Week 13, August 31, 2010

What delicious organic veggies are available this week at Valley Dream Farm?

In Your CSA Bag
Tomatoes
Sweet Corn
Carrots
Cucumber
Onions
Melon
Lettuce
Green Beans
Sweet colored peppers
Herbs - Basil and Garlic

Recipes of the Week Three Pepper Pasta Salad

News from the Field

Welcome members: Well who was expecting a heat wave in September, but here it is. I am sure this will put this summer in one of the warmest ever categories. Especially since the last two summers were so cold and wet. We are trying to keep the irrigation running through these hot spells. The cucumbers and summer squashes are such water loving vegetables that the plants will start to wilt as they try to give all their fluids to the heat. The onions are nicely drying out in the hot sun. The peppers are all starting to ripen into beautiful shades of oranges and reds.
The Story of Peppers
Peppers are used by many different nationalities from Mexican, Spanish, Thai, Indian, Asian, African, and many others including American recipes. Peppers come in many shapes and colors. Did you know that if you have a green pepper it is not ripe until it turns into the red/yellow/orange stage? That process usually takes nearly a month longer which is why the colored peppers cost more at the store. The mildest peppers are the sweet bell peppers and some smaller snacking size varieties. Banana and Aruba peppers are also sweet and great for frying.
Hot peppers are usually measured in scoville units. The higher the scoville number the hotter the pepper. The hottest peppers are scotch bonnets and habaneros which have a score of anywhere from 60,000 to 300,000 units. The capsaicin, which is what causes the burning sensation and can even cause a blister on your tongue. Capsaicin dissolves easily in the fats found in dairy products. So enjoy a little sour cream when you're feeling the heat.
Enjoy your tasty veggies and melon. - Anne Tisbert

Week 12, August 24, 2010

What delicious organic veggies are available this week at Valley Dream Farm?

In Your CSA Bag
Potatoes
Corn
Carrots
Savoy Cabbage
Onions
Cucumber
Squash (choice of zuke, summer or patty pan)
Green Beans
Gold Chard
Peppers - HOT
Tomatoes
Herbs ~ garlic

Also at the Farm Stand

Sweet Corn - grown at Valley Dream Farm
Peaches - grown locally*
Boyden Farm ~ beef*
Maple Shade Farm ~ maple syrup*
Doe's Leap Farm ~ organic goat cheeses*

* These items are brought into our farm stand to give you a larger selection.

Recipes of the Week

Carrots with Honey Mustard Sauce

News from the Field
We are having an exceptionally great weather year and hope you are enjoying the plentiful harvest. Many of the vegetables that you are receiving will continue right into fall. Think of how healthy you are eating this summer. IF you are struggling to keep up with your vegetable consumption, here are a few suggestions:

1. Donate to a neighbor or a nearby senior citizen. (Most grew up with large gardens and they have a special fondness for fresh vegetables.)
2. Try to eat 2 veggies with every dinner, make one an appetizer or a dessert.
3. Always put veggies in your sandwich.
4. Make a big pot of veggie soup and freeze it for the coming frosty days ahead.
5. Try a new recipe (I like epicuriuos.com where you just scroll down and type in your veggie into an empty search box and it will soon come up with tons of different recipes with that ingredient in it, all at no charge)
6. Put up some veggies in the freezer.
7. Preserving vegetables by canning is a fun project if you have the right supplies and tools. You will need a large deep pot or canner with a lid, a jar grabber, wide mouth funnel, and canning jars with new lids and rings. (I use the "Blue Book" by Ball. You can usually find it right next to the canning supplies at the store. There is also a section on freezing and jams, jellies, and pickles.)

Please enjoy your fresh organic vegetables!- Anne Tisbert

Week 11, August 17, 2010

What delicious organic veggies are available this week at Valley Dream Farm?

In Your CSA Bag
Corn
Zucchini
Carrots
Onions
Green Beans
Cucumber
Radish
Lettuce
Peppers
Tomatoes
Garlic

Also at the Farm Stand
produced locally...*
Boyden Farm ~ beef
Does' Leap Farm ~ organic goat cheese
Maple Shade Farm ~ maple syrup
Twiss Hill Farm ~ frozen whole organic chicken
* These items are brought into our farm stand to give you a larger selection.

Recipes of the Week
Quinoa and Green Bean Tabbouleh
Radish Tea Sandwiches

News from the Field
Green Beans are here! The anticipation of such tender succulent beans is a sure sign of summer. When shopping look for firm green or colored beans and stay away from rusty spotted or old leathery beans. A fresh bean will snap crisply and is velvety to the touch. Skip the beans that you can feel a bean seed bulging inside as they are past their prime and moving on into the seed stage instead of the green vegetable stage you are looking for.
Have you ever purchased green beans brought them home, washed them and put them in the refrigerator only to notice that your green beans developed rusting or browning spots? What could be causing this problem? Usually green beans will get rusty looking if they have been picked in the early morning, when the dew is still on the bushes. This is a fungus that will appear after the beans get wet. Therefore store them in your refrigerator in plastic but do not wash them until just before you are ready to eat the beans or prepare them for cooking.
There are many kinds of beans available. Green or string (which refers to older varieties that required you to pull a string down the length of the bean before eating), yellow often referred to as wax beans as they are not always as velvety as the green, and now there are purple beans that are easy to find on the plant and turn green when cooked.
Whatever you name green beans, I hope you enjoy them frequently in the summer when they're at their peak. When they're seasonal and regional, there's nothing as tasty as boiled beans.
Please enjoy our fresh organic vegetables!- Anne Tisbert