Harmony Valley Farm: beets

The bounty of our fall harvests is evident in this week’s full box! We are nearing the end of the season for both peppers and eggplant, although we do have a cover over our mini sweet peppers for frost protection. Hopefully, we’ll be able to continue picking mini sweet peppers, but at this time of year you never know how much more you may be able to harvest. In the midst of cleaning up fields from our summer crops, we are also deep into fall root crop harvests! This week we’re harvesting bulk beets and sunchokes. All of our carrots and celeriac are now in storage and it’s a tight squeeze to get in and out of our coolers! We also harvested bulk beets earlier this week, and this is the vegetable we are featuring.

Beets are a versatile vegetable and may be used in many ways. This week I’m sharing two salad options with you. The two recipes include Spicy Beet Salad with Tahini (See below) and Spicy Shredded Beet Salad (See below). Both of these recipes are pretty simple, but great ways to utilize vegetables in this week’s box!

This is our final week for leeks, so I included two new recipes for 30 Minute Creamy Mushroom and Leek Chicken Breasts and Cheesy Leek and Broccoli Pasta Bake. These are family friendly recipes that are pretty easy to execute. Either of these would go well with Pull-Apart Cheesy Onion Bread!

Speaking of lasts, this is the final eggplant delivery of the season. Throughout the list of suggestions you’ll find several different recipes for using eggplant along with other fall ingredients. Perhaps you’d like to try this Eggplant and Potato Curry or this Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Salad. I want to try this recipe for Crispy Baked Eggplant with Lime Dill Yogurt.

Hopefully, you’ll find a cooking inspiration or two in this week’s list of suggestions! You may be wondering where the sweet potatoes are this week? Well, we decided to let them “cure” a little longer before we start washing them. We plan to include them in next week’s box!

Have a good week!

Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Beets

by Andrea Yoder

I realize this is not the first time you’ve received beets in your box this year, but with the shifting of seasons I thought it might be helpful to take pause and put our focus on the humble beet. Beets are typically available starting in mid to late June. Early in the season we choose beet varieties that are best for fresh harvest with their green tops still attached. As we move through the season, we shift our choice in varieties to those that have the longest storage potential. As we enter fall and winter, beets become an important part of our winter storage vegetable line up. They store particularly well, and we can eat them well into the new year! We grow three different colors of beets including the traditional red beet as well as golden and Chioggia beets which have a bright pink skin and are candy-striped inside! A common question many ask is “What is the difference between the different colors of beets?” In general, all of our beets, regardless of color, are sweet and earthy. Red beets have more of the traditional earthy beet flavor. Chioggia and golden beets are generally more mild in flavor, but typically are as sweet or sweeter than the red beets. Individuals who don’t care for beets generally like and will eat golden beets, which is a good place to start for those who are still learning to like them.

Beets, also referred to as beetroot, may be eaten raw or cooked. Thinly sliced or grated beets are a nice addition to salads and slaws. As for cooking, beets are generally either boiled or steamed on the stove top or roasted in the oven. The cooking time will vary depending upon the size of the beet. The general recommendation is to cook beets with their skins on and the root tail intact. For red beets in particular this minimizes the leaching of the water-soluble color compounds from the beet. Once the beets are cooked, the peel should be easy to remove. You know a beet is fully cooked when the beet easily slides off a skewer, fork or cake tester stuck into the middle of the beet.

Red beets do contain a water-soluble nutrient called anthocyanin. This compound is responsible for giving red beets their color, which will stain your hands (temporarily) and the color will bleed onto other ingredients if you’re using them in a salad, soup, or otherwise. Golden beets and Chioggia beets don’t lose their color or bleed color onto other ingredients.

Beets are very versatile and pair well with many other ingredients including vegetables such as fennel, celery, carrots, red onions, shallots, garlic, arugula, kale, winter squash, and other salad greens along with other root vegetables. They also go well with fruits including apples, oranges, lemons, pears, avocadoes, and pomegranates. Additionally, beets pair nicely with goat cheese, feta cheese, blue cheese, butter, nuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds as well as chocolate!

Beets are packed with fiber, calcium, iron and vitamins A, C, and K to name a few. The greens have a higher content of iron compared to spinach. In natural healing circles, beets are known for their ability to purify the blood and the liver. Their iron content, though not terribly high, is of the highest and finest quality making it an excellent blood building food. These colorful root vegetables also contain powerful nutrient compounds that help protect against heart disease, birth defects and certain cancers, especially colon cancer.

