Week 6

I heard two tales of beet greens from farm share members this week.  One member put the sautéed beet greens on buttered toast with an egg for breakfast and the other liked them so much he came by on Saturday to see if we had more.  Hope the rest of you enjoyed them as well.  Kelly sautéed them with onions and garlic and we had them with grilled salmon and steamed potatoes tossed with butter and parsley.  Sometimes simple meals really hit the spot.

Another farm share customer came by to pick up a few things on Saturday and asked what we thought was going to be in the box.  Kelly ran down the list of likely suspects and ended with iceberg lettuce.   She laughed.  No, really, there might be iceberg lettuce in your boxes.  Those of you who don't get it tomorrow will get to try it another week.  Will it be different?  I don't know the answer to that because we haven't eaten one yet.  My refrigerator hasn't seen an iceberg lettuce since we bought our house and to be honest I am looking forward to checking it out.  I am including a recipe for carrot dressing, similar to the kind Japanese steakhouses serve, that would be great with iceberg or the napa cabbage that is in large shares or really on just about any salad.

Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbors Porch Day aka National Zucchini Day isn't until August 8th but we will be having all you can eat zucchini early this year.  Our first planting is always the biggest and if we are going to do it now is the time.  We will pick the big, the small and the mediums.  Get out your spiralizer, your loaf pan and fire up the grill.  Last year I added a recipe for turkey zucchini burgers to the blog and since then we have also started to mix zucchini with ground chicken or pork when we make pot stickers or dumplings - so good.  I know there are a lot of jokes about zucchini in the summer and a lot of people who think it is tasteless but I never tire of eating it.

Carrots
Zucchini
Cucumber
Kale
Lettuce
Green Beans 
Bunched Sweet Onions - Yum
Napa Cabbage - Large Only
Tomatoes - Kelly thinks there are enough tomatoes for everyone if we give some slicers and some cherries.  I don't believe him but I remain hopeful.

Carrot Dressing - adapted from  Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites

I use my mini chop for this because I use my mini chop for everything but a vitamix or a powerful blender might give you a smoother consistency.  The original recipe calls for a little bit of silken tofu.  I have never tried it but I bet it makes it nice and creamy.  I love this dressing and my quantities are twice what the original called for, I also add more oil and a little less ginger.   I realize that adding oil to a low-fat recipe doesn't do it any favors in the fat department but as far as dressings go it is still better than most and I think the extra oil improves the texture.   I have added miso to it on occasion as well.  If I had just a smidgen less self control I would probably drink this stuff!  It could easily be cut in half if you are uncertain if you will like it.  The recipe below dresses four good sized salads or six smaller side salads.

2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons mirin (when I don't have this I usually add a little more rice vinegar and a touch of honey)
4  tablespoons rice vinegar (also good with cider vinegar)
3  tablespoons mild tasting veggie oil.
2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
4 to 6 thin slices of ginger

Put everything in a food processor or blender and blend until it is as smooth as you can get it.