CSA Week 13

Week 13 CSA! In your share this week:

Napa Cabbage
Carrot
Onion
Sweet Bell Pepper
Parsley

Full Shares Only:
Potato
Zucchini
Maxibel Beans
Tomato

Half Shares Only:
Broccoli
Cherry Tomato

How did you fare in last week’s rain? The plants on the farm loved getting some extra watering. I loved hearing the rain on my roof at night. One of the farmworkers, Renee, had her cooler stored in the river and it floated quite a ways downstream before being rescued by another crew member, Alec. If you happened to come out on Saturday, you’d have seen how small the market was. We set up and broke down in the drizzle, mostly stayed dry, and had fun with it.

On this sunny Monday, we brought in the CSA harvest, washing and processing the produce. After lunch, we will pack it up, bagging, boxing, and placing in the cooler to await delivery to you!
It is a lovely share this week. You are probably familiar with most of the veggies…cabbage, carrot, onion, parsley, tomatoes, etc. There is a new one, sweet bell peppers!

The sweet bell peppers may not look like the ones you see in the store; some of ours are long and skinny over the bell shape. They are low in calories and exceptionally rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants, making them an excellent addition to a healthy diet. There are many recipes to include peppers in, raw or cooked. Check out this link for 15 dishes to inspire you. To store your peppers, uncut orange, yellow, and red bells last 5 days to 2 weeks in the fridge. They have a shorter shelf life because they are a riper version of a green pepper. Cut peppers will last about 3 days, in an airtight container in the fridge.

Parsley is something that I find some people put in everything and some people just don’t know what to do with. If you’re in the latter category, here’s some ideas! Parsley makes a great pesto or is a primary ingredient in tabouleh. It is a key ingredient in many stocks and soups; restaurants use it all the time! I love to make a salsa verde, chimichurri, or light cream sauce (I use milk with a roux, rather than actual cream for a lighter version), then add gobs of chopped parsley and serve over pasta or potatoes. It’s a nice addition to smoothies or green juices. You can also freeze it; grinding it up in the food processor with a bit of olive or other vegetable oil, then freeze it in an ice cube tray. Pop out the frozen parsley cubes and put them in a zip loc bag in the freezer, then pull them out individually to add to soups, sauces, and pastas!

Last week full shares had broccoli and half shares had Maxibel beans. This week it is reversed. Full shares can check last week’s share notes for more info on the new bean variety. Keep beans refrigerated in a plastic bag. If you’re going to store them for very long, slip in a piece of paper towel to absorb any extra moisture. Check out this recipe for a bean and tomato salad.

Sometimes I need some added sweetness in life. If you find you need some too, try the Cinnamon Sugar Zucchini Coffee Cake and the Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookie recipes below. That’s week 13; only 5 more weeks to go!

Napa Cabbage Salad with Peanut Dressing

From the March, 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times.  Crisp, mild, napa or Chinese cabbage is a great salad green to use when the lettuce in the produce section looks a little worse for wear. Feel free to add your favorite veggies to this toss as well.

Dressing:

3 Tbs. smooth peanut butter
3 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbs. brown rice syrup
1 Tbs. roasted sesame oil
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Salad:
4 cups shredded napa cabbage
1 small red bell pepper, sliced (about ½ cup)
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
3 green onions, sliced (about ¼ cup)

To make Dressing: Whisk together all ingredients in bowl.

To make Salad: Toss all ingredients with dressing in serving bowl.

Cinnamon Sugar Zucchini Coffee Cake

From https://pinchofyum.com/cinnamon-sugar-zucchini-coffee-cake#tasty-recipes-39220-jump-target

INGREDIENTS
For the cake

• 1 1/3 cups brown sugar
• 1/3 cup oil (I used olive oil but Canola oil works too)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk (you can sub milk + vinegar, even almond milk!)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (I just eyeballed a little pinch)
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 tablespoon orange zest

For the topping:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter
  

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Press or drain the excess moisture out of the zucchini shreds. Mix the cake ingredients in order given.

Combine the topping ingredients with your fingers or in a food processor to make a crumbly topping. Pour half of the batter into a greased 9×13 cake pan. Cover with half of the crumbs. Repeat with the remaining batter and topping.

Bake for 45 minutes. The top will be crunchy and textured and the cake will bounce back when you gently press it. And then it will be gone fast.

Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies

From https://www.abeautifulplate.com/carrot-cake-breakfast-cookies/

● 1 cup (90 g) quick-cooking oats
● 1 cup (144 g) white whole wheat or regular whole wheat flour
● 1 teaspoon baking powder
● 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
● ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
● ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
● 1½ cups (175 g) peeled, grated carrots (about ½ lb)
● 1 cup (125 g) roughly chopped raw pecans or walnuts
● ¼ cup (40 g) raisins, preferably golden
● ¼ cup (20 g) unsweetened coconut flakes optional add-in
● ½ cup (170 g) honey or maple syrup
● ½ cup (100 g) melted coconut oil

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the center position. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking sheet.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and ginger. Whisk to blend. Add the carrots, pecans, and raisins and stir to combine.

In a medium bowl, combine the honey and coconut oil. Whisk until blended. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until combined. The dough might be rather wet, but don’t worry.

Drop ¼-cup scoops of dough (an ice cream scoop with a wire scraper is perfect for this) onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving several inches of space around each one. Us the palm of your hand to gently flatten each cookie to about ¾-inch thick.

Bake until the cookies are golden and firm around the edges, 15 to 17 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely (otherwise, the bottoms can brown too much).

Storage: Leftover breakfast cookies will keep, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months.