Sour Cherry Jam by Callum Heidi Prytherch

Sour Cherry Jam 

by Callum Heidi Prytherch

 

Quart of cherries on a counter next to ginger root, a wrapped bouquet of flowers, and a trivet shaped like a red-capped mushroom. Photo by author.

In this past week's farm share, we received some beautiful sour cherries. Visions of a cherry jam paired with the last of the Womanchego cheese from Cato Corner Farm filled my mind. This is an easy pectin-free recipe for a sour cherry jam. The lemon juice adds some brightness while the vanilla offers some sweetness to balance out the sour flavors. The sugar is adjustable and to your taste.

Sour Cherry Jam Recipe (no Pectin)

Ingredients:

1 Pint Sour Cherries

Juice of one Lemon

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract/Paste

1 Cup Sugar

Instructions:

1. Place glass plate in freezer for 5-15 minutes.

2. Depit cherries and remove stems. Roughly chop fruit.

3. Place cherries in a saucepan and add lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.

4. Cook for twenty minutes while continuously stirring.

5. Add sugar and vanilla extract (or paste if using). Continue cooking until cherry mixture reaches gel phase at 225 degrees F. If you don’t have an instant thermometer, you can use the frozen plate to check by spooning a small amount of the jam onto the plate, returning it to the freezer for a minute, and then sticking your finger in it. If the jam wrinkles, it is done.

6. Turn off heat and can the jam. Store in the fridge for immediate use or process in a water bath canner for ten minutes to make it shelf stable.

    

   

   Slices of whole grain bread on a black plate.  One piece of bread is covered with cherry jam and a triangular slice of cheese.  Photo by author.
   

   
    

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Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA? Check out our Info Page: https://norwoodfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-join-norwood-csa.html

Buddha Bowls by Vaughan Myers-Jennings

Buddha Bowls 

by Vaughan Myers-Jennings

With all the various colors and flavors of veggies that we get in our CSA deliveries, it would be great if there were a dish to bring them all together, right? Well…rejoice! Buddha Bowls are the answer to your prayers.  Buddha Bowls (so named because they are “perfectly balanced” bowls) are build-your-own dishes that contain a grain, a vegetable, a fat, a protein, and a sauce. They’re the perfect dishes if you want to use a good portion of your CSA delivery in one shot. They’re also fun, because you can make them pretty regularly and decide which flavors work better together, there are no rules! Recently, my wife and I decided to give this a try after she had heard about it for some time. Our mix was rice, fava beans, tomatoes, beets, turnips, and cucumbers; it was both tasty and nutritious. 

Buddha bowl is cut up mixed vegetables. Photo by author.

Finally, and most importantly, to correctly bring all the flavors together, you MUST have the right sauce. Lemon tahini, carrot-ginger, whatever your heart desires. Experimentation is encouraged. For guidance/inspiration for your Buddha Bowls, visit https://tasty.co/article/lavanyanarayanan/buddha-bowl-recipes 

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Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA? Check out our Info Page: https://norwoodfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-join-norwood-csa.html

Easy Peach Cobbler by Patrice Hall

 

Easy Peach Cobbler

by Patrice Hall

 

A slice of peach cobbler on a pink plate with a fork and yellow napkin.  Image from SouthernLiving.com

One summer fruit we tend to receive lots of in our CSA shares is peaches, last year a few were wasted and the others I canned or used for jam.  I am planning to make more desserts from the fruit share and looking forward to doing some more fun things besides canning them.  My summer memories from childhood were watching my Grandma bake with the summer fruit. Cobblers were her specialty, the combination of moist pastry mixed with the sweetness of the peaches and the crunchiness of the sugar and crust filled me with joy.  It is one of my favorite peach dishes.  This recipe calls for only 6 ingredients (which is why it is called “easy”), nothing fancy, just items you already have in your pantry.  Another thing, you don’t have to peel them! I plan to make this more than once this summer, looking forward to the peaches this year!

 

Ingredients for Southern Living's Easy Peach Cobbler 

Fresh peaches: The fresh, fruity base of the cobbler. Choose ripe, juicy peaches for this recipe, although frozen, thawed peaches can also work in a pinch.

Salted butter: Melted to add richness to the cobbler.

Self-rising flour: Gives the cobbler its structure and lift.

Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cobbler. You can also use light brown sugar for extra depth.

Whole milk: Adds moisture to create the cake-like cobbler.

Vanilla extract: For depth of flavor.

Southern Living Easy Peach Cobbler ingredients

 

How To Make Easy Peach Cobbler

Step 1. Prepare cobbler: Gently rub the peaches under running water to remove fuzz, and slice. Place butter in an 11- x 7-inch baking dish; transfer to oven until melted. Stir together flour, sugar, milk, and vanilla in a bowl, and pour over melted butter. (Do not stir.) Top evenly with peaches.

Step 2. Bake: Bake until golden brown and bubbly.

 

View the full recipe at Southern Living for more tips and adaptations.

