Venus Envy: Carnivale – Featuring Maude’s Market

VIP Party – Friday, March 9, 6-10pm

Main Event – Saturday, March 10, 7 pm – 12:30am

Mad Art Gallery in Historic Soulard, 2727 S. 12th St., St. Louis, MO 63118

Venus Envy is a Missouri-based non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women through the arts. The organization champions women’s artistic, civic and creative pursuits in St. Louis Metropolitan area.

Venus Envy will host a private VIP preview party on Friday, March 9. Tickets prices start at $25 per person and the evening will feature exclusive performances and a sneak peak of the show.

The VIP event will also feature culinary demonstrations and appetizers from Michelle Blodget, Head Chef at Maude’s Market. Other culinary artists include Clara Moore, Chef at Local Harvest, Gina Gerber, Owner of VegaDeli and Sally Sciaroni, Pastry Chef at Onesto Pizza & Trattoria.

The main event takes place on Saturday, March 10. It is open to everyone with a suggested $5 donation.

Visit http://www.venusenvy.org/ for all the details.

 

Healthy Cooking With Locally Grown Ingredients

Healthy Cooking With Locally Grown Ingredients
With Michelle Blodget, Head Chef, Maude’s Market
Thomas Dunn, 3113 Gasconade St. St. Louis, MO 63118
Saturday, March 10, 10-11am
Fee $10

Maude’s Market’s head chef, Michelle Blodget, will demonstrate the tasty and unique produce and meats grown by regional farmers. Trained at the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Michelle brings a unique blend expertise and passion for local food, farmers, and regional cuisine. She brokers new relationships with the producers who provide seasonal fare for the Market’s year-round CSA and retail operations. Sample the dish, take home the recipe and receive a coupon for 10% off at Maude’s Market, where you may purchase all of the ingredients.

Can’t make this cooking class?

Save the date for another class on Thursday, May 17 from 6:30-7:30pm.

 

Tatsoi, Tea & Tasty Pickles

There are a lot of choices in this week’s share to please any taste bud.

If you haven’t gotten a calendar for the 2012 year yet, consider picking up a Baker’s Creek Heirloom seed calendar for your home. Mechelle Ortmann from Seven Gables Farm dropped them off along with some beautiful eggs for us this week, and is selling the calendars at $3 a pop to help support the Seven Gables Farm School Garden Program for kids.

Ortmann and her husband Tim started Seven Gables to ‘supply fresh natural fruits & vegetables to their local community.’

As an added bonus to the share this week, Daniel Roth of Elixir Farm wanted you to know: ‘I added some of the round steaks to the stew meat, so the quality is going to be even a little higher, more lean, more tender.’

Thanks Daniel!

Scrumptious Store Items:

• We got in more Wind Crest Dairy greek style and regular vanilla and plain yogurt, $5.25 -  $6.50 each
• Eggs from the happy pasture-raised chickens on Seven Gables Farm, $4.25 / dozen
• Citrus: Grapefruit, mandarin and navel oranges, and lemons.

This Week’s CSA:

Produce

• Tatsoi greens, Double Star, 1 bunch (2 bunches for 4P & 4P Veggie)
• Choice of red or sweet potatoes, Yellow Wood Farm and Double Star, 1 lb (2 lb for 2P Veggie & 4P, 3 lb for 4P Veggie) – Note: The red potatoes are on their last leg, though once cooked they should be delicious as ever.
• Choice: Sweet or Spicy Pickles, 1 jar each
• Lemons, 2 each (3 each for 2P & 4P Veggie, 4 each for 4P Regular)
• Also for veggie shares: Pak Choy, 1 bu for 2P veggie, 2 bu for 2p Veggie, and 1 lb white turnips for 2P veggie

Meat

• Certified organic, grass-fed beef, choice of stew meat or ground, 1 lb (2 lb for 2P)

Staple

• Bosnian bread, choice of white or wheat, 1 loaf each (2 loaves each for 4P & 4P Veggie)

Treat

• Traveling tea, 1 oz (2 oz for 4P & 4P Veggie)

Choices include: Berry Hibiscus, Ginger Citrus, Clouds & Mist green tea, Cacao Chia, Cherry Jerry, Black Sage, Gold Halo Yunnan, Chocolate Creme Rooibos. There is a limited amount of: Apple Spice, Cinnamon Spice and Kukicha.

Recipe Ideas
From Head Chef Michelle Blodget

Potato Salad with Amish Pickles, Lemon-Yogurt Sauce
This is not your standard tater & mayo salad

Ingredients

• 1 lb red potatoes, cut into chunks and boiled until tender
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 C plain yogurt
• 1/4 C sweet or spicy pickles, chopped
• 1/2 red or yellow onion, small dice
• 1 T crushed red pepper
• 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
• 2 T dijon or other spicy mustard
• salt
• pepper

Mix it all together and season to taste.

Tatsoi Greens with Lemon-Brown Butter Sauce
Brown butter, in French known as Beurre Noisette, is very easy to make and adds a nutty taste to your dish.

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter, melted over VERY low heat
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 bu tatsoi greens, root removed, rinsed
• white pepper

When you melt the butter over low heat, the butterfat will separate from the milk solids and rise to the top. If you skim off all the butterfat and saute the remaining milk solids until they are hazelnut in color, you have beurre noisette. Squeeze in the lemon and saute the tatsoi in the butter as it’s toasting. Season with pepper and serve.

