Moose Hill CSA | Moose Hill Tracks and Trails

Quite a bountiful harvest ready for this week folks! We have several new additions, and while tomatoes are still not quite ready, they may be ripe enough within the next couple weeks. Here is this week’s pickup list:

Lettuce
Kale
Squash/Zucchini
Eggplant
Green and Yellow Beans
Cucumbers
Carrots
Garlic
Bulb Onions
Peppers
And of course…Radish

Monday is fish pickup for those of you with fish.

As always, we are selling pasture raised beef from the Trustees, honey from our farm hives, spices from Organic Green Kitchen, Moose Hill Community Farm cookbooks, and sadly our Moose Hill maple syrup has sold out.

Last year, I decided to go to Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota to be apart of the historical events that were taking place there. I went during thanksgiving weekend, at which point there were over 10,000 people camping out!

I got the chance to cook with a few Native Americans at one of the camp sites, and one interesting creation which really stood out to me was this medicinal tonic. It is made using a wide variety of herbs and spices. I have read articles referring to this drink as some sort of witch’s concoction, coming straight out of a Grimm’s fairy tale. The remedial effects of fire cider seem to be undeniable however, which is why I wanted to share it. The cider contains powerful immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory remedies that can help with our immune system, stimulate digestion, and warm us up on cold days.

The standard base ingredients are apple cider vinegar, garlic, onion, ginger, horseradish, and hot peppers, but there are plenty of other herbs I have included below that can be thrown in for an added kick. Fire Cider can be taken straight by the spoonful, and because it has a very pungent and “firey” taste (It’s called fire cider for a reason!), I was advised to take only 1 tbsp in the morning to warm up while it was frigid, or up to 3 tbsp if I felt a cold coming.

How To Use Fire Cider:

Fire cider can be added to organic veggie juice (throw in some olives and pickles — a non-alcoholic, health-boosting bloody mary!), splashed in fried rice, or drizzled on a salad with olive oil. You can also save the strained pulp and mix it with shredded veggies like carrots, cabbage, broccoli, and fresh herbs to make delicious and aromatic stir-fries and spring rolls. There is a wide-range of ingredients you can add depending on what type of flavor you’re looking for, so feel free to experiment by using any particular spice, juice, or chopped veggie you think is appropriate.

Here is a batch of fire cider I made this past weekend…Due to its pungency it is preferable to drink in small portions, i.e 2 -3 tbsp

Homemade fire cider recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh grated organic ginger root
1/2 cup fresh grated organic horseradish root
1 medium organic onion, chopped
10 cloves of organic garlic, crushed or chopped
2 organic jalapeno peppers, chopped
Zest and juice from 1 organic lemon
Several sprigs of fresh organic rosemary or 2 tbsp of rosemary leaves
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
organic apple cider vinegar
raw local honey to taste

Directions

1. Prepare all of your roots, fruits, and herbs and place them in a quart-sized jar. If you’ve never grated fresh horseradish, be prepared for a powerful sinus opening experience!

2. Pour in apple cider vinegar until all ingredients are submerged. Use a piece of natural parchment paper under the lid to keep the vinegar from touching the metal, or a plastic lid if you have one. Shake well.

3. Store in a dark, cool place for a month and remember to shake daily.

4. After one month, use cheesecloth to strain out the pulp, pouring the vinegar into a clean jar. Be sure to squeeze as much of the liquidy goodness as you can from the pulp while straining.

5. Next comes the honey. Add 1/4 cup of honey and stir until incorporated.

6. Taste your cider and add another 1/4 cup until you reach the desired sweetness.

Herbal Ingredient Variations

These organic herbs and spices would make a great addition to Fire Cider creations.

Thyme, Horseradish root Powder, Rosehips, Sar Anise, Schisandra Berries, Astragalus, Parsley, Burdock, Oregano, Peppercorns, Beet Root Powder, Habanero Powder, Bird’s Eye Chili Powder, Whole Chili Peppers, Orange, Grapefruit, Lime peels/or juice.

References

https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/fire-cider

mommypotamus.com/fire-cider-recipe/

Several of our markee crops have grown significantly within the past week due to the ideal combination of sunshine and rain. It won’t be long before you are freezing your tomatoes and enjoying some eggplant parm! Here are a few glimpses into some of our soon-to-be favorite crops.

The green will be red in no time!

Ingredients

6 small to medium carrots with tops and roots
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons white rice
2 large leeks, white parts only
2 thyme or lemon thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons chopped dill, parsley, or celery leaves
salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock, or water

Preparation

Pull or pluck the lacy leaves of the carrot greens off their stems. You should have between 2-3 cups, loosely packed. Wash, then chop finely. Grate the carrots or, if you want a more refined-looking soup, finely chop them. Melt the butter in a soup pot. Add the carrot tops and carrots, rice, leeks, thyme, and dill. Cook for several minutes, turning everything a few times, then season with 1 1/2 teaspoons slat and add the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer until the rice is cooked, 16-18 minutes. Taste for salt, season with pepper, and serve.

Source

Epicurus

For week 7, our peppers and tomatoes look great and may be ready within the next couple weeks. Green beans and garlic are also coming very soon! Here is this week’s list…

Carrots
Swiss Chard
Kale
Radish
Cucumbers
Summer Squash and Zucchini
Onion
Lettuce
Broccoli
Pick your own Peas

Monday is fish pickup for those of you with fish.

As always, we are selling pasture raised beef from the Trustees, honey from our farm hives, spices from Organic Green Kitchen, Moose Hill Community Farm cookbooks, and we are just about finished with the Moose Hill maple syrup.

