July 11, 2024 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring New Potatoes

 

What's In The Box

Red Norland New Potatoes: These red-skinned, white flesh potatoes were dug this week and have thin, delicate skin. Read more in this week’s vegetable feature article about what makes “new” potatoes so special. As you prepare and eat them, notice how crispy and juicy they are when raw. Also notice how their flavor is different from stored potatoes. Gently wash them before using, but don’t scrub too hard or the skin will easily come off. Eat them within about a week and store them in the refrigerator.

Fresh Italian Garlic: This week’s garlic was harvested about a week ago. While the exterior skin is starting to dry down, it is still considered “fresh” as it is not fully cured. You’ll notice the skin surrounding the cloves is still moist and may be a little difficult to remove. The cloves inside are juicy, crisp and have a bright flavor. Store at room temperature.

Fresh White Onions: This week’s onion variety is “Sierra Blanca,” a fresh, white onion intended to be eaten fresh. If left to dry at room temperature, it will form a very thin, dry skin, but it does not have a thick skin that would help it to store for months. This is an excellent onion to use raw on sandwiches and salads…. especially when sliced thinly.

Broccoli: Store broccoli in the refrigerator loosely wrapped in a plastic bag until ready to use it. Use the florets and stem to make a simple soup, stir-fry, or salad.

Cauliflower: We just transplanted our final crop of cauliflower that we’ll harvest later this fall, just before winter sets in! In the meantime, we have a bit more of our spring-planted crop to harvest for you.

Silver Slicer and/or Green Slicer Cucumbers: Salt will draw the moisture out of cucumbers. If you don’t want your cucumber salad to get soggy, salt the cucumbers first and drain off the liquid before adding them to the salad or mixing them with the dressing.

Zucchini and/or Scallopini Squash: You can’t go wrong when using zucchini to make baked goods! Zucchini has a high moisture content which helps to make baked goods that are moist! (Note: Some boxes may receive Sweetheart Cabbage or Kohlrabi in place of this item)

Rainbow Chard: This gorgeous bunching “green” is a summer green related to beets! You may use chard in any recipe calling for beet greens, but it may also be turned into the base for a raw salad, added to soups and stews, or simply sauteed with olive oil and garlic. Use both the leaves and the colorful stems.

Green Top Orange Carrots: This week we are transitioning form our early season “Nantes” variety to one called “Bolero.” We plant this variety a bit in the spring, but also again in the fall. It is known for its strong, vigorous green tops (that are also edible) and sweet, delicious carrots that are crispy and firm!

Green & Yellow Beans: Beans are a low calorie, high fiber food. While they may be eaten raw, they are more delectable if blanched or lightly cooked.

 

Recipe Suggestions & Inspiration For This Week’s Box Contents

Kung Pao Potatoes

Potato, Cauliflower & Green Bean Curry

Bacon, Potato & Swiss Chard Scramble

Chicken & Broccoli Pasta

Swiss Chard & Almond Pasta

20 Swiss Chard Recipes That Highlight the Versatility of This Green

Summer Minestrone

Summer Farmer Skillet

Cucumber Salad Sandwich

Garlic Smashed Cucumber Salad

Zucchini & Green Bean Sauté with Feta

Lemony Zucchini Muffins

Carrot Bread

Carrot Green Smoothie

Curried Cauliflower & Chickpea Soup

Vegetable Feature: New Potatoes

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.  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 to store 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 will recommend that you put your potatoes in the refrigerator!

Parmentier Potatoes

Photo from www.greedygourmet.com

This French potato dish was named after Antoine Augustin Parmentier. Parmentier was a pharmacist turned potato advocate after he experienced the nutritional benefits potatoes offered him when he was a prisoner in Germany during the Seven Years War. He survived on a diet of potatoes; thus, it is understandable that he would become a passionate advocate for them!  At the time, potatoes were not revered in France and were seen as a cheap vegetable. Parmentier worked hard to popularize potatoes throughout France and eventually they became an integral part of French cuisine!

The cooking method here is a two-step process of blanching first, then roasting. This is another simple recipe that really highlights the flavors of a few ingredients. 

