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Technically I think this would be called a Frittata, not a Quiche, since there is no crust.
Ingredients:
- 12 eggs
- 1/2 can coconut milk
- 1 medium to large onion, chopped
- 2-6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pound greens, such as kale or spinach. Fresh or frozen.
- (optional) 1 pound spiced meat, such as hot italian sausage, chorizo, italian or breakfast ground pork, venison or beef. If starting with unseasoned ground meat, add in some dried herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, parsley, hot pepper flakes or cayenne powder, fennel seed, black pepper, etc.
- (optional) approx. 1 cup sweet peppers, chopped. Fresh or frozen.
- (optional) dried tomatoes, broken into quarter-sized pieces
- (optional) 1/2 – 2 cups grated or cubed cheese, such as parmesan, cheddar, or mozzarella.
- (optional) fresh herbs you need to use up, like basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, etc.
- salt and pepper
As of this writing, I have made this four times and had consistently great results with this method:
- Heat oven to 350.
- Grease a 9×9 pan with butter or coconut oil.
- Using butter or coconut oil, saute onions, garlic, (optional) sweet peppers and (optional) sausage or ground meat until onions are soft and meat is browned.
- (optional) add in chopped dehyrated/sun-dried tomatoes.
- Add about 1 pound of coarsely chopped greens like kale or spinach. If using frozen, either thaw and squeeze off extra water, or in a pinch just cook off the extra moisture in the pan. Only cook until bright green (or until enough moisture is gone) since they will be getting more cooking in the oven too.
- Crack 12 eggs into a bowl, EXCEPT! for 3-6 eggs first separate the whites into a different bowl.
- Add salt, pepper, and 1/2 can of coconut milk to the yolks & eggs, and beat with a fork or whisk until well scrambled.
- With the separated egg whites, beat or whisk until frothy and foamy. [This helps the quiche to be light and fluffy.]
- Pour the frothy egg whites into the yolky egg mixture, and gently stir together a bit.
- Pour the eggs into the 9×9 pan.
- Add the onions/meat/greens/etc.
- (optional) Add grated or cubed cheese like parmesan, cheddar, or mozzarella.
- (optional) Add any fresh herbs you are trying to use up.
- Gently stir or poke the added ingredients under the eggs, so they don’t burn while baking.
- Bake at 350 until knife inserted in center comes out clean. This takes 30-60 minutes?? Usually the quiche will be beautifully puffed up in the oven, but will collapse as it cools. This is normal, don’t worry. Also, if it is not quite done in the middle but the top is getting so browned you have to take it out, that’s OK. It will firm up a bit more as it sits in the pan on the counter to cool. Or, in a pinch, when you get to that piece in the middle that still has runny egg, just microwave to re-heat and finish off the cooking at the same time!
- Eat hot right away, or cold throughout the week as a quick grab-and-go healthy meal! This is a super satisfying meal in that it is nutritious, does not spike your blood sugar, and keeps you full for a long time. It is what I refer to as “long-burning fuel.”
In your box this week:
- Tomatoes: As usual, treat these heirloom varieties very gently. Not sure what to do with the really ripe ones today? EASY TO FREEZE: Just cut them up and freeze them. Some people like to freeze them first on a cookie sheet, so they are separate and loose in the bag. Some people like to first drop whole tomatoes into boiling water for a minute or so until the skin starts to peel, and then they freeze the de-skinned tomatoes whole or cut into pieces. The EASIEST way, in my humble opinion, is to puree the tomatoes, skin and seeds and everything. Then pour into a bag and freeze. If I have time, and it’s not too hot, I will cook the tomato puree on the stove to get rid of some of the extra moisture. Then I will can or freeze this thicker and more concentrated version. It takes up less space, and is better for winter hot dishes and spaghetti sauce anyway. You can boil it until it is as thick as you’d like. Sometimes I like to cook it down until it looks like ketchup and is more like tomato paste. For the LITTLE TOMATOES, a friend taught me last year to throw them whole (with skin) into a bag and freeze them. Then in the winter take them out and throw them into Tabbouleh or slaw or sautes. Yum!
- Zucchini / Summer Squash
- Cucumbers
- Garlic Chives: Eat the flowers, BUT the stem of the flower might be too tough to eat. Try it and see.
- Sweet Corn: The second picking of the second planting. Ripeness and size are more variable. Think of it as an extra bonus week of corn.
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Arugula and Mizuna
- Sweet Peppers
- Carrots
- Beans
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- Field mouse tracks across the snow. Notice the line in the center where it dragged its little tail along!
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- Freezing and canning the harvest in the summer makes for easy, fast, and tasty meals in the winter. Here, chunky canned tomatoes are added to sauteed onions and garlic, herbs, and a little maple syrup (all from the farm). Served over store-bought frozen raviolis.
