Cajun Grill-less Corn Recipe

Our post this week comes from The Farm Table member, and guest blogger, Laura Miller, who blogs over at Beyond the Cuke. When we asked her to come up with a post for us featuring Farm Table produce, we were flattered to get this post in return. First, she had us at Game of Thrones, and while we don’t expect to be adding “milk of the poppy” to our add-on list anytime soon, we were delighted to hear she thinks so highly of us. Thanks for a great post, and recipe, Laura!

3 Reasons Why The Farm Table is the Best of All of the CSAs

Let me just put it this way–If this was Game of Thrones, House Baratheon, House Lannister, House Stark and House Greyjoy would see no reason to wage war because The Farm Table obviously rules the realm. Here’s why:

1. No vegetable ninjas here. I’ve tried my share of vegetable delivery services and I’ve never come across one with such friendly neighborhood coordinators! In fact, not only did these other services not have Angela, my friendly neighborhood coordinator who chats with me about running and blogging, but they might not have had NCs at all for all I know. After all, I’d just leave a box out and sometime by the end of the day–varying times, meaning that my veggies might sit out for a bit since I wasn’t sure when to expect them–it’d be replaced by another box of veggies.

Okay, okay. I’m sure there are neighborhood coordinators for all CSAs but I’m just going to assume they were vegetable ninjas until you provide evidence that proves otherwise.

2. The “S” in “CSA” could stand for “Social.” It doesn’t, but it could. With everything from farm volunteer days like this one in May to local food tastings like the one that I had the pleasure of attending last night at The Savory Grain, your weekly veggie boxes basically come with berries, potatoes and a new set of like-minded friends.

3. Piles and piles of produce. Here’s a visual:

So maybe we don’t get corn every week but we get the week’s version of corn. No more eating out of season food that has traveled all of the way from South America or the West Coast. In July, you’re going to eat peaches. In September, you’re going to have some apples. And you’re going to enjoy them because they’re delicious, in-season and local.

Since this week’s corn is, well, corn, here’s something to make with the Farm Table box bounty:

Cajun Grill-less Corn, otherwise known as “Targaryen Corn”

What You’ll Need:

4 medium ears of corn
2 tablespoons vegan butter substitute
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup vegetable broth

What You’ll Do With It (before eating it, of course):

1. In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. While the water’s boiling, peel your corn.
2. Add the corn to the water. Return to a boil and cook for 3-5 minutes until tender. Keep an eye on it–you don’t want mushy corn but you don’t want hard corn either!
3. While boiling the corn, melt your vegan butter substitute in a small saucepan. Stir in the chili powder, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne and stir for 1 minute.
4. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and broth. Once combined, whisk into the butter mixture. Bring to a boil and cook and stir until slightly thickened, which should take about 1-2 minutes.
5. Drain the corn and then get your Van Gogh on and paint the corn with the seasoned butter.
6. Sit back and enjoy compliments from your fam, after enjoying at least two ears yourself, of course.

Veganized recipe from Taste of Home

Laura Miller blogs about each week’s kitchen triumphs–and kitchen “learning experiences”–featuring The Farm Table produce at Beyond the Cuke. Follow @beyondthecuke on Twitter and Instagram.

Bok Choy Stir Fry

This recipe comes to you a few days late as we missed Flashback Friday on the blog last week. I promise we weren’t slacking! We were “in the field,” so to speak, taking pictures and working on a future post that will highlight some of the really cool things happening in Richmond that will make all of us proud!

Speaking of cool things going on — The Farm Table is excited to announce that we are expanding to the Hampton Roads area! If you have family and friends that would enjoy receiving a Farm Table box as much as you do, or if you know anyone who might want to become part of our team, please share this with them and contact support@thefarmtable.org. More details coming soon!

We are also having a lot of fun with our Pop-up Markets. Our next market, this Saturday, June 8 from 12:00-4:00pm, will be at Blue Bee Cider in the Manchester District.  We will have fresh local produce, Harvest Hill Farms meats, Quail Cove Cheese and freshly baked goodies from Flour Garden Bakery. Blue Bee Cider will be open for your tasting pleasure from 12-6. Please join us! Details HERE.

Until then, please try this Bok Choy Stir Fry from our May, 2012 newsletter, which features broccoli, snow peas, peppers, and chicken (optional). It is very important to do all of the prep work for this meal before you start cooking, as stir frying relies on being able to move and cook food quickly in a very hot pan. Also, it may seem labor intensive, but once you’ve prepped the vegetables, it cooks very quickly. Delicious!

