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Category: Spring Foods

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Arugula

July 8, 2017Holly RodricksBlog Post, Fall Foods, Spring Foods, Summer Food, Vegetable GuideNo CommentsArugula
Arugula is a plant whose leaves are widely popular as a salad vegetable, although it is equally tasty cooked. Historically, it used to be wild-foraged or grown in gardens alongside plants like basil and parsley, but now it is commonly cultivated as a crop. It has a distinct, pungent flavor that adds personality to any salad dish. Arugula is an excellent source of fiber, vitamins A, C (to boost the immune system), K (for bone strength), B5 (for raising good cholesterol levels), and B6, as well as folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, thiamin, riboflavin, zinc, and copper. It also provides high levels of protein, and it helps to prevent cholesterol from sticking to arteries, lowers blood pressure, increases blood flow, improves blood vessel function, and lowers inflammation. Storage Tips Storing Fresh Arugula: As with all salad greens, moisture is the enemy, so resist the urge to wash your arugula before storing. It will come in a plastic bag loosely tied shut. Store it as is, unwashed, in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator, where it will remain fresh for 1-2 weeks. Quick Prep TipsArugula, like other greens, should be rinsed well and dried well before serving. Its bold, peppery flavor makes is well-suited for salads, as well as soups and pastas. Further Prep Tips Arugula Preparation: Arugula is best cleaned in a cold water bath. Fill your sink or a large bowl with cool water. Dump the arugula in and swish it around vigorously, gently rubbing the leaves between your fingers to loosen any dirt. Let it sit in the water for a couple of minutes so the dirt falls to the bottom. Transfer to a salad spinner or to a tea towel and dry thoroughly. The larger the arugula leaf, the more aggressive and pepper the taste. Smaller leaves tend to be slightly milder and sweeter. It's pungent flavor pairs particularly well with sweet mild lettuces like Boston and Bibb and dressing made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, or lemon juice-based dressings. Arugula is excellent served raw in salads or pasta salads and is equally delicious when lightly cooked and added to pasta dishes, stir-fries, soups, or sauces. It will wilt quickly so quick sautéing with only minimum cooking time is necessary. Recipes Vegetable Niçoise Salad with Dijon Dressing and Eggs June 19, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com Picnic Beets with Baguette and Creamy Cheese July 5, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com Mexican Style Chopped Salad July 5, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com
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Green Garlic

July 8, 2017Holly RodricksBlog Post, Spring Foods, Summer Foods, Vegetable GuideNo CommentsGreen Garlic
Put simply, green garlic is basically teenage garlic. It is a garlic plant that is harvested before maturity, when the leaves are still tender, and the bulb has not yet fully formed, which is why it is sometimes called spring garlic. At this stage, it is more similar in appearance to a scallion. Green garlic has a more mellow, less spicy flavor than garlic cloves and can be eaten raw or cooked. Nutritionally, green garlic is fantastic, boosting the immune system with its natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities, lowering cholesterol, fighting gastro-intestinal infections, and helping to battle anemia with its abundance of iron. Storage Tips Storing Fresh Green Garlic: Place the green garlic in a loose plastic or mesh bag so that air can circulates around it and store in the crisper drawer of your fridge, where it will stay fresh for 1-2 weeks. Freezing Green Garlic: After your green garlic is washed, dried, and trimmed, chop it up into thin slices. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and spread the sliced green garlic out into an even, single layer on it. Put the baking sheet in the freezer. Once the green garlic is frozen, you can portion it out into appropriate serving sizes in airtight ziplock freezer bags or containers. Quick Prep TipsTreat green garlic just like you would scallions, from preparing to cooking. The whole plant can be eaten raw or cooked and makes a delicious topping for salads or extra source of flavor in marinated and cooked dishes. Further Prep Tips Green Garlic Preparation: Rinse green garlic thoroughly under cool, running water, to remove any dirt or grit. Lay it on a tea towel and pat dry. Using a knife, remove the root and trim any tips of tops that are wilted. From here, you can treat your green garlic exactly as you would a scallion, slicing thinly and sprinkling liberally on everything you cook for added flavoring and garnishing or adding right into your meals. Green garlic is excellent sprinkled on salads and blended into soups, or added into meat marinates. It is equally delicious in stir fries or mixed in with vegetables for roasting. The possibilities are endless! Recipes Vegetable Niçoise Salad with Dijon Dressing and Eggs June 19, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com Picnic Beets with Baguette and Creamy Cheese July 5, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com Mexican Style Chopped Salad July 5, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com
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Parsley