Spicy Shredded Beet Salad

Yield: 4 servings

Photo from chelseyanernutrition.com

3 cups shredded carrots

5 small steamed beets, julienned

½ cup thinly sliced red onion

1 jalapeño, de-seeded and deveined, thinly sliced

½ cup cilantro, chopped

¼ tsp salt

⅛ tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

¼- ½ tsp honey

In a large bowl, toss together carrots, beets, red onion, jalapeño and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, combine olive oil, apple cider vinegar and honey.
Toss salad in dressing. Serve cold.

Recipe sourced from www.chelseyamernutrition.com

Spicy Beet Salad with Tahini

Photo from jewishunpacked.com

Yield: 4-6 servings

6 medium beets

3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or juice of 1 lemon

4 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and black pepper, to taste

½ tsp sugar

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ cup thinly sliced red onion

½ cup ready-to-eat tahini

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Scrub the beets well and trim off any roots. Place them in a large pan, and cover with plenty of cold water.
Bring the beets to a boil, and cook at a medium temperature, covered, for 45 minutes or until a knife slide easily into the flesh of the largest beet.
Drain the beets. Peel them as soon as they’re cool enough to handle—the peel will slide off between your fingers. Chop the beets into coarse dice. Place in a medium-sized bowl.
In a separate small bowl, blend the vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper, sugar, and cumin. Pour over the beets, preferably while they’re still warm. Stir the onions into the salad.
Taste to adjust seasonings if desired. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the salad for at least an hour. When ready to serve, spoon the salad out onto a dish and spoon tahini over it. Garnish with parsley and enjoy.

Recipe sourced from www.jewishunpacked.com

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

June 24, 2021 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Beets!

Cooking With This Week's Box

Green Top Red Beets:
Omelette with Beet Greens & Parmesan (See Below)
Roasted Beet & Kale Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts (See Below)
Chocolate Beet Muffins (See Below)

Fennel:
2019 HVF Fennel Blog Including 25 Fennel-Centric Recipes!
Roasted Beet & Fennel Burgers

Violet Queen Salad Turnips:
Miso Roasted Japanese Turnips
Sheet Pan Salmon with Broccoli, Turnips & Turnip Greens Chimichurri

Garlic Scapes:
Pickled Garlic Scapes
Roasted Garlic Scapes with Sea Salt

Purple Scallions:
Soy Sauce-Marinated Flank Steak with Scallions
Cucumber Scallion Salad

Rainbow Chard:
Green Curry with Brown Rice Noodles and Swiss Chard
Swiss Chard and Mushroom Galette

Zucchini and/or Sunburst Scallopini Squash:
Spaghetti alla Nerano (Spaghetti with Fried Zucchini)
Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

Green and/or Silver Slicer Cucumbers:
Grilled Cucumbers with Feta
Samin Nosrat’s Vietnamese Cucumber Salad

Kohlrabi:
Kohlrabi Sticks with Beet Hummus
Kohlrabi Salad with Chili-Lime Vinaigrette

Broccoli:
Sesame Garlic Noodles with Broccoli, Basil and Crispy Tempeh
Homemade White Pizza with Broccoli

Sugar Snap Peas:
15 Minute Spicy Shrimp and Snap Pea Stir-Fry
Sugar Snap Peas and Pasta

Strawberries:
Strawberry Beet Cupcakes
Perfect Strawberry Scones

Roasted Beet & Fennel Burgers
photo from thepigandquill.com

Welcome back to another week of CSA box cooking! The look of the box is starting to change as we can officially celebrate the start of summer! This week we’re introducing the first of the beets, harvested with the tops still on which means you get two vegetables in one! This week’s featured recipes give you options for utilizing both the roots along with the green tops. In fact, you could start your day off with a healthy dose of vegetables with this Omelette with Beet Greens & Parmesan (See Below) and a Chocolate Beet Muffin (See Below)! What a great way to put both parts of the beet to good use! I also included a tasty recipe for Roasted Beet & Kale Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts (See Below), just in case you have a bunch of kale still in your refrigerator from last week.

This week we’re also harvesting the first of our fennel, another early summer vegetable that actually pairs well with beets in recipes such as these Roasted Beet & Fennel Burgers. I also included a link to our 2019 HVF Fennel-Feature Blog which included a listing of 25 Fennel-Centric Recipes! There are recipes in the list that will guide you in using all parts of the fennel from the bulb to the stalks to the feathery fronds!

Samin Nosrat's Vietnamese Cucumber Salad
photo from alexandracooks.com

We do still have a few more heads of lettuce to send your way within the next few weeks, but it’s time to start weaning yourself off of lettuce salads and transition to summer vegetable salads! We just started harvesting cucumbers which means it’s time to start getting creative with refreshing cucumber salads such as Samin Nosrat’s Vietnamese Cucumber Salad. We also have a pretty little bunch of the new Violet Queen Salad Turnips which can be used raw in salads or you could cook them in one of the recipes suggested for this week.