Bok Choy Stir Fry

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breasts, cut into strips and lightly dusted with corn starch
• 1 small onion, halved/thinly sliced lengthwise
• 2-3 cloves sliced garlic
• 1 cup snow peas (optional)
• Peanut oil for frying
• 2 Tbs soy sauce
• 2 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1/3 cup vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 cups broccoli florets (separated into medium pieces) and stems (sliced thin), keep them separate
• 1/2 Tbs finely minced fresh ginger
• 1/3 cup red or green pepper, sliced thin
• 1 head of bok choy, sliced into thick ribbons
• 4 Tbs Hoisin sauce

Directions:

• Preheat a wok or large, deep, frying pan with a heavy bottom over medium-high heat. Coat with peanut oil.
• Add the chicken and cook 2-3 minutes, making sure to cook on all sides. Remove chicken to a bowl, or push aside.
• Add the onions, celery, broccoli stems, red/green pepper, ginger and garlic and, stirring continuously until onions become translucent, and veggies start to soften. Add more peanut oil if needed (you need to keep the food moving).
• Add the broccoli florets, snow peas, bok choy. Keep stirring!
• After about 5 minutes, add 2 Tbs soy sauce, a pinch of salt and pepper, Hoisin sauce, and the cornstarch/broth mixture. Add the Chicken back to the mixture.
• Stir for about 3-5 minutes and allow the mixture to thicken. 
• Serve immediately over cooked rice.

Fresh Spinach Dip

 

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Harvest Hill Farm Member Event this past Saturday. It was a wonderful way to get out in the country, enjoy a piece of the farm life, nosh on some great food, and watch the pigs do what they do best…eat!

The Farm Table prides itself on the community you have helped to build over the last few years, and we look forward to being able to get together over the course of the 2013 season to celebrate good farming, good food, and  good people. 

If you were unable to make it out to the farm last weekend, then you missed out on the fresh spinach dip that Richmond Area Manager, Patty Loyde brought. We’d like to introduce you to Patty, and share her spinach dip recipe using Farm Table ingredients:

Originally a product of the suburbs in both New Jersey, where she grew up, and Henrico County, where she lived after graduating from the University of Richmond, Patty Loyde and her husband John are now Fan dwellers in the city of Richmond – and can’t imagine living anywhere else. Patty started as a Neighborhood Coordinator in the summer of 2012 for the Fan,and has now added the positions of Central Richmond Area Manager and Bookkeeper, aka Chief Number Cruncher, to her duties this year.

Patty loves to travel and watch movies, plays tennis year-round, tends her small city garden, and cooks from scratch, when not checking out the local Fan restaurant scene (Olio, Fresca, and Mint are some of her favorites). She attempts to eat a diet of unprocessed food whenever possible, striving for progress, not perfection. The  Farm Table makes that goal so much easier!

Fresh Spinach Dip, By Patty Loyde (Print Full Recipe Here)

I made this spinach dip for the Harvest Hill Farm Member Event and served it with tortilla scoops. I love that I was able to use the spinach, onions
and garlic from that week’s box and that I didn’t need to use the package of highly processed soup mix I usually do to make it. It turned out just as good, if not better than the ole’ standby, often served in a bread bowl.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup shredded or finely diced carrot
• ½ cup finely diced spring onions, white and light green parts
• ¼ cup finely diced spring garlic, white and light green parts
• 1 full bag of spinach
• salt & fresh ground black pepper
• ¼ cup diced spring onions, dark green parts
• 1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, if you prefer
• ½ cup Miracle Whip or mayo, if you prefer
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Finish with: salt & pepper and onion & garlic powders, to taste

Directions:

• Clean and dry the spinach well.
• Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the carrots, onions, garlic, salt and pepper until softened. Transfer to a bowl.
• Using the same pan, sauté the spinach in a little more salt and pepper, tossing occasionally, until all the spinach is wilted. You may need to do it in batches, depending on the size of your pan.
• Transfer the cooked spinach to a strainer and remove as much liquid as you can by pressing with a spoon or ladle. Place on a few layers of paper towels, top with more paper towels and press to remove additional liquid.
• Finely chop the spinach and add to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
• Stir well and chill for at least 2 hours to combine flavors.
• After being chilled, finish with salt & pepper and onion & garlic powders to taste. If you’re serving with salty chips, the dip won’t need as much salt.

Spring Forward

You set your clocks one hour ahead.

You’ve changed the battery in your fire alarm.

With the sun shining this weekend, you realize all that stuff you thought was clean, isn’t.

