July 5 - Chatfield CSA Newsletter
this week's produce (July 4-8)
• Salad greens
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Arugula
• Kale
• Broccoli
• Baby Squash
• Beets
• Herbs: Basil, Dill, Parsley, Cilantro
• Possibly - Radishes, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Kohlrabi and carrots
*Please note this is a tenative list and is subject to change
cooking kohlrabi and other crazy things
This week Susan Evans of Chrysalis Herbs will be providing a tasting and recipe to take home using some of the more rare vegetables this week at distribution. If you have any questions on how to prepare a certain vegetable please feel free to ask her. She will be at York st. Tuesday, July 5 from 5-6 p.m. and also at Chatfield from 5-6 p.m. on Thursday, July 7.
recipe exchange
If you haven’t already signed up for our recipe exchange at your weekly CSA distribution, please do so. We will be taking turns sending a recipe to each other utilizing at least one CSA veggie to help generate good ideas for cooking at home. Look for a clipboard at the check in table at your weekly distribution or feel free to ask a CSA staff member for more details.
this week's recipe
This recipe is from Liz Tanner, Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield horticulturist
Cilantro Verde Enchiladas
1 bunch cilantro (a small amount of parsley is nice too)
2 cups salsa verde (green salsa or fresh tomatillo sauce)
1 medium to large onion, quartered
1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced (keep some seeds if you like heat)
1 Tbsp chopped garlic (1-2 large segments)
1/4-1/2 tsp salt or to taste (this will depend on the salsa verde you use)
1 8-ounce container of cream cheese
10 tortillas
2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
4-5 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken (I used six pre-frozen breasts. If using fresh chicken, three or four large ones would probably be plenty.)
• Cook chicken in the oven or crockpot with salt, pepper, garlic powder, lemon juice and a little olive oil to add another level of greatness to the enchiladas. Preheat your oven to 350°
• In a blender, combine onion, salsa, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno and salt. Blend until smooth. Stir in softened cream cheese. Pour half of the sauce over the chicken and stir until well coated. Reserve remaining sauce to pour over top of the enchiladas.
• Scoop about 1/2 a cup of chicken mixture in each tortilla, roll up and place side by side in a lightly greased 9×13 pan. Pour reserved sauce over finished enchiladas and cover with tinfoil. Bake for about 30-35 minutes remove foil and sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 10-15 more minutes.
• Tastes great with black beans, tomato and olives on top
farm topic - fun with kids
Not all kids love eating beets, but they may love a craft project with them!
• Buy one pair white cotton kids socks and rubber bands ahead of time. Tie the rubber bands around the socks in stripes (like tie dying).
• After you boil or steam your beets, save the heated colored water. Add half a cup of vinegar and half a cup of salt to the water.
• Add 4 tablespoons of alum or cream of tartar to the pot. Bring the red water to a very soft boil once again. While the water is barely boiling, add the socks to the mixture.
• Your kids will love doing this, because you are making sock soup! Yuck!
• After 1 ½ hours, pull the socks from the mixture using tongs and let cool.
• Rinse slightly in cold water.
• Remove rubber bands and lay socks out to dry.
• Enjoy having pink tie dyed socks!! If you want them to be red, cook them for at least three hours and remove, making sure the water is not boiling too much (don’t throw these socks in the washer - hand wash instead).
food safety note
Please note that although we have washed our produce once after harvesting it in the field, members should wash the produce at home again before eating. Our farm produce should be treated the same way as grocery store produce: always wash before eating! The best way to wash produce is by running it under cool water. Cleaning products are not necessary.