Bakbraken Acres CSA Newsletter

Vol.  7

 July 30, 2012

They say time flies when you’re having’ fun…well, it must be true because August is here and each day is full to the brim with both work and fun.  The blackberries are ripe, the river is perfect, and harvest is in full swing.  Tomatoes continue to be plump and red, adding color to creative snacks and entrees. There is always something to be harvesting or weeding, not to mention plenty to cook and eat at the end of the day.  Thanks for sharing the harvest!

-The Bakbraken Crew

Pattypan Squash with Bacon, Caramelized Onions, and Cheddar

4 quarts water

3 lbs pattypan squash

6 oz smoked bacon

2 medium onions

¼ c salt, plus ¾ tsp salt

1 tbs fresh thyme

2 tbs butter

2 c. cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, meanwhile bring water to boil in a large pot on the stove. Trim thee flower and stem ends off the squash, then cut them into ½ inch thick wedges. Cook bacon and set aside. Add onions to the hot bacon fat in the sauté pan stirring often until they are soft. Add thyme, ¾ tsp salt, and pepper to taste. Add the remaining salt to the water and boil the squash, about 6 mins. Be careful not to over cook the squash. Drain from the water, add to the onion mixture, and cover with crumbled bacon and the cheddar cheese.

Tomato and Avocado Salad with Lime-Herb Dressing

The Dressing

1tbs chopped mint

1 tbs chopped marjoram

½ c/ cilantro

5 tbs olive oil

1 jalapeno chili

3 tbs lime juice

¼ tsp/ sea salt

The salad

11/2 tbs tomatoes

1 large avocado

1 cucumber, peeled

1 sweet pepper

½ sweet red onion

2 c. of your favorite salad greens

Sea salt, to taste

8 large pimiento stuffed olives, sliced

2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Combine the dressing ingredients, taste to make sure the acid to oil ratio is right. Cut tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, and peppers into bite sized pieces and place in a roomy bowl. Toss with the dressing; add olives and feta. Add lettuce last and toss again, serve and enjoy!

Bakbraken Acres CSA Newsletter

Vol.  6

 July 23, 2012

Dear Farm Friends!

The cool weather early on in the week was a great blessing for us. We’ve been busy planning and planting our fall and winter crops and getting excited about all of the new veggies that are ripening for harvest. New this week is Romano beans, a broad flat green bean know for their full flavor and crisp texture. Romano beans are best when they are not over cooked. Also, get ready…tomatoes are coming on! The first few tomatoes of the season tend to be a bit less flavorful due to heaving watering during the first fruiting, don’t panic they will get better!

Many hands make light work, CSA members are always welcome to come out to the farm and do some weeding or just take a tour.

I hope you are all finding fun and creative ways to consume all of your lovely veggies each week, here are some more tasty recipes to keep you cooking’.

Enjoy!

-The Bakbraken Crew

Yellow Squash & Quinoa Salad

Serves 6+

1 ½ c. Quinoa

Salt

2 tbs. plus ¼ c. Olive Oil

1lb Yellow Squash, cut into ½ inch chunks

1 clove Garlic

¼ c Lemon Juice

1 small Cucumber, cut into ½ inch chunks

1 red onion, chopped finely

¼ c. chopped Fresh Basil

¼ c. chopped Fresh Mint

1 c. crumbled Feta Cheese

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the quinoa and season with salt. Reduce the heat to a low boil and cook until tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain and let cool.

In a large sauté pan, war 2 Tbs. of oil. Add the squash, season with salt, and sauté until tender-crisp, 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

Crush the garlic and stir together with the lemon juice in a small bowl. Let stand a few minutes and add remaining ¼ c olive oil to make a dressing.

Combine the quinoa, squash, cucumber, onions, basil, mint, and feta in a large bow. Drizzle with dressing and toss, salt to taste.

Romano Beans Sautéed with Oregano

1 pound Romano beans

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 small yellow onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh oregano leaves

3/4-teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Rinse the beans under cold running water. Drain, leaving any water clinging to the beans. Trim the ends and set aside. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbs. of the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat about 1 minute. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for 30 to 45 seconds, until tender and fragrant but not browned. Remove the sautéed onions and garlic from the pan Set aside.

Add the remaining 1-tbs oil to the skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the beans, oregano leaves, salt, and pepper to taste. Sauté over medium heat, stirring frequently until the beans are browned in spots and tender but retain some crispness, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook 2 minutes. Stir in the sautéed shallots and garlic. Cook just until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

Remove the pan

From heat and let the beans cool slightly. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and allow contents to cool to room temperature.

Howdy from the farm! This last heat spell has kicked all the summer crops into high gear. The tomatoes are showing the first blushes of red, and cucumbers and eggplant are coming on strong. The transition to summer crops is upon us…so get ready to do some cookin’ and some eating. New this week are potatoes, dug from the soil this morning, it doesn’t get much fresher than that!

I just discovered this guide to local eating by Alice Waters, amazing chef and pioneer of the local food movement and I thought y’all might enjoy it.

Cheers!

