Greentree Naturals CSA Newsletter - July 30, 2014

Fresh from the Garden News

 "Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside."
—Mark Twain

What a storm that was! I talked to many folks around the county; if you live in town, it wasn't such a big deal...everywhere else, quite an endeavor. I had heard on the radio about the storms velocity in WA so we battened down the hatches as best that we could. Many trees came down, taking out the power, and one falling inches from the greenhouse. One of the hoop houses came undone, but didn't blow away, and a few plants in the garden broke off, but not too bad compared to the many stories I heard of hoop houses collapsing, trees falling on cars, and lengthy power outages. We were without power for about 22 hours. The power doesn't go out often, but when it does, we know it could be for days. This experience is a good reminder to not ever take the simple pleasures for granted.

No doubt about the climate/weather changing for us. Observation tells us it is getting more extreme, more severe with whatever comes. Good to be adaptable to whatever Mother Nature dishes out.

WHAT'S IN THE BAG:

Cucumbers—All varieties of cucumbers theoretically can be used as salad cucumbers, also known as slicing cucumbers, or as pickling cucumbers. What you receive today are pickling cucumbers. The slicers are coming, but why wait? If you are interested in making pickles, let me know and I will share a great recipe I have for a salt brine pickle, made one quart jar at a time and doesn't need to be canned. Pickles are crisp and yummy!

Kale—See new kale recipes!

Salad Mix

Scallions AKA Green onions

Beets—Eat the beet greens! Good & good for you!

Summer squash—If you get tired of eating it fresh, just freeze it for winter. Grate it, put in freezer bag.

Broccoli

Garlic—This is not cured, but quite edible & delicious.

Dill—Good in squash dishes, or in a salad and excellent with cucumbers.

Recipe: Microwave Kale Chips

• 1 bunch of kale
• 1 TBS coconut oil, melted
• Sea salt to taste

Rinse and dry kale. Tear kale leaves off their stems into small pieces. Coast leaves completely, working the oil into the leaves with a brief massage. Spread kale onto a microwave safe plate (it's ok to overlap pieces). Sprinkle sea salt over kale. Microwave on high (in a 1500 watt oven) for 3 minutes 30 seconds, tossing kale halfway; Cook time will vary depending on how powerful your microwave is, so check your greens.

Recipe: Kale Salad with Pecorino and Walnuts

• 1/2 cup walnut halves or pieces
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1TBS white wine vinegar
• 1 TBS water
• 1/4 cup panco or slightly coarse homemade bread crumbs
• 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
• Coarse or kosher salt
• 3 TBS olive oil
• 1 bunch kale
• 2 Ounces (1/2 cup) pecorino cheese, grated or ground in a food processor.
• Juice of half a lemon
• Freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes, to taste.

Prepare walnuts: Heat oven to 350. Toast walnuts on a baking sheet for 10 minutes, tossing once. Let cool & coarsely chop.

Prepare raisins: In a small saucepan over low heat, simmer white wine vinegar, water & raisins for 5 minutes, until plump and soft . Set aside in liquid.

Prepare crumbs: Toast bread crumbs, garlic & 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a skillet together with a pinch of salt until golden. Set aside.

Prepare kale: Trim heavy stems off kale and remove ribs.

Stack sections of leaves & roll them into a tube, then cut into very thin ribbons crosswise.

Assemble salad: Put kale in large bowl. Add percornio, walnuts & raisins (Leaving any leftover vinegar mixture in dish), remaining 2 TBS olive oil & lemon juice & toss until all the kale ribbons are coated. Taste & adjust seasonings with salt, pepper & some of the reserved vinegar mixture from the raisins. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Toss with breadcrumbs & finally 1 tsp drizzle of olive oil.