Sadly, this is our final week for strawberry harvest. The season is never long enough, but I have to say the berries have been pretty darn delicious this year! If you don’t eat them right out of the container, use them to make Strawberry Beet Cupcakes or
Perfect Strawberry Scones!

This is also our last week for garlic scapes which means we might be harvesting fresh garlic as early as next week! We’re also coming to the end of our scallions in another week or two. That means we’ll be moving on to fresh cipollini onions and/or Sierra Blanca white onions that I like to call “Burger Onions” because they are so delicious sliced thinly on a grilled burger! Richard also dug a potato plant earlier this week, just to see what’s happening underground. They have a ways to go, but there were about 8 small potatoes the size of a big gumball on the plant! Just a few more weeks until we start sending new potatoes!

I hope you enjoy this week’s selections and I look forward to seeing you back here again next week! –Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Beets

By: Chef Andrea Yoder

Description: Beets are typically available starting in mid to late June with availability extending through December and sometimes even into January and February. There are some beets better suited to harvest for storage and others that are intended for harvest with the green tops for fresh eating. We grow three different colors of beets including the traditional red beet as well as golden and Chioggia beets which have a bright pink skin and are candy-striped inside! A common question many ask is “What is the difference between the different colors of beets?” In general, all of our beets, regardless of color, are sweet and earthy. Red beets have more of the traditional earthy beet flavor. Chioggia and golden beets are generally more mild in flavor, but typically are as sweet or sweeter than the red beets. Individuals who don’t care for beets generally like and will eat golden beets, which is a good place to start for those who are still learning to like them.

Preparation & Use: Both the beet root as well as the green tops are edible and both are very nutritious. Beet greens are generally eaten cooked, but may also be used raw. Beet greens are very similar to Swiss chard and these two vegetables may be cooked similarly and used interchangeably in recipes. Prior to use, wash them well in a sink of cold water and shake or spin off any excess water.

Shaved Fennel and Beet Greens Salad

As for the beet root, this portion of the plant is typically cooked, however they may also be eaten raw. Thinly sliced or grated beets are a nice addition to salads and slaws. As for cooking, beets are generally either boiled or steamed on the stove top or roasted in the oven. The cooking time will vary depending upon the size of the beet. The general recommendation is to cook beets with their skins on and the root tail intact. For red beets in particular this minimizes the leaching of the water-soluble color compounds from the beet. Once the beets are cooked, the peel should be easy to remove. You know a beet is fully cooked when the beet easily slides off a skewer, fork or cake tester stuck into the middle of the beet.

Red beets do contain a water-soluble nutrient called anthocyanin. This is an antioxidant that also gives red beets their color. It will stain your hands (temporarily) and the color will bleed onto other ingredients if you’re using them in a salad, soup, or otherwise. Golden beets and Chioggia beets don’t lose their color or bleed color onto other ingredients. If you are looking to preserve the beautiful candy-striped interior of a Chioggia beet, it is best to roast them.

Caramelized Fennel and Beet Pizza

Beets pair well with many other ingredients including vegetables such as fennel, celery, carrots, red onions, shallots, garlic, arugula and other salad greens along with other root vegetables. They also go well with fruits including apples, oranges, lemons, pears, avocadoes and pomegranates. Additionally, beets pair nicely with goat cheese, feta cheese, blue cheese, butter, nuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, to name just a few ingredients.

Storage: It is best to store beets in the refrigerator. If you get beets with the green tops still on, remove the tops and store them separately in a plastic bag. Try to use them within 5-7 days. Store the beets in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer. They will last longer than the greens.

Health and Nutrition: Beets and their greens are packed with fiber, calcium, iron and vitamins A, C, and K to name a few. The greens have a higher content of iron compared to spinach. In natural healing circles, beets are known for their ability to purify the blood and the liver. Their iron content, though not terribly high, is of the highest and finest quality making it an excellent blood building food. These colorful root vegetables also contain powerful nutrient compounds that help protect against heart disease, birth defects and certain cancers, especially colon cancer.

