Kale

If you are looking for great recipes with Kale start here EatingWell.com. In this week's basket from Sunny Hill we received kale, lettuce, green beans, blueberries, cucumbers, zucchini and summer squash. I went blueberry picking today with the kids to Spring Valley Farm in Conowingo. The peaches were ripe, too and I made their first purchase of pick your own peaches of the season. I'll be busy with blueberry pie and jam. I will freeze many of them to have later for oatmeal, muffins, dumplings and pancakes. They are a staple food in our house.

What to do with fresh spinach

So, the spinach season is coming to an end and you have already had spinach & strawberry salad, spinach frittata, spinach quiche, cream of spinach soup and honestly at this point you are just spinach'ed out. Spinach is quick and easy to preserve by freezing and it is easier to add to your favorite dishes because it is already cooked at this point.

1 - Wash the spinach thoroughly!!! If you don't you are likely to have gritty spinach. Ask Big J about my spinach quiche last winter. It was crunchy :-)

2 - Place in a big pot. You can pack it in, it will cook down. Fill the pot with about an inch of water and put a lid on it.

3 - Bring the water to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes. The spinach will wilt basically taking up about 1/3 of the space it occupied before. DO NOT OVER COOK!

4 - Remove from heat and drain the water off. Let it cool a bit and chop (if you would like, chopping does make it easier to use later).

5 - Place in freezer bags, about 1/2 pound each and freeze. I use a FoodSaver vacuum sealer and that keeps the food fresh for quite a long time.

This week's recipes have included:

1 - Eggs with spring onions, peppers, grape tomatoes and herb cheddar cheese
2 - Steaks, Hamburgers, Coleslaw, cherry pie (for father's day)
3 - Curried Vegetables over rice

Our veggies come again tomorrow. Feel free to ask for inspiration and recipes. I will post as soon as I can.

Sausage and Noodles with Garlic, Spinach Cream Sauce

I just concocted this tonight so I am not sure if someone else has made it before. I would make a few changes for next time but before I forgot I thought I ought to write down the recipe.

7 oz of drained, chopped, cooked spinach (we had some frozen from earlier in the spring)
1 lb ground pork
8 oz of noodles (I used macaroni)
2 c. of whole milk
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/4 t ground black pepper
1 t. Bouillon (I used better than bouillon, chicken)
1/2 T butter

1. Cook the noodles
2. melt the butter and saute the garlic for 1 min
3. Add the pork and cook, until browned
4. Add the ground pepper
5. Add the spinach, bouillon and milk
6. Bring to a low simmer and cook until slightly thickened
7. Add the noodles, stir to cover and serve

You can add salt and pepper to taste. Big J added garlic/chive cheddar to increase the flavor. I would suggest fresh, grated Parmesan cheese for next time.

We served it with steamed green beans. Yum!

Now it is time to clear the kitchen and make cherry jam from the sour cherries we picked at Lohr's Orchard on Wednesday.

Traveling South and What's in Season

We just returned from a trip to the south for a family reunion. We bagged up our weekly share of veggies, cheese and fruit and took it with us. But, I was happy to pick up a few local things while in the area: boiled peanuts, peaches, bbq chicken and pulled pork, coleslaw, etc. It is fun to try foods that regions are known for. I am not sure how locally produced they were but you know this trip was all about eating what was available, period.

I have been slowly working my way through the book, Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly. It has proven to be an interesting read and while I do not agree with everything that the author says and especially with how he says it. Mr. McWilliams does bring up some interesting points worth looking into. That will have to be a teaser for now until I can write my full review of the book.

Lastly, sour cherries are in season and available pick your own from Spring Valley Farm in Conowingo and Lohrs Orchard. Call or check the website for picking information. (Links in the right hand column of this page under favorite farms). Also, Spring Valley has some blueberries and will have a larger crop next week. Everything is very early this year so don't wait if you are thinking of checking if something is in season.

Just Food

For a while now I have been reading my way to a better understanding of our food system and how we can change it. I spotted the book Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly while in Barnes and Noble in March and added it to my 'To Read' list.

