Hello hello!
Happy nearly March! This time of year always feels like a time warp - January drags on and on and then February is gone in a snap. I'm feeling probably a little too grateful for the leap year this year as we head into a busy and hard end of the week and weekend.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS WEEK'S CUSTOMIZATION WINDOW IS ENDING A LITTLE EARLY AT 2PM ON FRIDAY BECAUSE WE HAVE A FAMILY EMERGENCY AND HAVE TO TRAVEL TO VERMONT THIS WEEKEND. This means we have to finalize our packing of veggies before we leave and need a little extra time on Friday to get this done with our staff. Our apologies for the inconvenience - we will send out a reminder to you on Friday morning so you don't miss the cut off. Thanks for your understanding, when you have a small family business it can be very difficult to carve out the time to step away, but sometimes you have to and we appreciate your flexibility. Thank you.
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Our Pantry Item this week is Local Popcorn from Fairwinds Farm. This popcorn comes loose and can be popped in a brown paper bag in the microwave, or can be popped in oil on the stove top.
The coolest thing about loose popcorn (not in a pre-bagged blend) is that you can flavor it yourself. I like to add dill flakes and nutritional yeast and olive oil. Or garlic powder and parmesan cheese. You can even make it sweet! Here're some fun recipes to try out your local popcorn with:
Fun extras available this week:
- Frost Gully Camembert Style Cheese from Winter Hill Farm (also in cheese shares) - This cheese is delicious! I purchased some at the farmers' market last week (yes even farmers shop at farmers' markets), and I was inspired to order it for shares and add-ons this week! It's creamy and fresh and perfect on crackers or paired with fruit or jam. $8.50
- Eggs, Eggs, Eggs! I over-ordered local eggs from Sparrow Farm and so we have a bunch available for purchase this week! $6.00/dozen
- Pickles! - Dill Pickle Chips from Turtle Rock Farm
Thank you to everyone who took our coffee survey! We are definitely adding coffee as an add-on for next summer and are excited to be working with our long time beloved coffee company Moses Dyer, based out of Harpswell. We'll have coffee for purchase next delivery (our last for the winter!) so you can try it!
Don't wait! Make fresh spring rolls and make them this week!
Here's a recipe!
I want to really push a recipe for this week. I've given this a casual plug in the past, but I'm here this week to aggressively encourage you to give this a try. Why? Because it's an awesome, fun delicious way to get lots of raw, nutrient packed winter veggies into your diet! Also, it's a recipe that tastes great no matter how messy it comes out, but it gets so much easier with practice. And the only way to get practice is to just flipping do it, and once you get comfortable this recipe is 100% adaptable to summer, fall, and winter veggies! Also this peanut sauce is amazing.
INGREDIENTS (adapted from Cookie and Kate, see link for original and helpful tips on wrapping rolls)
The original calls for vermicelli noodles in the rolls - but I've never used them, and prefer them without the noodles, but if you want some extra filler and love noodles - go for it :)
Spring Rolls
- 1 cup torn spinach
- 1 cup very thinly sliced red or green cabbage
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks or grated on a cheese grater
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onions (slice very very thin)
- 1 cup grated turnip/watermelon radish/daikon radish/kohlrabi
- Any other veggies you got lying around
- ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
- ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh mint (optional)
- 8 sheets rice paper (spring roll wrappers)
Peanut Sauce
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water, as needed
Instructions:
- Fill a shallow pan (a pie pan or 9″ round cake pan works great) with an inch of water. Fold a lint-free tea towel in half and place it next to the dish. Make sure your prepared fillings are within reach. Combine the green onion, cilantro and mint in a small bowl, and stir.
- Place one rice paper in the water and let it rest for about 20 seconds, give or take. You’ll learn to go by feel here—wait until the sheet is pliable but not super floppy. Carefully lay it flat on the towel.
- Leaving about 1 inch of open rice paper around the edges, cover the lower third of the paper with a few pieces of spinach, some cabbage, and a few strips of carrot, and pinches of the other veggies you've got. Sprinkle generously with the herb mix.
- Fold the lower edge up over the fillings, rolling upward just until the filling is compactly enclosed. Fold over the short sides like you would to make a burrito. Lastly, roll it up. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- To make the peanut sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, rice vinegar, tamari, honey, sesame oil, and garlic. Whisk in 2 to 3 tablespoons water, as needed to make a super creamy but dip-able sauce.
- Serve the spring rolls with peanut sauce on the side. You can serve them whole, or sliced in half on the diagonal with a sharp chef’s knife.
See this link for original recipe and instructions on rolling and soaking the wrappers. I found it really helpful in making tight neat rolls:
