CSA Week 9

Hi Corvus Landing family! Hope you all had a great weekend and and are looking forwards to a new batch of delicious produce straight from the farm!

—-Full shares—-
Cauliflower
Onion
Beans

—Both—
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Parsley
Cilantro
Broccolini

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Glad to have you with us this far into the season! For those who may have seen the photo posted on the website of me holding the very large cauliflower head, that was a whopping 6.2 lbs! It was indeed a sight to behold. I hope whoever ended up with that titan enjoyed every bit of it. I would not have been able to finish it all myself, but I hope it found a good kitchen that treated it well. More beautiful cauliflower heads grace full shares this week. Last week I suggested Buffalo Cauliflower Wings. I hope some of you were able to try out that recipe. Though summer is not completely over, I’m sure you are all feeling the temperature shift as the sun descends earlier and earlier as we approach Autumn. Cooler temperatures always makes me crave warmer meals. Consider a creamy cauliflower soup to warm your belly in the evening, as an appetizer or a dinner entrée.

And here’s to another round of beans! The first round was in the greenhouse, and these new plants that we’ve harvested from this week have been building strength outside in the field, and are now producing enough for harvest! Full shares got the first harvest of the field beans, but there will be more to savor in the coming weeks. These beans are Romano beans, also sometimes called Italian green beans. They are sweet and juicy with a robust beany flavor. Steam them or stir-fry as a side, or cut them up and add them to a soup. I like to have them with my breakfast scramble as a protein-green side. Carolina likes them best grilled whole with a little olive oil and salt, until the outside is caramelized and the inside is tender and juicy.

Everyone is getting a lot of tomatoes in their share this week. I included a recipe for Balela that requires tomatoes, but you can also make a good Tabouleh salad as well, which also goes great with hummus and pita, or added to tacos or gyros. This week I used the cherry tomatoes to make a cold pita pizza. I spread some hummus on some pita, some micro greens from the farm, added sliced cherry tomatoes, and slices of avocado, with a coating of lemon, salt, and pepper. Cut it like a pizza and had myself a unique lunch. I never did anything like that before, but I love trying new ideas. Hope you try making something new this week that you’ve never tried before!

Remember from last week that our cucumbers don’t pickle well, so if you need some ideas on how to use them all, they add a very satisfying crunch to a tuna sandwich, but also consider trying them in
cucumber salad, Balela, tabouleh, or if you’re adventurous, try a cold cucumber soup! I have not tried this yet, I saw it when searching for cucumber recipes. Would you try making cucumber soup?

We at Corvus Landing thank you for your generous support as we do what we love in offering the public healthy choices for a more sustainable future. May the food you eat benefit you for years to come!

Fidé and the team at Corvus Landing

Balela

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There are many different renditions of Balela and I encourage you to look around and find one that appeals to your taste buds. Here’s a simple one that I use when I pack my lunches. I like serve this on top of a bed of arugula, and include a side of warm pita and hummus. A pre-made, protein-packed lunch that doesn’t need to be heated. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients
2 cans (14 oz.) chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 can (14 oz.) black beans
2 medium tomatoes (or try cherry tomatoes)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 large cucumber
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 TBSPs fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp sumac
mineral salt & fresh cracked pepper
3 – 4 TBSP olive oil
Juice of 1 large lemon

Step 1: I like to drain and rinse the canned beans, but some people like the can juice. I think it goes bad faster when you include it, but I’ll leave it up to you. Add the beans to a large mixing bowl.

Step 2: Chop the red onions, mint, and parsley and mix in with the beans

Step 3: Chop the garlic and add to a small bowl with the lemon juice, olive oil, sumac, salt, and pepper. Mix until evenly distributed. Then add and every mix with the rest.

Enjoy!

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Creamy Cauliflower Soup

I gave you all a cold dish, now here’s a warm dish! Try this creamy cauliflower soup recipe I found on the Simple Veganista, and add some whole roasted chickpeas for garnish. Reserve some toasted cauliflower florets for garnish.

You will need….a high-powered blender, and immersion blender to purée.

Ingredients

1/4 cup (vegan) butter
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large head cauliflower (about 2 1/2 – 3 lbs.), cut into florets
1 tsp fresh thyme or 2 sprigs
5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water
1 cup vegan cream/cream substitute (or plant milk of choice)
1 small lemon, juice of
Salt + pepper, to taste

Step 1: Start by prepping the onion and garlic. Cut the cauliflower into florets, they can be on the large side as you can break it down as it cooks.

Step 2: In a heavy bottom pan, heat the butter over medium heat, add the onion and saute for 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Then add the cauliflower, thyme, salt and pepper, and water/broth.

Step 3: Bring the chunky soup to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until cauliflower is fork tender.

Step 4: Stir in the vegan cream or plant milk and lemon juice.

Step 5: Once soup is done, let it rest for 10 minutes to cool. Using an immersion blender or cup blender, puree the soup until desired consistency. Season with more salt & pepper as needed. Heat over low until warmed through as needed.

Serve with a few reserved toasted cauliflower pieces, drizzle of vegan cream and/or fresh cracked pepper. For a little heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes or crushed mustard seeds.

Hope you enjoy this recipe!

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