Hello All!

Week 6 CSA box has been delivered! And the contents in this box are looking different than the last few weeks. Less spring greens and more summer time produce. 

This week in your box you’ll find: Zucchini, cucumber, yellow onions, bag-o-green beans, parsley and kale. These are all on our top 10 list to eat fresh from the garden during the summer. Here’s a few of our favorite recipes....

Green Bean Casserole 

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Fresh Green Beans, Ends Cut Off
• 4 slices Bacon, Cut Into 1/4 Inch Pieces
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1/2 whole Large Onion, Chopped
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 4 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
• 2-1/2 cups Whole Milk
• 1/2 cup Half-and-half
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 jar (4 Ounce) Sliced Pimentoes, Drained
• Extra Milk For Thinning If Necessary
• 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

 Instructions

Cut green beans in half if you like pieces to be a little smaller.

Blanch the green beans: drop them into lightly salted boiling water and allow green beans to cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain beans once they're cool and set aside.

Add bacon pieces to a skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon for two minutes, then add diced onion and garlic and continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes, or until bacon is done (but not crisp) and onions are golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a separate skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle flour into the pan and whisk immediately to evenly mix it into the butter. Cook for a minute or two, then pour in milk and half and half. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, while sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne then add the grated cheddar. Stir while cheese melts. Turn off heat.

Add pimentos to pan, then add bacon/onion mixture. Stir to combine. Pour over green beans and stir gently to combine. Pour into a baking dish and top with panko crumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and panko crumbs are golden.

Sautéed Green Beans

1 lb green beans
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons bacon grease (can substitute 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt (can substitute regular table salt; use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon)
Ground black pepper

Snap the stem ends of green beans, or cut them off in a big bunch with a knife if you’d like. Melt bacon grease in a skillet over medium low heat. Add garlic and onions and cook for a minute. Then add green beans and cook for a minute until beans turn bright green. Add the chicken broth, chopped red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Turn heat to low and cover with a lid, leaving lid cracked to allow steam to escape. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until liquid evaporates and beans are fairly soft, yet still a bit crisp. You can add more chicken broth during the cooking process, but don’t be afraid to let it all cook away so the onions and peppers can caramelize.

Grilled Zucchini

• 6 whole Zucchini (medium Sized)
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 3 whole Lemons, Zested
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt (additional)
• Extra Olive Oil If Needed For Brushing

 Instructions

Lop off the tops and bottoms of the zucchini and slice them into quarters, lengthwise. Place them all in a very large (or two regular sized) plastic zipper bag. Drizzle in olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon lemon zest and the juice of two lemons. Seal the bag(s) and smush them around a bit so that the zucchini is coated. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes to marinate.

Prepare the indoor or outdoor grill to medium to medium-low heat. Grill the zucchini on all three sides until nice and tender, being careful not to burn them. Remove the zucchini to a plate as it gets done.

Pile up the rest of the lemon zest and sprinkle 1 tablespoon kosher salt on top. Use a knife to chop the salt and zest together until it becomes...well, lemon salt! Add more salt if it needs it. Sprinkle the lemon salt over the plate of grilled zucchini and serve.

Pan-fried Kale

• 1 whole Large Bunch Of Kale, Or 2 Regular Bunches
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 5 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1/2 Lemon, Optional

 Instructions

Thoroughly rinse the kale in cold water, soaking if necessary to remove grit. Tear the kale into chunks.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and quickly stir it around to avoid burning.

Throw in the kale and use tongs to move it around the skillet. Sprinkle in salt and pepper and continue cooking until slightly wilted but still crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove the kale to a plate and serve!

Option: Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the top.

Onion rings

1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup milk, or as needed

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

seasoned salt to taste

1 quart oil for frying, or as needed

Instructions

Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).

Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated; set aside. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then place on a wire rack to drain until the batter stops dripping. The wire rack may be placed over a sheet of aluminum foil for easier clean up. Spread the bread crumbs out on a plate or shallow dish. Place rings one at a time into the crumbs, and scoop the crumbs up over the ring to coat. Give it a hard tap as you remove it from the crumbs. The coating should cling very well. Repeat with remaining rings.

Deep fry the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Season with seasoning salt, and serve.

Happy 4th!!!!!!!

Happy 4th of July everybody! We hope you have a safe and wonderful day celebrating with your friends and family. In the spirit of patriotic reflection we hope you also celebrate your freedom to choose how you source your food, and our ability to grow and raise it for you!

So here's a few sweet Holiday weekend BBQ salad recipes!


Sweet and Sour Kale Salad

What you will need:
1 bunch of Kale
2 nectarines
1/4 lb. of dried cranberries
1/4 lb. pine nuts
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup organic apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
The key to any kale salad is to chop it as finely as possible, so spend some time chopping, it’s worth it!
Cut the nectarines into small chunks.
Add the pine nuts and cranberries
Add the olive oil and vinegar
Add some salt and pepper
Toss the salad and enjoy!

The great thing about kale is that it holds up a lot longer than lettuce once it’s dressed, so if your end up getting a late start to dinner the salad won’t be soggy…still delicious!




Salt and Vinegar Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients
5 cups water
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 malt vinegar, plus more for serving
Coarse salt
1 + 1/2 pounds potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan
1 teaspoon cornstarch
fresh black pepper

Instructions

In a large saucepan bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in both vinegars and 1 tbsp salt. Stir to dissolve the salt then add the potatoes and cover with a lid. Let sit 1 hour.
After an hour preheat over to 425F. Grease a large baking sheet with oil or line with parchment first then grease.
Drain potatoes and blot dry with paper towels. Add them to the baking sheet and sprinkle with cornstarch. Toss
Drizzle 2 tbsp of oil over top and massage into the potatoes with your hands. Spread them out in one layer and sprinkle generously with salt and lightly with pepper.
Bake 20 minutes then toss and spread out again. Bake 15-20 minutes more until for tender and lightly golden.
Serve with additional malt vinegar if desired.





 Kale Chips (Jamie’s favorite!!)

Heat your oven up to 425F, get the kale ready (washed, chopped into 1” squares, coated with olive oil and salted or seasoned). Spread out over a cookie sheet. Then the minute you put the kale into the oven turn the over OFF.
Let the kale sit in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Result: Delicious, perfect evenly cooked crisp kale chips. Nothing burned.

What is your favorite summer salad recipe?