Harmony Valley Farm: July 13, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring New Potatoes

This is a great time of year for eating and cooking! Well, I guess I can find reason to make that statement at about any point in the growing season! But there is something about the first freshly dug potatoes paired with fresh green beans and tender early carrots, they are just so dang delicious! This week we’re featuring the humble potato, because this week’s potatoes are different than any other potatoes we’ll deliver later in the season. In my opinion, new potatoes should be prepared in a very simple manner. Thus, this week’s recipes are pretty simple and straightforward, however these simple recipes really allow the unique, fresh flavor of the new potatoes to come through. The first recipe for Lemon & Garlic New Potatoes (See Below) makes use of some of this week’s fresh garlic. The second recipe for Creamed Potatoes with Green Beans (See Below) is a simple way to bring fresh green beans and potatoes together.

I have to admit that typically I do not get very excited about spring planted broccoli and cauliflower because I prefer the flavor of these vegetables in the cool of the fall. However, the broccoli and cauliflower we’ve been harvesting has been quite nice and tastes great! I included a link to this Broccoli Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing which would make a great picnic or potluck dish. If you prefer cooked broccoli, then try this Broccoli Shrimp Stir-Fry. As for the cauliflower, I have to admit I’ve never tried Grilled Cauliflower, but it is grilling season so why not?! I am a fan of roasted cauliflower though, which is why this recipe for Pesto-Roasted Cauliflower caught my attention.

The other exciting piece of news I wanted to share with you this week is that our 2023 garlic harvest was officially completed last Saturday! It is a quite nice crop and we hope you enjoy the fresh garlic we’ve included this week. Use it to make this Garlic Herb White Bean Dip or pair it with this week’s cauliflower for Honey Garlic Cauliflower. Of course, you can never go wrong by making Garlicky Dipping Oil! Use this flavorful oil to pour over boiled new potatoes or use it to dip fresh bread into.

While the tomatoes are not quite ready, it won’t be long until they are ripe for the picking. We’re also looking forward to harvesting our first early melons very soon! Our onion crop is looking quite nice, so once we are finished with scallions we’ll have more delicious varieties to share with you! And this year we grew a crop of Egyptian Spinach, a unique summer green that is packed with valuable nutrients and tastes so delicious when used in a traditional soup. All that to say, have a great week and I’ll see you back in one week for more delicious meal inspirations!

---Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: New Potatoes

by Andrea Yoder

Even though we’ve featured potatoes in past newsletters over the years, we continue to draw attention to “New Potatoes” every year because we don’t want you to miss out on how special they truly are! There is a short period of time early in the summer when we first start harvesting our potato crop that we have the opportunity to eat “New Potatoes.” New potatoes are not a variety or a color of a potato, but rather a term used to describe potatoes that are harvested off of a plant that still has green leaves on it. While they still have the potential to grow, we sacrifice on yield and some size to be able to start harvesting this earliest variety. Our usual practice is to mow down the potato vines about a week in advance of harvest. In the week between mowing down the vines and actually harvesting the potatoes, changes take place in the plant that help to set the skins and make them easier to handle without damaging the skin. It also gives them a more durable skin to protect the flesh and make them better for storage. These potatoes were dug just this week from plants with green vines. Freshly dug new potatoes have a flavor and texture unlike other potatoes throughout the season. If you want to truly know what a potato tastes like, eat a new potato! New potatoes have a fresh, pure potato flavor and their skin is tender and delicate. When you cut them, you’ll notice they are very crispy and sometimes a little brittle because they have retained all their juiciness! Once cooked, the flesh is moist, creamy, and smooth with a distinctive flavor that’s hard to describe. Trust me, when you taste it, you’ll know what I mean!

The new potatoes in your box this week are a variety called Red Norland. They are an early, red-skinned potato with creamy white flesh. They need to be handled with care so as not to disturb the skin and expose the flesh. We’ve given them the “white glove treatment” through the harvest and washing processes to preserve the integrity of their skins as much as possible, but we encourage you to handle them with care as well. Wash them just before use and give them just a gentle scrub if needed. There is no need to peel them as the skins are so thin and really delicious, so my recommendation is to just skip that step.

I encourage you to slow down and really savor the flavor of these new potatoes as these first few weeks will be the only time during the season you’ll be able to have this taste experience of freshly dug potatoes. You really don’t need to do much to them and, in fact, I’d encourage you to do as little as possible! Honestly, most often I simply boil or roast them with fresh garlic and top them off with butter, salt, pepper, and sometimes fresh herbs.

In general, potatoes should be stored in a cool, dark place, but not in the refrigerator. We store our potatoes in a warmer cooler at about 48-50°F which is most ideal. Unfortunately, most home settings do not have the luxury of having multiple refrigerators along with the option to run them at different temperatures. Thus, for potatoes intended for long term storage we generally recommend storing them in a cool, dry location outside of the refrigerator where they will not be exposed to light which can cause the potatoes to turn green and bitter. If the potatoes have set their skins, in general they will store for a few weeks at room temperature in a brown paper bag (never in a plastic bag). However, because new potatoes are so fresh and we have not allowed them to set their skins, they will not store as well and are best eaten within one week. Additionally, this is probably the one time that we would recommend that you put your potatoes in the refrigerator!

Creamed Potatoes with Green Beans

Photo from www.thespruceeats.com

Yield: 4 servings

1 ½ pounds new potatoes

1 pound fresh green and/or yellow beans

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups cream or milk

1 to 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Wash potatoes gently, do not peel. If the potatoes are small, you may keep them whole, otherwise cut them into halves or quarters so all of the pieces are similarly sized.
Trim the green/yellow beans and cut into 1–2-inch lengths.
Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan. Cover with water and 1 tsp of salt; bring to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low; cook for 8 minutes.
Add the prepared green beans to the potatoes and continue cooking for 9 to 12 minutes longer, or until both the potatoes and green beans are tender.
Meanwhile, prepare the cream sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
When the foaming subsides, add the flour. Cook the roux for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Gradually whisk the cream or milk into the roux. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
Add chopped parsley, if desired.
Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper, as needed.
Once cooked, drain the water off of the potatoes and green beans and transfer the vegetables to a serving dish.
Pour the sauce over the green beans and potatoes and stir gently to coat the vegetables.
Serve hot and enjoy!

Recipe borrowed from www.thespruceeats.com.

Lemon & Garlic New Potatoes

Photo from www.tasteofhome.com

Yield: 4 servings

1 pound new potatoes

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp lemon juice

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

Gently wash potatoes, leaving the skin on. If they are small, you may leave them whole. If they are larger, cut them in halves or quarters so all pieces are similarly sized. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan. Add water to cover along with a generous amount of salt, similar to how you would salt water to cook pasta. Place the pan on the stove over medium to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook, covered, until tender, 10-15 minutes; drain in a colander.
Using the same pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté briefly until it softens. Add the potatoes and cook until browned, 4-6 minutes.
Remove the potatoes from the heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese and lemon juice and season with black pepper and additional salt to taste. Serve warm.

Recipe borrowed from www.tasteofhome.com.

1 comment:

Pamela S said...: I look forward to the new potatoes every year! They are cooking right now so I can have new boiled potatoes with butter and herbs for lunch. Yum!; July 13, 2023 at 12:14 PM