Paisley Farm CSA blog

Great produce speaks for itself. We were mentioned in the current issue of Edible Brooklyn by our friends at Dressler  in Williamsburg. 

“That may be because it’s something Dobkin’s done for decades.  Though Dobkin was raised in Manhattan, his father has land up in the Hudson Valley, where Dobkin grew up picking-his-own at nearby farms and orchards, and still stops by to load up his car with produce for the drive back to Brooklyn. (He also gets great ingredients delivered from places like Tivoli’s Paisley Farm, whose baby mustard greens he can’t seem to stop praising: “I’ve never tasted anything that delicate, yet that assertive,” he raves.) He cites his time at Gramercy Tavern and the Screening Room, both places known for simple, ingredient-driven food, as formative, too.

“Smart people start with what they know,” he says. “You’d be a fool,” he says of chefs or restaurateurs who don’t plan a business around what they love to eat, “to go with something else.” ”

Read more Edible Publications here. 

We are assertive…and delicate. The best of both worlds… much like this upcoming season. A mix of vegetables shares, fruit shares and egg shares, oh my! A little something for everyone to find their favorite to rave about. 

Don’t miss out on these beloved baby mustard greens and all our other goods!

Secure your spot now! 

Sign up HERE! 

Love & Greens, 

Paisley Farm 

To celebrate the season, we’ll be hosting a Paisley Farm CSA Potluck for all members, friends, and family this Wednesday, January 27 at d.b.a. in Williamsburg. There’s no pick-up that day, so we hope you’ll take the opportunity to come meet your fellow CSA members, share a favorite dish, and enjoy drink specials from the bar.

Paisley Farm Winter CSA Potluck
Wednesday January 27, 2010
7 - 9pm
d.b.a., Williamsburg
113 N. 7th St. (between Berry and Wythe, L to Bedford)

Thanks again for being a member of Paisley Farm CSA, and looking forward to seeing you at the potluck!

Vegetable Super-Stock
This recipe is for a slow cooker, and is from “From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker,” by Robin Robertson. I’m sure it can be easily adapted for stove-top, probably by adding a little more water and then following whatever instructions are given for hours on the burner. Anyway, this is really great, and definitely uses a lot of the stuff you may still have hanging around. As with any stock, small modifications are probably no problem, so feel free to use a red onion rather than a yellow one, and etc.

1 lrg yellow onion, thickly sliced
2 lrg carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 lrg all-purpose potato, left unpeeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 lrg parsnip, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 celery rib, cut into one inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, left unpeeled and crushed
1 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper
half cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves
4 dried shitake or porcini mushrooms, soaked in 1 c. hot water until softened, drained. Strain liquid of grit, and reserve
2 bay leaves
half teaspoon black peppercorns
1 T. tamari or other soy sauce
7 cups water

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Place the onion, carrots, potato, parsnip, celery, and garlic in a lightly oiled baking pan. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables unitl slightly browned, turning once, about 30 mins total.
2. Transfer the roasted vegetables into a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Add the parsley, the mushrooms and their soaking water, bay leaves, peppercorns, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, and the water. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, until the vegetables are soft and the stock is a rich golden color.
3. Let the stock cool slightly, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl or pot, pressing against the solids with the back of a spoon to release the liquid. Use at once or let cool completely, then portion and store in the refrigerator in tightly covered containers. Properly stored, the stock will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Submitted by Ben Masur. Thanks Ben!

Hope everyone is enjoying their first week’s share and looking forward to a great (mini-)season! If you have any recipes you think your fellow members would appreciate, be sure to email them to your site coordinator, and we’ll be sure to post them.

Here are a few ideas to get the juices flowing…

Roast Pumpkin with Cheese “Fondue” A great recipe for entertaining, gorgeous presentation, and delicious beyond words.

If the pumpkin is too much of a production, maybe try Martha’s Gratineed Baked Squash Halves with your golden nugget squash, which is sure to be an elegant addition to your weeknight supper.

What about that daikon radish? Well, member Dave Klopfenstein took it upon himself (along with some nudging from me) to demystify the daikon and also came up with an amazing indian-inspired dinner idea.