2 pounds potatoes, left whole if small or cut into 2-inch pieces

3 Tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil

4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Salt and Black Pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 
2. Parboil the potatoes in a large pot of salted water over a high heat for 5 minutes. Do not overcook! They should still have a slight crunch to them.
3. Once the potatoes are parboiled, drain them in a colander and let them rest for a few minutes to dry. Alternatively, pat them dry with a clean towel.
4. While you are parboiling the potatoes, put the oil in a large roasting pan and place it in the oven. You want the oil to be hot but watch it carefully as you do not want it to get so hot it starts to smoke.
5. When the potatoes are parboiled and dried, carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and gently place the potatoes in a single layer.
6. Turn them around a bit for all surfaces to get covered in oil.
7. Return the pan to the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Then, stir in the garlic and fresh herbs.
8. Roast for an additional 15 minutes or until the potatoes are golden and crispy.
9. Season to taste and serve immediately!

Recipe adapted slightly from Michelle Minnaar’s recipe at greedygourmet.com.

July 13, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring New Potatoes

 

Cooking With This Week's Box

Scallion Beef Stir-Fry
Photo from www.thewoksoflife.com

Red Norland New Potatoes:  

Lemon & Garlic New Potatoes (See Below)

Creamed Potatoes with Green Beans (See Below)

Purple and White Scallions:  

Pork and Chinese Scallion Stir-Fry

Scallion Beef Stir-Fry

Fresh Italian Garlic:  

Garlic Herb White Bean Dip

Honey Garlic Cauliflower 

Garlicky Dipping Oil 

Zucchini and/or Scallopini Squash:  

Grilled Salami & Cheese with Pesto 

Zucchini Pizza Casserole 

Zucchini Pizza Casserole
Photo from www.tasteofhome.com

Zucchini Chickpea Quinoa Salad 

Green and/or Silver Slicer Cucumbers:  

Cucumber Orzo Salad with Lemon & Basil 

Cucumber Sorbet 

Snow Peas:  

Sweet Garlicky Glazed Snow Peas

Sautéed Bok Choi with Snow Peas 

Cucumber Sorbet
Photo from www.thelittleepicurean.com

Green and Yellow Beans:

Saucy Stovetop Thai Green Beans 

Green Bean Casserole with Walnut Bacon Crumble 

Broccoli:  

Broccoli Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

Broccoli Shrimp Stir-Fry 

Green Top Orange Carrots:  

Vegan Carrot Top Soup

Green Top Carrot Soup with Basil & Fennel 

Fennel:  

Vegan Carrot Top Soup
Photo from www.justinesnacks.com

Fennel Vegetable Feature Article 

Pasta with Golden Fennel 

White Cauliflower:  

Grilled Cauliflower 

Pesto-Roasted Cauliflower 

Baby Bok Choi:  

Asian Chicken and Bok Choi Salad 

Bok Choi Salad with Sesame Almond Crunch 

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

1. 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.  
2. Trim the green/yellow beans and cut into 1–2-inch lengths.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the cream sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
6. When the foaming subsides, add the flour. Cook the roux for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
7. Gradually whisk the cream or milk into the roux. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
8. Add chopped parsley, if desired.
9. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper, as needed.
10. Once cooked, drain the water off of the potatoes and green beans and transfer the vegetables to a serving dish. 
11. Pour the sauce over the green beans and potatoes and stir gently to coat the vegetables.
12. 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

1. 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.
2. 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. 
3. 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.

July 21, 2022 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring New Potatoes

 

Cooking With This Week's Box

Red New Potatoes:  

Summer Farmer Skillet Dinner (See Below)

New Potatoes with Garlic & Butter 

Summertime Pan-Braised Chicken with New Potatoes & Greens 

Photo from sallysbakingaddiction.com

Sierra Blanca Onions:  

Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese & Kale Pizza with Balsamic Drizzle 

Cowboy Burgers Topped with Onion Rings 

White Cauliflower:  

Roasted Cauliflower with Spicy Sake Dipping Sauce 

Sweet & Spicy Korean Cauliflower 

Dry Pot Cauliflower 

Vietnamese Pickled Vegetables 

Orange Carrots:  

Carrot & White Bean Burgers

Baked Red Lentil Falafel with Lemon-Herb Tahini Dipping Sauce 

Summer Squash (Zucchini and/or Sunburst Scallopini Squash):  

Garden Greens Goddess Pizza 

Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Green and/or Silver Slicer Cucumbers:  