Beet Recipe Collections:

20 Beet-Focused Recipes:

Omelette with Beet Greens

photo from acouplecooks.com

Yield: 1 serving*

2 cups chopped beet greens (and thin sliced tender stems)

2 cloves garlic (may substitute 1-2 garlic scapes), minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

½ Tbsp butter

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Chop the beet greens. Mince the garlic.
Sauté the filling: In small 8-inch nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the greens and cook for about 1 minute. Just before tender, add the garlic, Parmesan cheese, and 1 pinch kosher salt and cook until just bright green. Remove from the heat and place the greens in a bowl.
In another small bowl, whisk the eggs, ½ tsp water, ⅛ tsp kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper until fully combined, about 20 seconds.
Cook the omelette (takes about 1 minute total): Heat the same nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, with the pan handle facing towards you. Add the butter and swirl the pan to fully coat. Wait until the butter starts to become foamy with large bubbles, then pour in eggs. When a skin just starts to form (10 to 15 seconds), add the greens in a line from left to right.
Run a small spatula under the far edge of the omelette to release it from the pan. Start to pull the eggs up and shake and tilt the pan to spread out any uncooked egg and allow it to cook. Using the spatula, roll the eggs up and over the cheese. Cook another 10 to 15 seconds until just barely set. The outside should be a pale golden and the inside soft and creamy (for a harder cooked omelette, you can cook it several seconds longer). Turn off the heat.
Flip the omelette out of the pan: Hold a plate in one hand. Pick up the pan with your right hand, thumb up, and quickly turn the pan upside down over the plate so that the omelette rolls onto the middle of the plate, folding over itself into a rolled shape. Serve immediately.

*This makes 1 omelette—double, triple, or quadruple as desired.

This recipe borrowed from acouplecooks.com.

Chocolate Beet Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

4-5 oz cooked beets, peeled (about 1 cup quartered)

½ cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sugar or ½ cup maple syrup

½ cup plain yogurt

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

Powdered sugar (optional)*

Semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)*

Flaky sea salt (optional)*

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tray or line with muffin papers.
Put the cooked beets, oil, eggs and vanilla into a blender or food processor and puree. Add the sugar or maple syrup and yogurt and whiz again briefly to combine. Set aside.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon and ground ginger into a medium mixing bowl and lightly mix to combine. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir just until combined. Pour the batter into the muffin pan, filling each cup about ¾ full.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until risen and an inserted skewer or toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove the muffins from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

NOTE: If you’d like to jazz these muffins up a bit, here are a few suggested variations.

Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top of each muffin before you put them in the oven.
Sprinkle with a pinch of flaky sea salt on top of each muffin before you put them in the oven.
Once baked and cooled, dust muffins lightly with powdered sugar.
Whip up a batch of Cream Cheese Frosting to spread on top of each muffin….which may turn it into more of a cupcake.

Recipe adapted from veggiedesserts.com.

Roast Beet and Kale Salad with Maple Candied Nuts

Yield: 2-3 servings as an entrée or 3-4 servings as a side dish

For the salad:

1 ½ cups raw beets, peeled and quartered

1-2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup walnut halves or pecans or coarsely chopped almonds

3 Tbsp pure maple syrup

¼ tsp sea salt, plus more to taste

⅛ tsp fresh cracked pepper, plus more to taste

4 packed cups of green curly or lacinato kale, washed and sliced thinly into bite-sized pieces

¼ cup feta, goat or Boursin cheese (a diced avocado makes a great vegan and paleo alternative to creamy cheeses in salads!)

For the dressing:

3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp honey or maple syrup

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

½ tsp Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove grated very finely minced

A pinch of sea salt

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Place beets in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, enough to cover each piece lightly. Spread beets in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes or until tender. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.
While the beets are roasting, prepare the rest of the salad. Add the walnuts (or other nut) to a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook until they are fragrant and start to brown in places, shaking the pan frequently. Quickly pour the maple syrup over the nuts and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the maple syrup has almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Immediately remove the nuts from the pan and place them on a plate or baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper, separating them from each other as much as possible. Let cool to room temperature.
Make the dressing: Combine all the ingredients EXCEPT the oil in a medium-sized bowl. Stir to combine. Slowly add the oil in a thin steady stream while whisking the dressing constantly. If the oil starts to build up at all stop pouring it and whisk the dressing vigorously. It will take you about 1 minute to whisk the in the oil. Taste the dressing and season it with extra salt, to taste.
Assemble the salad: Place the kale in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Add the cheese and pour some of the dressing over the kale. You will likely not need all the dressing, so start with about half of the quantity and add more as needed to lightly coat all of the kale. Toss to combine and let rest for a minimum of 10 minutes before you finish assembling the salad. When ready to serve, either prepare individual portions on plates or make one large salad on a platter. Top the kale with the roasted beets and drizzle with a touch more dressing if desired. Sprinkle the maple candied nuts over the salad and serve!

Recipe adapted from theendlessmeal.com.

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life

A Summary by Laurel Blomquist

The cover of Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life proclaims, “All of us have cancer cells in our bodies. But not all of us will develop cancer.” Did you know you have cancer cells in your body? Does that thought scare you? It doesn’t have to. Read on to see what you can do about making sure those cells never proliferate or become life-threatening.