Just recently I was able to delve into this book. I was intrigued by the title but after reading the introduction I had a hard time deciding to continue. Was it going to be a waste of time to continue reading an author that seemed so bitter and had a chip on his shoulder about locavores for some reason I could not yet gather? It seemed to me he got his point across that those of us who are out there actually trying to make a change for the environment, our health, our families and our communities are wrong, misguided and completely unaware of some huge mistake that he perceived we were making. He took every chance possible to make jibes at the other books that discuss sustainable eating and seemed oblivious that the audience he was writing for was the same one he was ridiculing. A large part of me wanted to spend my time reading something more interesting that didn't involve being chastised by a self-proclaimed authority on everything anti-locavore. But, curiosity won out and I continued reading.

Now, on page 42, Mr. McWilliams has finally said SOMETHING worth hearing without the bitter undercurrent. I don't agree with how he has gotten to his point but I can understand why he thinks that being a locavore is not enough and is not realistic for everyone. I plan to keep reading to see what else he has to say, to see if he can offer any realistic alternatives to the current food system. He presumes that everyone understands what is currently going on and has already moved toward making choices that are better for their bodies and the environment. I hope he realizes that for most people, they are just not there yet.

Delicious Fritatta

Tonight's dinner incorporated many of the foods in my basket of goodies. I found this great Basic Broccoli Frittata on a website called ichef.com. I served it with a salad and toast. The kids had scrambled eggs, steamed broccoli and toast and were just as happy as the adults. Every plate was clean tonight!

Cherries at Wilsons!

I just got an email from Wilson's Farm Market that they picked their last 50 qt of strawberries and they have cherries available for purchase. Honestly, if I didn't have other obligations I would have already driven up there to buy some. I LOVE cherries.

I try and cool things off for the summer and do a bit less baking but this morning I made a batch of granola bars and last night's dinner was roast chicken. I love that I could stuff the chicken with onions from Sunny Hill, sage and oregano from my garden. Tonight's dinner will be much more summer heat friendly and will take advantage of the eggs, broccoli and lettuce that was in my basket from Sunny Hill this week.

Keep cool and enjoy!

First Day for CSA!

Today is a big day at my house. It is the first day that Sunny Hill will be delivering their produce to about twenty families that have chosen to pick up from my home. Jean has already sent out a welcome email and a list of what's inside the baskets. I cleaned out the garage to make room and now we just wait. Pick up is from 1pm-7pm if you are part of this co-op.

I have unfortunately been absent from blogging much lately. My attentions have been turned to the pool we are members of and now intimately involved with. I hope that this will change soon. I'd like to get back to sharing what is coming out of my kitchen (boy is it steamy in there!) I need to switch to more summer cooking with the weather as warm as it has been.

Here is the menu from this week:
Monday - cookout with the neighbors - we took Brocolli Slaw, Homemade Ice Cream and Steak. The steaks we picked up from Sunny Hill were so tender, my 9 month old could eat them!
Tuesday - Roast Chicken, potatoes and frozen green beans
Wednesday - Sausage with asparagus, onions and Italian Dressing served over noodles.
Thursday - Egg Burritos with beans and rice.
Friday - Steak with Broccoli, Bok Choy Stir Fry and rice.

Broccoli Slaw

I mostly pulled this recipe from a Broccoli Slaw bag but I have of course made modifications

You can use a bag of Broccoli Slaw (which is one pound) or you can make your own.
1 head of broccoli shredded
1 carrot shredded
1 c. red cabbage, shredded
Mix and add
1/2 c. cranberries
1 c. chopped pineapple (fresh or canned)
1/4 c. slivered or sliced almonds
Separately mix 1/4 c. mayonaise and 1/2 c. of salad dressing.
Toss dressing with salad and chill.

I love the flavor of Drew's Garlic Italian Dressing but it was not available the last time I was at the store. I used Brianna's Balsamic Vinegar dressing and that was tasty, too.

Broccoli Stir Fry

In my spring share at Brad's I received three head of Bok Choy. We just finished using it up. Thank goodness it kept! I threw this stir fry together last night.

Over high heat and 1 T. oil, stir fry
2-3 c. chopped bok choy
3 c. chopped broccoli

After 3-4 min add in
1 t. fresh ginger
1/2 c. chopped green onions

Toss for 1 min longer

Add in
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T Vinegar (any kind)
1/2 t garlic powder or 1 clove pressed fresh

Stir to combine. If the veggies are not done yet, add a lid and 1/4 c. water and reduce the heat. Cook 'til desired doneness.