CSA Recipes From the Lovely Jodi

Tara and Willow and your lovely friend Sophia,

Thank you so much for distributing all of the delicious produce today!
I was thrilled that I was the recipient of an extra bunch of zucchini flowers.
I used the recipe on the blog, amended it by stuffing the flowers with mozzarella and gave the second batch to my neighbors next door.

Motto for the day - One good turn deserves another!

X Jodi

sauteed kale w/hot red pepper, cumin seeds + coriander

organic cornmeal crusted zucchini flowers
stuffed with mozzarella - ready for the frying pan...

frying the mozzarella stuffed zucchini flowers

fried zucchini flowers draining

arugula w/french blue cheese, baby zucchini
(from the stem of the flower), lemon peel, lemon + olive oil

Thanks Jodi! You Rock!

Tara

Beachwood Canyon Pick-up 5/18

Volunteers Sophia and Willow returned today to help distribute veggies. In the foreground is Mary Kay's daughter, Amelia. She loooves coming to pick-up and loading up her mum's shopping bags.



In the background is the hilarious Mr. Howard Stevens. He happened upon us today by pure chance. How do I know Howard? He's the agent who found us our house! Three years later, Silver Lake Farms was born. Thanks Howard!


Here's what Farmer John had for us at the Beachwood Canyon pick-up today:

Red and golden beets
Curly Mustard Greens (nice sauteed)
Arugula
Carrots
Oregano + Thyme
Negi (Japanese) Onions
Collard Greens
Wildfire lettuce
Green Chard
Oranges
Turnip Tops (sautee these greens)
Japanese Cucumbers

Enjoy!

Tara

Fried Squash Blossoms

Here's what Farmer John had for us this week in Silver Lake:

Squash blossoms
Celery
Green chard
Russian kale
Mizuna
Broccoli
Collard greens
Red and green lettuce
Tat soi
Mint
Oregano
Thyme

Squash blossoms are one of the great delights of spring and summer. Their vibrant yellow color belies a mild and delicate flavor. There are many elaborate and delicious preparations for stuffed squash blossoms, but here is a very simple recipe for fried squash blossoms that takes mere minutes to prepare.

1 egg
1/4 C flour
1/4 - 1/2 C club soda or beer, if you prefer
1/4 t salt
pepper to taste
squash blossoms
canola oil for frying

1. In a small bowl, whisk the egg then add the flour, club soda (or beer), and salt until mostly combined. The batter can be a little lumpy, but it should be thin, not thick. Add a little pepper to taste.

2. Rinse and dry the squash blossoms. Carefully remove the pistil or stamen. Cut the stem to about 3/4 inch.

3. Pour about 1/4 - 1/2 inch of oil in a heavy skillet and heat to frying temperature (about 350 degrees). You can check the readiness of the oil by flicking a drop of the batter into it. If it sits at the bottom of the pan, the oil is not yet hot enough. But if it rises to the top and starts frying, the batter is ready.

4. Work in small batches depending on the size of your pan. Dip a squash blossom in the batter, coat it well, let the excess drip off, then pop it in the pan with the hot oil. Don't crowd the squash blossoms. Let them get golden brown on one side, then turn them over and brown the other side.

5. When golden brown, remove the squash blossoms from the oil and let them drain on paper towel. Serve immediately.

You can serve the squash blossoms on their own or in a small pool of marinara sauce or make a lovely basil cream sauce if you want to get fancy.

In any event, if you have squash in your garden, pick the blossoms liberally lest you be overwhelmed with squash later. Then you can enjoy this delicacy often.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Beachwood Canyon Pick-up

Mike's son Nicky loves coming to pick-up every week. This week, he drove the bounty home!

Here's what Farmer John had for us at the Beachwood Canyon pick-up yesterday:

Beets - red and golden
Arugula - strip the leaves off the stem and eat the flowers too
Fresh Garlic
Tatsoi - Chinese spinach
Zucchini blossoms
Wildfire lettuce head
Romaine - young green and red
Baby Bok Choy
Negi Onions - Japanese
Collard Greens
Green chard
Mint

Enjoy! And thank you to our lovely young volunteers yesterday - Willow and Sophia. The girls helped distribute veggies to shareholders as part of the community service program at Immaculate Heart School.

