Cherry Tomatoes: So Sweet

 

Pasta Pizzazz

Tonight we:

1. sauteed diced green peppers, diced onions, and sliced cherry tomatoes in margarine. 

2. boiled water, cooked and drained pasta. 

3. mixed it all together. 

Dinner, in three easy steps! Delicious, fresh, and ready in 20 minutes! Perfecto!

Kale Chips

One of our shareholders baked some delicious kale chips today! She said it took about ten minutes to prep and was so easy!

Try it soon!
Ingredients:
-One bunch of kale
-Olive oil
-Sea salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
2. Wash and dry kale.
3. Rip kale into pieces. Compost or discard the stalks.
4. Place kale leaves into a bowl.
5. Sprinkle olive oil and salt over kale.
6. Mix by hand.
7. Spread on baking sheet.
8. Bake for 12 minutes. (Time carefully!)
9. Serve and enjoy.

Green Beans for Thanksgiving

We love fresh green beans in the summer! 

We also love eating those fresh green beans in the winter! 

Thank you Jennifer and Cynthia for teaching us how to preserve our bounty!

Natural Air Freshener

A fresh scented car makes commuting or even zipping to the grocery store more enjoyable. However, often air fresheners contain chemicals or other additives that may not be as enjoyable for one’s lungs! We heard this great solution the other day and wanted to pass it along!

Next time you pick up your herb share from Kindred Ground Farm, save some of the leaves (basil works great, but so do any of our other herbs!) and place them in a brown paper bag with a few holes poked in. An envelope will work too. Place the bag or envelope on your dashboard to let the heat and sun dry the leaves. (Don’t drive with the envelope on the dashboard though please!) Check the leaves every couple of days until they are dried. (With this heat, they might be dry the next day!)

Gently shake the leaves onto a piece of cotton fabric or into a sachet bag. If you are using a piece of fabric, gather it up so it makes a “bag” and tie with ribbon. Place the sachet in your cup holder and voila a natural and lovely air freshener!

Enjoy!  

Party Beets

Are you a little hesitant about beets? Do they kind of overwhelm you? When you hear, “Beets!” do you think, “What do I do with beets?” Well, prepare for Susan’s recipe for beets. These are easy and so delicious she brought them to a party and they were gobbled up so quickly she didn't have time to take a photo!

Susan's Party Beets

1 lb. beets
4 oz. olive oil – I used my Primo Oliva Blood orange evoo
2 tbs. sea salt
Juice and zest of orange
Salad greens to serve on
4 oz. blue cheese to garnish

1.      In bowl, combine 1 tbs. of salt, 1 oz. evoo and beets, toss to coat. Layer on a foil lined roasting pan and roast in a preheated 275 degree oven until tender, about an hour for small to medium beets

2.      Slice into 1/4 inch slices and set aside.

3.      Combine remaining evoo with juice and zest and mix well.

4.      Layer beets on top of salad greens, drizzle with dressing, sprinkle remaining salt and top with blue cheese. I served it with additional dressing on the side.

Thank you Susan for the delicious recipe! We can't wait to try it!

Need more information on beets? Go back to read our introduction on beets from earlier in the season!

Enjoy!

Zucchini Pickles!

Are you looking for a new idea for this weeks zucchini? Lisa has sent us a recipe for Spicy Zucchini Pickles that sounds both easy and extraordinarily delicious! She said her family started eating them in just 24 hours after putting them in the fridge! That is what we call Almost Instant Gratification! 

To get the recipe please visit The Etsy Blog post by Kimberley Hasselbrink. Let us know if you make these and send us your photos too please!

Thank you Lisa for sharing! We are excited to test these!

Farm Fresh Pasta Sauce

Do you want to change up your pasta? Is it always the same thing? Red sauce and spaghetti, red sauce and penne, red sauce and spaghetti…

This week after you steam or boil your snap peas or snow peas, place them in the blender with about ¼- ½  cup of the cooking water (depending on how many peas you used) and puree until smooth. Add garlic scapes, chives, basil, onions or any other veggies you like. Add 1 tablespoon margarine or olive oil and puree again to desired consistency.

Pour over cooked pasta. Suddenly pasta has a whole new look and taste! This is a great way to eat extra vegetables! You can do a mix of half jarred or homemade red sauce and half green sauce over the pasta too if you really want to pizzazz the colors on your plate!

Adding tomato to the green sauce mixture adds delicious flavor, but the color tends to turn to shades of brown, which some people may not like. It does taste great though!

Let us know if you make this fast, easy, and delicious green sauce!

Lettuce Ideas

Lettuce goes great with salad. But we all know that already, right? But what about lettuce wraps? Using lettuce instead of pita, taco shells, rolls, or bread brings a fresh, low carb twist to any meal.

For great lettuce wrap ideas visit How to Make Lettuce Wraps and let us know what you try. And more importantly, take photos and send us the recipe you use please!

Recipes Sought

Dear Shareholders,

Thank you for being a part of our 2012 Season! It is so exciting to have met all our new shareholders these last two weeks and to reconnect with returning shareholders! Your enthusiasm and excitement brings me much joy!

I hope you are having fun with your vegetables and herbs! Many of you have shared that some of these veggies and herbs are new to you and your families! I know it can be overwhelming and daunting to leave with a bag of never seen before green things! However, so many of you are telling me about your delicious creations! You are being bold, creative, and making excellent, healthy food!

Will you please take a few minutes and share your recipes with us? We have recipe cards and pens at each pick up or you can email us at kindredgroundfarm@gmail,com (with photos too if you have them!). We will use the recipes in upcoming newsletters or post them here. (Hint, hint: we have a yummy recipe from Meg in the next newsletter for Quiche using three ingredients from the share!).