Kapha Sweet Potato Quiche
This recipe I found on cookingwithtea.com in search of interesting tea uses – how great that it also utilizes the sweet potatoes this week. http://cookingwithtea.tumblr.com/

Citrus-marinated Beef Kabobs
A great way to use the citrus we’ve been getting in the share.
Did you know? Acidic ingredients like lemon and orange help denature the protein in meat, which is why it tenderizes it (so does salt). If you marinade a normally tough cut of meat with seasonings and citrus over night, when you cook it the next day it will be much more tender and delicious.

 

Cool Citrus, Spicy Beans & Fire-Friendly Fish

As you have already gathered, produce for the Winter CSA has transitioned to more canned items, delicious and locally produced.

We feel these items offer a great value to our share members when we are not able to get in as much fresh local produce during these cold months, and we hope you are enjoying them along with the great meat, staple and treat items we are still able to offer. If for any reason you feel you are not getting the value you want out of your share, please let us know and we will do our best to correct any problem.

Not to be Missed this Week:

• Citrus from Putts Family Farm, a small farm in California, distributed locally by Double Star – Navel oranges, lemons and grapefruit! It almost feels like summer in the store with all this bright, tasty fruit.
• We still have plenty of greek-style and regular yogurt, plain and vanilla, from Wind Crest Dairy available.
• Marcoot Jersery Creamery cheese
• Geisert Farms brats – Apple Cinnamon, Potato with green beans, Andouille
• Mofu Tofu, Firm

On Sale:

• White Hakari turnips, $2.00 / bunch
• Sweet potato seconds, $1.20 / lb

This Week’s CSA:
Produce

• Navel oranges, 1 lb, Putts Family Farm (2 lb for 4P Regular, 2P & 4P Veggie)
• Baby Pak Choy, 1 head, Double Star (2 heads for 4P Regular, 2P & 4P Veggie)
• Canned Green Beans, regular or spice, Hilty’s Bee Yards, 1 each
• Squash, choice of spaghetti or pumpkin, 1 each (2 each for 2P Veggie, 3 each for 4P Veggie)

Meat

• Trout fillets, Troutdale Farm, 1 package with two fillets each (1 package with four fillets for 4P Regular)

Staple

• Dried beans, choice of Great White Northern or Black, 1 lb (2 lb for 4P Veggie)

Treat

• Kakao chocolate pops, 2 each (4 each for 4P Regular & 4P Veggie) – Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Recipe Ideas
From Head Chef Michelle Blodget

Let’s start with the trout. Trout is a versatile fish, adaptable to many different flavor profiles. It’s quick and easy to cook. In an article on about.com, writer Derrick Riches calls it ‘a fish meant for the fire’, meaning it’s perfect for grilling or any other high heat cooking method.

Baked Cumin Trout with Squash and Pumpkin Seeds
This recipe from drgourmet.com calls for ‘yellow squash’ – I would just substitute the pumpkin for the squash and use the seeds.

Baked Trout with Orange Zest & Dill
This one is super simple, but packed with flavor

Ingredients

• 2 trout fillets
• zest from 2 oranges
• Slice the oranges after zesting them
• 2 T butter
• 1 T dried dill
• salt
• pepper

Lay the fillets out flat on an adequately sized piece of foil, and season with salt, dill and pepper. Arrange the orange slices around the fish, and sprinkle the zest on top. Melt the butter in a side pan and brush or drizzle over the fish. Wrap the foil over the fish to create a little ‘package’ and cook in the oven at 350 until the fish is white and flaky.

*The pak choy and black beans would compliment this dish extremely well.*

Breaking down the Oranges

You can eat every part of an orange except for the seeds, and these recipes explain how to prepare the peel along with the rest.

In Greece, home cooks prepare what they call ‘Spoon Sweets,’ which are either whole or partial pieces of fruit preserves. They eat them generally with a cold glass of water or coffee (I don’t know why, that’s just the tradition – possibly to balance out the sweetness?).

Orange Peel Spoon Sweets
Ingredients

• Peels from 1 lb navel oranges
• 1 C sugar
• 1/2 C water
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Remove the outer, darker layer of the orange peel (save it for your trout!!). Cut the peel into strips. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the peels. Cook 5 min, drain. Repeat this process twice more for 3 min. each. Bring the sugar and 1/2 C water to a boil (stir continuously), and add the peels. Stir in the lemon juice. Cook 5 min, then remove the pan from the heat. Allow to cool completely before sealing them in sterilized jars.

*If you save your jars from the tomatoes from last week, the green beans and upcoming canned items in the share, you can apply this same recipe to lemons, grapefruit, apples and other fruit. *

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili with Orange and Cumin
This delicious-sounding recipe from Bon Apétit would be a great hearty dish for the increasingly cold weather.

White Bean & Pak Choy Salad with Herb-roasted Oranges

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb Great White Northern beans, cooked and drained
• 1 head pak choy, washed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 orange, cut into wedges
• 1 orange, save for juice
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• Olive oil, as needed
• salt
• pepper

Saute the garlic and pak choy in 1 T olive oil 3 min. Use tongs to remove them from the pan. Toss the herbs, orange wedges and 1 T olive oil together. Roast in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Whisk together the juice from the remaining orange, a little olive oil, salt and pepper. mix the pak choy, beans and vinaigrette together. Serve the roasted oranges alongside the dish.

