Hen of the Woods & Highland, IL Chicken

 

Upcoming Events & Important Dates

 

Dutchtown Harvest Festival: A Food Day Event

THIS Sun, Oct 14 from 11am – 4pm
FREE at Marquette Park
Located at the corner of Gasconade & Compton
Local Restaurants, Live Music, Cooking Demos & Contest, Dance Troupes, Art, Kids Zone
Questions? Contact: Dana@DT2STL.org

Pumpkin Art Party
Saturday, October 20
1pm-4pm

Decorate a pumpkin
Sample hot cider &
Hang out with neighbors
Prizes for the best decorated pumpkins!

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Healthy Cooking With Locally Grown Ingredients

Tuesday, October 23

11am-Noon
Cost: $10

Reserve your space!
Call 314-353-3050 or
email info@tdunn.org

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What’s New

Produce

Squash & Pumpkins – $0.85 to $1.70 / lbs – Variety of squash and pumpkins from Buttonwoods Farm, Three Girls & a Tractor, & Theresa & Justin’s Backyard. Acorn, Buttercup, Butternut & Spaghetti Squash. As well as Pie & Carving Pumpkins.

Meats

Circle B Ranch Berkshire Pork Meatballs – $8.95 / 16oz package

Staple Item’s & Treats

Just Sweets Hazelnut & Hazelnut with Chocolate Chip Biscotti,  $4.90 / package of 2

River Hills Harvest Elderberry Products:

• Pure Elderberry Juice – $14.30 / bottle – Made from American grown native elderberries. Full of antioxidants, vitamins A, C, B-6, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and copper. Elderberries are known for boosting the immune system. One bottle makes nearly a whole gallon of mixed juice or spritzer.
• Elderberry Throat Coat & Herbal Cordial -  $14.30 / bottle – Made with pure elderberry juice, cinnamon, cloves and sweetened with local honey. A splash added to sparkling water makes a great elderberry soda kids love.
• Elderberry Jelly – $6.15/jar – Made with pure Elderberry Juice, lightly sweetened using pure cane sugar with just a hint of lemon.

 

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On Sale

Last chance to get your Seven Cedars Farm perennials into the ground! Time for fall planting with perennials from Bee Balm & Hostas – $5.75 each (regular $8)

Duck Eggs, Harr Family Farm ½ Dz – $3.50 (regular $4.20) Full Dz – $6 (regular $7.15)

Bavarian Pretzels, 4 pack, Companion – $3.75 / pack (regular $5)

Veal Ossobuco, Lucas Farms – $9.90 / lbs (regular $12 / lbs)

Stringbean’s decaf coffee, $10.75/lbs (Regular $12/lbs)

Cheese spreads, River City Savories, flavors include blue cheese, Greek, horseradish & bacon, morel mushroom, and peppercorn. $6.75 each (Regular $8)

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Autumn CSA Menu – October 12 & 13

Produce

Mushrooms:

• Hen of the Woods, 0.25 lbs, Patrick Harvey – Mushroom Hunter
• Ozark Forest Shitaki 0.25lbs (0.5 lbs for large shares)

Choice of Buttonwoods Farm Produce:

• Bell Peppers, 2 (4 for veggies, 3 for gluten free & large shares)
• Cucumber, 1 lbs (2.5 lbs for veggies, 2 lbs for gluten free & large shares)
• Eggplant 1 lbs (2.25 lbs for veggies, 2lbs for gluten free & large shares)

Choice for Veggies & Large Shares:

• Mixed Salad Greens, 8oz, Yellow Dog Farm
• Kale or Swiss Chard, 0.5 lbs, Double Star
• Collard Greens, 0.5 lbs, Maude’s Market

Carrots, 1 bunch, Thies Farm & Greenhouse
Akins’ Orchard Apples, 1.5lbs (2 lbs for veggies, 2 lbs for large shares)
Jalapeno, 1oz (2oz for veggies & large shares)

Meat

Chicken Grill Pack or Thighs, Cock & Bull Farm (2 packs for large shares)

Staple

Bosnian Bread, White or Wheat, Zlatno Zito (None for gluten free)

Treat

Hazelnut & Hazelnut with Chocolate Chip Biscotti, Package of 2, Just Sweets (None for gluten free)

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Recipe Ideas

 

Sauted Hen of the Woods & Shitaki Mushroms

This is be a great side dish to a chicken or an eggplant meal. Consider wilting chopped kale, chard, or collards into the mushroom dish.