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Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA? Check out our Info Page: https://norwoodfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-join-norwood-csa.html

Our Winter Share by Patrice Hall

 

Our Winter Share - How we used the root veggies!

by Patrice Hall

When the summer CSA share ended in November, I was worried that we wouldn’t get fresh veggies in the winter and miss all of the flavors we enjoyed last season.  Well, thank goodness we were able to have a winter CSA season this year, this helps to supplement our grocery shopping with locally sourced items.  Vegetables are usually shipped over long distances and sprayed to preserve them for the trip, CSA veggies are usually picked the same morning of the pickup day so we can enjoy the farm to table goodness.

The potatoes, onions, carrots, turnips and green vegetables were used throughout the week.  I cooked the cabbage on our pickup day, along with the leeks, and this made a very nourishing side dish for my baked chicken.  I have not used the pumpkin yet; I may roast it or make another soup. This is prime soup season since it is so cold outside, also I am happy we finally have snow!  Later in the week I made chicken soup with the root vegetables, seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  I usually add turmeric for color but didn’t have enough on hand.  The weather forecast states that it will be mid 50’s by the end of the week, so I may make stir fry with the greens, carrots and onions.  The soup I made this week was nourishing, and I am looking forward to what next week’s share will bring!

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Registration for our CSA Summer Shares is currently open! You can find more information and everything you need to register here: https://forms.gle/xPD8sf1BSkNXpVyGA

 

Roasted Bok Choy by Patrice Hall

 

Roasted Bok Choy

by Patrice Hall

 

(sourced from thespruceeats.com)

 

We have been receiving lots of Bok choy in our winter CSA shares, so I looked for a good recipe besides the usual stir fry.  One of my favorite sources is thespruceeats.com. It has a plethora of recipes, preserving tips and other ideas for using up veggies.  For this recipe, I used my CSA honey in place of the sugar, you can also use Bragg’s Liquid Aminos in place of the soy sauce.  The sesame seeds add to the texture and flavor, and it makes it look pretty on the plate.  I served this as a side dish to chicken baked with red bell pepper and rice, you can also add thinly sliced carrots to roast alongside the bok choy. In addition, I like using bok choy in stir fry because it keeps its size when cooked and the stalk adds a nice crunch.

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 8 mins

Total: 18 mins

Servings: 2 servings

 

 

Ingredients

 

•  12 ounces baby bok choy, cleaned and cut in half lengthwise

•  2 tablespoons olive oil

•  Ground black pepper, to taste

•  1 teaspoon sesame oil

•  1 tablespoon soy sauce

•  1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

•  1 teaspoon sugar (or maple syrup)

•  1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

 

Steps to Make It

 

01  Gather the ingredients.

02  Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place bok choy on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and a few grinds of pepper.

03  Bake until stalks are tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

04  In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Whisk to blend.

05   Put bok choy on a platter or serving dish, spoon dressing over, and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Serve immediately.

06  Enjoy.

 

How to Clean Bok Choy

 

The stalks of bok choy are prone to grit, much like leeks, so be sure to clean bok choy thoroughly before cooking. The simplest way to prep bok choy is to cut it in half lengthwise and submerge it in cold water for a few minutes. This will soften the dirt and allow you to remove it easily. Drain the water, check for dirt between the stalks, and run each half of bok choy under cold water. Gently shake and place on top of a clean kitchen towel or paper towel.

 

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Registration for our CSA Summer Shares is open until March 8, 2024. You can find more information and everything you need to register here: https://forms.gle/xPD8sf1BSkNXpVyGA

Dahlma’s Stir-fried Cabbage Recipe by Jonathan Lessuck and Dahlma LLanos

 Dahlma’s Stir-fried Cabbage Recipe  

by Jonathan Lessuck and Dahlma LLanos

Even though cabbage is good for you, many people don’t like the flavor of plain boiled cabbage. We have taken the idea of boiled cabbage, and zested it up with some easy to get spices. We have combined Dahlma’s Puerto Rican heritage with a spice we love from Maryland, and have come up with a cabbage dish that everyone enjoys. 

Ingredients:

4c shredded cabbage

1 lg onion

4 Tbs olive oil

1c crumbled feta cheese

1/4c olives and capers

2 Tbs Badía Complete (Adobo spice blend)

2 tsp Old Bay (spice blend)

Vinegar, salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In large skillet, heat the olive oil.
2. Add diced onions and spices (Adobo and Old Bay). Cook on med. flame until onion is translucent
3. Add shredded cabbage. Add 1c water. Mix to coat cabbage with spice blend. Cover and cook on med flame until cabbage is firm but not fully cooked. 
4. Add Feta, olives and capers (if you use the liquid, no need for additional vinegar).
5. Mix and cover. At this point the cabbage should be shiny with coating of all flavors. Continue cooking until cheese and base flavors are absorbed.
6. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Serves 4 

Enjoy.

 

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Interested in joining the Norwood CSA?  Our Summer 2023 season has come to a close, but check back in a few weeks for information about our 2023-2024 Winter Share.