August 21- 2007

CSA Newsletter
August 21st 2007


"I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend?"

~Robert Redford, Yosemite National Park dedication, 1985

Hello! I hope the transition back to school has gone well. Where did the summer go? It feels like it was June just yesterday and yet when I walk through the greenhouse it feels like it was eons ago that the tomatoes and cucumber, peppers and eggplant were tiny little seedlings freshly transplanted into the beds. Time………

The Harvest
1# salad mix
¼# arugula
¼# basil
1 bunch carrots
1 bunch King Richard Leeks
Squash
1 bunch herbs
Eggplant
Cucumber
Peppers
Cranberry Red Potatoes
Kale, January King Cabbage, or Red Drumhead Cabbage
Edible Flowers
Blue Lake Bush Bean and Purple Beans
Flower Bouquet

*This week you will either get cabbage or kale – the rest of the cabbage is still reaching the correct size. I will make sure everyone gets some.
*Eggplant, cucumbers, edible flowers and beans – not everyone will get all of those.

A little information on the potato: The potato was first cultivated by the Inca Indians in Peru starting around 200 B.C. The Spanish Conquistadors took the potato back to Europe around 1536. It wasn’t until 1589 that the potato made its way to Ireland with Sir Walter Raleigh. It arrived in N. America around 1719, the first permanent patches with the Colonists in New Hampshire. The potato was the first vegetable grown in space in 1995. But most interesting and historically important for the potato is that Marie Antoinette used to wear potato blossoms in her hair!.......
Potatoes eaten with the skin provide nearly half the daily recommended amount of vitamin C, and are one of the best sources for potassium and fiber.
Old folk lore says that putting a slice of baked potato in a stocking and tying it around your throat will help heal a sore throat. Or you might try curing your toothache by carrying a potato around in your pocket – good luck with those.

The News
We may have extra bags of tomatoes, extra flower bouquets, bags of salad, etc. If you would like to buy more of anything, let me know when you come pick up your box and I will get you all set up.
The garlic is finished curing, now comes the cleaning and selection process. I will go through and clean all the bulbs with a toothbrush (yes a toothbrush), pull out the biggest and best bulbs to use for seed this fall, and the rest will come to you all. I know that makes it sound like you are getting the short end of the deal, but by selecting the best cloves to use as seed it will ensure that our garlic gets better and better with each year. Like I have said before, this year I will be keeping the majority of the garlic to re-plant, but we will all get a good sampling. If you were wavering on whether or not to join again next year, the garlic will definitely make you a return member!

The Recipe
These recipes come out of a great cookbook of Alayne’s called Gardeners’ Community Cookbook.

Chocolate-Zucchini Cake Frosted with Chocolate Chips
Ingredients

Butter for the pan ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
8 tbsp butter (1 stick) ½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup veggie oil ½ tsp ground cloves
1 ¾ cups sugar 2 cups finely copped zucchini
2 large eggs ¼ cup chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup clabbered milk (combine 1 tbsp of white vinegar and 1 cup of milk and allow to sit at room temp for 5 minutes or until it begins to curdle – use right away.)
2 ½ cups all purpose flour 1 cup sour cream whisked with 2 tbsp
½ tsp baking powder powdered sugar
1 tsp baking soda edible flowers for garnish
½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325. Lightly butter a 13X9 inch baking pan.
Cream the butter, oil, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs, vanilla, and clabbered milk and beat well.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir into the batter, then add the zucchini, mixing well each time. Pour into the baking pan and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven, cool slightly, then slice and serve. If using the sour cream, place a dollop on each plate and prop and edible flower or two, if using, in the center. Will keep, covered, for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Zucchini Blondies
Ingredients

Oil, for greasing the baking pan ½ cup coarsely chopped
5 tbsp butter, melted with 1 tbsp water walnuts or pecans
1 cup (packed) brown sugar 1/3 cup chocolate or
1 large egg butterscotch chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 medium zucchini, peeled and chopped into ¼ inch pieces (6 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9 inch square baking pan.

Pour the melted butter into a large mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar and mix well. Crack the egg into the bowl, add the vanilla, and beat until blended.

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into the bowl and stir to mix. Add the zucchini and nits and stir to mix into a stiff batter.

Spread the batter in the baking pan and sprinkle the chips over the top. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean but still a little batter coated.
Remove, cool enough to handle, and slice into squares. Serve warm or at room temp. Will keep, covered, for 3 days at room temp. Or wrap individually and freeze for longer storage.

Hope you enjoy your box this week.
Daisy