Time to plan a little kitchen spring cleaning, and to prepare for the 2013 Farm Table season.

We’ve made it easy on you with these handy checklists you can print off.

The Farm Table Harvest Preparation Checklist

The Farm Table Spring Clean Your Kitchen Checklist

Pick a day, before our (tentatively) scheduled begin date, April 4th, and get yourself ready for a season of delicious, healthy, and local food.

Stay tuned for more details on our Farm Table membership event on March 21st.

Get To Know: The Farm Table, Part III

We love the community you have helped The Farm Table build. Our Members, Area Managers, Farmers, and our Neighborhood Coordinators, together, make a difference in supporting our local economy, and building a food community that brings farmers and families together. Eating local food creates jobs, boosts the economy, promotes health and well-being, and supports a healthy environment with thriving communities.

We are thrilled with the outpouring of support our members have shown toward helping the Flores Farm expand their irrigation system. Through your generous help, Flores Farms will be able to double the amount of irrigated fields on their 50-acre farm, ultimately allowing them to increase the variety of produce they provide next season. The Farm Table and the Flores Farm are grateful for the generosity our members have shown thus far — please keep it coming. What a difference you are making! 

In our Get to Know series, we’d like to share more about the Flores Farm, and introduce you to a few more of the Farm Table team who link you to your local farmers. Thank you for reading and keeping it local!

Since immigrating to this country two decades ago, Virginia farmer Gerardo Flores has become known for his ability to grow such rare vegetables as sorrel, purslane, Japanese daikon radishes, and more than fifteen types of hot peppers. Gerardo and his son Omar farm fifty acres of produce on the Northern Neck and count Hispanic and Asian produce buyers in the Washington, DC, area among their customers. Even so, according to Omar, “With the agriculture economy the way it is, we weren’t sure we were going to make it.” Having a network of families supporting local farmers has helped to add as much as $1,000 a week to a farmer’s income,  “Some weeks that’s what keeps us in business,” says Omar. “For us, this is the future.”

Peter Pickering is a former Neighborhood Coordinator turned Area Manager.

“I manage driving the truck.

They call me The Pirate and the truck is my ship.

I plunder the 7 seas for the finest produce, and deliver only the most excellent treasures to the people.

I am a graduate student at VCU studying counselor education.

I have a small farm with my wife.

We have chickens and guineas, bunnies and ducks.”

Shari Fowler joined The Farm Table and began making deliveries early last year, shortly after The Farm Table began operations. She added newsletter duties a few weeks later and has been doing it ever since.

She is originally from Dayton, Ohio where she met her husband Chris of 23 years. She lived in Central PA, and Apex, NC before moving to Richmond two years ago with her children Dana (13), and Curtis (11), and their 14-year-old German Wirehaired Pointer, Emma.

Shari used to have her own garden, but since her current property isn’t ideally suited for it, she decided to do the “next best thing” and become a Farm Table member. A self described “foodie”, Shari likes to entice her family with fun and creative ways to eat nutritious, tasty cuisine. Her favorite new food this season were the oyster mushrooms, “They looked freakish but were oh-so-delicious simply grilled over an open flame with olive oil.”

Shari is the owner and creator of Iberian Inspirations Natural and Organic Body Polishes and Body Butters. In her spare time, Shari grows exotic plants and orchids, hikes, kayaks, practices yoga, and listens to music.

To help us celebrate our local food community, and meet The Farm Table team, join us at Grayhaven Winery on Sunday, October 21st at 1:00pm. Bring a picnic blanket, the kids, and a batch of dip to share for our second annual fall dip-off! Kick off your shoes and enjoy a glass of small-batch crafted wine by the masters at Grayhaven. Observe or participate as we create our own batch of homemade apple butter to jar and send home with our members. Kids can enjoy face painting, a corn pool, nature trails, and the animals at Grayhaven. Check your official Evite to RSVP.

Get To Know: Your Farm Table Neighborhood Coordinators, Part II

We have really enjoyed introducing you to The Farm Table team, and have more to share about the people who deliver your Garden, Chef, and Breakfast Box to you each week in our newest Get To Know series installment. Many of the Neighborhood Coordinators we will introduce you to in this post found The Farm Table through a Living Social promotion, and quickly decided to join The Farm Table team. We are running a Living Social promotion now through Sunday, so please pass the word along. You never know where it will take you!