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- Last summer we grew trials of nine different kinds of dried beans. Part of our job this winter is to taste-test all of them! These are the Indian Woman Yellow Bush Beans soaking before being used in a tasty (eastern) Indian curry.
Mom, Dad, and I went down to LaCrosse last weekend for the annual Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference. It is always a good time full of excellent food, informative workshops, and meeting up with other farmers. I personally find it inspiring to see the diversity of people involved with organic farming: young and old, rural and urban, red and blue, dreadlocked and beer-bellied, talkative and stoic, community organizers and self-sufficient livers. Sustainable farming is good for the land, providing us with healthy food and a more robust local economy. By keeping your food dollar circulating within the local community, you are directly helping to create a healthier food system and higher quality of life for all of us — you the eater and us the growers, but also the non-local food eaters who still benefit by having cleaner water, more wildlife habitat, and more resilient rural and urban economies. I think part of the reason that sustainable farmers are a diverse crew is that a vibrant local economy is something that people from all walks of life can agree is a good thing.
This year we had a few things in mind to focus on, so we went to sessions about pastured poultry, hoophouse season extension, and permaculture orchard design. There was also a really nice panel discussion of and for CSA farmers. Partly because of that discussion, there have been some new collaboration and support initiatives for CSA farmers that deliver to the Twin Cities, such as peer-mentoring options and potlucks for farmers. A few of us are also hoping that we could hold a CSA-specific conference in LaCrosse the day before the usual annual conference begins.
I love being a farmer in Minnesota, and having the winter to rest, dream, study, plan, organize, and collaborate. I honestly don’t know how they do it year-round in warmer places. The annual organic conference is one of the signs that spring is right around the corner. We are tapping maple trees right now, and getting ready to start the onion seeds next weekend. Another growing season is upon us, and as the days get longer and longer we too are feeling more energized and excited. Here we go again for another trip around the sun!
Looking forward to sharing the growing season with you,
Chris.
From our CSA member Debbie:
This recipe is especially good with kale which is quite substantial. I haven’t tried it with other greens, but bet it would be good. It’s one of those flexible recipes, fresh or canned tomates, more broth if you like your soup soupier, etc.
Savory Thick Greens Soup
2 bunches scallions (green onions)
2 large tomatoes or 1 can (14.5 oz) Italian plum tomatoes
2 T olive oil
2 cans (16 oz each) red or white kidney beans
1 cup long grain brown or white rice
2 quarts chicken broth or water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fresh greens such as kale, spinach, turnip, or mustard greens
1. Thinly slice the scallions, including most of the green tops. Puree the tomatoes in a food processor or blender until smooth.
2. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the scallions and saute until just beginning to wilt, about 1 minute.
3. Add the tomatoes, beans with their liquid, rice and broth. Bring the liquid to a boil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover pot and cook gently over low heat until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes for brown rice, 20 minutes for white rice.
4. Meanwhile, trim and rinse the greens, then coarsely chop. Add them to the pot and simmer just until wilted, 3-4 minutes. Adjust the seasoning and serve hot.
Yum!
Wow! …what else can we say? A great way to be present with the summer before it’s gone. We suggest adding some basil leaves in addition to the lettuce leaves. And if you want a local bacon connection, our neighbors have a family hog business (they raise their pigs in Nicollet and Princeton, MN, and they grow corn and soybeans next to us.) You can find Compart’s Duroc bacon at the Linden Hills Co.op, and I believe also at Lund’s, Byerly’s, and maybe also at Kowalski’s. It is not organic or pasture-raised, but if you are not buying based on that criteria it is a really great choice.
This is from p. 208 of the Featherstone Farm CSA cookbook, “Tastes from Valley to Bluff”
Serves 6.
[note from Chris: I think it’d be fine to substitute green onions and garlic chives from our farm for this.]
2 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced
3 or 4 radishes, sliced
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
1/3 cup green peppers, coarsely diced
1 cup sliced cauliflower
1 medium tomato, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 to 4 sprigs parsley, diced
1 clove garlic, finely diced and crushed
Several leaves fresh basil, chopped
6 Tablespoons salad oil
1 to 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Onion or Garlic powder
Seasoned Salt
Parmesan Cheese, grated
1. Toss the zucchini, radishes, onion, green peppers, cauliflower, tomato, parsley, garlic, and basil together in a bowl. Sprinkle with the salad oil and lemon juice.
2. Dissolve the sugar and vinegar in a saucepan over medium heat. Pour over the salad. Season to taste with salt, pepper, onion or garlic powders, seasoned salt, and grated Parmesan cheese.
3. Chill several hours before serving.
From CSA member Adina:
Alright, here’s the onion salad recipe. It’s a hot or cold dish, depending if you want to eat it as a side (i.e. with meat), or as a cold salad perhaps with a sandwich.
Saute chopped onions in a bit of oil and a bit of water. Add mushrooms, olives, tomato sauce (or fresh tomatoes), paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Yumness.
Reimann Family Farm 