June 10th Market & CSA Pick-up #4

Yesterday our son and I took our nightly walk before bed time and checked things out around the field. As he walked by the kale he grabbed a kale leaf and I shot a picture. I felt a little deja vu. This morning, I woke up and checked my Time Hop app and found a picture of our son doing the same thing at 4 years old!

It then hit me like a ton of bricks, he was raised this way! Ever since he could walk, he would go through our field and Matt would kindly show him how to select food at it’s peek perfection. He used to have so much fun as a small child going to the field and eating whatever he wanted. At 8 years old he still does. I can’t tell you the pride that I have in knowing that our child has been raised watching food grow, understanding the importance of taking care of our soil and earth, and enjoying the fruits of Matt’s hard work. Our son understands high quality food, and most importantly, he EATS HIS VEGETABLES (preferably raw because that is how it was introduced to him)!

This week, our CSA members got real creative! This first dish was something that I thought with a little effort on Sunday morning, I could make breakfast so easy for a week! Tatsoi, red bell pepper, & feta egg cups.

You can make them ahead, keep them in the fridge and pop them in the microwave or toaster oven for a healthy breakfast! Here is a simple recipe I found. For those of you doing the 21 Day Fix, this is a must!

Another member made the very creative fennel and couscous salad!

He took shaved fennel, sliced some oranges, and radishes and served it over couscous. He garnished it with feta cheese and the fronds from the fennel. I haven’t tried it, but it is on my list! When you have great food, simplicity is always best!

If you are a CSA member, I know you want to know what will be in your bag. You will have: red skin potatoes, kohlrabi, turnips, bok choy, field greens, chard, fennel, kale, and squash.

I am most excited about the red skin potatoes! The potatoes was the first thing we put in the ground in the newly cleared property. When they popped up they were beautiful!
They are finally ready to harvest. Fresh dug potatoes are the very best! I serve them boiled, roasted, smashed, anyway I make them they are GREAT!

I can’t wait to eat them, so they are the first thing on my weekly menu, so here it goes!

Monday: Broiled Black Pepper Steak with Smashed Potatoes and Sautéed Squash. Here is what you do: First, make the potatoes, boil them in salted water until you can put a for, through them. Drizzle a cookie sheet with olive oil and place the boiled potatoes on the sheet. Using a potato masher, slightly mash each potato. Brush each potato with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chopped rosemary. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. While the potatoes are baking, heat up some olive oil in a pan and chop the squash with some garlic and sauté them. Push them over to the side of the cookie sheet, and add the top sirloin steak to the pan. Brush olive oil on the steak and season both sides with salt and pepper. Switch to broil and broil and broil each side of the steak for 5 minutes along with the potatoes. This is an easy dinner that everyone will love.

Tuesday: Tonight I will make my famous Bok Choy Salad. We aren’t going to cook this bok choi, so if it is wimpy, cut off the bottom and put them in a glass of water for about 30-45 minutes. They will freshen up nicely and get crisp. While Matt is grilling the chicken, I will chop up the bok choy, stems and all. I will then take good ole ramen noodles break them up and toast them. I will add them to the bok choy and toss them around. I will open a few fresh mandarin oranges and chop them up (I often will use cuties) and toss them around. Lastly, make the dressing, it’s easy! In a mason jar add 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced or grated, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 2 tbsp honey, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 tbsp sesame oil , and
3/4 cup olive oil and give it a shake. As the chicken breasts are resting toss the salads with the dressing and plate them. Slice up the chicken breasts and place them on the salad. I swear it is my favorite salad! I got this recipe from one of our South of the James customers and it is my summer time favorite! I can’t eat enough of it!

Wednesday: Kale Salad with Roasted Turnips and Grilled Chicken. Yes, we eat a lot of chicken, but it is different in each recipe. Make this salad a day ahead so the dressing marinates in the kale. The day you are going to make this, put the kale in water to crisp it up. When you get home, simply rip the kale in to bite sized pieces removing the stem. Toss in grated parmesan cheese and slivered almonds. Make the dressing by adding 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon garlic, grated, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper to a mason jar and shaking it up. Toss half of the dressing in the kale salad and let sit over night. When you go to serve it, you may want the rest of the dressing. It is so good! For the turnips, I toss them in olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste and roast them at 400 for about 25 minutes. This dinner is delicious!

Picture courtesy of the Garlic Diaries

Thursday: I am going to make a Shrimp, Shaved Fennel, and Field Green Salad. It is easy. I shell the shrimp and cook them in olive oil with a little salt and pepper once they are pink, I put them aside. I assemble the field greens (I always give them a nice chop so they fit on the fork nicely) and I use a mandolin slice to slice the fennel. I make a quick and easy apricot dressing in a mason jar. I use 1/4 cup apricot preserves, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt and give it a shake. It makes for an easy delicious salad for the end of the week1

Friday: Salmon with Roasted Kohlrabi and Sautéed Chard. This is so easy. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the kohlrabi in to bite sized pieces and toss in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and coat it with cooking spray. Slice the salmon in 3 inch wide pieces. Combine a 1/4 cup of honey, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and a tablespoon of dijon mustard and brush on to the salmon. Bake for about 25 minutes until you can put a fork through the kohlrabi and the salmon is cooked. While the salmon is cooking, heat some olive oil in a pan and chop up the chard. Saute the stems first and then add the leaves. Remove from heat when the leaves wilt.

I want to thank our CSA members and South of the James customers for inspiring me! I hope this helps you eat clean and healthy all week with what is in your bag!

So what is coming to market? We look forward to seeing you at the South of the James Farmer’s Market from 8-12 this Saturday!