lizard mama

NOTE: All of the “Eat Local Challenge 2009″ posts were created for Homegrown Happy Valley. I copied them here because I wrote them and I want to keep track of the summer CSA share menus that we created. Some of the menu ideas are from my Homegrown colleagues, Katie O’Hara-Krebs and Michele Marchetti. Link to Original post for Week 12.

Greetings from British Columbia (Vancouver and Whistler to be exact), where I’m bombarded by advertisements for local produce. So far, we’ve escaped the supermarket, getting all of our fruit and veggies from two farmer’s markets. But there’s just two meat vendors (one bison, one beef) and no dairy vendors.

As I mentioned last week, it’s exciting to see what local products are available in different regions. Yet, as great as it is to be on vacation, I look forward to next week when I can purchase all of my dairy, meat, and produce from local vendors in Central Pennsylvania.

Strawberries in season (along with blueberries and cherries) at the Whistler Farmer's Market

HOT ITEMS OF THE WEEK:

• peaches
• raspberries
• corn
• tomatoes

ON THE MENU:
Day 1

Black Bean and Kale enchiladas with fresh tomatoes and watermelon.

Saute one large onion, two green peppers, kale and fresh garlic in olive oil. Grate Colby cheese (Katie used Spring Bank) over the warm mixture and spoon mixture into whole wheat tortillas and place seam down in casserole dish. Cover with enchilada sauce and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with a little more cheese.

Katie served this with fresh sliced tomatoes and watermelon.

Day 2

Roasted vegetables on a panini with Village Acres eggs and cheese, cucumber salad.

Heat oven to 450. Oil large roasting pan with olive oil. Combine whatever vegetables that you’d like (I used eggplant, peppers, onions, and zucchini) with a bit more olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the veggies until they are tender and slightly browned (it took about 30 minutes for me).

Top fresh bread (I used Gemelli’s Ciabatta) with the vegetables and add some cheese and scrambled eggs if you wish. Place other half of bread on top of the mixture, broil it in the oven for a few minutes with a pan or brick covered in foil until it looks like the cheese is melting. Cut into pieces and serve. This dish is also good prepared ahead of time – just cover the sandwiches in a slightly damp towel so that the bread doesn’t dry out – put it in the fridge and broil it when you are ready later that day/evening.

Day 3

Pasta with vegetables.

Saute eggplant, green peppers, kale, onions, zucchini, squash, garlic and three large tomatoes in olive oil (most of Katie’s vegetables were from Village Acres Farm). Let vegetables soften a bit (7 to 10 minutes) and add about 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Place the mixture on low and cover with lid, let simmer down for 10 more minutes.

When vegetables are done, Katie poured over whole wheat pasta. Sounds like these veggies would literally melt in your mouth!

Day 4

Ratatoullie by Julia Child (via Bon Appétit)

I usually use the Moosewood Cookbook version of this recipe, but decided to give this one a try. I think I’ll have to make both recipes sometime and do a “taste-off” for my family – I can’t decide which recipe I like better!

Day 5

Great vacation dinner after a busy day of mountain biking and hiking in Whistler, BC! Artichokes (steamed then dipped in butter) were from from Ice Cap Organics, Pemberton, BC. In addition, we made quesadillas with roasted purple potatoes (from Helmer’s Organic Farm, Pemberton, BC), cheese (store bought – no local cheese at the Whistler market), black beans, onions, and zucchini. My husband and I enjoyed take-out beer from the Whistler Brewhouse with this meal.  Dessert was a walk to Whistler Village for locally made gelato.

Day 6

Corn and Zucchini Bisque with salad greens.

This soup leaves me wishing that corn and zucchini season lasted all year long. So good.

Day 7

Macaroni and local cheese with trees.

I took this recipe and used a mixture of local Spring Bank Acres cheese along with some broccoli that I got at the Hill’s Plaza market.

APPETIZER OF THE WEEK:

Fresh, local baguette dipped in rosemary balsamic reduction and a bit of olive oil with roasted local tomatoes on top. All items purchased from the Whistler Farmers Market (except the olive oil).