Smoked Salmon Cucumber Rolls 

Cucumber Sushi Roll 

Shredded Chicken Wraps with Avocado, Cucumber and Cilantro 

Thai Basil:  

2021 Thai Basil Vegetable Feature Article with 15 Recipe Ideas! 

Photo from southyourmouth.com

Fresh Italian Garlic:  

Charred Kale and Garlic Pizza 

The Best Garlic Dip 

Broccoli:  

Broccoli Slaw with Red Cabbage

Seriously Good Broccoli Slaw with Raisins and Sunflower Seeds 

Green Beans:  

Southern Style Green Beans & Potatoes 

Linguine with Pesto, Green Beans & Potatoes 

Green Curly Kale:  

Kale, Mushroom & Ricotta Calzones 

Kale Pesto and 15+ Ways To Use It! 

Kale Pesto Lasagna 

Red Cabbage:  

15 Ways to Use Up Red Cabbage 

Cauliflower Tacos with Shredded Red Cabbage and Avocado Crema 

Pickled Red Cabbage 

Cauliflower Po’ Boy with Cabbage Slaw 

Hello Friends—

This week’s box is what summer is all about!  Freshly dug new potatoes, carrots, beans, zucchini…..so many delicious vegetables that really need very little to be so tasty.  Plus, we’ll continue to build on this week’s selections with sweet corn coming in likely next week along with fresh tomatoes!  This week I’m featuring a favored farm recipe that I created and shared back in 2017.  Many members have made this recipe and offered positive feedback, so I wanted to give it a little attention this week for the benefit of our newer members.  This recipe for Summer Farmer Skillet Dinner (See Below) came about because this is what Richard and I eat a lot during the summer.  The recipe is the guide, but within that guide you can adapt it to whatever vegetables you have available.  Potatoes and carrots will make a good vegetable base this week and then it’s up to you to add green beans, zucchini, or whatever is in your refrigerator that needs to be used up!  Another key part of this recipe is topping it off with a cooking green.  You could use the green curly kale in this week’s box, or if you have some green cabbage from a previous week that would work as well.  Really, it’s a very forgiving recipe!  I also included links to two other previously published recipes that I turn to every year during the summer when we have fresh potatoes.  New Potatoes with Garlic & Butter and Summertime Pan-Braised Chicken with New Potatoes & Greens are very simple recipes, but I think you’ll find both to be satisfying and delicious!

Throughout this week’s list of recipe ideas you’ll find several summer pizza recipes including Charred Kale and Garlic Pizza and Garden Greens Goddess Pizza.  I was on a roll with cucumber recipe ideas, and you may notice there is a “rolled” theme to this week’s recipe suggestions.  What can I say, sometimes in life and cooking you just have to “roll” with it!

Alright, I’m going to wrap it up here.  There is a lot of great potential in this week’s box, so I hope you’re able to find some tasty ways to use this week’s vegetables!  If you haven’t been paying attention to our private Facebook Page, I encourage you to check it out.  There have been some great recipe suggestions and ideas recently.  Thank you to everyone who is participating!  Have a great week and I’ll see you back here next week, hopefully along with sweet corn and tomatoes!

---Chef Andrea 

Vegetable Feature: New Potatoes

by Andrea Yoder

Potatoes are a vegetable everyone’s familiar with, but not all are created equally and this week’s potatoes are, in our opinion, very special.  If you’ve been with us for previous CSA seasons you know we draw attention to this point every year because frankly, we just don’t want you to miss out on this experience!  There is a short period of time early in the summer when we have the opportunity to eat “New Potatoes.”  New potatoes are not a variety, but rather a term used to describe potatoes that are harvested off of a plant that still has green leaves on it.  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 this past Saturday from plants with green vines.  Freshly dug new potatoes have a flavor and texture unlike other potatoes throughout the season.  It is a fresh, pure potato flavor and the 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.  This year our potato field is in a location where the soil is a bit more sandy.  Despite having rain the day before harvest, these potatoes came out of the ground very easily and are probably the nicest new potatoes I’ve ever seen!  

We’ve given them the “white glove treatment” through the harvest and washing processes to preserve the integrity of their skins, but we encourage you to handle them with care as well.  Wash them just before use and give them a gentle scrub if needed. There is no need to peel them, 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.    

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.  If potatoes are stored in colder temperatures (such as your home refrigerator), the starches will convert to sugars which is not what we want in a potato (save that characteristic for sweet potatoes!)  So in a home setting, it’s best to store 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. 

