Summer Share 2013 – Week 14

Labor Day is now past and fall is right around the corner.  Isn’t that scary to think about?  I hope everyone has been diligently freezing their vegetables and fruits for this winter.  With the bounty of summer there is no reason to starve all winter!

Usually this time of year I’m freezing batches and batches of ratatouille. This is one of my favorite dishes.  For those who aren’t familiar, it is is a French countryside dish of stewed tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, squash, peppers, and onions.  It is so good.  To follow my recipe and technique, read at the bottom of this email.  However, my point is that this year zucchini and squash have not been abundant and therefore this week, which was originally slated as ratatouille week, isn’t quite that.  I’m going to try to get some zucchini and squash in though so I may have some extra available at the back of the truck for sale.

For this week, we are featuring our first winter squash – the spaghetti squash.  The spaghetti squash gets its name from the flesh.  When the squash is roasted, you can cut it in half and shred the flesh with a fork.  It naturally forms into the shape of spaghetti noodles.  This squash, unlike the acorn and butternut squash, does not store very well and should be consumed before the end of the month.

This week we are also featuring a new sausage – an Italian seasoned chicken sausage.

For our large customers this week, we have a very special treat!  Actually, it is a perfect preview of some of the things we have coming this winter (hint hint, see below).  Earlier in the summer we had a lot of excess spinach and garlic scapes.  So we worked with our producers to get all the excess in each week and have it sent over to Ohio City Pasta.  There, they made us a pasta shell with spelt flour.  Inside the shell, they stuffed a spinach, garlic scape, and cheese filling.  Now, we have about 4,000 dozen raviolis put away for the winter season!   This week, we will be bringing some out for sale and for our large members.

The raviolis are available for preorder online at http://csalogin.freshforkmarket.com.  They are $10 per package.  They will be delivered frozen so feel free to stock up while they are available.

Also, speaking of things we are putting away for the winter, Clark Pope is working around the clock to put up sauce and roasted cherry tomatoes for the winter season.  We stopped by the kitchen last week to snap a few photos.  This week we have his incredible roasted heirloom tomato sauce available.  This sauce is made with the same beautiful heirloom tomatoes that you have been receiving in your weekly share.  Clark roasts the tomatoes first to intensify the flavor and then he sauces them with fresh herbs.  It is available in quarts ($8) and pints ($6).  It can be preordered or purchased at the back of the truck.  It is a great compliment to the ravioli or even spaghetti squash.

WINTER SEASON REGISTRATION IS OPEN:  We have been getting countless questions about winter.  Well the season is planned out and registration is open.  Below is a quick summary of what to expect:

– Season Starts Wed, November 6th

– The season goes weekly for the first three weeks, then switches to every-other-week. This gets us on schedule to skip the holiday weeks.

– There is one size package available and no vegetarian or vegan option. The winter share is $45 per bag.

– The winter customer base is limited to 1/3rd the size of the summer so it sells out fast.

– Customers should expect winter hardy vegetables, more meat, and frozen vegetables throughout the winter.  We also feature whole grains, pasta, and jarred items throughout the winter.

For the winter, we have switched a few pickup locations.  Please double check your location first.  Most notably, Strongsville is being moved to Thursdays from 3 PM to 6 PM and will have it’s own truck.  This is to try to eliminate the line.  For the winter, Highland Square, North Olmsted, and Mayfield Hts are not available stops.  The full schedule can be found here:  http://wp.freshforkmarket.com/1-csa-overview/winter-pick-up-locations/

This is open to current subscribers as well as new members.  We will not market this to the general public until later in September.  So if your friends want in, please tell them that it is open.

The best way to sign-up is to go to freshforkmarket.com.  On the homepage it says “Sign Up/Sign In.”  For current subscribers, simple use your existing login to get into the system.  Click “I want to purchase a new subscription.”  Follow the steps.  You should receive a confirmation email.

Lemon Ginger Yogurt

This has to end soon!  Eventually the yogurt craze for the Lemon Ginger Yogurt will die off.  I think.  I upped my order again this week.

The Lemon Ginger Yogurt is the very thick, cream top dessert yogurt from Snowville Creamery.  It has a layer of cream on top that you can cut through to eat or plunge it down into the yogurt and mix it in.  It is very rich and is excellent with fresh peaches or blackberries.

To guarantee that you get it, please preorder online at http://csalogin.freshforkmarket.com beforeTuesday at midnight.

To round out our yogurt selection, we do have fresh inventory coming in tomorrow of the more traditional, wider application yogurts.  My favorite, the Velvet View Farmstead Yogurt is the very thin, tangy one that resembles buttermilk.  Try using it in pancakes or muffins instead of buttermilk.  Works great!   It is $5.

We also have the three other flavors of Snowville yogurt, which is very thick.  This includes the plain, vanilla, and ginger cinnamon.  All are $6.

Extra Mozzarella 

As I mentioned in the last eblast, we only get mozzarella in about one month of the year. Each week we get fresh mozzarella in to ensure the best quality.  Last week was the last time we will get a fresh shipment for this year.  Last week’s cheese is now a week old and I’m considering it seconds.  It still eats fine and tastes fine but needs to be consumed soon.

I am liquidating what we have left this week at $3 per ball at the back of the truck.

So here is this week’s entire list:

Summer Week 14:

Small Share

1 package Italian seasoned chicken sausage

1 package feta cheese

1 leek

1 head lettuce

1 candy onion

1 lb dragontongue beans (eat like a green bean)

1-2 eggplant, depending on size

1 squash

Approx 2.5 lbs tomatoes, 1 heirloom slicer and several San Marzano Romas

1 bunch basil

 

 

Large Share

Small package plus:

Approx 2# bartlett pears

1 dozen spinach, garlic scape, and ricotta stuffed raviolis

1 quart of grapes, early concord

2 ct zucchini/squash

 

Vegetarian Substitutions (in place of chicken sausage)

1 quart grapes

1 watermelon

 

Vegan Substitutions (same as vegetarian)

Add:  1 bunch golden beets

Ratatouille Recipe

Ingredients:

Tomatoes, Zucchini, Squash, and Eggplant – about equal proportions zucchini, squash, and eggplant and twice as much tomatoes, chopped.  So if you have 2 cups  of zucchini, 2 cups squash, and 2 cups eggplant, add 4 cups tomatoes.

 

Garlic – a few cloves sliced small

Onion – 1 large onion, roughly chopped

Green Pepper – 1 to 2 peppers, cut into long strips and then in half

Salt and Pepper

 

Start by preparing all your vegetables.  Cut the zucchini and squash into cubes about a half inch by a half inch.  For the eggplant, cut the skin off and also cube it up.  Toss the zucchini in a bowl with a little sunflower oil (or olive oil).  Season with salt and place on an oiled cookie sheet.  Do the same to the squash and eggplant.  Keep all ingredients separate.

 

Roast the vegetables in the oven, turning them once or twice, until they start to have color and a lot of the water is baked out.

 

In a heavy bottomed pan, get some oil hot.  Add your onion and pepper and saute until slightly translucent.  Add the garlic but be careful not to burn it.  Now add the tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat down to a simmer.  Add the roasted eggplant, zucchini, and squash and let simmer until it thickens.  This can take a while depending on the tomatoes.  You can also transfer to a crock pot and let it simmer there.  Add a few tablespoons of honey to mellow out the acid.  Continue cooking until consistency you desire is reached (I like mine more thick).  Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.  Serve as a side dish, main course, or a condiment (I like serving it over mac and cheese).

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