Friday, June 29, 2012

Now We're Cookin'


Our very own Jeremiah conducted a cooking class for the various "greens" we're now generating in our most prosperous gardens.  Interestingly, our African farmers had never tasted salad greens with dressing and our Bhutanes never mustard greens or collards. Given these farmers also sell their produce at our Farmers' Markets we thought it would prove both a lot of fun and beneficial to sales if we familiarized the farmers to the products they would be selling.  Another great day out here. 

Below is a recipe for Mustard Greens, they're amazing in flavor.  I myself like them raw cut up in salads as they add a wonderful "bite" to regular lettuces.  But, wanted to share the below recommendations:

Tips for Preparing Mustard Greens


Rinse mustard greens under cold running water and cut into 1/2" slices for quick and even cooking.
To get the most health benefits from mustard greens, we recommend letting them sit for a minimum of 5 minutes before cooking. Sprinkling with lemon juice before letting them sit may be able to help activate their myrosinase enzymes and increase formation of beneficial isothiocyanates in the greens.
The Healthiest Way of Cooking Mustard Greens

From all of the cooking methods we tried when cooking mustard greens, our favorite is Healthy Sauté. We think that it provides the greatest flavor and is also a method that allows for concentrated nutrient retention.
Heat 5 tablespoons of broth (vegetable or chicken) or water in a stainless steel skillet. Once bubbles begin to form add mustard greens, cover, and Healthy Sauté for 5 minutes. Toss with our Mediterranean Dressing which includes 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 medium clove garlic (pressed or chopped), 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper to taste . Top with your favorite optional ingredients.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas
Young mustard greens make great additions to salads.
  • Serve healthy sautéed mustard greens with walnuts.
  • Adding chopped mustard greens to a pasta salad gives it a little kick. One of our favorite combinations is chopped tomatoes, pine nuts, goat cheese, pasta, and mustard greens tossed with a little olive oil.

Friday, June 1, 2012

We Made the News!

Thanks to Margaret Hagen who works for our UNH Cooperative Extension and well known queen of NH Master Gardners we were recently showcased on her GROW IT GREEN show with our state's only television station, WMUR.  Wow, what a boost it gave to our sales out here.  Last weekend alone we made over $700 at our farm stand and many folks related to us they were motivated to come out by the show.  All week they continued to come out.  A huge thank you for Margaret and WMUR from our whole team!

A big shout out is due to our friend Mike Brien of Gilford, NH for recording the show and then posting it on UTube.  Here's the link if you'd like to view our show.