Summer Farmer Skillet Dinner

by Chef Andrea 

Yield:  4 to 6 servings

1 pound ground pork or beef

1 cup chopped onion

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

⅓ cup white wine

2 cups potatoes, skin on, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup carrots, medium dice

1 cup zucchini, medium dice

2 cups green or yellow beans, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup cream, divided

½ cup coarsely chopped fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, savory, oregano, rosemary etc.)

4 cups greens (kale, cabbage, amaranth, chard, beet greens, or any other seasonal cooking green), washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces or shredded

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. If you have a broiler in your oven, position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the broiler.  If you do not have a broiler, preheat the oven to 400°F.  
2. Heat an 11-12 inch oven proof skillet on the stove top at medium-high heat.  Add the ground pork or beef and cook until browned.  Add the onion and garlic and continue to cook for a few more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the white wine to the pan and then layer the potatoes and carrots on top of the meat mixture.  Season again with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots have started to soften but are not all the way cooked.  
4. Add the zucchini, green beans and ½ cup of the cream to the pan.  Season this layer with salt and pepper.  Cover the pan again and simmer for another 5-6 minutes. 
5. Remove the cover and sprinkle the herbs on top.  Spread the greens on top, and season with salt and pepper.  Pour the remaining ½ cup of cream around the edge of the pan.  Cover the pan again and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the greens are wilted.  Remove the cover and simmer on the stovetop for an additional 5-6 minutes or until the cream is reduced by about half.  
6. Spread the shredded cheese on top of the greens.  Remove the pan from the stovetop and put it in the oven under the broiler or in the hot oven.  Bake just until the cheese is melted, bubbly and starting to brown.  
7. Serve hot.  If you have any leftovers, they will reheat well for another meal or they are delicious served with toast and eggs for breakfast.  

This is a basic recipe that can be altered to use any seasonal vegetables you have available.  Add the vegetables that will take the longest to cook to the pan first and finish with the quick cooking greens on top.  And the best part is…you only dirty one pan!  This has become one of our favorite, simple ways to make a hearty meal using seasonal vegetables without a lot of fuss and enough leftovers for the next day!  Perfect Farmer food at the end of a long summer day!

July 15, 2021 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring New Potatoes!

 

Cooking With This Week's Box

Fresh Porcelain Garlic:
New Potatoes with Garlic & Butter
White Garlic Pizza Sauce

Sierra Blanca Onions:
Crispy Baked Onion Rings 
Caramelized Onion Cheeseburgers 

Zucchini and/or Sunburst Scallopini Squash:
35 Recipes Using Zucchini 
Herb Garden Zucchini Pizza
Basil Zucchini Soup

Green and/or Silver Slicer Cucumbers:
Cucumber and Black Bean Salad
Cucumber Satay Crunch Salad

Broccoli:
Broccoli Quinoa Cakes
Broccoli Manicotti with Burrata Cheese

White Cauliflower:
Spicy Roasted Cauliflower Stir-Fry
Sicilian Cauliflower Salad

Green Top Carrots:
Carrot Top Pesto
Green Top Carrot Soup
Tempura

New Red Potatoes:
Broccoli & New Potato Gribiche (See Below)
Frittata with New Potatoes and Summer Vegetables (See Below)

Italian Basil:
Asian Cabbage Slaw with Basil-Ginger Dressing
Chicken with Lemon Basil Sauce

Rainbow Chard:
Summer Farmer Skillet Dinner
How To Freeze Swiss Chard

Tiara or Sweetheart Cabbage:
Eggroll In a Bowl
Beef & Cabbage Stir-Fry

BONUS LINK:
Farm Share Newsletter from Alexandra Stafford of alexandracooks.com

Hello Everyone!

