St. Johns Farmers Market

One of Deck Family Farm’s favorite recipes for their grass fed Organic Galloway Beef is for Carne Asada.

This recipe is for approximately 2lbs flank, skirt, or other flat cut steak.

Marinade:

4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seed toasted then ground.
1 large handful fresh cilantro, leaves and stems, finely chopped
(great flavor in the stems)
Celtic Sea salt or other unrefined salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Juice of 2 limes and one orange
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup olive oil

Combine marinade ingredients and pour over steak into a glass
casserole dish. Cover and refrigerate over night or for 1-4 hours
turning a few times.

Grill marinated steak slabs a few minutes on each side, depending on
how thick they are, until medium rare. Remove the steak pieces to a
cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. This is very important to
let the juices redistribute cutting too soon will loose precious
moister and flavor. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a
diagonal.

Serve with Salsa, avocado and minced onion.

This is a traditional Bulgarian salad, named after the Shoppi, or natives of Sofia (the capital of Bulgaria). This salad is perfect in the summertime, when all the ingredients are freshly picked from the garden.

Ingredients:

4 tomatoes
2 cucumbers
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons chopped onion or 4 Tablespoons green onion (optional)
½ pound of feta cheese
1 teaspoon salt

8 Tablespoons vinegar

2 Tablespoons oil

Optional:

2 roasted peppers or fresh green peppers

Preparation:

Cut the tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers in small pieces, cubes if possible. Mix well with the parsley, onion, salt, vinegar and oil. Serve with feta cheese grated on top.

Recipe modified from: http://gazette.blackseaproperty.biz/articles/94.html

Ingredients:

5 ripe tomatoes

Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (may substitute with half cider vinegar)
1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano, or 1/4 teaspoon dry
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 garlic cloves, finely minced, or crushed

Optional:

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

pinch of red pepper flakes

Preparation:

Combine the garlic to stand in the vinegar for 10-15 minutes as you prepare the recipe.  Meanwhile, slice tomatoes into wedges. Set them aside in a salad bowl.

Combine the vinaigrette ingredients with the garlic and vinegar from above. You can use all balsamic vinegar, or if you prefer a milder dressing, use half balsamic and half cider or red wine vinegar.

Pour enough vinaigrette over tomatoes to coat when stirred.

Can be served with peeled, sliced cucumbers (1/4″ coins or 1/2″ cubes).  This salad is great with ½ lb small mozzarella balls (Bocconcini), and/or with chopped green or oil cured black olives.

Season to taste with freshly grated black pepper (and more salt, if needed).  Serve, optionally, on a bed of greens (such as radicchio, escarole, arugula, chard, or even lettuce).

Recipe modified from: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1743,135183-247193,00.html

Gentiana Loeffler:  How and why did you get into farming?

 Evan Driscoll:  I moved to Portland from Austin, TX at an unfortunate time – 2008, right when the whole financial crash happened. In Austin, I had been working in the film and video industry, and sought employment in a similar field in Portland. Feeling the economic tolls of irresponsible investment strategies, there were few jobs to find. No film jobs. No design jobs. No web jobs. And, as many young Portlanders do, I went back to waiting tables – bussing, in fact.  Jaded by the job market, I decided to make a change in my life. Understanding that the world was / is falling apart, I found that I wanted to impact people and the environment in the most positive way I could muster. My Liberal Arts Degree was not going to further advances in the field of green technology, so I took the opposite route and decided to go into farming. What better way to impact the world than to responsibly cultivate a piece of land?

 GL:  What were some of the barriers to farming or struggles you had to address or continue to address?

 ED:  By far the biggest obstacle posed to my desire to farm was economic. I simply could not learn how to farm while making ends meet. This consideration was especially important to me, as I not only provide for myself, but my child, as well. When I decided to pursue farming, he was 2 years old.  Every farmer I talked to during these early years told me to seek an apprenticeship. I did this with vigor.

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½ pound Snap or Snow Peas
2 TBSP Olive or Sesame Oil
¼ tsp Kosher Salt
A few twists of Black Pepper (about ¼ tsp)

Preparation:

Rinse peas, discard stem end and de-string if string is tough.  Put the oil in a hot frying pan.  Fry the peas hot and fast, add salt and pepper.

