CSA Week #3

Greetings!

I want to recommend a few great cookbooks that are really fantastic for CSA members.

The first is Farmer John's Cookbook from Angelic Organics. We had this for sale at the barn a few years ago when it came out but wanted to mention in again for folks who missed it or are new to the CSA. Angelic Organics is one of the largest CSA farms in the country with more than 1,200 members.
This book has a ton of information about the veggies in your share as well as lots of notes from Farmer John and CSA members.

Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce is put out by the Madison Area CSA Coalition and has just about all you need to know about handling your veggies - many submitted by CSA members. Tons of useful info.

Have a favorite cookbook? Please share in the comments!

Hands down my favorite recipe from the Farmer John's Cookbook:

Broiled Beet Slices with Maple-Teriyaki Sauce

6 medium beets scrubbed, trimmed
1/4 cup butter
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1Tbsp minces or pressed garlic - scapes, ok too
1 Tbsp finely chopped or grated ginger
1 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari

Preheat oven to 400. Place beets in a small roasting pan with a 1/2 cup water. Cover with foil and bake beets until beets are easily pierced with a sharp knife - about 45 minutes.

Allow beets to cool slightly, then slip off skins with fingers under cold running water. Slice into 1/4 think rounds. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Stir in maple syrup, ginger, garlic and soy sauce. When ingredients are thoroughly combined take off heat.

Place beets slices in a shallow baking pan and cover with sauce. Place under broiler for about 5-10 minutes.

One more thing for this week: Dandelion greens! We had this in the first week's share and I think a few folks were baffled. This red-ribbed variety of dandelion offers a crisp bitterness to dishes. Our favorite complement to dandelion greens is bacon!
Check out this recipe from Food and Wine: Dandelion Salad with Bacon and Mushrooms