For Next Shavuot...

I just came across a recipe for chevre blintzes with rhubarb sauce from Ten Apple Farm. It looks absolutely amazing. I regret that I didn't have this recipe last week for Shavuot, but I will hold onto it for next year.

Haven’t used your beans yet? Run – don’t walk – to make this delicious, easy stir fry!

If you’re like me, you admired the elegant beauty of the golden or purple green beans that appeared in your CSA basket this week, but you had no idea what to do with them.

Finally, inspiration hit and I knew I had to get those beans in a simple, garlicky stir fry. So quick, so easy, so tasty!

I put some brown rice on the stove. Then I pressed the water out of block of tofu, coated the tofu in tamari (similar to soy sauce, but a richer and more complex flavor – give it a try in place of soy sauce) and popped it in the oven. I trimmed the “royalty purple pods” though that wasn’t even necessary and sautéed them for about 2 minutes with lots of garlic and ginger and some tamari. I finished them off with a generous squeeze of lime and the Thai Basil I recently planted in my garden. Delicious. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow.

If You Ask Me, Summer Resides in a Cucumber Sandwich

There’s something so refreshing and satisfying about the simplicity of a cucumber sandwich. Just a little cheese on some homemade or good bakery bread, lots of thinly sliced cucumber, and maybe one other item. I added kimchi to the sandwich last week and really liked it. This week I’ll try watermelon radish slices with the cucumber, and later in the summer, I’ll probably go with cucumber and tomato. It just makes the perfect meal when it is as warm as it is now and you can’t stand the thought of standing in front of a hot stove.

This week we were fortunate to receive an abundance of big beautiful cucumbers in our CSA baskets! My mom sent me this link for a blended cucumber beverage recipe, along with promises that she'd send me more cool cucumber recipes this week.

How are you using your cukes?

Love at First Fennel

I’m not a big fennel eater. I’ve probably only bought fennel bulbs a handful of times – always because I came across a recipe (usually for a salad) that included a little bit of raw, thinly sliced fennel. It often works well enough in the particular recipe, but it’s not a flavor I ever crave.

The first fennel bulbs of the season arrived in our baskets last week. They were so beautiful! Our farmer, Susan Ross, directed, “Eat them raw or lightly sauté them.” Having done the raw fennel thing in the past, I was up for a sauté this time.

I found a super easy recipe with a google search. Saute the thinly sliced fennel in some olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and let them cook down and caramelize a bit. Once they’re almost cooked through, add some garlic and then deglaze the pan with a squeeze of lemon juice. Top with a little freshly grated parmesan cheese. YUM! I served mine over red quinoa, but the fennel would be great with a pasta or as a simple side dish with any fish or meat (you could easily do without the parmesan cheese).

I very rarely eat fish, and haven’t had the desire for fish in several months, but suddenly found myself thinking “This would be absolutely delicious over salmon or snapper!” I just have to say that I love this about the CSA: not only am I eating foods that appear in the basket that I wouldn’t otherwise buy, but the unfamiliar CSA items lead me to other unlikely items – it’s kind of like a cook’s choose your own adventure with many twists and turns.

Is it just me, or did you also fall in love with your first fennel?

Massage Your Kale, Talk to Your Vegetables

It never fails. Every time I share my recipe for kale salad, it is received with giggles. “…and then I massage the kale.”

The recipe was shared with me by a former Esalen Institute chef who lovingly prepares three delicious meals a day at the week-long Dance Camp I’ve attended the past several summers in the Sierras of Central California. I love everything that she makes – but kale salad is the one “camp dish” that I consistently recreate at home throughout the year.

Wash, dry and chop a bunch of kale.
Wisk together a dressing with the juice of one lemon and olive oil. I like a ratio of about 1:1 but you can adjust to taste. You’ll also want to add a good pinch or two of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Minced garlic and/or honey can also be added.
Use your hands to coat the kale with the dressing – and here it is! – spend a few minutes massaging the dressing into the kale. The kale will soften significantly and will glisten, now evenly coated with the dressing.
Give it a taste – it might need more acid (lemon juice) and/or salt. Don’t be afraid to season generously – it should have a nice flavor. And don’t be afraid to spend some time getting to know your kale – really massage it – it’s fun to play with your food, anyway.
Then you can add any “toppings” you like – I often mix and match depending on what I have on hand. I always add either pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or sliced almonds. Sometimes I add corn kernels, or golden raisins, or dried cranberries. I really like it with some diced ripe mango and/or red pepper.

So much of what we’re doing as CSA members is celebrating foods and flavors. You might say that we’re blessing our food every time we admire our new CSA baskets and every time we thoughtfully prepare a meal. In a lot of ways we’re already “massaging our kale and talking to our veggies.” So, let’s continue to love and appreciate our veggies…and be sure to give them a little massage every once in awhile.

