Week 22 and now we're through

Hi everyone,
I can't believe another season has come and gone! Back in June, 22 weeks seemed like a pretty long run, but now it's here, and it feels like it just flew right by.
We had a great year on the farm, despite the difficult weather conditions, and we hope you enjoyed your vegetables! It was a pleasure growing them for you.
So we filled up the bags nice and heavy to finish things off, and here's what you have:
Green cabbage
Sweet peppers
Assorted onions
Red turnips (taste just like white turnips, just prettier :>)
Carrots
Fingerling potatoes
Collard greens
Butternut squash (smooth, oblong and tan)
Buttercup squash (small, round and warty)


I just want to say thanks for supporting a local, sustainable farm. The only way small farms survive and thrive is when people like you put your time and money into local agriculture. Hopefully, we returned your investment with delicious, beautiful, fresh vegetables; straight from the farm to your tables. So thank you all for your support! We couldn't do this without you!

So have a safe, happy and healthy winter, and hope to see you again next year!

All the best,
Sarah VanNorstrand
for Lucky Moon Farm

Here is a tasty recipe to try with your cabbage. I've left in the notes from the lady who sent it to us, as you might find them useful:

It really isn’t that hard, but with hot oil everything happens fast so you have to have everything all measured out and ready like  you’re on a cooking show.

“A Simple Cabbage Stir-Fry,” taken from “5 Spices, 50 Dishes,” by ruta kahate (a great Indian cookbook that is not too complicated)

¼ cup canola oil (I prefer olive oil and use about half that amount)

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon turmeric (YUM)

1 pound green cabbage, very thinly sliced

2 cloves peeled garlic, smashed with the side of a knife (I can never do this so I get the garlic in there whatever way works)

1 teaspoon salt (I don’t add any salt)

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (this is way too spicy for me so I use a fraction of this amount)

 

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat (I use a skillet and adjust the heat depending on the oil being used). When the oil begins to smoke (yeah right! I avoid smoking oil, so I always do the next step a little too soon), add the mustard seeds, covering with a lid or spatter screen (the idea is to pop the mustard seeds like popcorn without burning everything). After the seeds stop sputtering, (quick like a bunny) add the turmeric and sliced cabbage. Next add garlic, salt, and cayenne and toss well. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and steam until cabbage is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes (it takes way longer for me—probably because I slice the cabbage with a knife and don’t get it all that thinly sliced). Serve hot.

This is a yummy and interestingly different way to serve cabbage, once you get the proportions and zing adjusted to your individual taste. Good as leftovers too. Enjoy!

Week 21, One more to go!

Hi everyone,
I can't believe we only have one week left! The season has really flown by for me.
I hope you've enjoyed taking part in our CSA and have had a bounty of fresh vegetables all season long... We still have some nice goodies to wrap things up.

Here's what's in your bags:
Salad mix
Acorn squash
Delicata squash (yellow with greenish stripes)
Yellow and Red onions
Garlic
Kale
Beets
1 or 2 tomatoes (if they seem a bit pale or unripe, just let them sit on a counter or windowsill for a few days before using, and they should ripen up)
Green or Purple pepper
Red Maria potatoes
Bulb fennel

You can use the delicata right away, since they aren't the best keepers, but it's often best to let the acorns ripen for a few more weeks before eating- they get sweeter and smoother with time. But they are fine to cook if need be.

And for the fennel bulb, I don't have tons of experience, but there are lots of recipes online, and if you're not keen on licorice, give it a try anyways, as the flavor changes when cooked. It becomes quite mild and almost nutty-tasting. Here's one recipe that looked good: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_fennel/

And if you haven't tried roasting beets in the oven, make sure you give it a go. You can peel and cut up the beets before hand, or put them in there whole, and slip the skins off once cooked. Either way, it's much easier than boiling (and tastier, too!)

If you have any thoughts, comments or general feedback about your CSA experience, we'd love to hear them. We work very hard to provide a good food experience for our customers, but it helps us to get better if we know how things are on your end! Feel free to email me at sarah_ziegi at yahoo dot com  or email Lucky Moon at luckymoonfarm4976 at gmail dot com

Sarah V
for Lucky Moon Farm

Week 20 and October Harvest

Hi everyone,
The nights are getting just a touch of frost, and the trees are in their full glory- it's a beautiful time of year. It's been a bit wet and gloomy lately, but 'tis the season. I do love the late season vegetables, though. They have such substance and flavor!
Your bags this week include:
Red Cabbage
Spinach
Carrots- White Satin, Purple Haze and Yaya varieties, in white, purple and orange 
Snow Peas
Pie pumpkin
Tomatoes- I think we picked the last 150 pounds of them today; we're going to rip the vines out soon.
Parsley
Leeks

Lots of great meal possibilities! I'll include some recipes down below, but first: the pie pumpkin.