It takes a bit of time to master the art of smoothie making, but since I make smoothies almost every day with our farm produce, I may someday get there! They’re nutritious, quick and easy to make, and they can make things like Kale and Chard a bit more enjoyable and sweet (in my opinion of course!). Since I like to make smoothies using several different combinations of greens and fruit, I wanted to offer a few of my favorites. I usually use soy milk since it seems to have the highest amount of vitamins, minerals, and protein amongst all the non-dairy milks, though cashew and almond milk work well in its place.

If you love blended strawberries, I suggest buying a few quart size packs at the supermarket (unless you have saved some already, which I highly doubt!) and freezing them. First lay as many berries as possible that will fit onto a baking tray, and freeze for 4 -5 hours. After berries have frozen, store them in a plastic bag in the freezer. This prevents berries from clumping and sticking together since they were able to first freeze separately from each other. Strawberries frozen this way should last several months, and can be thrown into smoothies directly without thawing.

In the recipes below I say 2 – 3 cups worth of soy milk since I adjust the amount depending on how thick, or watered down I wish them to turn out. The more Kale I use for example, the more milk. Simply throw all of the below mentioned ingredients into your blender, and blend according to specified times.

Strawberry and Kale

4 frozen strawberries
2 cups kale
1 tbsp honey
2 – 3 cups soy milk

Blend on medium speed for about 45 seconds, or until creamy consistency

Banana, Strawberry, Greens

1/2 of one large banana
3 medium-sized frozen strawberries
1 cup kale or swiss chard
1 – 2 tbsp honey depending on desired sweetness
2 – 3 cups soy milk

Blend on medium speed for a half-minute, then high until desired consistency is reached. I like the greens to be well processed so I blend this one for about 1 full minute

Avocado, Banana, Kale

1/3 of pulp from one avocado
1/2 of one banana
1 cup kale
1 tbsp sugar, or 2 tbsp honey
2.5 cups soy milk

Blend on medium speed for half a minute, or untill desired consistency reached. This one is a personal favorite!

Strawberries and Kale with Soy

Finished product. Yum

Happy Independence Day to everyone! For this week’s pickup, you can look forward to…

Spinach
Arugula
Ovation Mix (arugula, kale, mustard greens, mizuna, and tatsoi)
Beets
Carrots
Garlic Scapes
Squash (zucchini, summer squash, eight ball, patty pan, and golden zucchini)
Lettuce
Broccoli
Radish
Peas (PYO)

Looking ahead, we have more kale, onions, and possibly cucumbers on the way.

Monday is fish pickup for those of you with fish.

As always, we are selling pasture raised beef from the Trustees, honey from our farm hives, spices from Organic Green Kitchen, Moose Hill Community Farm cookbooks, and we are down to our last few bottles of Moose Hill maple syrup.

Crushing Colorado potato beetles all day is hard work, especially on a hot July day. After washing the blood of countless beetles and larva from my hands, I turned my attention to lunch and the heap of zucchini and summer squash residing on my kitchen counter. While debating how best to jazz up the zucchini, I quickly realized that I had the ingredients to make grilled cheese! With that in mind, I took to the Internet and found a recipe for zucchini grilled cheese. For the most part I followed the recipe, except when it came to the cheese. The recipe calls for Gruyere, fontina, and Parmesan, but I only had a block of cheddar and some leftover Parmesan, so I made do with these ingredients. Overall, I was well pleased with the results, a tasty success and a great use of zucchini and summer squash.

Post beetle lunch of zucchini grilled cheese, veggie chili topped with cilantro aioli and Greek yogurt, and a beetnik martini.

Week 5 is here, with the additions of squash, zucchini, and carrots! Strawberries are unfortunately on the decline 🙁 and Broccoli may be ready again on Wednesday based on its current size in the field. Kale is available today (Monday), yet may not be later this week.

Here is this week’s list..

Strawberries
Kale
Carrots
Beets
Radishes
Summer Squash and Zucchini
Red Lettuce
Green Lettuce
Garlic Scapes
Spring Onions
Pick your own peas

Remember that Monday is fish pickup for those of you with fish.

We are still selling pasture raised beef from the Trustees in addition to honey, maple syrup, and spices.

Smoothies are some of my favorite concoctions to make with our farm veggies and fruit. They’re quick, easy, and provide an array of vitamins and essential nutrients. I have tailored the following smoothie recipe to highlight the leafy greens we grow on the farm and the honey from our bees. I hope you enjoy it!

Apple-Berry Smoothie Recipe

1 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh)
1 large apple, cored
2 cups Swiss chard or kale
10 medium strawberries (fresh or frozen)
8 ounces unsweetened soy or almond milk
1 table spoon honey

Start by adding the liquid to your blender, followed by the soft fruit. Add the greens to your blender last. Blend on high for 30 seconds or until creamy.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 266
Fat: 1g
Protein: 5g
Carbohydrates: 58g
Fiber: 11.6 grams
Calcium: 8% RDA
Iron: 2.8mg
Folate: 159.5 mcg
Vitamin A: 42% RDA
Vitamin C: 147% RDA

This smoothie has 49% of your daily recommended value of fiber, and is a rich source of folate, B6, vitamin K, copper, magnesium, manganese and potassium.

Serving Size: One.

Apple-Berry Smoothie Recipe

Source:

Incredible Smoothies

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Tag Archives: Moose Hill CSA

CSA Pickup: Week 8

Homemade Fire Cider Recipe – Medicinal Tonic

Homemade fire cider recipe

Soon-to-be Favorites

When Life Gives You Carrot Tops… Make Carrot Top Soup

CSA Pickup: Week 7

Farm Lunch: July 7th

CSA Pickup: Week 6

Farm Lunch: July 2nd

CSA Pickup: Week 5

Berry And Green Smoothies