Friday, July 29, 2016

Yup...you got a giant zucchini in your bag today. See last week's post for a great basic method for stuffing that puppy and having a great vegetarian meal!

The jar contains a syrup I made from Queen Anne's Lace flowers and lemon juice. Try it sparingly first to make sure you have no reaction from the Queen Anne's Lace (they are very rare, but it's a good idea to err on the side of caution).

We had the syrup on ice cream and it was delicious. On blueberry pancakes it was even better!


Enjoy the kale, onions and the rest of the goodies this weekend and try to join us at the Farmers' Market in Lansing on Saturday from nine to noon. Thomas Baker and I will be playing music through the whole market and it will be loads of fun!

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Stuff It!


We can almost make the claim that we have as many giant zucchini as there are recipes for "giant zucchini" on line! However, there was one that inspired me as soon as I saw it.

It was a simple stuffed zucchini wherein the author used various leftovers from her fridge. Seemed like a pretty good idea and as I reached for the refrigerator I thought only of three things - bacon, butter and brown sugar. 

The butter and brown sugar inspiration comes from from favorite preparation for acorn squash. The bacon, well, because it's bacon!

Technically, those three ingredients are not leftovers, but it sure does open up a big door! If this one works well, the next one will be bacon and maple syrup. Then there's honey and prosciutto and maple and smoked ham with caramelized sweet red onion...

Here's what did:
Cut a large zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the seedy pulp. Place the squash halves on a cookie sheet with the scooped out side up.
Brown 6 or 7 slices of bacon until they are nice and crispy. Remove bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels. Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup of water and add 3 tablespoons of butter and about a half-cup of brown sugar. Stir well, remove from heat and whisk mixture briskly in a bowl until slightly foamy. Divide the bacon between the two squash halves and split the liquid between them. 
Bake in a 350 degree oven with a pan of water on the bottom shelf of the oven and the zucchini above it on the next shelf for 40 - 45 minutes. The time could be longer if you use a squash larger than the one I have used here.
Garnish with some fresh parsley sprigs and serve. Boy Howdy! It is some kind of good!



We included some purslane in your bags last week and I am very late in getting this posted - my apologies. You can still find lots of purslane everywhere, so here's a link to some recipes that we have enjoyed -

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/ingredients-fine-foods/45-things-to-do-with-purslane/

Blueberry Lemon Bread

We picked up a couple of 14 lb boxes of blueberries last week. Froze most of them, but I did make this:
It's an easy recipe and simply sublime for dessert!


Blueberry Lemon Bread

Ingredients
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel

GLAZE:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar

Directions
In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, lemon juice and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into egg mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Fold in the blueberries, nuts and lemon peel.
Transfer to a greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.
Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm bread. Cool completely. Yield: 1 loaf (16 slices).

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Bags for July 7th

Bags are coming to you a day early today due to my brother's memorial service on Saturday. As per usual, there will be a dozen farm-fresh eggs from Blake Family Organic Farms and a nice array of fresh organic veggies and greens. We are in sort of a "mid-state" right now with the veggies. Some of you will receive baby summer squash or broccoli, but everyone will get a half-head of cabbage to make your favorite coleslaw. Kale is still coming in strong and there will be more basil for you this week as well. There is also another horseradish leaf in each bag. We had a lot of comments on the horseradish pesto, so here is a recipe for creamy kale and horseradish leaf salad:

Creamy Kale Salad with Horseradish Leaf
Ingredients
  • 1 bag of kale, washed
  • 1 large horseradish leaves, shredded
  • 1 avocado, mashed
  • 2 tbsp tamari
  • 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • ½ tsp salt

Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and massage with your hands for 1 minute to break down the tough fibres of the kale.
  2. Serve just as it is, or add some additional chopped veg if you like, such as tomatoes, cucumber, grated carrot or beetroot, or sprinkle on some sprouts if you have some in too.
All in all, we have another nice mix for you and hope you enjoy the fresh flavors it will bring to your table!