Now lots of people assume it's a terrible headache/mess to cook a pumpkin, but it's really not! I find it one of the more simple and satisfying cooking jobs of the season. If you want to see my more thought-through blog entry on this topic, click here.
But here's the basic method:
I usually make sure my pumpkin doesn't have any major dirt on it, but it doesn't have to be pristine, either. In the past, I've often cut my pumpkin in half and scooped out the seeds before baking it, but it's really ok to simply bake it whole after piercing it with a fork a few times to create steam vents. That's what I've been doing lately, and the only difference is it takes slightly longer, and scooping out the seeds is a little more difficult once the innards are all soft and cooked, but it is safer than cutting through a squash with a very tough rind while it's still raw.
If you do cut it in half first, I usually bake the sides face down in a glass casserole dish at 350 degrees for about an hour or so. It's best to do this on a day when you'll be around the house, since the baking time will vary on the particular squash or pumpkin and you'll want to check on it occasionally. Once the pumpkin is very soft and the skin is easily pierced by a fork, remove from the oven and let it cool for a while. Once it's comfortable to handle it, I get a spoon and scoop and scrape out all the great cooked pumpkin filling from the rind into a bowl. Depending on your squash, you might want to puree it in a blender or food processor, but most of the time, my pumpkins are smooth enough that all I have to do is mash it up a bit with a fork.
At this point, you have pumpkin puree ready to use in pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cake, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin soup (I could go on :>) OR you can put it all in some containers and freeze it once it's cooled off completely. Squash and Pumpkin freeze and thaw and refreeze very well, and keep their flavor quite well throughout the whole process, so save some for a day when you feel like baking!

So don't waste that beautiful pumpkin! Stick it in the oven, and I promise, it won't be a headache :>) Just great, tasty food to enjoy throughout the winter.

Now for some recipes:

Sauteed Spinach w/ Roasted Garlic, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Feta
Spinach (~10 oz)
3 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup sherry (I read that apple juice can be used as a substitute)
1/4 cup lemon juice
5 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup feta
salt & pepper to taste
1) Over medium heat, saute garlic and onions in olive oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
2) Add sun dried tomatoes, then add sherry and lemon juice and reduce by a third (about 3 minutes)
3) Add butter, and toss until it melts, then add the spinach. Cover and stir occasionally until slightly wilted and warm (about 3 minutes). Add feta and cook until slightly melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

And in case you still have that red cabbage from last week, here's a recipe from someone in the CSA that comes highly recommended!

Autumn Salad (serves 4)

4 tsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

2 tsp. honey

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

3 medium sweet-tart apples (Braeburn, Empire), quartered and thinly sliced crosswise

1 1/2 c. thinly sliced red cabbage

1/3 c. crumbled mild blue cheese

1/4 c. thinly sliced red onion

1/4 c. coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

Whisk oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper in large bowl. add remaining ingredients, tossing to combine.

(from Prevention, October 2010)

Cauliflower and Spinach Gratin
serves 8
1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
~ 10 oz fresh spinach
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs, divided
Alfredo sauce, ~ 13 oz
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Tbsp basting oil
1 Tbsp olive oil

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees, add cauliflower and spinach to a large bowl, season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup bread crumbs, alfredo sauce, mozzarella cheese. Mix well, set aside.
2) Make topping: Combine rest of bread crumbs and basting oil in a small bowl. Set Aside.
3) Grease baking 13x9 baking dish with olive oil, add vegetable cheese mixture to dish.
4) Bake 40 mins, uncovered, stirring halfway through baking time. Remove from oven, sprinkle with topping, return to oven and bake 15 mins, until topping is light golden brown.

