Hi everyone!
After a soggy-right-down-to-your-skivvies kind of week, we finally caught a break in the rain! The excess rain can be quite troublesome as it can cause crops to be drowned or stuck in the mud. There was a boot or 2 lost in the mud last week as we slipped and slid in the rain to bring in the harvest. Phew! Much nicer start to this week. Zucchini is in plenty now and so we are offering you double this week as we wait for green beans and more lettuce to grow for next week. There are so many ways to enjoy zucchini like zucchini bread! I was having such a craving for it over the weekend and came up with a recipe my son could enjoy as well. It may sound weird but zucchini bread is amazing! So moist and flavourful with the cinnamon. We used a gluten free and dairy free version. To be honest it was still way too moist after cooking it longer than directed, so I ended up slicing it and broiling the slices on low (while watching carefully). Be smart and carefully measure your ingredients. I am more of a cook than I baker. I’d rather add a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but if you want consistent results in baking, you need to be more precise. No matter, we still enjoyed the bread, most of all my son who misses out on most goodies due to his food sensitivities (zucchini bread pictured on the right).
In the middle picture I snapped a photo of a staple in our house- tacos! And I absolutely always put zucchini in the meat mix. It makes your meat go further while adding vitamins and keeping your meat mix from drying out. Zucchini is awesome at taking on the flavours of the spices you add. On the left I did a vegan alfredo with chicken and kale, adding some sugar snap peas as well. Here’s a recipe for the vegan alfredo sauce. It’s not lost on me how weird it is to make a vegan sauce and add meat! Of course you could omit the meat and try some chickpeas or tofu instead or just keep it simple with noodles and kale. The sauce has a cashew base so there is already protein in it.
Also this week we have more garlic. We are sending it fresh. Feel free to use it as is or you can leave it in a warm dry place to “cure” if you want to keep it for a longer time. While it cures, the outside of the heads covers itself with papery skins as it dries out. This leaves you with garlic that will last for months to come. Or, just peel the outside skin and use it! What are your favourite garlic recipes?
Below are your farm share selections for this week. Green beans are coming next week!
Simply Six Shares
- 1lb zucchini (could mean about 2 or 3 zucchini)
- 1-2 cucumbers
- bunch carrots
- bunch green kale
- sugar snap peas
- romaine or green leaf lettuce
Half Shares
- 1lb zucchini (could mean about 2 or 3 zucchini)
- 1-2 cucumbers
- bunch carrots
- bunch green kale
- sugar snap peas
- romaine or green leaf lettuce
- rainbow swiss chard
- extra zucchini
- a few bulbs garlic
- tarragon
Whole Shares
- 1lb zucchini (could mean about 2 or 3 zucchini)
- 1-2 cucumbers
- bunch carrots
- bunch green kale
- sugar snap peas
- romaine or green leaf lettuce
- rainbow swiss chard
- extra zucchini
- a few bulbs garlic
- tarragon
- 1/2 pint raspberries
- pint grape tomatoes, strawberries or snow peas
- bunch beets
- dandelion greens
- 1lb baby bokchoy
Fruit Shares
- 3lbs organic granny smith apples
- 5 organic lemons
- 5 organic apricots
- 7-8 organic black plums
- 1/2 organic blueberries
Recipes
Chicken With Tarragon Sauce
Tarragon will certainly be a new herb for a lot of you. We’re borrowing this recipe from French cooking. If you try this recipe and want to save some tarragon for another day, try removing the leaves from the stems and freezing them in ice cube trays in some oil in the freezer. Just pop out a few cubes when you need the flavour. You can also air dry or use a dehydrator to keep this herb at the ready for months to come. You could try this recipe with tofu if you are vegetarian or reducing your meat intake.
- Wash tarragon stems well.
- 2.Place stems on trays (or if you airdry, tie in bundles and place in protected area to dry)
- Dry at 95F for 4-6 hours (or the absolute lowest your machine will go.
- Tarragon s done when it is dry and brittle and crumbles to the touch when cooled.
- Strip leaves from stem.
For the recipe:
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 ounces each)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon, divided
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Dandelion Greens with Garlic
Ingredients
- 1 pound dandelion greens
- 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 small dried hot chile pepper, seeds removed and crushed
- Black pepper, to taste
- Parmesan cheese, to taste
Steps to Make It
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Discard the dandelion greens’ roots. Rinse the leaves well under running water.
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Fill a bowl with water and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Submerge the leaves in the salted water for 10 minutes. Rinse well.
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Cut leaves into 2-inch pieces.
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Bring a small amount to a boil in a saucepan, around 1 1/2 cups, add 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook the greens uncovered for about 10 minutes.
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While the greens cook, heat the vegetable oil in a skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic, onions, and chile pepper until the onion is translucent.
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Drain greens thoroughly and add them into the onion-garlic mixture.
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Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
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Plate the greens and add shaved or grated Parmesan cheese on top.
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Enjoy!
Have a healthful week!