Tuesday 26 June 2012

Kale - the king of cruciferous vegetables!



As many of our CSA shareholders are or will be digging into their boxes and finding some yummy Russian Kale... we wanted to highlight this wonderful vegetable for you....

Kale, a member of the cruciferous vegetable family (kin to cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower) are one of the healthiest vegetables around! The beautiful leaves of the kale plant provide a wonderful flavor and more nutritional value for fewer calories than most other foods.


Another great idea is making Kale Chips!
  • Tear the leaves from a bunch of washed and dried kale into bite-size pieces.
  • Toss with a thin drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil (a couple of teaspoons will do) and massage lightly into the leaves.
  • Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, tossing to distribute. Or leave out the salt and add the seasoning of your choice, such as curry powder, smoked paprika, or whatever you have on hand.
  • Arrange leaves in a single layer on two large baking sheets.
  • Bake at 350°F (180°C), switching baking sheets halfway through, until crispy and dark green (not brown), 12 to 15 minutes.
  • Let cool slightly and dig in.
Enjoy!

To store, place kale in a plastic storage bag removing as much of the air from the bag as possible. Store in the refrigerator where it will keep for 5 days. The longer it is stored, the more bitter its flavor becomes. Do not wash kale before storing because exposure to water encourages spoilage.
Tips for Preparing Kale
Rinse kale leaves under cold running water. Chop leaf portion into 1/2" slices and the stems into 1/4" lengths for quick and even cooking.

To get the most health benefits from kale, let sit for a minimum of 5 minutes before cooking. Sprinkling with lemon juice before letting them sit can further enhance its beneficial phytonutrient concentration.

We recommend steaming kale for maximum nutrition and flavor. Fill the bottom of a steamer pot with 2 inches of water. While waiting for the water to come to a rapid boil chop greens. Steam for 5 minutes and toss with your favorite dressing.  
A Few Quick Serving Ideas
  • Braise chopped kale and apples. Before serving, sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and chopped walnuts.
  • Combine chopped kale, pine nuts, and feta cheese with whole grain pasta drizzled with olive oil.

Week #1 - Fenez Follies CSA 101

This week kicks off our first week of our CSA for the Summer of 2012! Some of our shareholders are digging into their box tonight while others are merely dreaming of the lush produce that awaits! We thought that we would provide a brief CSA 101 for our newbies.

The drop off locations and times won't change throughout the 12 weeks. If you need to switch locations, want additional items such as eggs or meats with your CSA box or are having someone else pick up your box for you, please let us know (preferably by e-mail) by Monday night.

The box your vegetables come in (and any plastic containers such as the ice cream pail, etc) that were in them should be returned the following week empty and we will replace with a full box. If you have extra ice cream pails or larger containers - we would gladly take them off your hands and re-use instead of you recycling them. We will also take any egg cartons that you have.

Each week we will post a "What's in the box!" on this site, linked to our Facebook page, and sent via e-mail to hopefully answer any questions you may have as you peek into the box. We will also try to highlight one or two of the veggies and provide a recipe on how you might use your produce.

Any questions on anything at all, please let us know!

So..... What's in this week's box??

Kale (more on that in our second post tonight)
Spinach (in the bag)
Lettuce
Swiss Chard (yellow and bright red stems)
Beets (don't forget - you can eat both the beet and the greens!)
Radishes
Home made Soap (made from fresh goat's milk straight from our nanny goats!)
A small selection of herbs (chives (purple flowers) , basil, some cilantro tops (white flowers)

This wonderful heat is helping things along so you can anticipate beans, peas, broccoli, carrots and perhaps some small potatoes... mmm!

With this week's box you could make several heaven sent salads and check out our next post on the many things you can also do with the kale.

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Goodnight sweet heart!

Sadly, tonight we said farewell to a loyal friend and constant companion, Tipi! Our dog of almost a decade, she will be sadly missed by all who live on and ever visited the farm. My 10 year old daughter created this fitting tribute to this faithful friend. Good night sweet heart!

Tipi,
Although you were a little bit skippy,
I love you too much to say,
I pray,
That you are in a better place
and you race and race and race
just run,
and have fun.

Although you don’t have a baseball to throw,
You have grandma willow to help grow.

I want you to know we love you so,
Alive or dead,
You had a cozy bed,
And I put it with you,
I hope you enjoyed how we,
Fed, lead and petted your head,
Because I sure enjoyed doing it to you.
We love you,
Taryn.