Week 18

Hi everyone,
So I've been a little lax about the blog lately- sorry about that, but unfortunately, I don't foresee much improvement anytime soon. Between working at the farm, a second part-time job, keeping up with my own gardens and organizing a local dance festival coming up in a few weeks, I'm kinda swamped.
But I can at least post the week's veggies....
Here we go:
Salad Mix
Arugula
Red Marble Onions (Cipollini type)
Summer Squash
Beans
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Edamame (aka soybeans)
Eggplant
Purple Viking Potatoes (purple-pink skin with white flesh)
Spaghetti Squash (it really does look and taste a lot like spaghetti! I was skeptical, but it's true!)

For the edamame, the way I often cook and it is to boil the pods in salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender, then drain, salt and eat them right out of the shell. A very tasty snack. Andrew, my husband, eats whole platefuls of them at a time :>)

-you can also boil them, then shell them and use them in any dish that is nice with lima beans. I use them in a simple stew made of tomatoes, onions and corn. They're sweet and not too starchy.

Here's a link to another blog with some fun ideas for using edamame.

For spaghetti squash, and really any type of winter squash (the kind with a hard rind- like butternut, acorn, pie pumpkins, delicata, hubbard, etc), The basic method is to cut them in half, remove the seeds and stringy stuff right in the middle, then bake them face down in a casserole pan at 350 degrees until the flesh is tender. Spaghetti squash is supposed to be stringy; so stringy it looks like spaghetti, but most of the others will cook into a nice smooth puree.

Here's another blog with a tasty recipe for spaghetti squash-

That's what I've got this week-
Thanks!
Sarah VanNorstrand
for Lucky Moon Farm

CSA Week 16!

Hi Everyone,
Sorry I've been MIA for a couple of weeks- things have just been too busy to fit in a blog post. But I'll try to at least keep up with the veggie list even if I don't have time to write more!

So I'll get right down to it.
Your bags include:
Salad mix
Summer squash (enjoy it while it lasts!)
Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Red potatoes
Baby Bok Choy
Summer Savory (an herb, especially good with beans)
Yellow onions
Sweet Pepper
Carrots
Beans

The baby Bok Choy is really tender right now, and would be a great last second addition to a stir fry, but only cook it for a very short time! It won't need much.

We've had a bumper crop of peppers this year, and we've given out a lot of sweet peppers and a few hot ones as well. I really like the varieties we offer, but sometimes telling the hot from the sweet can be a little confusing, especially since a few of ours don't look their type.
So let me introduce you to our hot peppers:

 From left to right: 3 Hungarian Hotwax, ranging from yellow to orangey-red, 2 poblano peppers, 2 Jaluv an Attitude peppers (1 green, 1 red) and 1 Czech Black pepper

Hot peppers are rated according to the Scoville scale of hotness, named after Wilbur Scoville. You can see a nifty chart on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale

 Hungarian Hotwax, (rated 700-3,000 scovilles), range from yellow when less ripe, to a bright orange-red when fully mature. The hotness really varies-

 

The classic Poblano Pepper- this is the pepper most often used to make Chiles Rellenos. They range from 900 to 2,500 scovilles.

 

 From left to right, a green Jaluv an Attitude, a red Jaluv an Attitude, and a ripe Czech Black. The Jaluv an Attitudes are a cross between a chile and a jalapeno, and the heat is right about jalapeno level. The Czech Blacks, (which are black before they turn red) are just a little less spicy than a classic jalapeno.

To confuse matters, we have a few sweet peppers that are a little incognito: the three below are Cubanelle, Jimmy Nardello's and Carmen. Cubanelle isn't super sweet, but it's meant to be a fry pepper; especially good with onions. But just because they're red and pointy doesn't mean they're spicy!

 

cubanelle

Jimmy Nardello's

Carmen

 Hope this helps you enjoy your peppers without getting an unexpected surprise! Remember whenever working with hot peppers to use gloves, and be careful not to touch your eyes or face! It's really really not a fun experience... believe me. But they're oh so tasty once they're cooked up! I love hot peppers...

Well, that's it for tonight.

Sarah
for Lucky Moon Farm

Week 13, but it's not unlucky at Lucky Moon!

Hello,
Another week, another bag of lovely veggies.

I wish I was able to get this out sooner and that I wrote it not quite so late a night so I could be more coherent, but so it goes.

