Farm Share Week 5

Good morning Farm Sharers!

I hope you’ve been able to enjoy our hot summer outside, perhaps with some day trips to the lake or other summer standby’s. As we get further into summer, new vegetables are becoming ready each week, and the substancial quantities of leafy greens that occupied your box in the early ways are making way for new textures and colours. This week we all get to enjoy some skinny carrots– we just couldn’t wait any longer! Remember, for young carrots, you can get away with a good scrub and skip the peeling altogether. Your new adventurous item this week is fennel. Smell it or taste a leaf and you will see that it tastes like licorice. The good news is, the bulb (white part) is much more mild in flavour. Also, this is the first week for green beans. They too are still thin, but very tasty. I was only able to get enough cucumber and tomatoes for the whole shares this week, but next week there should be tons. See below for some recipe ideas. But first, your list of box contents:

Half Share
-green leaf lettuce
-green zucchini
-raspberries
-snow peas
-green beans
-carrots
-black kale
-fennel
-chinese cabbage
-green onions

Whole Share
-green leaf lettuce
-green zucchini
-raspberries
-snow peas
-green beans
-carrots
-black kale
-fennel
-chinese cabbage
-green onions

-cauliflower
-cucumber
-garlic scapes
-red leaf lettuce
-green swiss chard
-red beets
-mini field tomatoes (simply leave in the sun if some of yours are not fully ripened yet)

Easy Raw Black Kale Salad (Don’t be fooled by the name-One of our customers passed along this recipe & managed to get her 3-year old to gobble kale!)

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of black kale, washed and leaves torn into pieces
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2- whole lemon (or to taste)
• 2-3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
• black pepper to taste

Directions
1.massage kale leaves with olive oil.
2. When fully covered, add lemon juice, pepper and nutritional yeast flakes. Toss and serve immediately.

Here is one of Helen, our summer packing staff’s favourites. She also happens to be Greek, so needless to say, she knows a thing or two about good Greek cuisine.

Grecian Delight Casserole Recipe (from www.caloriecount,about.com)

Makes 8 servings

This casserole is a cross between two of my favorite Greek meals, moussaka and pastitsio. For the most traditional flavor, use ground lamb rather than turkey, and use authentic feta cheese made from sheep’s milk. Serve it with Honey-Glazed Carrots., may use lamb or vegetarian ground meat. Helen recommends the beef or turkey and to use more zucchini than this recipe calls for.

Ingredients

• 1 cup orzo
• 1 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
• 1 yellow or white onion, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp. dried dill
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. When the water is boiling rapidly, add the orzo and cook it for 6 – 8 minutes until it is al dente. Drain it.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a large (2-quart) casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray,

3. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and onions and cook them until the onions are translucent and the zucchini is tender-crisp, about 10 minutes. Stir in the dill and put the vegetable mixture in the casserole. Stir in the cooked orzo.

4. Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet and brown the meat, breaking it up with a spatula. When it is almost browned, add the cinnamon, salt and garlic powder and mix evenly, then add the tomato paste and tomato sauce, and stir it until the mixture is bubbly. Pour the meat mixture over the vegetables and orzo, and top it evenly with the cheese.

5. Cover the casserole tightly and bake it for 20 minutes (alternatively, you can refrigerate it for up to 2 days or freeze it for up to 3 months at this point). (Meanwhile, prepare the carrots, if you are serving them.) Serve it hot, making sure to get some of each of the layers in each serving.

Scramble Flavor Booster: Add ½ tsp. dried oregano to the sautéed vegetables.

Honey Glazed Carrots

To make Honey-Glazed Carrots, heat 1 Tbsp. butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 1 lb. of sliced carrots and 1 – 2 tsp. honey, and stir to coat the carrots with the butter and honey. Sauté the carrots, stirring occasionally, for 8 – 10 minutes until they are tender and slightly browned. If the carrots are getting too browned, reduce the heat. Season the carrots with up to 1/8 tsp. salt before serving, if desired.

Green Bean, Mushroom and Fennel Salad (from CanadianLiving.com)

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 1clove garliccloves of garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1lb small cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 lb green beans , trimmed
• 1/2 fennel bulb , thinly sliced

Preparation

In large bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, dill, garlic, salt and pepper. Add mushrooms and toss to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, halve green beans diagonally. Blanch in saucepan of boiling water until tender-crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and cool in ice bath. Drain well and pat dry with towel.

Add beans and fennel to mushrooms; toss to coat well. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Enjoy your new discoveries this week.

Jennifer