Ingredients

• ½ lbs Sauted Hen of the Woods & Shitaki Mushgrooms
• 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
• ½ onion, sliced thin
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons of dry white wine or 1 tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons chopped mixed herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme and marjoram are all great with mushrooms)
• Coarse salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped

Directions

Gently wipe the mushrooms. Trim and discard any tough stems. (Shiitake stems are great for stocks but are too tough to eat. The very bottom of mushroom clusters like hen of the woods may have a slightly woody layer, so trim it away). Slice the mushrooms ⅛  – ¼ inch thick.

Warm the olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Add the onions, cook 1 minute, and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, for 6-8 minutes, until the mushrooms have released their juices and begin to brown.

Stir in the garlic and white wine or white balsamic vinegar, increase the heat to high, and cook about 2 more minutes, until the wine/vinegar has evaporated. Toss in the herbs; stir well and season to taste. Stir in the parsley and serve

Blueberry Elderberry Apple Crisp

 

Ingredients for Filling

• 24 oz (1.5 lbs) frozen blueberries
• 10oz Elderberry Cordial
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 4 large tart apples, peeled and chopped

Ingredients for Topping

• 2 cups oats
• 1 cup sorghum
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 8 T Coconut Oil
• ½ cup pecan pices

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the blueberries in 6 oz of cordial over medium heat until hot. In a separate bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons of flour into remaining 4 oz of cordial. When dissolved, add to heated blueberries.  Stir blueberries constantly until thickened to the consistency of syrup.  Remove from heat.  In large bowl, combine blueberry-elderberry cordial mixture and apples.

Prepare the topping by combining the oats, sorghum and flour in a large bowl.  Add the coconut oil and chopped pecans and stir until well combined.

Pour blueberry-apple mixture into a 9×13 glass dish, sprinkle topping evenly over top, and bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes until topping is golden brown.  Let cool for one hour before serving.

 

Honey Harvest & Bee Banquet THIS Sunday 7/15

Honey Harvest & Bee Banquet

THIS Sunday, July 15 from 11am to 1pm

FREE Potluck – Please bring a dish and serving utensil to share with other guests.
RSVP Required – Limited Space – Children welcome
Jackson-Mills City Bees
Compton Heights, St. Louis City
(Address will be shared with registered guests)

See the origin of Maude’s Market’s honey at the Jackson-Mills home in the Compton Heights neighborhood. Scott Jackson & Shane Mills will harvest the honey from their city beehives. Afterwards, we’ll have a bee banquet! Bring a bee, honey or summer inspired dish to share with other guests.

Click here to register or call 314-353-4219

What’s New

We have lots of options for the grill this week from Todd Geisert including pork chops, spare ribs, brat burgers, sausages. We also restocked on is ham sausages.

Peach Cobbler & Death by Chocolate cupcakes ($6 for a package of two) from Love at First Bite Cupcakery.

On Saturday we will have a new order of duck eggs ($7./15/dozen or from Harr Family Farms .

We still have a wonderful selection of cantaloupe ($5.25 each) and the blackberries ($5.50/pint) from Akins Orchard are divine.