 

Sweet Taters, Arkansas Apples & Mofu Tofu

Hope you are all well and enjoying one of the warmest winters in St. Louis’ history (though it is bizarre to see tulips blooming in January – makes you wonder!).

Gearing up for Superbowl XLVI and Valentine’s Day

If you’re hosting a Superbowl party this year, Maude’s Market just got in some Geisert Farm andouille, apple cinnamon and potato with green bean brats, perfect for a little pre-spring outdoor grilling. We also have plenty of regular and jowl bacon and grass-fed, organic ground beef from Elixir Farm (bacon-wrapped burgers anyone?).

CSA member and artist Carmelita Nunez made some gorgeous heart-shaped ceramic designs for the store, perfect for hanging as a window display for Valentine’s Day or all year long. Nunez’s work has been featured throughout St. Louis in hot spots like Acero in Maplewood and Mad Art Gallery in Soulard. She is a teacher at the Community Arts Training (CAT) Institute in South City and an all around fabulous person. Check store for price listings.

We will be bringing in more and more treats for the holiday (think Kakao chocolate, ruby red cherries), so if you don’t find something this week you can always come back.

Sassafras Root & Other New Items

We just received sassafras root from Cecil Williams, singer, songwriter and local grower from Rolla, MO.

What is sassafras and what do you do with it? It’s a tree, and you can eat it’s leaves along with the roots. The roots used to be a powerful flavoring component for root beer, and are now generally used for making strong, healthy tea. The leaves are dried and ground into what is known as File powder, used in gumbo dishes. Check out the recipe below for making your own Sassafras Tea.

Note: Sassafras is a known blood anticoagulant. If this may negatively impact your health please do not consume.

Also in the store:

• Pork chops
• Fuji apple seconds – these tasty apples still around from fall might not be the best eating, but they make for fantastic hard apple cider – see the recipe below!

On Sale This Week

• Boule bread, Kalamata Olive
• Turnips, purple and white hakurei

This Week’s CSA:

Produce

• Arkansas Apples, Akins Orchards & Farm, 3 each (6 each for 4P, 4 each for 4P Veggie)
• Sweet potatoes, Double Star, 1 lb (2 lb for 4P, 3 lb for 4P Veggie)
• Canned Tomatoes, Hilty’s Bee Yards, 1 jar each
• Chestnuts, Capp’s Chestnut Orchard, 1 lb
• Additional produce for veggie shares:

                            – For 2P Veggie: Choice of 1 head lettuce, Double Star, 1 bunch carrots from Yellow Wood Farms or 1 bag mixed greens, Double Star

                            -For 4P Veggie: 2 heads lettuce and choice of 2 bunches carrots or 1 bag mixed greens

Meat

• Choice: Ham Sausage or Braunschweiger, Geisert Farm, 1 each (2 each for 4P)

Staple

• Tofu, Mofu Soy, Choice: Firm or Extra Firm, 1 each (2 each for 4P & 4P veggie)

Treat

• Organic popcorn, Bellews Creek, 1 lb (2 lb for 4P Veggie)

Recipe Ideas

From Head Chef Michelle Blodget

Sassafras Tea

Super simple and great-tasting hot or cold. This recipe from Food.com explains how to brew the sassafras root. You can reuse the same root up to four times before it loses it’s strength and flavor.

Fuji Hard Apple Cider

From the research I did, fuji apples actually don’t hold up well to fermentation – unless you blend them with another type of apple, preferably one with more tartness than a fuji like a granny smith. Making cider is a great activity/project during the winter months, and of course rewarding. First, read about how to make your own apple press here. Then, how to actually make the cider, using a blend of apples, here. Remember, making hard cider is an experiment just like brewing your own beer or making your own wine. It may not turn out perfectly the first time, but at least have fun with it!

 A Super Secret Way to Cook Chestnuts

Instead of just roasting them in the oven, try boiling them first. Cut an X into each chestnut with a paring knife to allow steam to escape. Boil them in unsalted water 15-20 minutes. To finish them, pop them under a broiler for a few mintues. Peel and chop or peel and eat whole.

Chestnut Soup

Courtesy allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 pounds chestnuts, peeled
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 sprigs fresh parsley
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 teaspoon white sugar
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. To Cook Chestnuts: With a sharp knife, slice an ‘X’ across each chestnut. Place chestnuts in a single layer on a jelly roll pan. Pour 1/4 cup water into the pan. Bake in a preheated 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) oven for 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, shell and peel.
2. In a large saucepan combine the chicken stock, shelled chestnuts and chopped onions. Place the parsley sprigs, cloves and bay leaf in a spice bag and add to the chicken stock mixture. Simmer over medium-low heat for 45 minutes.
3. Discard the spice bag and puree the chestnut mixture in a food processor or blender. Add the heavy cream, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Return mixture to saucepan and gently heat through. To serve to with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream, a bit of chopped parsley and some cooked chopped chestnuts just before serving. High quality vegetable broth can be substituted for the chicken broth.

