This Week's Delivery Saturday August 27, 2011

Thanks again to everyone who helped man the CSA pickup last Saturday as well as those of you who came out to Discovery Woods to help with our Farm Project!

See you this weekend for pick up before the storm!

Store In The Fridge:

Eggplant - Retreat Farm
Melon(Charentais or Stripe)- Worley Farm

Store In A Cool Dry Place:

Yukon Gold Potatoes - Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables
Zucchinis - Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables
Yellow Peaches - Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables
Roma Tomatoes - Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables
German Garlic - Path Valley Farms

Also Available:

Medium Eggs: $2.50/dozen

Large Eggs: $4.00/dozen

Kombucha: $6/750 ml

Please return bottles and jars by placing them on the table by the sign in sheet.

Recipes and Information

Aioli

(use your garlic and egsg!)

• or 3 fresh garlic cloves, peeled and chopped. (If they've started to sprout, don't use them for aioli.)
• Large pinch coarse sea or kosher salt
• 1 egg yolk*, at room temperature
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2/3 cup pure olive oil (not extra virgin)
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

Place garlic and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, or in a blender. Pulse for 2 seconds. Add the egg yolk and lemon juice, and pulse on and off until blended. Turn on and begin adding the olive oil (pure first, then extra-virgin) in a thin stream. If it becomes too thick, thin it out with some room-temperature water and continue adding oil until you've used it all. Finish with pepper and (if necessary) a bit more salt.

The reason for using 2/3 pure olive oil is to keep the flavor of the oil from becoming overpowering. This is a perfect example of how by using a fully-flavored extra virgin oil you can use much less, thereby saving money and getting better flavor.

Peach Cooler Recipe

1 oz fresh Peach Puree

1 1/2 oz fresh Orange Juice

1 oz Simple Syrup

5 oz Club Soda

optional – 1 oz Gin & dash of peach bitters (this spiked version will be a hit with the 21 & over crowd!)

1. Peel, pit, and core out the peach’s rough pit flesh. Puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. (If your peach isn’t super ripe and juicy & won’t puree very easily, add a touch of OJ to help it out.)

2. (optional) If you aren’t sure you’re puree is super smooth, strain through a wire mesh strainer.

3. Put a few ice cubes in a glass, add the peach puree, OJ, and simple syrup. (If you don’t have simple syrup, you can add @ 1 t sugar, or more to taste, and mix with the OJ to dissolve it.)

4. Slowly pour the club soda along the inside wall of the glass, then gently stir everything to combine. Garnish with a slice of peach and a sprig of thyme if you want to get fancy.

Cucumber and Zucchini Carpaccio Salad Recipe
A perfect elegant summer salad from Cristina Ferrare’s Big Bowl of Love cookbook. Serves 4-6.

• 1/4 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 T fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 T Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 T finely chopped fresh Mint
• 2 t finely chopped fresh Dill
• 1 T finely chopped Italian Parsley
• 2 Zucchini, sliced paper thin
• 2 Cucumbers, sliced paper thin
• 1/2 t Kosher or Sea Salt
• 1/2 c crumbled Feta Cheese
• 1/4 c finely chopped, roasted Walnuts
• fresh cracked Black Pepper

1. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, rice wine vinegar, mint, dill, and Italian parsley in a medium bowl and whisk together to combine. Set aside.
2. Arrange sliced zucchini and cucumbers on a large platter, alternating zucchini slices with the cucumber slices.
3. Sprinkle slices lightly with kosher salt. Drizzle 3 T of dressing over the slices. Sprinkle with crumbled feta, walnuts, and fresh cracked black pepper.
4. Serve immediately. (If you are not going to serve right away, do not dress slices with vinaigrette yet. Wait until you are about to set then add dressing at last moment.)

with thanks,

christy and tom

This Week's Delivery Saturday August 20, 2011

Welcome back after a week of vacation! Thanks to all of you who volunteered to cover a shift this week. We have the day completely covered and some of you will also be joining us at Discovery Woods for our Crop Mob work day!

Please continue to let us know you will be out of town by Wednesday of the week you'll be gone. We continue to have a number of excess bags each week.

Here's what we've got going on this week:

Please return Kombucha and Yogurt Bottles.

In addition to shares we have

Medium Eggs* (smaller and cheaper) at $2.50 a dozen- *please go by Farmer-Attached label that says medium

Kombucha $6.00 for 750 ml- Glad to see so many of your trying it!

Checks can be made out to Tom or Christy Przystawik or pay cash, leave money in the provided box.

And in your bags this week:

Store In the Fridge:

Bell Peppers - Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables

Fennel - Path Valley Farms

Peaches - Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables

Jalapenos - Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables

Store In A Cool Dry Place:

Vine Ripe Tomatoes - Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables

Walla Walla Onions - Whipple Farm

Recipes and Information

Fennel Baked in Milk

1 medium bulb fennel, fronds reserved

1 1/3 cups milk

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. unsalted butter

1/4 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper,

to taste

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Heat oven to 475°. Remove tough outer layer of fennel. Halve bulbs lengthwise and

cut into 1⁄2" wedges. Combine fennel, milk, and 2

tbsp. butter in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring

occasionally, until fennel is just tender, 30–45 minutes. Add

fennel seeds and season with salt and pepper. Using a slotted spoon, transfer fennel

to a 2-quart oval baking dish; pour 1 cup of the

milk mixture over fennel. Sprinkle with Parmesan, dot with remaining butter, and

bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 20

minutes. Serve fennel garnished with some of the fronds.