NOTE: All of the “Eat Local Challenge 2009″ posts were created for Homegrown Happy Valley. I copied them here because I wrote them and I want to keep track of the summer CSA share menus that we created. Some of the menu ideas are from my Homegrown colleagues, Katie O’Hara-Krebs and Michele Marchetti. Link to Original post for Week 11.

When it comes to souvenirs, the ones I collect from my summer travels disappear quicker than a sand castle on a busy beach. I love searching for “local produce” signs on my trips and collecting whatever is in season. Right now I’m in Virginia on a quick family weekend enjoying local peaches, corn, and tomatoes. Later in the month, I’m traveling to the Pacific Northwest. I’m dreaming of the spectacular landscape, but just as excited to see what the farmers markets will provide for dinner.

HOT ITEMS OF THE WEEK:

• raspberries
• corn
• tomatoes

ON THE MENU:
Day 1

On a recent rainy evening, I craved soup. I had some random ingredients to use up and decided on a lentil soup with vegetables, so I combined recipes from a few different sources. The result was so tasty that my son and I ate several bowls (too bad my husband was away -no leftovers here!)

The base of the recipe came from Red Lentil Soup with Lemon and Summer Squash Soup with Basil and Parmesan (I added carrots, lentils, fresh corn, yellow beans, and used turkey stock) from Annie Wayte’s Keep it Seasonal. I highly recommend this book (given to me by Cuizoo) for its spectacular photography, as well as delicious and simple seasonal recipes.

Day 2

Stir-fried garden beans – These beans are so good, Michele told me that she shamelessly licked the sauce from the bowl.

Day 3

Michele used her own local sun-gold tomatoes from her patio pots to make scrambled local egg wraps with sauteed Tait chard and shredded Three Belle Cheddar. Now, that’s local!

Day 4

Baked eggplant parmesan with pasta from Hill’s Plaza farmer’s market, and eggplant from Village Acres Farm.

Day 5

Mark Bittman’s More Vegetable than Egg Frittata from Week 8. I used potatoes, fennel, kale, onion from Village Acres, corn from Way Fruit Farm, and mixed it with eggs and local Spring Bank Acres cheese. I served this with beet and carrot pancakes.

Day 6

Grilled Fish Tacos

Sunscreen? Check. Boogie boards? Check. Fish tacos with local ingredients? Check. Katie and her family were at the beach last week and made fish tacos with bluefish that she bought at a local fish market caught that day. She bought the cabbage and onions at the State College Friday market before she left for vacation. She paired it with her tomato, mozzarella, onion, and basil salad (all fixings from the State College market).

Day 7

Family vacation in Virginia brings local food from various regions onto the table. For this dish, we had Virginia ham, corn from Springdale Farms in Cherry Hill, NJ, and salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce) brought in from my sister’s garden in New Jersey.

BREAKFAST OF THE WEEK:

The morning after I attended a Dave Matthews Band concert (headed by Farm Aid board member Dave Matthews – my first inspiration for eating local) in Syracuse, NY, I stopped in Ithaca, NY at the Ithaca Bakery for hazlenut coffee and a sunrise sandwich (bagel with farm fresh egg, avocado, red onion, pepper jack cheese). Ithaca Bakery is obsessed with local – they even have a local market at their bakery each Thursday.

SNACK OF THE WEEK:

Baba Ghanouj with eggplant from Village Acres Farm. Serve with fresh pita bread, chips, vegetables, or spread on sandwiches with apples.

NOTE: All of the “Eat Local Challenge 2009″ posts were created for Homegrown Happy Valley. I copied them here because I wrote them and I want to keep track of the summer CSA share menus that we created. Some of the menu ideas are from my Homegrown colleagues, Katie O’Hara-Krebs and Michele Marchetti. Link to Original post for Week 10.

Ever paint with a garlic scape? In celebration of Local Foods Week, Homegrown Happy Valley is using the best of the summer harvest to help kids make some groovy artwork. We had a blast at the Millheim market on Saturday, creating beautiful paintings and meeting some Homegrown fans. (I’m looking forward to a return visit with lunch at Elk Creek Cafe afterwards.)

Using veggies as paint brushes at the Millheim Farmers Market

HOT ITEMS OF THE WEEK:

• peaches
• zucchini (are you swimming in it yet?)
• corn
• tomatoes

ON THE MENU:
Day 1

Slow cooker Jambalaya. Perfect for a rainy summer day (you know we’ve had our share this year). Michele used Andouille sausage from Over the Moon; peppers, oregano (fresh instead of dried), and celery from Tait Farm; onion from Hill’s Plaza Farmer’s Market.

Day 2

Ratatoullie served with polenta, topped with local raw cheddar. My favorite recipe to cook with eggplant – I probably make this every week while I have the ingredients. Sometimes I blend it a bit with the immersion blender for a slightly “less chunky” version for kids. I love The New Moosewood Cookbook’s version. Here is the recipe online along with many other great veggie recipes (scroll down to “Ratatouille”).

Day 3

Cow-a-hen hot dogs, home baked buns, baked beans, corn on the cob, salad greens. Simple and delicious. Seriously, the best hot dogs that I have ever eaten – and no nitrates! Just pork and spices. We had them along with eggs for breakfast one day as well. Hot dogs: they’re not just for dinner anymore.

Day 4

Veggie Stir-fry with Tait Farm Asian Plum Sauce. Michele used peppers, carrots, celery, and string beans from Tait Farm to stir fry with this yummy sauce. I love to use this sauce for dipping eggrolls as well.

Day 5

Pesto Pasta with Sauteed Zucchini and Yellow Squash. Michele sauteed diced Tait Farm squash in olive oil, mixed with pesto she made and froze a few weeks ago, and added it all to pasta with grated Parmesan cheese.

Day 6

Black bean tacos with local veggies (for the second helping, my son decided to break the taco shell into the salad) .

Black bean salsa tacos. I used fresh corn for this recipe and sauteed chopped kale and garlic and added it to the rice. Mixed in lettuce and local cheese. I didn’t think my kid was ever going to stop eating this meal!

Day 7

Summer vegetable soup served with Cuizoo’s English Muffin Bread. Another good rainy day recipe for summertime. And the bread? Awesome. This recipe makes two amazing loaves that work for everything (toasted with jam and/or butter, nut butter and jelly sandwiches, melted cheese and tomato, dipping in soup…and on and on.)

NOTE: All of the “Eat Local Challenge 2009″ posts were created for Homegrown Happy Valley. I copied them here because I wrote them and I want to keep track of the summer CSA share menus that we created. Some of the menu ideas are from my Homegrown colleagues, Katie O’Hara-Krebs and Michele Marchetti. Link to Original post for Week 9.

Every time my son and I go to the grocery store, he asks me to buy peaches. My typical answer: “Sorry bud, let’s wait until we see them at the farmer’s market–they aren’t in season for us yet.” Now that he’s used to that response, he’ll ask whether other foods are in season, too. The wait makes the reward even sweeter. When he finally spotted his beloved peaches at the market this week, he looked like a kid who had just walked into a candy store.

HOT ITEMS OF THE WEEK:

• peaches
• corn
• tomatoes

ON THE MENU:
Day 1

The Cuizoo Family came over for a fun evening to wrap up the weekend. We combined what we had left over from our CSA boxes and farmer’s market trips from the week, grilling sausages from Hog’s Galore and burgers from Blue Rooster Farm and serving them with green beans sauteed in olive oil and tamari, pesto pasta salad with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, and Kristin’s hot-off-the-press chocolate zucchini cake (don’t tell my family – I just snarfed down the last bite).

Day 2

For lunch, Michele tried two dishes from Mark Bittman’s “101 Simple Salads for the Season”:

• peach/tomato/basil (Number 1 on the list; Michele substituted peach for watermelon.)
• quinoa with apricots, pecans, lemon, and pepper (Number 99 on the list.)
  

Day 3

Short ribs (Katie used beef stock in place of veal stock) served with roasted potatoes with olive oil and dill and sauteed green beans and carrots.

