7/15/2009
CSA Newsletter
July 14, 2009
The most widely grown GMO crop is Monsanto’s Roundup Ready soybean, a soybean engineered to withstand being sprayed with Monsanto’s best-selling herbicide, Roundup. When farmers spray their herbicide-resistant crops, the weeds die but the crop survives. Getting plants to do this trick means fewer weeds for farmers and more sales of Roundup for Monsanto. As of August 2006, 89% of the soybeans, 65% of the cotton, and 36% of the corn planted in the United Stated were herbicide-resistant (HR). In the first nine years HR crops were planted, herbicide use increased dramatically. A study done by the former head of the Board of Agriculture for the National Academy of Sciences found that farmers who plated Roundup Ready soybeans used 2 to 5 times more herbicides than farmers who planted conventional soybeans.
Uncertain Peril, Claire Hope Cummings
The Harvest
¾# salad mix
½# spinach
¼# arugula
½# stir fry mix
1 bunch carrots
1 bunch scallions (Purple Bunching)
Garlic scapes
1 bunch mint
1 bunch lavender
Not everyone will get:
1 bunch beets
1 bunch turnips
Sweet pepper (Sweet Cal Wonder Orange Bell or Ace Bell)
Eggplant (Rosa Bianca)
2 oz basil
Carrots – Two varieties went out this week: Napoli (orange) and White Satin (pale yellow). White Satin is new for us this year and I am quite impressed. It is a very sweet and crunchy carrot, basically coreless and my new favorite!
These will store best in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Scallions (or bunching onions) – The variety this week is Deep Purple Bunching. These will store best in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Nutritional Tip and other random factoid
Carrots: The cultivation of carrots dates back thousands of years to cultures in Central Asia and the Middle East. They were also grown by ancient Greeks and Romans for medicinal uses. They became popular in Europe during the Renaissance, making their way to the US with the early settlers. Carrots were such a popular vegetable that they became the first vegetable to be canned for winter storage and sales in local markets in the US.
Carrots belong to the Umbelliferae family, along with parsnips, fennel, caraway, cumin, and dill. They are the richest source of the antioxidant, pro-vitamin A. This nutrient has been linked to cardiovascular health, cancer prevention, and healthy eyes. Fresh carrots are a great add to salads and stir-fry. They make a great snack and are easy to pickle.
The News
Our Pickling Class is this Saturday from 2-5 (the class will be taught by Becca Brenner of Park City Holistic Health). Come learn a fabulous way to store the summer harvest for later use. You must sign up ahead of time, and you must do it by Thursday. If we do not get enough people signed up we will have to cancel the class. The cost is $50 and you will go home with at least 2 jars of veggies you pickled, and the knowledge to pickle your way into winter! Email me if you would like to sign up.
The ducks have finally discovered that there is a creek flowing about 10.5 feet away from their pen. They disappeared on Lorin the other day, only to be found happily floating upstream. Who can blame them? I’m only surprised it took then so long. Unfortunately they don’t like to come home until just before dark…..and we do have lives around here….sometimes…..so Craig has been working on putting chicken wire around the chicken yard so no one can sneak out anymore. That’s the big news around here this week.
The Recipe
This comes from Becca, and can also be found on her blog (playfulnoshings.blogspot.com), along with many other recipes.
I found the recipe in one of my new favorite cookbooks, Chefs on the Farm by Shannon Borg and Lora Lea Misterly. We adjusted some of the ingredients and the presentation (they suggested serving it in a soup bowl, but I wanted to see all of the summer colors). The only extra ingredients we needed were some organic lasagna noodles, Utah's own White Wine, and homemade ricotta cheese.
This is a delightful, fresh summer dish. It is so easy to make and the white wine makes the dish a bit more festive.
Pasta with Beets, Stir Fry Mix, and Parsley
4 medium beets, trimmedUtah salt1/2 cup local unsalted butterBlack pepper2 shallots, minced2 cloves local garlic minced16 large stir fry mix leaves, leaves chopped, stems finely diced1/2 cup white wine12 pieces of uncooked lasagna pasta, cooked and cut into 4 inch squares1/2 cup homemade ricotta1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the beets in a shallow baking dish. Pour in water about halfway up the level of the beets, and add a sprinkling of salt. Cover. Put in the oven and roast until fork-tender, about 40 minutes. Remove and cool the beets in the dish until ready to handle, then peel, dice, and reserve.
3. Set some salted water to boil for the pasta. In a saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add the reserved beets. Toss and heat just through, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set cover askew and keep warm over low heat.
4. In a large sauté pan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Cook the shallots, garlic, and chard stems until soft, about 3 minutes. add 2 more tablespoons of butter. After the butter melts, stir in the chard leaves and cook gently for about 3 minutes, or until soft. Season with salt, then stir in 2 more tablespoons of butter and the white wine. Cook the mixture for about 5 more minutes.
5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta for 3 to 4 minutes, until al dente. Drain and toss the pasta with the remaining butter.
6. Assemble the meal: Begin with a layer of the chard mixture, then lay a pasta square on the mixture and fill with more of the hard mixture, beets, and a sprinkle of ricotta. Continue stacking and top with chard, beets, and ricotta.
That’s it for this week. Hope you’ve had a fabulous one so far, and we’ll see you tomorrow between 8-6.