So it's late Thursday night, and you've probably figured out most of the veggies in your bags, but here's a list in case:
Broccoli
Summer Squash
Sweet Pepper (some are pointy and red, but they're still sweet!)
Cucumbers (this is probably it for the cucs- they've been hit with disease and didn't like the dry summer)
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Onions
Beans
Dill (good with fish, meat, soups, pickles, salads, couscous, quinoa, etc)
Carrots: white, orange and purple-striped ("White Satin, Shin Kuroda and Purple Haze" to be exact)

It's best to keep the broccoli, carrots, summer squash, cucs, beans and dill (and the pepper, if you're not going to use it right away) in the fridge, inside a tied plastic bag, preferably with a piece of paper towel in there with it to absorb extra moisture. We send stuff home to you with as little packaging as possible to save resources, but it's great if you can empty out those mesh bags at home and put the veggies that need it into a plastic bag and into the fridge as soon as possible. Your food will taste a lot better if you can take these little steps to create their ideal storage environment.
The tomatoes and onions are probably happiest on a counter top out of direct sun until you can use them.

Just a note that the garlic is really beautiful this year, and though you'll be getting more garlic through the CSA, Sue has some braided up for sale, and they look really nice. They make great gifts, and they're useful and delicious! Hard to beat that combination....

Thanks for supporting your local farms! We appreciate you-

Sarah VanNorstrand,
for Lucky Moon Farm

Week 12 Bounty

 Hi everyone,
So we're getting rain! Wahoo! It's such a relief at the farm- there's nothing like waking up in the morning to the delicious sound of a good, steady rain. The vegetables are really soaking it up, greening up, and putting out new growth. It's great!
Of course, not all the damage can be undone; for many of the crops, they needed rain at a certain period of their growth to bulk up, and they didn't get it. Crops like onions and potatoes were especially effected.  But luckily there are lots of other good things to go around.

For instance, your bags this week:
Broccoli
Eggplant
Sweet Bell Pepper
Hot Peppers (all mild-medium intensity)
Cucumbers
Summer Squash
Beans
Cilantro
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes

Lots of lovely veggies! And so many meal options-

Also, we've been spending a few of the wet, rainy days cleaning and braiding up the garlic that's been drying since mid-July. Sue makes some really beautiful 10-bulb braids and has them for sale at the farm right now for $16. The garlic is really top-quality, and the braids make excellent presents. I give a few away at Christmas, and I'm planning on using a braid as part of a wedding present for some friends of mine this weekend. Useful and aesthetically pleasing! I can also bring braids back to Manlius if anyone who picks up at my house is interested in buying one. Send me an email if you're interested: sarah_ziegi at yahoo dot com.

Sue's look nicer than this, but it was the closest I could find in a stock photo...

One CSA member told me that they're using their eggplant to make Baba Ganoush- (don't quote me on that spelling) but it's a super tasty Mediterranean dip or spread and it's awesome with pita. I'm sure there are tons of recipes online, but I'll let you do your own browsing.

Here's an interesting recipe- I haven't tried it, but if you're feeling adventurous:

Fresh Tomato Popover Pie- Kristen Byers
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
3 Tbsp oil, divided
2 medium tomatoes
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
2 tsp basil
2 C. shredded mozzarella (8 oz)
1/4 C. Parmesan
1 1/4 C. sliced mushrooms

To prepare crust:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat an ovenproof 8" skillet in the oven for 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix flour, milk and eggs until well blended. Remove skillet from the oven and add 1 Tbsp oil. Pour batter into skillet and bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 10 minutes more. Remove skillet from the oven and set aside. Crust should be puffed golden, then fall slightly as it cools.

To prepare filling:
Core and cut tomatoes into 1/4" slices, set aside.
In another large skillet, heat remaining 2 Tbsp of oil until hot. Add zucchini and cook until sightly softened, 1 - 2 minutes. Push to one side of skillet. Add mushrooms, then sprinkle veggies with basil and cook for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring frequently but still keeping mushrooms and zucchini separated. Remove from heat.

To assemble: preheat broiler
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the crust. Line the edge of the crust with tomato slices, overlapping slightly. Arrange zucchini and mushrooms in center of popover. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Broil 3 - 4 " from the heat for 1 - 2 minutes. Makes 4 -6 servings. 


All the best,
Sarah VanNorstrand
for Lucky Moon Farm

Week 11

Hello everyone,
We have nice heavy bags for you all this week! Full of lots and lots of great veggies-
Here's the breakdown:

Cucumbers
a little bit of salad mix
A whole assortment of summer squash
Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Beans
a variety of Basils
Red Onions
Swiss Chard
Eggplant or Sweet Peppers
Note: Although some of the peppers are long, red and pointy, they aren't hot- they're actually a variety of sweet pepper, though not one you would recognize from the grocery store. I'll always let you know if we give you hot peppers! 

