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The Circle of Life

The Circle of Life

Wasting Food is the worst. To avoid it, Tim will eat things well past their sell-by date and deep into the time where your produce starts to looks like its been mummified. But sometimes there is just no way around it-you find yourself sadly throwing food in the trash.  Wipe away those tears of sadness, friends. There is another way.

Bootstrap compost is here to save the day. Their service will deliver you a lovely 5 gallon bucket into which you can throw your fruits, veggies, bread, teabags, hopes and dreams and egg shells.  They will come and pick up your full compost bucket and replace it with a new one either weekly or bi-weekly. Your goods are composted and every four months they deliver you 5 pounds of soil so you can start the circle all over again in your garden. They have composted over 2.1 MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill. We love these guys!

If you're keen to give it a go, Bootstrap will give Family Dinner Customers 2 free weeks of pickups when you enter  "Family Dinner" in the Heard About section of their new online form.

Let's save the world one rotten banana at a time.


WHAT'S IN THE BAG?

HALF SHARE

Protein - Scup and Scallops from Red's Best; Maple Greek Yogurt from Brookford Farm
Fruits and Veggies - Mixed Lettuces from Cornerstalk Farm; Gala Apples from Apex Farm; Acorn Squash and Green Leeks from Brookford Farm
Grains - Garlic Parsley Pasta from Nella Pasta (so tasty!)
Special Treat - Donut holes from Union Square Donuts

WHOLE SHARE

Protein and Dairy - Scup and Scallops from Red's Best; Maple Greek Yogurt from Brookford Farm; Chicken and Eggs from Feather Brook Farm
Fruits and Veggies - Mixed Lettuces and tomatoes (YES, TOMATOES!) from Cornerstalk Farm; Gala Apples from Apex Farm; Acorn Squash, Yellow Onions and Green Leeks from Brookford Farm
Grain - Garlic Parsley Pasta from Nella Pasta (so tasty!)
Special Treats - Donut holes from Union Square Donuts

 

RECIPES

Scup and Scallops: We have been loving a simple fish dish as an alternative to the heavy comfort foods we're constantly soothing our weary souls with. Cooking fish can seem intimidating but all it asks you for is a warm pan, a few pads of butter and a couple minutes of sauté per side. (Nerd Alert: Did you guys know that "sauté" is a French word and is the past participle for the verb "to jump"? Now you do. You're welcome for that useless little nugget.) We generally think that this simple butter/spice/ pan trio is the right call, like with this simple scallop recipe. If you are looking for some extra texture, go for a true pan fry with breadcrumbs and a bit of oil.

Pasta with Leeks: There are a few versions of this, the Cheesy Leek Pasta from Cooking Light and the Mark Bittman version which is less cheesy but still totally delicious. 

Leek Gratin: If you're feeling decadent try this beautiful, creamy dish from Martha. 

The Easiest Vinaigrette: Once you memorize the basics of a good vinaigrette, you will never be without a great dressing for salad, raw veggies or a nice finish for a grilled fish.


TIPS AND TRICKS 

Getting a Crisp on Your Fish (and everything else)
Scup and scallops are both so delicate that you'll probably pan sear them. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, will be creating a deliciously crisp exterior with perfectly moist interior.

  • Step 1: Pat your fish with paper towels before you put it in the pan. If you place a sopping wet piece of fish, meat, or anything else in a hot pan, the exterior will steam instead of searing.  You need to get rid of all of that extra moisture before your food will turn golden brown. This goes for fish, meat, mushrooms, potatoes, and pretty much everything else.
  • Step 2: If you want your fish extra crispy, lightly dredge it in a mixture of flour, salt and pepper (we recommend white pepper for fish, black pepper for meat).
  • Step 3: Make sure that your pan and cooking oil or butter is nice and hot, so the exterior sears quickly. This will help you get that beautiful golden crunch and avoid overcooking the interior.
  • Step 4: Take your fish off of heat before it overcooks. For scallops, our friends at Cook's Illustrated recommend an interior temperature of 125-130F. These temperatures will vary depending on what you're cooking.
  • Step 5: Pretty things up with some parsley, tarragon or chervil.  The bright green hue of these herbs will contrast with that golden brown finish.  We recommend using kitchen shears to cut these herbs right over your fish - it makes clean-up a lot easier and you won't lose any herbs to the cutting board.
  • Step 6: Nom, Nom, NOM.