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Fresh this week 09.14.2010

Gala Apples:
A superb dessert apple that is excellent for fresh eating and baking! Enjoy them raw, cooked, roasted or in vegetable platters.

How to store:

To store, keep apples as cold as possible in the refrigerator. Apples do not freeze until the temperature drops to 28.5 degrees F.

Green Bell Peppers
Bell peppers add fresh flavor and splashes of color to raw and cooked dishes. They’re also great sources of vitamins A and C.

How to Store:

Refrigerate peppers unwashed (moisture speeds decay) in a plastic bag in the vegetable drawer. Red and yellow peppers will last up to 5 days; green, about a week

Arrugula (Also called Roquette)
Arrugula adds spicy accents to dishes far beyond Italian. Arrugula is used in Italian dishes and with many foods containing olives, garlic, tomatoes & peppers. It’s leaves are zesty and when harvested before fully mature make a great addition to salads.

How to store:
Place the bunch, or the loose leaves, in a plastic bag in the refrigerator’s vegetable drawer, where they’ll last up to 3 days.

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Fresh this week 9.07.2010

STARKRIMSON PEARS:

The Starkrimson pear has a beautiful full red color and a very juicy, sweet and floral flavor. Make a display of these in a fruit bowl; they are as beautiful as fresh cut flowers. But when you eat them you might want to lean over the kitchen sink because they are so juicy and sweet!! Their sweet floral flavor also compliments strong cheeses. Together with goat cheese or blue cheese they really dress up a salad.

These herald the first of the pear harvest and will likely need to ripen a few days before use.

To hurry the ripening process, keep pears at room temperature, each piece individually wrapped in paper, or enclosed in a paper bag ventilated with a few holes. Check them with some frequency. Pears ripen from the inside out. Looks can be deceiving so test the stem end for that slight “give” to tell you when the pear is ready. Ripe pears  should also be slightly fragrant. Ripe pears should be stored in the refrigerator. See the recipe on the back of the newsletter for Ashley Rodriguez’s delicious Sautéed Pears with Toffee Sauce, an excellent way to enjoy this crisp pear.

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CILANTRO:

Store: Wrapped loosely in plastic, cilantro will keep in the refrigerator for one week as long as the leaves are not wet. If the leave become wet (don’t wash them until you are ready to use them) they will quickly spoil. Rinse cilantro well before using as it may have soil or grit clinging to its leaves and stems.

Prep: When you are ready to use cilantro, take the whole bunch holding onto the stems and dunk it into a bowl or sink of cool water. Gently swish back and forth to rid the leaves of any sand or grime.

Shake cilantro well to remove excess water, then pat dry with a towel.

Begin slicing through stems with your chef’s knife. Slice off only as much as you need; the unused portion will last longer uncut

Holding your knife’s tip steady on the board while you rock the blade back and forth, finely chop cilantro. Take care not to over-chop, or cilantro will turn black.

Wrap unused cilantro in damp towels used to dry off the washed cilantro and place inside a resealable plastic bag. Your herbs will last three to five days in the refrigerator, as long as you keep the towel slightly damp.

Use cilantro in fresh salsas, southwest dishes, add it to beef or meat filling in a taco or burrito. Use as a marinade to spice up meat dishes. Cilantro is also used in many delicious Asian dishes, salads, dressings, and soups.

For a simple and delicious guacamole recipe featuring cilantro, go to http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/cilantro-lime-guacamole.aspx

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AVOCADOS:

Store: avocadoes should be sotred at room temperature to allow them to ripen to their desired stage. Place in a brown paper bowl or in your fruit basket to ripen them.  When ripe they need to be used with in a day or two.

Prep: To peel, grip the avocado gently on one side with one hand. With a large, sharp knife in the other hand, cut the avocado lengthwise around the seed. Open the two halves to expose the pit. At this point there are a few ways you can proceed to remove the pit from the avocado half that has the pit. One way is to make another cut, lengthwise on the avocado half that has the pit, cutting around the pit, exposing it so that it is easier to remove. You can also use a spoon to scoop out the pit.

At this point, you can either scoop out the avocado flesh with a spoon (for making guacamole), or slice the avocado into segments. To make it more easy to scoop out the avocado flesh, take a small dinner knife and gently make cuts in the avocado flesh in a cross-hatch pattern, careful not to break through the avocado peel. Then use a spoon to easily scoop out the avocado pieces. If you are making guacamole, don’t worry about slightly discolored or brownish sections. Scoop them up with the rest of the avocado to mash.

For step-bt step photos of this go to http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_cut_and_peel_an_avocado/

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Bean Recipes!!