Baked Tofu and Sauteed Mixed Greens

Ingredients

• 1 package tofu, drained, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T soy sauce
• 4 T sesame oil
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 – 2 T honey
• 1/2 lb mixed greens

Whisk together the garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and honey. Lay the tofu flat on a greased cookie sheet. Baste the tofu with some  the marinade on both sides. Bake at 350 degrees until the tofu is golden brown around the edges. Saute the greens in the remaining marinade and serve with the tofu.

 

Chicken, Carrots & Cookies

As we head into the fourth week of the Winter CSA, we strive to keep bringing interesting local products to your table. We have some very exciting additions planned for the month of February, including some of our fantastic canned items and a few new surprises.

We are always interested in your feedback, so please feel free to share opinions, suggestions and personal anecdotes at any time. We will try to meet your needs as best we can.

Special announcement:We are excited to introduce two new suppliers to the store and you:

• Stringbeans coffee – Owner Peter Cohen is a local musician and micro artisan coffee roaster who takes great care and pride in his offerings, with an emphasis on sustainability. Though not certified, almost 100% of Stringbeans coffee is made organically.
• Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds -  Located in Mansfield, MO, no GMO’s, only the most interesting varieties of vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs, hand-picked for the store by Baker Creek. Great additions to any garden!

On Sale This Week:

• Companion Bakery Boule bread, Kalamata Olive – $3.00 / loaf

Not To Be Missed:

• Brussel sprouts, $5 / lb
• Marcoot Jersey Creamery cheese – Havarti, Cheddar, Tomato Basil Jack and Alpine: $3.75 – $5.00
• Fresh bay leaves, $2.05 / ounce
• Mixed greens, $6.70 / lb
• Greek and regular yogurt, $5.25 – $6.50

Coming Soon:

• New teas from Traveling Tea Co. – Look for Ginger Citrus, Chocolate Chai,  Chocolate Cherry Jerry and two new black tea varieties and more!
• Kakao chocolate – perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Upcoming Events:

Maude’s Market will be running a booth at the upcoming Missouri Organic Association Conference Feb. 2 – 4 at Union Station Marriott in St. Louis. The conference will feature farmers, other agriculture experts, chefs and more speaking on the importance of local, organic food systems. If you plan on attending we look forward to seeing you there!

This Week’s CSA:

Produce

• Brussel sprouts, Double Star, 1/2 lb (1 lb for 2P Veggie, 4P & 4P Veggie)
• Pie pumpkin or cutie buttercup squash, Three Girls & a Tractor, 1 each (2 for 4P & 4P Veggie)
• Carrots, Yellow Wood Farms, 1 bunch (2 bunches for 4P & 4P Veggie)
• Green romaine lettuce, Double Star, 2 heads
• Red potatoes, Yellow Wood Farms, 1 lb
• Also for veggie shares: 1/2 lb mixed greens, Double Star (1 lb for 4P Veggie)

Meat

• Chicken, Geisert Farm, 1/2 fryer (whole fryer for 4P)

Staple

• Soup mix, Little Pleasures or Lentil, 1 each (2 for 4P Veggie), variety of flavors available

Treat

• Angel baked cookies, 2 each (4 for 4P & 4P Veggie)

Recipe Ideas
From Head Chef Michelle Blodget

First off, we’d like to share with you a couple great articles on how to stay creative while eating limited winter produce:

10 Ways to Eat More Greens -  This one from chow.com highlights the health benefits of eating greens, and some new ways to cook them.

Turn Boring Winter Produce into Inspired Dishes – Great ideas plus beautiful photos.

Carrot, Celery and Leek Soup with Cornbread Dumplings
This recipe from cookstr.com sounds phenomenal – pick up organic cornmeal at the market to make your cornbread!

Genoan Pesto Chicken with Herb Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 package Genoan Pesto seasoning (at Maude’s Market)
• 1/2 fryer chicken
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Stuff the garlic under the skin of the chicken, then rub the seasoning, oil, salt and pepper all over it. Put in a roasting pan and cover with foil. Cook in a 400 degree oven until the meat is white and the juices run clear. Take the foil off for the last 10 minutes to let the skin get golden brown.

For the potatoes:

• 1 lb red potatoes, scrubbed and peeled, large dice
• 1 tsp dry basil
• 1 tsp dry thyme
• 1 tsp dry rosemary
• 2 T butter
• 1/4 C heavy cream or milk
• Salt
• White pepper

Boil the potato chunks in a pot of water until completely tender. Heat the cream/milk in a sauce pot while potatoes are cooking. Drain the potatoes and mash with a whisk or fork. Whisk in the cream, butter and herbs. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Creamy Pumpkin or Buttercup Squash Brown Rice

Similar to risotto, but without the arborio

Ingredients

• 1 pie pumpkin or buttercup squash, deseeded and cut into medium chunks
• 2 small yellow onions, small dice
• 1 C Martin long grain brown rice
• 3 C water or vegetable stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 T oregano
• 2 T butter
• 1/2 C grated Shorty’s Pride Cheddar
• 2 T olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Rinse the rice in cold water and drain. Melt 1 T butter in a pan and toast the rice in it, stirring constantly until aromatic and slightly darker. Heat the 3 C water on the side, add 1 cup at a time to the rice, allowing it to absorb before adding more. Mix in 1/4 cup of cheddar and the remaining 1 T butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss the squash with the oil and oregano. Roast in a 350 degree oven until fork tender. Saute the onions. Mix the squash and onions into rice, and top with remaining cheddar.

