farm-fresh green beans

INGREDIENTS

1 pound farm-fresh green beans, ends removed
Kosher or Sea salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoons good olive oil
3 large shallots, large-diced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Blanch the string beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 1/2 - 3 minutes, or until crisp-tender.
Drain the beans immediately and immerse them in a bowl of ice water.
Heat the butter and oil in a very large sauté pan and sauté the shallots on medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes until lightly browned. Toss them occasionally.
Drain the string beans, pat try, and then add to the shallots with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper, tossing well.
Heat only until the beans are hot.

Creme Fraiche

Creme fraiche is a staple of French cuisine and is pronounced 'krem fresh'. It is a thick and smooth soured cream with a rich and velvety texture. This matured cream has a nutty, slightly sour taste produced by culturing cream with a special bacteria. Four our purposes we will be using a pasteurized [not ultra-pasteurized] cream, and buttermilk. Buttermilk contains special bacteria that is benign, and it will multiply and protect the cream from any harmful bacteria.

Pour 2 cups cream into a saucepan, heat until tepid [do not exceed 100 degrees]. Add 2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk, stir well. Place in a clean glass jar, loosely covered, and let stand in a warm place for 12 - 24 hours. You are looking for it to thicken, still pour-able, but thicker. Stir occasionally during this time to keep up with the progress. After it thickens, refrigerate for 24 hours. Serve with any savory or sweet dishes! If you like a lighter texture, simply whip it until desired fluffiness. This delicious treat will keep in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.

Recipe

If you have invented, modified, or found any recipes that celebrate what you are receiving in your weekly shares-- tell us! We try to post only recipes we have tried so we know they work and are yummy, but you are our greatest resource. Please share how you are making use of your farm-fresh food!

June Applesauce

¼ PK apples–about 7

Peel, core and slice into 8ths.

Place in 3qt. pan with ½ cup water or apple cider. Simmer until apples are tender.

Add ¼ cup* maple syrup OR honey [natural forms of sugar]

Spices may be added- ½ teaspoon cinnamon or ½ teaspoon nutmeg.

Cook until apples are soft and then mash, puree or put through a food mill until the sauce is as chunky or smooth as you prefer. Return to the pan and add cinnamon and nutmeg. Store in a jar in the fridge.

• more or less sugar depending how sweet you like things!

One of our Owners: John Sharpe gives you a glimpse of his farm and our CSA program

Grasshoppers Distribution - John Sharpe from Fleischaker-Greene Scholars on Vimeo.

Everything you ever wanted to know about Fennel!!

• Fennel is crunchy and slightly sweet, adding a refreshing contribution to the ever popular Mediterranean cuisine. The stalks are topped with feathery green leaves near which flowers grow and produce fennel seeds. The bulb, stalk, leaves and seeds are all edible. Fennel belongs to the Umbellifereae family and is therefore closely related to parsley, carrots, dill and coriander.
• Like many of its fellow spices, fennel contains its own unique combination of phytonutrients-including the flavonoids rutin,quercitin, and various kaempferol glycosides-that give it strong antioxidant activity.
• In addition to its unusual phytonutrients, fennel bulb is an excellent source of vitamin C. Vitamin C found in fennel bulb is antimicrobial and is also needed for the proper function of the immune system.
• Fennel is a versatile vegetable that plays an important role in the food culture of many European nations. Its esteemed reputation dates back to the earliest times. Greek myths state that fennel was used to carry the coal that passed down knowledge from the gods to men.
• Good quality fennel will have bulbs that are clean, firm and solid, without signs of splitting, bruising or spotting. The bulbs should be whitish or pale green in color. Both the stalks and the leaves should be green in color. Fresh fennel should have a fragrant aroma, smelling subtly of licorice or anise.
• Store fresh fennel in the refrigerator crisper, where it should keep fresh for about a week.