We include a variety of green zucchinis, a bright orange/yellow zucchini, a few different varieties of yellow summer squash including long ones with green bottoms, crookneck squash, and patty pan, or little scallop summer squash. They all cook up about the same and have similar flavors, so feel free to mix and match!

Here are a bunch of recipes, and especially with a focus on summer squash/zucchini, since you're getting a lot of it right now. But it's only for a short season, so enjoy it! Savor it! One of my favorite tastes of summer...

1st, one for Swiss Chard:

Swiss Chard with Chick Peas (aka Garbanzo beans) and Fresh Tomatoes from Allrecipes.com Serves 4
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 shallot or small onion, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup chickpeas, drained
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch Swiss chard, rinsed and chopped
1 tomato, sliced
1/2 lemon, juiced

1) Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Stir in shallot/onion and scallions. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes until soft and fragrant. Stir in garbanzo beans, season with salt and pepper, and heat through.
2) Place chopped chard in the skillet, and cook until wilted. Add tomato slices, squeeze lemon juice over greens and heat through. Serve immediately.


Zucchini & Carrots with Walnuts
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 medium zucchini (or any summer squash)
2 large carrots, peeled
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

1)Toast the walnuts in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat (or in the oven- check your basic cookbook) stirring often, 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant. Tip out onto a plate and set aside. Wipe out the skillet.
2) Halve the zucchini lengthwise and cut the halves crosswise in two. Cut each piece into thin strips lengthwise. (I didn't write that- just copying from a recipe, I promise)
3) Use a vegetable peeler to cut long strips from the carrots (save the cores to use in another dish)
4) Heat the oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots and sprinkle with the thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, tossing often, for 3 minutes or until nearly tender. Add the zucchini and cook, tossing, for another 3-4 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with the walnuts.


Zucchini Cakes w/ Chutney from Flat Belly Diet cookbook
4 servings
2 lbs shredded zucchini
6 scallions, thinly sliced (or onion)
1 egg
1 tsp ground fennel
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. grated Romano cheese
1/4 c. canola oil, divided
1/2 c. prepared or store-bought mango chutney

1) Place zucchini and scallions in a large, cold, non-stick skillet and set over medium-high heat. Cook, tossing frequently for 5 minutes or until the zucchini give off some, if any, liquid. Transfer to a colander and drain, pressing with the back of spoon to squeeze of extra water. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Allow to cool to room temp. Wipe out the skillet.
2) Wisk the egg, fennel, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add the flour and cheese to the zucchini mixture. Toss. Add the egg mixture and toss again.
3) Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat for about 1 minute, until sizzling. Place the zucchini mixture in 8 mounds in the pan (you may not fit all 8 at once). Flatten the mounds slightly with a spatula and cook for about 3 minutes or until well browned  on the bottom. Carefully turn the cakes over and cook, reducing heat if needed, until well browned and cooked through. Remove to a platter. Repeat with remaining oil and zucchini mixture.
4) Serve cakes with chutney on the side.

Zucchini Parmesan
Several good-sized summer squash (zucchini, yellow, patty pan, etc)
2 beaten eggs
2-2 1/2 cups Italian style bread crumbs
Olive oil cooking spray
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce

1) Preheat oven to 425 and spray cookie sheets with cooking spray.
2) Slice squash into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Dip slices in the beaten eggs, then coat with the bread crumbs and place on the cookie sheets. Spray tops with oil
3) Bake for 10 minutes, flip the slices over and bake another 10 minutes
4) Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray and spoon a small amount of sauce into the pan.
5) Alternate layers of squash, mozzarella, Parmesan and sauce. For the last layer, just use sauce and top with Parmesan.
6) Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake fore 10 more minutes. 



I'd love love love to hear what you're doing with your vegetables! Don't worry about sending a whole recipe, just send me a note with a few things you've done that you particularly liked-
my email is sarah_ziegi@yahoo.com

Thanks and enjoy summer to the last drop!
Sarah
for  Lucky Moon Farm 

Week 10 and it's hot again...

So I'm getting a little punchy with the silly little rhymes... but indulge me :>)

Hi everyone,
August already! It's hard to believe- but we're right in the thick of summer, and I'm loving every hot, sweaty minute of it. Nothing is quite as satisfying as harvesting and packing a CSA at the peak of the season after working hard for months to get all these different vegetables to the stage where it's good to eat them. We've had to coax them along, but now we're reaping the benefits, literally.