Day 4

Michele made kale and white bean soup, served with a salad of greens, yellow cucumbers, and blueberries.

Day 5

Katie found a new roasted chicken recipe and served it with pesto and pea pasta (chicken from Village Acres; peas and egg noodles from the State College market).

Day 6

Katie put her leftover chicken from Day 5 to good use for a picnic. She had pesto chicken sandwiches (pesto and leftover chicken on Gemelli’s ciabatta bread with red leaf lettuce, tomato and Meyer Dairy cheese), watermelon and blueberry muffins.

Day 7

Breakfast for dinner: blueberry pancakes with fresh peach sauce and scrambled eggs from Village Acres.

DESSERT OF THE WEEK:

Peach Flan Cake

Peach Flan Cake. In the mid-1970s my Great Aunt Grace saw a recipe for Peach Flan Cake in a magazine. She brought the cake on a family visit to Leisure Village (a senior community in South Jersey). Everyone liked it so much that they started to make it each year when the Jersey peaches ripened. My mother and her sister continue the tradition–and have since passed it onto me–and it’s one of our favorite family recipes.

Pastry

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
a few grains salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) sweet butter
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons milk
2 tsp finely grated lemon peel

Filling

2 pounds peaches or nectarines, peeled, halved, and pitted (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar

Glaze

1/2 cup apricot preserves (raspberry or strawberry work well too)
2 tsp water

Directions

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse corn meal. Add egg, milk, and lemon peel and stir with a fork until the mixture is moistened but still quite crumbly. Pat mixture into an 11 inch fluted quiche or tart pan with a removable bottom, refrigerate while preparing fruit. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, toss peaches with lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch. Arrange peaches cut side down on the dough in a circular pattern, so that the pieces of fruit touch but do not overlap. Pour any juice remaining in bowl over fruit and bake 50 minutes on shelf in center of oven. Turn oven up to 400 degrees, place pan on shelf in lower third of oven and bake 10 minutes longer. Crust will be pale golden, not brown. Place pan on a wire cake rack to cool. Stir preserves and water in a small saucepan over moderately low heat 5 minutes, until syrupy, strain. Brush the glaze over the peaches. Serve warm or cold.
DRINK OF THE WEEK:
Michele’s 4-year-old son had a “local” lemonade stand at their garage sale. He served raspberry lemonade made with Tait Farm Raspberry Shrub and blueberry cake from the Hill’s Plaza farmer’s market.

NOTE: All of the “Eat Local Challenge 2009″ posts were created for Homegrown Happy Valley. I copied them here because I wrote them and I want to keep track of the summer CSA share menus that we created. Some of the menu ideas are from my Homegrown colleagues, Katie O’Hara-Krebs and Michele Marchetti. Link to Original post for Week 8.

Summer is the easiest and hardest time to cook. Our CSA boxes and farmer’s market bags are exploding with vegetables, yet countless diversions–the beach, the pool, sign-ups for fall activities–keep us from actually doing anything with them. In a nod to summer’s hectic schedule (and the always present goal of preparing good local food) most of our dishes this week are fast and easy.

HOT ITEMS OF THE WEEK:

• corn
• tomatoes
• peas

ON THE MENU:
Day 1

Tortilla pie served with garlicky kale

• Michele layered corn tortillas with left -over shredded chicken, sour cream from Meyer Dairy, local shredded jack cheese, and The Piper’s Peck salsa.
• She made three layers and baked at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until the cheese was brown and bubbling.

Day 2

Katie had a poolside picnic with baked chicken wings, pea and potato salad, blueberries and watermelon.

Baked Chicken Wings

2 lbs wings (Blue Rooster Farm)
½ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame (or olive) oil
One clove garlic
½ cup honey
2 tbsp ketchup

Mix the ingredients for the sauce and let marinate for at least one hour. Then place wings in glass dish sprayed with olive oil and pour sauce over top. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.

