Tag: Organic produce delivery
Klesick Family Farm Wheat Threshing
Watch two videos filmed by Tristan showing examples of Wheat Threshing at the Farm. To see a live demonstration of this make sure to come join us for our Old Fashioned Farm Day Festival this Saturday, August 21st from 10 AM – 4 PM!
Spinach
Spinach, prepare it right and they’ll eat it.
Spinach is a much maligned vegetable, but oh, so good for you. It is the prep work and cooking that makes for delicious spinach.
Children, almost universally, hate spinach.
Our ancestors grew spinach in their gardens right up until shortly before World War II, when canned vegetables became stylish. But in the 1950s, spinach came mainly in cans, and it tasted like it. It tasted like tin can. (Oh, the slime of it, the metallic taste that coated the mouth, the gagging goosh slithering down the throat, the repulsive yuck of it.) Then came along frozen spinach, which was marginally better, having as it does, almost no taste at all.
Fresh spinach? Who knew? Nowadays, fresh vegetables are both stylish and available, and, yes, if you prepare spinach right, they will eat it!
Spinach is extremely perishable and is best cooked within a few days of purchase. The proper cleaning of spinach is very important. Even people who love spinach do not like gritty spinach and gritty spinach is one reason many people do not use the vegetable fresh. Do not rinse it as if it were lettuce. Do not scrub it as if it were a potato.
Fill your kitchen sink with water. Take the whole head of spinach leaves in one hand. In a firm, all at once motion, twist off the stems with the other hand. Dump leaves into the sink and, while the spinach is cleaning itself, pluck off the remaining stems.
The spinach leaves will float on top of the water. Any dirt or grit or sand will sink to the bottom. Skim the spinach leaves off the water with a colander and let the dirty water out of the sink. Repeat the process.
Overcooked spinach is a second reason people don’t use it fresh.
To cook fresh spinach, dump the drained spinach into a pot. Leaving only the water clinging to the leaves from its wash, cover the pot and cook for 3-5 minutes. Spinach is a delicate leaf that cooks rapidly. If it is overcooked, it loses its tenderness and sweet flavor. It gains only in toughness and slime.
Drain the spinach and that’s it. Spinach does not like to be boiled. All of its goodness is lost to the cooking water. If you enjoy it sautéed in garlic and oil, let the raw spinach drain very well, then toss it into the hot oil and move it around for two minutes.
Yes, that’s all it takes.
And now recipe for people who don’t like spinach:
Spinach Balls
2 heads chopped, cooked (as above), fresh spinach, drained well
2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
1 large onion, chopped fine
6 beaten eggs
3/4 cup melted butter
½ cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon thyme
Mix all ingredients together and form into loose balls. Bake at 350 degrees on a greased cookie sheet about 20 minutes until spinach balls are brown. Serve as a side dish to fish, meat or chicken.
Eat your spinach; it tastes good!
Parmesan Spinach Cakes
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/parmesan_spinach_cakes.html
INGREDIENTS
12 ounces fresh spinach, (see Note)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese, or low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
2 large eggs, beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
PREPARATION
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Pulse spinach in three batches in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add ricotta (or cottage cheese), Parmesan, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper; stir to combine.
3. Coat 8 cups of the muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide the spinach mixture among the 8 cups (they will be very full).
4. Bake the spinach cakes until set, about 20 minutes. Let stand in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out onto a clean cutting board or large plate. Serve warm, sprinkled with more Parmesan, if desired.
TIPS & NOTES
Make Ahead Tip: Equipment: Muffin pan with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups
Note: Baby spinach is immature or young spinach—it’s harvested earlier than large-leaved mature spinach. We like the sturdy texture of mature spinach in cooked dishes and serve tender, mild-flavored baby spinach raw or lightly wilted. Baby and mature spinach can be used interchangeably in these recipes (yields may vary slightly); be sure to remove the tough stems from mature spinach before using.
Weights & Measures
10 ounces trimmed mature spinach=about 10 cups raw
10 ounces baby spinach=about 8 cups raw
Old Fashioned Farm Day!!!!
Potato Salad Recipe Contest
Think Canning!!
Summer is here and the local produce is coming on full swing! Unfortunately summer doesn’t last forever…take advantage of the opportunity and make up some delicious homemade salsa, tomato sauce, dill pickles, relish and canned or blanched & frozen green beans! You will be enjoying these savory veggies deep into winter, bringing warmth and memories of the summer sunshine! What’s more, this is a great way to ensure that the foods you feed your family don’t come out of aluminum cans, with ingredients you cannot pronounce, from sources outside the US. Once you taste homemade tomato sauce you will have a hard time going back to the store ever again!