-The Bakbraken Crew

An Eater’s Manifesto

From The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, Recipes from a Delicious Revolution

By Alice Waters

1.) Eat Locally and Sustainably

2.) Eat Seasonally

3.) Shop at Farmer’s Markets and Join a CSA

4.) Plant a Garden (It’s never too late or too early)

5.) Conserve, Compost, and Recycle

6.) Cook Simply, Engaging all of your senses

7.) Cook Together

8.) Eat Together

9.) Remember: Food is Precious

Classic Pesto

2 c. fresh basil

½ c. parmesan cheese

½ c. extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 c. pine or macadamia nuts

3 or 4 cloves garlic

A generous amount of salt and fresh black pepper

Preparation:

Put basil, cheese, nuts, and garlic in a food processor and pulse while adding olive in a steady stream. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to suit your palate. Enjoy fresh pesto over pasta, sautéed vegetables, potatoes, as a dip, or right off a spoon!

BBQ Roasted New Potatoes with Garlic and Thyme

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees or start up the coals)

3Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1 head of garlic, separated into cloves and peeled

5 or 6 sprigs of fresh thyme

Course Salt

Pepper, freshly ground

Preparation:

Scrub potatoes and let drain, if potatoes are fairly small and uniform don’t bother cutting them. In a shallow baking dish toss potatoes with olive oil, garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper. Add a splash of water and cover tightly with foil. Check the doneness of the potatoes with a knife after 40 minutes. 

If you prefer to BBQ the potatoes, fold them into foil packets and cover them with coals. Use coals that are white and dusty in appearance but still glowing inside. You may need to replenish the coals underneath as needed.

Pickled Daikon

11/2 lbs. Daikon
1/4 Kosher
1 c. Sugar
2 tbs. Sesame oil
4 Thai or Serrano chilis

Method

Cut daikon lengthwise in 1/2 inch slices, then stack and cut into 1/2 cubes. Toss with salt in a medium bowl. Let stand about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Rinse daikon well and drain. In bowl, stir sugar with vinegar until dissolved. Then, stir in daikon, chiles, and oil. Chill covered for at least 4 hours. Keep in fridge for as long as one week.

Diakon Radish Slaw

                  1/4 cup rice vinegar

            2 tablespoons olive oil

            2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard

            1 teaspoon soy sauce

            1/2 teaspoon pepper

            2 cups peeled and shredded daikon (about 1/2 lb. total)

            2 cups shredded carrots (about 1/2 lb.)

            1 cup thinly sliced onions

            Salt

            2 cups salad mix, rinsed and crisped

         Preparation

.                 1. In a wide bowl, mix vinegar, oil, mustard, soy sauce, and pepper.

.                 2. Add daikon, red radishes, and onions. Mix; add salt to taste.

.                 3. Line plates with salad mix and spoon radish slaw on top.

Bakbraken Acres CSA Newsletter

Vol.  3

 July 2, 2012

Happy summer! Welcome to the Bakbraken Acres CSA and to a season of local eating. Things are going very well out at the farm and the bounty is upon us now. Now that y’all are officially CSA members, here are a few things to know that will help the CSA program work smoothly:

*Each CSA member gets two boxes that will be in rotation throughout the season. It is important to Always bring your last week’s empty box to the pick-up

*We farm organically and thus there are sometimes cosmetic blemishes on the compromise the flavor in any way, it just reminds us that uniformity is un-natural…

*Please check out our blog at www.bakbrakenacresfarm.blogspot.com for pictures, recipes, and as a forum to share your favorite recipes, ideas, and inspiration.

            You will be getting lots of onions in the beginning of this season don’t be overwhelmed. If you can’t use them all each week, store them in a brown paper bag in a cool place for up to a couple months and enjoy them at your own pace.

Here are some fun recipes to try if you are looking for ideas.

Enjoy!

Summer Squash and Feta Pancakes with Basil Sour Cream

Serves 4-6

4 cups grated squash

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2/3 all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

4 eggs, separated

½ cup thinly sliced onions

2 Tbsp. chopped parsley

3 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp finely chopped basil

1 cup Sour Cream

Put grated squash in a mesh sieve, sprinkle with salt, and let stand for 15-30 minutes. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ¼ tsp of pepper, and 1 tsp of salt. In another bowl stir together the squash, feta, egg yolks, onions, parsley. Add flour mixture. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and add to squash mixture. Fry in olive oil over medium heat. Add minced basil to sour cream, serve warm.

Baby Turnips & Turnip Greens

Makes 4 servings

1 bunch baby turnips with greens attached (remove damages/yellowed leaves)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 slices bacon, cut crosswise into pieces ¼ inch thick

1 Tbs. butter

1 medium yellow onion

salt and fresh pepper

Leaving the greens on the turnips, halve the turnips lengthwise. In large frying pan, heat olive oil. Add bacon and cook until fat has rendered and pour off fat. Sauté the butter and the onion in the pan with the bacon for a minute or so. Add the turnips and enough water to steam them cover and cook until tender, 4-7 minutes. Remove the lid and cook off extra liquid, add salt and pepper and serve.

Thanks so much for your support!

-The Bakbraken Crew