August 6th

August 6, 2020

Our Vibrant Friends!

Holy smokes is this the heat of the season or what?!?! It sure seems like it to us, in all of the ways! Summer's glorious rays of sunshine have made our crops very happy, especially the Solanums, which in turn keeps us very busy! Tomatoes are turning shades of red, orange, yellow, and purple, peppers are flushing into all shapes and sizes, eggplant are plumping up, melons are growing bigger than we could've imagined, and storage vegetables are coming into fruition!! Getting to make the weekly list of items showcased in your box each week has been so exciting, and we take much pride, cleanliness, and care in packing them for you. We hope you've enjoyed the array of abundance as much as we have!

At this time we'd like to express our appreciation for you in supporting our efforts week after week. This CSA would not exist if it weren't for your trust and dedication to Vibrant Valley Farm. Your willingness to stay by our side, especially during this tumultuous time, gives us reason to provide the best produce and flowers possible. We give our utmost gratitude to you for trusting us in our ability to nourish you every week.

We are all in this together.

Thank you!

Until next week, with love and gratitude to you and yours,

-- Danielle Sanderson for Vibrant Valley Farm

FLOWER TIPS FROM AMELIA!!

It’s been hot out! And just like our bodies, our flowers may need a little extra TLC to stay looking their best. Here are some tips to get the best vase life out of your blooms:

1. Always start with a very clean vase. Our rule of thumb is that if it looks like something you would drink water out of, it’s clean enough! 

2. Snip the ends of your stems when you get home to prep your flowers to take a nice big drink. 

3. If your flowers have wilted at all en route to your house, try sticking them in some warm water for about half an hour to perk them up. 

4. We don’t mess with flower food, sugar, tea bags, or bleach in our vases - just cool, clean water changed out every other day. 

Enjoy the floral bounty! We’ve got lots of gorgeous varieties coming your way for the next few months. 

ROSE’S RECIPE IDEAS OF THE WEEK:

GARDEN BOUNTY BUFFET OF THA GODS

ROASTED RADISHES & ZIPPY RADISH/CARROT/BEET GREENS SIDE SALAD 

Ingredients

• Big old pile of radishes, trimmed, greens set aside, and sliced into halves or thirds

• Carrot tops, set aside 

• Beet tops, set aside 

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil

• Sea salt and pepper

• As many dashes of smoked paprika as you like

• Dash dash dash teaspoons garlic powder

• Dash dash dash teaspoons onion powder

• 1 tablespoon Brown sugar or honey

• Dash dash fish oil

• 1 tablespoon olive oil for salad dressing

• Juice of one lime for salad dressing

• Salt and Pepper to taste for salad

Preparation

1. Wash and trim radishes and greens, set trimmed greens aside

2. In favored mixing bowl, blend sea salt, pepper, desired smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, fish oil, brown sugar or honey, and sesame oil. Place trimmed radishes in bowl and mix until seasoning has coated to your liking, feeling free to add more of any element until the mix seems right

3. Spread the radishes on a baking sheet, ensuring that every radish has plenty of space around it to breathe/brown

4. Place them in the oven, pre set to 425 ish. and brown, turning hallway or as needed, for 30 to 40 minutes, pulling out of the oven when the carrots are soft inside, when a fork can go right in with minimal resistance. 

5. While radishes are roasting, cut radish, carrot, and beet greens into salad length bites. Mix in olive oil, salt and pepper, and fresh squeezed lime to taste. 

6. Arrange radishes on a pretty platter and give a few more dashes of salt. Layer dressed greens around radishes. Slay.  

CLASSIQUE CREAMY CUCUMBER SALAD

Ingredients

• 3 ish cups of cukes cut into artful slices

• 1 ish cup of thin sliced red onion or shallots

• ½ cup sour cream/yoghurt/crème fraiche

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar /rice wine vinegar/apple cider vinegar

• 1-2 tablespoons fresh dill fronds and stems, chopped

• 1 teaspoon white sugar

• Garlic powder to taste

• Salt to taste

Combine desired cream component, vinegar element, fresh dill, white sugar, garlic powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Add cucumbers and red onions and toss lightly to coat. Cover and chill, for a few hours ideally. Patience is a virtue. 

ALL THE COLORS CARROT, BEET, KALE QUINOA SALAD 

Salad Ingredients

• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed

• 1 cup frozen edamame

• ½ cup slivered almonds or pepitas

• 1 medium raw beet, peeled

• 1-2 medium to large carrots, peeled

• 2 cups baby spinach or arugula, roughly chopped

• 1 avocado, cubed

Dressing Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons apple cider or rice wine vinegar

• Juice of 1 or 2 limes

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint or cilantro

• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. First, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water for a minute or two. In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 cup water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then cover the pot, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the quinoa from heat and let it rest, still covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot, drain off any excess water and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set aside to cool.

2. Bring a pot of water to boil, then add the frozen edamame and cook just until the beans are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds or pepitas, stirring frequently, until they are fragrant and starting to turn golden on the edges, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large serving bowl to cool.

4. Top beets and carrots and set greens aside for other salads. Chop beets as finely as possible using a sharp knife or grate them/julienne or spiralize them based on your preference/equipment at hand. 

5. Whisk together all of the ingredients of the vinaigrette until emulsified.

6. In your favorite large serving bowl, combine the toasted almonds/pepitas, cooked edamame, prepared beet(s) and/or carrot, roughly chopped spinach/arugula (see note above about leftovers), cubed avocado and cooked quinoa.

7. Finally, drizzle dressing over the mixture (you might not need all of it) and gently toss to combine. You’ll end up with a pink salad if you toss it really well! Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve.

CHILE ORANGE SUMMER SQUASH WITH SCALLIONS, ALMONDS, AND PARSLEY

Ingredients

• 2 pounds mixed zucchini and summer squash, unpeeled and very thinly sliced into rounds (about 6 cups packed)

• 1 cup loosely packed chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems

• 4 scallions, sliced (½ cup)

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 serrano chile, seeded and thinly sliced

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

• ½ cup roasted salted almonds, roughly chopped

• ¼ cup olive oil

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• Juice of ½ or 1 full orange

Preparation

Toss together thin sliced, uncooked squash rounds with parsley, scallions, vinegar, chile, and 1½ teaspoons of the salt in a large bowl. (Salad may be stored in refrigerator in an airtight container up to 1 day.)

Stir together almonds, oil, black pepper, and salt to taste in a bowl. Add to squash mixture; toss to combine. Squeeze orange juice to taste over salad. Serve at room temperature.

ARRANGE ALL BEAUTY ON PRETTY PLATTERS OR IN BEAUTIFUL BOWLS AMID BUD VASES OF POP BLOOMS AND TEXTURES FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO COLLECT A SNIP OR TWO. ENJOY THE ELEGANZA.