The Land must Rest

This past shabbat we read from the concluding chapters of Leviticus. We are given clear instructions that every seventh year the land must rest. It is to be a sabbath for the land (we call it shmittah). Of course, today we understand that letting the land rest is part of responsible agriculture but in the Torah responsible agriculture is no option - it is a commandment! The Torah understands that our connection to the land is not only necessary for physical nourishment but it is part and parcel of our spiritual nourishment as well.

This week, as we marvel in the bounty of food brought forth from the earth let us fully appreciate the deep soulful connection of our ancient Jewish tradition and the earth's produce.

Rabbi K

From the Pickle Barrel

Calling all CSA members and prospective picklers! Would you be interested in a 3 hour pickling workshop (to include kraut, kimchi, vegetable pickles) with Sandhill Farm? It would be scheduled for later on this month (probably a Sunday afternoon) and might take place on the farm in Micanopy or at B’nai Israel (depending on scheduling issues and the interests of participants). There would be a fee for the workshop but you would take home several jars of fermented veggies. If you’re interested please contact me: erin@bnaigainesville.com

Great, Easy Recipe for Greens and Herbs

The Lag B’Omer Picnic at Sholom Park in Ocala last Sunday was absolutely lovely! The beautiful surroundings, good company and fresh delicious food by Ibti with lots of local veggies and herbs inspired great culinary/CSA conversation.

B’nai Israel member, Gilda Josephson, who looks forward to joining the CSA come the new season this fall, shared this recipe for Green Herb Squares. What a great way to use your cooking greens and herbs!

Thanks, Gilda!

Weekend Fun with our food basket.

Meals from the Thursday basket.
Friday an excellent salad that only needed oil and balsamic vinegar.
Saturday to complement the Ma' Po I made I used the Kale and Chard to make a simple stir-fry vegetable dish. Basic recipe, Garlic (used the fresh garlic from the week before) Ginger, Scallions both chopped up. Heated the wok to high heat added Peanut oil stir fried the ginger, Scallions, Garlic for 15-30 seconds then added in the Chard (on advice from Alicia), with Soy Sauce, Home made chicken stock, old wine and a dash of Sesame Oil. Let cook 2 minutes. Add in Kale cook 2 more minutes and serve!

Sunday... dragged out the last of the lamb that I purchased live , and had butchered locally. Modified a recipe by Rick Bayless (best Mexican restaurant in all of Chicago)!
Chop up some root vegetables, Carrots, Turnip, Onions and garlic (all CSA) , some old Parsnips, and some red potatoes. Place in an aluminum drip pan and add water to about half an inch up.
Started up the Grill and placed the drip pan with water and veggies below the grate (you can place it on the coals if you want). Above the grate put the lamb shoulder. Cooked for 3 hours at 250 degrees.

Removed Lamb and wrap in aluminium foil (THIS IS A MUST) let sit for 30 minutes.
IN the meantime take the drip pan (that has received the juices from the lamb) from the grill. skim off fat and place a cut up chipolte chili and 1/4 cup of coriander.
We then took the lamp and chopped it and placed in bowls with the "soup" from the drip pan. Very tasty.
We also had another lovely salad. Who needs dressing when you have veggies like this!

Additional notes. all veggies disappear (in fact they go faster than the meat).

cheers, Victor

Sweet, Sweet Sugar Snap Peas

I know that we’ve all been enjoying those sweet, crispy sugar snap peas in our last two baskets (and served at Kiddush lunch this week). The only complaint I’ve heard is that there aren’t enough of them – they’re so delicious that they often get gobbled up raw, as a delightful snack, either while driving home from CSA pick-up or while unpacking the week’s produce. I know I could eat the whole bunch in one sitting, but I’ve been trying to incorporate them into meals, stretching that sweetness as far as possible.

Last week, I blanched my snap peas super quickly (about 20 seconds or so) and shocked them in ice water, bringing out their vibrant green color, though they would have been just fine completely raw. They went into a cold soba noodle dish, along with pan-fried tofu, raw carrots, red bell pepper, cucumber, scallions, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. It was all tossed in a light dressing quickly made in a saucepan – I cooked a few cloves of garlic and a tablespoon or so of fresh ginger in grapeseed oil, then I added soy sauce and orange juice.

Tonight my sugar snap peas made their way into a pad-thai, inspired by Mark Bittman’s recipe, though I made many substitutions for vegetarianism/kashrut/what I had in my fridge and pantry.

Since the portion of snap peas in this week’s basket was a bit bigger, I even have some saved in the fridge for snacking or to be added to a salad later in the week – and I can’t wait to enjoy them again.