September 6, 2011
P.O. Box 1146 Marblehead, Mass. 01945 877-­‐FDC-­‐FARM www.farmdirectcoop.org [email protected] Supplying local produce and supporting local farmers for 19 years. FOOD FOR THOUGHT
A Post-Irene Note from Riverland
Farm on Flooded Fields and Food
Safety
Riverland Farm in Sunderland, our
main grower, was spared flooding
from the contaminated Connecticut
River. Rob and Meghan allay concerns
about contamination in an email to
Julie: “…we’ve received…questions
regarding flooded…fields and food
safety…our lower farm field did not
actually flood. The culvert that you
cross to get to the lower field backs up
when the river is flooded. It was so
backed up that the bridge and access
roads to the lower field were under
water and we couldn’t get down there.
Thankfully the water stopped rising
before it got to the field and none of
our crops ended up under water…We
can assure you that none of our crops
have been contaminated due to the
flooding…”
Depot Volunteers Needed
Have you fulfilled your two-hour
volunteer commitment? As we start to
offer more options at the depot
(occasional extras like tomatoes, corn,
eggs, and some other items), it is
difficult for the depot coordinators to
manage everything. So we need more
depot volunteers! Volunteers
generally sign up for a shift lasting a
few hours, and help with everything
from set up and breakdown to
answering questions about veggies
and choices, while making sure the
bins are kept stocked and veggies are
kept hydrated in the hot weather. Meet
your neighbors, share your favorite
recipes and help us keep running
smoothly. Please talk to your depot
coordinator if you can help out -- we
want to keep offering more options,
but can't do it without your help!
September is:
National Organic Harvest Month
National 5 A Day Month
National Cholesterol Education
Month
Yoga Month
Celebrate September! Eat at least 5
servings of your FDC organic,
cholesterol-free fruits & veggies every
day. And practice your yoga. Just not
at the same time. Namaste!
Vacation Swaps
Going to miss your FDC goodies?
Email [email protected]
with depot, the day you will be away,
contact details and share. We’ll run an
ad to see if anyone wants to swap.
FDC Fresh Ideas
By Julie Pottier-Brown,
Operations Manager
Last week’s hurricane
continues to cause problems. This
is from our primary grower Rob
Lynch of Riverland Farm : "Sorry about the small list this week.
The rain from the hurricane really took a toll on some of our
summer crops. The disease pressure from all the rain in a lot of
these crops is pretty bad."
Today's share is contains less than usual as a result of the
shorter lists of available produce this week. It will include
edamame that was grown in Beverly, MA at Moraine Farm.
Our cheese this week comes from a favorite dairy in
Vermont, Neighborly Farms. The cheese is organic, and each
cheese member gets two pieces - a Colby and a flavored cheddar.
Be sure to look for multiple pieces of cheese for the rest of the
season.
Now that vacations are winding down, the depot may
appear busier and traffic patterns will change now that school is
back in session. Be patient, continue to read signs carefully and
make sure you are taking your goods from the correct tent.
I hope your long weekend was restful.
Julie
Apple & Cheddar Turnovers
Adapted from chefskitchen.tv
4 large, firm, tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 pound cheddar, shredded
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 pounds prepared puff pastry
2 eggs, beaten together with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Melt butter over medium heat in medium skillet. Add apples, 1/2 cup
sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook until apples are somewhat soft.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
When cool, transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the cheese and combine
well.
Prepare puff pastry by lightly dusting work surface with flour and
rolling pastry 1/4-inch thick into 12 x 18-inch rectangle, trimming edges
as needed. Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise. Cut each half into
thirds.
Put 2-3 tablespoons of apple mixture in the middle of each square. Brush
the edges lightly with egg wash and fold into triangles. Press the edges
with the tines of a fork to seal.
Place turnovers on prepared baking sheet. Make three 1/2-inch slits in
the top of each one. Brush with egg wash. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Brush the now-chilled turnovers with egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar
and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve hot with a scoop
of vanilla ice cream.
