Paisley Farm CSA blog

Are you taking care of your basil plants? Having killed my fair share, I am being extra kind to my basil childrens this year. Here is a little more information on basil, a varied plant with many uses. Here are two ways to use Basil….

Taste: 

anise, orange and lilac classically. Other varieties might be more/less spicy. More/less bright, crisp and eucalyptus like. 

Usage: 

Primarily a finishing herb, keep bright and away from long cooking. Dried Basil pales in comparison to fresh, and is not personally recommended. 

Issues:

Fresh basil is ideal, but the life span is short. It also can become black or wilt easily. It does not combine well with acids which dampen the color considerably, especially with lapses in time.  

Preserve:

Fresh basil can be blanched and frozen, as can basil oil or basil paste. Sea salt will preserve basil as well, keeping the leaves in a dried state. Use frozen basil items in two to four months; dried in four to six months. 

 Spicy Basil Sauce

A sauce that is quick and relates to whatever proteins you might be grilling and serving during summer months. A little heat adds to the familiar basil flavor. Great with steak or red meats. 

• 1 cup chopped basil
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup lemon juice 
• 2-3 smashed cloves garlic 
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

Mix all ingredients. 

Basil Berry Cocktail 

Taking the garden to the bar 

• 2 big strawberries
• Simple syrup to taste 
• 3 basil leaves, Italian 
• 3 oz. Vodka (brand is your preferred choice)

Muddle strawberries, simple syrup and basil leaves in a glass with ice. Add vodka. Shake and strain into martini glass.

Another week swings around and we’ve had snow and more snow (I know the city got plenty)…passed the major February holidays, one of love and the other of presidents….Mardi Gras is upon us with today being Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday tomorrow signals the start of Lent… Time is flying by! Though winter is still being its beautiful self up here, blanketing upstate with snow today. Now, onto the boxes for this week:

*Red Beans

*Black Beans

*Turnips

*Radishes

*Beets

*Baby Spinach from the green house

….Basically the delicious and life sustaining standards but a word about the Cheese and Potatoes this week. Due to the snow and storms (or the warnings of potential storms) those items are coming for the next share. 

Valentine’s menus all around were showcasing the beet in one form or another…some even carved it into soft heart shapes, but beets really don’t need a holiday to be loved. Growing up, the only beets I knew were sliced into soggy rings and floating in a pool of redish purple liquids on the Shoney’s buffet… so needless to say, I see fresh local beets as such a blessing. A heart healthy blessing that is said to have been first cultivated along the Mediterranean, moving into India, the Middle East and China (850 BC.) Beet’s brilliant red color is said to be a “blood builder” but throughout history was used as everything from a laxative to an aprodashiac by the ancient Romans. 

Beets are high in Folate, Potassium, Vitamin C, and Iron to name a few of its nutrients. Beets thus protect against birth defeats, heart disease, inflammation and are an anti-cancer food. Though light cooking is recommended for the most cancer fighting properties. Lately I’ve been hooked on chunks of beets and lentils all mixed into a salad together with goat cheese on top. It can be kept for days in the fridge and can be eaten cold or hot. Over greens it makes a lovely lunch or warm, it can serve as a side dish or a main dish all by itself.