Summer Squash Lasagna

Ingredients:

2-3 medium size zucchini or summer squash, or 1-2 large

1 lb meat of your choice (I used italian sausage from Feidler Family Farms)

1 pound fresh mozzarella, shredded or thinly sliced

salt

1 3/4 cups ricotta cheese (optional)

1-2 cups chopposed fresh basil

4 large ripe tomatoes (or whatever you have on hand--strained tomatoes in a jar work great), chopped coarsely.

2-3 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 cup olive oil (or more to taste)

1 teaspoon dried chile pequin OR Red pepper flakes

HOW TO:

1) Using a vegetable peeler, cut the zucchini into lengthwise ribbons, turning as you go. Slice any unused ends or core thinly. Lightly salt and allow to drain for at least half an hour. Pat dry with paper towel.

2) While the squash drains, make the tomato sauce (this step can be done in advance). Saute the garlic in the olive oil until just gold. Add the chiles and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes to the pan, bring to a boil, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes or so until it taste done. Add cooked meat and salt to taste.

3) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Layer a 9/13 baking dish with alternate layers of zucchini, sauce, mozzarella, ricotta, and basil, using the zucchini as you would noodles. You should have enough for 3 layers. Sprinkle extra cheese on top. Bake until bubbly on top and the cheese begins to brown, about 30-40 minutes. The result may is a delicious celebration of the local harvest while cutting out pasta noodles!

Did you know that we sponsored the 1st annual Buy Local Fair? This year it was held May 23rd from 2 - 6pm at the Visual Arts Association. If you want to check out pics from the fun click here.

Green Garlic Soup (by "The Amateur Gourmet")

You will need:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
24 young garlic plants, 1/2 inch in diameter at the root end, white part only (8 oz.), halved lengthwise
3/4 cup water
1 pound, 6 ounces small red potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 1/2 quarts light-bodied chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
Sourdough bread (on the side, grilled)

Melt the butter in a 6-quart noncorroding pot. Add the garlic and 1/4 cup of the water:

Bring to a simmer, cover tightly, and cook for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and remaining 1/2 cup water

and cook at a simmer for 20 minutes. Add the chicken broth, cover the pot, and allow to bubble gently for 20 minutes.

Puree the soup in batches in a blender (or with a hand blender) for two minutes. Stir in the cream and salt. Add the vinegar, 1 teaspoon at a time, tasting the soup after each addition before you add the next. (Some vinegars are more acidic and strongly flavored than others.)

Reheat the soup gently and serve. Top it with ground black pepper and a spicy garlic oil for a delicious finish.

Buttermilk

Once considered a poor man's milk derived from the liquid that remains after butter is churned, buttermilk is now a kitchen staple to love!

1) Take your Meemaw's advice and pour it in a glass to dip cornbread in, then drink.

2) Use it as a tenderizer: The acid in buttermilk makes it a great meat tenderizer -- that's one of the reasons you see it called for in so many fried chicken recipes. Its thick consistency also helps bread crumbs stick for perfect frying.

3) Use it in salad dressings: Buttermilk can serve as a stand-in for some or all of the mayonnaise in dressings, coleslaw and potato salad. Just remember, due to its natural acidity, you may need a bit less lemon juice in your recipe.

4) Use it in baking: Buttermilk is known to make great pancakes, cakes, biscuits and muffins. Experiment with replacing the cream or milk in your favorite cakes with buttermilk and you'll love the flavor, moisture and texture.

5) Use it as an acid medium to soak grains: Using whole grains in your cooking/baking is the first and one of the most significant steps you can take towards improving nutrition. The only drawback to using whole grains is that they can be difficult for your body to digest: enter soaking. There are many benefits to soaking grains before using them, and buttermilk is a perfect acid medium to use that also enhances flavor!

Still not inspired? Never fear, trusty old Martha Stewart is featuring Buttermilk in the Fresh Southern Cooking section of her webpage where she teaches you how to make buttermilk cheeses, pies, and cakes galore!