David Servan-Schreiber was an ambitious psychiatrist who had spent his life climbing the ranks of his profession. One day the volunteer subject of his brain MRI study didn’t show up, so he put himself into the machine. The scans showed a walnut-sized tumor in his brain, and thus the doctor became the patient. After diagnosis, Dr. Servan-Schreiber was treated using the most modern techniques available: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation. When he asked his doctor if there was something else he could do to prevent the cancer from returning, his doctor told him to continue living life as he had prior to his diagnosis.

I have something to confess. I was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer this past February. Yes, I followed my doctors’ recommendations regarding established medical protocols for my cancer. However, you have a feeling of powerlessness when you are just waiting around to see if the cancer is going to come back. Reading this book, as well as Foods to Fight Cancer, changed the course of my life forever.

If you had a toolbox that you could use to combat an illness from all sides, wouldn’t you want to use every tool in the box? I was inspired to change the paradigm, from giving over control to my doctors to taking control. I established a self-care routine that included rest, diet, exercise, meditation, time in nature, breathing techniques, and many more small changes in my daily routine that would alter my prognosis for the future. Of course, these diet and lifestyle changes don’t just lower my chances of getting cancer, there’s more. According to the journal Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, “Oxidative stress impacts almost all acute and chronic progressive disorders and on a cellular basis is intimately linked to aging, cardiovascular disease, cancer, immune function, metabolism and neurodegeneration.” (http://www.hindawi.com/journals/omcl)

In other words, an anti-cancer diet is also anti- diabetes, obesity, insulin sensitivity, metabolic syndrome, neurological disease (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, etc.), gastrointestinal disease (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, etc.), autoimmune disease (Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, etc.), and any other acute or chronic disease characterized by inflammation and oxidative stress, as well as the process of aging in general. Everyone says they want a long, healthy life. I was willing to do everything in my power in order to achieve that.

Like myself, Dr. Servan-Schreiber was not convinced that he had no control over the recurrence of his cancer other than the treatments that doctors could provide. He points out that doctors who are at the pinnacle of research in their professions cannot stop to conduct research outside of their fields, or read experimental protocols that haven’t been given a double-blind study. He does not blame his doctors for this because they are busy doing important work to save the lives of their patients. There are many other practitioners doing alternative therapies and research, however. Dr. Servan-Schreiber is not a food chemist, so he uses research from other scientists to support his dietary recommendations. He often cites the research done by Drs. Beliveau and Gingras, who you may remember from Foods to Fight Cancer, the book I reviewed two weeks ago. Of course, these two are not the only scientists he has explored. He is a thorough researcher; the chapter on food alone has 140 citations! The scope of this article is much too short to present all his findings, so I’m going to summarize a few fruit and vegetable recommendations he recommends for an anti-cancer diet.

The doctor states that cancer is known to thrive on both sugar and insulin, so in general, eating foods that are lower on the glycemic index should be a priority. These include peas, beans, sweet potatoes, whole fruits, and alliums such as garlic, onions, and shallots, which lower insulin peaks when combined with other foods. (p. 70)

Stone fruits, especially plums, contain high levels of antioxidants and are more cost effective than berries, year-round. He cites a study showing that these fruits fight high cholesterol as well. (p. 119)

The labiate family, which includes mint, thyme, marjoram, oregano, basil, and rosemary, are rich in the fatty acids of the terpene family, which reduce the spread of cancer cells or provokes their death. (p. 138)

In order to grow more rapidly, cancer cells stimulate the creation of new blood vessels so that they have a fuel source close by. This is called angiogenesis. A molecule which inhibits cancer cells by blocking angiogenesis is apigenin, which is found in parsley and celery (p. 120).

Fresh Ginger Root grown on our Farm

Ginger root is also anti-inflammatory, containing antioxidants that reduce angiogenesis. It’s also anti-nauseating, helping control the side effects of chemotherapy. (p. 134)

Vegetables and fruits rich in carotenoids inhibit the growth of cancer cells and stimulate immune cells to attack cancer. These foods include carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, tomatoes, persimmons, apricots, and beets. The bright colors mean the foods contain vitamin A, lycopene, lutein, phytoene, and canthaxanthin. (p. 136)

Pomegranates contain antioxidants and slow prostate cancer growth by 67%! (p. 139)

Flaxseeds contain short-chain omega-3s and lignans, phytoestrogens that block harmful hormones, lower cholesterol, and maintain balanced blood sugar levels. Our friends at Driftless Organics just started producing their own organic flaxseed oil. Add it to salad dressings or smoothies for an anti-cancer cocktail. (p. 143)

Other foods the author includes as part of an anti-inflammatory diet are olive oil (especially virgin), mushrooms, and seaweed.