Your bags are beautiful this week- so beautiful we took a few pictures (see below)
Salad mix
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes (all colors are ripe and ready to eat; green included!)
Beans- green, yellow and purple
Carrots
Summer Squash, many variteties
Onions
Garlic
Peppers- green or purple (both are ready to eat, and taste like a typical green pepper)
Some people got an eggplant- we're keeping track and everyone will get one as they ripen.

So pretty! And tasty, to boot. :>)

I've decided this is the year of the purple veggies. We have these nifty Purple Royalty beans, purple lettuces, gorgeous purple peppers (called "Islander"), some incredible purple eggplants of various hues and a new purple-y/black plum tomato called "Indigo Rose." They taste kind of like a plum, too. It's making me want to paint rooms in my house a deep, luscious purple; I'm in love with the color right now.

I don't have any particular recipes to post right now, but just about anything you make with these vegetables will be delicious. Two things I've been enjoying lately are zucchini and yellow summer squash sliced in long strips, grilled, and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Very satisfying.

And I've made this meal a few times lately: Couscous with garden veggies and garbanzo beans

Saute some garlic and onion in a skillet, add the veggies of your choice, in the order of what takes the longest to cook to the shortest. I use some combination of sliced beans, diced pepper, zucchini, roasted eggplant (it does help to roast this separately before adding it to the mix) and cherry tomatoes. Be sure to use some garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas) because they really add to the flavor. Some coriander, oregano, a dash of cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, and it's tasting really good. At this point, or somewhere before adding the roasted eggplant and tomatoes, I put in 1 1/4 cups water, bring to a simmer, and add 1 cup of couscous (and now add the eggplant and tomatoes), cover, remove from the heat, and allow to set for 5 minutes or so. Take off the lid, and voila! A beautiful, healthy couscous with garbanzo beans and veggies.

That's all for now-
Have a great week!
Sarah VanNorstrand
for Lucky Moon Farm

Week 9, Rain or Shine

Hello again,
Another week, another bag of beautiful veggies. And the exciting news on the block is that you've got your first round of tomatoes!  Only a few to start with, but plenty more are coming.
We've had lots more dry, sunny weather, but it looks like tomorrow might be pretty stormy. But the CSA always goes on, rain or shine. And honestly, as long as it doesn't hail, we'll take any rain we can get. (please don't hail!)



Here's what's in the bags:

Salad mix
Scallions
Beets w/ greens
Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Basil Bouquet (lemon, cinnamon, sweet and purple basils)
Summer Squash
Beans (green, yellow and purple- they all cook and taste about the same, but they're oh so pretty!)

Here's a recipe recommended by another CSA member:

Balsamic Glazed Baby Beets – Roots and Greens

from Frog Star Farm

I love this balsamic beet recipe. The greens cook over the roots, just like they grew in the garden. I serve it chilled as a light, summer side or as a small plate with wine on the patio.

Greens over roots, just like they grew

ingredients

• 10-14 Baby beets with greens attached
• 1 small white onion
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 sprigs fresh tarragon or thyme
• salt
• pepper

method

Rinse and scrub the beets under cold water. Remove the greens, cut the beets to bite size and corsley chop the greens. Julienee the onion into 1/4″ pieces. Using a pan with a lid, arrange the beets and onion into a single flat layer. Sprinkle EVO and balsamic on top. Add herb sprigs, a pinch of salt and enough water to cover. Bring pot to a boil, then add the lid and reduce to a simmer. Cook the beets for 15-20 minutes or until they are right on the verge of being properly tender. Add the greens to the pan, cover and cook for three more minutes. Fold everything together, reduce the liquid to a glaze (it should evenly coat the back of a spoon) and season to taste.
Cooking time (duration): 40

Here's another one for Roasted Beet Risotto w/ Goat Cheese 

All the best,
Sarah VanNorstrand 
for Lucky Moon Farm

Week 8, and the heat is on!

Hello everyone,
Hope you're doing well this week and are keeping cool as best you can. More of the same, in the weather department, I'm afraid. But we keep on going and keep our hopes up for rain.

