Eggplant Mini Pizzas

Don’t be afraid of cooking with eggplant! If you’ve never used it before, here’s a very simple recipe to try it out.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggplants

• 4 Tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 cup pizza sauce or marinara

• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• small package of pepperoni

• 3 leaves fresh basil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease pan well or use parchment paper. Cut eggplants into 1/2” rounds. Brush both sides of each round with oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes until soft. Remove from oven, spread 1-2 Tbsp sauce on each round, then sprinkle with cheese and add toppings. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Garnish with freshly chopped herbs.

Substitutions:

• I didn’t have marinara or pizza sauce, so I stirred some tomato paste into spaghetti sauce.

• Try parmesan instead of mozarella cheese.

• Use any toppings you like: mushrooms, bell peppers, sausage, etc.

• Try this in an air fryer and let me know how it works!

Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Last spring one of my friends was preparing for a surgery and was on a very restrictive diet. To liven things up, I offered to make supper with lots of fresh ingredients from the farm. It was a really fun challenge to prepare a 5-course meal that was under 1000 calories.

This is the first course in the Asian-themed, low-calorie, five-course meal: shrimp lettuce wraps as an appetizer.

ingredients

• 2 Tbsp lime juice

• 1 to 2 Tbsp gochujang (which is a Korean hot pepper paste), or your favorite hot sauce

• 1 Tbsp oil (try sesame if you have it)

• 2 tsp honey

• 1 green garlic, grated (or 1 clove garlic)

• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger

• 1 lb small shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 1 head romaine lettuce (or other head lettuce), leaves separated

• 1 cucumber, cut in small cubes

• several radishes, sliced (or substitute salad turnips)

• several leaves fresh mint (or basil, or cilantro), cut in small ribbons

directions

Combine lime juice, gochujang, oil, honey, garlic, ginger, and shrimp in a bowl, stir, and let marinate in the fridge for an hour.

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange shrimp on a sheet pan and roast until just opaque throughout, about 10-15 minutes.

Allow shrimp to cool slightly, then lay out lettuce leaves and fill with shrimp, cucumbers, radishes, and mint.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Arugula Salad

The first boxes of the spring CSA season went out this past week! Here’s what they included: sweet potatoes (stored from last fall’s harvest), green garlic, arugula, leaf lettuce, french breakfast radishes, and chive blossoms.

One of the perks of CSA membership is the weekly CSA email. This email includes a list of each item in the CSA box that week along with storage and preparation tips. It also features one of the items in the box with a deep dive into its history, nutrition, and additional preparation suggestions. And, each week Farmer Katie selects or creates a recipe that utilizes some or all of the items in the box.

This week’s recipe utilizes all six of the items in the box, and it is delicious!

Roasted Sweet Potato and Arugula Salad

INGREDIENTS

Salad:

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced (or substitute green garlic)

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

6 cups baby arugula (and/or other salad greens)

4 radishes, sliced very thinly

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives (or chive blossoms)

Honey-balsamic dressing:

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

4 tablespoons olive or sesame oil

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss the sweet potatoes and onion with the oil, chili powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, stirring gently every 5 to 10 minutes. Increase the heat to 400°F and roast for another 5 to 10 minutes until the sweet potatoes are golden brown. Continue to stir the sweet potato pieces as needed to prevent over-browning. Remove from the oven when soft throughout and let cool slightly.

In the meantime, whisk together vinegar, honey, mustard, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a medium bowl toss together arugula, sliced radishes, and chives. To serve, arrange arugula mixture on plates. Spoon sweet potatoes over arugula, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, drizzle with dressing, and serve. (Serves 4)

Recipe adapted from: The Iron You

Newspaper famous!

The farm was recently featured in the Beatrice Daily Sun! Check out the article here.

Interested in a produce subscription? Details here.

We're hiring!

We’re hiring!

Come work with us this summer!

Part-time job available at West End Farm

Position Title: Field Crew Member

Position Details:

• Job type: Part-time, seasonal (mid-August through mid-November)

• Schedule: 1-2 days per week, primarily Saturdays and/or Mondays. Some flexibility is available for the right candidate.

• Start date: mid-August

Farm Summary: West End Farm LLC is a diversified specialty-crop farm that provides local food to the southeast Nebraska community. The farm raises over 50 different vegetables, herbs, berries, and melons, and also sells honey from beehives on the farm, as well as value-added food products. Products are marketed directly to consumers via a Community Supported Agriculture (produce subscription) program and at the Beatrice Farmers Market. The farm is a tobacco-free and drug-free environment.

Responsibilities: Primary duties include transplanting plant starts, weeding by hand and with hoes, harvesting vegetables, and washing/packing produce. Other farm tasks as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Ability to perform repetitive physical work with endurance

• Strong attention to detail in a fast-paced agricultural environment

• Ability to follow directions and work independently

• Willingness to work in all types of weather, including cold, heat, and rain

• Ability to lift 25 pounds regularly and 40 pounds occasionally

• Punctuality, efficiency, and time management skills

Compensation and benefits: $12-$14 per hour, depending on experience, paid monthly. Workers’ compensation coverage. Access to free excess produce.

To apply: Send a resume and 3 references to Katie at westendfarmne@gmail.com