Green Beans with New Potatoes

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/green-beans-with-new-potatoes-recipe/index.html
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Ingredients:
• 3 pounds fresh green beans
• 1/4 pound salt pork, sliced
• 1/4 cup bacon grease
• 2 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed
• 2 to 3 teaspoons House Seasoning, recipe follows
• 12 small red potatoes
• 1 onion, cut into slivers
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, sliced
• Ground black pepper
Directions
Remove the ends from the beans. Snap the beans in 2 pieces, place into a colander, wash, and set aside to drain.
Meanwhile, in a large cast iron Dutch oven, lightly brown the salt pork in the bacon grease over medium heat, turning often, for approximately 10 minutes. Toss the green beans into the pot, stirring them with a wooden spoon to coat well with the pork fat. Add the broth and House Seasoning. Cook over medium-low heat, covered tightly, for approximately 30 minutes, or until the beans are half done.
While the beans are cooking, peel a center strip from each new potato with a potato peeler. At the end of 30 minutes, add the potatoes and onion to the beans; add 1/4 cup more broth, if needed. Cook, covered tightly, until the potatoes are tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes, periodically checking the pot to make sure a small amount of liquid remains. When the potatoes are tender, tilt the lid slightly, off to the side of the pot, and continue to cook until the green beans are wilted, approximately 15 minutes. While cooking, add the butter and season with pepper.
House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Green and Yellow Bean Salad with Chunky Tomato Dressing and Feta Cheese

Yellow wax beans in the salad complement a traditional green bean salad nicely. If wax beans are unavailable, use extra green beans in their place.

Ingredients
• 3/4 pound wax beans, trimmed
• 3/4 pound green beans, trimmed
• 2 cups chopped tomato
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
Preparation
Cook beans in boiling water 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Combine the tomato and next 4 ingredients (tomato through pepper) in a bowl. Divide the beans evenly among 8 plates. Spoon 1/4 cup tomato mixture over the beans. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sliced basil and 1 tablespoon cheese.

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Potato Salad Recipe's From Contest Winners

The Potato Salad Recipe contest is over! Thank you to everyone who participated; we truly enjoyed all of your great recipe ideas. We have picked our winners and
recommend you try them out for yourself for this Labor Day weekend!

From: Laura Strzelec:

“Those who don’t appreciate traditional potato salads will find much to enjoy in this recipe. Potato salads were never a favorite dish of mine – until I tasted this one. Wonderful things often come together – this recipe was shared with me by the same good friend who introduced me to the Klesick Family Farm. This recipe also provides a great incentive to keep my herb garden healthy.”

Herbed Potato Salad

serves 4 to 6

2 lbs. small red potatoes, cut in 1-inch cubes
2 T. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. chopped fresh oregano
1 T. chopped fresh chives
1 T. chopped fresh basil
3/4 t. salt
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. diced red onions

Steam potatoes 12-14 minutes, until tender. Whisk vinegar, oil, Dijon, herbs, salt and pepper. While potatoes are still warm, toss with dressing and onions. Cool and serve.

From: Kristy Black

Ingredients:

5lbs red skin potatoes
4 Scallions
6 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled
2 tbsp of Chives
1 tsp dill
1/2 tsp celery seed
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Dice up potatoes into bite size pieces and boil until tender. Drain and set aside.

Chop up scallions, dill and chives (if using fresh herbs, dried are perfectly acceptable).

Whisk sour cream, sugar and vinegar together. Then add scallions, herbs and crumbled bacon. Once potatoes have cooled mix in with dressing and add salt and pepper to taste. Have it cool in the fridge at least one hour prior to serving as to allow flavors to “marry”. I sometimes add shredded cheddar cheese as well.

I will be honest, I am guessing at measurements here as I usually just eyeball everything. This is requested all the time by friends and family. Hope you enjoy as well!

From: Kelly Cooney

I made this a couple of weeks ago with the amazing fresh peas and potatoes in our box, and chives from the garden!
Yum! It is an adaptation of a recipe from epicurious.com

Potato and Pea Salad with Chive Aioli:
• 3 pounds small red-skinned new potatoes, unpeeled (can substitute with other types of potato as available)
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups fresh green peas, shelled
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 25 minutes. Drain; cool. Cut potatoes into quarters. Transfer to large bowl; add vinegar and toss to coat. Mix in celery and peas.
Whisk mayonnaise, 5 tablespoons chives, mustard, garlic, and cayenne pepper in small bowl to blend. Add to potato mixture and toss. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cover and chill at least 1 hour to allow flavors to blend. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon chives and serve.

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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 Fall Festival Schedule of Events

Schedule of Events
10:00 Binding Oats
10:00 Hay rides all day long (except during tractor slow race)
10:15 Raffle
10:30 Farm Walk with Tristan
11:00 Raffle, Potato Digging
11:30 Threshing
12:00 Raffle
12:30 Farm Games: Obstacle Course, Tug-of-War, Balloon Toss, Sack Race
1:00 Raffle & Tractor Slow Race
1:30 Potato Digging
2:00 Raffle, Farm Walk with Tristan
2:30 Threshing
3:00 Raffle
4:00 The End
Thank you for coming!
Schedule is subject to change

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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