Pea and Potato Salad

Peas (Village Acres)
Potatoes (Boalsburg Farmer’s Market)
Scallions (Village Acres)
Mayonnaise
Dill (Village Acres)

Boil peas and potatoes together for about 15 to 20 minutes, drain thoroughly and put in the refrigerator covered. When peas and potatoes are cool, mix with 1/4 cup mayonnaise, chopped dill, and kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Day 3

Roasted Chicken and Caprese Salad

• Michele roasted Over the Moon chicken with Tait Mango Chutney.
• Salad: sliced tomatoes from the Saturday Hills Plaza Amish farmer’s market, topped with mozzarella from Meyer Dairy and pesto made with Tait basil and garlic from the Amish market.

Day 4

Katie prepared egg noodles (downtown Tuesday market) and meat sauce (tomatoes from downtown Tuesday market, basil and onions from Village Acres, meat from Blue Rooster), salad greens (Village Acres) and Gemelli’s ciabatta bread.

Day 5

Mark Bittman’s More Vegetable than Egg Frittata

Katie used eggs and veggies (whatever was left on Monday night) from Village Acres and Three Belle’s feta for the cheese.

Day 6

Cuizoo’s Pasta with Fresh Peas and Basil

I didn’t have any fresh basil or mint on hand, but I had frozen pesto that I made the week before, so I mixed the pesto and a little bit of warm water into the noodles instead.

Day 7

Zucchini fritters (from the Village Acres Farm Web site) and chilled cucumber yogurt soup (from The New Moosewood Cookbook, by Mollie Katzen). Serve the soup as is, or drizzle it over the fritters. We served this with sauteed snap peas in tamari, salad grens, and local corn on the cob.

Note: I made the soup and shredded the zucchini in the morning before work, and then I put the rest of the ingredients for the fritters together just before preparing.

DRINK OF THE WEEK:

Fresh Tomato Bloody Marys

Fresh Tomato Bloody Marys

Michele and her sister-in-law Ashley made afternoon Bloody Marys to celebrate Ashley’s move from Denver. On Tuesday, after Michele couldn’t find tomatoes for the recipe at Tait or the Boalsburg Farmer’s market, she pulled into the Hills Plaza parking lot after spotting some Amish folk loading a truck. “Can’t we just buy the tomatoes at a grocery store like normal people?” Ashley asked. The girl appreciates fresh tomatoes, but clearly wasn’t prepared to hunt them down. But the Amish were more than happy to pull some tomatoes, along with a scale, off the truck and make one more sale before heading back to their farm. Michele drove away with three pounds of beautiful tomatoes, which made the best Bloody Marys she–or her sister-in-law–ever tasted.

NOTE: All of the “Eat Local Challenge 2009″ posts were created for Homegrown Happy Valley. I copied them here because I wrote them and I want to keep track of the summer CSA share menus that we created. Some of the menu ideas are from my Homegrown colleagues, Katie O’Hara-Krebs and Michele Marchetti. Link to Original post for Week 7.

Festival fun plus the arrival of more amazing local produce equals a great week to live in Happy Valley. With good tunes in my head and kettle corn in my belly, I see chocolate zucchini cake in my near future.

HOT ITEMS OF THE WEEK:

• sun gold tomatoes
• blueberries
• zucchini

ON THE MENU:
Day 1

Local veggie omelettes with Gemelli bread

Omelette’s with sauteed zucchini, garlic, red pepper flakes, swiss chard, and green onions; local cheese; Village Acres sun gold tomatoes; served with Gemelli “ancient grains” bread.

Day 2

When Katie e-mailed her recipe for Jambalaya, I instantly wanted the ingredients to come together on my computer screen so I could eat it.