Christine with her dog, Maggie in Sedona, AZ

This is Christine Berg’s first season as a Neighborhood Coordinator with The Farm Table, after relocating back to Richmond from San Francisco, CA. While living in the Bay Area for 7 years, she discovered the importance of organic farming and eating local food. She delivers to the Chesterfield/Chester area, and has so far really enjoyed working with The Farm Table and the members in her area.

Christine enjoys trying different recipes – mixing it up, and being conscientious about eating seasonally.  Her favorite fruits and veggies are cherries, any type of berry, cucumbers, butter lettuce, beets, and spinach.  She also enjoys making and eating fermented foods – kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt.

When not delivering food for The Farm Table, Christine serves as  a full-time registered nurse, but outside of work she enjoys cooking from scratch, spending time with friends and family, being outdoors – hiking, cycling, reading.  This season, she and her husband planted their own garden and look forward to simply walking outside to the back yard to get food!

Kathy Frazier joined The Farm Table through a Living Social promotion last year.  She was so pleased with not only The Farm Table products and services for their members, but also how The Farm Table supported local farmers and communities.  When the opportunity arose this year, Kathy chose to join the team as a neighborhood coordinator and couldn’t be more thrilled.  Her delivery areas are in Chesterfield including South Brandermill/Hull St. Rd./FoxCroft/Hampton Park neighborhoods. She looks forward to making connections with members and getting a first peek in those lovely produce boxes every week!

Although not originally from Richmond, Kathy calls Richmond “home” having lived in the metro area for the last 25 years.  During her childhood, she had the opportunity to see much of the country living in Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, Nevada, Wisconsin, and finally settling in Virginia.  She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University and worked for 10 years at NewMarket Corporation in Information Technology, focused on web development.   Kathy has two elementary aged children and a wonderful husband who keep her very busy when she’s not delivering Farm Table boxes.

The Farm Table membership plugs right into one of Kathy’s favorite past-times; cooking and experimenting with whole foods.  A great find for her was the kale chip recipe published in the weekly newsletter.  Kale chips were a huge hit with her kids and a staple snack in the Frazier household meal plan.  Kathy also enjoys antiquing, gardening, being involved with her children’s activities and is a strong supporter of the arts.  After a long day, she can be found out on the patio, enjoying the company of friends and family, listening to some good music, and enjoying a nice glass of wine.

Patty Carpenter and her husband of 30 years moved to Richmond 20 years ago from Seattle, Washington. They have
three children, ages 24, 18, and 14 and a Welsh terrier named Tucker.

Besides delivering fresh, local produce every Thursday, Patty stays busy working as a massage therapist, volunteering at her children’s
schools, helping with the Richmond Soap Box Derby Foundation, and enjoys cooking, reading, attending the kids’ various events and
performances, and doing just about anything outside.

Patty found The Farm Table through the Living Social promotion this year and loved the idea of supporting local farmers. With her family’s busy schedule, she often misses the Farmer’s Markets, and so having fresh-from-the-farm produce delivered to her door sounded like a fantastic idea! Patty was so impressed with the Farm Table folks she met, that she became a neighborhood coordinator right away. She has really enjoyed trying new recipes with the delicious veggies and meeting the like-minded folks she gets to deliver to each week in Glen Allen.

 Susan Medina says, “Life is interesting, and quite contradictory. I’m afraid of heights, but married to a man from La Paz, Bolivia (in the Andes Mountain chain, 13,000 feet up).  We visit often.  I love the Spanish language, speak fluently, but still struggle to raise my three children bilingually.  I am anti-electronics but am a blogging mom.  I believe children should play outside more, but will come running back inside myself when a bee buzzes by. I live in the country, but crave the variety of city life.  My favorite food is watermelon and least favorite is lima beans.”

This is Susan’s second year as a Neighborhood Coordinator for The Farm Table, a job that has helped her slow down life’s hectic pace and teach her kids the importance of eating whole foods, eating locally, and that eating vegetables is delicious! 

Lou with her husband Steve who accompanies her on her weekly Farm Table route

This is Lou Stafford’s first year with the Farm Table after contemplating for years joining a food cooperative.  When she saw the Living Social promotion for the Farm Table, she thought she would give it a try.

Lou loves to cook and to experiment with new recipes, many of which she finds from her extensive collection of cookbooks.  She loves most kinds of food — the exception is okra! Lou grew up in Roanoke, went to William and Mary and moved to the Richmond area afterward.   She retired from the Virginia Lottery 10 years ago.

Lou loves going to the Y, especially the step aerobics, Zumba, Pilates and yoga classes.  She recently joined a group of women who coil baskets and decorative items from long pine needles.  She also enjoys knitting, and growing vegetables in containers and raised beds (square foot gardening).

