balsamic vinegar

Chard Times
FarmPlate Jun 23, 2010 Balsamic Vinegar 0 comments
There's Swiss cheese, Swiss chocolate, Swiss Army knives. But what's so "Swiss" about chard? It's a mystery. That's not the only curious aspect of chard. Why does chard, especially the ruby-red variety, taste a lot like beets? And, most importantly, are Swiss CSA-members as inundated with Swiss chard at this time of year as their Vermont CSA counterparts? Renowned produce expert Elizabeth Schneider is even mystified by the "Swiss" in chard. In her Uncommon Fruits & Vegetables: A Commonsense Guide (William Morrow, 1990) she speculates that "Swiss" could be a long-forgotten seed variety name that stuck to chard, aka Beta vulgaris, subspecies cicla. Which leads us to the next conclusion: ...
Lamb & Blue Cheese Sliders with Caramelized Onions
FarmPlate May 26, 2010 Balsamic Vinegar 1 comments
from the FarmPlate Kitchen Consider making slightly over-sized sliders so they can't slip through the rungs on your grill rack. These are great with Cowboy Ketchup, which you can now find at City Market in Burlington. 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing 2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Pinch of dried thyme 1½ pounds lean ground lamb (try Kind Horn Farm or check out the selection at Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op) 2 tablespoons chopped Kalamata olives ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese (we love Jasper Hill's Bayley Hazen Blue) 8 to 12 fresh-baked slider buns, split A handful or two of arugula leaves Heat the...
Wilted Arugula Salad
FarmPlate May 12, 2010 Balsamic Vinegar 0 comments
from the FarmPlate Kitchen Arugula and oranges combine to make this salad a nutrition powerhouse. The salad is an excellent source of vitamins A, folate, C and K, and a good source of minerals including calcium, potassium and magnesium. Vermont Herb & Salad Company's baby arugula can be found at Price Chopper, Rutland Area Food Co-op, Fresh Market in Burlington as well as many East Coast Trader Joe's. 2 large navel oranges 12 ounces fresh arugula 2 scallions, thinly sliced ¼ cup pine nuts or sunflower seeds 2 tablespoons bitter orange marmalade 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper Working over a bowl to catch the juice, remove the...
Rocketry 101
FarmPlate May 12, 2010 Balsamic Vinegar 0 comments
It's May and it's Vermont. The dribs and drabs of snow left over from Mother's Day have finally disappeared from everywhere but the highest elevations. It's time to get something, anything in the ground. It's still too early for beans and tomato starts will have to wait until Memorial Day. But there's one plant whose seeds almost blast off even in cold soil, and that plant is arugula. The English call it rocket, a perfect name for this cool-season salad green that grows at a rate approaching lightspeed. The plants are often ready to harvest as early as four weeks after seeding. If left to set flowers and seedpods, arugula will easily self-seed. It's unstoppable. Arugula may look like baby...