We have a great bag this week and hope you will enjoy the varied produce as much as we enjoyed putting it together. This week’s bag will contain: organic red and white potatoes from Poamoho Produce, organic spicy greens mix from Kolea Farm, Meyer lemon from Hoalike Farm, beets from Nalo Farms, lettuce from Maunawili Greens, Hauula tomatoes from Green Growers, and green peppers and cilantro from Pit Farm. You may notice there are two new farms on the list: Kolea Farm and Hoalike Farm. We’ve actually had lemons and avocados from Hoalike Farm once before; Hoalike is run by Andrea Davis. One of Andrea’s neighbors is Bill Howe who owns Kolea Farm, a certified organic farm. Bill specializes in many types of greens and we hope to work with him and Andrea more in the future.
For suggestions on how to use the items in this week’s bag, we hope you’ll enjoy trying a traditional Irish favorite called colcannon. Colcannon is believed to derive from Gaelic and means “white cabbage” although “cannon” may also refer to an Irish word referring to garlic or onion. Either way colcannon is delicious and simple to prepare, as it’s basically potatoes mashed with cabbage or kale, with onions, leeks, or shallots added, and plenty of butter or cream.
A few other Irish dishes to use your potatoes in:
Shepherd’s Pie (30m!)
Shepherd’s Pie (pictures of every step are included in this one)
Any of these recipes would be great for dinner with a salad of Maunawili Greens lettuce and sliced Hauula tomatoes, and or some spicy greens mix from Kolea Farm. And don’t forget a pint of Guinness!
You can also make a great potato and pepper dish using the green peppers from Pit Farm. Wash your potatoes and peppers and cut your potatoes into chunks. Slice the peppers into medium sized strips and add an onion as well, sliced, if you have one. In a bowl toss the potatoes and peppers with olive oil, salt, pepper, onion, and any additional spices you like (red pepper, curry, rosemary) and roast on the grill or in the oven until the potatoes are done. You may want to pre-cook the potato in the microwave first–it’s not necessary but your peppers may cook faster than the potatoes, so pre-cooking will even the time out.
Beets are a wonderful root vegetable that many people say they don’t like. Beets are very tasty when roasted–and it’s easy. You can peel them first or after, however be aware that you will probably have stained fingers for a while! Also it’s much easier to peel them whole than once they are cut. Cut the tops off if necessary, peel if you like now, and then toss the beets in olive oil and salt and pepper. If you have peeled them prior to cooking, you may also want to cut them into chunks now if they are large. Roast them on a baking sheet or in a baking dish until fork tender, turning them as necessary to roast all sides evenly. When done, remove and let cool. If you haven’t peeled them, do so after they are completely cool, then cut them into chunks or slices. These are wonderful added to a salad with mandarin orange or tangerine slices or tossed by themselves with goat/feta cheese.
For a date worthy recipe, try Baby Beets with Watercress and Pan Seared Ahi Tuna with Ginger Vinaigrette. YUM!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Oahu Fresh–enjoy responsibly!!
Slainte!