Your bags this week:
White onions
Salad Mix
Rainbow Swiss Chard
Arugula (due to the heat, it's gotten pretty spicy!)
Summer squash
Sugar snap peas
Snow peas (regular shares)
Green, Yellow and Purple Beans (large shares only, this week, but there will be beans for everyone next week!)

Due to the heat and drought, veggies aren't coming on with their usual vigor, so we have to play around with who gets what between the regular and large shares. But don't worry! If you didn't get it this week, you'll get it next week. We'll make sure everyone gets their fair share!

Just an aside: everyone this week got one zucchini and one summer squash, but some of the zucchinis (and they're one of my favorite varieties, called Sebring) is a bright saffron yellow, though you might have thought they were another kind of yellow summer squash. But all the squash in the picture below are zucchinis, and the yellow one pictured is most likely Sebring:

Here are two links to arugula recipes as recommended by one the CSA members. Check them out here:
Mediterranean Barley w/ Chickpeas and Arugula
Arugula Pesto Recipe

And here's one from my beloved Joy of Cooking

Creamy Pasta w/ Chard and Tomatoes

1) Heat in a large saucepan over medium-high heat
       1 Tablespoon olive oil
-add and cook, stirring occaisionally, until soft and golden, 2 to 3 minutes
       1/4 cup chopped onions
       2 garlic cloves, minced
       1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2) Add and cook, stirring occaisionally, until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes
      2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped, or 1 cup chopped drained canned tomatoes
3) Add and cook, stirring until chard has wilted, about 2 minutes
      1 bunch chard (~ 1 lb) trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch strips
4) Add and cook 2 minutes or until bubbling, then remove from heat
      3/4 cup heavy cream
      salt and black pepper to taste
 5) cook 8 oz fettuccine or egg noodles, when ready, drain, then toss with sauce, adding
      3/4 cup grated parmesan, about 3 oz

Enjoy!

Sarah VanNorstrand
on behalf of Lucky Moon Farm

Week 7 and it's hot, hot, hot!

Hello again,
Hope you all are finding fun and effective ways to beat the heat. This summer is shaping up to be quite the scorcher. We just made some milkshakes with vanilla ice cream and a dollop of Nutella. Pretty decadent, but oh so good.

Everything's thirsty, and a nice, grey, rainy day would be a real blessing right now. The irrigation is running every day at the farm right now, and luckily they have a nice, deep, strong well which is making it possible to keep things growing.

Your bags this week:
Red pearl onions
Salad mix
Snow peas
Sugar snap peas
Basil bouquet (w/ possibly lemon, cinnamon, red and/or speckled basil)
Beet greens

Cinnamon Basil

Andrew (my husband) and I had some of the basil the other night. I made up some fresh pesto (super easy with a simple food processor) while he carmalized some onions with a (tofu) Italian sausage. We tossed it all with spaghetti, and it was really good. I make pesto with basil leaves, olive oil, walnuts (a poor man's pine nuts :>) garlic and Parmesan cheese. Actually, we didn't have any Parmesan, and it was good without it, too. 

If you're not sure what to do with beet greens, you can treat them like spinach or Swiss chard or any of the other greens. It is also nice mixed in with salads or cooked up lightly (less cooking is more with greens) with some red wine vinegar or vinaigrette splashed on top.

One more word- the heat these days is especially bad for delicate vegetables after they've been harvested. We work very, very hard to cut the veggies as quickly as possible, rush them to a sink of cold water to cool them off and revive any ones that succumbed to wilting, spin them, weigh them, pack them in bags and then run them down to the walk-in cooler before they have any second thoughts. When you pick them up, we pass the baton to you, so the sooner you can get them home and into the fridge, the nicer your veggies will be when you're ready to eat them. 

Thanks for taking part and for experiencing this season with us. With farming, you never know what might happen and it's great to have customers who are willing to ride the ups and downs with us.

Be well and keep cool!

Sarah VanNorstrand
for Lucky Moon Farm

Week 6, Happy 4th of July!

Hi everyone
Hope you all had a really nice 4th of July, with friends and family and good food!
Things are very dry at the farm and we'd love some rain, but Sue and Claude are working hard to keep everything irrigated that can be.

Your bags this week include:
Some lovely carrots (Nelson, one of my favorite varieties!)
Salad Mix with swiss chard and asian greens
Arugula
Snow peas
Sugar Snap Peas
Garlic (it's ready surprisingly early, but we're going with it :>)

a pretty bagful!

baby swiss chard

Peppers in their very own pepper sauna! They love it!