July 4, 2017Holly RodricksBlog Post, Fall Foods, Spring Foods, Summer Foods, Vegetable GuideNo CommentsParsley
Parsley is a leafy, green herb that originated in the Mediterranean region of Europe. It is a common flavoring ingredient in American cuisine, adding an extra brightness to a dish. Parsley contains 574% of the daily value of vitamin K, which not only promotes bone strength but is said to prevent Alzheimer’s. It contains twice as much iron as spinach and is great for the digestion due to its high fiber content. Storage Tips Storing Fresh Parsley: Parsley can be treated just like a bouquet of flowers, placed in a jar of cool water and stored on a kitchen windowsill. Stored this way, if the water is changed out every few days, the parsley will remain fresh for over a week. Alternatively, it can be wrapped in a paper towel and stored in a ziplock bag in the fridge. Freezing Parsley Leaves into Logs: To freeze parsley, begin by removing the already cleaned leaves from the stems. Place them in a salad spinner and spin to remove any excess water. This step is very important When freezing, extra moisture is the enemy! Fill a ziplock freezer back with the dry leaves until it is full, without the leaves being compressed. Then, start compressing the leaves into a log at the bottom of the bag, gradually squeezing out the air as you go. By the time you’re done, the log should be firm, and there should be no air left in the sealed bag. Roll the loose plastic around the parsley log, rubber band, and freeze. Whenever a recipe calls for parsley later on, simply open the bag, cut a slice off the log, and then quickly return it to the bag. As before, squeeze out excess air, rubber band, and return to the freezer. Quick Prep TipsUntil you’re ready to eat it, parsley can be stored like a bouquet in a vase of water. Cleaning the leaves is as easy as a quick swish in a bowl of cold water. Further Prep Tips Parsley Preparation: Parsley usually comes in bunches with the stems bundled together. It is easier to clean if left this way. Begin by filling a large bowl with cold water. Holding parsley by the stems, swish the leaves in the water vigorously, allowing any layers of dirt to swirl off and float to the bottom. Then, give the whole bunch a good shake over the sink and pat dry with a towel. Parsley leaves can be used as a garnish, whole or chopped finely. The leaves and stems add an excellent bright flavor to cooked dishes. They can either be cooked right into the dish or added in the last few minutes of cooking, depending on how strong you want the flavor of the herb to be. Recipes Vegetable Niçoise Salad with Dijon Dressing and Eggs June 19, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com Picnic Beets with Baguette and Creamy Cheese July 5, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com Mexican Style Chopped Salad July 5, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com
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Head Lettuce

July 4, 2017Holly RodricksBlog Post, Head Lettuce, Kitchen Tips, Spring Foods, Summer Food, Vegetable GuideNo CommentsHead Lettuce
Lettuce is a leafy vegetable that is traditionally eaten raw in salads or sandwiches but can also be cooked in soups or even grilled! It is a rich source of vitamins K and A and a moderate source of folate and iron. Storage Tips Storing Fresh Head Lettuce: Store fresh head lettuce in a plastic bag that is not completely sealed in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Alternatively, if you prefer to wash and prepare your lettuce in advance, make sure the leaves are completely dry. Excess moisture will cause them to wilt quickly. Place them inside a container lined with a single layer of paper towels (or a tea towel), seal the container, and refrigerate. Quick Prep TipsTo be ready to eat, lettuce simply needs to be washed with any wilted leaves removed and excess water dried or spun off before serving. It doesn’t get any easier than that!   Further Prep Tips Head Lettuce Preparation: Preparing head lettuce is a breeze, if you have one important tool—a salad spinner. Begin by trimming off the tough base and lower portion of the stems, so that it is easy to separate the leaves. Fill up your kitchen sink with cold water and plunge the leaves, rubbing them gently between your fingers to remove any dirt. Once the lettuce leaves are clean, place them in your salad spinner and spin any excess water off. If you don’t have a spinner, lay the leaves out in a single layer on a tea towel and pat dry. From here, your lettuce can be chopped or torn and used in salads, eaten whole in sandwiches, or even cooked or grilled! Recipes Vegetable Niçoise Salad with Dijon Dressing and Eggs June 19, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com Picnic Beets with Baguette and Creamy Cheese July 5, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com Mexican Style Chopped Salad July 5, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com
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Radishes

