P&P CSA - March 31, 2011 Teaser Box

What's in the Box:

Purple Passion Asparagus, Meyer Lemons, Dancy Tangerines, Bull's Blood Beets, Carrots - Oxheart, Nantes, Paris Market.  Parsnips - The Student & Guernsey.  Spring Onions - Red & Yellow.  Curly Parsley

Grape Jelly and Dried Italian Herbs.

What's in the Grape Jelly:  Organic Grapes, Organic Sugar & Pomona's Pectin.  Please return the empty jars in your bag when you're done.  

What's in the Italian Dried Herbs:  Organic:  Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, & Parsley.  Use it in eggs, spaghetti sauce, stew, soup, butter, garlic bread...etc.

Post Harvest Production and storage. 

Saving leeks & onions for seed

All of your produce is field washed.  That means, you should wash it again before you eat it.  Lightly washed produce stores better than heavily scrubbed produce.  We never wash the eggs, so when you start getting eggs, please rinse them in water slightly warmer than the temperature of the eggs.  Do this just before you use them.  This helps prevent washing bacterial into the eggs.  Eggs should always be refrigerated and are good for up to three months from the date on the carton.

Fresh Herbs.  Store your fresh herbs in a jar with water in it on the counter.  Just like flowers.  Do not refrigerate.  After 3 days, if you haven't used them all, place them on a cookie sheet under a clean dishtowel on top of your fridge and let them dry till crunchy.  Now store them away and you have organic dried herbs.

Asparagus.  Store in a coffee cup with at least an inch of water in the bottom, in the fridge.  Eat them tonight or tomorrow.  Asparagus sugar starts converting to starch very quickly.  The purple passion are much sweeter than the green.  After a week, you won't notice any flavor difference between the purple and the green.   Also, the metabolite called methanethiol which makes that funny smell in your pee after eating asparagus increases.

Refrigerate citrus unless your going to eat them up right away.  (Put them in the crisper drawer).

Strawberries Soon!

Carrots, parsnips and beets should all be stored in the fridge.  The fresher you eat them, the more vitamins they have.  Don't store any of these near apples or pears since they will make them bitter.

As these have been field washed, resist the temptation to wash them until you are going to eat them.

Asparagus and Hollandaise
Trim the last inch or two off the bottom of the asparagus.  Put a small amount of liquid in a frying pan and bring to a boil.  Add the asparagus, cover, and turn off the heat.  No peeking.  Keep covered for 5 minutes.  Make the Hollandaise.

 Hollandaise Sauce
 4 egg yolks
 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
 Pinch cayenne
 salt

Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. Place the bowl over a pan containing barely simmering water.  The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly add in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and keep warm.  Serve on top cooked asparagus.

Parsnip Chips
4 parsnips
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups vegetable oil for frying
salt
chili powder
cayenne pepper

Peel parsnips and slice into 1/4 inch rounds. Bring a pan of lightly salted water to a boil, and add parsnips. Cook for about 5 minutes, until tender but still crisp. Drain, and cool slightly. Dip slices in melted butter, and place on a baking sheet. Refrigerate until the butter is firm, about 30 minutes.  Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Coat parsnip slices in flour, then fry in the hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels, and season.

Have a great week.  See you all in May.