion” in Italian, best eaten caramelized in a dish or simply roasted in the oven. (See recipe below.) Over the weekend, we grilled up the Kohlrabi and Zucchini with a delicious parsley sauce courtesy of Yotum Ottolenghi. (Recipe below.) I was surprised by just how good the kohlrabi was on the grill! And I just can’t get enough of the grilled (or seared) Radicchio—can you? I’ve hoarded about 6 heads of it in my fridge so I can enjoy it every night for dinner. A little overkill? Perhaps, but I only get to enjoy it a few weeks every year! The Romaine Lettuce is so crisp and sweet. I think a nice cool Caesar salad is on the dinner menu one night this week.

Another week of hot dry weather means a lot of irrigation here on the farm. It also means that our summer crops are growing like crazy, which is good news for you melon, tomato, and eggplant lovers… Did I mention zucchini lovers? I know there are many of you out there who are thrilled to see them make their first appearance in this week’s share. Zucchini plants don’t know when enough is enough, and they produce heavily for weeks on end. We have to pick the same field every day to keep up with them—they grow that fast!

-Maggie

CONNECT WITH YOUR FARM
Golden Earthworm welcomes you to explore their website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share.

+ FIND RECIPES 
+ VEGETABLE INFO & STORAGE TIPS 

If you have questions or concerns about your share, please do not hesitate to contact the farm. That is one of the benefits of knowing where your food comes from!

RECIPES FROM THE FARM
Seared Radicchio with Mozzarella
Roasted Cipolini Onions
Mixed Grill with Zucchini and Kohlrabi

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #16

GEOF leeks
Leeks in the field! Image via GEOF

Veg Share*
Spaghetti Squash – 1 piece
Green Beans – 1 lb (Wow!)
Leeks – 1 bunch
Broccoli OR Zucchini – 1 head
Red Beets – 1 bunch
Red Tomatoes – 2 lb bag
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Fruit Share
Gala Apples
Bosc Pears
(Notes on fruit: The apples should be stored in the refrigerator to keep them crisp. Bosc Pears should ripen outside the plastic bag. They will not be soft when ripe, just a little more golden in color. If you wait until they are soft, they will be rotten.)

Herb Share
Parsley
Marjoram

Milk Not Jails Dairy Share
Weekly dairy share pick up

A few friendly reminders & updates:

Save the Date! CSA Harvest Festival – Sunday, October 14
Our farms annual Harvest Festival will be held on Sunday, October 14th from 11am-3pm. FREE for all CSA members and their families and invited guests.

Hayride Tours, Walking Tours, Cooking Demos, Live Music, Animal Shearing, Kids Events and lots more! Stay tuned for more details…

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #9

GEOF-watermelon
Hot weather is ripening mid-summer crops—expect these guys soon! (image via GEOF)

Veg Share*
Zucchini – several pieces
Cucumbers – several pieces
Green Cabbage – 1 head
Walla Walla Onions – 1 bunch
Asian Eggplant – 1 small piece (see note below)
Bell Pepper – 1 piece
Green Long Peppers – 3 pieces
Red Potatoes – 1 quart
Basil OR Chives – 1 bunch
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week

Fruit Share
UFO Peaches – 1 bag
Yellow Peaches -1 bag

Herb Share
Orange Mint
Tarragon
(Everyone always asks what to do with the orange mint. GEOF recommends making tea or chopping and sprinkling on top of fruit!)

Milk Not Jails Dairy Share
Dairy share pick up is weekly. Don’t forget your milk!

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
Pick up your Lewis Waite extras today! Forgot to order? The next deadline is August 5th for delivery on the 9th.

Friendly Reminders

CSA BBQ *This Saturday* July 28th, 4pm
Join your fellow CSA’ers for an evening barbeque at Sunnyside Gardens Park! Bring your friends and family, grilling items and a dish to share. Please RSVP by July 25th.

Winter Veg & Fruit Shares via Winter Sun Farms
Early bird signup for the Winter Sun Farms 2012-13 winter share season continues online. The total price is $137. Read more and sign up online.

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #8

Veg Share*
Zucchini – several pieces
Cucumbers – 2-3 pieces
Swiss Chard – 1 bunch
Cippolini Onions – 1 bunch
Broccoli – 2-3 pieces
Garlic – 1 large or 2 medium heads
Beets – 1 quart
Batavian – Green & Red- 2 baby heads
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Fruit Share
Peaches – 1 bag
Apricots – 1 bag
Blackberries -OR- Blueberries

Herb Share
Rosemary
Oregano

Milk Not Jails Dairy Share
Dairy share pick up is weekly. Don’t forget your milk!

Beyond the bountiful harvest, a few friendly reminders:

CSA BBQ Sat, July 28th 4pm
Join your fellow CSA’ers for an evening barbeque at Sunnyside Gardens Park! Bring your friends and family, grilling items and a dish to share. Please RSVP by July 25th.

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
Order your Lewis Waite extras now and have your burgers and brats in time for the CSA BBQ! Order deadline is Sunday, July 22nd for delivery on July 26th.

Milk Not Jails Monthly Specials
It’s time again to make your à la carte dairy purchases from Milk Not Jails. Milk, yogurt, butter, ice cream and more! Order and pay online. Deadline is Monday, July 23rd at 5pm for delivery on August 2nd.

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #7

Veg Share
Zucchini – several pieces
Scallions – 1 bunch
Toscano Kale – 1 bunch
Green Swiss Chard – 1 bunch
Beets – 1 bunch
Carrots – 1 bunch
Parsley – 1 bunch
Batavian Lettuce – 2 heads

Fruit Share
Rhubarb
Blackberries

Herb Share
Thyme
Peppermint

Milk Not Jails Share
Dairy share pick up is weekly. Don’t forget your milk!

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
Pick up your Lewis Waite goodies today! Forgot to order? The next deadline is July 22nd for delivery on the 26th. By the way, orders for the next delivery will arrive just in time for the CSA Summer BBQ (July 28th)!

Reminder: Early bird signup for Winter Sun Farms’ winter shares continues online. The total price is $137. Read more and sign up online.