Jambalaya

2 tablespoons olive oil
chard (Village Acres)
scallions (Village Acres)
garlic scapes (Tait Farm)
smoked sausage (Cow A Hen)
3 large tomatoes (Boalsburg Market)
1 to 2 cups chicken broth (depending on how soupy you want the dish)
2 cups rice

Saute chard, scallions and garlic scapes in the olive oil until greens are wilted (about 5 minutes). Add the smoked sausage and continue to saute for 10 minutes (turn heat to medium). Chop tomatoes and add to mixture, stir and let tomatoes get juicy (5 minutes). Add chicken broth and let the mixture come to a boil. Add the two cups of rice and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Day 3

Michele’s Easy, DIY pizza

Garlic, tomato and olive oil spelt flat bread from Eden View Organics, purchased at Boalsburg Farmer’s Market. Topped with mozzarella cheese from Meyer Dairy and La Famiglia DelGrosso Aunt Cindy’s Sun-dried Tomato Sonata sauce, purchased at Tait Farm

Day 4

Katie and her family had a picnic dinner on Old Main Lawn watching Arts Fest music with grilled cheese on the grill, Village Acres blueberries, Harner Farms watermelon, and Creamery ice cream.

Day 5

Grilled Village Acres chicken with Annie’s Naturals Smokey Maple BBQ sauce, cucumbers sprinkled with salt and pepper, snap peas sauteed in olive oil and red pepper flakes, and one of my favorite side dishes – beet and carrot pancakes. Beet and carrot pancakes are a great way to get kids (and beet-wary adults) to eat this veggie and ask for seconds and thirds.

Day 6

I used the very last of my asparagus (boo hoo) and didn’t use the chilies for this yummy dish: Super Natural Cooking Green-packed Stir Fry. Local produce from Boalsburg Market and Village Acres Farm.

Day 7

Katie grilled up some NY strip steak (Blue Rooster), steamed broccoli (downtown Tuesday Market), and served it with Cuizoo’s Curried Chick Pea and Red Potato Hash.

DESSERT OF THE WEEK:
Blueberry Pie

SIDE DISH OF THE WEEK:
Garden Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Feta

NOTE: All of the “Eat Local Challenge 2009″ posts were created for Homegrown Happy Valley. I copied them here because I wrote them and I want to keep track of the summer CSA share menus that we created. Some of the menu ideas are from my Homegrown colleagues, Katie O’Hara-Krebs and Michele Marchetti. Link to Original post for Week 6.

Growing up, July 4th meant celebrating my sister’s birthday by eating breakfast at our local swim club. Friends and family members fired up the griddles in the picnic grove and filled them with their breakfast items of choice. My mother always made sourdough pancakes and blueberry buckle, my personal favorite. I couldn’t find my mom’s recipe, but this one worked out quite well.

HOT ITEMS OF THE WEEK:

• tomatoes
• blueberries!
• zucchini

ON THE MENU:
Day 1

Cuizoo’s Curried Chick Pea and Red Potato Hash. So easy, so good.

Day 2

Steak Salad served with roasted beets with dill.

Using a sirloin steak from Blue Rooster Farm and a mix of salad greens from Village Acres and the Boalsburg and State College markets, I combined these two recipes (marinade and dressing).

Day 3

Ziti with spinach and grilled Cow-a-Hen Italian sausage, served with salad.

Day 4

Local trout (Elk Creek Fish Hatchery), couscous and fresh vegetables (usually what’s left from my CSA box).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and tear off 12 inch pieces of parchment paper (one for each serving). Pour 1/2 cup couscous on each piece of paper and top with vegetables (I used snow peas, summer squash and scallions all from Village Acres). Place fish cut into one inch pieces on top of the couscous and veggie mix and sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper, lemon and dill. Add one pat of butter to each serving and drizzle with two tablespoons of water. Bring two ends of the parchment paper together and fold over tightly. Take the open ends and twist each tightly so that the parchment paper forms a pocket holding the meal. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes on a cookie sheet. Open parchment paper packets to cool and serve. Delicious and easy clean up!

Day 5

Quesadillas with Tait spinach and local Pennsylvania Jack cheese

Mix sauteed spinach with black beans. Layer along with melted cheese between two tortillas. Serve with sliced avocado, sour cream, and salsa.

Day 6

Over the Moon burgers topped with SimplyRecipe’s Black Bean Salad, served with a side salad. (gluten-free!)

Day 7

Margherita Pizza (scallions, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil) made with homemade dough, served with salad greens, sungold tomatoes and cucumbers.