How to Make Vegetable Stock

Making your own stock is super easy, and you can make enough to last you at least a week or two. I’m going to share the version I learned in culinary school, but keep in mind you can substitute any seasonal vegetables you want to achieve different flavors.

Vegetable Stock

Yield: 1 gallon

• 2 oz. vegetable oil, or as needed
• 3 lb large dice Mirepoix - what’s this? Basically an essential vegetable mix used by every chef since forever as a base for stocks, soups and stews. A standard mirepoix ratio is: 2 parts onion, 1 part carrot, 1 part celery. So for three pounds of mirepoix you need 1.5 lb onions and 3/4 lb each of carrots and celery.
• 3 lb nonstarchy vegetables (leeks, tomatoes, carrots, onion, celery, etc.), large dice
• 1 gal cold water
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 Sachet d’Epices – ok, what the heck is that and why is it in another language? Well, the french pretty much established all standards of cooking as we know them today. Sachet d’epices translates to ‘bag of spices’ – To make one, use: 3 – 4 parsley stems, 1 sprig fresh thyme/1 tsp dried, 1 bay leaf and 1 tsp cracked peppercorns. Wrap it all up with a little bit of cheesecloth and butcher’s twine.

Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the mirepoix and other veggies. Cover the pot and sweat the vegetables for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the water and salt; simmer for 15 minutes, then add the sachet. Strain the stock. It may be used now or cooled down and stored for later.

Note: For additional flavor, roast the vegetables in the oven first, but don’t burn them!

 

Bay leaves, Broccoli & Bell Peppers

The winter share just keeps getting better and better, thanks to some great local suppliers we have recently befriended.

Tim Woods with Farm to Family Mobile Market hooked us up with fresh bay leaves this week – you can cook with them, hang them in your kitchen to dry for a couple weeks or freeze them in a ziploc bag.

Of course our long-standing producers continue to impress:

Ringhausen Orchard and Apple House made history this week at the 23rd annual Illinois Cider and National Cider Contest by taking first place in every category (Hard Cider, Illinois Cider and National Cider), a feat never accomplished before by any orchard in the contest.

Check out the full article about Ringhausen’s victory here: http://www.thetelegraph.com/articles/cider-64769-illinois-orchard.html.

Not to be missed this week:
We have apple cinnamon, andouille and potato with green bean brats in the store, as well as plenty of regular and jowl bacon from Geisert farms.

We are excited to have Marcoot Jersey Creamery cheese back in the store as well, including:

• Havarti
• Tomato Basil Jack
• Shorty’s Pride Cheddar
• Forest Alpine

Amy Marcoot says: The Alpine is a good cheese. It’s most like an Asiago- Swiss blend. It’s complex. It starts sweet, then nutty, then ends a bit sharp.

We still have plenty of Windcrest Dairy yogurt and blueberries available and Red Fire lettuce on sale for $3.00/head.

This Week’s CSA:

Produce

• Fresh bay leaves, Farm to Family Mobile Market, 1/2 ounce (1 ounce for 4P & 4P Veggie)
• Frozen broccoli or bell peppers, Yellow Wood Farm, 1 lb (2 lb, one of each for 4P Veggie)
• Mixed asian greens, Double Star, 1/2 lb (1 lb for 4P)
• White Hakari Turnips, Double Star, 1 lb (2 lb for 2P Veggie, 4P & 4P Veggie)
• Squash, choice of acorn or small spaghetti, Three Girls and a Tractor, 1 each (2 for 4P & 4P Veggie)
• Also for Veggie share: Lettuce, Double Star, 1 head (2 heads for 4P Veggie)

Meat

• Pork Chops, Geisert Farms, 1 package each (2 for 4P)

Staple

• Boule bread, Companion Bakery, 1 each, choice of Kalamata olive or Miller’s Five Grain (2 for 4P Veggie)

Treat

• Ringhausen apple cider, 1 half gallon (1 whole gallon for 4P & 4P Veggie) – We are very excited to give out the last of the cider for the season.

Recipe Ideas

From Head Chef Michelle Blodget

Sauteed Bell Peppers & Onions with Bay Leaves

So easy and yet so delicious, and a great topping for grilled pork chops

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb bell pepper strips, defrosted
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 1 T whole grain mustard
• Olive oil, as needed
• 1/4 C white wine
• salt
• black pepper

Heat 1 T olive oil in a saute pan. Saute the onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the bell peppers and continue to saute until aromatic and soft. Add the white wine & bay leaves and reduce over low heat until the alcohol smell is gone. Stir in the mustard, season with salt and pepper. Serve over grilled pork chops.

 

Bacon-wrapped Pork Chops with Roasted Turnips, Greens & Apple Cider sauce

Need I say more?

Ingredients

• 2 pork chops
• 4 strips Geisert’s regular bacon, or 6 strips jowl bacon
• 1 lb turnips, cut into half or quartered for larger turnips
• 2 C mixed asian greens (these cook down quite a bit)
• Olive oil, as needed
• salt
• pepper

Cook the bacon in a pan until almost done but still pliable. Save the pan drippings. Season the chops with salt and pepper then wrap the bacon around them. Coat the turnips lightly in olive oil and cook with the chops in a 350 degree oven until done to desired temperature. Save any liquid and drippings from the roasting pan. Saute the greens on the side.