½ pound Sugar Snap or Snow Peas
1 TBSP Sesame Oil
1 TBSP Sesame Seeds
¼ tsp Kosher salt

Preparation:

Rinse peas, remove the stem end and de-string if the string is tough.  Toss the peas in a bowl with sesame oil, sesame seeds, and salt (to taste).  Serve at room temperature.

Note: If the peas are too tough to eat raw, they may be blanched in boiling salted water for 2 to 5 minutes, drain immediately, then immerse the peas in ice water or cold running water before starting the recipe.

Oranges
Pineapple
Kiwi
Strawberries
Green Grapes
Brown Sugar 

Chop and combine fruit. All to preference and taste.

4 cups chopped green cabbage
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
3 tablespoon sugar
1 yellow onion, diced
Lard (or olive oil, if you prefer a healthier but less authentic option)
4 juniper berries
1 teaspoon dried vegetable seasoning OR ½ cup of vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Add the cabbage to a large pot of water and boil for 20 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add caraway seeds and sugar. Fry the onion in lard and add to the large bowl. Add juniper berries and vegetable seasoning. Mix to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe from Liz Van Valkenberg (First Place Winner)
sea salt
McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning
fresh basil
several tomatoes
onion
fresh cilantro
garlic
jalapeno pepper
fresno pepper
California dried pepper
Anaheim pepper
lemon juice

Recipe from Nikki Guerrero
one small yellow onion
one bunch cilantro
two (or more) jalapenos
two cucumbers
six to eight Roma tomatoes
two ears corn
juice of one to two limes
salt and pepper

Peel and core cucumber. Chop onion into small dice. Chop cucumber and tomatoes into equal size dice. Seed and core one of the jalapenos, chop both into small dice. Soak corn in water for ten minutes. Remove silk. Roast on grill for five minutes. Shuck and cut kernels off cob. Chop cilantro. Add all together. Season with juice of limes and salt and pepper.

Contributed by: Alysse Hennessey

As my two kids sat down to snack plates, I overheard this conversation, and thought I should pass it on.

Quillan aged 8, “Hey Finn, wouldn’t you be happy if you had THIS in your lunch box at school?”
Finn, aged 10, “Yea! In a container with sections for each dip, and another container for all the dippers.”

Note to smiling self: find partitioned containers for their lunch boxes.

Try out the dips and dippers lunch for your kids, tailored to their favorites of course.  A little of these three dips:  cottage cheese (mine like theirs with a little sprinkle of onion and garlic powder and parsley, which makes it taste like ranch), veggie or tofu pate (buy premade or follow included recipes), and hummus with roasted red pepper.

Things to dip:  cucumber spears, carrots cut into planks (rather than match sticks), inner romaine leaves make great boats, red and yellow pepper slices, and your favorite small crackers (rice crackers, nut thins, etc).  We stock up on all our favorite veggies and fruits from the market each week.

Encourage the kids to decorate their food creations with small pieces of dried fruit, and sunflower seeds or chopped cashews.  Kids love fresh, healthy foods, they get to put together and decorate.  Happy school year!

Veggie Pate recipe

• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon dried savory
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard

Directions
1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8×8 inch baking dish.
2.    In a food processor, blend sunflower seeds, whole wheat flour, nutritional yeast, salt, vegetable oil, lemon juice, potato, carrot, onion, celery, garlic, water, thyme, basil, sage, savory, pepper and dry mustard. Process the mixture until almost smooth.
3.    Transfer mixture to the baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 1 hour, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Tofu Pate Recipe

• 1 (16 ounce) package soft tofu
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutritional yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 orange bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 fresh red chile pepper, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill weed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions
1.    Wrap soft tofu in cheese cloth. Place over a medium bowl, and press to drain as much liquid as possible.
2.    Place tofu in a medium bowl. Mix in mayonnaise, garlic powder, white pepper, mustard, seasoning salt, nutritional yeast, paprika, orange bell pepper, red chile pepper, celery, parsley, cilantro, dill weed and garlic. Blend until smooth. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Hummus with Red Pepper

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil

Directions
1.    In an electric food processor, combine garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, and lemon juice. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add roasted peppers and basil; process until the peppers are finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer hummus to small bowl, cover and chill until you are ready to serve