SIDE DISH OF THE WEEK:
SimplyRecipe’s Baby Bok Choy with Cashews. Michele used garlic scapes and regular sesame oil, and served with brown rice. Delicious!

NOTE: All of the “Eat Local Challenge 2009″ posts were created for Homegrown Happy Valley. I copied them here because I wrote them and I want to keep track of the summer CSA share menus that we created. Some of the menu ideas are from my Homegrown colleagues, Katie O’Hara-Krebs and Michele Marchetti. Link to Original post for Week 5.

The arrival of tomatoes…the first sign of summer produce!

HOT ITEMS OF THE WEEK:

• tomatoes!
• strawberries

ON THE MENU:
Day 1

Lasagna enchiladas and fresh greens, early tomatoes and radishes

• 10 lasagna noodles
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese
• 1 cup parmesan
• 2 cups mozzarella (Meyer Dairy)
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp olive oil
• fresh basil (Village Acres)
• garlic scapes (Village Acres)
• kale (Village Acres)
• scallions (Village Acres)
• three or four fresh tomatoes chopped/ or one jar marinara (tomatoes from Boalsburg Market)

Boil lasagna noodles. While noodles are boiling saute basil, garlic scapes, kale and scallions in olive oil until greens are wilted. Mix ricotta cheese, parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella and egg together. Stir the greens into the cheese mixture. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and assemble the noodles and filling. Open each noodle and fill with cheese and greens mixture. Fold the noodle over mixture, roll and place seem side down in 9 x 13 inch pan. When all rolls are finished top chopped tomatoes or marinara sauce and cover pan with foil and cook for 20 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and let heat for 15 more minutes. Let cool and serve.

Day 2

Katie’s Favorite Summer Salad

• two large tomatoes (Boalsburg Market)
• mozzarella (Meyer Dairy)
• basil (Village Acres)
• olive oil
• white wine vinegar
• kosher salt

Slice tomatoes and mozzarella. Place on platter alternating slices of tomato and cheese. Roughly chop basil (as much as you like) and sprinkle over the slices. Top with a hefty drizzle of olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with kosher salt and enjoy!

Day 3

Michele visits Otto’s Pub and Brewery

Basil Pesto Glazed Cornish Game Hen from Setter Run Farms with mashed potatoes, sugar snap peas and Otto’s housemade root beer.

(Unfortunately the snap peas at Otto’s were not local, they should be available shortly.)

Day 4

Grilled chicken marinated in honey-chili sauce, asparagus and tomatoes, basil, mozzarella salad

• three chicken wings and three legs from Village Acres
• Marinated in honey chili sauce (recipe from Katie’s sister — she’s not sure where she got it, possibly a Wii video game!)
• 1/4 cup scallions (Village Acres)
• 2/3 cup local honey (Lost Hollow)
• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 cups homemade chicken broth

Coat saute pan with cooking spray, and place on medium-high heat. Add chopped scallions and saute until tender. Add honey and vinegar to the pan. Quickly stir in the chili powder, cumin and broth. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Pour over meat and let marinate for at least two hours. Transfer chicken pieces to grill and viola!

Roasted asparagus, olive oil, kosher salt on the grill.

Day 5

Simple! Egg salad sandwiches on Gemelli’s flax ciabatta bread with spring asparagus puree leftover from Week 4. Served with salad.

Day 6

Potato Frittata served with Tangy Buttered Beets

I substituted potatoes from the Boalsburg market, and local (from Vermont when I was on vacation) garlic herb cheese in this recipe.

Day 7

Sausage and veggies on the grill, sauteed snap peas

Grilled Cow-a-hen kielbasa, beets and potatoes (from Village Acres) with garlic (Eden View Organics) and homemade pesto; sauteed snap peas in garlic, olive oil, and tamari, salt and pepper.

TIP OF THE WEEK:
Put unripe tomatoes in a paper bag at room temperature until ripe; it usually takes about a day or two.