For the sauce:

• 1 C apple cider
• Pan drippings from both the bacon and the pork
• Reserved pork liquid
• 2 T butter
• 2 T flour

Melt the butter, then add the flour, whisking continuously about 3 – 4 minutes. Add the drippings and cider, and stir until the sauce has thickened. Season and serve.

Spaghetti Squash with Brats & Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 small spaghetti squash, cut in half and deseeded
• 1 jar Hilty Bee Yard’s canned tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 package brats
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 onion, small dice
• Optional: dried basil and oregano, Tomato Basil Jack cheese
• salt
• pepper

Rub the squash with olive oil and roast in a 350-400 degree oven until tender. Use a spoon to scoop it out into a bowl. Grill or fry the brats until cooked, then cut into slices. Chop up the tomatoes. Saute the garlic and onion, then add the tomatoes, basil and oregano. Simmer with the bay leaf. Season and serve with grated Tomato Basil Jack cheese on top.

Speaking of squash, CSA member Heather Zimmerman tackled a giant Hubbard a couple weeks ago and came out on top. Way to go Heather! Check out the great photo of Heather’s triumph.

Thanks everyone, see you soon!

 

 

Blueberries, Yogurt and Red Fire Lettuce

Hope you are all staying warm after the first major snowstorm of the season! One quick reminder, for those of you who still need to sign a Weekly CSA agreement, you will have the chance to do so upon pick-up at the store this week. Be sure to include:

• Credit card information
• Type of share you are signed up for
• Signature
• Names of other designated people allowed to pick up your share in case you are not be available

Steaks & Sales Items

Attention steak-lovers! Along with the ground beef included in this week’s share, we have brought in certified organic, grass-fed T-bone, Ribeye and Sirloin Tip Steaks from Elixir Farm:  top quality meat at great prices:

• Sirloin Tip: $9.75/lb
• T-bone: $17.55/lb
• Ribeye: $18.20/lb

Dad’s Scotch Oatmeal and Coconut Star cookies are on sale this week for $3 a bag, and you can still get the last of the brussel sprouts ($5/lb) and salsa ($3.75/jar).

We now have 100 % Certified Organic Pecans available from Missouri Northern Pecan Growers for $6.25/half pound. These pecans are slightly smaller than those grown in the south, slightly sweeter and have a higher oil content that produces more flavor.

There are still sweet potatoes from Double Star, and we also have organic sweet potato seconds from Farm to Family Mobile Market for just $1.20/lb.

This Week’s CSA:

We have a lot of enticing treats this week, sure to please your taste buds. Gorgeous red fire lettuce from Double Star will make a great addition to salads or sandwiches, and blueberries mixed with yogurt from Wind Crest Dairy is a breakfast of champions.

Produce

• Chipotle peppers, from Bellews Creek Farm, 2 each (3 for 4P Veggie)
• Red potatoes, Yellow Wood Farms, 1 lb (2lb for 4P Veggie)
• Frozen Blueberries, Highland Farm, 1 lb – these babies are plump, juicy and packed with fantastic fruit flavor!
• Red Fire Lettuce, Double Star, 1 head (2 heads for 4P & 4P Veggie) -
• Spaghetti squash, Two Girls and a Tractor, 1 each (2 each for 4P and 4P Veggie)

Meat

• Certified organic, grass-fed ground beef, Elixir Farm, 1 lb (2 lb for 4P)

Staple

• Martin Rice, 1 bag, choice of:

-Long grain white
-Medium grain brown
Treat

• Yogurt, Windcrest Dairy in Trenton, IL, one 24 oz. container (2 for 4P Veggie), choice of:

-Regular, low-fat plain
-Regular, low-fat vanilla
-Greek style, low-fat plain
-Greek style, low-fat vanilla

*Greek-style yogurt is a blend of cream and milk, which gives it a higher milk fat content (and creamier texture).*

Recipe Ideas
From Head Chef Michelle Blodget

Yogurt with Blueberry Syrup and Toasted Pecans
Could it get any more delicious than that?

Ingredients

• 1 C blueberries, defrosted
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1/4 C water
• 1/4 C pecans

Combine blueberries, sugar and water in a sauce pot and bring to a boil – crush berries with the back of a spoon, serve warm over yogurt. To toast the pecans, just put them on a cookie sheet and in the oven at 350 degrees until golden brown. Chop or serve whole.

Chipotle Meatballs
This is a recipe from Chef Rick Bayless, famous for his knowledge on traditional Mexican and other Latin American cuisine. It sounds awesome! Serve them with some cooked rice from the share or with gnocchi.

Traditional Gnocchi
Try this recipe as a great way to use your red potatoes from the share.

Ingredients

• 1 lb red potatoes, peeled
• A little less then 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 C olive oil

Boil the potatoes until completely tender, drain and mash. Sprinkle the potato mash with flour, then incorporate the egg and salt into the “dough”. Knead the dough to form a ball, using more flour as needed. Roll the dough out into 3/4 inch strips, then cut the strips into 1 inch pieces.

