-pick list-
KALE - BEANS - BLUEBERRIES - SUMMER SQUASH - BEETS - POTATOES -
PEPPER - HOT PEPPER - CUCUMBERS - EGGPLANT - PARSLEY - SNAP DRAGONS :)
Vital Communities and Edgewater Farm are in cahoots making rad things happen for kids. Below you will read a little blurb written by Lauren of Vital Communities, bottomline- it’s an opportunity to engage kids on eating local seasonal food in a seriously interactive way. For example, last week the POP folks were somehow able to get kids excited about Kol-Rabi- KOL F’ing RABI, one of the most undesirable vegetables out there. read on!
Families: bring the kiddos to the farm stand for our POP Club!
POP Clubs Help Kids Learn About and Eat Local Produce
Kids can get a taste of local fruits and vegetables this summer—plus their very own money to spend on fresh, local produce— with our new Power of Produce (POP) Club, happening every Wednesday from 11am-1pm right here at the farm stand, through August 16th !
Power of Produce Clubs are simple, fun, and free. Children sign up at the POP table and start the day’s activity—a farm stand scavenger hunt, a vegetable quiz, an art project, or another produce-related activity. Once they complete the activity, they return to the POP table to receive their POP Bucks: $3 tokens just for kids to spend on local fruits and vegetables here at the farm stand. Kids ages 5-12 can participate once or all summer. So bring the kids and get a taste for POP! They just might start shopping for their own vegetables. Every Wednesday this summer from 11-2.
Vital Communities is supporting our POP Club this summer, as well as another at the Newport Farmers’
Market in Newport, N.H., with funding from the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and
Food, HNH Foundation and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
In other news, I am writing this newsletter at 6 am next to my woodstove, dreaming about lighting a little fire in it to stay warm and it’s July 25th- For all of you wondering when the tomatoes will be rolling in, please take a second and have a conversation with the sun- ask her to stick around for awhile, because, C’MON!
TIPS - TRICKS - RECIPES:
Turn on your grill. Especially for the summer squash, eggplant, beets, peppers, and wax beans!
KALE: an actual superhero vegetable rich in antioxidants. According to Greek myth, “the first crucifers sprang from beads of sweat on the brow of the god Zeus.” While, the family of crucifers includes not only kale, but also cabbage, broccoli, radish, mustard greens, etc- I believe that if any of those vegetables acted as beads of sweat springing from Zeus’ brow, it was undoubtedly the kale plant. More than myth, the kale plant is packed with glucosinolates- a cancer fighting compound. Bottomline, embrace these leafy green powerhouses.
Ideas for kale:
Smoothie: A serious staple in our family… chop up small, and throw in a smoothie- the kale haters will never know!!! I swear- It’s been tested. I usually do one kale leaf chopped teeny tiny and thrown into a mix of berries, bananas, yogurt, nutbutter- immersion blend, and enjoy.
Eggs: Again, a staple in my family. Without fail, every morning for the past 2 months we’ve been eating this breakfast with zero complaints (thankfully, one of the eaters is an easily impressionable toddler). Chop and sautee the kale in your favorite oil of choice - we like coconut- once slightly browned, throw in the eggs, grated cheddar, scramble and serve.
KALE CHIPS: If you are feeling up for turning on your oven… do this! These little chips are awesome.
Baked Kale Chips: www.smittenkitchen.com
1 bunch 1 tablespoon olive oil Sea salt, to taste
Preheat oven to 300°F. Rinse and dry the kale, then remove the stems and tough center ribs. Cut into large pieces, toss with olive oil in a bowl then sprinkle with salt. Arrange leaves in a single layer on a large baking sheet (I needed two because mine are tiny; I also lined mine with parchment for easy clean-up but there’s no reason that you must). Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp. Place baking sheet on a rack to cool.
Kale-Dusted Popcorn If you’re making the chips with the intention to grind them up for popcorn, I’d use less oil — perhaps half — so they grind without the “powder” clumping. I ground a handful of my chips (about half) in a mortar and pestle (well, actually the “pestle” was MIA so I used the handle of an OXO reamer, not that anyone asked) and sprinkled it over popcorn (1/4 cup popcorn kernels I’d cooked in a covered pot with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium heat, shaking it about with potholders frequently). I seasoned the popcorn with salt. I liked this snack, but I think Parmesan and Kale-Dusted Popcorn would be even more delicious. Next time!
INGREDIENTS
2 cups packed tender young basil leaves ¼ cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon salt 2 plump garlic cloves, peeled and crushed with flat of a knife
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, or more to taste
Salt to taste ½ # small potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/4-inch thick
¼ pound wax/green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths 1 pound trenette, or other long, thin pasta
Make pesto (see last week’s share!!!): in bowl of food processor, add basil, pine nuts, salt and garlic. Pulse until mixture is coarse and grainy. With motor running, add oil in slow, steady stream. Add cheese; process just enough to mix well. If sauce is too dry, add a little more oil. Taste; add more cheese or salt, if desired.
Bring 6 quarts water to rolling boil. Add at least 2 tablespoons salt and the potato slices. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until potatoes have started to soften but are not cooked through. Add green beans, and continue boiling another 5 minutes.
Add pasta, and stir. Start testing pasta at 5 minutes. When it is done, and when potatoes and beans are tender, drain and turn pasta and vegetables immediately into preheated bowl. Add pesto, and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately.