Tag: organic produce

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Not Until You Eat Your Veggies!

Those beets we keep sending in the boxes…do they just sit in the corner of the veggie drawer for weeks until they are limp and wilted, good for nothing except the compost heap, all because nobody will eat them if you fix them? Customers will tell us, “Um, beets? NO one in our household will eat them besides me!” Now, growing up I didn’t like things like beets, kale, or other green things either. For me, the only thing to do with beets was paint my plate, lips and face with them, until my mom caught sight of it and then I still had to eat them, which I did with great reluctance. (As a child, I discovered that if you plug your nose when eating foods you can’t stand, you can’t taste them as well so they’re easier to swallow!) My sister, however, loved beets and sometimes she was nice enough to eat mine for me. Today, I eat beets, along with many other veggies, probably largely due to my mother’s persistence in getting me to eat my veggies.

Good food should be something one enjoys! Often, certain veggies are an acquired taste and it takes time before we are to the point of enjoying them. If your family has recently made the switch to healthy eating, the transition of changing your diet to one that includes home-cooked meals with more fresh vegetables can be a bit of a challenge.
A balanced diet is important when it comes to your personal health but it can be doubly important in children. What your child is eating now is laying the foundation for later in life, and your behavior and attitude about food is making an impression on them every time you sit down at the dinner table.
For a three-year-old, a plate of veggies may not seem very exciting. Changing perception can go a long way in getting your children to eat healthy and balanced meals. A plate of veggies that is colorful and topped with a homemade cheese sauce can be very fun. Incorporating the flavors s/he is familiar with and enjoys may be the difference between food introduction failure and success, and first impressions are very important when it comes to introducing new foods.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! This rings true in the food world. Remember, taste buds do change over time. Also, by trying different ways of serving up the veggies, they may finish the entire serving the second or third time, despite having a declared hatred for it! The secret is to either make the vegetables tasty or go completely unnoticed. Serving up veggies on their own may not be that appetizing, but as soon as you throw a good dressing into the mix or pile them into a tasty casserole, you can enjoy watching as they are happily devoured!

Consider grating or chopping veggies to make them go unnoticed. Broth-based soups are a nutritional wonder and when puréed many things that have difficult textures are easier to swallow.
In summary, when it comes to changing your family’s eating habits, Moms, you are the ones who make it happen. You are changing your families’ futures for the better, and doing an awesome job!

Cheers!
Marty, for the Klesick Family Farm

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Summer Squash Recipes

Squash and Zucchini Burritos

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Squash-and-Zucchini-Burritos/Detail.aspx
By: HSICO
“An easy recipe to throw together with your summer squash. Can be tailored to your tastes and fresh vegetables on hand. Great new way to use up summer squash from your garden or farmer’s market. You can add fresh chopped cilantro to mixture before spooning into tortillas for a stronger flavored dish. Serve with sour cream, avocado, or salsa. ”
Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 zucchini, shredded
• 1 large yellow squash, shredded
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup green salsa
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 (8 ounce) package Mexican style shredded cheese blend, divided
• 6 burrito-size flour tortillas
• 1 (8 ounce) package Mexican style shredded cheese blend
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×12-inch baking dish.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the zucchini, yellow squash, and red bell pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the zucchini and squash are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the black beans, green salsa, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir the filling until it thickens, 5 to 8 more minutes.
3. Divide one of the packages of Mexican-style cheese among the tortillas. Spoon zucchini-squash filling into each tortilla, over the cheese, in a line down the center. Roll up the tortillas, and place them into the prepared baking dish with the seam sides down.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are heated through, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the other package of shredded cheese over the tortillas before serving.

Summer Squash Gratin Recipe

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/summer-squash-gratin-recipe.html
Be sure to slice your potatoes as thin as possible. They get all melty and creamy. Slice them too thick and you’ll have trouble cooking them through because the zucchini cooks up more quickly. I use a box grater to shred the cheese here (as opposed to a micro-plane) – you get heartier, less whispy pieces of cheese which is what you want here. I’d also strongly recommend homemade bread crumbs here (see asterisk below).
zest of one lemon

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds summer squash or zucchini, cut into 1/6th-inch slices
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups fresh whole wheat bread crumbs*
1/2 pound waxy potatoes, sliced transparently thin
3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese, grated on a box grater (or feta might be good!)
Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F degrees and place a rack in the middle. Rub a 9×9 gratin pan (or equivalent baking dish) with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with lemon zest, and set aside.
Place the zucchini slices into a colander placed over a sink, toss with the sea salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes (to drain a bit) and go on to prepare the oregano sauce and bread crumbs.
Make the sauce by pureeing the oregano, parsley, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes, and olive oil in a food processor or using a hand blender. Set aside.
Make the breadcrumbs by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes until the butter is wonderfully fragrant, and has turned brown. Wait two minutes, then stir the breadcrumbs into the browned butter.
Transfer the squash to a large mixing bowl. Add the potatoes and two-thirds of the oregano sauce. Toss until everything is well coated. Add the cheese and half of the bread crumbs and toss again. Taste one of the zucchini pieces and add more seasoning (salt or red pepper) if needed.
Transfer the squash to the lemon-zested pan, top with the remaining crumbs, and bake for somewhere between 40 and 50 minutes – it will really depend on how thinly you sliced the squash and potatoes – and how much moisture was still in them. You don’t want the zucchini to go to mush, but you need to be sure the potatoes are fully baked. If the breadcrumbs start to get a little dark, take a fork and rake them just a bit, that will uncover some of the blonder bits. Remove from oven, and drizzle with the remaining oregano sauce.
Serves about 8 as a side.
*To make breadcrumbs cut the crust off 2-3 day old artisan bread. Tear into pieces the size of your thumb, and give a quick whirl in the food processor. I don’t like my breadcrumbs too fine – and tend to leave the pieces on the large size – more like little pebbles than grains of sand.

Chicken and Summer Squash

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/chicken-and-summer-squash/Detail.aspx
By: KMSMOKEY
“Great summertime recipe! The contrasting colors of the summer squash make this dish pleasing to the eye and the palate.”
Ingredients
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3/4 pound yellow squash, sliced
• 3/4 pound zucchinis, sliced
• 1 medium tomato – peeled, seeded and chopped
Directions
1. In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter in the oil over medium high heat. Season chicken with half of the salt and half of the pepper, and add it to skillet. Cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to large plate or platter, and cover to keep warm.
2. Pour off fat from skillet, and add squash, zucchini, and tomato. Season with remaining salt and pepper. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until squash is slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat, and return chicken to skillet. Cover partially. Cook until squash is soft, and chicken is white throughout but still juicy, about 5 minutes longer.
3. Transfer chicken to platter, and cover with foil to keep warm. Raise heat to high. Cook vegetable mixture, stirring often, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Arrange vegetables around chicken, and serve.

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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!

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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

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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

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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