This coming weekend Saturday the 30th Organic Valley is hosting it 8th annual Kickapoo Country Fair at its headquarters in LaFarge, WI.  I am pleased to announce that Keewaydin Farms has been asked to do a 90 minute demo called “Cooking from Your CSA”.  I will be preparing several recipes using ingredients you will find in your CSA box this season.  Although I am a farmer by trade I do spend time in the kitchen utilizing the wonderful produce that surrounds us throughout the season.  It is a special treat for me to be able to share some of my cooking experiences with the general public.  One dish I will be preparing will be the Honey Carrots, the recipe was posted a couple weeks ago.  We will also be preparing a cold tomato soup and cherry tomatoes and basil paired with mozzarella.  So if you are looking for something to do this weekend why not come to beautiful southwestern Wisconsin and enjoy a day of workshops, food, fun, music and visit with you CSA farmer.  See you there!

Cherry Tomatoes – First of the season

Fennel

Bunched Beets – The tops are looking a little rough, please remove when you get home!

Broccoli – This will be it until fall

Potatoes – First of the season

Torpedo Onion – Use like you would any onion

Beans

Swiss Chard

Daikon Radisn – The white root

Savoy and Purple Cabbage – Make a colorful coleslaw using the carrots for added color

Green Scallions – The first of the onions for this season

Kohlrabi – Last week for these

Salad Mix

Head Lettuce

Fennel

Carrots – Try the honey glazed recipe if you haven’t

Beans – A mix this week of purple and green.  To bad the purple fades when cooked.

Kohlrabi- Try peeled and eaten fresh, diced in a stirfry, added to coleslaw or grated into a fresh salad.

Cabbage

Carrots- remove leaves before storing

Beets- remove leaves before storing.  Leaves can be eaten like Swiss Chard

Green Head Lettuce

Red Head Lettuce

Green Beans

Fennel bulb- fronds can be dried and used as seasoning

Salad Mix- we rinse it once, you should wash it again

Head Lettuce

Cabbage

Kohlrabi- peel, slice and eat fresh for a crisp treat.  store extra slices in a bowl of water in the fridge. also good sprinkled with salt.  use the leaves with Swiss chard

Broccoli

Beets- the leaves are very nutritious use the same as Swiss chard

Swiss chard

Basil

If you have a chance, mix up your tuna salad and let it sit in the refrigerator at least a few hours before serving; it’ll be even tastier. You can put it on sandwiches, stuff it into pita pockets, spread it on crackers, or serve it on a bed of lettuce. You could make baby sandwiches or use Swiss chard leaves in place of tortillas to make easy low-carb tuna wraps. I often eat it straight from the bowl with a fork. Feeding a crowd? Just double the recipe.

Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (I like white balsamic)
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives (about 10 olives)
2 teaspoons brine from the olives (or more balsamic vinegar)
2 6-ounce cans tuna (oil or water packed), drained
3/4 cups chopped Swiss chard stems
2 to 3 cups chopped Swiss chard leaves
1/4 cup loosely packed chopped fresh parsley, preferably Italian flat leaf (cilantro or dill is tasty too)
1 cup (or more) chopped scallions (green onions), white and green parts (about 10 small)
Salt & pepper to taste

Optional:
Few handfuls of canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Combine mayonnaise, dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar and olive brine in a medium bowl and mix well. Stir in olives, tuna, chopped Swiss chard stems and leaves, parsley, and scallions. Add salt and pepper to taste and more mayonnaise and/or vinegar if desired. Stir in kidney beans if using. Tuna salad will keep for three days in the refrigerator.

It tastes even better if you make it a day ahead and reheat it just before serving, either in the microwave or on the stovetop (you might need to add a splash of milk when reheating on the stove). You can use reduced-fat cream cheese and mayonnaise, as well as low-fat sour cream, if desired.

When I was creating the recipe, I used red Swiss chard for the initial batch, thinking the chopped stems would add nice bits of color. Instead I ended up with pink dip. It tasted great but looked like salmon spread, which might be confusing to eaters. If you’re making it for yourself, go ahead and use whatever color chard you like.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion (about 5 ounces)
4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced (try young garlic or garlic scapes)
1 bunch Swiss chard (about 12 ounces), leaves and stalks separated and both chopped into small pieces
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts (packed in water), drained and rinsed, chopped into small pieces
4 ounces cream cheese (half of an 8-ounce package), softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1½ cups finely grated Pecorino Romano (or parmesan) cheese (about 4 ounces)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped scallions or chives for garnish (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add onion and chopped Swiss chard stalks and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes; do not let garlic brown.

Stir Swiss chard leaves and chopped artichoke hearts into onion mixture. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until chard is tender, about 5 minutes. (Remove lid for last few minutes of cooking if there is liquid in the pot.)

Stir cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, Romano cheese and Worcestershire sauce into Swiss chard mixture and cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until dip is hot and thick. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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INGREDIENTS:

2 cups plain low-fat yogurt, drained
1 carton (16-ounce size) small-curd, low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon grated onion
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

PREPARATION:

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, cottage cheese, dill, and onion. Season with salt (if using) and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

1C cilantro stems
1/4 C water
1/4 lime juice(or lime/lemon or lemon)
1/4 C honey
1/4 dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 small clove of garlic peeled(optional)
Puree in blender til smooth, then through opening in top add olive oil slowly until the hole at the center of the dressing disappears. This is usually the proper amount of oil for a properly emulsified vinaigrette.

www.mariquita.com/recipes/salad dressings.html

This website has some amazing salad dressing recipes!

Cilantro – add some to store salsa for a fresh taste.

Dill- add to salads and sandwiches, use in homemade salad dressing

Basil- add to salads and sandwiches.  Herbs can also be dried or frozen for later use.

Garlic Scapes- so versitle chopp and add to eggs, soups, stir frys, potatoes, marinades anything you want a little garlic flavor

Green Head Lettuce – wash and store in a plastic bag

Red Head Lettuce

Salad Mix

Mulberries – A special treat hard to find.   Eat the black ones first save any red ones for the next day.  Good on ice cream too!

Broccoli – store in the coldest part of your refrigerator

Swiss Chard- when in doubt hide it in a stir fry!