And if you’re just in the mood to bake cookies, use 2 of them farm fresh eggs for Peanut Butter Cookies with Milk Chocolate Chunks. I’m not much of a cookie baker, but this recipe has changed my life. Be sure to add a tad more peanut butter than what the recipe calls for.

Enjoy, and stay warm!!

Our Fresh Produce Delivery at CPE II

Thank you and welcome to all of our new members!

From the feedback I received on the first day of delivery, everyone was pleased and excited to receive their box o’ freshly farmed produce!

There were a few “mystery” items for us city dwellers :). I’ve posted images of some of them so that those of us living around more concrete, than farmland, can “check our answers.”

A Beet

A beet, “obviously” you say. The beet I received was not purple-ish, it was all green, so I was only able to recognize it by its shape. (Although it does look like a radish… hmmm)

My Beet!

Please let us know of any yummy recipes you discover for beets, radishes or parsnips. Email it to me and I will post to the blog.

Here's the beet you may recognize in your share this week.

Radish. This looks like my beet. Now I'm confused.

Golden Nuggest Squash. Not to be confused with a pumpkin.

Use small pumpkins to make soup or a soup bowl with a lid.

Spaghetti Squash. Not sure where "spaghetti" fits in. Eat it with spaghetti, i guess?

Parsnips. Tan, white fleshed "carrot" kin to the turnip?

Chinese Radish. Looks like an oblong albino carrot.

I hope this information is helpful!

Don’t forget to sign up (online) for a pick-up day volunteer shift.

Until we meet again,

Tuesday

CPE II Location CSA Coordinator

Doesn’t that sound exotic? Gorin Delicata Squash!

[good luck finding a cultural connection to this recipe ]

*Rinse the outside of the squash (the weird looking green striped squash that is deliciously sweet inside). Do not peel.

*Cut in half, length wise, scoop out seeds (discard OR set aside for Roger’s Salty Seeds: recipe below)

*Place in a flat oven dish with a thin layer of olive oil–face Down,

*Bake in oven at about 350 degrees until squash softens (approximately 15 mins or more). Stick a fork through the skin to test for softness.

*No other seasoning is necessary. This squash is sweet and super tasty on it’s own!

*If you won’t feel right without adding a little something, use a pat of butter and/or dash of salt.

Hate to waste the seeds? Try Roger’s Salty Seeds:

Just a question I had… cause what if you cut up one stem– isn’t it still a chive? or does it become chives?!

Hope every one’s summer is delightful.

Just a friendly reminder to visit the blog for great recipes specific to the items we receive in our shares. http://upstatefarmsny.com/blog/

Personally I’ve spent more time asking people for ideas and experimenting. So far so good!

It hasn’t been easy using up all of the chive before it drys, so I’ve put chive in and on everything. LOL… this morning I made an onion, cheddar & chive egg omelet that was delicious, and of course it goes atop the potatoes and  tossed in every salad I make! Let me know if you have any other ideas for the chive or chives.

Also, please remember to sign up for a volunteer shift. We still need folks on the following days:
26 Aug, 2 Sep, 9 Sep, 23 Sep, 30 Sep, 7 Oct, 21 Oct, 4 Nov, 18 Nov

Thanks to all who have volunteered!

Have a great week.

Happy Monday CPE II CSA Members!

Here are some tidbits that we should all be diligent in following so that our delivery days run smoothly.

• Each Wednesday, a coordinator will be present. That is me, Elizabeth or Zhanna (she is our “alternate” very nice person who makes herself available… person). Ideally the Coordinator will only need to be there from 1:30 (truck delivery time) until 4:30.
• Each Wednesday there should also be a Member Volunteer also present. The volunteer should arrive no later than 3:30. Earlier works too! The volunteer will remain present until the last person picks up which is typically by 6:30pm.
• It is important that ALL members inform a coordinator if they WILL NOT pick up their shares. This way we will avoid waiting unnecessarily and this is also the opportunity to give the name of the person who will pick up for you OR for other members to share in the extra left-overs (yummy).
• Lastly, if you haven’t already, please let us know which two Wednesday’s you are tentatively available over the next four months to volunteer. We can always make adjustments as we go.

Thanks!

Tuesday

PS As always, email me with any questions or concerns.