brown bag of potatoes and beets

bunch of basil

melon “water or cantaloup”

lemons

cucumbers

summer squash

lots of tomatoes

bunch of chard

avocado

bell peppers

jalapeno peppers

container of homemade salsa

The salsa containers will be on ice in a white styro cooler labeled “Salsa Take One” at each pick up location. Please make sure to take one along with your box of veggies and bag of fruit

At the ranch in Lakeside, the salsa will be in the door of one of the fridges. We labeled the fridge “Salsa” “Take One!” so that no one forgets their salsa.

I want to pass on an interesting podcast with Sandor Kats about fermented foods. Sandor has written many books on the subject of fermentation including his latest book The art of Fermentation. The one hour podcast is quite informative for the beginner who has an interest in learning more about the different varieties of fermented foods, their safety and health benefits.

Here is a recipe from one of our CSA members for Beet Kvass. I would  recommend at least listening to the podcast if you have no experience with fermented foods and you intend to use this recipe. Not because you would not be able to safely and successfully make a nice jar of kvass your first time, you will.  It will help you to have a clearer understanding of the safety and simplicity of using a fermentation as a means of preservation.

Ingredients:
2 medium beets
  5 cups water
1 tablespoon salt

Clean the beets and chop them into cubes

They should reach about 1/4 high in a quart mason jar

Cover the jar with a breathable cloth and secure it with a rubber band. Set it in a semi warm (or room temperature) place to ferment for a few days. 

After 3-4 days, taste the liquid. It should have become a dark red color, taste mildly tart, and may be slightly effervescent. If it tastes more noticeably salty than sour, let it sit one more day and then taste it. The warmer the place, the quicker it’ll be ready.

After 3-4 days, taste the liquid. It should have become a dark red color, taste mildly tart, and may be slightly effervescent. If it tastes more noticeably salty than sour, let it sit one more day and then taste it. The warmer the place, the quicker it’ll be ready.

Informative article on Beet Kvass

Roasted Potatoes and Beets Recipe

Swiss chard isn’t native to Switzerland. Its actual homeland of chard lies further south, in the Mediterranean region; in fact, the Greek philosopher, Aristotle wrote about chard in the fourth century B.C. This is not surprising given the fact that the ancient Greeks, and later the Romans, honored chard for its medicinal properties. Chard got its common name from another Mediterranean vegetable, cardoon, which is a celery-like plant with thick stalks that resemble those of chard. The French got the two confused and called them both “carde.”

Not that anyone of us needed proof that chard was nutritious but check out these numbers…

Swiss Chard
1.00 cup cooked
175.00 grams
35.00 calories

Nutrient	Amount	DV (%)	Nutrient Density	World’s Healthiest Foods Rating
vitamin K	572.77 mcg	716.0	368.2	excellent
vitamin A	10717.00 IU	214.3	110.2	excellent
vitamin C	31.50 mg	52.5	27.0	excellent
magnesium	150.50 mg	37.6	19.4	excellent
manganese	0.58 mg	29.0	14.9	excellent
potassium	960.75 mg	27.4	14.1	excellent
iron	3.96 mg	22.0	11.3	excellent
vitamin E	3.31 mg	16.6	8.5	excellent
fiber	3.67 g	14.7	7.5	very good
copper	0.29 mg	14.5	7.5	very good
choline	50.23 mg	11.8	6.1	very good
calcium	101.50 mg	10.2	5.2	very good
tryptophan	0.03 g	9.4	4.8	very good
vitamin B2	0.15 mg	8.8	4.5	very good
vitamin B6	0.15 mg	7.5	3.9	very good
protein	3.29 g	6.6	3.4	very good
phosphorus	57.75 mg	5.8	3.0	good
vitamin B1	0.06 mg	4.0	2.1	good
folate	15.75 mcg	3.9	2.0	good
zinc	0.58 mg	3.9	2.0	good
biotin	10.50 mcg	3.5	1.8	good
vitamin B3	0.63 mg	3.1	1.6	good
vitamin B5	0.29 mg	2.9	1.5	good

Chilled Cucumber Avocado Soup Recipe

Have a great weekend!