"I missed my pick-up, what do I do?"

Scenario #1 If you know ahead of time on your pick-up day that you will not be available, have a friend or relative stop by to get it for you. We are always flexible and will happily accommodate last-minute changes.

RESLOUTION = happy, satisfied, holding yummy vegetables

Scenario #2 You couldn't find anyone to go to your pick-up for you OR the heat of summer made you loose track of the days and you completely forgot. Feel free to stop by our warehouse during the following hours:

Thursday from 10am - 6pm [missed Wednesday]

Friday from 10 am - 3pm [missed Thursday]

Monday from 9 am - 12pm [missed Friday]

RESOLUTION=happy, satisfied, holding yummy vegetables

Because of produce spoilage and the amount of product going in and out of our warehouse, we are not able to hold your share more than 1 business day after your originally scheduled pick-up. Exceptions for Friday pick-ups, shares available only through Monday morning. After Monday at 12, all produce not claimed from the previous week, is donated to local charities in Louisville.

The Great Milk Debate: part 1

We are convinced that the less processing done to our foods the better. This is one reason we offer a milk share from JD Country Milk [formerly Rebecca Grace] to our CSA shareholders. They are a "family owned and operated dairy farm/processing plant located in Logan County KY." Their milk is quality hormone free milk that comes from pasture grazed cows who are never given antibiotics or hormones. "Instead they are fed a vitamin enriched diet and all the grass they can eat."! The milk is low temp pasteurized, non-homogenized, and available in glass jars for best storage.

Why is milk (and meat) from “grass-fed” animals so important?

If you can find grass-fed dairy products, you’ll be getting even closer to healthy real milk. “Real Food: What to Eat and Why” explains that "cows on grass contain more omega-3 fats, more vitamin A, and more beta-carotene and other antioxidants. Butter and cream from grass-fed cows are a rare source of the unique and beneficial fat CLA…CLA prevents heart disease, fights cancer, and builds lean muscle. It aids weight loss in several ways: by decreasing the amount of fat stored after eating, increasing the rate at which fat cells are broken down, and reducing the number of fat cells.

Why is Hormone-free milk so important? Avoid milk with synthetic growth hormones: rBGH. Most store-bought milk comes from cows given synthetic growth hormones to increase milk production and profits for the dairy industry. Not only is it uncomfortable and unhealthy for the cows, it has also been linked to cancer, and early puberty in girls – this is highly debated, but if it makes cows more prone to illness (and shortens their lifespan by half), can it be good for us to drink?

Why is Non-homogenized milk so important? When Milk is homogenized all of the fat-globules are dispersed and decreased in size. The result is that none of the cream rises to the top and this decreased size makes it difficult for the body to digest or extract nutrients correctly. Unlike polyunsaturated fats, which the body tends to store, the saturated fats in milk are rapidly burned for energy. Not only that, we absorb more calcium from the cream in milk, which in turn helps us lose weight. The butter fat found in milk helps the body digest the protein, and bones require saturated fats in particular to lay down calcium. The cream on the milk contains the vital fat-soluble vitamins A and D. Without the natural occurrence of vitamin D in the milk, less than 10% of dietary calcium can even be absorbed.

SCAPES & links:

The unfamiliar can be scary. But rest assured, scapes are your friend. Really.
'What do I do with them?' you ask. We will let some experts weigh in with some delicious recommendations.

Put them in a dip: New York Times.
Put them in a pesto: the Amateur Gourmet.
Or in a fritata: Eat it or Wear it

Are you a garlic scape lover who dreams of spring for the enjoyment of this delicious treat? Share the love and send us some of your favorite recipes!

CSA 2010

Our Spring/Summer CSA is in full swing, but it is not too late to get signed up! Log onto our webpage [www.grasshoppersdistribution.com] to complete an application and give us a call to find out the decreased cost of signing up late :)