Member Diary: Marcy’s August 27th Share

This is my second summer with the southside CSA. I began two winters ago and was so impressed by the quality of the vegetables and fruit that I signed up for the regular season and have been hooked ever since. i love to cook, but it’s just me and my husband, so i have a half monty share which is more than enough for us to make at least 2 or 3 meals from (with leftovers). this year i also signed up for a half meat share, which has also been fantastic. last week’s distro was plentiful - corn, swiss chard, purple potatoes, onions, peppers (anaheim/cubanelle and serrano), cherry tomatoes, tomatillos and papalo herb. i decided to try to make a one pot dish out of as many ingredients as i could from the share

¿qué es esto? PAPALO

the mystery herb

New members have been a little confused with some of the herbs coming from MimoMex. Mexican specialty herbs like epazote, quelite, and papalo are key ingredients in some of the most delicious cuisine from Latin America and a bonus to Southside CSA shares. Not a typical part of most CSA shares, we are lucky to be partnered with MimoMex Farm and recieving these uncommon, gourmet herbs. Those familiar with papalo know it is easy to make impressive meals with the herb. It has a pungent, citrusy taste, often likened to arugula, cilantro, and rue. Continue reading

Member Diary #9: Mala

This week Mala shares with us the various ways she uses her Veggie, Orchard & Berry shares. Continue reading

Epazote & Papalo

Love Cilantro? Try Papalo, the “butterfly herb”; Experimenting with Epazote below…

This beautiful Mexican herb is mampuitu in Spanish, which means skunk, aptly named all of you who awoke to the floral aroma this morning. It is commonly used fresh in salads or in tacos or salsa. Our mexican friend Giovanni says that it is a very typical herb in Puebla but isn’t very common in the rest of the country. Most commonly he sees it used in quesadillas and as a substitute for lettuce in pork sandwiches.

In Bolivia, Mexico, and other areas of Central America papalo is so popular it is often kept fresh in vases on restaurant and kitchen tables. Continue reading

Recipe Round-Up

pic by Eliza Proctor

Peas by MimoMex. Pic by Eliza Proctor

Thanks to all our members who share their pics, tips, and recipes.

Keep the good stuff flowing…

pic by Eric in SF @ flickr.com

pic by Eric in SF @ flickr.com

Zuke tips from Marc:

Great stuff this week. We made a big zucchini/potato mash with some of the stuff. We basically used this recipe for Zucchini Mash with the spices from this recipe for Cabbage Curry and added boiled and mashed potatoes. We’re sitting down now and it’s delicious!

pic by woodleywonderworks @ flickr.com

pic by woodleywonderworks @ flickr.com

Grilled Summer Squash and Zucchini from Anne:

Grilled and then tossed with a simple mustard vinaigrette, these vegetables turn tender and juicy, providing an ideal foil for the hearty grilled steaks. Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients

6 medium yellow squash and/or green zucchini (3 pounds)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons coarse-grain mustard
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Preparation

Prepare grill for indirect-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (high heat for gas).

Trim squash and/or zucchini and halve lengthwise, then toss with salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl.

Oil grill rack, then grill vegetables directly over hottest part of coals, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over once, until grill marks appear, about 6 minutes total. Move vegetables to area of grill with no coals underneath and grill, covered, until tender, about 4 minutes more. Transfer to a platter.

While vegetables are grilling, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, sugar, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a small bowl. Pour dressing evenly over vegetables before serving.

Cooks’ note:
•If you aren’t able to grill outdoors, squash and/or zucchini can be cooked in a hot lightly oiled well-seasoned large (2-burner) ridged grill pan over moderately high heat, turning over occasionally, until just cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes total.
•If you are making this entire menu, grill squash and/or zucchini while steaks are standing

pic by elana's pantry @ flickr.com

pic by elana's pantry @ flickr.com

Cool heads up from Anu:

Amazing article in NYT about summer salads. 101 Simple Salads for the Season. This article is 5 pages of great salad ideas, including vegan, vegetarian, seafood, meat & noodle recipes. If you don’t know what you are craving, this article has some great flavor profiles with lots of fruit and herb combos that will really liven up one’s palate. For those humid days when any additional heat sounds like a nightmare, this article is sure to inspire some fancy fun eats!

pic by miss ginsu @ flickr.com

pic by miss ginsu @ flickr.com

Papalo plans from Kate: Just tasted papalo for first time, it’s awesome! Looking forward to making this:

Grilled Chile Salsa with Papalo Leaves

By Aliza Green
INGREDIENTS

* 6 ripe plum tomatoes (use fair labor tomatoes!)
* 1 red bell pepper
* 1 quartered red onion
* 2 poblano chiles
* 1 jalapeño chile
* 1/4 cup lime juice
* 2 tablespoons chopped papalo leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat a grill. Rub 6 ripe tomatoes, 1 red bell pepper, 1 quartered red onion, 2 poblano chiles, and 1 jalapeño chile with a little oil. Grill well on all sides. Alternatively, broil on high, turning once, until the skin is blackened. Peel off most but not all of the blackened skin from the vegetables. Trim and seed the bell pepper and chiles.
2. For the best chunky texture, prepare the salsa by grinding all the vegetables in a meat grinder. Alternatively, use a food processor or chop well by hand.
3. Add 1/4 cup lime juice, 2 tablespoons chopped papalo leaves, and salt to taste. Serve with tortilla chips, tacos filled with guacamole or pork carnitas, or Mexican-style chile-marinated pork sandwiches (cemitas).

pic by fo.ol @ flickr.com

pic by fo.ol @ flickr.com

the Raw deal from Tamar: We’re big fans of the Post Punk Kitchen website (www.theppk.com) and found this great recipe on there that we tried yesterday (with a few modifications to the original); Ginger really gives it a zing, and you get to enjoy your CSA veggies in their raw state!

Carrot – Beet – Ginger Slaw

5ish carrots
2ish beets
a chunk of ginger (2-3 TBS)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Peel and grate the carrots, beets and ginger – we love our food processor for this. Combine maple syrup with the vinegar and mix it into the slaw. Refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

Check out the original link here