June 4, 2008
The agricultural industry is the second largest consumer of energy in this country. Where have we placed our priorities? When soil degenerates, the growing plants degenerate and the consumers degenerate. This in turn creates a demand for the production and sale of products to combat the symptoms degenerated soil creates. There are chemicals to fumigate the soil for insects and diseases, chemicals for weeds, and finally chemicals for doctors to give to sick consumers to cover up new maladies and disease.
Dr. Arden B. Anderson from The Anatomy of Life & Energy in Agriculture
I can’t believe it’s that time of year again. Between the on-again, off-again spring we’ve had and just the way time flies in general, it doesn’t seem possible that tomorrow is the first CSA pick-up. But it is! Let’s get down to business:
The Harvest
½# salad mix
½(ish)# baby spinach
1.5 oz basil
¼# arugula
1-bunch herbs
Salad Mix – our salad mix is a combination of 7 different lettuces, Tat Soi, Red Russian Kale, Bright Lights Swiss Chard, Mizuna, Giant Red Mustard, and Bull’s Blood Beet Greens.
Arugula – not everyone will get arugula this week. When I have something that is ready to harvest, but I don’t have enough for the whole CSA, I still harvest it and send it out. I keep diligent track of who gets what, and I will make sure that everyone gets the same amount and variety of produce throughout the weeks.
Herbs – this week you will either get mint, tarragon, or chives – and yes, the chive blossoms are edible and beautiful!
Basil – you will either get Lettuce Leaf basil (giant crinkly leaves), Red Rubin basil (purple color), Genovese Sweet basil (standard gorgeous basil) or a mix of Lettuce Leaf and Lemon basil (smaller leaves, more pungent, amazing lemony aroma and flavor).
I have a couple extra bags of baby spinach. If you would like to buy one let me know when you are there tomorrow - $4.
The News
You’ll see some familiar faces around this summer and some new faces. Alayne will be working full time this summer, so you should see her quite a bit. Caroline is a recent graduate from Virginia Tech in Horticulture and will be working part-time with us. And then we have 5 work-share members: Joyce, Tim, Michelle, Inge, and Rob. They will all know their way around the farm pretty well so feel free to ask any of them any questions you may have.
Veggie Processing:
Most of the greens you receive from us will be double washed and dried. The only two greens we don’t wash are arugula and basil. They are both too delicate for our greens spinner, and damaging the leaves means they won’t last as long, so I choose not to process them; I’ll leave that to you. (I usually don’t even wash my basil at home).
I do not use any disinfectant in the water I use to wash the greens. I do disinfect the sinks and all surfaces that come in contact with the greens, but the water I use for washing is just good clean water. If you feel the need to clean your greens further – please go ahead. If you have any questions about this please ask me.
Keeping your produce fresh:
We do all that we can on our end to make sure that you get the freshest produce. We harvest at the right time and in the correct manner. We quickly get all the produce in the cooler. We wash gently, dry as thoroughly as we can and then put them right back in the cooler. Now it’s your turn: get your produce home and into the fridge as soon as you can (unless, of course, it’s tomatoes, potatoes, or garlic…more on that in a few weeks). Cut the tops off of any root crops (carrots, beets, turnips, radish) that still have them. Many of those tops are edible and that’s why we send them home, but they should not remain attached to the root (dehydrates the root crop faster). For herb bunches you can place them in a glass with water, put a plastic bag over them and then pop them in the fridge. If you want to dry your herbs right away just hang them upside down from the rubber band they are bunched with. It’s best not to do this right over the stove or any other hot place. Herbs that are good to dry and store in a plastic bag or small jar for later use are: tarragon, oregano, thyme, dill, lavender, and sage. Do not seal basil in the bag – basil has got to breath, whether in the fridge or on the counter, so leave a little opening in the bag. Make sure the basil is dry before storing.
Flowers:
If you have a flower share you will be picking up a bunch of flowers each week also (starting mid/end of June). Your flowers will be bunched with a rubber band. When you get them home you should re-cut the stems under running water and then get them in a vase right away. The best way to keep your flowers fresh is to change the water every day…good luck with that one.
Eggs:
Yes, eggs. We have some chickens. They lay some eggs. You will get some eggs every once in a while throughout the season. I do not wash the eggs. Eggs have a natural protective membrane on the outside of the shell that seals them from any outside invasions. Once you get the egg wet (or wet and soapy) that membrane breaks down and the inside of the egg is less protected from outside bacteria. I recommend you wash your eggs right before you use them. (I don’t do this at home, but that is a personal choice and I am sure you are starting to see a trend here.) Enjoy the eggs!
I will leave notes on the cooler door indicating who should take eggs each week. Same goes with early season flowers for our flower share members. Keep an eye on the cooler door for any perks!
The Recipe
It’s a simple one this week, and it’s coming from me. You will get lots of basil this year, and it’s great to know how to make pesto. It’s sooooo easy, and in my house we like to freeze it in single serving sizes for easy use throughout the whole year.
Fresh Pesto
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (any kind will work, but if you are making it with the Lemon basil, I would use ½ Lemon basil and ½ Sweet or Lettuce Leaf)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup olive oil
3 tbsp nuts (any kind will work, but Pine Nuts are the classic)
3 garlic cloves
Place basil leaves in small batches in food processor and whip until well chopped (do about 3/4 cup at a time). Add about 1/3 the nuts and garlic, blend again.Add about 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese; blend while slowly adding about 1/3 of the olive oil, stopping to scrape down sides of container.Process basil pesto it forms a thick smooth paste. Repeat until all ingredients are used, mix all batches together well.
I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow – and meeting those of you I don’t know yet. I have a form for everyone to sign tomorrow, and need to get you set up with t-shirt and bag if you are a new member, so plan on a little extra time at pick-up.
Snow tomorrow? Really?
Daisy
Dr. Arden B. Anderson from The Anatomy of Life & Energy in Agriculture
I can’t believe it’s that time of year again. Between the on-again, off-again spring we’ve had and just the way time flies in general, it doesn’t seem possible that tomorrow is the first CSA pick-up. But it is! Let’s get down to business:
The Harvest
½# salad mix
½(ish)# baby spinach
1.5 oz basil
¼# arugula
1-bunch herbs
Salad Mix – our salad mix is a combination of 7 different lettuces, Tat Soi, Red Russian Kale, Bright Lights Swiss Chard, Mizuna, Giant Red Mustard, and Bull’s Blood Beet Greens.
Arugula – not everyone will get arugula this week. When I have something that is ready to harvest, but I don’t have enough for the whole CSA, I still harvest it and send it out. I keep diligent track of who gets what, and I will make sure that everyone gets the same amount and variety of produce throughout the weeks.
Herbs – this week you will either get mint, tarragon, or chives – and yes, the chive blossoms are edible and beautiful!
Basil – you will either get Lettuce Leaf basil (giant crinkly leaves), Red Rubin basil (purple color), Genovese Sweet basil (standard gorgeous basil) or a mix of Lettuce Leaf and Lemon basil (smaller leaves, more pungent, amazing lemony aroma and flavor).
I have a couple extra bags of baby spinach. If you would like to buy one let me know when you are there tomorrow - $4.
The News
You’ll see some familiar faces around this summer and some new faces. Alayne will be working full time this summer, so you should see her quite a bit. Caroline is a recent graduate from Virginia Tech in Horticulture and will be working part-time with us. And then we have 5 work-share members: Joyce, Tim, Michelle, Inge, and Rob. They will all know their way around the farm pretty well so feel free to ask any of them any questions you may have.
Veggie Processing:
Most of the greens you receive from us will be double washed and dried. The only two greens we don’t wash are arugula and basil. They are both too delicate for our greens spinner, and damaging the leaves means they won’t last as long, so I choose not to process them; I’ll leave that to you. (I usually don’t even wash my basil at home).
I do not use any disinfectant in the water I use to wash the greens. I do disinfect the sinks and all surfaces that come in contact with the greens, but the water I use for washing is just good clean water. If you feel the need to clean your greens further – please go ahead. If you have any questions about this please ask me.
Keeping your produce fresh:
We do all that we can on our end to make sure that you get the freshest produce. We harvest at the right time and in the correct manner. We quickly get all the produce in the cooler. We wash gently, dry as thoroughly as we can and then put them right back in the cooler. Now it’s your turn: get your produce home and into the fridge as soon as you can (unless, of course, it’s tomatoes, potatoes, or garlic…more on that in a few weeks). Cut the tops off of any root crops (carrots, beets, turnips, radish) that still have them. Many of those tops are edible and that’s why we send them home, but they should not remain attached to the root (dehydrates the root crop faster). For herb bunches you can place them in a glass with water, put a plastic bag over them and then pop them in the fridge. If you want to dry your herbs right away just hang them upside down from the rubber band they are bunched with. It’s best not to do this right over the stove or any other hot place. Herbs that are good to dry and store in a plastic bag or small jar for later use are: tarragon, oregano, thyme, dill, lavender, and sage. Do not seal basil in the bag – basil has got to breath, whether in the fridge or on the counter, so leave a little opening in the bag. Make sure the basil is dry before storing.
Flowers:
If you have a flower share you will be picking up a bunch of flowers each week also (starting mid/end of June). Your flowers will be bunched with a rubber band. When you get them home you should re-cut the stems under running water and then get them in a vase right away. The best way to keep your flowers fresh is to change the water every day…good luck with that one.
Eggs:
Yes, eggs. We have some chickens. They lay some eggs. You will get some eggs every once in a while throughout the season. I do not wash the eggs. Eggs have a natural protective membrane on the outside of the shell that seals them from any outside invasions. Once you get the egg wet (or wet and soapy) that membrane breaks down and the inside of the egg is less protected from outside bacteria. I recommend you wash your eggs right before you use them. (I don’t do this at home, but that is a personal choice and I am sure you are starting to see a trend here.) Enjoy the eggs!
I will leave notes on the cooler door indicating who should take eggs each week. Same goes with early season flowers for our flower share members. Keep an eye on the cooler door for any perks!
The Recipe
It’s a simple one this week, and it’s coming from me. You will get lots of basil this year, and it’s great to know how to make pesto. It’s sooooo easy, and in my house we like to freeze it in single serving sizes for easy use throughout the whole year.
Fresh Pesto
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (any kind will work, but if you are making it with the Lemon basil, I would use ½ Lemon basil and ½ Sweet or Lettuce Leaf)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup olive oil
3 tbsp nuts (any kind will work, but Pine Nuts are the classic)
3 garlic cloves
Place basil leaves in small batches in food processor and whip until well chopped (do about 3/4 cup at a time). Add about 1/3 the nuts and garlic, blend again.Add about 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese; blend while slowly adding about 1/3 of the olive oil, stopping to scrape down sides of container.Process basil pesto it forms a thick smooth paste. Repeat until all ingredients are used, mix all batches together well.
I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow – and meeting those of you I don’t know yet. I have a form for everyone to sign tomorrow, and need to get you set up with t-shirt and bag if you are a new member, so plan on a little extra time at pick-up.
Snow tomorrow? Really?
Daisy
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