When Anti-Cancer was published in 2009, the health of the gut microbiome was just beginning to be on the radar; now it’s one of the hottest health topics in popular science. Dr. Servan-Schreiber cites research that states probiotic bacteria inhibit colon cancer growth by moving toxic waste out of the body. Why not make a batch of sauerkraut, kimchi, or kvass with a vegetable of your choosing (choose a brassica for an especially potent combination) and eat it regularly? Don’t forget to feed your probiotic bacteria with prebiotics, such as garlic, onions, tomatoes, sunchokes, and asparagus. (p. 143)

In addition to recommendations for specific foods, the author also emphasized the importance of organic vegetables versus conventional. He cites a study by Dr. Cynthia Curl, who measured the amount of organochlorine pesticides in the urine of 42 preschool children. Children who were fed an organic diet had pesticide levels below the Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum, while children on the conventional diet had a level 4 times the maximum. While he states that some doctors have interpreted these findings as insignificant, he disagrees, and so do other doctors. (p. 89)

He further states that selenium stimulates immune cells and boosts the effects of antioxidants. According to the author, organic foods are rich in selenium, while conventionally-grown vegetables are lacking because of soil depletion of this mineral. (p. 144)

This book was written as a tool to help all of us flip our genetic switch for cancer off by making decisions that will impact our long-term health. In summary, the doctor states, “Every day, at every meal, we can choose food that will defend our bodies against the invasion of cancer by: detoxifying carcinogenic substances; supporting our immune system; blocking the development of new (blood) vessels needed for tumor growth; preventing tumors from creating the inflammation that serves as their fertilizer; blocking the mechanisms that will enable them to invade neighboring tissues; and promoting the suicide of cancer cells.” (p. 125)

For more information, be sure to check out the book and his website: http://www.anticancerbook.com

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Vegetable Feature: Fennel

By Andrea Yoder

You’ll be able to identify fennel from other vegetables in your box this week by its unique appearance and distinct aroma. Most of the fennel plant is edible, however the white bulb at the base of the plant is the most commonly used part. The soft, fine, feathery green portion extending off the stalks is called “fronds.”The fronds are also edible and can be used more as an herb, seasoning or garnish to add a bit of flavor to soups, salads, etc. The stalks are sometimes too fibrous to eat, however they have a lot of flavor and can be used to make vegetable stock or a soothing tea.

Fennel has the flavor of anise, or mild licorice, which some people love and others are still learning to like. The bulb is crisp, sweet and can be eaten raw or cooked. When eaten raw, I feel strongly that fennel should be cut very thinly. It helps to soften the fennel a little bit and makes for a more pleasant eating experience. If you are in the group of people who just really don’t care for the flavor of licorice, you may find fennel more enjoyable if you cook it. When sautéed, roasted or otherwise cooked, the oils in fennel that give it the distinct flavor volatilize which lessens the intensity of the flavor and develops the natural sugars. Caramelized fennel is featured in this week’s newsletter recipes and is a great way to incorporate fennel in your diet in more subtle ways.

Fennel may be used in gratins, cream soups, seafood dishes, simple salads and antipasto platters. It pairs well with a whole host of other foods including lemons, oranges, apples, honey, white wine, olives, beets, tomatoes, potatoes, fish, seafood, pork, cured meats, beans, cream, Parmesan cheese, feta cheese, cucumbers, dill and parsley.

Fennel is a good source of calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and vitamins C & A. The volatile oil I mentioned earlier, anethole, has been shown to reduce inflammation and help prevent some cancers. It is also aids with digestion and freshens breath.

Fennel should be stored in the refrigerator, loosely wrapped in plastic.When you are ready to use it, you may need to peel off the outer layer of the bulb to wash away dirt that may be between the outermost layers. The outer layer is still usable after it is washed. Cut the bulb in half and make a V-shaped cut into the core at the base of the fennel bulb. Remove most of the core, then slice thinly or cut as desired.