Daisy
July 14, 2009
The most widely grown GMO crop is Monsanto’s Roundup Ready soybean, a soybean engineered to withstand being sprayed with Monsanto’s best-selling herbicide, Roundup. When farmers spray their herbicide-resistant crops, the weeds die but the crop survives. Getting plants to do this trick means fewer weeds for farmers and more sales of Roundup for Monsanto. As of August 2006, 89% of the soybeans, 65% of the cotton, and 36% of the corn planted in the United Stated were herbicide-resistant (HR). In the first nine years HR crops were planted, herbicide use increased dramatically. A study done by the former head of the Board of Agriculture for the National Academy of Sciences found that farmers who plated Roundup Ready soybeans used 2 to 5 times more herbicides than farmers who planted conventional soybeans.
Uncertain Peril, Claire Hope Cummings
The Harvest
¾# salad mix
½# spinach
¼# arugula
½# stir fry mix
1 bunch carrots
1 bunch scallions (Purple Bunching)
Garlic scapes
1 bunch mint
1 bunch lavender
Not everyone will get:
1 bunch beets
1 bunch turnips
Sweet pepper (Sweet Cal Wonder Orange Bell or Ace Bell)
Eggplant (Rosa Bianca)
2 oz basil
Carrots – Two varieties went out this week: Napoli (orange) and White Satin (pale yellow). White Satin is new for us this year and I am quite impressed. It is a very sweet and crunchy carrot, basically coreless and my new favorite!
These will store best in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Scallions (or bunching onions) – The variety this week is Deep Purple Bunching. These will store best in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Nutritional Tip and other random factoid
Carrots: The cultivation of carrots dates back thousands of years to cultures in Central Asia and the Middle East. They were also grown by ancient Greeks and Romans for medicinal uses. They became popular in Europe during the Renaissance, making their way to the US with the early settlers. Carrots were such a popular vegetable that they became the first vegetable to be canned for winter storage and sales in local markets in the US.
Carrots belong to the Umbelliferae family, along with parsnips, fennel, caraway, cumin, and dill. They are the richest source of the antioxidant, pro-vitamin A. This nutrient has been linked to cardiovascular health, cancer prevention, and healthy eyes. Fresh carrots are a great add to salads and stir-fry. They make a great snack and are easy to pickle.
The News
Our Pickling Class is this Saturday from 2-5 (the class will be taught by Becca Brenner of Park City Holistic Health). Come learn a fabulous way to store the summer harvest for later use. You must sign up ahead of time, and you must do it by Thursday. If we do not get enough people signed up we will have to cancel the class. The cost is $50 and you will go home with at least 2 jars of veggies you pickled, and the knowledge to pickle your way into winter! Email me if you would like to sign up.
The ducks have finally discovered that there is a creek flowing about 10.5 feet away from their pen. They disappeared on Lorin the other day, only to be found happily floating upstream. Who can blame them? I’m only surprised it took then so long. Unfortunately they don’t like to come home until just before dark…..and we do have lives around here….sometimes…..so Craig has been working on putting chicken wire around the chicken yard so no one can sneak out anymore. That’s the big news around here this week.
The Recipe
This comes from Becca, and can also be found on her blog (playfulnoshings.blogspot.com), along with many other recipes.
I found the recipe in one of my new favorite cookbooks, Chefs on the Farm by Shannon Borg and Lora Lea Misterly. We adjusted some of the ingredients and the presentation (they suggested serving it in a soup bowl, but I wanted to see all of the summer colors). The only extra ingredients we needed were some organic lasagna noodles, Utah's own White Wine, and homemade ricotta cheese.
This is a delightful, fresh summer dish. It is so easy to make and the white wine makes the dish a bit more festive.
Pasta with Beets, Stir Fry Mix, and Parsley
4 medium beets, trimmedUtah salt1/2 cup local unsalted butterBlack pepper2 shallots, minced2 cloves local garlic minced16 large stir fry mix leaves, leaves chopped, stems finely diced1/2 cup white wine12 pieces of uncooked lasagna pasta, cooked and cut into 4 inch squares1/2 cup homemade ricotta1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the beets in a shallow baking dish. Pour in water about halfway up the level of the beets, and add a sprinkling of salt. Cover. Put in the oven and roast until fork-tender, about 40 minutes. Remove and cool the beets in the dish until ready to handle, then peel, dice, and reserve.
3. Set some salted water to boil for the pasta. In a saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add the reserved beets. Toss and heat just through, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set cover askew and keep warm over low heat.
4. In a large sauté pan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Cook the shallots, garlic, and chard stems until soft, about 3 minutes. add 2 more tablespoons of butter. After the butter melts, stir in the chard leaves and cook gently for about 3 minutes, or until soft. Season with salt, then stir in 2 more tablespoons of butter and the white wine. Cook the mixture for about 5 more minutes.
5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta for 3 to 4 minutes, until al dente. Drain and toss the pasta with the remaining butter.
6. Assemble the meal: Begin with a layer of the chard mixture, then lay a pasta square on the mixture and fill with more of the hard mixture, beets, and a sprinkle of ricotta. Continue stacking and top with chard, beets, and ricotta.
That’s it for this week. Hope you’ve had a fabulous one so far, and we’ll see you tomorrow between 8-6.
Daisy
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