Cabbage and Fennel Coleslaw

If you're a fennel fan (that alone is fun to say), you'll love this easy and delicious

coleslaw. To me, plain old cabbage slaws are too often

boring, drenched in mayo, or both. This version has the lovely sweet crispness of

fennel and the creaminess of Greek yogurt. For best

results, allow it to macerate a bit in the fridge before the final dressing.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

• 1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked white rice (starting from about 3/4 to 1 cup raw white rice)

• 4 to 6 bell peppers (red, yellow, or green), use 4 large, or 6 medium sized

• 1 to 1 1/4 lb of ground beef (ground chuck, 16% fat)

• 6 large fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil)

• 1/2 teaspoon dry summer savory

• 1/2 teaspoon ground marjoram (or 2 teaspoons of fresh chopped)

• (Can substitute herbs with other herbs such as an Italian herb mix)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• Paprika

1 If you haven't already made the rice, start cooking the rice following the package

instructions (usually 1 cup of raw white rice plus 1 1/2

cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and

cook for 15 minutes.)

2 Cut the tops off of the bell peppers. Remove and discard (compost) the stem and

seeds. Place bell peppers cut side up on a steaming

rack over an inch of water in a large covered pot. Bring to boil, let steam for 10

minutes.

3 Heat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl mix together the ground beef, basil, summer

savory, marjoram, salt, several turns of black

pepper, and rice.

4 Remove bell peppers from steamer pan. Place cut side up in a pyrex or other oven-

proof casserole. Gently stuff the peppers with the

ground beef rice mixture. Drizzle olive oil over the stuffed peppers, along the outside of

the peppers, and into the pan. Rub the oil over

the outside of the peppers; it will help with browning. Sprinkle the tops generously

with paprika.

5 Place on middle rack and cook for 35-50 minutes, or longer, until the meat is cooked

through.

with thanks,

christy and tom

This Week's Delivery Saturday August 6, 2011

Welcome Back! Couple of things:

1. One of our farmers that Tom mentioned last week, Barry Argento of Papa's Orchard, is still very seriously ill and in the hospital. We tried to meet up with his son at the West End Farmer's market last Sunday to find out how he was but his son was unable to make it to the market. We cannot tell you how much we really have come to love Barry and we are especially sad about his illness. Daniel, one of our CSA Members, so graciously suggested that we have a card out on the pick up table for folks to sign. What a wonderful and loving idea! So tomorrow, if you are so inclined, please take a moment to sign Barry's card so that he knows how much is loved.

2. Our family is vacationing after tomorrow night so we will not have CSA pick up on Saturday August 13th. Please make a note of this so you don't show up to a closed garage:)

3. Thirteen people did not pick up last week. Please let us know by Wednesday if you cannot pick up your share. This way will not spend the money to order that much food. As you know, it is not inexpensive.

4. If you have kombucha or yogurt jars please return them so that we can avoid charging a deposit in the future.

Store In the Fridge

Slicing Cucumber - Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables

Patty Pan Squash - Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables

Peaches White or Yellow - Weakley Farms or Yowell Farms

Store In A Cool Dry Place

Tomatillos - Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables

Red Roma Tomatoes - Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables

Walla Walla Onions - Whipple Farms

Also Available:

Kombucha- $6 for 750ml bottle

Eggs- $4/dozen

Recipes and Information

Tomatillos-

The tomatillo vegetable is surrounded by an inedible, paper-like husk formed from the calyx. As the fruit matures, it fills the husk and can split it open by harvest. The husk turns brown, and the fruit can be any of a number of colors when ripe, including yellow, red, green, or even purple. Tomatillos are the key ingredient in fresh and cooked Latin American green sauces. The freshness and greenness of the husk are quality criteria. Fruit should be firm and bright green, as the green colour and tart flavor are the main culinary contributions of the fruit. Purple and red-ripening cultivars often have a slight sweetness, unlike the green- and yellow-ripening cultivars, and are therefore somewhat more suitable for fruit-like uses like jams and preserves. Like their close relatives cape gooseberries, tomatillos have a high pectin content.

Tomatillo plants are highly self-incompatible (two or more plants are needed for proper pollination; thus isolated tomatillo plants rarely set fruit).

Cooked Tomatillo Chile Sauce

1 lb tomatillos, husked and washed

2 jalapeños

6 sprigs chopped cilantro

1/2 cup onions chopped

1 cloves chopped garlic

1 T oil

2C quart chicken or vegetable broth, or water

Boil tomatillos and jalapenos for 10 – 15 minutes. Drain.

Blend in foodprocessor with cilantro, onion and garlic. Not too smooth.

Heat oil in pan. Add sauce all at once and cook 4 – 5 minutes. Sauce should get darker. Add broth or water and simmer 10 minutes until thicker.

Chef Tom's Fresh Tomato Salsa

2C Fresh ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced

1/2C Onion(red, white or yellow) chopped fine

1 Chile Pepper, chopped fine

2 Tablespoons Cilantro, chopped

1 Tablespoon Salt

Juice of 1 Lime(optional)

Mix everything together and let site for about half an hour. If you like salsa a little more tangy - add the lime juice. Sometimes the tomatoes have enough acidity on their own.

Enjoy with tortilla chips, scrambled eggs, fish, pork chops, also delicious on top of hummus!

with thanks,

christy and tom