Photo from Mostly Homemade Mom

We’re really excited to be delivering the first potatoes of the season this week!  We were really pleased with the yield we got from our first digging and I hope you’re pleased with how delicious they are!  If you aren’t familiar with what makes “New Potatoes” special, then take a few moments to read more about them in this week’s vegetable feature article.  This week’s featured recipes come from Heidi Swanson’s cookbook, Super Natural Every Day.  She is also the author behind the blog 101cookbooks.com.  I’ve followed Heidi’s blog for quite awhile and I have to admit, I own three of her four cookbooks.  She is a very talented photographer, in addition to her culinary talents, which makes her cookbooks even more appealing.  The first recipe is for Broccoli & New Potato Gribiche (See Below).  Gribiche sauce is a classical French sauce made with hardboiled eggs, capers, etc.  It’s a simple sauce often used to dress up fresh vegetables.  This is kind of like a warm salad.  The second recipe is for Frittata with New Potatoes and Summer Vegetables (See Below).  In this recipe, Heidi employs a slightly different method for making this frittata, so even if you’ve made frittatas before, you may want to check out her version.

This week we also have fresh, green top carrots for the first time!  Just a reminder that the tops are edible too, so don’t throw away the value they contain!  Use them to make a simple Carrot Top Pesto or Green Top Carrot Soup.  You could also use the green tops when making broth to use in soups and stews.

This week’s “greens” include the gorgeous Rainbow Chard and Spring-Planted cabbages.  If you feel like you have a lot of vegetables to conquer this week and you’d like to preserve some of this week’s box for future use, consider freezing the Rainbow chard.  There’s a great step-by-step explanation for how to freeze chard at Rootsandboots.com.  If you have a collection of cabbage in your refrigerator now, check out our Facebook Group where members did an excellent job of sharing some really good ideas for how to use cabbage.  Two favorite recipe ideas include Eggroll In a Bowl and Beef & Cabbage Stir-Fry.

Photo from Budget Bytes

Before I close out this week’s discussion, I want to share a bonus link with you to Alexandra Stafford’s weekly “Farm Share Newsletter”.  I’ve been following Alexandra’s blog for quite awhile and this year she started putting together this weekly newsletter to highlight some of her recipes for items she’s receiving in her personal CSA box!  She is in a different part of the country, but the contents of the CSA boxes she’s receiving are often quite similar to our seasons.  Each week she highlights recipes using each of the items, so if you like her style you might like to sign up for her newsletter!

Ok, that’s a wrap for this week.  I’ll see you back next week with more potatoes and hopefully some yellow beans to start cooking with!  Have a great week!—Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: New Potatoes

By:  Chef Andrea Yoder

Description:  Potatoes are a vegetable everyone’s familiar with, but not all are created equally and this week’s potatoes are, in our opinion, very special.  If you’ve been with us for previous CSA seasons you know we draw attention to this point every year because frankly, we just don’t want you to miss out on this experience!  There is a short period of time early in the summer when we have the opportunity to eat “New Potatoes.”  New potatoes are not a variety, but rather a term used to describe potatoes that are harvested off of a plant that still has green leaves on it.  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 earlier this week from plants with green vines.  Freshly dug new potatoes have a flavor and texture unlike other potatoes throughout the season.  It is a fresh, pure potato flavor and the 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! 

Preparation & Use: 

Tomas with New Potatoes

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, but we encourage you to handle them with care as well.  Wash them just before use and just give them a gentle scrub if needed. There is no need to peel them, 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.    This week’s featured recipes are also good options.  These recipes are a little more involved, but the flavors and ingredients are still very simple so the potatoes will still shine in all of their fresh-flavor glory!

Storage:  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.  If potatoes are stored in colder temperatures (such as your home refrigerator), the starches will convert to sugars which is not what we want in a potato (save that characteristic for sweet potatoes!)  So in a home setting, it’s best to store 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.

Additional Information:  As we progress through the season, you will be receiving more varieties of potatoes.  It’s important to know that some potatoes are classified as “waxy” while others are classified as “starchy,” or possibly a mix of the two classifications which we label “all-purpose.”  These classifications are assigned based on the type of starch that comprises the flesh of the potato and it’s important to choose the appropriate cooking method for each type.  Waxy potatoes are generally more moist and hold together better.  They are best used for roasting, boiling or steaming, and are a good choice for soups and potato salad.  I do not recommend mashing them because they usually become sticky and pasty.  This week’s variety is a waxy potato.  Starchy potatoes tend to be more dry and fluffy.  This is a variety of potato appropriate for mashing as well as for making roasted potatoes, pan frying, etc.  Starchy potatoes are also useful in soups, but they’ll likely fall apart which is actually good for thickening.  As we progress throughout the season, make sure you read the “What’s In the Box” portion of the newsletter each week as we’ll give you information about the specific potato varieties as we deliver them so you’ll know the best ways to prepare and enjoy them.  In the meantime, enjoy the fresh flavor and creamy texture of these freshly dug new potatoes!

