this week's
HARVEST
2 quarts Strawberries
We hope you can handle two quarts this week...we just couldn't let them sit out there in the fields. Enjoy! ($5 each)
1 bunch Red Beets
These beauties are so sweet! Boil with the skins on until tender. Run under cold water to cool down and the skins will slip off easily. Wonderful sliced over a bed of lettuce and dressed lightly with a balsamic vinaigrette. ($2)
Broccoli
Packed with vitamins and minerals as well as flavor! Don't overcook...a light steaming is all that's needed to bring out its flavor. We love it tossed with garlic & olive oil over penne pasta. ($2.25)
1 head Assorted Lettuce
You will find one of the following varieties in your box; bronze mignonette, romaine, red romaine, red boston. ($1.90)
1 bunch Swiss Chard
One of my favorites... Try making this week's delicious recipe, or just steam lightly and savor its wonderful flavors with a touch of butter and s&p to taste! ($1.90)
on the
HORIZON
These are the crops that you can look forward to finding in next week's box...
Kohlrabi
White Turnips
Sugar Snap Peas
Cabbage
June 21st & 22nd, 2005 ~ Issue #4
HAPPENINGS news & musings from the fields
Strawberries!
A beautiful and kind young girl, according to the Brothers Grimm, was driven out by her stepmother to find strawberries in the snow. Lost in the forest, she came across a dwarves' house, and shared her crust of bread with them. They offered her shelter, and as she swept the snow aside from the doorway with their broom, she found strawberries growing.
The image of the red fruit in the snow in the dark forest is a compelling one. The strawberry, a member of the rose family, has a particular attraction: Its color is wonderful, and it is unique among fruits in having the seeds dotted around on the outside rather than embedded within.
RECIPES from the farm & from our friends
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
Strawberry shortcake is one of summer's great treats, with its layers of crumbly biscuit, whipped cream, and juicy strawberries. A wonderful dessert for a meal alfresco, lingering over its flavors in the sunshine. Serves 6
3 cups flour, half whole wheat and half all-purpose
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 sticks butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 lb strawberries, washed and hulled
sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, whipped
Sift the flour with the baking powder, and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Mix in the sugar to combine. Press the mixture into two 8-inch buttered layer pans, and bake in a preheated oven at 325F for 30-40 minutes, until a light golden color. Cool in the pans before inverting.
Slice the strawberries, reserving a few whole ones for decoration, and toss the slices in sugar. Place half of them on top of one of the shortcake layers, and cover with a thick layer of whipped cream. Top with the other layer of shortcake. Cover the top with another layer of sliced strawberries, then a layer of whipped cream, and decorate with the reserved whole strawberries. Keep in a cool place until ready to serve.
GRANNIE'S FRENCH SWISS CHARD
A special recipe from Cait Johnson
The French love their chard (“blettes” in their language), and my Grannie (who was French and Swiss, among other things) used to make this recipe for me when I was little because she knew how good it was for me (chard is a fabulous source of many antioxidant vitamins and minerals)--and because this was one way I would actually eat it and enjoy it!
The secret is adding raisins and pine nuts to the chard. I recently bought a drop-dead gorgeous book of French Provincial recipes, and in it was a recipe that looked just like the chard my Grannie used to make for me. It was even called “Blettes Grand-mere!” Try making it for your little ones: the sweetness of the raisins and the nutty, buttery crunch of the pine nuts make chard completely irresistible--and it cooks in about 3 minutes.
1 bunch Swiss chard
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/3 cup raisins or golden raisins
2 tablespoons pine nuts
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Remove the chard stems and the thick central vein from each leaf. Chop the leaves very coarsely. Using a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium high heat, melt the butter with the oil until sizzling. Add the chard and the rosemary, stirring well to coat the chard with the butter mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, for another minute until the chard has wilted to about half its original volume. Add raisins and pine nuts, stirring to combine evenly, and continue cooking until any moisture has evaporated. The entire cooking process should take no more than about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.