NOTE: All of the “Eat Local Challenge 2009″ posts were created for Homegrown Happy Valley. I copied them here because I wrote them and I want to keep track of the summer CSA share menus that we created. Some of the menu ideas are from my Homegrown colleagues, Katie O’Hara-Krebs and Michele Marchetti. Link to Original post for Week 4.

Rain, rain, go away…

Even with all of the gray days, it’s easy to get excited about the local food scene as more and more vegetables are showing up in our CSA boxes and at the markets.

HOT ITEMS OF THE WEEK:

• asparagus (Sadly, I think the end is near for this star veggie. However, we are on the cusp of maximum bounty for so many other items!)
• strawberries
• greens (I think they’re looking especially beautiful this year. The silver lining to those dark clouds perhaps?)

ON THE MENU:
Day 1

Grilled cheese on the grill with side of asparagus:

• loaf of ciabatta bread (Gemelli’s)
• olive oil
• mozzarella and muenster cheeses (Meyer Dairy)
• one tomato
• handful of chopped basil

Start grill and set burners on low. Slice ciabatta bread in half (like you’re making a sandwich). Brush inside with olive oil and place on grill face down until crisp. Add cheese to both sides of the sandwich and place tomatoes in the middle. Put the sandwich together and brush the outside with olive oil. Close the grill lid and let it grill for about 5 minutes on each side. Check to make sure cheese is warm and melted, open the sandwich and throw on the basil and let warm on the grill a few more minutes.

While the sandwich is cooking, grill asparagus with a little olive oil and kosher salt along side.

Day 2

Meatloaf, smashed potatoes & snap peas and garlic scapes

• Best Meatloaf recipe from momswhothink.com (Katie substituted scallions for onions and also added garlic scapes and basil to the meatloaf mix)
• Smashed potatoes:
  • red potatoes from CSA box (Village Acres)
  • butter
  • sour cream
  • kosher salt
  • fresh ground pepper

Boil red potatoes for about 15 to 20 minutes on medium-high heat. Drain them and smashed with a large fork. Add about 1/2 cup of sour cream and two tablespoons of butter. Continue smashing to desired consistency. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper to taste.

• Sauteed snap peas and garlic scapes:
  • snap peas from CSA box (Village Acres)
  • garlic scapes from CSA box
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • kosher salt

Saute cleaned snap peas and chopped garlic scapes in 1 tbsp olive oil for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste snap peas to check if they’re done to your liking, we like ours still crunchy. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Day 3

Gluten free pasta with local asparagus and Three Belle garlic goat cheese.

• Asparagus was sauteed with Tait Farm garlic scape pesto.
• Served with Tait greens and local strawberries.

Day 4

Pizza Potatoes

I have been making these potatoes for years (based loosely on one of my favorite menu items from Adam’s Mountain Cafe in Manitou Springs, CO). I forgot about them until the recipe for Pizza Potatoes showed up in my Google Reader from Whole Foods last week. How excited I was to make these with my very last jar of roasted vegetables (tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers frozen from last year’s CSA bounty) and new vegetables from this year!

Day 5

Straw and Hay Fettuccine Tangle from Super Natural Cooking

Talk about kid friendly! What could be cooler than “gross green pasta?” Blend local spinach and asparagus and other goodies in a food processor, serve over fresh pasta, and there you go! I served this with Tait Farm hummus wrapped in the most beautiful red leafed lettuce I have ever seen (purchased at the Tait Farm stand at Friday’s market in State College).

Day 6

Grilled steak and sides

• Grilled Delmonico steaks from Blue Rooster Farms
• Sides steamed in parchment paper: add couscous, sugar snap peas, radishes and onions (farmers market) to parchment paper, add a pat of butter and a tablespoon of water. Roll the parchment paper and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes in 400 degree oven.

Day 7

Black bean tacos with swiss chard and spices

• Prepared my swiss chard (and beet greens) from Village Acres my usual way. Mixed it with organic black beans and cumin, paprika, and salt.
• Filled organic hard taco shells with the green/bean mixture and sliced avocado, brown rice, salad greens, local herb/garlic cheese and salsa. My little man requested a third helping and to pack this for lunch at school the next day. I declare this meal a winner!