Well, it's November, very soon to be December, Thanksgiving is just over, the world is gray (literally and figuratively) and damp, and the days are so so short. It's a hard time of year, and a hard year, to feel really excited about anything. Not to be too dreary, but I feel like it's ok to say, it's a tough time of year in a tough year overall. I've found some joy in the shorter days by committing to some fun cooking projects - cranking my head phones and cooking something new or an old favorite. Hopefully your box of veggies will bring you a little joy and adventure in a gray, late fall world. I've included a few recipes below that I find fun/delicious for items we have available this week.
This winter is bound to be a tough one - but we've found that the current times have tightened the bonds in the local food movement. We're really looking forward to seeing you all, eating with you, drumming up recipes for you, and harvesting for you this winter. Eating local in Maine in the winter is often presented as this crazy difficult thing to do, but there is an amazing bounty in the winter - we're excited to share it with you!
-Beth, Eric, and crew
Pantry Item of the Week
(This item is included in your share unless you choose to swap it out, extras may or not be available for purchase depending on the item each week)
Cornmeal! Either from Fairwinds Farm or from Maine Grains (we traditionally source this from Fairwinds, but we grew a lot this year!)
Cornmeal is a special type of corn, dried and then ground into a medium-fine meal. It can be used in corn muffins and bread, polenta and grits, and all kinds of other baking.
Cornmeal is a wonderful addition to your pantry. It has a long and diverse history in it's use in the US and the Americas, and is a "New World Crop" meaning it was developed in the Americas. It is often associated with the south, but has been beloved in New England cuisine as well. Here's a little dive into cornbread/cornbread: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2019/03/07/cornmeal-is-baked-into-the-history-of-the-americas-and-its-time-to-dust-off-those-roots/
The beauty of eating local cornmeal is that when it is freshly ground, the taste is AMAZING, your taste buds will pop with the flavor of corn, not matter how you cook it. Be sure to store in the fridge and use within 3 weeks OR put in the freezer for later use.
*Please note, if you have rated this item a 1 in your preferences, it will NOT be added to your share, please contact the farm with any questions!
Awesome Extras Available this Week:
We are working really hard on expanding the "extras" we offer along with the veggies from our farm each week, in the hopes of making wonderful, locally crafted food more available. Over the last few years, we've been some wonderful relationships with local producers, some of whom have been friends for a long time, and other who we met sourcing goods for the CSA. I like working with other farmers and producers almost as much as I like feeding all of you! We'll be working to offer staples as regularly as we can and we'll be featuring different producers in each newsletter so you can know exactly where your food comes from! Check out below what we've got this coming week!
Dairy (we offer the cheese and yogurt also as a weekly subscription, so if you've already signed-up for that you don't have to add the extra). All items listed are also available for one time purchase to all members:
- Winter Hill Farmhouse Feta - Delicious, award winning cow's milk feta. Not too salty and just the right combo of creamy and firm for your salads and recipes $9.00/container
- Winter Hill Farm Yogurt - The best Maine yogurt hands down. Made in small batches on their farm in Freeport, this yogurt is addictive $9.00/quart
- Winter Hill Farm Whole Raw Milk 1/2 Gallon - Milked at their micro dairy, this raw, whole milk is cream-on-top wonderful. $5.00/half gallon
Fruit:
- The Apple Farm Golden Russet Apples - A tart/sweet heirloom with a matte russet skin. Holds its firmness well when baked. Super-delicious. 2lb for $6.00
- Fresh Apple Cider from The Apple Farm - Tart and refreshing - the last of the season! $6.00/half gallon
*The Apple Farm is not certified organic, they practice Integrated Pest Management like nearly all fruit farms in Maine, meaning they carefully assess pest pressure and conditions before judiciously spraying.*
Protein
- Heiwa Organic Tofu - freshly and locally made in Rockport, ME! Firm tofu. $5.00/block
Recipes to Try New Things!
It's good to get comfortable with kale heading into a Maine winter. There is so much you can do with kale, but my favorite thing is kale salad (yes I said salad, not chips!:). It is so easy and when done right, filling delicious and wonderful for you. I would also like to point out that massaging kale is an awesome way to get little ones involved in the kitchen and with kale.
Here is my favorite recipe (also found in full here with some extras: Massaged Kale/Apple/Cranberry Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing) I 100% recommend this website whenever you feel a little lost with a CSA Veggie:
Massaged Kale Salad with a Maple Mustard Dressing
Lemony maple mustard dressing
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- Hefty pinch of fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Kale salad
- 1 large bunch or 2 small bunches (12 ounces) curly green kale
- 1 medium Honeycrisp, Granny Smith or Fuji apple
- 2 ounces chilled goat cheese, crumbled (about ½ cup)
- ¼ cup chopped dried cranberries
- To make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup and salt. Season with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper and whisk until blended. The dressing should be zippy, but if it’s overwhelmingly tart, stir in another teaspoon of sweetener. Or, if it needs some extra oomph, stir in another pinch of salt.
- To prepare the kale, use a chef’s knife to remove the tough ribs from the kale, then discard the ribs (or feed them to your dog!). Chop the kale leaves into small, bite-sized pieces. Transfer the chopped kale to a big salad bowl. Sprinkle a small pinch of sea salt over the kale and massage the leaves with your hands by lightly scrunching big handfuls at a time, until the leaves are darker in color and fragrant.
- To assemble the salad, drizzle all of the dressing over the kale and toss well. Add the chopped apple, crumbled goat cheese, cranberries,. Gently toss to combine, and serve. This salad will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days.
Kohlrabi is another veggie that often confuses folks. When in doubt fry it up! Here is a great recipe for Kohlrabi Fritters to get you started with this awesome alien veggie: https://www.acouplecooks.com/kohrabi-fritters-with-avocado/