 Here are some recipes to try:
Sauteed Spinach w/ Roasted Garlic, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Feta
-Kelli Johnson
 ~10 oz spinach
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 c. sherry
1/4 c. lemon juice
5 Tbsp butter
1/2 c. feta
salt & pepper to taste

1) Over medium heat, saute garlic and onions in olive oil until golden brown.
2) Add sun-dried tomatoes. Add sherry and lemon juice and reduce by a third (~ 3 mins).
3) Add butter and toss until it melts. Add spinach. Cover and stir occasionally until spinach is slightly wilted and warm (~ 3 mins).
4) Add feta and cook briefly until slightly melted, ~ 30 seconds. Add salt and pepper to taste

Potato, Red Onion, Arugula and Brie Pizza
-"From the Earth to the Table" cook book
Makes enough topping for one 14 inch pizza or two 8-10 inch pizzas

Pizza dough, either homemade or dough from the store (check in the section with the cheese)
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 c. sliced red onions
salt and pepper
12 oz red potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
6 oz Brie, thinly sliced
1 c. loosely packed arugula leaves
1 medium red bell pepper, charred, peeled and finely chopped

1) Prepare pizza dough. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. In a deep, heavy-bottomed pan, heat the olice oil and saute the onions until crisp-tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
2) In a medium sauce pan, blanch the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water until crisp-tender, ~ 3 mins. Cool in ice water to stop cooking, drain and pat dry.
3) Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the dough. Layer the potatoes evenly on top, followed by the onions and slices of Brie. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4) Bake the pizza for 12 to 15 minutes on the top rack. Scatter the arugula and red pepper on top and serve immediately. 


-I listed these a couple of weeks ago, but they're pertinent again this week-

Quinoa Risotto w/ Arugula & Parmesan, from the New Mayo Clinic cookbook
Serves 6 as a side, double to serve as the main dish

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup quinoa, well rinsed
2 1/4 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or broth
2 cups chopped arugula (~ 3 oz)
1 small carrot, shredded
1/2 cup thinly sliced shitake mushrooms
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1) In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and saute until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and quinoa and cook about 1 minute, stirring occaisionally. Do not let the garlic brown. 
2) Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the quinoa is almost tender to the bite, but slightly heard in the center, about 12 minutes. The mixture will be brothy. Stir in the arugula, carrot and mushrooms and simmer until the quinoa grains have turned from white to translucent, about 2 minutes longer. 
3) Stir in the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Carrot-Walnut Salad from Flat Belly Diet Cookbook
Makes 4 servings

1/2 cup golden raisins
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey
1/8 tsp salt
4 large carrots, grated
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsely

1) Soak the raisins in hot water for 20 minutes to plump them. Drain.
2) In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, lemon juice, honey and salt.
3) Combine the carrots, walnuts, parsely, raisins and dressing in a medium bowl and toss to coat.




That's it for now-
Be well!
Sarah VanNorstrand
for Lucky Moon Farm

2012 CSA Week 5

Hello all,
Hope you're doing well and are having a great start to your summer.  And the summer weather keeps coming on- great for some things, and tough for others. But the weather is one thing quite definitely out of our control. Probably a good thing, actually. :>)

Your bags this week:
Salad lettuce mix
Young spring onions
Snow peas
Beet Greens with baby beets

If I got this lovely bag of vegetables, I think I would try cooking up a stir-fry. The trick with stir-frying (not that I'm a master at it or anything...) is to have the pieces of vegetable cut up ahead of time, and to have the pieces of each type of veggie be relatively the same size. The onions could be diced, the snow peas can go in whole or halved, and the baby beets can be cut into slivers since they are less tender and won't cook as fast if they are left in bigger pieces. And use pretty high heat, if you can. You want things to cook pretty quickly, so they still are a little crisp when you eat them. 
A quick and tasty dinner with some soy sauce, rice and some Sriracha, my favorite Asian hot sauce.

Things on the farm are progressing well. A bunch more cabbage went in this week, and the tomatoes outside and the ones in the greenhouse got pruned and tied up as well. They're certainly loving this hot weather!

Here are a few pictures from around the farm this week:

(inquisitive chick)

Be well,
Sarah VanNorstrand

PS: we're potentially going to be putting around a survey to our CSA members to see what people think about the option of having access to other products from other area farms, including cheese, meats, oils and more.