 

On Sale

• Onion bunches, Yellow Dog Farm, $2/bunch (regular $2.75/bunch)
• Stringbean’s decaf coffee, $10.75/lbs (regular $12/lbs)
• Garlic scapes, Double Star, $1 buch (regular $1.50)
• Pasta, Midwest Pasta Company, options include fettuccine, linguine or angel hair. 9 ounce $3 (regular $3.50). 1 pound $5 (regular $6).
• Cheese spreads, River City Savories, flavors include blue cheese, Greek, horseradish & bacon, morel mushroom, and peppercorn. $6.75 each (regular $8)

Summer CSA Menu – July 6 & 7

Produce

• Yellow & red tomatoes, Buttonwoods Farm, 1 each
• Eggplant, Buttonwoods, 1 large or 2 small
• Green peppers, Buttonwoods or Seven Cedars Farm,  2
• Banana peppers, Seven Cedars, 6 – We do have a limited number of anaheim and jalapeno peppers that you may substitute for a banana pepper.
• Green beans, Yellow Dog Farm, 1lbs
• Choice: Blackberries, Cantaloupe, Cherry Tomato, OR Okra 1# (gluten free, veggie & large shares)
• Choice: squash or cucumber, 1lbs (veggie or large shares)

Meat

• Bratwurst or large sausage, Todd Geiserts Farm, Choice: Regular, Beer & Onion, Potato & Green bean, Jalapeno, Hot Polish, Andouille, Apple Cinnamon, Mushroom & Swiss Cheese, Tomato Basil     (2 packages for large shares)

Staple

• Black Beans, Bellews Creek Farm, 1lbs

Treat

• Cupcakes, Love at First Bite Cupcakery, 1 package of Peach Cobbler & Death by Chocolate (2 packages for large shares, none for gluten free)

Recipe Ideas

How to Prepare Dry Beans

Soak the beans (about 1 part beans to 3 parts cold water) for 6 hours or overnight. The longer you soak beans, the more water they absorb, which helps them cook faster and also helps to dissolve the starches that cause intestinal discomfort.

Drain the soaked beans and place them in a cooking pot with fresh water (about 1 part bean to 3 part water).

Bring the beans to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer for 45 to 90 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Check the beans every so often after the first 30 minutes. If you are flavor to your beans with vinegar, tomatoes, salt or other acidic spices and flavors, add them towards the end of the cooking process.

Serve beans hot or cool on the stove and then place in the refrigerator.

Summer Salad

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon vinegar (balsamic, red wine, or other favorite vinegar)
• ⅛ cup cilantro or parsley, chopped
• To taste, salt and pepper
• ½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cucumber
• 3 banana peppers (
• ½ cup cooked black beans, chilled

Directions

Mix the vinegar, oil and chopped herbs, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix in tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. Scoop the black beans into another bowl. Top the mixture from the other bowl.

Braised Eggplant

Served at room temperature or colder, this is a great side dish for your grilled meats and veggies.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large or 2 small eggplant, ¾ inch cubes
• 1 onion bunch, each onion halved and thinly sliced
• 1 bunch of garlic scapes, chopped very small
• 2 bell peppers, cored & cut into 1/2-inch strips
• ¾ teaspoon ground cumin or turmeric
• 2 large tomato, diced
• Pinch of sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• To taste, salt & pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add cubed eggplant and sauté until golden (about 5 minutes). Transfer eggplant to plate.
• Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to same skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until onions are tender and golden, (about 5 minutes).
• Add bell peppers, garlic scapes, and cumin or turmeric to skillet and sauté until peppers are almost tender (about 5 minutes).
• Add tomatoes and sugar. Boil until mixture thickens slightly (about 5 minutes).
• Add eggplant; reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender (about 5 minute).
• Stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Transfer to bowl and cool to room temperature.
• Sprinkle with cilantro.

 

Fresh Figs, First Pears & Fine Mutton

Last week I was on the road with my cousin visiting our grandfather in Wichita, KS.  With the change in schedule, I completely forgot to post last week’s blog. Farmers, however, are always on my mind and I did meet with some MO grape farmers while on the road. Grape season has just started and though most varieties of grapes grown in the Midwest are not best eaten fresh off the vine, there is a plethora of other delicious goodies that come from this sweet fruit – and I’m not talking about concord wine. You’ll have to wait and see what great grape products we’ll get this late summer and fall.

