CSA Week 4

Hello! Another week, another box. Has anyone had success with the recipes we've been posting? We would love to hear feedback from you on our blog posts. Here is a wonderful video about prepping all the veggies in your box right away so that they are accessible and easy to use throughout the week. 

https://vimeo.com/30106710

Now that you are inspired, here's the list for this week:

• Red Beets
• Red Potatoes
• Walla walla onions
• Snow peas
• Arugula 
• Broccoli

Recipes

Glazed Snow Peas

Directions
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 8 ounces snow peas, 1 bunch chopped scallions (or walla wallas), a pinch of sugar and 1/4 cup water. Cover and simmer 2 minutes, then uncover and boil until the water evaporates, 2 more minutes. Season with salt.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/glazed-snow-peas-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Beets and Arugula Pizza

Directions

Steam whole beets until cooked. Slice into small pieces. Mix with olive oil and arugula and goat cheese. Add sliced walla wallas if desired. Spread mixture on pizza dough, add fresh mozzarella. You can use a tomato sauce, or pesto, or nothing at all as a base. Sautéed mushrooms would also be a nice addition. Season as you like. 

Enjoy! 

CSA Week 3

We are really getting into the swing of things - it is June, and we are harvesting, harvesting, harvesting. If you ever want some extra vegetables, fruits or herbs from us, we are at the Lane County Saturday and Thursday markets, as well as the Dexter Sunday market. We'd love to see you there. But let's talk about this week's CSA! 

In the box this week: 

• Spinach
• Kholrabi
• Snap Peas
• Asparagus
• Green Cabbage
• Basil

Recipe:

Bowties with Sugar Snaps, Ricotta and Lemon

As sugar snap season comes and goes all to quickly for my addicted tastes, consider this a template for any green vegetable — segments of asparagus, green beans, snow pea pods, or whole sweet peas — that you think might enjoy some lemon/ricotta/parmesan/salt/pepper treatment. Most of these other vegetables will benefit from 2 to 3 minutes boiling time, so add them earlier in the pasta cooking process.

Serves 4 to 6 (main course-style), up to 8 as a first course

Salt for pasta water
1 pound sugar snaps (and/or chopped asparagus, chopped and wilted spinach)
1 pound dried pasta bowties
1/2 cup (about 1 ounce) finely grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese
Glug, then drizzle, of olive oil
Coarse or fine sea salt for sprinkling
Ground black pepper or red pepper flakes
Juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste
Basil leaves, slivered
1 cup ricotta; use fresh if you can find

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil. While waiting, string sugar snaps and cut into 1/2-inch segments. Cook bowties for two minutes less than the suggested cooking time on the package, then add sugar snaps to pasta. Cook for one minute more. Reserve one cup pasta cooking water, then drain sugar snaps and bowties. Add them back to the empty pot with 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, grated cheese, a glug of olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook on high for one minute, tossing constantly. Add a splash more cooking water if pasta looks too dry. Turn heat off, dollop ricotta all over in large spoonfuls and, without stirring, tip pasta mixture into a wide serving bowl. (I do this because I love the idea of finding slightly unmixed pockets of ricotta.) Drizzle pasta with a small amount of olive oil, then squeeze lemon juice over the whole dish, sprinkle with basil, and finish with an extra sprinkling of parmesan. Serve quickly; eat happily.

From: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/06/bowties-with-sugar-snaps-lemon-and-ricotta/

And here is an idea for a cabbage and kholrabi slaw:

Directions
Peel 1 medium kohlrabi or turnip and cut into matchsticks. Whisk the juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/4 cup chopped dill, 1/2 clove minced garlic, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, and salt and pepper in a bowl; whisk in 3 tablespoons olive oil. Toss with the kohlrabi, 1/4 head shredded cabbage, and salt and pepper to taste.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/cabbage-kohlrabi-slaw-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Enjoy!

CSA Week 2

Things sure are growing on the farm! All of the crops are thriving in this cloudy-sunny-cloudy-sprinkle-sunny sort of weather. Oregon spring, essentially. We hope you all enjoyed your first CSA box of the season. Here we go for round two! We will be posting here the day before we deliver boxes so that you can have a heads up about what will be in your box. Enjoy!

In the box this week:

• Fingerling potatoes (first of the season, and freshly dug)
• Salad mix
• Strawberries
• Golden beets
• Fennel
• Salad Turnips (can be eaten raw or roasted)

Recipe Ideas:

• A yummy salad with thinly sliced strawberries and shaved turnips, maybe with some sunflower seeds and balsamic dressing. 

• Roasted Root Vegetables: 
  • 1 1/2 pounds potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 bunch beets (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed but not peeled, scrubbed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • Chopped Fennel
  • 1 medium-size onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups) 
  • 1 large turnip, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup) (carrots instead?)
  • 1 head of garlic, cloves separated, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Oil 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Combine all ingredients in very large bowl; toss to coat. Divide vegetables between prepared baking sheets; spread evenly. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables until tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour 15 minutes. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 350°F oven 15 minutes.)

CSA Week 1

Here we go! The CSA season is here, and we are so happy to bring you some of our best spring produce. In the box this week:

• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Head Lettuce
• Onions
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Baby Zucchinis 

 Recipe: (some chopped zucchini would probably be a great addition to this recipe, be creative!) 

Broccoli, Rice, and Cheese Casserole

• Olive spray oil
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup short grain brown rice
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 1/2 cup small broccoli florets
• 1/3 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts
• 1 (15-ounce) can (not condensed) cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• Ground black pepper to taste

Lightly coat a 7x11-inch baking dish with spray oil.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add rice and cook, stirring often, until translucent and toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat to medium-low and simmer until water is absorbed and rice is almost tender, about 35 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes, then uncover, fluff with a fork and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add rice, then stir in soup, 1/2 cup of the cheese, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. 

Transfer rice mixture to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle evenly with chopped hazelnuts and remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Spring is upon us....

This week we have started to plant seeds in trays. It is a delight to hold the seeds in our hands - such small, precious things, it is incredible to think what they will produce. We've planted broccoli, kale, cauliflower, lettuce, napa cabbage, beets, chard, collards... we've even started some tomatoes and eggplant that will eventually give us the first tastes of summer! We eagerly await the germination of these small seeds. Right now they are kept warm in our extra-insulated greenhouse. 

For many, the middle of February may still seem like the middle of winter. But for us on the farm, we are noticing a whole host of changes. Plants are budding, weeds are growing, the greenhouses are warm again, the soil is moist, the earthworms are cruising, the frogs are croaking.... all of this fills us up with life and energy to tackle another season. We hope you'll join us! Check out our CSA program, and while you eat delicious fruits and vegetables from May - October, you can read all about what is going on at Circle h Farm right here. It is going to be a bountiful year!