Put a pot of water to boil on the stove, and have a bowl of ice water ready. Roll each piece of dough off the end of a fork into the boiling water. Remove them as soon as they float to the surface of the water with a strainer and cool in the ice bath, Drain them and coat evenly with the oil to prevent them from sticking together.

Saute the gnocchi in some olive oil or browned butter and serve with your favorite marinara and the chipotle meatballs.

 

Carrots, Chocolate and Lots of Choices!

Welcome back to the Maude’s Market CSA!

We hope you enjoyed the holidays and are looking forward to getting 2012 in gear. The winter share promises to be even better than last year as we continue to bring on new local farmers and vendors with great products for sale.

Be sure to consider how you will transport this week’s share, as you will each be taking home a large squash you might need more than one hand to carry.

On Sale This Week:

• Brussel Sprouts: $5 / lb
• Original Gringo’s Salsa, variety of flavors, $3.75 / jar.
• Tortilla Chips, $3.50 / bag
• Christmas Coffee blends, $10 / lb

We still have organic sunchokes for $8/lb and Deep Mud Farm turnips at $1/lb. Be sure to check out some new products as well, like quinoa from Kimker Hill Farm and popcorn Bellews Creek Farm.

This Week’s CSA:

Askinosie chocolate, based in Springfield, MO, is our New Year’s toast to all of you and we are including it as this week’s treat. Owner Shawn Askinosie believes in building and maintaining relationships with farmers, traveling to various countries in person to do so. He seeks out only the highest quality beans, pays farmers higher than average fair trade prices and makes the chocolate himself locally.

There is a wide range of choices this week, from four different types of meat (while supplies last) to squash and yellow or green split peas. The type of chocolate bar you receive is also your choice, from white to dark and everything in-between.

Produce

• Sweet potatoes from Double Star Farm, 1 lb (2 lb for 2P Veggie and 4P Veggie) – they’re huge this week!
• Carrots from Yellow Wood Farm, 1 bunch (2 bunches for 2P Veggie and 4P Veggie)
• Red & Yellow onions also from Yellow Wood Farm, 1 lb
• Organic garlic from Elixir Farm, Conventional from TwoMorrow’s Farm, 1 head
• 1 large squash, from either Todd Geisert or Springbrook Floral Farm choice of:
  • Banana
  • Crookneck
  • Hubbard
  • Pumpkin

Meat

• Choose 1 package from the following (2 packages for 4P):
  • 1 lb ground beef or beef stew meat from Missouri Grassfed Beef or Elixer Farms
  • 1 lb ground bison or bison stew meat from Sayersbrook Bison Ranch
  • 1 lb ground lamb from Vesterbrook Farm
  • 1 lb ground veal or veal stew meat from Lucas Farms

Staple

• Choice of yellow or green split peas from Kimker Hill Farm, 1 lb (2 lb for 2P Veggie and 4P Veggie)

Treat

•   Askinosie chocolate bar, 1 each, choice of:
  • 77 % Davao, Phillipines dark chocolate
  • 70 % San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador dark chocolate
  • 62 % Davao, Phillipines dark milk chocolate
  • Davao, Phillipines white chocolate with coco nibs

 Recipe Ideas

From Head Chef Michelle Blodget

A Tip for Cooking Giant Squash

It may seem daunting, but cooking a hubbard or banana squash doesn’t have to be as hard as it sounds. If it will fit, throw it in a pan and in the oven whole at 350 until it is soft enough to cut through – then you can finish roasting it in smaller pieces. If it won’t fit, I found another great tip of using a small knife and hammer to ‘chisel’ a crack in the squash – just get it cut in half and you can use the same method as putting it in the oven whole.

Winter Squash Enchiladas

This is one of my all time favorite recipes, and a wonderful vegetarian option

Ingredients

• 1 package corn tortillas
• 1 16 oz. jar enchilada sauce
• 1 -2 yellow onions, depending on size, small dice
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 C cooked squash – run it through the blender for a couple minutes with a little bit of water to make it smooth
• 3 C cream cheese, softened to room temp
• Grated cheddar or monterey jack cheese, as needed
• Optional: 3 chipotle peppers, reconstituted, deseeded and chopped
• salt
• black pepper

Mix the squash and cream cheese together thoroughly and season with salt and pepper. In a casserole dish, lay out 3 -4 tortillas (depending on how many will fit). Evenly spread about an inch of squash/cream cheese mixture, then pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with another layer of tortillas and repeat this process until you reach the top of the dish – end the layering with tortillas, topped with sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown and bubbling on top.

Beef, Bison or Veal Molé

This molé sauce recipe from Food.com is an easy version, and all you have to do is season and sear your meat of choice, then simmer it in the sauce to finish cooking. Serve with beans and rice and enjoy! This is a nice way to use a little bit of the chocolate this week as well.

Split Pea Soup with Meatballs

When I had the idea to incorporate lamb with split peas, not even my weird brain could have come up with this: http://www.splitpeasouprecipesonline.com/split-pea-soup-recipes/split-pea-soup-meatballs/

Anything new is worth trying though!

 

Festive Chutney, Brussel Sprouts and Wild Sockeye Salmon

Holiday Goose & Turkey

The last pick-up day for turkey and goose is December 17th. We still have plenty of broad-breasted white turkeys and 9 to 10 lb geese available - place your order now and pick up by Saturday.