At the bottom of this post I’ve included the recipes that would have gone in last week’s post. Thank you Beth B. for sharing these tasty gems. Now, without further delay, here is in this week’s share:

Produce

• Fresh figs from Ivan’s Fig Farm – 1 pint – If you have never had a fresh fig, they are a real treat. They were picked this morning and are best if eaten ASAP. So, for figs sake, try to pick up you share todayand keep these little dudes refrigerated!
• The season’s first pears from Akins Orchard and Farm – 4 for 2-person, 6 for veggies, 8 for 4-person
• More peaches from Double Star (DS) – 2 for 2-person, 4 for veggies & 4-person
• Slicer tomatoes from Buttonwoods Farm (BF) – 4 for 2-person, 6 for veggies, 8 for 4-person
• Red potatoes from Dave Carter – 6 for 2-person, 8 for veggies, 12 for 4-person
• 1# of your choice – eggplant or peppers from DS, or pickling cucumbers from BF

Meat

• Ground Mutton (even though the label says lamb, it’s really mutton, the processor doesn’t have mutton labels) from Vesterbrook Farm – 2# for 4-person – Traditionally used in English Shepard’s Pie (recipe below)

Staple

• White or Wheat bread from Golden Grain Bakery – 2 for 4-person

Treat

• Elderberry Jelly from River Hills Harvest – Delicious on the bread!

Recipe Ideas

Eggplant Pepper Spread
Good on Bosnian bread, use as a sandwich spread, a dip for crudites, or a dressing for potato salad.

• 1 1/2 pounds eggplant, cut in half lengthwise
• 2 bell peppers, seeded and cut in half
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• Salt to taste
• Fresh lemon juice to taste

Cover broiler pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Broil eggplant and peppers, skin side up, until blackened. Remove from broiler, seal tightly in aluminum foil, and let them cool.  When cool, slip off and discard the skins. Put eggplant and peppers in a food processor and process until smooth. Dribble the oil through the chute in the processor lid as processor is running until the oil is well incorporated. Put mixture into a bowl and add the other ingredients. Add salt and lemon juice to taste.

Hint:  to seed tomatoes, cut in half and squeeze the insides out. A grapefruit spoon is great for seeding peppers.

Eggplant Salad (Patlican Salatasi)
This traditional Turkish salad is also known in Greece as Babaganoush, and is served as a meze or small plate (tapas).

• One eggplant, split lengthwise and roasted as in Eggplant Pepper Spread above
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed, or more to taste
• 2 tbsp yogurt
• Juice of 1/4 lemon
• 1-1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Fresh mint
• Kalamata olives

Remove the skins of roasted eggplants and process in a food processor until somewhat smooth. Transfer eggplant to a skillet and sauté with olive oil and garlic over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Let cool, then stir in yogurt, lemon juice and salt to taste. Put on a plate and garnish with fresh mint and Kalamata olives. Serve with Bosnian bread or pita. Excellent in a pita pocket with tomatoes, pitted Kalamata olives, cucumbers and feta cheese.

Easy Shepherd’s Pie – adapted from http://simplyrecipes.com
Shepherd’s Pie is essentially a casserole, lined with cooked meat and vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes, and baked.

• 1 lbs ground mutton
• 3/4 onion chopped
• 1.5 cups vegetables – chopped carrots, corn, peas
• 1 – 1 1/2 lbs potatoes
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup of veggie broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice

Quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).

While the potatoes are cooking, melt 3 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan. Sauté onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins). If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Put any carrots in with the onions. Add corn or peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked.Add ground mutton and sauté until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper. Add worcesterchire sauce. Add half a cup of vegetable broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more broth as necessary to keep moist.Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste.

Place beef and onions in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well.Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.

Enjoy!