You can even get the kids involved in preparing the veggies for the freezer or canning jar, nimble fingers are great at stemming green beans, and actually fit inside the canning jars! : )
Please contact us if you have any questions about quantities! We can often get case quantities of other produce items to you, ask!
Local Roma tomatoes: Ideal for making salsa, chutney, canning, and sauce! 25# box for $42
Local Green Beans, 10 lbs for $15.00
Local Pickling Cucumbers, 5 lbs for $7.00
Dill, $1.50/small bunch (it’s young so has no seeds, you will have to use dried Dill seeds in addition to-this is all we could get organically grown!)
http://www.klesickfamilyfarm.com/main/order-vegetables
Cauliflower Recipes
Skillet Cauliflower Gratin
INGREDIENTS
4 cups 1-inch cauliflower florets (about 1/2 large head)
1 1/2 cups nonfat milk, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat
3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
PREPARATION
Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.
Bring cauliflower, 1 1/4 cups milk and salt to a boil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup cheese and oil in a small bowl. Whisk flour and the remaining 1/4 cup milk in another small bowl until smooth; stir the mixture into the pan and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup cheese, chives, mustard and pepper. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Broil until the top is crispy and beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
Roasted Winter Vegetables with Cheesy Polenta
INGREDIENTS
4 cups cauliflower florets, (see Tip)
4 cups cubed peeled butternut squash, (1 1/2-inch chunks)
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
2/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 500°F.
Toss cauliflower, squash and onion in a large bowl with oil, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and salt. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring once, until tender and browned in spots, 25 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine broth and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in cornmeal, rosemary and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper until smooth. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until very thick and creamy, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in cheese; remove the polenta from the heat. Serve the vegetables over the polenta.
TIPS & NOTES
Tip: To prepare florets from a whole head of cauliflower, remove outer leaves. Slice off the thick stem. With the head upside down and holding a knife at a 45° angle, slice into the smaller stems with a circular motion—removing a “plug” from the center of the head. Break or cut florets into the desired size. To store, refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 5 days.
Roasted Cauliflower with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
INGREDIENTS
1 large head cauliflower, leaves trimmed
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/8 1/8 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon minced scallion greens
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
PREPARATION
Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
Cut cauliflower into quarters. Remove any extra woody core from the ends, but keep the quarters intact. Brush with 2 teaspoons oil and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Place cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet.
Roast the cauliflower for 15 minutes. Turn so the opposite cut sides are down. Continue roasting until tender, 15 to 20 minutes more.
Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, blue cheese, vinegar, water, scallion greens and pepper in a small bowl. Serve the roasted cauliflower drizzled with the vinaigrette.
Recipes provided by www.eatingwell.com
Fresh This Week Add-ons
The weather is beautiful and the produce tastes and looks amazing! We are very excited about this week’s add-ons. They are sure to make great additions to summer dishes.
Try this Summer Squash Casserole Recipe: Click Here
This Week’s Add-Ons
Fruit:
Pluots: $2.25/lb.
Blackberries! $3.50/pint.
Peaches, $5 for $3.75
Apricots, $0.60 ea.
Order Fruit: Click Here
Vegetables:
Summer Squash: $3.25/ 1.5lb
Sunburst Yellow Squash: $2.25/lb.
Zucchini: $2.00/lb.
Jalapeno Peppers, 0.25/lb. for $1.15, 0.5/lb. for $2.25
Cilantro, $1.00/bn.
Order Vegetables: Click Here
It is fair season!
Come on out to Stanwood and Silvana over the next few weeks. July 31st is the Silvana Community fair; it is free, fun and not commercialized. The following weekend August 6th,7th, and 8th is a
fun packed three
days with a carnival, farm animals, lots of vegetable and other homemade entries, music and vendors. Our farm sponsors and volunteers at the Franklin Hanson Threshing demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday, come by and visit.
Then on August 21st we host the Klesick family our old fashioned farm days. I love this day, a chance to connect with many of you directly. Our team is planning an incredible day of festivities, with farm Olympics and tug o wars (dads vs. the kiddos, dadsvs. the draft horses) and water balloon tosses. We have gunny sack races and hay rides, our own potato digging and historical farm demonstrations. Del Fox meats will be on hand serving some great food and we will have some summer fruit and veggies for sale as well.
Mark your calendars and come and experience the Stanwood area where
there are a whole lot of farmers and a whole lot of fun.