Thank you for being part of our community! See you soon! Happy Independence Day! Have a wonderful day celebrating and be safe!

Fondly,

Tammy 

Lemon Balm Ice Cubes

For extra zeal and zest place one washed lemon balm in each square of an ice cube tray, then fill with water. Freeze as normal. Serve these pretty and tasty ice cubes in lemonade, ice tea, water, or any specialty drink where a zip of lemony flavor would be delicious!

Enjoy!

Sandwich Time!

Summer is one of the best times of the year! But who wants to figure out lunch when there is fun stuff to be doing? We have a quick and delicious suggestion!

Spread a very small amount of olive oil on a slice of a bread, sprinkle diced basil, oregano, cilantro (or whatever faves you enjoy), add slow bolt lettuce, sliced spring onions, and perhaps a tomato slice. Add another slice of bread. And voila! An instant and deliciously fresh Kindred Ground Farm summer sandwich!

If you try this, please comment with your additions, suggestions, and of course, your taste buds reactions!

Swiss Chard Ribs - Eat Them!!

 

How Do We Eat Garlic Scapes?

 

Have you eaten garlic scapes before? They are a seasonal delicacy, only available for a short time, but worth the wait from year to year.

According to Wise Geek, “The garlic scape serves as the stem from which the seed head of the garlic bulb is formed. As the bulb begins to grow and mature, garlic stalks also begin to lengthen. During the growth period, the garlic scape begins to curve. Contained within the garlic scape is a great deal of flavor, although the stalk never does reach the level of the pungent garlic bulb itself. Initially, the garlic scape is relatively tender, making it ideal for use as an ingredient in several dishes. As the plant continues to mature, the garlic scape gradually begins to straighten, creating more support for the bulb. At this juncture, the garlic scape is much tougher and ceases to be usable for most recipes.”

We will have garlic scapes in our shares this week and possibly next week as well. Use these early in the week to get the best flavor in your dishes. If you need some ideas for these delicious treats keep reading!

 o Slice garlic scapes and add to tossed salad.
 o Slice garlic scapes, sauté them in olive oil, and mix with cooked vegetables.
 o Slice garlic scapes, sauté them in olive oil, add some white wine and cream, stirring and heating through.  
Toss over cooked pasta or chicken with fresh green peas.
 o Slice garlic scapes, dice tomatoes and onions, mix together. Toast your favorite hearty bread and spread with olive oil. Place spoonfuls of the vegetable mix on top for quick and easy Bruschetta.
o Substitute garlic scapes in any recipe that calls for fresh garlic for a lighter, milder, yet delicious flavor! 

Enjoy!

The First Peas of 2012 Are Here

 

Delicious Mashed Potatoes: Coming Soon!

 

Give Beets a Chance!

Despite their nutrient rich red beauty, beets have a bad reputation. They are labeled as “yucky,” “gross,” and even “inedible,” if someone wants to be fancy with his disgust! At Kindred Ground Farm we want to give all vegetables and fruits a fair chance, so this summer we will be talking about some of those classic veggies seen as disgusting. We know almost all vegetables can taste delicious as long as you know how to prepare them! Before we prepare them let’s learn a little about beets.

It is believed that the wild beet (the ancestor to today’s beets) grew in prehistoric times when people ate the greens from the beet versus the actual beet root. The ancient Romans were among the earliest people to begin using the beet root as the source of food. The importance of beets became known in the 19^th century when it was “discovered that beets were a concentrated source of sugar.  At this time the first sugar factory was built in Poland. When access to sugar cane was restricted by the British, Napoleon decreed that the beet be used as the primary source of sugar.” ¹ It was in the 19^th century that beets were brought to the United States and began to gain popularity here.

Beets are best prepared with a gentle hand. In other words, don’t overcook them! Whole Foods recommends roasting for no longer than an hour and steaming for no more than 15 minutes. When cooked too long the red betalain pigments lose too much of the benefits of this phytonutrient. These nutrients have been demonstrated to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification properties.

A few ideas for preparing this delicious root vegetable (and remember you can prepare and eat the greens too!);

Steam your beets for 15 minutes, test doneness with a poke of a fork, remove the skins by placing the steamed beets on a cutting board and gently rubbing them with a napkin.

Once steamed you can serve them whole or in slices with salad dressing. Trying dicing them to place into a soup. Marinating in oil, lemon juice, and your favorite spices is another delicious and quick serving idea.

You can also use grated raw beets in a salad

Cooks.com has many recipes for both beets and beet greens. To make Sunshine Beets (and who doesn’t want to eat something with the word sunshine in it?) visit their website here.

Beets may have a bad reputation, but give them a second chance this summer. You might discover that you and your family have a new favorite to add to your summer days!


To learn more about beets visit Whole Foods.
1. Beets, Whole Foods, Retrieved 06/08/2012 from http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49

Recipes and Photos Needed

Kindred Ground Farm is all about the land and the people. The land provides the ingredients, but the people make the food. In that spirit we want to post shareholder recipes highlighting ingredients from our weekly shares. Do you make a simple delicious dish using your CSA ingredients? Do your friends rave about the complicated gourmet meals you make with the farm fresh ingredients? Are you not allowed to show up to a party without your famous CSA side? Do you stand in your kitchen appraising the weekly selection and then whip dinner up? Then we want you to share with us please!

Each week we want to feature one or more recipes on the Kindred Ground Farm blog! Please email your favorite recipes and pictures if you have them to kgf.blog@gmail.com so we can post them here.

We can’t wait to taste your food!