Lou is the proud Mom of 2 sons — one is an occupational therapist in Richmond, the other in the Navy in Naples, Italy. In addition to delivering The Farm Table produce to the Ashland area, she is currently studying Italian — planning on a trip to visit her son!

 

 (For those of you checking, blog winners from our last post will be announced this weekend)

Get To Know: Your Farm Table Neighborhood Coordinators, Part I

What did you think of the gigantic broccoli?

If you are like many Farm Table members, delivery day is a highly anticipated day. Your produce from the week before is dwindling, and the prospect of fresh, new produce makes your mouth water. But do you know who delivers the food to your doorstep or workplace? We would like to introduce you to our dedicated staff who bring you your food each week. We look forward to highlighting all of our Neighborhood Coordinators (in no particular order) over the remainder of the season in our “Get To Know” series.

Britt Klein, a Richmond resident for 10 years currently lives in the Museum District with her husband and son. The city doesn’t always afford much space for gardens, but she and her husband have planted their first one this year on a tiny patch of ground. Aside from gardening, she spends time grilling with friends, playing softball, and sampling different wines.  Britt  joined The Farm Table as a Neighborhood Coordinator when she left her full-time job in order to spend more time with her toddler son. She is passionate about local businesses and supporting farmers, so The Farm Table has been a great fit for those reasons. Britt has this to say to the members in her delivery area, “I’m an early bird, so if I’m your Neighborhood Coordinator (in the Fan), I may have woken you up a time or two delivering your produce! All my members look fantastic in their PJs, though!”

Betsy Loeb joined The Farm Table after hearing about it from a friend and now delivers to homes in Chesterfield.  Betsy describes her food habits as “terrible,” and that if left to her own devices she would eat like a 15-year-old. She is fortunate in that her husband is the corporate chef at a catering company, and he enjoys the challenge of coming up with new ideas and recipes to use up the vegetables that come each week, almost like an “Iron Chef on TV.” Betsy’s background is as a licensed landscape architect, but she enjoys the ability to stay home with her 4-year-old and 2-year-old children, and likes that she isn’t confined to an office during the best part of the day. In addition to The Farm Table, Betsy dabbles in landscape design, sews at home for a local company making handbags, and works with her husband’s catering company during big events. Betsy and her family enjoy hiking, camping, and being outdoors. She has picked up running again, and recently ran the Monument Avenue 10K the Run Like A Girl 8K.When she is not doing all that, she is the “head swing-pusher, Candy Land setter-upper, and train track reconnecter” at home.

Lois Abel decided to join The Farm Table because she is “passionate about good, healthy food, and wants to support local farmers.” She lives 20 minutes from the city, outside of The Farm Table’s delivery area, and determined the only way she could enjoy the produce was to participate in the actual delivery process.  Lois delivers produce from Crozier to N. Parham Road, mostly in the River Road area.  Lois enjoys toting her 2 year old daughter along on delivery day, and her daughter enjoys listening to music and playing with her dolls or play dough while they drive around. Lois, originally from Canada, and her husband, originally from India, moved to Richmond a year ago from Hyderabad, India following a job transfer for her husband who works in IT. They cook a lot of Indian food and are trying to grow some okra and eggplant so we can make them into curries. Lois was a preschool teacher for 10 years, and is slowly getting used to being a stay at home mom!  Lois and her daughter enjoy getting out on Thursday mornings to “do something for other people.”

Jen Russo is in her second year as The Farm Table’s Neighborhood Coordinator for the Virginia Center Commons area.  She’s mama to a 10-year-old voracious reader, and a 5-year-old precocious adventurer.  A chocolate Lab has recently been added to the family; a dog who is as good as gold when people are around, but who, when left alone, will point out any food left out on the countertops… including Farm Table delivered bread (and we can’t blame him)!  Jen likes cooking with minimal fuss, so roasted veggies and Asian-style greens are her quick go-to’s.  She’s also a recent convert to the joys of crispy kale, a snack the kids will eat in abundance.  They’re like chips, but you can feel virtuous eating them!

Come meet your Neighborhood Coordinator at The Farm Table’s first ever ice cream social! We will be hosting an ice cream social on June 3rd from 3:00pm until dusk at Echo Lake Park.  Everyone is asked to bring their favorite ice cream.  The Farm Table will provide toppings and there will also be some hand cranks available so people can make ice cream at the park.  Anyone who has a hand crank ice cream maker is welcome to bring them. If you are a Farm Table member, you should have received an Evite already. Save The Date!