Also, I met Sasha Kanno, the director of Wrigley Garden in Long Beach. She drove up to check out what Silver Lake Farms is up to. Sasha is doing some great work in Long Beach. She plans to start a CSA soon, producing on an acre right in Long Beach City. Go for it Sasha!

Tara

Farmer's Salad

In honor of Mother's Day, I'd like to share a simple recipe from my mother. When I was a child, my mother often put out a smorgasbord for Sunday brunch that included all manner of delicious sweet and savory treats. Though the items changed from week to week, she frequently included this salad. She called it Farmer's Salad, I think because she used to eat it when she visited a farm.

You can enjoy this salad as a side dish, but it's substantial enough to eat as a main course with some nice grainy bread and butter. It's easy to make and keeps in the refrigerator for a few days.

5-6 radishes
2-3 green onions, such as the Negi onions
2 small Persian cucumbers**
2-3 T chopped parsley
16 oz cottage cheese
2/3 C sour cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Wash and dry the radishes. Remove the greens and save them for another use or compost them. Halve or quarter the radishes lengthwise, then chop them thinly. Place in a large bowl.

2. Wash and dry the green onions. Thinly slice the white part of the green onions. Save the green stems for another use or compost them. Place the sliced onions in the bowl with the radishes.

3. Wash and dry the Persian cucmbers. I like to leave the skins on but you can peel them if you like. Cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and thinly slice each half. Add slices to the bowl.

4. Add the parsley, cottage cheese, and sour cream to the bowl and mix well. Add a little salt and a good amount of freshly ground pepper.

This salad is at its crunchy best eaten shortly after mixing it up.

**I like to use Persian cucmbers because they're relatively lower in water than other cucumbers. But you can use any cucumber. You can remove some of the water from the juicier varieties by slicing them, sprinkling the slices with a little salt, and allowing them to drain in a colander for about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Silver Lake pick-up

Here's what Farmer John had for us at the Silver Lake pick-up this week:

Beets
Mint
Chamomile
Radishes
Baby Bok Choi
Russian Kale
Green Chard (Nicola's from New Zealand and she calls them Silverbeets)
Wildfire lettuce
Collard Greens
Red Oak Lettuce
Negi Onions
Thyme & Oregano

Since the May 25 hearing and our victory at the Planning Commission, my neighbor Frank, who came to the hearing to protest against the Food & Flowers Freedom Act, is still taking photographs of me. Joy! Here he is snapping me in my driveway today at about 7:45pm. I thought to get my iphone out and snap him snapping me.

I remember Frank once telling me that he has a relative who works at the City Attorney's office. I wonder why Frank continues with his camera.

The next hearing for the F&FFA is due to take place on a Friday soon at City Council. It has been postponed a couple of times. Check in at www.urbanfarmingadvocates.org for news on when the next hearing will take place.

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day!

Tara

Beachwood Canyon Pick-up

Here's what Farmer John had for us at the Beachwood Canyon pick-up today:

Daikon radishes - eaten raw, grated, like a radish (pic above)

Beets - tops edible too - saute or steam with chard

Arugula - flowers edible too, strip the leaves off the stems

Russian kale - saute or steam

fresh garlic - you can use all of it - bulb, stem, leaves - all edible

Mint

Fennel - wonderful grated in a salad

Baby Bok Choi

Dandelion greens - saute or steam

Chrysanthemum leaves - used in soups in Korea and Japan - also eaten raw in a salad (pictured below)

Wildfire Lettuce

Green Chard

Young lettuce in a bag

Storage advice: Wash and dry greens when you get home. Dry using a salad spinner. Chop the greens. Store in tupperware containers with a piece of paper towel on the bottom. This helps soak up any excess moisture. Store in fridge.

Enjoy!

Tara