Caramelized Fennel & Beet Pizza

By Andrea Yoder

Yield: 3-4 servings

Pizza dough, homemade or premade, enough for a 12” pizza

2 tsp olive oil

1-2 fennel, bulbs with stalks and fronds intact

2-3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and sliced thinly

½ cup white wine

1 ½ tsp honey

1 egg

1 Tbsp heavy cream

7 oz fresh goat cheese

1 bunch beets

4 slices bacon, cooked and coarsely chopped

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

1 Tbsp honey

2 ½ Tbsp olive oil

Salt and Black pepper, to taste.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Prepare fennel by removing the outer portion of the bulb if necessary. Cut off the stalks just above the bulb. Cut the bulb into quarters and, using a V-cut, remove the core from each quarter of the bulb. Thinly slice the bulb and the lower portion of the stalk up to the point where the fronds start to form. You will need a total of 2 cups of sliced fennel. Set aside remaining stalks and fronds for later use.
Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add sliced fennel and garlic and saute over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until the fennel has softened. Stir fennel periodically as it cooks. Once the fennel is softened, add ½ tsp salt, freshly ground black pepper, white wine and honey. Bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer until all the liquid has evaporated, then remove from heat and cool slightly.
Form the pizza dough into a 12” round. Lay it out on a pizza pan or baking stone. Parbake the crust for about 5-6 minutes in a preheated oven. Remove crust from the oven and set aside until you are ready to assemble the pizza.
Next, beat the egg in a medium bowl until it is pale yellow and frothy. Add the heavy cream and continue to beat until the cream and the egg are well-combined. Finally, add the fresh goat cheese and beat on high speed until the mixture is smooth.
Separate fennel fronds from the remaining stems and finely chop them. You will need 2 Tbsp plus ½ cup of finely chopped fronds. Fold 2 Tbsp of fronds into the goat cheese mixture. Set the mixture aside.
Cut the beets off the stems. Scrub the exterior of the beet roots with a vegetable brush. Depending upon the size of the beets, you will need 1-2 medium beets. Set the remaining beets aside for another use. Wash the beet greens carefully, pat or spin dry and set the greens aside.
Very thinly slice the beets using either a knife or a mandolin.
Assemble the pizza. Spread the goat cheese mixture on the parbaked pizza crust. Spread the chopped bacon over the goat cheese layer. Lay the thinly sliced beets on top of the bacon.The beets will shrink a little bit during cooking, so place the slices of beets very close together and try to cover the majority of the pizza surface.
Next, spread caramelized fennel evenly on top of the beets. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the entire pizza. Put the pizza in the preheated oven and bake for 15-17 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
While the pizza is baking, thinly slice the beet greens and stems. You should have about 2 cups of greens. Put the beet greens and stems in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, combine lemon juice, zest, honey and olive oil.Whisk together to make a vinaigrette. Season with salt and black pepper.
Once the pizza is fully baked, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Just before serving, drizzle a little bit of the vinaigrette over the beet greens. Use just enough to lightly coat all of the greens. Save the remainder for another use. Serve the pizza with lightly dressed beet greens spread on top.

Caramelized Fennel on Herbed Polenta

Serves 2

2 to 3 cups vegetable broth, as needed

½ cup polenta

Fine sea salt, to taste

1 large fennel bulb

Ghee or coconut oil

2 Tbsp raw fennel seeds

1 to 2 Tbsp maple syrup, to taste

¼ cup chopped mixed herbs, such as parsley, dill, and chives

¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (optional)

Olive oil

Heat the vegetable broth in a large saucepan until simmering. Slowly pour in the polenta in a steady stream, whisking all the while to prevent clumping. Add a few pinches of salt. Stir constantly for a couple minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring every 5 minutes or so for 30 – 45 minutes. If the polenta becomes too thick, add more broth or hot water and whisk until smooth. The polenta is cooked when you rub a small amount of it between your fingers and it is no longer gritty, but instead creamy and smooth.
While the polenta is cooking, cut the fennel bulb into thin vertical slices (from the top to the base).
Heat the ghee or coconut oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the fennel slices to the skillet, making sure that they all come into contact with the surface of the skillet (not overlapping-you may have to work with a few slices at a time). Sprinkle with sea salt. Do not stir or move the fennel until it is golden on the bottom, about 5 to 7 minutes. When all the pieces have browned, flip them onto the uncooked side. When the underside has also browned, add a sprinkling of fennel seeds and a ½ Tbsp of the maple syrup, and let cook for 1 minute. Toss to coat, transfer fennel to a plate, and repeat until all the fennel is cooked. Season with salt if desired.
Add the chopped herbs and grated cheese to the polenta, and give it a final stir. Whisk in a little more broth or water to thin it if necessary.
To serve, scoop a portion of polenta onto a plate, then arrange the caramelized fennel on top. Add a drizzle of olive oil.

Recipe borrowed from Sarah Britton’s book, My New Roots.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Vegetable Feature: Green Top Beets

by Andrea Yoder

When customers at market ask me what a beet tastes like, my answer is often “sweet and earthy, but not the flavor of dirt.” We grow three different colors of beets including the traditional red beets as well as golden beets and Chioggia beets (also known as candy-striped beets). Red beets generally have the most intense beet flavor while golden and Chioggia beets are usually more mild in flavor, but equally sweet. Early in the season we harvest beets with their tops still attached. The tops are edible as well, so it’s like getting two vegetables in one!