July 4, 2017Holly RodricksBlog Post, Fall Foods, Spring Foods, Summer Foods, Vegetable Guide, Winter FoodsNo CommentsCheriette Radishes, Daikon Radishes, French Breakfast Radishes, Radishes, Watermelon Radishes
Radishes are edible root vegetables known for their pungent, peppery flavor (think horseradish). They are from the Brassica family, which means the leaves are also good for eating as a green. They come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes and flavors—some being much milder than others. Low in calories and high in nutrition, radishes are packed with fiber and are a good source of vitamin C. They offer a variety of health benefits, soothing sore throats, aiding in digestion, preventing viral infections, and even protecting against cancer. Storage Tips Storing Fresh Radishes: Since radishes store best in the ground, the ideal way to keep them fresh once harvested is to mimic their favorite conditions—cool and damp. Once the leafy tops have been removed and the radishes are rinsed clean, wrap them up in a thin, moistened cloth or paper towel and place them in a plastic bag, leaving the bag slightly open. They will keep this way for 1-2 weeks, but it’s a good idea to check their freshness every few days. Freezing Radish Greens: While radish roots do not freeze well, the greens can be frozen. Similar to other greens, radish leaves should first be blanched in boiling water for about 15 seconds and then either placed under cold, running water or plunged into a bowl of ice water to halt further cooking. After patting them dry to remove any additional moisture, they can be frozen. A helpful freezer tip is to spread the leaves out evenly on baking sheet in a single layer and freeze, uncovered, for 1-2 hours before transferring them to containers or plastic freezer bags for storage. This initial baking sheet step will keep the frozen, leaves separated so that you may remove whatever quantity you need at a time, rather than having to fight with a frozen block of greens every time you want a handful. Quick Prep TipsRadishes can be eaten raw or cooked. They are often fermented and pickled to make condiments like kimchi. The leaves can added as greens to soups. If eating raw, they add a wonderful pop of flavor to salads when julienned with a mandoline or sliced into matchsticks. When cooked, their flavor becomes more mellow.   Further Prep Tips Radish Preparation: Radishes have a lovely, crisp, crunchy texture. The bigger the radish, though, the less crisp it will be. To increase crispness, soak radishes in ice water for 1-2 hours. Always store radish roots whole and wait to chop them until right before serving. The more colorful radishes, such as cheriette, French breakfast, or watermelon, are ideally served raw, thinly sliced or cut into matchsticks. They always add a nice burst of both flavor and color to any salad. They can, however, be cooked to mellow that powerful flavor, in which case cheriette radishes can be halved or quartered; watermelon radishes can be diced, and French breakfast radishes can even be left whole. Larger, long white radishes such as daikon are best suited for stir fries, although they present they are much milder tasting when eaten raw than their previously mentioned cousins. They can be halved and sliced into half-moons or diced. Radish greens can be combined with other greens in salads or added into soups. Recipes Vegetable Niçoise Salad with Dijon Dressing and Eggs June 19, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com Picnic Beets with Baguette and Creamy Cheese July 5, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com Mexican Style Chopped Salad July 5, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com
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Main Street Farms is merging with Early Morning Farms

We bought Early Morning Farms and we will utilize their website this season. For 2020, we will operate under both farm names – Main Street Farms and Early Morning Farm. You can find more info about our 2020 CSA on www.earlymorningfarm.com

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