Spanish Garlic Soup –Sopa de Ajo
Adapted from Cooking in Spain, Mendel, 1992 and from
Spanish Cooking, published by Spain’s Ministerio de Comercio y
Turismo;
FDC Taking Orders for
All-Local Piecrust!
just add [fruit]
4 servings
6 tbsp olive oil, preferably Spanish
¼ lb cured ham, such as Serrano (optional)
6 cloves (or more) garlic, peeled and chopped
6 slices day old rustic bread, cubed
1 tsp (or more) paprika
7 cups boiling water or stock
2 tsp salt
4 eggs
chopped parsley
Heat oil in heavy pot and add garlic. Sauté briefly,
not allowing to brown, then add ham, if using, and
bread. Fry until just golden, then stir in paprika.
Add boiling liquid and salt. Cover, lower heat and
simmer gently for 5-10
minutes, until the bread
is almost dissolved.
The soup can be finished
in either of 2 ways:
1. Ladle into 4
individual earthenware
soup crocks, poach the
eggs in the soup, garnish
with chopped parsley
and serve.
2. Beat eggs in a
bowl, stir into pot of hot soup, cooking until
eggs are just set and have thickened the
soup. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Jane’s Glazed Carrots
4-6 servings
1 lb carrots sliced into thick rounds
1/2 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 tbsps butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 leek, white part only, finely chopped
2 tbsps orange juice
s&p to taste
Parsley, basil, dill or cilantro, finely chopped
Melt butter in medium sauté pan over medium
heat.
Sauté leeks in butter until soft. Add carrots, stir to
coat. Add broth, sugar, s&p. Bring to boil.
Reduce heat, cover and cook until carrots are almost
tender. Check periodically to be sure liquid has not
evaporated, adding stock or water as needed .
Remove cover and cook until liquid is almost
reduced to a glaze.
Add orange juice and continue to cook briefly,
stirring, until carrots are glazed.
Adjust seasoning. Garnish with herb of your choice.
Ed. Note: Do you juice or can, or just leave produce lying
around in interesting ways? Please email
[email protected]. We’d love to share your
food epiphanies in the newsletter!
While our regular editor was on vacation this week,
this newsletter was guest-edited by Marblehead member
Jane Levine. If you see her at the depot, let her know how
you liked the recipes!
just add [fruit], a new company launched by one of
our Melrose coordinators, Jacq Bastoni, makes
homemade pie crust, so you don’t have to! Our
piecrusts are made from all-local and all-natural
ingredients: just flour, butter and honey. They are 100
percent nut-free. We support Massachusetts and New
England farms by using their local products to mix our
crusts and by suggesting that you use their local fruits
and vegetables to fill them!
The piecrusts are rolled out halfway to get you
started, and then frozen. Crusts will keep in the
freezer for at least two weeks. Keep them frozen until
24 hours before you want to bake, then defrost in the
refrigerator. All you have to do then is finish rolling
the crust to your desired size, place in a pie plate or on
a cookie sheet, fill it with your favorite farm fresh
produce, and bake.
One crust will cover the bottom of a 9-inch pie
plate, and each crust is $8. FDC will be taking orders
online at http://bit.ly/oS2MXc for delivery Thursday
- 9/22 and 10/6; Tuesday - 9/27 and 10/4 -- orders for
September dates must be submitted by 9/18; orders
for October dates must be submitted by 9/30. For any
questions, please contact [email protected]
Tomato Bread Pudding
Serves 6-8
3 large tomatoes, peeled* (tops & bottoms cut off and
reserved), each cut into 2 equally thick slices
10 slices rustic white bread, toasted + 2 slices toasted,
processed into large crumbs and reserved
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¾ tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley + more for garnish
1- 1 ½ tbsp chopped fresh basil + more for garnish
½ tsp sugar
S&P to taste
4 tbsp (or more) heaping freshly grated Parmesan
Preheat oven to 350. Line a well-buttered 8” soufflé
dish with five bread slices. Cut one into pieces as
necessary fill any spaces, so bottom of dish is loosely
covered. Layer half the tomato slices on top, patching
with half the reserved tomato pieces. Drizzle half the
olive oil on top. Sprinkle with s & p, half the parsley,
basil and sugar. Repeat with remaining half of
ingredients so you end up with two layers each of
bread and tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with
reserved bread crumbs.
Bake 40-45 minutes uncovered, then covered with foil
for about 30 more minutes. Tomatoes should be soft
and bread puddinglike. If desired, drizzle each
serving with olive oil and garnish with herbs.
*To peel tomatoes: Using a slotted spoon to avoid
splashing, drop into boiling water for about 30
seconds. Remove with slotted spoon and drop into
cold water. Peel.