September 2, 2016 CSA

"Don't judge each day by the harvests that you reap, but by the seeds that you plant." -Robert Louis Stevenson


The baby greens are back, cucumbers hail from Antonio's plot in the Rio Grande Farm Park, peaches grace the boxes with sweet luciousness, potatoes are back, and organic green chiles premier from Dan Hobbs!  Diversity, spice, and sweet!  All things meant to make the whole in wholesome. 

Hope you had a chance to celebrate your milestones, and the fruit of all your labors this past holiday.  The kids are in school, the light is changing, and and the coolness welcomes the fall sunshine.  Yes, autumn is here.  And frost threatens the beans and squash in the fields.  Yes, the only constant is change!

Here's the box:

Peaches, COG, Black Bear Orchards, Palisade, CO              6   peaches
Cucumbers, Antonia, Garcia, Alamosa                              0.5   pound
Mixed Greens, COG, Ring a Ding Farms, Howard, CO    1 5 oz clamshell
Baby Arugula, COG, RAD                                          1 5 oz clamshell
Chioggia Beets, COG, White Mountain Farm, Mosca        1 bunch
Cilantro, COG, WMF                                                1 bunch
Yellow Sqaush,COG, Milliberger Farms, Pueblo, CO         1 pound
Green Chiles, COG, Hobbs Family Farm, Avondale, CO   6 chiles
Potatoes, Red, COG, White Rock Specialties, Mosca, CO 5 pounds

From Megumi's Kitchen 
--- Beet Pie ---
​Chioggia Beet  is so beautiful. But the color and patterns disappear when they are cooked. I wanted to find a recipe that respects the beauty as well as the taste and here is what I found.

1. rub the beets with oil, wrap them in foil and bake for 45-60 minutes
2. in the mean time, per bake the pie dough (or your favorite quiche, or pastry dough)
3. while beets and the pie are in the oven, chop some leek and sauté it till tender.  10-15 minutes. season with salt, pepper and thyme (fresh one if you have)
   
4. when the beets are done, let it call, then peel the skin.  slice them thin to show off the patters
5. in the pie shell, layer with leek, crumbled feta cheese, and beet slices.
6. sprinkle a little oil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

I took it from a website. But next time I think I will use sour cream instead of feta cheese.  Also egg and milk mixture, much like quiche batter might work well too.

​

—— Peach Pie —-


There are many ways to bake a peach pie.  My partner likes peach filing to be seasoned with cinnamon, almond essence, etc. etc.  It is really good, but I also like fruit pies to taste close to fresh fruit.  I learned a way to preserve peach with salt only from Wara,   a very special place in Japan.  Adding a little sweetness to it makes a perfect peach pie filling!

1. sprinkle a little salt on the bottom of a sauce pan
2. peel, seed, and break peaches in chunks and place them in the pan
3. sprinkle a little more salt on top
4. place a lid on and cook on mid-low till juicy and soft (no water added)
   You can save the peaches in jars this way… canned preferred....all year long
5. add some sugar and mush the peaches with potato musher. 
6. cook it down till desired thickness, and/or add a thicker of your choice (corn starch, flour, tapioca, kuzu, etc). set aside
7. per bake the pie shell
8. layer the filling and thin slices of fresh peaches
9. sprinkle some small pieces of butter on top and bake 20-30 minutes 

———  Arugula Pesto ——--
This is a wonderful way to preserve fresh arugula and enjoy it all through the year. The pesto is good for pasta, of course. But my favorite way to enjoy it is to use it as pizza sauce.  I usually make a few small jars at a time and freeze what I do not use within a week or so. Even after a year later, it is still colorful and good.

2 cups of packed arugula leaves
1/2 cup of walnut pieces (or cashew nut pieces)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil (or Colorado Mountain Sunflower oil)
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
balsamic vinegar for taste

1. brown unpeeled garlic cloves in a skillet until lightly brown. cool and peel them. set aside.
2. roast the nuts in a pan until lightly brown. set aside
3. combine the arugula, salt, nuts, roasted and raw garlic into a food processor. grind it to desirable consistency adding oil little by little.
4. add parmesan cheese. keep blending.
5. add balsamic vinegar, blend, taste and add more if you’d like. the balsamic vinegar eases the bitterness of the arugula. 

When packing in a jar, make sure there is not air bubble. Pour extra olive oil on top so that the pesto is not exposed to the air. This keeps the green color of the pesto while being stored.