Beets can be eaten raw, however they are usually cooked. They can be roasted, boiled, baked, sautéed and grilled. They should be cooked whole with the skin on and the root tail intact in order to retain all of the valuable water-soluble nutrients. Once beets are cooked it is much easier to peel them. The pigments found in beets that give them their characteristic colors are actually phytonutrients and antioxidants that have a whole host of health benefits. Additionally, beets and their greens are packed with fiber, calcium, iron and vitamins A, C and K to name a few. If you usually discard the tops, I’d really encourage you to try finding a use for them this time. They can be lightly steamed, wilted or sautéed and served on their own or alongside the beet root as is done in the recipe below. Beet greens can also be incorporated into any dish or recipe that uses chard or spinach. Additionally, beet greens may be eaten raw in salads or enjoy them in a green smoothie to jump start your day.

Beets pair well with some bold ingredients such as horseradish, mustard and rich dairy products including yogurt, cream, sour cream and aged cheese. They also play well with other vegetables including carrots, potatoes, fennel, onions and a variety of salad greens. They are also delicious paired with fruits including apples, oranges, lemon, currants and pears.

Root Vegetable Slaw with Labneh

Yield: 6 servings

This recipe was borrowed and adapted from Jerusalem a Cookbook, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. Here’s how they introduce this recipe in their book. “We make this salad in the winter or early spring, before any of the summer crops are around. The labneh can be substituted with Greek Yogurt, well-seasoned with some olive oil, crushed garlic, and salt and pepper. It can also be left out altogether, if you prefer to keep it light and simple.”

3-4 medium beets*

1 medium kohlrabi, peeled*

2 medium carrots*

½ celery root*

4 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp sherry vinegar

2 tsp superfine sugar

¾ cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

¾ cup mint leaves, shredded

2/3 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

½ Tbsp grated lemon zest

Scant 1 cup labneh or Greek yogurt (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Peel all the vegetables and slice them thinly, about 1/16 inch thick. Stack a few slices at a time on top of one another and cut them into matchstick like strips. Alternatively, use a mandolin or a food processor with the appropriate attachment to cut the vegetables into thin strips or thick shreds. Set the vegetables aside while you make the dressing.
Place the lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and stir until the sugar and the salt have dissolved. Remove from the heat.
Pour the hot dressing over the vegetables, mix well, and leave to cool. Place in the fridge for at least 45 minutes.
When ready to serve, add the herbs, lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon pepper to the salad. Toss well, taste, and add more salt if needed. Pile onto serving plates and serve with some labneh on the side (optional).

*Note: You can adapt this recipe according to the seasons. When you make this slaw early in the summer before carrots or celery root are available, just use a bit more of what you have. I made this slaw using only beets and kohlrabi. Just make sure you have a total of about 4 cups of vegetables overall.

Balsamic Glazed Beets & Greens

Yield: 4 servings

This recipe was created by Peter Berley and was featured in Food52 Genius Recipes. Here’s what the Food52 editors had to say about this recipe in its introduction. “I’m afraid we don’t understand beets as well as we could. …This (recipe) allows us to cook beets faster, like all the other vegetables we know better. Then, as Berley writes, ‘The greens are placed on top of the roots, the manner in which they grew.’ They steam and wilt, then get stirred throughout the glaze…Yes, we get to use the whole beet in one pan-including the greens and the peel—so there’s no hanging onto the tops with some unidentified goal, only to forget and throw them away a week later.”

1 medium red onion, cut into ¼ inch crescents (may substitute the bulb portion of 1 bunch of spring scallions, green tops reserved for another use)

4-5 fresh beets with tops (1 bunch), roots scrubbed, trimmed and cut into 4-6 wedges, greens & stems chopped into bite-sized pieces

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil

2 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves finely chopped*

Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper

In a heavy pan wide enough to hold the vegetables in a snug single layer, combine the onion, beet roots, vinegar, butter, tarragon, and ½ tsp. salt. Pour in enough water to barely cover the vegetables and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for 25 minutes or until the beets are nearly but not quite tender.
Raise the heat and boil, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced to a syrup and the beets are fork-tender.
Add the beet greens, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.
Uncover and turn the greens over so they mix with the roots and onions. Add pepper and additional salt to taste. Simmer for 2 minutes more and serve.

*Note: If you do not have fresh tarragon, use another fresh herb in its place. When I tested the recipe I used fresh savory and the dish was delicious.