Autumn CSA – Final Week!

Christmas is rapidly approaching, as is the end of the fall CSA share. As a last reminder, the winter CSA starts January 6th and runs through March 24th. Be sure to let us know if you will be continuing into winter if you haven’t already.

In 2012 you may:

• Sign on for three months (Jan-March), six months (Jan-June), nine months (Jan-Sept), OR 12 months (Jan-Dec) share, and;
• pay week-to-week OR prepay for your share and receive a great discount. See our website for all the details

This Week’s CSA:

We were finally able to get our hands on some brussel sprouts this week. We hope you enjoy them, as they are most likely the last of the season! A new supplier is featured in this week’s share as well – Wild Alaska Salmon & Seafood Company, a company that only fishes sustainable resource salmon. Employees fish, store, package and ship everything themselves. This is an especially nice addition to the share – generous portion sizes for a gorgeous fish with ruby red flesh.

 Produce

• Brussel Sprouts, from Double Star Farms, 1 lb (1.5 lb for 2P Veggie, 2 lb for 4P Veggie)
• Choice of Squash, from River Hills Harvest and Double Star, 2 acorn or 1 butternut (2 of either for 4P Veggie)
• Sunchokes, from Ozark Forest, 1/2 lb (1 lb for 4P Veggie)  - More widely known as a Jerusalem artichoks or ‘earth apple’, sunchokes are a species of sunflower native to North America. They are often used as a substitute for other starchy vegetables like potatoes as a side dish. Check out the recipe below from Head Chef Michelle Blodget for a Sunchoke & Arugula Gratin.
• Choice of 2 vegetables from the store, (choice of 3 for 4P, 4 for 4P Veggie): Number of choices available while they last.

                               -Sweet Potatoes, 1 lb

                               -Carrots, 1 bunch

                               -Bell Peppers, 1 lb

                               -Celery, 1 bunch

                               -Arugula, 1/4 lb

                               -Salad Mix, 1 bag

                               -Red and Green Tomatoes, 1 lb

                               -Yellow Onion, 1 lb

                               -Turnips, 1 lb

Meat

• Wild Sockeye Salmon, from Wild Alaska Salmon & Seafood, small fillet for 2P, large fillet for 4P

Staple

• Kimker Hill Farm beans, 1 lb (2lb for 4P Veggie)

                                -Great White Northern Beans

                                -Garbanzo beans/chick peas

Treat

• Maria’s Cranberry Chutney, 1 jar each

Recipe Ideas

Roasted Salmon with Cranberry Chutney

Fish can be a great holiday dish too, and something different than the normal fare

Ingredients

• 2 salmon fillets, skin on
• 1 T rosemary or thyme
• 1/8 cup cranberry chutney
• 2 T olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Sprinkle the rosemary/thyme, salt and pepper on the salmon. Coat the salmon lightly with olive oil and place on a roasting pan with a piece of greased foil in it. Roast in a 350 degree oven for 20 min, or until the flesh is pale and flakes easily with no resistance. During the last 5 min of cooking, top the salmon with the chutney and finish cooking.

Sunchoke & Arugula Gratin

Use this vegetable as a replacement for potatoes to make the dish more interesting

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb sunchokes, scrubbed, peeled and cut into 1/8-1/4 inch slices
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup milk, cream or broth
• 1/4 bunch arugula, washed and destemmed
• 1 C Gruyere cheese, grated
• nutmeg, to taste
• salt, to taste
• white pepper, to taste

Liberally butter a casserole dish. Lay the sunchokes out, slightly overlapping to create an even layer over the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with nutmeg, salt and pepper, then disperse an even amount of arugula leaves over the top. Sprinkle with gruyere evenly. Repeat these steps until you run out of sunchokes. Pour the broth or milk/cream over the top, the sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake at 350-375 degrees until fork tender. Remove foil during last 10 min of cooking to get a golden brown crust.

Butternut Squash Fries

This recipe from allrecipes.com is super simple and a creative, healthy alternative to regular fries.

Homemade Hummus

You can cook all the garbanzo beans ahead of time and use them for this recipe, or in a salad

Ingredients

• 1 lb garbanzo beans, soaked over night, rinsed and boiled until tender
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 – 2 T tahini
• 3 T lemon juice
• Olive oil, as needed
• salt
• pepper

Optional: Smoked paprika

Simply blend all ingredients together in a food processor and season to taste. Add the olive oil in slowly to desired consistency. Top the hummus with paprika for an added zing.

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Chestnuts and Bacon
Ingredients

• 1 lb brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
• 4 slices regular or jowl bacon
• 1/2 lb chestnuts
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt
• pepper

Directions
You’ll want to roast the chestnuts ahead of time before your dinner, so start them an hour before you plan to finish this dish. With a paring knife, cut an X into the flat side of each chestnut. Lay the chestnuts evenly in a pan and roast in a 350 degree oven, shaking occasionally, for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove, and as soon as they are cool enough to touch peel them. Chop them up.

Boil the brussel sprouts until just tender, drain. Cook the bacon in a saute pan, remove and drain on a paper towel. Chop up the bacon. Saute the brussel sprouts and chestnuts in the bacon drippings. Mix in the chopped bacon, season and serve.

Thank you to everyone for participating, and have a happy, safe New Year!