Frittata with New Potatoes & Summer Vegetables

Photo from Heidi Swanson's
Super Natural Every Day

Yield:  8 servings

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil or melted clarified butter, plus more for drizzling

2 small onions, chopped 

8 oz new potatoes, unpeeled, sliced into paper thin rounds

2 shallots, chopped

Fine-grain sea salt, to taste

8 oz seasonal vegetables, such as summer squash or broccoli, cut into ½-inch pieces

10 large eggs, well beaten

¼ cup crumbled goat or feta cheese

Small bunch of chives, chopped

1. Heat the oil in a heavy ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Stir in the onions, potatoes, half of the shallots, and two big pinches of salt.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are just cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the seasonal vegetables and cook for another minute or two, until they soften up a bit.  Set aside half of this mixture on a plate.
2. Whisk ½ tsp salt into the eggs and pour the eggs into the skillet.  Cook over medium-low heat until the eggs are just set and there isn’t a lot of liquid in the pan, about 5 minutes.  To facilitate this, run a spatula underneath the perimeter of the frittata and tilt the pan so the uncooked eggs run to the underside.  The key is to avoid browning on the bottom.  Top with the reserved vegetable mixture and sprinkle with the cheese and the remaining shallot. 
3. Place under a broiler (a low setting will give you more control, if you have that option) for a couple minutes, or just until the top or the frittata is puffed up and set.  Resist the urge to walk away---the frittata can go from perfect to burned in just a few seconds.  Remove from the broiler and let sit for a minute or two.  Sprinkle with the chives, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and serve warm or at room temperature, right out of the pan.

Recipe borrowed from Heid Swanson’s book, Super Natural Every Day.

Note from Heidi Swanson:  “Frittatas.  For years I started them on the stovetop, then finished in a hot oven—a perfectly acceptable approach.  But it wasn’t until I began to finish my frittatas under the broiler that they became exceptional.  The eggs puff up and stay light and the toppings brown and crisp perfectly, while the frittata bottom escapes scorching.  An added bonus is this approach takes less time.”

Broccoli & New Potato Gribiche

Yield:  6 servings

Photo from Heidi Swanson's
Super Natural Every Day

Sauce Gribiche is a classic French sauce consisting of a thin mayonnaise like base accented with capers and sometimes cornichons along with fresh herbs.  It may be served with a variety of dishes and foods, but is often used to dress fresh vegetables such as steamed green beans or new potatoes.  In this recipe, Heidi adapts this classic sauce just a bit and uses it to dress roasted new potatoes and broccoli.

1 ½ pounds new potatoes, unpeeled

½ cup plus 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Fine-grain sea salt, to taste

12 oz broccoli florets

4 large eggs, hard cooked and peeled

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon-style mustard

1 Tbsp capers, chopped

2 shallots, minced*

3 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs including parsley, chervil, chives and/or tarragon

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F with two racks in the top and middle of the oven.
2. If the potatoes are small, you can leave them whole, otherwise cut into pieces no larger than your thumb.  Use your hands to toss the potatoes with 1 Tbsp of the olive oil, sprinkle with a big pinch of salt, and turn out onto a baking sheet.  Roast until they are cooked through and starting to brown, about 30 minutes.  About 15 minutes before you think the potatoes are done, toss the broccoli with 1 Tbsp of the olive oil, sprinkle with salt, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the oven as well.  You are aiming to have the potatoes and broccoli finish cooking at (roughly) the same time.   
3. To made the dressing, mash just the yolk of one of the hard-cooked eggs in a medium bowl.  Very, very slowly add the remaining ½ cup olive oil, beating constantly;  the dressing should look smooth and glossy.  Whisk in the vinegar, then the mustard.  Stir in the capers, shallots, herbs, and ¼ tsp salt.
4. Coarsely chop the remaining eggs and egg white, and fold them into the dressing.  Put the warm potatoes and broccoli in a large bowl and gently toss with three-quarters of the dressing.  Taste, adjust the flavors, and add more dressing, if needed.  Serve turned out onto a platter or in a bowl.

*May substitute any other onion variety for the shallots.

Recipe borrowed from Heidi Swanson’s book, Super Natural Every Day.